“Adhkar” – remembrance of Allah is one of the best ways for a Muslim to get close to his Creator. Not only does it remind us of how much we are in need of Him, it also add weight to our measure of good deeds on the scale on the day of Judgement. They also invoke Allah’s protection, mercy & blessings in this world and the next.
In this article I have listed some useful supplications and reminders, which though are easy to memorize and recite, yield a lot of benefit. In addition to strengthening our faith in Allah, the daily Adhkar encourages us to accept our weaknesses and be mindful of our Lord.
SubhanAllahi wa biHamdihi, SubhanAllahil Azeem
سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ وَ بِحَمْدِهِ ، سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ الْعَظِيم
Glory be to Allah and Praise, Glory be to Allah the Supreme
This is a highly encouraged dhikr to repeat. Reciting these words every day, will allow us to erase all sin, no matter how big. In addition to that, they add weight to our scales of good deeds on the day of judgement as mentioned in the following Ahadith.
RasulUllah (SAW) said: Whoever recite سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ وَ بِحَمْدِهِ a hundred times in a day, all his sins are forgiven, even if they are like the foam of the sea. [Bukhari]
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I will not tell you the word which is very pleasing to Allah.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah! Tell me the word which is very pleasing to Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allah loves this word very much. سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ [Muslim]
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: There are two impressions which are very easy to say for the tongue, but they are very heavy in balance and very dear to the Most Gracious (Allah). , And they are: سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ وَ بِحَمْدِهِ ، سُبْحَانَ اللّهِ الْعَظِيمِ [Bukhari]
Ayatul Kursi
اللهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ عِلْمِهِ إِلَّا بِمَا شَاءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَلَا يَئُودُهُ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيم
Allahu laaa ilaaha illaa huwal haiyul qai-yoom; laa taakhuzuhoo sinatunw wa laa nawm; lahoo maa fissamaawaati wa maa fil ard; man zallazee yashfa’u indahooo illaa be iznih; ya’lamu maa baina aideehim wa maa khalfahum; wa laa yuheetoona beshai ‘immin ‘ilmihee illa be maa shaaaa; wasi’a kursiyyuhus samaa waati wal arda wa la ya’ooduho hifzuhumaa; wa huwal aliyyul ‘azeem
Translation: “Allah – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not.And He is the Most High, the Most Great.”
It is one of the most powerful verses of the Qur’an, as reported by the Prophet of Allah (SAW). Every Muslim should memorize this verse. It is full of the greatness of Allah and His attributes of perfection and power. It can be recited under a variety of circumstances, like when seeking Allah’s protection, in the morning, evening, and before going to bed. It is also narrated that whoever reads it before going to bed, Allah will appoint a guardian for him, and Satan will not be able to approach him till morning.
Abu Huraira said, “Allah’s Messenger (SAW) put me in charge of the Zakat of Ramadan (i.e. Zakat-ul-Fitr). Someone came to me and started scooping some of the foodstuff of (Zakat) with both hands. I caught him and told him that I would take him to Allah’s Messenger (SAW).” Then Abu Huraira told the whole narration and added “He (i.e. the thief) said, ‘Whenever you go to your bed, recite the Verse of “Al-Kursi” (2.255) for then a guardian from Allah will be guarding you, and Satan will not approach you till dawn.’ ” On that the Prophet (SAW) said, “He told you the truth, though he is a liar, and he (the thief) himself was the Satan.”
Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi at the end of every obligatory prayer, nothing but death will prevent him from entering Paradise.” [An-Nasa’i reported it, and Ibn Hibban graded it Sahih (authentic).
Subahanallah x33, Alhamdulillah x33, AllahuAkbar x34
اللہ سبحانہ x33 ، الحمدلله x33 ، اللہ اکبر x34
(Glory be to Allah, Praise be to Allah, Allah is Great)
These are the very easy and essential adhkar. It is recommended to recite these adhkar after each Salah, however they have been mentioned in the Ahadith at different times also and yield many different benefits.
It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim (Book 48, Hadith 108) that when Fatima(RA), the daughter of RasulUllah (SAW), came to her father requesting a servant to help with the household, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) instead told her to repeat the mentioned adhkar before her sleep and that it would be better for her than having a servant. It goes to show that when one of us is heavily burdened, he/she should follow the advice RasulUllah (SAW) gave to Fatima (RA) and should recite them before going to bed. It is highly advisable to remember these three phrases, as they are some of the most effective adhkar, with extensive rewards.
Ka’b bin ‘Ujrah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “There are some words, the reciters of which will never be disappointed. These are: Tasbih [saying ‘Subhan-Allah’ (Allah is free from imperfection)], thirty-three times, Tahmid [saying ‘Al-hamdu lillah’ (praise be to Allah)] thirty-three times and Takbir [saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ (Allah is Greatest)] thirty-four times; and these should be recited after the conclusion of every prescribed prayer.”[Muslim]
La Ilaha IllaAllahu Wahdahu, La Shareeka Lahu…
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يحي و يميت وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِير
La Ilaha IllaAllahu Wahdahu, La Shareeka Lahu, Lahul Mulku, Wa Lahul Hamdu, Yuhyi Wa Yumeet, Wa Hua Ala Kulli Shayyin Qadeer
Translation: “There is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. Sovereignty belongs to Him and all the praise is due to Him, and He is Potent over all things”
This dhikr is very powerful and has many rewards. Whoever recites the phrase one hundred times in the day will receive one hundred rewards, and his sins will be forgiven, and Satan’s influence will be blocked for the rest of the day. Reciting it a hundred times a day is equivalent in rewards to freeing ten slaves as the following Hadith mentions. Imagine doing that everyday of your life. In addition, a hundred good deeds will be recorded for him/her, and a hundred bad deeds will be erased from his/her record.
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said: “Whoever says: “La ilaha illal-lah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu-l-mulk wa lahul- hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in qadir,” one hundred times in a day, it will be the equivalent of his freeing ten slaves, and one hundred good deeds will be recorded for him, and one hundred evil deeds will be erased for him, and it will be a protection for him against the Shaitan all day until evening comes, and no one will do anything better than what he has done except one who does more than that. [Bukhari]
SubhanAllahi Wa Bihamdihi, A’adada Khalqihi, Wa Rihda Nafsihi…
سُبْحـانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْـدِهِ عَدَدَ خَلْـقِه ، وَرِضـا نَفْسِـه ، وَزِنَـةَ عَـرْشِـه ، وَمِـدادَ كَلِمـاتِـه
SubhanAllahi Wa Bihamdihi, A’adada Khalqihi, Wa Rihda Nafsihi, Wa Zeenata A’rshihi, Wa Midaada Kalimatihi
Translation: Glory be to Allah and His praise, as many times as the number of His creatures, with His Good Pleasure, by the weight of His Throne, equal to the ink that may be used in recording the words
This dhikr is one of those that one can feel it’s power even when reciting it. It yields substantial rewards from just reciting it 3 times as is mentioned in the following Hadith. RasulUllah (SAW) would recite it after Fajr prayers.
Juwairiyah bint Al-Harith (May Allah be pleased with her), the Mother of the Believers, reported:The Prophet (ﷺ) came out from my apartment in the morning as I was busy in performing the dawn prayer. He came back in the forenoon and found me sitting there. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Are you still in the same position as I left you.” I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon the Prophet said, “I recited four words three times after I had left you. If these are to be weighed against all you have recited since morning, these will be heavier. These are: Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, `adada khalqihi, wa rida nafsihi, wa zinatah `arshihi, wa midada kalimatihi [Allah is free from imperfection and I begin with His praise, as many times as the number of His creatures, in accordance with His Good Pleasure, equal to the weight of His Throne and equal to the ink that may be used in recording the words (for His Praise)].”
[Muslim].
To conclude
Increasing your daily dhikr by doing it at different times throughout the day, not just after prayer, is an effective way to increase the weight of the scale of our good deeds. We can get into the habit of reciting these, for example, during our commute, when walking alone, when waiting for something, or when doing your chores, or when anxious about something etc…. When we make it a habit to recite these adhkar regularly, we feel more connected to Allah. May Allah make it easy for us to make these adkar part of our daily lives
