In our last post, we looked at one of the dhikars taught to us by Rasulullah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) We noted that by being smart, we can earn lots of hasanats much more quickly.

The dhikhar was:


Subhaan Allaah wa bi hamdih, ‘adada khalqihi, wa ridaa nafsihi, wazinata ‘arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi (Glory and praise be to Allaah, as much as the number of His creation, as much as pleases Him, as much as the weight of His Throne and as much as the ink of His words) [Shaheeh Muslim: Book 35, Number 6575]

When I first heard this hadith, I just loved it. One of the reasons is that I love maths and logic, and I said to myself, “Subhanallah, this is amazing!” Why?

Let us look at each phrase and you will see what I mean:

  • “As much as the number of His creation”
    • Think about the creation of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Think about the Earth’s population (6 -7 billion!), the animals, the Jinns, the angels, the trees, the rivers, the mountains … and much, much more. 

    • <li>
  &#8220;<strong>As much as the weight of His Throne</strong>&#8221; <ul>
    <li>
      Ibn Jarrir narrates &#8220;Seven heavens are as small as <span class="gem">seven Dirhams moulded in a warrior&#8217;s shield in comparison to the Kursi (Allah&#8217;s Footstool) of Allah</span>,&#8221; and
    </li>
    <li>
      &#8220;The Kursi compared to the Throne is nothing but like a <span class="gem">ring of iron thrown in a vast desert</span>&#8221; [Kitab At-Tawhid chapter 67]
    </li>
    <li>
      Subhanallah, just ponder about the vastness of His throne. Look up towards the sky and you would think it&#8217;s so huge. Now think about how these seven heavens are in comparison to the Throne of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Nothing! What would the weight of this throne be like? Only Allah knows.
    </li>
    <li>
      <strong>Assignment:</strong> Find out how many angels would be carrying the throne of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) on the Day of Judgment, and their description.
    </li>
  </ul>
</li>

<li>
  &#8220;<strong>As much as the ink of His words</strong>&#8220;
</li>

وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

Translation: And if whatever trees upon the earth were pens and the sea [was ink], replenished thereafter by seven [more] seas, the words of Allah would not be exhausted. Indeed, Allah is Aziz and Hakim [Surah Luqmaan, verse 27]

Subhanallah, three quarters of the Earth is covered by oceans. Just think of how much water would be contained in them! As an exercise, try closing your eyes and imagine–or use your past memories of–when you were by a seaside and lake. How much water do you see? But still this is not sufficient to write the words of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). Only He knows the amount of ink that would be required to write His words.

Subhanallah, only a true prophet, divinely inspired from Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), could have said such beautiful words!

Now, can you glorify, praise, and declare Allah’s oneness all together in one small sentence? Stay tuned for the next post in this series! And in the meantime, don’t forget to recite and ponder over these beautiful words!

And don’t forget the assignment:–find out how many angels (and their description) carry the throne of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) on the Day of Judgment. You must cite proof–whether an ayah of the Qur’an, or an authentic hadith of the Prophet, a statement of a scholar, or something else.