Virtue of Reciting Supplications After Obligatory Prayers
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the poor immigrants came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! The wealthy have attained high ranks and eternal blessings." He asked: "How is that?" They replied: "They pray as we pray, they fast as we fast, but they give in charity and we cannot, and they free slaves and we cannot." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said: "Shall I not teach you something by which you can catch up with those who have preceded you, and surpass those who come after you, and no one will be better than you except those who do the same as you do?" They said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" He said: "Recite Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, and Allahu Akbar 33 times after every prayer." The narrator of the Hadith, Abu Salih, said: "The poor immigrants returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: 'Our wealthy brothers heard what we did and they began doing the same.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said:
That is Allah's bounty which He gives to whom He wills."
Surah Al-Ma'idah: 54
Sahih Bukhari: 843, Sahih Muslim: 595
Benefits:
In another narration, it is mentioned to recite Allahu Akbar 34 times as well, as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "There are some phrases to be recited after the obligatory prayers, by which one will never be unsuccessful: 33 times Subhan Allah, 33 times Alhamdulillah, and 34 times Allahu Akbar."
Sahih Muslim: 596
There are many Ahadith on the virtue of reciting supplications after the obligatory prayers. Some of these are listed immediately after this Hadith, and others are mentioned as benefits.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death."
Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah al-Nasa'i: 100, its chain is Hasan, al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib by al-Mundhiri 2/448 Hadith 2273, Dar Ibn Kathir, Beirut
Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took my hand and said: 'O Mu'adh, by Allah, I love you.' I (Mu'adh) said: 'May my parents be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I also love you.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said: 'O Mu'adh, I advise you never to forget to recite this supplication after every prayer:
Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibadatik
(O Allah, help me to remember You, thank You, and worship You in the best manner).' "
Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah al-Nasa'i: 109, its wording, Abu Dawud: 1522, its chain is authentic
In some narrations, the word "Allahumma" is replaced with "Rabbi". And Allah knows best.
Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ordered him to recite the Mu'awwidhatayn (Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas) after every prayer.
Sunan Abi Dawud: 1523, its chain is Hasan
The aforementioned Ahadith highlight the importance and virtue of reciting supplications after prayers. Therefore, we should remember and adhere to all the prescribed supplications after prayers, which many common Muslims are gradually forgetting. As soon as the Imam finishes the prayer with Taslim, people often neglect the supplications and become preoccupied with their own activities or head home. Some even fail to memorize the authentic supplications proven from the Hadith, instead engaging in fabricated supplications. (May Allah protect us from such practices.) Remember, only those deeds are accepted by Allah that are proven from the Quran and Sunnah.
Sayyiduna Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "We were commanded to recite Subhan Allah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times after every prayer." One of the Ansar saw a dream in which someone said to him: "You have been commanded to recite Subhan Allah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times, so include Tahleel (La ilaha illallah) and say each of them 25 times." I mentioned this to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and he said: "Do as you have seen in your dream."
Musnad Ahmad 5/184, Sunan al-Nasa'i 3/76 Hadith 1351, Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah: 157, Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3413, he said: "Hasan Sahih", Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 752, Sahih Ibn Hibban, Al-Ihsan: 2014, Mawarid al-Zam'an
Benefits:
From the Hadith of Jibreel (Sahih Muslim: 8), the Hadith of Abdullah bin Zaid bin Abd Rabbah regarding the Adhan (Sunan Abi Dawud: 499, its chain is Hasan), and the aforementioned Hadith, it is known that angels sometimes come in human form for the purpose of teaching, and later the Prophet (peace be upon him) would confirm it (through revelation). Just as the Prophet (peace be upon him) confirmed the dream in this Hadith. It shows that reciting Subhan Allah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times with 25 times each of Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, and La ilaha illallah is also permissible. Both methods can be practiced. However, remember that dreams of non-prophets are not considered authoritative in Shariah, except for those dreams during the Prophet's (peace be upon him) time which he himself confirmed. Moreover, no Shariah ruling can be derived from dreams, whereas some sects base their beliefs and practices on dreams, which is clearly false.
Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever recites Subhan Allah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 33 times after every prayer, and completes the hundred by saying La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir, his sins will be forgiven even if they are as much as the foam of the sea."
Sahih Muslim: 597
Benefits:
In this Hadith, along with Tasbih (Subhan Allah), Tahmid (Alhamdulillah), and Takbir (Allahu Akbar), there is an addition of Tahleel (La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu...), and its special virtue is mentioned that the one who recites it will have all his minor sins forgiven. Secondly, from all these narrations, it is clear that whether it is 33 times Subhan Allah, 33 times Alhamdulillah, and 34 times Allahu Akbar, or 25 times each of Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar, and La ilaha illallah, or 33 times Subhan Allah, 33 times Alhamdulillah, and 33 times Allahu Akbar with once La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, the maximum number of supplications is one hundred, so it is better not to exceed this number. Musayib bin Najabah came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "I saw people in the mosque saying: 'Say Subhan Allah 360 times.' Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'O Alqamah, stand up and take me to them.' He went and stood among them and saw them doing the same. He then said: 'You have either seized the tail of misguidance, or you consider yourselves more rightly guided than the companions of Muhammad (peace be upon him).'"
Al-Bida' wa al-Nahy 'anha by Ibn Waddah: 27, its chain is Hasan
It is clear that in supplications, the number mentioned in authentic Sunnah should be followed.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "There are two qualities, no Muslim maintains them but he will enter Paradise. They are easy but those who act upon them are few. To recite Subhan Allah 10 times, Alhamdulillah 10 times, and Allahu Akbar 10 times after every prayer. I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) counting them on his fingers, saying: 'To recite these words is 150 on the tongue but 1500 on the scale. And to recite Subhan Allah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times before going to sleep, making a total of 100 on the tongue but 1000 on the scale.' Who among you commits 2500 sins in a day?" They said: "Why wouldn't we maintain them?" The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Shaitan comes to one of you in his prayer and reminds him of such and such thing until he forgets to recite them. And he comes to him when he is lying down and makes him fall asleep."
Al-Tirmidhi: 3410, Abu Dawud: 5065, its chain is Hasan, al-Nasa'i: 1349
Benefits:
Allah loves His servant so much that He grants a great reward for a small act. However, it is regrettable that a person fails to perform even such small acts. Secondly, it is better to count the supplications on one's fingers rather than using beads or other devices.Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever recites La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd, yuhyi wa yumit wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir ten times after Fajr prayer while sitting with his legs folded, without talking to anyone, ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten sins will be erased, he will be raised ten degrees, he will be protected from all evils throughout the day, and no sin will be able to harm him except Shirk (polytheism)."
Al-Tirmidhi: 3474, its chain is Sahih, Amal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah: 127
Benefits:
This Hadith clearly shows that no matter how many good deeds one accumulates, if they are tainted with Shirk (polytheism), all of them will be nullified and wasted. Allah addresses a group of prophets saying:
Had they associated others with Allah, all their deeds would have been nullified.
Surah Al-An'am: 88
Shirk (polytheism) is among the greatest sins, and committing Shirk is a great injustice. Allah Almighty says:
Indeed, Shirk is a great injustice.
Surah Luqman: 13
If a polytheist dies without repenting, the gates of forgiveness are forever closed for him. Allah Almighty says:
Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives anything less than that for whom He wills.
Surah An-Nisa: 116
In fact, Paradise is made forbidden for a polytheist forever. Allah Almighty says:
Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire.
Surah Al-Ma'idah: 72
