3 Forms of Dhikr That Will Benefit You Through Thick and Thin

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Purity is half of faith. ‘Al-hamdu lillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fills the scales, and ‘subhan-Allah (how far is Allah from every imperfection) and ‘Al-hamdulillah (all praise and gratitude belong to Allah)’ fill that which is between heaven and earth.” (Muslim)

Meaning of Subhan Allah

With regard to the meaning of Subhan Allah, the word tasbih in Arabic includes many meanings such as negation, amazement, exaltation, majestic, etc. And it also means declaring Allah, the Exalted, to be free from any resemblance to His creation in any way.

Negation

The meaning of negation is reflected in these verses:

*{Allah has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others. Exalted is Allah above what they describe [concerning Him]. }* (Quran 23:91)

*{And they have claimed between Him and the jinn a lineage, but the jinn have already known that they [who made such claims] will be brought to [punishment].

Exalted is Allah above what they describe.}* (Quran 37:158-159)

Amazement

The meaning of amazement is reflected in this verse, Exalted is He who created all pairs – from what the earth grows and from themselves and from that which they do not know. (Quran 36:36)

When a Muslim says Subhana Allah, he declares that his heart and mind are far removed from thinking that there is any shortcoming in Allah, or attributing any evil to Him, and declaring Him to be far above any fault that is attributed to Him. 

The Meaning of Al-Hamdullilah

The simple and common meaning of Al-Hamdullilah is all praise and thanks belong to Allah the Almighty alone. Muslims say Al-Hamdullilah because Allah is the originator of everything, He is the Creator, the Giver, the Provider, the Sustainer, etc. 

Al-Hamdullilah is simply is translated as ‘Praise be to Allah’.

Al-Hamdullilah is an expression of gratitude to Allah for the things He gave, still gives and will continue to give.

Al-Hamdullilah is a combination of appreciation and thank.

Health Benefits of Dhikr

Scientists say that when we see something exciting, our adrenal cortex is stimulated. Followed by an increase in our blood sugar. This, in turn, stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin into the blood to lower the sugar level, causing us to then feel tired or weak.

Based on this, we are recommended by the Prophet to say Al-Hamdullilah ” for what we have; and, “Subhana Allah” when we see something exciting or amazing.

The Opening Chapter of Al-Fatihah starts with the phrase of Al-hamdullilah. So every Muslim recites this phrase every single rak`ah (unit of prayer) that Muslims offer throughout the day which is a total of 17 times in obligatory prayer only.  

Also after each prayer, the Prophet recommends that we recite Subhana Allah 33 times, Al-Hamdullilah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 33 times.