بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Blessings towards Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and may Allah grant wasilah for him. A man came and met with Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) and confided that he was unable to memorize anything from the Quran. He asked whether there was something else that he could do substitute this inability.
Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) shared the 5 words of remembrance that Allah loves to sooth the man’s heart.
Let’s take a look at the hadith below and dive in the meaning of those 5 kalimahs.
Hadith about Reciting The 5 Words of Remembrance
حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعُ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي خَالِدٍ الدَّالاَنِيِّ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ السَّكْسَكِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى، قَالَ جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ إِنِّي لاَ أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ آخُذَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ شَيْئًا فَعَلِّمْنِي مَا يُجْزِئُنِي مِنْهُ . قَالَ ” قُلْ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ ” . قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَمَا لِي قَالَ ” قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَعَافِنِي وَاهْدِنِي ” . فَلَمَّا قَامَ قَالَ هَكَذَا بِيَدِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” أَمَّا هَذَا فَقَدْ مَلأَ يَدَهُ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ ” .
A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: I cannot memorize anything from the Qur’an: so teach me something which is sufficient for me.
He said: Say Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is most great, and there is no might and no strength but in Allah.
He said: Messenger of Allah, this is for Allah, but what is for me? He said: Say: O Allah have mercy on me, and sustain me, and keep me well, and guide me. When he stood up, he made a sign with his hand (indicating that he had earned a lot).
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He filed up his hand with virtues.
Source: Sunan Abi Dawud 832
Narrated by: Abdullah ibn Abu Awfa
Status: Hasan
Based on the hadith shared above the 5 words of remembrance and its meanings are:
- Subhanallah – Glory be to Allah.
- Alhamdulillah – Praise be to Allah.
- La ilaha illalah – There is no god but Allah.
- Allahuakbar – Allah is the most great.
- La haula wa la quwwata illa billah – There is no might and no strength but in Allah.
The 5 Words of Remembrance in Arabic and in Romanized Form
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
Subhanallah walhamdulillah wa la ilaha illalah wallahuakbar wa la haula wa la quwwata illa billah.
The above form is how it is recited when combining all those five words of dzikir towards Allah.
Here’s a video of the recitation that you can follow to make learning and memorization these short phrases of dzikir even easier:
What’s In It For You?
The dzikirs shared above is not only for Allah but there is your share on top of it as well. After you’ve felt peace, make dua to Allah by saying these prayers below:
اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَعَافِنِي وَاهْدِنِي
Allahummar hamni warzuqni wa a’fini wahdini
The dua above means that you are asking Allah for mercy, sustenance, health and guidance. May Allah shower you with all of it.
Final Words about The 5 Words of Remembrance That is Beloved by Allah
We as muslims are encouraged to be in remembrance of Allah throughout the day and not only during Salat. Reciting dzikirs is one of the ways that can get us nearer to Allah with every breath that we take.
As always, do share this piece of hadith out to all of your family and friends. May Allah make it easy for our tongues to recite this short dzikir in our daily lives and may it be one of the long lasting good deeds that rewards us well. Here in this world and in the hereafter, InsyaAllah.
