Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
What is the virtue and method of Ṣalāt al-Tasbīḥ (Prayer of Glorification)?
It is among the great favors of Allah, the Exalted, that He has granted His servants ways to attain His closeness and forgiveness through voluntary prayers (nawāfil). One such noble act is Ṣalāt al-Tasbīḥ, a prayer of immense virtue.
❖ It can be offered:
✓ Daily,
✓ Weekly,
✓ Monthly,
✓ Once a year,
✓ Or at least once in a lifetime — all are acceptable.
Through this prayer, a servant may fill his heart and life with divine mercy and blessings.
❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to his uncle, ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib رضي الله عنه:
“O Uncle! Shall I not give you a gift? Shall I not present you something of great value? Shall I not tell you ten things—if you do them, Allah will forgive your past and future sins, old and recent, intentional and unintentional, small and large, hidden and open?”
“Perform four rakʿāt. In each rakʿah, after reciting Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and any other sūrah, while still standing (before rukūʿ), recite the following tasbīḥ fifteen (15) times:
Subḥānallāh, wal-ḥamdu lillāh, wa lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu akbar
(Glory be to Allah, all praise is due to Allah, there is no deity but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest)
Then go into rukūʿ and after the usual tasbīḥ, recite it ten (10) times.
After rising from rukūʿ, recite it ten (10) times.
Then in the first sujūd, recite it ten (10) times.
After rising from sujūd, recite it ten (10) times.
In the second sujūd, again recite it ten (10) times.
Then after sitting up from the second sujūd, recite it ten (10) times.
This completes 75 tasbīḥāt per rakʿah. Repeat this for all four rakʿāt.
If you can, pray it daily. If not, then once a week. If that is not possible, then once a month. If not, then once a year. And if even that is not possible, then at least once in your life.”
Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1297; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1387; Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah: 1216; al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī: 11622; al-Mustadrak by al-Ḥākim: 1/318; al-Mukhtārah by al-Ḍiyā al-Maqdisī: 332 — Chain is ḥasan (sound).
✔ Major Hadith scholars have declared this narration authentic or sound:
❖ Question:
What is the virtue and method of Ṣalāt al-Tasbīḥ (Prayer of Glorification)?
✿ Answer:
It is among the great favors of Allah, the Exalted, that He has granted His servants ways to attain His closeness and forgiveness through voluntary prayers (nawāfil). One such noble act is Ṣalāt al-Tasbīḥ, a prayer of immense virtue.
❖ It can be offered:
✓ Daily,
✓ Weekly,
✓ Monthly,
✓ Once a year,
✓ Or at least once in a lifetime — all are acceptable.
Through this prayer, a servant may fill his heart and life with divine mercy and blessings.
✿ Virtue and Method of Ṣalāt al-Tasbīḥ:
❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to his uncle, ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib رضي الله عنه:
“O Uncle! Shall I not give you a gift? Shall I not present you something of great value? Shall I not tell you ten things—if you do them, Allah will forgive your past and future sins, old and recent, intentional and unintentional, small and large, hidden and open?”
“Perform four rakʿāt. In each rakʿah, after reciting Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and any other sūrah, while still standing (before rukūʿ), recite the following tasbīḥ fifteen (15) times:
Subḥānallāh, wal-ḥamdu lillāh, wa lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu akbar
(Glory be to Allah, all praise is due to Allah, there is no deity but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest)
Then go into rukūʿ and after the usual tasbīḥ, recite it ten (10) times.
After rising from rukūʿ, recite it ten (10) times.
Then in the first sujūd, recite it ten (10) times.
After rising from sujūd, recite it ten (10) times.
In the second sujūd, again recite it ten (10) times.
Then after sitting up from the second sujūd, recite it ten (10) times.
This completes 75 tasbīḥāt per rakʿah. Repeat this for all four rakʿāt.
If you can, pray it daily. If not, then once a week. If that is not possible, then once a month. If not, then once a year. And if even that is not possible, then at least once in your life.”
Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1297; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 1387; Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah: 1216; al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr by al-Ṭabarānī: 11622; al-Mustadrak by al-Ḥākim: 1/318; al-Mukhtārah by al-Ḍiyā al-Maqdisī: 332 — Chain is ḥasan (sound).✿ Authentication of the Ḥadīth:
✔ Major Hadith scholars have declared this narration authentic or sound:
- Imām Muslim رحمه الله said:
“There is no isnād (chain) better than this one for this ḥadīth.”
(Al-Irshād by al-Khalīlī: 1/326 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)
- Imām Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dāwūd al-Bajistānī رحمه الله said:
“The most authentic narration about Ṣalāt al-Tasbīḥ is the ḥadīth of ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه.”
(Al-Thiqāt by Ibn Shāhīn: 1356)
- Imām al-Ḥākim and Ibn Ḥajar also graded it ṣaḥīḥ.
(Ittiḥāf al-Mahrah: 7/484) - Ḥāfiẓ al-Mundhirī رحمه الله mentioned that a group of leading scholars considered this ḥadīth ṣaḥīḥ, including:
- Abū Bakr Ājurrī,
- Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Raḥīm al-Miṣrī,
- Ḥāfiẓ Abū al-Ḥasan al-Maqdisī.
(Al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb: 1/468)
- Ḥāfiẓ al-ʿAlāʾī رحمه الله:
“This ḥadīth is ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ; it is reported by Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah with a good chain to Ibn ʿAbbās.”
(Al-Naqd al-Ṣaḥīḥ, p. 30)
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn al-Mulaqqin رحمه الله:
“This chain is good (jayyid).”
(Al-Badr al-Munīr: 4/236)
- Ḥāfiẓ al-Suyūṭī رحمه الله:
“This isnād is ḥasan (sound).”
(Al-Laʾālī al-Maṣnūʿah: 2/35; Mirqāt al-Ṣuʿūd: 1/410)
Conclusion:
- Ṣalāt al-Tasbīḥ is a soundly established voluntary prayer with immense reward and benefits.
- It is effective in erasing sins—past and future, major and minor, hidden and open.
- The method involves repeating the glorifications of Allah 75 times in each rakʿah, totaling 300 tasbīḥāt in 4 rakʿāt.
- One should strive to perform it regularly—daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or at least once in a lifetime.
