Dhikr After Salah: What the Prophet ﷺ Said After Every Prayer
- 1. Istighfar three times, then Allahumma antas-salam
- 2. La ilaha illallah ... la mani'a lima a'tayta
- 3. Ibn az-Zubayr's tahlil after every salah
- 4. Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar 33 times each
- 5. Ayatul Kursi
- 6. The protection surahs (al-Mu'awwidhat)
- 7. Mu'adh's dua: help me remember You
- Is there a fixed order?
- Key lessons
- Questions people ask
When the Prophet ﷺ finished his salah, he did not get up straight away. He stayed seated and remembered Allah with words his companions memorized and passed on. Many forms of dhikr after salah are recited today; this article gathers the ones that come from authentic hadith, with the Arabic, the meaning and the source for each.
- 7 adhkar after salah from Sahih Muslim, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sunan Abi Dawud
- The Arabic, a simple transliteration and the English meaning
- A suggested order you can follow, and how to start if you are new
At a glance
- How many: 7 adhkar from authentic hadith
- Collections: Sahih Muslim, Sahih al-Bukhari, Sunan Abi Dawud
- Topic: Remembering Allah after the five daily prayers
- Do one thing today: After your next salah, say Astaghfirullah three times and Allahumma antas-salam
1. Istighfar three times, then Allahumma antas-salam
Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished his prayer, he asked Allah for forgiveness three times and then said:
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ
Astaghfirullah (3 times)
I seek forgiveness from Allah.
Sahih Muslim 591 · Al-Awza’i, one of the narrators, explained the istighfar as saying “Astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah”
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلاَمُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلاَمُ تَبَارَكْتَ ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ
Allahumma antas-salam, wa minkas-salam, tabarakta ya dhal-jalali wal-ikram
O Allah! You are Peace, and peace comes from You; Blessed are You, O Possessor of Glory and Honour.
Sahih Muslim 591 · Narrated by Thawban · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
Try this: make these two the first words you say after the salam, before anything else.
2. La ilaha illallah … la mani’a lima a’tayta
Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote to Mu’awiyah that the Prophet ﷺ used to say after every obligatory prayer:
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ، وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهْوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، اللَّهُمَّ لاَ مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَلاَ مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ، وَلاَ يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir. Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta, wa la mu’tiya lima mana’ta, wa la yanfa’u dhal-jaddi minkal-jadd
There is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and all praise, and He has power over all things. O Allah, nobody can hold back what You give, nobody can give what You hold back, and no one’s wealth or status can benefit him against You.
Sahih al-Bukhari 844 · Narrated by Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughirah · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
Try this: as you say the second half, remember that whatever came to you today, or did not, was by Allah’s decree.
3. Ibn az-Zubayr’s tahlil after every salah
‘Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say these words after the salam of every prayer, and said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say them after every prayer:
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَلاَ نَعْبُدُ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ لَهُ النِّعْمَةُ وَلَهُ الْفَضْلُ وَلَهُ الثَّنَاءُ الْحَسَنُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir. La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. La ilaha illallahu wa la na’budu illa iyyah, lahun-ni’matu wa lahul-fadlu wa lahuth-thana’ul-hasan. La ilaha illallahu mukhlisina lahud-din, wa law karihal-kafirun
There is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. Sovereignty belongs to Him and all praise, and He is Potent over everything. There is no might or power except with Allah. There is no god but Allah, and we worship none but Him. To Him belong all bounties, all grace and all worthy praise. There is no god but Allah, to Whom we are sincere in devotion, even though the unbelievers dislike it.
Sahih Muslim 594a · Narrated by Abu az-Zubayr from Ibn az-Zubayr · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
Try this: this one is longer, so learn it a line at a time over a few weeks.
4. Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar 33 times each
This is the best known dhikr after salah, and it carries a big promise:
مَنْ سَبَّحَ اللَّهَ فِي دُبُرِ كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ ثَلاَثًا وَثَلاَثِينَ وَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ ثَلاَثًا وَثَلاَثِينَ وَكَبَّرَ اللَّهَ ثَلاَثًا وَثَلاَثِينَ فَتِلْكَ تِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ وَقَالَ تَمَامَ الْمِائَةِ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ غُفِرَتْ خَطَايَاهُ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مِثْلَ زَبَدِ الْبَحْرِ
“If anyone extols Allah after every prayer thirty-three times, and praises Allah thirty-three times, and declares His Greatness thirty-three times, ninety-nine times in all, and says to complete a hundred: ‘There is no god but Allah, having no partner with Him, to Him belongs sovereignty and to Him is praise due, and He is Potent over everything,’ his sins will be forgiven even if these are as abundant as the foam of the sea.”
Sahih Muslim 597a · Narrated by Abu Hurairah · Translation from Sunnah.com
Try this: count on your fingers, and finish the hundredth with La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah…. Its reward when said 100 times a day is explained in Glorifying Allah: The Reward of La ilaha illallah 100 Times.
5. Ayatul Kursi
Reciting Ayatul Kursi (Surah al-Baqarah 2:255) after every obligatory prayer comes with the promise that nothing stands between the reciter and Paradise except death. We covered the narration, its grading and the verse itself in Ayatul Kursi After Every Prayer.
Try this: if you only add one thing after salah this month, make it Ayatul Kursi.
6. The protection surahs (al-Mu’awwidhat)
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِالْمُعَوِّذَاتِ دُبُرَ كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded me to recite the Mu’awwidhat after every prayer.
Sunan Abi Dawud 1523 · Narrated by ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir · Grade: Sahih (al-Albani) · Translation adapted from Sunnah.com
The Sunnah.com translation of Abu Dawud explains the Mu’awwidhat as the last three surahs (al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas), while at-Tirmidhi’s narration names the two Mu’awwidhatayn, al-Falaq and an-Nas (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2903, Hasan, Darussalam).
Try this: recite al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas once each after every salah.
7. Mu’adh’s dua: help me remember You
The Prophet ﷺ took Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) by the hand, told him twice that he loved him, and advised him never to leave this dua after every prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ
Allahumma a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibadatik
O Allah, help me in remembering You, in giving You thanks, and worshipping You well.
Sunan Abi Dawud 1522 · Narrated by Mu’adh ibn Jabal · Grade: Sahih (al-Albani) · Translation from Sunnah.com
Try this: say it after every salah this week; it asks Allah for help with the very dhikr we are trying to keep up.
Is there a fixed order?
To my knowledge there is no particular order for all of them. It starts with the istighfar and Allahumma antas-salam, wa minkas-salam, tabarakta ya dhal-jalali wal-ikram. After that it is up to your preference. Feel free to use the order above or make your own, and surely Allah knows best for His servants. You can also choose to recite only a few of them, or add to the list.
Key lessons
- The Prophet ﷺ stayed seated after salah to remember Allah.
- Start with Astaghfirullah three times and Allahumma antas-salam.
- Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu Akbar 33 times each, completed with La ilaha illallah, brings forgiveness of sins.
- Ayatul Kursi and the protection surahs are part of the adhkar after prayer.
Questions people ask
What should I say right after salah?
The Prophet ﷺ would say Astaghfirullah three times, then Allahumma antas-salam wa minkas-salam, tabarakta ya dhal-jalali wal-ikram (Sahih Muslim 591).
How many times do I say Subhanallah after salah?
Thirty-three times each for Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah and Allahu Akbar, then complete the hundred with La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah… (Sahih Muslim 597a).
Do I have to recite all of these after every prayer?
No. They are all from the Sunnah, and you can start with a few and add more over time. For questions about what applies to your situation, ask a qualified scholar near you.
These are the authentic hadith I found about the dhikr the Prophet ﷺ recited after salah. If you know of other related hadith, feel free to tell me in the comments. I hope this article is beneficial to everyone searching for the dhikr after salah. May Allah ease your memorization and mine; truthfully, I am still in the midst of learning them myself.
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