neither by uttering Lā ilāha illā Allāh nor by anything else. The prescribed obligations are indispensable; as for the supererogatory deeds, if some of them prove difficult for a person, remembrance (dhikr) can make up for the resulting shortfall.

Another lesson is that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best form of remembrance is Lā ilāha illā Allāh.” There is no doubt that this statement is momentous: by means of it a person enters the religion of Islam. It is the key to Islam, and, as another hadith states, “The key to Paradise is Lā ilāha illā Allāh.”

We also learn the virtue of saying Subḥān Allāh, Al-ḥamdu lillāh, Lā ilāha illā Allāh, and Allāhu akbar. These are the saplings of Paradise—meaning that each time a person utters one of them, a tree is planted for him in Paradise.

Furthermore, remembering Allah is among the finest, most complete, and most beloved deeds to Him; indeed, it is one of the causes of steadfastness when meeting the enemy, as Allah the Exalted says: “O you who believe! When you encounter a host, stand firm and remember Allah often so that you may succeed.” All such hadiths demonstrate the excellence of dhikr and the need for a Muslim to engage in it abundantly.

We have already come across the Prophet’s saying, “Two phrases that are light on the tongue, heavy on the scale, and beloved to the Most Merciful: Subḥān Allāh wa bi-ḥamdih, Subḥān Allāh al-ʿAẓīm.”

Allah is the One who grants success.

1442 – Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he entered with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ upon a woman who had some date stones or pebbles in front of her with which she was counting her glorifications. He said, “Shall I not tell you something easier for you than this, or even better?” He then said, “Subḥān Allāh as many times as the number of His creatures in the heavens, Subḥān Allāh …”