The Virtue of Four Words

Praise is due to Allah the Almighty, peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Prophet Muhammad, his Family, his Companions and whosoever follows him. The most important objective in this life is finding ways to make our scale of good deeds heavy before the day of judgement and before death.  Allah the Almighty says:

فَأَمَّا مَن ثَقُلَتْ مَوَازِينُهُ. فَهُوَ فِي عِيشَةٍ رَّاضِيَةٍ [القارعة:6-7]
 

(Interpretation of meaning):

Then as for one whose scales are heavy [with good deeds]. He will be in a pleasant life [Al-Qaari'a:6-7],

As a result, in order to be blessed with a pleasant life in hereafter, we have to make our scale heavy by doing good deeds and approach any method that helps us to accomplish this goal. In Noble Sunna the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed us about the value of four words which weigh so much in the day of judgment . These four words glorifies Allah the Almighty in a perfect manner.

The Mother of the Believers, Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith (May Allah be pleased with her),  reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah the Almighty be upon him) came out from my apartment in the morning as I was busy in performing the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon and found me sitting there. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah the Almighty be upon him) said:

‏‏‏"لقد قلت بعدك أربع كلمات ثلاث مرات، لو وزنت بما قلت منذ اليوم لوزنتهن‏:‏ سبحان الله وبحمده عدد خلقه، ورضا نفسه، وزنة عرشه، ومداد كلماته"

(Interpretation of Hadith)

"I recited four words three times after I had left you. If these are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these will be heavier. These are: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, `adada khalqihi, wa rida nafsihi, wa zinatah `arshihi, wa midada kalimatihi [Allah is free from imperfection and I begin with His praise, as many times as the number of His creatures, in accordance with His Good Pleasure, equal to the weight of His Throne and equal to the ink that may be used in recording His words (for His Praise)] (Muslim).."

Every Muslim has to appreciate the potential consequences of uttering these four words continuously. Furthermore, we have to exert sincere efforts to make other Muslims knowledgeable about this value. We ask Allah the Almighty to grant us and all Muslims His mercy.

Hussin Ahmed Abdul-Kader