the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said:

“The finest words after the Quran are four phrases, which are themselves from the Quran: Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; none is worthy of worship but Allah; and Allah is the Greatest.”

Praising Allah is coupled with glorifying Him and follows it, while declaring His greatness is coupled with affirming His sole right to worship and follows it. It is recorded in an authentic collection that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, “Which words are best?” He replied:

“Those Allah has chosen for His angels: ‘Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him.’”

Both authentic collections record that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“Two phrases are light on the tongue, heavy in the Balance, and beloved to the Most Merciful: ‘Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him’ and ‘Glory be to Allah, the Magnificent.’”

The Quran says:

“So glorify your Lord with praise.”

And the angels said:

“We glorify You with praise.”

Of these two phrases, one couples glorification with praise, and the other with an affirmation of His greatness. As we have explained, glorification denies evil and imperfections in Him, which entails affirming His excellent attributes and perfection. Praise is offered only for excellent qualities.

Praise and reverence are paired together, just as majesty and honor are paired together: not everything revered is loved and praised, nor is everything loved praised and revered. We have already explained that worship entails perfect love, which includes the meaning of praise, and perfect humility, which includes the meaning of reverence. Worship thus includes loving Him and praising Him for His excellent attributes, as well as humbling oneself before Him on account of His greatness and grandeur. It therefore includes venerating and honoring Him. He—glorified be He—is worthy of reverence and honor, and deserves the utmost veneration and the utmost honor.