The Pairing Of Glorification With Praise
Selections from the Book The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him …
Written by Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi...
Episode (59)
This matter holds great significance and demands attention, as the pairing of glorification with praise is the most frequently mentioned in the texts of Islamic law. In the Book of Allah, the command to pair glorification with praise is mentioned in several places, including:
- {and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord} in the Surahs: [Ta-Ha: 130], [Ghafir: 55], [Qaf: 39], [At-Tur: 48]. These are four places.
And Allah Almighty said in two other places: {So exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord} [Al-Hijr: 98], [An-Nasr: 3]. And He said in one place: {and exalt [Allah] with His praise.} [Al-Furqan: 58].
As mentioned in the Book of Allah, the report of pairing glorification with praise appears in several places, such as: {And there is not a thing except that it exalts [Allah] by His praise,} [Al-Isra: 44].
- The Almighty said: {Only those believe in Our verses who, when they are reminded by them, fall down in prostration and exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord, and they are not arrogant.} [As-Sajdah: 15].
- And His saying: {and the angels exalt [Allah] with praise of their Lord} [Ash-Shuraa: 5]. And similar verses.
As for the Sunnah, the pairing of glorification with praise is mentioned in numerous hadiths, beyond counting. Among them is:
The hadith of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, the words liked most by Allah are: 'hallowed be Allah and praise is due to Him."
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Purity is half of faith, and the praise of Allah fills the scale. Glorification and praise fill up what is between the heavens and the earth.”.
This is the case of pairing glorification with praise in both the Holy Qur'an and Sunnah. Ibn Taymiyyah said: "praise is paired with and follows glorification", and he also stated: "glorification is the companion of praise".
Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, has a concise treatise titled: "A Good Principle Regarding the lasting good deeds and Clarification of the Pairing of Tahleel with Takbeer, and praise with glorification". In this treatise, he explained that glorification and praise combine both negation and affirmation—negation of all imperfections and affirmation of all praiseworthy attributes. This, in turn, entails exaltation and magnification of Allah Almighty.
Ibn Taymiyyah said: "Glorification necessitates exaltation, and praise involves affirming praiseworthy attributes, which implies the negation of their deficiencies."
Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir, in his commentary on Allah's words: {Exalted is your Lord, the Lord of might, above what they describe. (180) And peace upon the messengers. (181) And praise to Allah, Lord of the worlds. (182)} [As-Saffat: 180-182], said: ''Since glorification implies declaring Allah free from any deficiency, by direct indication, and necessitates affirming His perfection, just as praise directly indicates affirming the attributes of perfection and necessitates declaring Allah Almighty free from any deficiency, they are paired together in this verse and in many other places in the Holy Qur'an''.
In any case, the formula of glorification paired with praise is one of the most complete forms of extolling Allah, and it most clearly indicates the comprehensive praise of Him with all perfections. This is because glorification signifies declaring Him free from all that is unworthy, such as deficiencies, flaws, comparisons, and partners, while praise signifies affirming all that is appropriate for Him in terms of praise, virtues, and attributes of perfection. Thus, when a servant glorifies Allah with praise, they combine both aspects.
- Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi, The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him, pp. 446-448.
- Ibn Kathir’s interpretation, 4/28.
- A good rule for lasting good deeds, Ahmad bin Abdul Halim bin Abdul Salam Ibn Taymiyyah, p. 32.
- Tasbih in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Kandou, previous reference, 1/195.
For further information and review of the sources for the article, see:
The Book of The Story of The Beginning of Creation and The Creation of Adam, peace be upon him on the official website of Sheikh Dr. Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi:
