What Daily Adhkar (Invocations) Should Be Recited?
Answered By Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad
Question
What are some of the adhkar (invocation) that should be recited daily?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and prayers and peace be upon the most noble of the prophets and messengers, his Family, his Companions, and the followers.
The adhkar that a Muslim should diligently maintain are of two types:
- Morning and evening adhkar;
- Adhkar not confined to specific times.
Morning and Evening Adhkar
As for the morning and evening adhkar, they include the following:
1. From Shaddad Ibn Aws (Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), “The chief of forgiveness prayers is to say:
’اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ.‘
‘O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no deity but You, You created me, and I am Your servant, and I am upon Your covenant and promise as much as I can, I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done, I acknowledge Your favor upon me, and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sins but You.’
He said: And whoever says it during the day, believing in it completely, and then dies before the evening, will be from the people of Paradise, and whoever says it during the night, believing in it completely, and then dies before the morning, will be from the people of Paradise.” [Bukhari]
2. From Abu Hurayra, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) would teach his companions to say, “When one of you wakes up in the morning, let him say:
’إِذَا أَصْبَحَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَقُلِ : اللَّهُمَّ بِكَ أَصْبَحْنَا وَبِكَ أَمْسَيْنَا وَبِكَ نَحْيَا وَبِكَ نَمُوتُ وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ.‘
‘O Allah, by You we enter the morning, and by You, we enter the evening, by You we live and by You we die, and to You is the final return.
And when it is evening, let him say:
’اللَّهُمَّ بِكَ أَمْسَيْنَا، وَبِكَ أَصْبَحْنَا، وَبِكَ نَحْيَا، وَبِكَ نَمُوتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ النُّشُورُ.‘
‘O Allah, by You we enter the evening and by You we enter the morning, by You we live and by You we die, and to You is the resurrection.’” [Tirmidhi; Ibn Majah; Ahmad]
3. From Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) would teach us, when we woke up,
”أَصْبَحْنَا عَلَى فِطْرَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ ، وَكَلِمَةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ، وَسُنَّةِ نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَمِلَّةِ أَبِينَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا، وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ.“
“‘We have woken on the natural disposition of Islam, the word of sincerity, the tradition of our Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), and the religion of our father Abraham, who was a monotheist, Muslim, and was not of the polytheists.’
And say similar in the evening.” [Ahmad]
4. From Jubayr Ibn Mut‘im, who said: I heard ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar say: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) would not omit these supplications when he would enter the evening and when he would wake up:
”اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ . اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي دِينِي، وَدُنْيَايَ، وَأَهْلِي، وَمَالِي. اللَّهُمَّ اسْتُرْ عَوْرَاتِي، وَآمِنْ رَوْعَاتِي، اللَّهُمَّ احْفَظْنِي مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيَّ، وَمِنْ خَلْفِي، وَعَنْ يَمِينِي، وَعَنْ شِمَالِي، وَمِنْ فَوْقِي، وَأَعُوذُ بِعَظَمَتِكَ أَنْ أُغْتَالَ مِنْ تَحْتِ.“
“O Allah, I ask You for well-being in this world and the Hereafter. O Allah, I ask You for pardon and well-being in my religion, my worldly affairs, my family, and my wealth. O Allah, cover my flaws and calm my fears. O Allah, protect me from in front of me, from behind me, from my right, from my left, from above me, and I seek refuge in Your greatness from being struck down from beneath me.”
Waki‘ said: (From being struck down from beneath me) means from being swallowed up by the Earth. [Abu Dawud; Ibn Majah; Ahmad]
5. Abdur Rahman Ibn Abi Bakra said that he said to his father: “O my father, I hear you supplicate every morning three times when you wake up and three times when you enter the evening:
’اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَدَنِي، اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي سَمْعِي، اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَصَرِي، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ.‘
‘O Allah, grant health in my body, O Allah, grant health in my hearing, O Allah, grant health in my sight, there is no deity but You.’
And also you say, repeating it three times when you wake up and three times when you enter the evening:
’اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَالْفَقْرِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ.‘
‘O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty, O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave.’”
He said: “Yes, my son, I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) supplicating with these, and I love to follow his Sunna.” [Ibn Hibban; Nasa’i; Ahmad]
6. From Abdur Rahman Ibn Yazid, from Abdullah who said: The Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), when the evening came, would say:
”أَمْسَيْنَا وَأَمْسَى الْمُلْكُ لِلهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلهِ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ.“
“We have entered the evening and the entire dominion belongs to Allah, all praise is to Allah, there is no deity except Allah alone, He has no partner”
He said: “I believe He said in them,
’فِيهِنَّ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ رَبِّ أَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرَ مَا فِي هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ وَخَيْرَ مَا بَعْدَهَا وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا فِي هَذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ وَشَرِّ مَا بَعْدَهَا رَبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكَسَلِ وَسُوءِ الْكِبَرِ رَبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ فِي النَّارِ وَعَذَابٍ فِي الْقَبْرِ وَإِذَا أَصْبَحَ قَالَ ذَلِكَ أَيْضًا أَصْبَحْنَا وَأَصْبَحَ الْمُلْكُ لِلهِ.‘
‘To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things competent. My Lord, I ask You for the good of this night and the good after it, and I seek refuge in You from the evil of this night and the evil after it. My Lord, I seek refuge in You from laziness and the evils of old age. My Lord, I seek refuge in You from punishment in the fire and punishment in the grave.’
And when he entered the morning, he would say that also,
’أَصْبَحْنَا وَأَصْبَحَ الْمُلْكُ لِلهِ.‘
‘We have entered the morning, and the entire dominion belongs to Allah.’” [Muslim; Ibn Hibban]
7. From Abu Rashid al-Hubrani who said: I came to ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn al-As, and said to him: Tell us what you heard from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace). So he threw a sheet towards me and said: “This is what the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) wrote for me.” He said: So I looked in it, and it was written: “Indeed Abu Bakr al-Siddiq said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, teach me something to say in the morning and the evening,’ he (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, ‘O Abu Bakr, say:
”اللَّهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، رَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَمَلِيكَهُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِي، وَمِنْ شَرِّ الشَّيْطَانِ وَشِرْكِهِ، وَأَنْ أَقْتَرِفَ عَلَى نَفْسِي سُوءًا أَوْ أَجُرَّهُ إِلَى مُسْلِمٍ.“
“O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, there is no deity except You, Lord of everything and its King; I seek refuge in You from the evil of my soul, and from the evil of Satan and his shirk (associating partners with Allah), and to commit wrong against myself or to bring it upon a Muslim.”’” [Tirmidhi; Ahmad]
8. From Abu Sallam Sabiq Ibn Najiya, who said: “We were sitting in the mosque of Hims when a man passed by and they said: This man has served the Prophet (Allah bless him and his family and give him peace)! So I stood up to him and asked him, I said: Tell me a hadith you heard from the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and his family and give him peace) that men did not frequently transmit among you! He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and his family and give him peace) saying: ‘No servant says (below dua) when he enters the evening and when he wakes up,
”رَضِيتُ بِاللهِ رَبًّا، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيًّا.“
“I am pleased with Allah as a Lord, and with Islam as a religion, and with Muhammad as a prophet,” except that it is Allah’s right to please him on the Day of Judgment.’” [Hakim; Nasa’i; Abu Dawud]
9. From Anas bin Malik who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to Fatima: “What prevents you from hearing what I have instructed you, to say when you enter the morning and when you enter the evening:
”يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيثُ، أَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ، وَلَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ.“
‘O Living, O Sustainer, in Your mercy I seek relief, correct for me all my affairs, and do not leave me to my soul for the blink of an eye.’” [Hakim; Nasa’i]
10. From Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) came out from the house of Juwayriya after praying the morning prayer (her name was Barra, but he named her Juwayriya, disliking it to be said). He came out from Barra. Ibn ‘Abbas said: He came out from her place after praying the morning prayer, then returned to her after the day had risen, and she was sitting in her prayer place, he said to her: “Have you been in your sitting place since I left?” She said: “Yes.” So the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Indeed, I have said after you four phrases three times, that if they were to be weighed against all that you have said, they would outweigh them:
’سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ عَدَدَ خَلْقِهِ، وَرِضَى نَفْسِهِ، وَزِنَةَ عَرْشِهِ، وَمِدَادَ كَلِمَاتِهِ.‘
‘Glory be to Allah, and I begin with praise of Him to the number of His creatures, in accordance with His good pleasure, to the weight of His throne and to the ink (extent) of His words.” [Abu Dawud; Ahmad; Ibn Humayd]
11. Ayat al-Kursi
”اللَّهُ 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.“
“Allah! There is no god (worthy of worship) except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He (fully) knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge—except what He wills (to reveal). His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Most High, the Greatest.” [Quran, 2:255]
Whoever recites this when he wakes up will be protected from the jinn until he retires at night, and whoever recites it as he enters the evening will be protected from them until he wakes up. [Ibn Hibban; Hakim]
12. Surat al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, and al-Nas, three times each.
‘Aisha reported: The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would gather his palms together when he went to bed every night, blow into them, and recite in them:
Surat al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, and al-Nas, and then wipe over as much of his body as he could with them, starting with his head and face and the front of his body, doing this three times. [Bukhari]
13. From Aban Ibn Uthman, who said: I heard Uthman Ibn Affan saying: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“No servant says in the morning of every day and the evening of every night,
’بِسْمِ اللهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ.‘
‘In the name of Allah with whose name nothing in the earth or in the sky can harm, and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing’ three times, and then harms come to him.” [Ibn Hibban; Hakim; Nasa’i; Abu Dawud]
14. From Anas Ibn Malik, who reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Whoever says when he wakes up in the morning or enters the evening:
’اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَصْبَحْتُ أُشْهِدُكَ وَأُشْهِدُ حَمَلَةَ عَرْشِكَ وَمَلَائِكَتَكَ وَجَمِيعَ خَلْقِكَ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُكَ وَرَسُولُكَ،‘
‘O Allah, I have entered the morning and call You to witness, and I call to witness the bearers of Your Throne, Your angels, and all of Your creation, that You are Allah, none has the right to be worshipped but You alone, and Muhammad is Your servant and Your messenger,’
Allah will free a quarter of him from the Fire. If he says it twice, Allah will free half of him from the Fire, and if he says it three times, Allah will free three-quarters of him from the Fire. If he says it four times, Allah will free him entirely from the Fire.” [Abu Dawud; Tirmidhi; Tabarani]
15. From Umm Salama: The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would say when he had prayed the morning prayer, upon concluding it:
”اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلًا مُتَقَبَّلًا.“
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision, and acceptable deeds.” [Nasa’i; Ibn Majah; Ahmad]
16. From Amr Ibn Shu‘ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“Whoever says ‘SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah)’ a hundred times before the sun rises and before it sets, it will be better for him than a hundred sacrifices; and whoever says ‘Alhamdulillah (all praise be to Allah)’ a hundred times before the sun rises and before it sets, it will be better for him than a hundred horses fully equipped for jihad; and whoever says ‘Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest)’ a hundred times before the sun rises and before it sets, it will be better for him than freeing a hundred slaves; and whoever says ‘La ilaha illallah, wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulk, wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir (There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner, to Him belongs all sovereignty and praise, and He is over all things omnipotent)’ a hundred times before the sun rises and before it sets, no one will come on the Day of Resurrection with anything better, except someone who has said the same or more.” [Hakim; Nasa’i; Ahmad]
Adhkar Not Confined to Specific Times
As for the other adhkar (remembrances) not confined to specific times and which can be recited throughout the day:
1. “Astagfirullah”—hundred times
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Indeed, (sometimes) my heart becomes clouded, and I seek Allah’s forgiveness a hundred times a day.” [Muslim]
2. From Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him), who reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Whoever says (below dua), in a day, a hundred times, it will be for him equivalent to freeing ten slaves, a hundred good deeds will be written for him, and a hundred bad deeds will be wiped away, and it will be a protection for him against Satan for that day until evening comes. And no one will bring anything more excellent than what he brings, except someone who has done more than that:
’لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك وله الحمد، وهو على كل شيء قدير، مائة مرة.‘
‘There is no deity except Allah alone; He has no partners. To Him belongs the dominion, and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things omnipotent.’” [Bukhari; Muslim]
3. ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“There is no one on Earth who says (below dua) except that his sins are forgiven, even if they were as much as the foam of the sea:
’لا إله إلا الله والله أكبر ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله.‘
‘There is no deity except Allah, and Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.’” [Hakim; Tirmidhi]
4. “SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), La ilaha illallah (There is no deity except Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest),”—hundred times.
Samura Ibn Jundub reported: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“The most beloved words to Allah are four: SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar. It does not matter with which of them you start.” [Muslim]
Umm Hani reported that one day the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and his family and give him peace) passed by her, and she said: “O Messenger of Allah, indeed my age has advanced and my strength has weakened – or as she said – so command me to do a deed I can do while sitting.” He said: “Glorify Allah (SubhanAllah) a hundred times, for it will be equivalent for you to freeing a hundred slaves from the children of Isma‘il; praise Allah (Alhamdulillah) a hundred times, for it will be for you like a hundred horses saddled and bridled carrying you in the cause of Allah; magnify Allah (Allahu Akbar) a hundred times, for it will be for you like a hundred camels slaughtered and accepted (in charity); and declare the oneness of Allah (La ilaha illallah) a hundred times.”
Abu Khalf thought he (Allah bless him and his family and give him peace) said: “It fills what is between the heavens and the earth, and no one will have raised up a better deed than what you have raised up unless someone comes with something similar to what you came with.” [Nasa’i; Tabarani; Bayhaqi, Shu‘ab al-Iman]
5. “SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi (Glory be to Allah and with His praise),” a hundred times.
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“Whoever says ‘SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi’ in a day, a hundred times, his sins are wiped away, even if they are like the foam of the sea.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
6. Salawat on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)
”اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد و على آله و صحبه وسلم.“
“O Allah, send Your blessings on our Master Muhammad, and on his family, and his companions, and grant them peace”
This act follows the command of Allah (Most High) in His saying:
“Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O believers! Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him, and salute him with worthy greetings of peace.” [Quran, 33:56]
Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“Whoever sends blessings on me once, Allah will send blessings on him ten times.” [Muslim; Ibn Hibban]
From Tufayl Ibn Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), when two-thirds of the night had passed, would stand up and say:
“O people, remember Allah, remember Allah, the first blast has come followed by the second one, death has come with all that it comprises, death has come with all that it comprises.“ Ubayy said: I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I frequently pray for you, so how much of my prayers should I allocate for you?” He said, “As much as you wish.” I said, “A quarter?” He said, “As much as you wish, and if you increase it, it will be better for you.” I said, “A half?” He said, “As much as you wish, and if you increase it, it will be better for you.” I said, “Two-thirds?” He said, “As much as you wish, and if you increase it, it will be better for you.” I said, “Should I dedicate all my prayers to you?” He said, “Then your worries will be taken care of, and your sins will be forgiven.” [Tirmidhi; Ahmad]
We ask Allah to enable us to remember Him frequently, for He is indeed All-Hearing, All-Responsive.
[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad
Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Fayez Awad, born in Damascus, Syria, in 1965, pursued his Islamic studies in the mosques and institutes of Damascus. A graduate of the Islamic University of Medina in 1985, he holds a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from Bahauddin Zakariya University in Pakistan.
He has extensive experience developing curricula and enhancing the teaching of various academic courses, including conducting intensive courses. Shaykh Awad has taught Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Quranic sciences, the history of legislation, inheritance laws, and more at several institutes and universities such as Al-Furqan Institute for Islamic Sciences and Majma‘ al-Fath al-Islami in Damascus.
He is a lecturer at the Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih Waqf University in Istanbul, teaching various Arabic and Islamic subjects, and teaches at numerous Islamic institutes in Istanbul. Shaykh Awad is a member of the Association of Syrian Scholars, a founding member of the Zayd bin Thabit Foundation, a member of the Syrian Scholars Association, and a member of the Academic Council at the Iman Center for Teaching the Sunna and Quran.
Among his teachers from whom he received Ijazat are his father, Shaykh Muhammad Muhiyiddin Awad, Shaykh Muhiyiddin al-Kurdi, Shaykh Muhammad Karim Rajih, Shaykh Usama al-Rifai, Shaykh Ayman Suwaid, Shaykh Ahmad al-Qalash, Shaykh Muhammad Awwama, and Shaykh Mamduh Junayd.
