What to say after the prayer
7 min read
Short answer
After the salam of every obligatory prayer, you say astaghfirullah three times, then Allahumma anta as-Salam wa minka as-salam, tabarakta ya dhal-jalali wal-ikram. After that comes Ayat al-Kursi, the tasbih of thirty three, and the three quls.
The whole set takes around two minutes. None of it is obligatory, and all of it is reported from the Prophet ﷺ as his settled practice after the fard prayers.
The prayer does not really end at the salam. There is a short set of remembrances that the Prophet ﷺ said after every obligatory prayer, and between them they take a couple of minutes. They are the reason people stay sitting on the mat for a moment instead of getting straight up.
None of this is required for the prayer to be valid. What follows is recommended, and it is recommended strongly enough that all four schools describe it and most Muslims grow up hearing it after every jama'ah prayer. Take it in order, or take the parts you can hold, and add to it over time.
1. Astaghfirullah, three times
The first thing said after the salam is a request for forgiveness, repeated three times. Thawban described this as what the Prophet ﷺ would do the moment he finished, and the placing is deliberate: you have just stood before Allah, and the first thing you do afterwards is ask to be forgiven for how you did it.
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ
Transliteration. Astaghfirullah. Said three times.
Meaning. I seek the forgiveness of Allah.
2. Allahumma anta as-Salam
Immediately after the three, in the same narration from Thawban in Sahih Muslim, comes this. As-Salam is one of the names of Allah, meaning the Source of Peace, and the phrase plays on the salam you have just given to close the prayer.
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ، وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ، تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
Transliteration. Allahumma anta as-Salam, wa minka as-salam, tabarakta ya dhal-jalali wal-ikram.
Meaning. O Allah, You are Peace, and from You comes peace. Blessed are You, Owner of Majesty and Honour.
3. Ayat al-Kursi
The Verse of the Throne, Qur'an 2:255, is recited once after each obligatory prayer. The report attaching it to this moment comes from the Sunan literature rather than from Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, and it is widely acted upon. It is the single longest thing in this set, and it is the one most worth memorising if you only memorise one.
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 الْعَظِيمُ
Transliteration. Allahu la ilaha illa huwal-Hayyul- Qayyum. La ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm. Lahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-ard. Man dhal-ladhi yashfa'u indahu illa bi-idhnih. Ya'lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahum, wa la yuhituna bi shay'in min ilmihi illa bima sha'. Wasi'a kursiyyuhus- samawati wal-ard, wa la ya'uduhu hifzuhuma, wa huwal-Aliyyul-Azim.
Meaning. Allah, there is no god but He, the Ever Living, the Sustainer of all. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what lies before them and what lies behind them, and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Most Great.
4. The tasbih of thirty three
Three phrases, repeated after the prayer, which together make up a hundred. This is the best known part of the set and the one people mean when they talk about counting on their fingers after salah.
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ
Subhanallah, thirty three times. Glory be to Allah.
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
Alhamdulillah, thirty three times. All praise belongs to Allah.
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allahu akbar, thirty four times. Allah is the Greatest.
Two counts are reported, and both are authentic. In one the takbir is said thirty four times, which brings the total to a hundred on its own. In the other all three are said thirty three times, ninety nine in total, and the hundredth is this phrase, recorded in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in Sahih Muslim:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Transliteration. La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, wa huwa ala kulli shay'in qadir.
Meaning. There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is capable of all things.
Pick one of the two forms and stay with it rather than mixing them. The narrations describe counting on the fingers, which is the reason so many people do it that way rather than with beads.
5. The three quls
Uqbah ibn Amir reported being instructed to recite these three surahs after the prayers. They are al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas, and they are recited once each after every obligatory prayer, with the common practice of repeating each of them three times after Fajr and after Maghrib.
Surah al-Ikhlas
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ، اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ، لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Transliteration. Qul huwallahu ahad. Allahus-samad. Lam yalid wa lam yulad. Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad.
Meaning. Say: He is Allah, One. Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He has not given birth and was not born, and there is none comparable to Him.
Surah al-Falaq
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ، مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ، وَمِنْ شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
Transliteration. Qul a'udhu bi Rabbil-falaq. Min sharri ma khalaq. Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab. Wa min sharrin-naffathati fil-uqad. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad.
Meaning. Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the daybreak, from the evil of what He has created, from the evil of darkness when it settles, from the evil of those who blow on knots, and from the evil of an envier when he envies.
Surah an-Nas
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ، مَلِكِ النَّاسِ، إِلَهِ النَّاسِ، مِنْ شَرِّ الْوَسْوَاسِ الْخَنَّاسِ، الَّذِي يُوَسْوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ النَّاسِ، مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ
Transliteration. Qul a'udhu bi Rabbin-nas. Malikin-nas. Ilahin-nas. Min sharril-waswasil-khannas. Alladhi yuwaswisu fi sudurin-nas. Minal-jinnati wan-nas.
Meaning. Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the retreating whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of mankind, from among the jinn and mankind.
When these are said, and how
- Straight after the salam. The three astaghfirullah and the Allahumma anta as-Salam come first, before you move, before you greet anyone, and before you stand for any sunnah rakahs.
- After the obligatory prayers. This set belongs to the five fard prayers. It is not attached to the sunnah rakahs or to voluntary prayer.
- Quietly, and without rushing. These are said for yourself. Speeding through a hundred syllables to reach the end defeats the purpose, and a shorter portion said with attention is worth more than the full set said at speed.
- Facing forward or turning round. An imam is described as turning to face the congregation after finishing. Someone praying alone simply stays sitting.
- Your own supplication comes after. Once the set wording is done, this is one of the natural times to ask for whatever you want, in your own language, in your own words.
If some of this is new, do not try to install all of it tomorrow morning. Start with the three astaghfirullah and the Allahumma anta as-Salam, which take fifteen seconds and are the part that sits closest to the prayer. Add Ayat al-Kursi when that is automatic, then the tasbih, then the quls.
For the wording inside the prayer itself, see the Tashahhud and Surah Al-Fatiha. If you are still building the prayer, start with how to pray salah step by step.
Common questions
›Do I say these after sunnah prayers too?
They are reported specifically after the five obligatory prayers, and that is how the schools describe them. Saying dhikr at any other time is always good, but this particular set belongs to the fard prayers. If sunnah rakahs follow the fard, most people pray those first and then sit for the adhkar, or complete the adhkar before standing for the sunnah. Both orders are practised.
›Is it a problem if I lose count of the thirty three?
No. The counts are a recommended form, not a condition of anything, and losing your place does not invalidate the prayer you have just finished. Start the section again, carry on from a rough count, or use the joints of your fingers, which is the method described in the narrations. Counting on the fingers of the right hand is the practice most often mentioned.
›Can I say the adhkar in English?
The meanings are the point, and understanding what you are saying is a large part of the benefit, so reading the English alongside is useful. The wordings themselves are short set phrases in Arabic and they are worth learning as they were taught, because the Qur'anic passages in particular cannot be substituted by a translation. Most people have the full set memorised within a few weeks of saying it five times a day.
›Does the imam lead these out loud for everyone?
Practice varies widely from mosque to mosque and country to country. The narrations describe the Prophet ﷺ turning to face the congregation after the salam, and they describe the dhikr being audible after the prayer, which some scholars read as everyone saying it individually and others read as permitting a raised voice. A collective supplication led aloud is normal in some communities and avoided in others. Follow your local mosque rather than correcting it.
Sources referenced
- Sahih Muslim, the report of Thawban that the Prophet ﷺ would seek forgiveness three times after finishing the prayer and then say Allahumma anta as-Salam wa minka as-salam.
- Sahih Muslim, the hadith of Abu Hurayrah on saying subhanallah, alhamdulillah and Allahu akbar thirty three times each and completing the hundred with la ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the narrations of the tasbih after prayer, which appear both as thirty three of each and as thirty three with thirty four takbirs.
- Sunan an-Nasa'i and other Sunan literature, the report on reciting Ayat al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer. It is transmitted outside the two Sahih collections.
- Sunan Abi Dawud, Sunan at-Tirmidhi and Sunan an-Nasa'i, the report from Uqbah ibn Amir on reciting the three quls after the prayers.
- Qur'an 2:255 for Ayat al-Kursi, and Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas for the three quls.
Where the schools of thought differ we have given each position rather than choosing one. For a ruling on your own situation, ask a qualified scholar in your community.
Put it into practice
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