by the agreement of the Muslims, nor is its utterance commanded in any act of worship or any form of address.

An analogy to someone who confines himself to an isolated name is the account of a Bedouin who passed a caller to prayer saying, “I bear witness that Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah…”—putting “Messenger” in the accusative. He asked: “What is this man saying? Here is the subject, but where is the predicate that completes the statement?”

The Quranic passages:

“Remember the name of your Lord and devote yourself wholeheartedly to Him”;

“Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High”;

“He has certainly succeeded who purifies himself,”

“and remembers the name of his Lord and prays”;

“So glorify the name of your Lord, the Most Great”;

and similar passages do not imply uttering His name in isolation. Rather, the Sunan collections relate:

“When His words, ‘So glorify the name of your Lord, the Most Great,’ were revealed, he said, ‘Include this in your bowing.’ When His words, ‘Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High,’ were revealed, he said, ‘Include this in your prostration.’”

He thus prescribed that they say when bowing, “Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great,” and when prostrating, “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.” It is authentically reported that “he would say when bowing, ‘Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great,’ and when prostrating, ‘Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.’” This is what his words, “Include this in your bowing” and “your prostration,” mean, by the agreement of the Muslims.

Thus, glorifying the name of one’s Lord, the Most High, remembering the name of one’s Lord, and similar expressions mean doing so through complete, meaningful speech. As authentically reported, he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The best words after the Quran are four—and they are from the Quran—Glory be to