Lessons from Prophet Ibrahim: Plant Your Garden in Jannah
As you look at the garden of your heart, what are you planting? Seeds of faith and remembrance, or weeds of distraction? A narration about Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the Night Journey describes Paradise as a land waiting to be planted, and names four short phrases as its seeds. Here is that narration with its grading, and the authentic hadith about the same four words.
At a glance
- Main source: Sahih Muslim 2695 and Sahih Muslim 2137a
- Narrated by: Abu Hurairah and Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allah be pleased with them)
- Grade: Sahih (Muslim)
- Also discussed: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3462: Da’if (Darussalam); at-Tirmidhi: hasan gharib
- Put it into practice: Say the four words often, every day
Prophet Ibrahim on the night of the Mi’raj
On the night of the Mi’raj, the Prophet ﷺ rose through the heavens and met several prophets. In the seventh heaven he met Ibrahim, who welcomed him as “son and Prophet” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3207).
At-Tirmidhi records a narration from Ibn Mas’ud that on that night Ibrahim sent a message to this ummah:
لَقِيتُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لَيْلَةَ أُسْرِيَ بِي فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ أَقْرِئْ أُمَّتَكَ مِنِّي السَّلاَمَ وَأَخْبِرْهُمْ أَنَّ الْجَنَّةَ طَيِّبَةُ التُّرْبَةِ عَذْبَةُ الْمَاءِ وَأَنَّهَا قِيعَانٌ وَأَنَّ غِرَاسَهَا سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
“I met Ibrahim on the night of my ascent, so he said: ‘O Muhammad, recite Salam from me to your nation, and inform them that Paradise has pure soil and delicious water, and that it is a flat treeless plain, and that its seeds are: Glory is to Allah (Subhan Allah), all praise is due to Allah (Al-hamdulillah), none has the right to be worshipped but Allah (La ilaha illallah), and Allah is the greatest (Allahu Akbar).'”
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3462 · Narrated by Ibn Mas’ud · Grade: Da’if (Darussalam); at-Tirmidhi said hasan gharib · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
About its grading: at-Tirmidhi described this narration as hasan gharib from this route, while Darussalam grades it Da’if (weak). Because of this difference, we do not build the lessons on it alone. The good news is that the heart of its message, the virtue of these four words, is confirmed by Sahih hadith.
The four words dearest to Allah
أَحَبُّ الْكَلاَمِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَرْبَعٌ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
“The dearest phrases to Allah are four: Subhan Allah, Al-Hamdulillah, La ilaha illa-Allah, Allahu Akbar. There is no harm for you in which of them begin with.”
Sahih Muslim 2137a · Narrated by Samurah ibn Jundub · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
And the Prophet ﷺ told us how much he himself loved them:
لأَنْ أَقُولَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِمَّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسُ
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “The uttering of (these words): Exalted is Allah (He is free from imperfection), all praise is due to Allah, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest, is dearer to me than anything over which the sun rises.”
Sahih Muslim 2695 · Narrated by Abu Hurairah · Translation from Sunnah.com
Dearer than everything the sun rises on: the whole world and all it holds. That is the weight of four short phrases.
Planting your garden
Whatever the exact wording of Ibrahim’s message, the picture is a beautiful one: every Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar is something we send ahead for our Hereafter. They take seconds to say and cost nothing.
Reflection: Ibrahim’s greeting of salam reached us across the ages. The least we can do is fill our days with the words dearest to Allah.
How to put it into practice
- Say the four words while walking, waiting or before sleep.
- Start anywhere; the Prophet ﷺ said it does not matter which you begin with.
- Teach them to children; they are short and easy to remember.
- Check the grade of hadith you share, as we did here.
Key lessons
- Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar are the dearest words to Allah.
- The Prophet ﷺ loved them more than everything the sun rises on.
- The narration of Ibrahim’s message (Tirmidhi 3462) is graded Da’if by Darussalam.
- Every dhikr is a seed we plant for our Hereafter.
Questions people ask
What is Tirmidhi 3462 about?
It narrates that on the night of the Mi’raj, Ibrahim sent salam to this ummah and said Paradise is planted with Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3462).
Is Tirmidhi 3462 authentic?
At-Tirmidhi called it hasan gharib from this route, and Darussalam grades it Da’if (weak). The virtue of the four words is confirmed in Sahih hadith such as Sahih Muslim 2695.
Which words are dearest to Allah?
Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar (Sahih Muslim 2137a).
May Allah make us among those who remember Him often, and grant us a garden in Jannah.
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