Adhkar After Salah — The Complete Post-Prayer Adhkar in Order
The prayer does not truly end with the salam. Allah Himself commands that remembrance continues after it: “Once you have finished your Salāh, then, remember Allah while standing, sitting and reclining.” (Quran 4:103)
And He promises: “So Remember Me, and I will remember you, and be thankful to Me, and be not ungrateful to Me.” (Quran 2:152)
The Prophet ﷺ had a known routine of adhkar after every obligatory prayer, and the companions learned it from him word for word. Below is that complete routine in order — each dhikr with its Arabic, transliteration, meaning, count, and its reference placed right underneath it, so you can verify everything as you read. These adhkar belong to the wider daily remembrance collected on our Daily Adhkar page.
1. Istighfar Three Times, Then “Allahumma Antas-Salam”
Thawban reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished his prayer, he would seek forgiveness three times and then say the dua that follows. (Sahih Muslim 591 — Sahih)
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ — 3 times
Transliteration: Astaghfirullah. Meaning: “I beg forgiveness from Allah.”
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلاَمُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلاَمُ تَبَارَكْتَ ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالإِكْرَامِ — once
Transliteration: Allahumma antas-salamu wa minkas-salam, tabarakta dhal-jalali wal-ikram. Meaning: “O Allah! Thou art Peace, and peace comes from Thee; Blessed art Thou, O Possessor of Glory and Honour.”
2. La Ilaha Illallah — “Allahumma La Mani’a Lima A’tayta”
Al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah wrote to Mu’awiyah that when the Prophet ﷺ finished the prayer and pronounced the salutation, he would say this declaration and dua after every obligatory prayer. (Sahih al-Bukhari 844 · Sahih Muslim 593 — Sahih)
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ، وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ — once
Transliteration: La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, 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. Meaning: “There is no god but Allah. He is alone, Who has no partner. To Him belongs the sovereignty and to Him praise is due and He is Potent over every thing. O Allah! no one can withhold what Thou givest, or give what Thou withholdest, and the riches cannot avail a wealthy person with Thee.”
Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr used to end every prayer with an extended form of this tahlil (the declaration La ilaha illallah). He would add “La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah” (There is no might or power except with Allah) and “we do not worship but Him alone”, “to Whom we are sincere in devotion, even though the unbelievers should disapprove it”. And he reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ himself used to say it at the end of every prayer. (Sahih Muslim 594 — Sahih)
The same companion’s practice is recorded again in Abu Dawud’s collection: ‘Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr used to recite this supplication after each prescribed prayer. He added to it “there is no might and no power except in Allah” and “there is no god but Allah Whom alone we worship. To Him belongs wealth”. After that, the narration continues with the rest of the wording recorded by Muslim above. (Sunan Abu Dawud 1507 — Sahih)
3. Allahumma A’inni ‘Ala Dhikrika — The Dua Given to Mu’adh
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took Mu’adh ibn Jabal by the hand and said: “By Allah, I love you, Mu’adh. I give some instruction to you. Never leave to recite this supplication after every (prescribed) prayer.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 1522 — Sahih)
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ — once
Transliteration: Allahumma a’inni ‘ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni ‘ibadatik. Meaning: “O Allah, help me in remembering You, in giving You thanks, and worshipping You well.”
4. The Tasbih — SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar
The poor emigrants once came to the Prophet ﷺ feeling that the wealthy had taken all the rewards. He ﷺ taught them words by which they could keep pace with anyone: glorify Allah, declare His greatness and praise Him, thirty-three times each, after every prayer. (Sahih Muslim 595 — Sahih)
And he ﷺ stated the reward of those words in full: whoever glorifies Allah thirty-three times after every prayer, praises Him thirty-three times, and declares His greatness thirty-three times — ninety-nine in all. And whoever then completes one hundred with the words below, his sins are forgiven even if they are like the foam of the sea. (Sahih Muslim 597 — Sahih)
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ — 33 times (“Glory be to Allah”) الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ — 33 times (“Praise be to Allah”) اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ — 33 times (“Allah is most Great”)
Then, to complete one hundred — once:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Transliteration: La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir. Meaning: “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.”
A second authentic count is also narrated: Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah reported that the Prophet ﷺ called these words al-mu’aqqibat (the ones that follow the prayer), saying that whoever says them after every prescribed prayer will never be disappointed. They are: SubhanAllah thirty-three times, Alhamdulillah thirty-three times, and Allahu Akbar thirty-four times. (Sahih Muslim 596 — Sahih)
Zayd ibn Thabit confirms the same instruction from the other side: “We were commanded to say after every prayer: ‘Glory be to God’ thirty-three times, ‘Praise be to God’ thirty-three times, and ‘God is most great’ thirty-four times.” (Mishkat al-Masabih 973 — Sahih)
5. Ayat al-Kursi — Once
After the tasbih comes the greatest verse of the Quran. The Prophet ﷺ asked Ubayy ibn Ka’b which verse in the Book of Allah is the greatest, and when Ubayy answered with Ayat al-Kursi, he struck his chest and said: “May knowledge be pleasant for you, O Abu’l-Mundhir!” (Sahih Muslim 810 — Sahih)
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
Meaning: “Allah: There is no god but He, the Living, the All-Sustaining. Neither dozing overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is on the earth. Who can intercede with Him without His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them; while they encompass nothing of His knowledge, except what He wills. His Kursiyy (Chair) extends to the Heavens and to the Earth, and it does not weary Him to look after them. He is the All-High, the Supreme.” (Quran 2:255)
Its protection is also proven in the famous story of Abu Hurayrah and the thief who stole from the Ramadan charity. There, the Prophet ﷺ confirmed that whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi when going to bed will have a guardian from Allah over him, and no devil will approach him until morning. (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311 — Sahih)
6. The Mu’awwidhat — The Three Quls, Once After Every Prayer
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amir reported: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded me to recite Mu’awwidhatan (the last three surahs of the Qur’an) after every prayer.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 1523 — Sahih; also Sunan an-Nasa’i 1336 — Hasan)
Recite each of the three surahs in full, once:
- Surah Al-Ikhlas — قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ — “Say, ‘The truth is that Allah is One.'” (Quran 112:1)
- Surah Al-Falaq — قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ — “Say, ‘I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak.'” (Quran 113:1)
- Surah An-Nas — قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ — “Say, ‘I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind.'” (Quran 114:1)
7. Special After Fajr — La Ilaha Illallah, Ten Times Before Speaking
Fajr carries an extra dhikr of its own. Abu Dharr narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: whoever, at the end of the Fajr prayer — while his feet are still folded, before speaking to anyone — says the following ten times. Ten good deeds are written for him, ten evil deeds are wiped away from him, and ten degrees are raised for him. And he is protected that whole day from everything disliked and from Shaytan. (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3474 — Hasan)
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ — 10 times
Transliteration: La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, yuhyi wa yumit, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir. Meaning: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him is the praise, He gives life and causes death, and He is powerful over all things.”
8. Special at Fajr and Maghrib — The Three Quls, Three Times
The three Quls of section 6 are read once after Zuhr, ‘Asr and ‘Isha — but three times each in the morning and the evening. The Prophet ﷺ told ‘Abdullah ibn Khubaib: “Say: ‘Say: He is Allah, the One’ and Al-Mu’awwidhatain, when you reach evening, and when you reach morning, three times, they will suffice you against everything.” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3575 — Hasan)
So after Fajr and after Maghrib, Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas are each recited 3 times. These two prayers also have their own fuller sets of remembrance — see our complete Morning Azkar and Evening Azkar guides.
9. Related — The Tasbih of Fatimah, Before Sleep
The same three words return at the end of the day. When Fatimah asked the Prophet ﷺ for a servant to help her with the hand-mill, he came to her and ‘Ali at bedtime and said: “May I not direct you to something better than what you have asked for? When you go to your bed, you should recite Takbir (Allah-o-Akbar) thirty-four times and Tasbih (Subhan Allah) thirty-three times and Tahmid (al-Hamdu li-Allah) thirty-three times, and that is better than the servant for you.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3113 · Sahih Muslim 2727 — Sahih)
The order in one glance: Istighfar (×3) → Allahumma antas-Salam (×1) → La ilaha illallah… Allahumma la mani’a (×1) → Allahumma a’inni ‘ala dhikrika (×1) → SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar (×33 each, completing 100 — or Allahu Akbar ×34, per Muslim 596) → Ayat al-Kursi (×1) → the three Quls (×1; ×3 after Fajr and Maghrib) → after Fajr, La ilaha illallah… yuhyi wa yumit (×10).
Common Questions
Do the adhkar come before or after the Sunnah prayers? The narrations place these adhkar at the finish of the obligatory prayer itself — Thawban’s report begins: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished his prayer, he begged forgiveness three times and said…” (Sahih Muslim 591). After Fajr and ‘Asr no Sunnah prayer follows the fard, so the full routine is said straight away at those two prayers.
Should Allahu Akbar be said 33 or 34 times in the tasbih? Both counts are authentic. Muslim 597 gives thirty-three of each, completed to one hundred with La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah…; Muslim 596 gives SubhanAllah thirty-three, Alhamdulillah thirty-three and Allahu Akbar thirty-four. Following either narration is correct.
What if I forget the adhkar and leave the prayer area? Say them when you remember. Allah commands remembrance after the prayer “while standing, sitting and reclining” (Quran 4:103), so the dhikr is not lost by moving — although saying them seated in your place, as the Prophet ﷺ did, is the best way.
Is the ten-times dhikr only for Fajr? The narration verified above (Tirmidhi 3474) specifies Fajr — said while the feet are still folded, before speaking. For Maghrib, the special addition established in this guide is the three Quls three times in the evening (Tirmidhi 3575).
Conclusion
Five minutes after every prayer — that is all this routine takes, and it carries a forgiveness like the foam of the sea, protection from Shaytan, and the remembrance of Allah promised in the Quran. Build it prayer by prayer: start with the istighfar and the tasbih, add one dhikr a week, and within a month the full adhkar after salah will be a habit you would not trade for anything.