Riyad as-Salihin

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "A slave becomes nearest to his Rubb when he is in prostration. So increase supplications while prostrating.".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say in his prostration: Allahum-maghfir li dhanbi kullahu: diqqahu wa jillahu, wa 'awwalahu wa akhirahu, wa alaniyatahu wa sirrahu (O Allah! Forgive all my sins, the small and the great, first and the last, the open and the secret).".

One night I missed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) from his bed. I searched for him. When I found him he was in bowing or prostrating posture and was reciting: Subhanaka wa bi hamdika. La ilaha illa Anta (You are free from imperfection and I begin praising You. There is no true god except You)."Another narration is: My hand fell over his feet while he was in prostration with his feet erect. He was supplicating: "Allahumma inni a'udhu biridaka min sakhatika, wa bi-mu'afatika min 'uqubatika, wa a'udhu bika minka, la uhsi thana'an 'alaika, Anta kama athnaita 'ala Nafsika (O Allah! I seek protection against Your Wrath in Your Pleasure. I seek protection in Your Pardon against Your chastisement, I am not capable of enumerating praise of You. You are as You have lauded Yourself)."

We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he asked, "Is anyone of you unable to earn a thousand good deeds?" One of those present asked: "How can one earn thousand good deeds in a day?" He (ﷺ) replied, "By saying: Subhan Allah a hundred times, then one thousand good deeds will be recorded for him or one thousand sins will be blotted out from his record.".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Every morning charity is due from every joint bone of the body of every one of you. Every utterance of Allah's Glorification (i.e., Subhan-Allah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of praise of Him (i.e., Al-hamdu lillah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of profession of Faith (i.e., La ilaha illallah) is an act of charity, and every utterance of His Greatness (i.e., Allahu Akbar) is an act of charity; and enjoining good is an act of charity and forbidding what is disreputable is an act of charity; and two Rak'ah prayer which one offers in the forenoon (Ad- Duha) will suffice for all this.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) came out from my apartment in the morning as I was busy in performing the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon and found me sitting there. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Are you still in the same position as I left you." I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon the Prophet said, "I recited four words three times after I had left you. If these are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these will be heavier. These are: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, `adada khalqihi, wa rida nafsihi, wa zinatah `arshihi, wa midada kalimatihi .

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The similitude of one who remembers his Rubb and one who does not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead.".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah the Exalted says: 'I am as my slave expects me to be, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me inwardly, I will remember him inwardly, and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I will remember him in a better assembly (i.e., in the assembly of angels).".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The Mufarridun have gone ahead." He was asked, "Who are the Mufarridun?" He (ﷺ) replied, "Those men and women who frequently celebrate the remembrance of Allah.".

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "The best way to celebrate the remembrance of Allah is to say: La ilaha illallah (there is no true god except Allah).".

One of the Companions said, "O Messenger of Allah. There are many injunctions of Islam for me. So tell me something to which I may hold fast." He said, "Keep your tongue wet with the remembrance of Allah.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "For him who says: 'Subhan-Allahi wa bi hamdihi (Allah is free from imperfection, and I begin with praising Him, and to Him),' a palm-tree will be planted in Jannah.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "I met Ibrahim (ﷺ) on the Night of Ascension (Al-Asra), and he said to me: 'O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your Ummah, and tell them that Jannah has a vast plain of pure soil and sweet water. It is a plain levelled land. The plants grow there by uttering: Subhan-Allah, Al-hamdu lillah, La ilaha illallah and Allahu Akbar (Allah is free from imperfection; praise be to Allah; there is no true god except Allah; and Allah is Greatest).".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Shall I not inform you of the best of your actions which are the purest to your Rubb, which exalt you to the high ranks, which are more efficacious than spending gold and silver (in charity), and better for you than you should encounter your enemies whom you will smite their necks and they will smite your necks?" They said, "Certainly." He (ﷺ) said, "Remembrance of Allah the Exalted.".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and I went to see a woman. She had date- stones or pebbles in front of her, and she was counting and reciting Tasbih. .

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, "Shall I not guide you to a treasure from the treasures of Jannah?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" Thereupon he (ﷺ) said, "(Recite) 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah).".

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to remember Allah at all times..

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If anyone intends to have (sexual intercourse) with his wife, he should say: "Bismillah! Allahumma janibnash-Shaitana, wa jannibish-Shaitana ma razaqtana (In the Name of Allah, O Allah! Keep us away from Satan and keep Satan away from what You have bestowed upon us);' and if Allah has ordained a child for them, Satan will never harm him.".

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went to bed, he would supplicate: "Bismika-Allahumma amut wa ahya (With Your Name, O Allah, I die and return to life)"; and when he woke up, he would supplicate thus: "Al-hamdu lillahilladhi ahyana ba'da ma amatana, wa ilaihin-nushur (All praise belongs to Allah Who has restored us back to life after causing us to die; and to Him shall we return)."

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah, the Exalted, has teams of angels who go about on the roads seeking those who remember Allah. When they find some people remembering Allah they call to one another and say, 'Come to what you are looking for;' and they surround them with their wings till the space between them and the lowest sky is fully covered. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, asks them (although He is best informed about every thing): 'What are my slave saying?' They say: 'They are glorifying Your Tasbih, Tahmid, Takbir, Tamjid, (i.e., they were declaring Your Perfectness, praising, remembering the Greatness and Majesty of Allah).' He asks: 'Have they seen Me?' They reply, 'No, indeed, they have not seen You.' He asks: 'How would they act if they were to see Me?' Thereupon they reply: 'If they were to see You, they would engage more earnestly in worshipping and glorifying You and would extol You more.' He would say: 'What do they beg of Me?' They say, 'They beg You for Your Jannah.' Allah says, 'Have they seen My Jannah?' They say, 'No, our Rubb.' He says: 'How would they act if they were to see My Jannah?' They reply, 'Were they to see it, they would more intensely eager for it.' They (the angels) say, 'They seek Your Protection.' He asks, 'Against what do they seek My Protection?' They (the angels) say, 'Our Rubb, from the fire of Hell.' (He, the Rubb) says, 'Have they seen the fire of Hell?' They say, 'No. By Your Honour, they have not seen it.' He says: 'How would they act if they were to see My Fire?' They say: 'If they were to see it, they would more earnest in being away from it and fearing it. They beg of Your forgiveness.' He says: 'I call you to witness that I hereby grant pardon to them and confer upon them what they ask for; and grant them protection against what they seek protection from.' One of the angels says: 'Our Rubb, there is amongst them such and such slave who does not belong to the assembly of those who are participating in Your remembrance. He passed by them and sat down with them.' He says: 'I also grant him pardon because they are the people by virtue of whom their associates will not be unfortunate'.".(The narration in Muslim is also the same with minor changes in wordings).