SubhanAllahi wa Bihamdihi 100 Times: Sins Forgiven Like Sea Foam

Many of us assume a big reward needs a big deed. Yet saying SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi 100 times takes just a few minutes, and the Prophet ﷺ said it wipes away sins even if they are like the foam of the sea. Here is the hadith, what the words mean, and simple ways to make it a daily habit.

The hadith

What SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi means

Subhanallah declares Allah free from every flaw and imperfection. Wa bihamdihi means “and with His praise”: we glorify Him and praise Him in the same breath. Two short words that sum up how a believer sees Allah, perfect in every way and deserving of every praise.

More hadiths about this dhikr

Imam al-Bukhari ended his whole Sahih with this same hadith (Sahih al-Bukhari 7563). And when the Prophet ﷺ was asked which words are best, he named the words Allah chose for His angels and His servants: SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi (Sahih Muslim 2731a).

What it means

Reflection: Sea foam is countless and keeps coming back with every wave, and still the hadith says sins like that can be wiped away by a short phrase said a hundred times. It shows how generous Allah is with those who remember Him. It isn’t a licence to keep sinning, though; it is an invitation to keep coming back to Him, with dhikr and with sincere repentance.

How to practise it

• Say it 100 times a day (Sahih al-Bukhari 6405). Sahih Muslim 2692 mentions the morning and the evening, so many people say it after Fajr and again in the evening.
• Count on your fingers. The Prophet ﷺ was seen counting tasbih on his right hand (Sunan Abi Dawud 1502, Sahih, al-Albani), and he told the women Companions to count dhikr on their fingers, because the fingers will be questioned and made to speak (Sunan Abi Dawud 1501, Hasan, al-Albani).
• Fit it into moments you already have: the commute, a queue, waiting for the kettle. The words are light on the tongue.
• Learn the meaning, so your heart says it along with your tongue.

Honestly, I’ve missed this practice more often than I’ve kept it. When I did keep it, I counted on the three segments of each finger, so one round of one hand made 15. Other times, when my hands were busy with something else, I simply recited it without counting. May Allah make it easier for us to keep it.

Key lessons

• Saying SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi 100 times a day wipes away sins, even if like the foam of the sea.
• Said 100 times morning and evening, no one brings anything better on the Day of Resurrection except someone who said the same or more.
• These words are light on the tongue, heavy in the scale and beloved to Allah.
• The Prophet ﷺ counted tasbih on his fingers.

Questions people ask

Where in your day could you fit these 100 today: the drive to work, a queue, the minutes before you sleep?

Save this to Pinterest so you have this short dhikr ready for your day.