Evening Adhkar

Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he had a store of dates that kept going down, so he guarded it one night and met one of the jinn in the form of a youth. He asked, “What protects us from you?” It said, “You recite Āyat al-Kursī from Sūrat al-Baqara”:

أَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيْمِاَللّٰهُ لَآ إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّوْمُ ، لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَّلَا نَوْمٌ ، لَهُۥ مَا فِى السَّمٰـوٰتِ وَمَا فِى الْأَرْضِ ، مَنْ ذَا الَّذِىْ يَشْفَعُ عِنْدَهُۥ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ، يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيْهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ، وَلَا يُحِيْطُوْنَ بِشَىْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ، وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّمٰـوٰتِ وَالْأَرْضَ، وَلَا يَئُوْدُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ، وَهُوَ الْعَلِىُّ الْعَظِيْمُ٢٥٥

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Reference

Bukhārī 8/28 Muslim 2610 Qur'an 2:255

Virtue & Reward

The jinn said, “If you recite it in the morning, you are protected from us until evening, and if you recite it in the evening, you are protected from us until morning.” Ubayy told the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), who said, “The wicked one spoke the truth.” Al-Ḥākim reports it in al-Mustadrak and says its chain is sound.

Explanation

The words begin by seeking refuge: aʿūdhu means I take shelter, and rajīm describes Satan as accursed, driven away. The passage that follows declares that Allah is al-Ḥayy, the Ever-Living, and al-Qayyūm, the Self-Sustaining. It denies that drowsiness or sleep touches Him, says everything in the heavens and earth is His, and says no one intercedes with Him without His permission. It also states that His knowledge covers what is before them and what is behind them, and that they grasp nothing of it except what He wills. It ends by saying His Kursī (seat) extends over the heavens and earth, that guarding them does not burden Him, and that He is the Most High, the Most Great.

ʿAbd Allāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when evening came, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) would say:

أَمْسَيْنَا وَأَمْسَى الْمُلْكُ لِلّٰهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ ، وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ ، رَبِّ أَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرَ مَا فِيْ هٰذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ وَخَيْرَ مَا بَعْدَهَا ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا فِيْ هٰذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ وَشَرِّ مَا بَعْدَهَا ، رَبِّ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكَسَلِ وَسُوْءِ الْكِبَرِ ، رَبِّ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابٍ فِي النَّارِ وَعَذَابٍ فِي الْقَبْرِ.

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Reference

Muslim 2723

Explanation

The words open by saying that the evening has come and that, with it, the dominion (mulk) is Allah's, followed by praise and the declaration of His oneness and power over everything. Then the speaker asks for the good of the night and of what follows it, and seeks refuge from the evil of both. Kasal is laziness or sluggishness, and sūʾ al-kibar is the harm that comes with old age. The last refuge is from punishment in the Fire and in the grave. When morning came, he said the same, beginning with “We have reached the morning, and the dominion has reached the morning belonging to Allah.”

Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached the evening, he would say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ بِكَ أَمْسَيْنَا وَبِكَ أَصْبَحْنَا وَبِكَ نَحْيَا وَبِكَ نَمُوْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيْرُ.

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al-Adab al-Mufrad 1199

Explanation

The words bika, by You, place every moment of the day, and life and death themselves, in Allah's hands. Al-Nawawī, quoted in ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, explains bika naḥyā wa-bika namūtu as meaning that You give me life and You cause me to die. Al-maṣīr means the return or destination, and the reports differ over whether the evening or the morning takes al-maṣīr and the other al-nushūr, the rising after death. Ibn al-Qayyim argues that evening and sleep resemble death and the return to Allah, while waking resembles the rising.

Shaddād ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that the master of seeking forgiveness is to say:

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّيْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، خَلَقْتَنِيْ وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ، وَأَنَا عَلَىٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ، أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ ، أَبُوْءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوْءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِيْ ، فَاغْفِرْ لِيْ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ.

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Reference

Nasāʾī, al-Sunan al-Kubrā 10226 Fatḥ al-Bārī 6306

Virtue & Reward

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that whoever says it during the day with firm certainty and dies that day before evening is among the people of Paradise, and likewise whoever says it at night with certainty and dies before morning.

Explanation

The Prophet (peace be upon him) called these words the master (sayyid) of seeking forgiveness. They affirm Allah as Lord and the speaker as His created servant, then pledge to keep His covenant and promise as far as one is able. Qur'an 7:172 speaks of Allah taking from Adam's descendants their testimony, “Am I not your Lord?”, to which they said, “Yes”. In Muʿādh's report in Bukhārī, the Prophet said Allah's right over His servants is that they worship Him and associate nothing with Him, and their right over Him is that He not punish them. The verb abūʾu means to return with and admit: the speaker acknowledges Allah's favour and his own sin, then asks forgiveness, since none forgives sins but Allah.

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَمْسَيْتُ أُشْهِدُكَ وَأُشْهِدُ حَمَلَةَ عَرْشِكَ ، وَمَلَائِكَتَكَ وَجَمِيْعَ خَلْقِكَ ، أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللّٰهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَحْدَكَ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُكَ وَرَسُوْلُكَ.

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Explanation

Amsaytu means I have entered the evening, so the words are tied to that time of day. Ushhiduka means I make You a witness: the speaker calls on Allah, then on the bearers of His Throne (ḥamalat al-ʿarsh), then on His angels, and finally on every created thing. What is witnessed are the two parts of the shahada. The first is that Allah is the only deity, He is alone (waḥdaka) and has no partner (lā sharīka laka). The second is that Muhammad is His servant (ʿabd) and Messenger (rasūl).

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ghannām al-Bayāḍī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

اَللّٰهُمَّ مَا أَمْسَىٰ بِيْ مِنْ نِّعْمَةٍ أَوْ بِأَحَدٍ مِّنْ خَلْقِكَ ، فَمِنْكَ وَحْدَكَ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ ، فَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ وَلَكَ الشُّكْرُ.

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Reference

Ibn Taymiyya, Jāmiʿ al-Rasāʾil 1/107

Virtue & Reward

In Abū Dāwūd's report the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that whoever says the like of these words in the evening has fulfilled his thanks for his night.

Explanation

Niʿma is a blessing or favour, and the words trace every blessing, whether it reaches the speaker or anyone else in creation, to Allah alone. The phrase lā sharīka laka rules out any partner in giving it. Praise (ḥamd) and thanks (shukr) are then returned to Him. Ibn Taymiyya quotes these words with the verse “Whatever blessing you have is from Allah” (al-Naḥl 53) to show that every blessing in creation comes from Allah alone.

اَللّٰهُمَّ عَافِنِيْ فِيْ بَدَنِيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ عَافِنِيْ فِيْ سَمْعِيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ عَافِنِيْ فِيْ بَصَرِيْ ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ وَالْفَقْرِ، وأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ، لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ.

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Ḥiṣn al-Muslim 82

Explanation

ʿĀfinī comes from ʿāfiya, meaning well-being and safety from illness and harm. The servant asks for it in three places in turn: the body, the hearing and the sight. Only after all three requests comes the declaration that there is no god but Allah. The second half is a plea for refuge (aʿūdhu) from disbelief, poverty and the punishment of the grave, and it closes with the same declaration. Ḥiṣn al-Muslim gives these words to be said three times.

Ibn al-Sunnī reported that Abū al-Dardāʾ (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

﴿حَسْبِيَ اللّٰهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ، عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ ، وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيْمِ﴾١٢٩

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Reference

Qur'an 9:129

Virtue & Reward

In Ibn al-Sunnī's report, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that for anyone who recites these words seven times each morning and each evening, Allah will take care of what weighs on him, in matters of this life and of the next.

Explanation

Ḥasbī means that Allah alone is enough for me, so the speaker needs no other support. Tawakkaltu means I have entrusted my affair to Him and relied on Him. The words are the same as Qur'an 9:129, where the command is to say them if they turn away. Qur'an 8:2-4 describes true believers as those who rely on their Lord. In Tirmidhī, ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that if people relied on Allah as He should be relied upon, they would be provided for as birds are, who go out hungry in the morning and return full.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) never left these supplications, at morning or at evening:

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَدُنْيَايَ وَأَهْلِيْ وَمَالِيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ اسْتُرْ عَوْرَاتِيْ وَآمِنْ رَّوْعَاتِيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ احْفَظْنِيْ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيَّ ، وَمِنْ خَلْفِيْ ، وَعَنْ يَّمِيْنِيْ ، وَعَنْ شِمَالِيْ ، وَمِنْ فَوْقِيْ ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِعَظَمَتِكَ أَنْ أُغْتَالَ مِنْ تَحْتِيْ.

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Reference

Aḥmad 8/403 Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 40

Explanation

ʿĀfiya is well-being or safety, and ʿafw is pardon; the supplication asks for both in religion, worldly life, family and wealth. In a report in Tirmidhī, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told people to ask Allah for pardon and well-being, because after certainty no one is given anything better than well-being. ʿAwrāt are one's exposed faults and rawʿāt are one's fears. Qur'an 7:17 names four of these directions: from before them, from behind them, on their right and on their left. In the Aḥmad and Ibn al-Sunnī reports, being struck down from beneath is explained as being swallowed by the earth (khasf); in Ibn al-Sunnī's report the narrator ʿUbāda said he did not know whether that gloss was the Prophet's (peace be upon him) or Jubayr's.

Tirmidhī reported from Abū Hurayra and from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr (may Allah be pleased with them) that Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to tell him something to say morning and evening, and he replied:

اَللّٰهُمَّ فَاطِرَ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ، عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ ، رَبَّ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَّمَلِيْكَهُ ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِيْ ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ الشَّيْطَانِ وَشِرْكِهِ ، وَأَنْ أَقْتَرِفَ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِيْ سُوْءًا أَوْ أَجُرَّهُ إِلَىٰ مُسْلِمٍ.

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Tirmidhī 3392 Tirmidhī 3529 Ibn Taymiyya, Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 11/255

Explanation

The prayer begins by calling on Allah through His Names: Fāṭir, the One who originates and brings the heavens and earth into being, and the Knower of the unseen (ghayb) and of what is witnessed (shahāda). He is Lord (rabb) and Sovereign (malīk) of everything, and the one praying then testifies that there is no god but Him. The refuge asked for is from three things: the evil of one's own self, the evil of the Shayṭān and his shirk, and doing wrong against oneself (aqtarifa means to commit or earn) or dragging harm toward another Muslim. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told Abū Bakr to say it in the morning, in the evening and when taking to his bed.

Tirmidhī reported that Abān ibn ʿUthmān said he heard ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (may Allah be pleased with him) say that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الَّذِيْ لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ ، وَهُوَ السَّمِيْعُ الْعَلِيْمُ.

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Tirmidhī 3388 Ibn Mājah 3869

Virtue & Reward

In Tirmidhī's report, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that no servant says this three times at the morning of each day and the evening of each night and is then harmed by anything. In Abū Dāwūd's version, whoever says it three times is not struck by a sudden affliction until morning, and whoever says it three times when morning comes is not struck until evening.

Explanation

The words open with the name of Allah (bismi-llāh) and state that, together with His name, nothing in the earth or in the heavens does harm. Yaḍurru means to harm or injure. The closing names, al-Samīʿ al-ʿAlīm, recall that Allah hears every word and knows every condition. In ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, this hadith of ʿUthmān is counted among the reports where bismillāh is joined to an addition other than al-Raḥmān al-Raḥīm.

Aḥmad reported that Abū Sallām met a man who had served the Prophet (peace be upon him), and that man related that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

رَضِيْتُ بِاللّٰهِ رَبًّا ، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِيْنًا ، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَّبِيًّا.

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Reference

Tirmidhī 3389 Ibn Mājah 721

Virtue & Reward

In Aḥmad's report, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that any Muslim servant who says this three times in the morning and in the evening, Allah has taken it upon Himself to please him on the Day of Resurrection. In Ibn Mājah's report from Saʿd (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that whoever says these words on hearing the muezzin, after the two testimonies of faith, his sin is forgiven.

Explanation

Raḍītu means I am content and accept this fully. The words name three things the believer accepts: Allah as Lord (rabb), Islam as the way of life (dīn), and Muhammad as the Prophet (nabī). In Fatḥ al-Bārī, Ibn Ḥajar lists it among the sayings reported for the morning. He cites Abū Dāwūd's report from Abū Sallām and says its chain is strong, and notes that Tirmidhī has a similar report from Thawbān. Tirmidhī's wording reads: whoever says it in the evening, it is a right upon Allah to please him.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Fāṭima (may Allah be pleased with her): “What prevents you from hearing what I advise you, that you say when morning comes and when evening comes:”

يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّوْمُ ، بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيْثُ ، أَصْلِحْ لِيْ شَأْنِيْ كُلَّهُ ، وَلَا تَكِلْنِيْ إِلَىٰ نَفْسِيْ طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ.

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Reference

Nasāʾī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 570

Explanation

The words call on two Names of Allah: al-Ḥayy, the Ever-Living, and al-Qayyūm, the Self-Sustaining who upholds all else. Astaghīth means to cry out for help, and the plea rests on Allah's mercy. The speaker asks that his whole affair (shaʾn) be set right and that Allah not entrust him to himself for even a ṭarfat ʿayn, the blink of an eye, admitting total dependence.

أَمْسَيْنَا وَأَمْسَى الْمُلْكُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ خَيْرَ هٰذِهِ اللَّيْلَةِ ، فَتْحَهَا وَنَصْرَهَا وَنُوْرَهَا وَبَرَكَتَهَا وَهُدَاهَا ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا فِيْهَا وَشَرِّ مَا بَعْدَهَا.

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Reference

Abū Dāwūd 5084

Explanation

The speaker begins by saying that the evening has come and that, with it, the dominion (mulk) is Allah's, the Lord of the worlds. The request then names five forms of the night's good. Fatḥ is an opening or conquest, naṣr is help or victory, nūr is light, baraka is blessing, and hudā is guidance. The words end by seeking refuge from the evil within the night and from the evil that comes after it.

Aḥmad reported, through ʿAbd Allāh, the son of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abzā, from his father (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say these words when morning came and when evening came, in the form that begins aṣbaḥnā (we have entered the morning):

أَمْسَيْنَا عَلَىٰ فِطْرَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ ، وَعَلَىٰ كَلِمَةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ ، وَعَلَىٰ دِيْنِ نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ ، وَعَلَىٰ مِلَّةِ أَبِيْنَا إِبْرَاهِيْمَ حَنِيْفًا مُّسْلِمًا وَّمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ.

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Aḥmad 15360 Aḥmad 15363 Haythamī, Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid 10/116

Explanation

Fiṭra is the natural disposition a person is created upon, and here it is joined to Islam. Kalimat al-ikhlāṣ literally means the word of sincerity, or of purity in devotion. Millah means a creed or way, ḥanīf describes one who is upright and inclined wholly to the truth, and muslim means one who submits. The words declare that the speaker is upon the religion of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the creed of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who was not one of those who associate partners with Allah. They sit close to Qur'an 3:85, which says that whoever seeks a religion other than Islam will not have it accepted from him.

Muslim reported that Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ.

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Reference

Muslim 1/351 Bukhārī 6682

Virtue & Reward

In Muslim's report, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that for whoever says it a hundred times when morning comes and when evening comes, no one on the Day of Resurrection will bring anything better, except a person who said the same or added to it. In Bukhārī's report from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that one who says it a hundred times in a day has his wrongs dropped away, even if they equal the froth of the sea.

Explanation

Subḥāna-llāh declares Allah free of every fault and shortcoming, and wa-biḥamdih joins to that the praise of Him. In Fatḥ al-Bārī, Ibn Ḥajar relates that the waw may be circumstantial, meaning I glorify Allah while engaged in praising Him for granting me success, or it may simply join the two phrases. He also relates al-Kirmānī's view that glorification points to Allah's attributes of majesty, which deny all deficiency, while praise points to His attributes of honour (ikrām), such as knowledge and power. Bukhārī also reports it among two words that are light on the tongue, heavy in the scale, and beloved to the Most Merciful.

Khawla bint Ḥakīm al-Sulamiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say, as Muslim records:

أَعُوْذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللّٰهِ التَّامَّاتِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ.

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Reference

Muslim 2708 Abū Dāwūd 6/43

Virtue & Reward

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that whoever stops at a place and says this, nothing will harm him until he moves on from it, as Muslim records from Khawla bint Ḥakīm.

Explanation

Aʿūdhu means “I take refuge”, turning to Allah for protection. Kalimāt Allāh are Allah’s words, and tāmmāt describes them as complete and perfect. The seeker asks to be shielded from the evil of anything Allah has created. In Muslim the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave it for when one stops at a stopping place. In another report he told a man stung by a scorpion that it would not have harmed him had he said it in the evening. Ibn Ḥajar in Fatḥ al-Bārī notes that there is no disagreement over the lawfulness of turning to Allah and taking refuge in Him in all that has happened or is feared.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ

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Reference

Ḥiṣn al-Muslim 98

Explanation

Here the believer asks Allah to send ṣalāh and salām upon the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him). Ṣalāh asks for Allah’s mercy and honour for him, and salām asks for peace and safety for him. In Ḥiṣn al-Muslim the page gives it with the count of ten times. It appears in the numbered series right after an evening dhikr, which is to be said three times when evening comes.

ʿAbdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that when evening came, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would say, among his other words:

اللهم! إني أعوذ بك من الكسل والهرم وسوء الكبر. وفتنة الدنيا وعذاب القبر

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Reference

Muslim 2723

Explanation

In this report the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to say this in the evening, after saying that the evening has come and dominion belongs to Allah, and asking for the good of the night and what is in it. This part seeks refuge from kasal (laziness), haram (old age), sūʼ al-kibar (the evil of advanced age), fitnat al-dunyā (the trial of the world) and ʿadhāb al-qabr (the punishment of the grave). Seeking refuge means taking shelter with Allah from these things.

Abū al-Dardāʾ (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he heard these words from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him):

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، عَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ، وَأَنْتَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، مَا شَاءَ اللهُ كَانَ، وَمَا لَمْ يَشَأْ لَمْ يَكُنْ، لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ، أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِي، وَمِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ دَابَّةٍ أَنْتَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَا، إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

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Reference

Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 54 Nawawī, al-Adhkār 85 Ibn Taymiyya, al-Kalim al-Ṭayyib 25 Ibn Taymiyya, al-Kalim al-Ṭayyib (takhrīj) 74

Virtue & Reward

whoever says it at the start of the day will not be struck by any calamity until evening, and whoever says it at the end of the day will not be struck by any calamity until morning

Explanation

This is a dua of trust in Allah and seeking refuge. It affirms that Allah is my Lord, that what He wills happens and what He does not will does not, and that His power and knowledge cover all things. It then seeks refuge in Him from the evil of one’s own soul and of every creature whose forelock He holds. In the given page, Abu al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him) is told his house has burned and replies that it has not, because of words he heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): whoever says them at the start of the day meets no calamity until evening, and whoever says them at the end of the day, none until morning.

A daughter of the Prophet (peace be upon him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to teach her to say in the morning:

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ كَانَ، وَمَا لَمْ يَشَأْ لَمْ يَكُنْ، أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا،

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Reference

Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 46 Nasāʾī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 140 Nawawī, al-Adhkār 81 Shawkānī, Tuḥfat al-Dhākirīn 105

Virtue & Reward

whoever says these words in the morning is protected until the evening, and whoever says them in the evening is protected until the morning

Explanation

This morning dhikr joins glorifying Allah with praise and an admission that no one has strength of their own. Subḥān Allāh declares Him free of every fault, and lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā billāh means no one has the ability or power to act except through Him. The words ‘what Allah wills is, and what He does not will is not’ affirm that nothing happens outside His will. The closing lines affirm His power over all things and His knowledge encompassing all things. The page says the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught it to one of his daughters to say on rising in the morning. It adds that whoever says it in the morning is protected until evening, and whoever says it in the evening is protected until morning.

Abū Dāwūd reported that Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him) said the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told Abū Umāma, who was sitting in the mosque burdened by worries and debts, to say morning and evening:

اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ غَلَبَةِ الدَّيْنِ وَقَهْرِ الرِّجَالِ.

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Reference

Abū Dāwūd 1555

Virtue & Reward

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told Abū Umāma that if he said these words, Allah would take away his worry and settle his debt. Abū Umāma is reported to have done so, and Allah took away his worry and settled his debt.

Explanation

The words ask Allah’s protection from eight things in four pairs: worry and grief, incapacity and laziness, cowardice and miserliness, and being overwhelmed by debt and by the domination of men. Fatḥ al-Bārī explains hamm as distress over a disliked thing the mind pictures now, ḥazan as grief over what has passed, ʿajz as the opposite of ability, kasal of vigour, bukhl of generosity and jubn of courage. Of being overcome by men it says this brings weakness to the soul and to livelihood. In the narration, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught these words to a man weighed down by worries and debts.

Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached the evening, he would say:

أَمْسَيْنَا وَأَمْسَى الْمُلْكُ لِلَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَإِلَيْهِ الْمَصِيرُ

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Reference

al-Adab al-Mufrad 211 Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 74

Explanation

The verb amsā means to enter the evening. As the day closes, the speaker affirms that dominion belongs to Allah, that all praise is His, and that He has no partner. It restates the declaration that there is no god but Allah. It ends with al-maṣīr, the final destination, meaning that all return to Him. The given pages report that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said this when evening came, and said the morning counterpart when morning came.

ʿAbd Allāh ibn Buraydah narrated from his father that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

رَبِّيَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْعَظِيمُ، تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَهُوَ رَبُّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ كَانَ، وَمَا لَمْ يَشَأْ لَمْ يَكُنْ، أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحَاطَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عِلْمًا

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Reference

Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 43 Nawawī, al-Adhkār 84

Virtue & Reward

whoever says it when he rises in the morning and when he reaches the evening, then dies, enters Paradise

Explanation

This dua joins an affirmation of Allah’s lordship and oneness with trust in Him. It opens by naming Allah as my Lord, the Most High (al-ʿAlī) and the Most Great (al-ʿAẓīm), the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Tawakkul means relying on Allah and entrusting one’s affairs to Him. The words ‘What Allah wills happens, and what He does not will does not happen’ affirm that nothing occurs outside His will, and the closing lines affirm His power over all things and His knowledge that encompasses them. The given page says it is said in the morning and in the evening.

It was narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to make these supplications in the morning and in the evening:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَجْأَةِ الْخَيْرِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فَجْأَةِ الشَّرِّ

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Reference

Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 40 Nawawī, al-Adhkār 83

Explanation

The dua asks Allah for good that arrives suddenly and seeks refuge from evil that arrives suddenly. The word fajʾa means something that comes unexpectedly, without warning. The source reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed with these words in the morning and in the evening. It also gives the reason: a servant does not know what will come upon him suddenly when he enters the morning or the evening.

أَمْسَيْتُ أُثْنِيْ عَلَيْكَ حَمْدًا ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ.

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Reference

Nasāʾī, al-Sunan al-Kubrā 10331

Explanation

Amsaytu means that the speaker has entered the evening. Uthnī ʿalayka ḥamdan means praising Allah, with ḥamd naming that praise, so the speaker begins the evening by speaking well of Allah. Ashhadu is to bear witness, and the words close with the declaration of tawḥīd, that there is no god but Allah. In this way the words join praise to a plain statement of faith as the evening begins.

Abū Umāma (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ رَبِّي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، آمَنْتُ بِكَ مُخْلِصًا لَكَ دِينِي أَمْسَيْتُ عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ سَيِّئِ عَمَلِي وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِذُنُوبِي الَّتِي لَا يَغْفِرُهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ

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Reference

Ṭabarānī, al-Duʿāʾ 117

Virtue & Reward

whoever says it three times in the morning and dies that day, or three times in the evening and dies that night, enters Paradise

Explanation

This dua professes tawḥīd and servanthood: praise belongs to Allah, there is no god but Him, He is my Lord and I am His servant, and I believe in Him with sincere religion. The speaker says he has entered the evening upon Allah’s covenant and promise as far as he is able. He then repents from the evil of his deeds and asks forgiveness for sins that none forgives except Allah. The page gives this wording for morning and evening, three times each (asbaḥtu in the morning, amsaytu in the evening), and says that whoever says the morning form three times and dies that day enters Paradise.

ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr that if he says the following three times when evening comes:

أَمْسَيْنَا وَأَمْسَى الْمُلْكُ لِلَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِ، أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ الَّذِي يُمْسِكُ السَّمَاءَ أَنْ تَقَعَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ وَذَرَأَ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ الشَّيْطَانِ وَشِرْكِهِ

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Reference

Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 62

Virtue & Reward

protection from every devil, soothsayer and sorcerer until morning for the one who says it three times in the evening, and likewise until evening if said in the morning

Explanation

This is an evening dhikr. It first affirms that the dominion and all praise belong wholly to Allah, then seeks refuge in Him as the One who holds the sky (yumsiku) from falling on the earth except by His permission. The refuge is from the evil of what He created and brought into being (dharaʾa), and from Satan and his polytheism. The given page says the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) told ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that saying it three times in the evening brings protection from every devil, soothsayer and sorcerer until morning.

Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught me to say at the Maghrib adhan:

اللهمَّ هذا إقبالُ ليلِك، وإدبارُ نهارِك، وأصواتُ دُعاتِك، فاغفِرْ لي

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Reference

Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak 732

Explanation

Iqbāl is the coming on of something and idbār its going away. The dua names the night approaching, the day departing, and the voices of those who call to Allah, then asks for forgiveness with fa-ghfir lī. The title places it at the Maghrib adhan, the moment when day gives way to night. In the cited page, Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) says the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) taught her to say it at the Maghrib adhan.

Salmān al-Fārisī (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: when you reach the morning, say the following three times, and when you reach the evening, say the same:

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ، أَصْبَحْتُ وَأَصْبَحَ الْمُلْكُ لِلَّهِ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ

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Reference

Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 61

Virtue & Reward

they expiate what is between them

Explanation

Aṣbaḥtu means ‘I have entered the morning’, and al-mulk is dominion or sovereignty. With these words the speaker declares that Allah alone is his Lord, and that as the new day begins the dominion belongs to Him with no partner. In the given page, from Salmān al-Fārisī (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) says to say it three times on reaching the morning, and to say the same on reaching the evening. The page adds that these words expiate what is between them.

ʿAmr ibn Maʿdī Karib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّي لَا أُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

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Reference

Ibn al-Sunnī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa-l-Layla 56

Virtue & Reward

whoever says it in the morning spends the day forgiven, and whoever says it in the evening spends the night forgiven

Explanation

This declaration affirms three things: that praise belongs to Allah, who is the speaker’s Lord (rabb), that nothing is associated with Him, and that there is no god but Allah. The given page, narrated by ʿAmr ibn Maʿdī Karib (may Allah be pleased with him), has the Prophet (peace be upon him) say that whoever says it when he enters the morning stays forgiven through the day, and whoever says it in the evening spends the night forgiven.