The merit of tasbih, tahmid, tahlil and takbir
The merit of tasbih, tahmid, tahlil and takbir: 12 supplications in Arabic with English translation and sources, from the Fortress of the Muslim (Hisn al-Muslim).
فضل التسبيح و التحميد، و التهليل، و التكبير
قَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَنْ قَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ فِي يَوْمٍ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ حُطَّتْ خَطَايَاهُ وَلَوْ كَانَتْ مِثْلَ زَبَدِ الْبَحْر.
He said: “Whoever says ‘Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him’ a hundred times in a day, his sins are wiped away, even if they are like the foam of the sea.”
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: مَنْ قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ عَشْرَ مِرَارٍ، كَانَ كَمَنْ أَعْتَقَ أَرْبَعَةَ أَنْفُسٍ مِنْ وَلَدِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ.
He also said: “Whoever says ten times ‘There is no god worthy of worship but Allah, alone, without partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things’ is like one who has freed four people from the descendants of Ismaʿil.”
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: كَلِمَتَانِ خَفِيفَتَانِ عَلَى اللِّسَانِ، ثَقِيلَتَانِ فِي الْمِيزَانِ، حَبِيبَتَانِ إِلَى الرَّحْمَنِ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ، سُبْحانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ.
He also said: “Two words, light on the tongue, heavy on the scale, beloved to the Most Merciful: ‘Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him’, ‘Glory be to Allah, the Mighty’.”
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: لَأَنْ أَقُولَ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا طَلَعَتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمسُ.
He also said: “To say ‘Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is no god worthy of worship but Allah, Allah is the greatest’ is dearer to me than everything the sun rises upon.”
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: أَيَعْجِزُ أَحَدُكُم أَنْ يَكْسِبَ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ أَلْفَ حَسَنَةٍ فَسَأَلَهُ سَائِلٌ مِنْ جُلَسَائِهِ كَيْفَ يَكْسِبُ أَحَدُنَا أَلْفَ حَسَنَةٍ؟ قَالَ: يُسَبِّحُ مِائَةَ تَسْبِيحَةٍ، فَيُكتَبُ لَهُ أَلْفُ حَسَنَةٍ أَوْ يُحَطُّ عَنْهُ أَلْفُ خَطِيئَةٍ.
He also said: “Is any of you unable to earn a thousand good deeds each day?” One of those sitting with him asked: “How can one of us earn a thousand good deeds?” He replied: “He says ‘Glory be to Allah’ a hundred times: a thousand good deeds are recorded for him or a thousand sins are wiped away.”
مَنْ قَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ غُرِسَتْ لَهُ نَخْلَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ.
Whoever says “Glory be to Allah, the Mighty, and praise be to Him” has a palm tree planted for him in Paradise.
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ قَيْسٍ أَلاَ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى كَنْزٍ مِنْ كُنُوزِ الْجَنَّةِ؟ فَقُلْتُ: بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: قُلْ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ.
He also said: “O ʿAbdullah ibn Qays, shall I not show you a treasure among the treasures of Paradise?” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: “Say: ‘There is no power and no might except with Allah.’”
وَقَالَ صلى الله عليه وسلم: أَحَبُّ الْكَلاَمِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَرْبَعٌ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لاَ يَضُرُّكَ بِأَيِّهِنَّ بَدَأتَ.
He also said: “The words most beloved to Allah are four: ‘Glory be to Allah’, ‘Praise be to Allah’, ‘There is no god worthy of worship but Allah’ and ‘Allah is the greatest’. It does not matter which of them you begin with.”
جَاءَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ: عَلِّمْنِي كَلاماً أَقُولُهُ: قَالَ: قُلْ: لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيراً، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيراً، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ العَالَمِينَ، لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ قَالَ: فَهَؤُلاَءِ لِرَبِّي، فَمَا لِي؟ قَالَ: قُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي، وَارْحَمْنِي، وَاهْدِنِي، وَارْزُقْنِي.
A Bedouin came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “Teach me some words that I may say.” He replied: “Say: ‘There is no god worthy of worship but Allah, alone, without partner; Allah is the greatest, greatly so; praise be to Allah, abundant praise; glory be to Allah, Lord of the worlds; there is no power and no might except with Allah, the Almighty, the Wise.’” The man said: “These are for my Lord; what is for me?” He said: “Say: ‘O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me and provide for me.’”
كَانَ الرَّجُلُ إِذَا أَسْلَمَ عَلَّمَهُ النَّبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم الصَّلاَةَ ثُمَّ أَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ بِهَؤُلاَءِ الْكَلِمَاتِ: اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرِ لِي، وَارْحَمْنِي، وَاهْدِنِي، وَعَافِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي.
When a man embraced Islam, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would teach him the prayer, then instruct him to supplicate with these words: “O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, grant me well-being and provide for me.”
إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الدُّعَاءِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَأَفْضَلَ الذِّكْرِ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ.
The best supplication is “Praise be to Allah”, and the best remembrance is “There is no god worthy of worship but Allah”.
الباقيات الصالحات: سبحان الله والحمد لله، ولا إله إلا الله،والله أكبر،و لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله
The lasting good deeds: “Glory be to Allah”, “Praise be to Allah”, “There is no god worthy of worship but Allah”, “Allah is the greatest” and “There is no power and no might except with Allah”.
Fortress of the Muslim (Hisn al-Muslim), Sa‘id ibn ‘Ali al-Qahtani. MushafPlus translation made from the Arabic, not reviewed by a specialist.