ḤADĪTH OF THE DAY

“ Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said to al-'Abbās, “My uncle, shall I not bestow [a gift] upon you? Shall I not give you something? Shall I not benefit you?” He replied, “Indeed, Messenger of God!” He said, “My uncle, pray four units of prayer, reciting in each unit 'The opening of the Book,' [1] and another chapter [of the Qur'ān]. Then, when the recitation is completed, say, 'God is the greatest; praise be to God; exalted be God; and there is no god but Allāh,' [2] fifteen times before you bow down. Then bow down and say it ten times. Then raise your head and say it ten times. Then prostrate and say it ten times. Then raise your head and say it ten times. Then prostrate for the second time and say it ten times. Then raise your head and say it ten times before you stand up. Those are seventy-five [utterances] in each unit of prayer, and three hundred in four units of prayer. Then, even if your sins were like dunes of sand, God will indeed forgive them for you.” He asked, “Messenger of God, who would be able to say that every day?” He replied, “If you are unable to say it every day, then say it once a week. If you are unable to say it once a week, then say it once a month.” He continued instructing him in this manner until he said, “Then, say it once a year.” Footnotes: 1: i.e. al-Fātiḥah, the first chapter of the Qur'ān. 2: Allāh is the Arabic name for the One and Only God, the same God shared by all monotheistic faiths (the name Allāh is often used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews). The name Allāh encompasses all the divine names and attributes of the Lord of the worlds, and hence has vast scope in meaning. It is for this reason that Muslims consider it unique. Unlike the word 'God', Allāh in Arabic has no inflections of gender or number. ”