Praise and Glorification

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ عَلِّمْنِي دُعَاءً جَامِعاً فَقَالَ لِيَ احْمَدِ اللَّهَ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَبْقَى أَحَدٌ يُصَلِّي إِلَّا دَعَا لَكَ يَقُولُ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ.

“Once I said to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, teach me a comperehensive prayer.’ The Imam said to me, ‘Praise Allah; everyone who performs prayer prays for you saying, “Allah listens to (answers the prayers of) those who praise Him” (a reference to the meaning of the phrase sai

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَيُّ الْأَعْمَالِ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَقَالَ أَنْ تَحْمَدَهُ.

“Once I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) ‘What deed is the most beloved to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy?’ The Imam said, ‘It is your deed of praising Him.’”

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص يَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ ثَلَاثَمِائَةِ مَرَّةٍ وَ سِتِّينَ مَرَّةً عَدَدَ عُرُوقِ الْجَسَدِ يَقُولُ‌ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعالَمِينَ* كَثِيراً عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ.

“The Messenger of Allah would praise Allah everyday, three hundred sixty times, equal to the number of the veins in the body, saying ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds, a great deal of praise in all conditions.’”

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ‌ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِنَّ فِي ابْنِ آدَمَ ثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ وَ سِتِّينَ عِرْقاً مِنْهَا مِائَةٌ وَ ثَمَانُونَ مُتَحَرِّكَةٌ وَ مِنْهَا مِائَةٌ وَ ثَمَانُونَ سَاكِنَةٌ فَلَوْ سَكَنَ الْمُتَحَرِّكُ لَمْ يَنَمْ وَ لَوْ تَحَرَّكَ السَّاكِنُ لَمْ يَنَمْ وَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِذَا أَصْبَحَ قَالَ- الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِ‌ الْعالَمِينَ* كَثِيراً عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ ثَلَاثَمِائَةٍ

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘The Messenger of Allah has said that in a son of Adam there are three hundred sixty veins of which one hundred eighty are moving and one hundred eighty are quiet. If a moving vein becomes quiet one cannot sleep and if a quiet one moves one cannot sleep’. The Messenger of Allah in

مَنْ قَالَ أَرْبَعَ مَرَّاتٍ إِذَا أَصْبَحَ- الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعالَمِينَ* فَقَدْ أَدَّى شُكْرَ يَوْمِهِ وَ مَنْ قَالَهَا إِذَا أَمْسَى فَقَدْ أَدَّى شُكْرَ لَيْلَتِهِ.

“Whoever says four times in the morning, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds,’ has completed his thanksgiving for that day and if one does the same thing in the evening he has completed his thanksgiving for the night.’”

كُلُّ دُعَاءٍ لَا يَكُونُ قَبْلَهُ تَحْمِيدٌ فَهُوَ أَبْتَرُ إِنَّمَا التَّحْمِيدُ ثُمَّ الثَّنَاءُ قُلْتُ مَا أَدْرِي مَا يُجْزِي مِنَ التَّحْمِيدِ وَ التَّمْجِيدِ قَالَ يَقُولُ- اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْأَوَّلُ فَلَيْسَ قَبْلَكَ شَيْ‌ءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الْآخِرُ فَلَيْسَ بَعْدَكَ شَيْ‌ءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ فَلَيْسَ فَوْقَكَ شَيْ‌ءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الْبَاطِنُ فَلَيْسَ دُونَكَ شَيْ‌ءٌ وَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Any prayer that does not have thanksgiving before it is incomplete. First it is thanksgiving, then praising.’ I (the narrator) then asked, ‘I do not know what is enough for thanksgiving?’ The Imam said one should say, ‘O Lord, You are the First, no one was ever before You, You are the

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَا أَدْنَى مَا يُجْزِي مِنَ التَّحْمِيدِ قَالَ تَقُولُ- الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي عَلَا فَقَهَرَ- وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي مَلَكَ فَقَدَرَ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي بَطَنَ فَخَبَرَ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي يُمِيتُ الْأَحْيَاءَ وَ يُحْيِ الْمَوْتى‌ وَ هُوَ عَلى‌ كُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ قَدِيرٌ.

“The least for thanksgiving is to say, ‘All praise belongs to Allah who is High, so all things are subdued before Him, all praise belongs to Allah who owns all things, so He provides sustenance to all of them, all praise belongs to Allah who is inside, so He has the news of all things, all praise belongs to Allah who c