The Dhikr of the Ruku (Bowing)

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: "I prayed together with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When he went into the bowing he said, 'Subhana Rabbiya al-Azim.'" Uqbah ibn Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated something similar. This dhikr was our Prophet's constant practice in the bowing and is among the most important sunnahs of the ruku. According to the Hanafi school, saying "Subhana Rabbiya al-Azim" at least three times in the bowing is a sunnah.

The bowing is the finest expression of the servant's submission before Allah the Exalted and of his acknowledgement of His majesty. While the servant bows with his body in the ruku, with his tongue he glorifies the loftiness of his Lord. The phrase "Subhana Rabbiya al-Azim" carries the meaning "My Most Great Lord is far above every imperfection." This dhikr is a tasbih that expresses at one and the same time the servant's helplessness before Allah and the majesty of his Lord.

In one of his noble hadiths our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The state in which a servant is closest to his Lord is the state of prostration." The bowing is the first step towards this nearness. Indeed, in the Noble Qur'an it is said, "Prostrate and draw near" (al-Alaq 19); the bowing and the prostration are mentioned together. Saying this tasbih in the bowing is an important element of the believer's spiritual communication with his Lord five times a day in his daily life.