Ahmad ibn Isḥāq related this ḥadīth to me; al-Anṣārī narrated it; at-Taymī narrated it; from Abū ʿUthmān; from Abū Mūsā (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:

“We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on a journey and we climbed a mountain pass—or a narrow ascent. Whenever one of us reached the top he would say, ‘La ilāha illa Allah, Allahu akbar’ (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah; Allah is the Greatest). The Prophet ﷺ then said, ‘You are not calling upon One who is deaf or absent.’

The narrator added: He was riding his mule, guiding it, and he said, ‘O Abū Mūsā, or O ʿAbdullāh, shall I teach you a phrase from the treasures of Paradise?’ I replied, ‘Yes, O Messenger of Allah.’ He said, ‘la ḥawla wa la quwwata illā billāh’ (there is no power and no might except through Allah).

It is also reported from the Prophet ﷺ that he liked a man to keep his voice low and disliked that he should raise it. Indeed, Allah—exalted is He—calls out with a voice that is heard by the one who is far just as it is heard by the one who is near; this is exclusive to Allah alone.

Abū ʿAbdullāh said: ‘This is evidence that the voice of Allah does not resemble the voices of created beings, for Allah’s voice—glorified be His mention—is heard from afar exactly as it is heard from near, and the angels swoon at His voice, whereas when the angels call to one another they do not swoon. Allah the Exalted has said, “So do not set up rivals to Allah” (Quran 2:22). Thus none of Allah’s attributes has an equal or a likeness, nor is any of His attribute found in created beings.’