One day Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) left the home of his wife, Juwayreyyah bint Al-Hareth (may Allah be pleased by her), to go for salatul-Fajr, the dawn Prayer, while she was worshipping Allah in her designated prayer area at home.

After several hours, during the time of Duha, in the forenoon, the Prophet (ﷺ) returned home and saw his wife Juwayreah remembering Allah in the same place she was at when he left earlier in the morning. So, he asked her: “ما زلتِ على الحالِ التي فارقتُكِ عليها ؟” (Are you still in the same position since I have left you?) She replied in the affirmative and said: “Yes.”

The Prophet (ﷺ), being who he is, the loving and caring man to his family, friends, me and you, taught us all the following great du’aa and lesson. He said: “I have recited 4 statements 3 times after I had left you. If they were to be weighed with what you said it would outweigh them!” (they are) سبحان اللهِ وبحمدِه ، عددَ خلقِه ورضَا نفسِه وزِنَةِ عرشِه ومِدادَ كلماتِه “Subhana-llahi wa behamdih, (1) ‘adada khalqih, (2) wa reDa nafsih, (3) wa zenata ‘arshih, (4) wa me dada kalemaatih.” [Muslim]

That is all. So the Pprophet (ﷺ) repeating these words 3 times, spending less than 30 seconds, was more rewarding and blessed than the hours of worship our beloved mother Juwayreyyah (may Allah be pleased by her) has spent! Allahu akbar- God is Great.

Let’s explain each segment of the supplication to fully appreciate how powerful it is. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) began that du’aa by saying:

• Subhana Allah
  • Usually translated as: All glory be to Allah.
  • It can be further explained as follows: O Allah you are free from any imperfection, free from any shortcoming, free from any lie attributed to you by the haters and the ignorant and free from any association or similarity in any way to any being.
  • So here, you negate every negative attributed to Allah. Subhana Allah!
• Then he (ﷺ) said, wa behamdih
  • One of the meanings of it is: “O Allah you are deserving of all praise”
  • With that praise, you affirm Allah’s oneness, uniqueness, strength, capability and all of His beautiful names and all types of praise!
  • So here, you affirm every positive attributed to Allah.

Now what remained in that du’aa is the description and explanation of to what extent we want to negate the negative and affirm the positive attributed to Allah.

Let me give you a quick analogy to help appreciate what remained in the du’aa, there is a child who would tell their parents “I love you!” and there is another child who further describes to what extent is that love by saying: “I love you sooooooooo much! As bright as the sun! As biiiiiiiiiiiig as the sky!”. Both have verbally expressed their love but surely the latter had stronger expressions.

Allah is the best of examples, to what extent you want to express to Allah the statement, Subhana Allahi wa be7amdih, to what extent you want to negate the negative and affirm the positive attributed to Allah?

• # 1: ‘adada khalqih:
  • By the amount and number of His creation!
  • Do you realize how large of a number that will come up to!
    • That includes every human being, every jinn, every angel, every animal, every living and non-living thing, every grain of sand in the deserts and every drop of water in the oceans! Every star and plant! Every creation, that which we know about and that which we do not know about! Allahu akbar!

• # 2: Wa ReDa nafsih:
  • Until He is pleased!
  • O Allah I glorify you and praise you with the quality and quantity of that which pleases you.
  • This is the greatest goal you can achieve and the greatest extent you can reach!

• # 3: Wa zenata ‘arshih:
  • As heavy as His throne!
  • Reflect on the greatness of Allah’s throne. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:
    • ‏ أُذِنَ لِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَ عَنْ مَلَكٍ مِنْ مَلاَئِكَةِ اللَّهِ مِنْ حَمَلَةِ الْعَرْشِ إِنَّ مَا بَيْنَ شَحْمَةِ أُذُنِهِ إِلَى عَاتِقِهِ مَسِيرَةُ سَبْعِمِائَةِ عَامٍ
    • “I have been permitted to tell about one of Allah’s angels who bears the throne that the distance between the lobe of his ear and his shoulder is a journey of seven hundred years.” [Abu Dawud]
  • Allahu akbar, how magnificent is Allah’s throne!

• #4: Wa medaada kalemaatih:
  • And by the amount of ink and pens that are required to write down His words:
    • His words include: His commands, what He has decreed and His knowledge of everything including the knowledge of the unseen, and the knowledge of what happens on the land and sea, and his knowledge of every leaf that falls from the tree.
    • Allah has said:
      • وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّـهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
      • “And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], refilled thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted (but the ink and the pens would be exhausted). Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” [31:27]

The more you contemplate on these four descriptions the more you would appreciate the power of this du’aa and the more blessings you’d receive from Allah. Remember to repeat this supplication 3 times every morning and remind others too.

The Supplication Series: The Forgotten Piece of Flesh

Supplication Series: Seeking Refuge from Four Things

A Life-Changing Dua of Unimaginable Proportions