What is meant by His — the Most High’s — saying: “And the remembrance of Allah is greater”?

Scholars have differed on the meaning of the Almighty's saying: "And the remembrance of Allah is greater (or the greatest)," and four interpretations have been reported: 1. Allah's remembrance of His servants is greater than their remembrance of Him. 2. The remembrance of Allah is better than everything else. 3. The remembrance of Allah in prayer is greater than what prohibits indecency and evil. 4. Allah's remembrance of the servant while he prays is greater than the servant's remembrance of Allah.

The first interpretation is the most favored, supported by evidence from the Quran and Sunnah, such as the Almighty's saying: "So remember Me; I will remember you," and the hadith: "If he remembers Me to himself, I remember him to Myself; and if he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a gathering better than that."