Making Dhikr After the Prayer (Salâh)

First Sermon:

All praise is due and belongs to Allâh. We praise Him, seek His help and forgiveness and repent to Him. We seek refuge with Allâh from the evils of ourselves and from the wickedness of our own deeds. Whomever that Allâh guides, none can mislead him, and whomever He sends astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ)

(O you who believe, fear Allâh as he should be feared and die not unless you are Muslims) [Al-Imran: 102]

(يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبً)

(O people fear your Lord, who created you from a single soul. From it, He created its spouse, and from both of them scattered many men and women. Fear Allâh, by whom you ask one another, and (fear) the wombs (lest you sever its relationship). Allâh is ever watching over you). [An-Nisa: 1].

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا * يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَن يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا)

(O you, who believe, fear Allâh and say sound statements. He will mend your deeds for you and forgive your sins. Whosoever obeys Allâh and His Messenger shall win a great victory) [Al-Ahzab: 70-71].

Is it not sufficient in order to exhort you to remember Allâh , the Almighty, that I convey to you the words of the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  « The similitude of one who remembers his Lord and one who does not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead» (Agreed upon). Do you like to be dead while you are physically alive? So, remember your Lord in all your affairs.

Let me now increase your aspiration for the remembrance of Allâh , the  Almighty, by saying the following:

Indeed, if you remember Him, He remembers you, for He is the One, May He be Purified and Exalted, who has promised, saying:

(فَٱذۡكُرُونِىٓ أَذۡكُرۡكُمۡ)

Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying,). I will remember you [Al-Baqarah: 152].

What a majestic reward for which Ubay bin Ka'b, may Allâh  be pleased with him, cried. Anas bin Malik, may Allâh  be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  said to Ubay: « Allâh  has ordered me to recite to you the Surah:

(لَمۡ يَكُنِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ)

'Those who disbelieve among the people of the Scripture and among the idolaters are not going to stop (from their disbelief.') (Al-Bayyinah: 98)

Ubay said, "Did Allâh  mention me by name?" The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  said, "Yes." On that, Ubay wept (Agreed upon).

The Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),   has transmitted from  the Lord of Glory, that He said: « I am as my slave expects me to be, and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me inwardly, I will remember him inwardly, and if he remembers Me in an assembly, I will remember him in a better assembly (i.e., in the assembly of angels)» (Agreed upon).

You shall never do any work but the remembrance of Allâh  will be better than it. On the authority of Abu Ad-Darda, the Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), said: «Shall I not inform you of the best of your deeds which are the purest to your Lord, which exalt you to the high ranks, which are more efficacious than spending gold and silver (in charity), and better for you than you should encounter your enemies whom you will smite their necks and they will smite your necks?" They said, "Certainly." He (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), said, "Remembrance of Allâh  the Exalted"» (At-Tirmidhi).

Even though the devil hurts you and you are worn-out by his hard struggle to dissuade you from Allâh's remembrance, protect yourself with the remembrance of Allâh , the Almighty, for Allâh 's Prophet Zechariah, said to his people: «And I command you to do the remembrance of Allâh  frequently, for the similitude of that is the similitude of  a man sought by the enemy who took after his footsteps but he came to a bulwark bunker, and sought shelter therein. Indeed, a slave would be most fortified against the devil Satan, when he frequently remembers Allâh  » (Ahmad).

If you complain of the worry, disorder and dispersion of the heart, you will surely find its tranquility and peacefulness in the remembrance of Allâh . Allâh , the Most Glorified and Exalted, said,

(ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَتَطۡمَٮِٕنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۗ أَلَا بِذِڪۡرِ ٱللَّهِ تَطۡمَٮِٕنُّ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ)

Those who believed (in the Oneness of Allâh - Islâmic Monotheism), and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allâh, Verily, in the remembrance of Allâh do hearts find rest [Ar-Ra'd: 28].

Moreover, if you are seeking the mercy of Allâh  and the companionship of the angels, then here is the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), saying: «When a group of people assemble for the remembrance of Allâh , the angels surround them (with their wings), (Allâh 's) mercy envelops them, Sakinah, or tranquility descends upon them and Allâh  makes a mention of them before those who are near to Him» (Muslim).

If you would be pleased that the Almighty Allâh  talks proudly of you before those who are in His heaven, then be among those who remember Him frequently. Mu'awiyah narrated that the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), came to an assembly in the mosque and asked them: "What has made you sit together?" They replied, "We are sitting here to remember Allâh , and praise Him for guiding us to Islam, and blessing us with you ." He said, "I adjure you by Allâh  to tell me whether nothing else has made you to sit together." They replied: "By Allâh ! Nothing else has made us to sit here." Then he said, "I did not adjure you because I suspected you, but Jibril (Gabriel) came to me and told me that Allâh  was talking proudly of you to the angels» (Muslim).

Even the angels do descend from their meteoric highs to encircle those who frequently remember Allâh , and then transmit to Allâh , the most Purified, though He is best informed, the fears and hopes of the Mufarridoon (Those men and women who frequently celebrate the remembrance of Allâh ). Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), said: « Indeed, Allâh  has mobile (squads) of angels, who have no other work (to attend to but) to follow the assemblies of Dhikr and when they find such assemblies in which there is Dhikr (of Allâh ) they sit in them and some of them surround the others with their wings till the space between them and the sky of the world is fully covered, and when they disperse (after the assembly of Dhikr is adjourned) they go upward to the heaven and Allâh , the Exalted and Glorious, asks them although He is best informed about them: Where have you come from? They say: We come from Your slaves upon the earth who had been glorifying You (reciting Subhana Allaah), uttering Your Greatness (saying Allaahu Akbar) and uttering Your Oneness (La ilaha ill Allâh ) and praising You (uttering al-Hamdu Lillaah) and begging of You. He would say: What do they beg of Me? They would say: They beg of You Your Paradise. He (God) would say: Have they seen My Paradise? They would say: No, our Lord. He would say: (What it would be then) if they were to see My Paradise? They (the angels) said: They seek Your protection. He (the Lord) would say: Against what do they seek protection of Mine? They (the angels) would say: Our Lord, from the Hell-Fire. He (the Lord) would say: Have they seen My Fire? They would say: No. He (the Lord) would say: What it would be if they were to see My Fire? They would say: They beg of Your forgiveness. He would say: I grant pardon to them, and confer upon them what they ask for and grant them protection against which they seek protection. They (the angels) would again say: Our Lord, there is one amongst them such and such simple slaves, who happened to pass by (that assembly) and sat there along with them (who had been participating in that assembly). He (the Lord) would say: I also grant him pardon, for they are a people the seat-fellows of whom are in no way unfortunate » (Agreed upon).

But if you want to escape the fire and get admission to the Paradise, you should increase your remembrance of Allâh  the Almighty, for the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  has said: « A man does nothing to rescue himself from Allâh ’s punishment better than remembering Allâh  » (Ahmad).

He said again, « The proceeds of the councils of dhikr is Paradise » (Ahmad).

O Muslims who remember Allâh  frequently! These are part of the general virtues of the remembrance of Allâh .

However, the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), used to have special adhkaar he did after the prayers (Salâh), and why should he not have such when Allâh  the Almighty says,

(فَإِذَا قَضَيۡتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ فَٱذۡڪُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ قِيَـٰمً۬ا وَقُعُودً۬ا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِڪُمۡ‌)

When you have finished As-Salâh (the prayer), remember Allâh standing, sitting down, and (lying down) on your sides [An-Nisa: 103].

There are many adhkaar that the Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  used to say after the prayer. We hereby present some samples:

The first sample: Asking for help to do acts of worship: On the authority of Muadh bin Jabal, the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), held his hand and said, "O Mu'adh, By Allâh , I love you and advise you not to miss supplicating after every Salâh (prayer) saying: 'Allâh umma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibadatika,' (O Allâh , help me remember You, express gratitude to You and worship You in the best manner) » (Abu Dawud).

The second sample: Reciting Ayatul-Kursiy (Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 255 of the noble Qur'an): On the authority of Abu Umamah,  the Messenger of Allâh  (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),   said, «Whoever recites Ayatul-Kursiy after every obligatory prayers, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death» (Transmitted by An-Nasaei in As-Sunan Al-Kubra).

The third sample: Reciting Surah Al-Ikhlaas and Al-Mu'awwidhatain – Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas- : This is based on the hadith narrated by 'Uqbah bin 'Amir, who said, « The Messenger of Allâh  (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), commanded me to recite Al-Mu'awwidhat (i.e. Surah Al-Ikhlaas, Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas ) following every prayer » (An-Nasaei).

The fourth sample: Saying La Ilaaha Illallaah and praising Allâh : On the authority of Warrad, the slave of Al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah, Al-Mughirah wrote Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan that the Messenger of Allâh  (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), used to say at the end of every prayer (Salâh) after the Taslim: 'La Ilaha IllAllâh  wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir, Allâh umma la mani'a Lima a taita, wa la mu'ta Lima mana'ta, wa la yanfa'u dhal-jaddu minkal-jadd (There is none worthy of worship except Allâh  alone with no partner or associate. He is the Dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is able to do all things, O Allâh  no one can withhold what You give nor give what You withhold, and none benefits the fortunate person, for from You is the fortune) » (Agreed upon)

The fifth sample: Saying "SubhanAllâh ,  Al-Hamdulillaah and Allâh u Akbar": Imam Muslim transmitted on the authority of Ka'b bin 'Ujrah that the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), said: « There are some words, the reciters of which will never be disappointed. These are: Tasbih [saying 'Subhan-Allâh ' (Allâh  is free from all imperfection)], thirty-three times, Tahmid [saying 'Al-hamdu lillah' (All praise is due and belongs to Allâh )] thirty-three times and Takbir [saying 'Allâh u Akbar' (Allâh  is the Greatest)] thirty-four times; and these should be recited after the conclusion of every prescribed prayer »…

Then when you have finished saying the prophetic Adhkaar after the prayer, pray for what you wish of the good of this world and the Hereafter. Abu Umamah narrated saying, I said, O Messenger of Allâh , which supplication is more likely to be favoured? He said: «He said: ‘(During) the last part of the night, and at the end of the obligatory prayers » (Transmitted by An-Nasaei in As-Sunan Al-Kubra).

The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), also said, «There are three people Allâh  will not reject their supplication (du'a): One who remembers Allâh  much, invocation made by the oppressed, and just Imam » (Al-Bayhaqi).

He that maintains making dhikr after the end of the five daily prayers is among those who remember Allâh  frequently.

Slaves of Allâh ! It is desirable to raise the voice while doing dhikr after the prayer, owing to the words of Ibn Abbas, may Allâh  be pleased with them that: «In the lifetime of the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  it was the custom to celebrate Allâh 's praises aloud after the compulsory congregational prayers". Ibn `Abbas further said, I used to reckon that they have finished the prayer when I hear it (i.e. the dhikr) ".

In another narration, he said: When I heard the takbir (Saying Allâh u Akbar), I would learn that the compulsory congregational prayer had ended». (Agreed upon).

However, raising the voice while saying dhikr is restricted by the condition of not interfering with or disturbing the prayer of the latecomers, for the saying of the messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),   when the people raised their voices with dhikr at one another during a certain journey: «O people, take it easy. He Whom you are calling is not deaf or absent. He is with you (i.e., by His Knowledge), He is Hearing and He is Near» (Agreed upon).

It is also desirable to make tasbeeh with the right hand.  Abdullah bin Amr narrated saying, «I saw the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), counting At-Tasbīḥ with his hand » (At-Tirmidhi).

However, it is not recommended to do dhikr in congregation after the prayer, nor is it recommended to raise the hands during supplication after the prayer, but both are part of the newly introduced religious heresies, as that was not transmitted from the Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him).

Second sermon:

All praise is due and belongs to Allâh alone. May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon the last Prophet.

O believer who prays and makes dhikr! If you carry on this habit of making these adhkaar after the five daily prayers in the congregation, you will earn a great reward, which includes as follows:

First: The forgiveness of sins, no matter how great they may be: Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),   said, "If anyone extols Allâh  after every prayer thirty-three times (by saying Subhan Allâh ), and praises Allâh  thirty-three times (by saying Al-Hamdu Lillah), and declares His Greatness thirty-three times (by saying Allâh u Akbar), ninety-nine times in all, and says to complete a hundred:" There is no deity worthy of worship but Allâh , having no partner with Him, to Him belongs all sovereignty and to Him belongs all praise, and He is Potent over everything," his sins will be forgiven even If these are as abundant as the foam of the sea» (Muslim).

Second: Admission to the Paradise: Abdullah bin Amr narrated that the Messenger of Allâh, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), said, « There are two characteristics which no Muslim man acquires but he will enter Paradise. They are easy but those who do them are few. At the end of every prayer he should glorify Allâh  (by saying Subhan Allâh ) ten times, extol Him (by saying Allâh u Akbar) ten times, and praise Him (by saying Al-Hamdu Lillah) ten times.’ I saw the Messenger of Allâh  (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), counting them on his hand. ‘That is one hundred and fifty (after all the prayers of the day) on the tongue, and one thousand and five hundred on the Scale... » (Ibn Majah).

Third: Meeting with the former generations, and preceding the later generations in reward: Abu Hurairah reported that some of the poor Emigrants came to the Messenger of Allâh , (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),   and  said, the possessors of great wealth have obtained the highest ranks and lasting bliss. He asked, "How is that?" They replied: "They offer Salâh as we do, and observe Saum (fasting) as we do, but they give in Sadaqah (charity) and we do not, and they emancipate slaves and we cannot" . The messenger of Allâh  (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him),  said, "Shall I not teach you something whereby you will catch up with those who have preceded you and will get ahead of those who follow you, and no one will surpass you unless he does the same as you do?" They said, "Surely, O Messenger of Allâh ." He said, "Say: Subhan Allâh , and Allâh u Akbar, and praise Him (by saying Al-hamdu lillah) thirty-three times at the end of every Salâh» (Agreed upon).

O Allâh ! Make us among those who pray and write us among the early people who preceded others in the remembrance of Allâh , those on whose account the Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), said, « The Mufarridun have gone ahead» . He was asked, "Who are the Mufarridun?" He (May the blessings and peace of Allâh  be upon him), replied, "Those men and women, who frequently celebrate the remembrance of Allâh  » (Muslim).

Invoke prayers and blessings of Allâh upon the one Allâh, the Most Exalted and Glorified, has commanded you to do so when He said,

(إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا)

Allâh sends His Salâh (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad) and also His angels too (ask Allâh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salâh on (ask Allâh to bless) him (Muhammad), and (you should) greet him with the Islamic way of greeting [Al-Ahzab: 56].