The speech most beloved to Allah
Abu Dharr asked plainly and got a short answer.
مَا اصْطَفَى اللَّهُ لِمَلاَئِكَتِهِ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي وَبِحَمْدِهِ
Mā-ṣṭafā-Llāhu li-malāʾikatih: subḥāna rabbī wa bi-ḥamdih
“What Allah chose for His angels: glory to my Lord, and praise to Him.”
Where this comes from
Abu Dharr asked which speech is most beloved to Allah. The answer did not describe a category. It named the exact words He had already picked out for the angels, and handed them over.
The full narration
Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) visited him, or that Abu Dharr visited the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and said:“May my father and my mother be ransomed for you, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)! Which speech is most beloved to Allah [the Mighty and Sublime]?” So he said: “That which Allah selected for His angels (to say): ‘Glory to my Lord, and with His praise. Glory to my Lord, and with His praise (Subḥāna rabbī wa biḥamdihi, subḥāna rabbī wa biḥamdihi).’”
Source
Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī · 3593
- Ahmad Muhammad Shakir: Sahih
- Al-Albani: Sahih
- Bashar Awad Maarouf: Hasan Sahih
- Zubair Ali Zai: Sahih Muslim