Guide · Practice

Dhikr after salah: the full sunnah routine.

The dhikr after salah — sometimes called the post-prayer azkaar or after-salah zikr — is one of the most consistent practices of the Prophet ﷺ. It takes about ninety seconds, fits into every prayer, and the rewards reported in the hadith are remarkable. Here's the full routine with Arabic, transliteration, English meaning, and the authentic counts.

Why dhikr after salah matters

The five obligatory prayers are the spine of a Muslim's day. The dhikr immediately after each prayer is the moment the body is still in place, the heart is most ready, and the gates of acceptance are wide open. The Prophet ﷺ never stood up from a prayer without performing this remembrance — which is why scholars consider it from the strongest of the sunan al-ratibah.

If you've been searching for dhikr after salah, zikr after salah, or simply what to say after prayer, this guide walks through the complete routine in the order most commonly transmitted.

The complete after-salah dhikr

Step 1 — Istighfar, three times

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ "I seek the forgiveness of Allah." — Sahih Muslim

The very first words the Prophet ﷺ would say after the closing salam.

Step 2 — Allahumma anta as-Salam

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ، تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ "O Allah, You are Peace, and from You comes peace. Blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honour." — Sahih Muslim

Step 3 — La ilaha illa Allah, once

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 "There is no god but Allah, alone with no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things capable. O Allah, none can withhold what You give, and none can give what You withhold, and no fortune of the fortunate avails against You." — Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim

Step 4 — Ayat al-Kursi, once

Recite Ayat al-Kursi (Quran 2:255). The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death." (Sunan an-Nasa'i, graded sahih by al-Albani.)

Step 5 — The three Quls (after fajr and maghrib, three times each; once after the other prayers)

Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, and an-Nas. After fajr and maghrib, recite each three times; once after dhuhr, asr, and isha.

Step 6 — Tasbih Fatima: 33-33-34

This is the famous post-salah dhikr that scholars often call tasbih Fatima — the Prophet ﷺ taught it to his daughter when she asked for a servant.

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ (× 33) "Glory be to Allah."

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ (× 33) "All praise is for Allah."

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ (× 34) "Allah is the Greatest." — Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim

The Prophet ﷺ said: whoever does this after every obligatory prayer, his sins are forgiven even if they are like the foam of the sea.

Step 7 — The completing phrase, once

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ "There is no god but Allah, alone with no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things capable." — Sahih Muslim

This completes the sequence to 100 phrases of dhikr, a recommendation reported in the hadith of Sahih Muslim.

How a digital tasbih counter helps

The 33-33-34 sequence is the most common place people lose count. Was that 32 or 33? Should I start over? A digital tasbeeh counter solves this — one tap per repetition, automatic segment switching at 33, no mental load. That's exactly the friction Zikar was built to remove.

The same applies to the Bluetooth tasbeeh ring (sometimes called a zikr ring or zikrring): tap the side of the ring with your thumb, and the count advances in the app. You can keep your eyes closed, head down in remembrance, with no screen in front of you.

Build the habit in one week

1. Day 1–2: after each prayer, just do the 33-33-34. That alone covers the most reward-dense part.
2. Day 3–4: add the istighfar (3×) before it and the closing La ilaha illa Allah after.
3. Day 5–7: add Ayat al-Kursi and the three Quls in their full form.

By the end of a week you'll have the complete routine on autopilot. By the end of a month it will feel strange to stand up from salah without doing it — which is exactly the relationship the sunnah is asking you to build.

Further reading

• What is dhikr? A gentle beginner's guide
• Morning & evening adhkar: the complete guide
• Ramadan dhikr: a 30-day daily guide
• Seven things that change when dhikr becomes daily