Benefits of Saying Subhanallah wa Bihamdihi Every Day

The Prophet ﷺ once said there are two phrases so beloved to Allah that they are light on the tongue, heavy on the scale of deeds, and the Most Merciful loves them.

One of them is Subhanallah wa bihamdihi, Subhanallah al-azim.

The other is closely related.

He was not describing a long ritual. Not a demanding practice. Two short phrases that take three seconds to say — and that, said consistently, carry a weight that most long acts of worship cannot match.

The Full Text and Its Meaning

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ

Subhanallah wa bihamdihi

"Glory be to Allah and all praise is to Him."

Breaking it down:

Subhanallah (سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ) — from the root s-b-h which means to swim, to move freely, to be elevated above something. When applied to Allah it means: He is absolutely free of every deficiency, limitation, and imperfection. He is above whatever imperfect thing the mind might wrongly associate with Him.

Wa bihamdihi (وَبِحَمْدِهِ) — "and all praise is to Him." Hamd in Arabic is not just gratitude — it is praise that arises from recognizing the perfection and generosity of the one praised. Bihamdihi means that this praise belongs to Him, returns to Him, flows from who He is.

Together the phrase says: Allah is perfect and free of all deficiency — and all praise that exists belongs to Him.

The Specific Benefits in Hadith

Forgiveness equivalent to the foam of the sea

"Whoever says one hundred times in a day: Subhanallah wa bihamdihi — his sins will be erased even if they were like the foam of the sea." — (Sahih Bukhari 6405)

Scholars note that the sins referred to here are the minor sins — the hadith does not override the need for sincere tawbah for major sins. But the scope of "foam of the sea" is deliberately expansive: the daily accumulation of small mistakes, heedless moments, careless words, and spiritual inattentiveness that most people carry without knowing how to clear.

One hundred repetitions. Daily. That is the prescription.

Light on the tongue, heavy on the scale

"Two phrases are light on the tongue, heavy on the scale, and beloved to the Most Merciful: Subhanallah wa bihamdihi, Subhanallah al-azim." — (Sahih Bukhari 6682)

Hazanatan — "heavy" — on the scale of deeds (the mizan). The physical lightness of saying the phrase contrasts with its metaphysical weight. This is a gift: something that costs almost nothing in effort, time, or energy — yet registers significantly with Allah.

This hadith is also a reminder that the scale of deeds is not measuring effort expended. It is measuring something deeper — the significance of the act itself, the sincerity behind it, and the position it holds in the Sunnah.

Part of the most comprehensive daily dhikr

The Prophet ﷺ prescribed saying Subhanallah wa bihamdihi 100 times in the morning as part of the morning adhkar. In another narration, he said it is equivalent to the reward of spending the whole night in prayer (for those who cannot stay up). This is the mercy built into the structure: the act is accessible, but its reward is not diminished by its accessibility.

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Why Modern Muslims Find This Hard to Maintain

Knowing a dhikr's benefits is not the same as actually saying it consistently. The gap between knowledge and practice is where most spiritual intentions die.

The nafs has several strategies for blocking this practice:

"I will do it when I have more time." Time never materializes on its own. The 100 repetitions take about 3-4 minutes at a comfortable pace. Every person reading this has 4 minutes somewhere in their morning or commute.

"It feels mechanical when I repeat it." Mechanical repetition is the beginning, not the end. Start by knowing the meaning of the phrase. Then say it slowly, one at a time, letting the meaning register. Over time — and this is the nature of dhikr — the repetition becomes deepening, not numbing.

"I keep forgetting." This is a habit design problem, not a motivation problem. Attach the dhikr to something you already do: morning coffee, a commute, waiting at traffic. The cue comes before the habit.

How to Build a Consistent Practice

The tasbih after salah. The most structurally embedded practice: 33 times Subhanallah, 33 times Alhamdulillah, 33 times Allahu Akbar after each prayer. Subhanallah wa bihamdihi can be integrated here or done as a separate 100-count before or after.

The morning 100. After Fajr, before your day begins, say it 100 times. Use your fingers or a counter. This creates the daily baseline the Prophet ﷺ described and gives you the sea-foam benefit every single day.

The commute practice. If you drive, walk, or take public transport, this time is already yours. 100 repetitions on a 10-minute commute is entirely feasible.

Pair it with the extended version. The fuller form — Subhanallah wa bihamdihi, Subhanallah al-azim — which includes "Glory be to Allah the Great" — is the exact phrase mentioned in the heavy-on-the-scale hadith. Alternating between the two or combining them as a dhikr set is a common practice.

For the meaning and context of Subhanallah itself, see subhanallah wa bihamdihi meaning and benefits of saying subhanallah. To build the morning adhkar routine that anchors this practice, see how to do morning adhkar and how to make dhikr a daily habit.

Common Questions

Does the 100-times benefit require them to be said consecutively? The narrations do not specify that they must be consecutive. Saying 33 after each of three prayers, for example, would reach close to 100. The spirit of the practice is intentional recitation throughout the day, not necessarily one unbroken session.

Can I say it in English for the rewards? Scholars differ. The Arabic is preferred because the dhikr was given in Arabic and the specific words carry the specific barakah. Learning the meaning helps engagement, but the Arabic recitation itself is what is described in hadith.

Is there a night version as well? Yes — saying Subhanallah wa bihamdihi 100 times in the evening is also mentioned in some narrations. Morning and evening together create a complete bookend of glorification around the day.

The Phrase That Outlasts the Day

Every day you say Subhanallah wa bihamdihi 100 times, you are placing something on the scale of your deeds that will matter on the Day of Judgment. Not a grand act. Not a visible sacrifice. A quiet, daily declaration that Allah is perfect and all praise returns to Him.

The Prophet ﷺ said these two phrases are beloved to the Most Merciful. He did not say they are impressive. He did not say they are difficult. He said they are beloved.

Start today. Say it now. Build from there.

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