After Salah

Thawbān (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) reported that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished his prayer, he would seek forgiveness three times and say [the above]. (Muslim 591)

• Muslim 591 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

Warrād (the clerk of Mughīrah b. Shuʿba) narrated that once Mughīrah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) dictated to me in a letter addressed to Muʿāwiyya (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) that the Prophet ﷺ used to say [the above] after every compulsory prayer. (Bukhārī 844)

• Bukhārī 844 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

Ibn al-Zubayr (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) uttered at the end of every prayer after the salām [the above]. (The narrator said): “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ uttered it at the end of every prayer.” (Muslim 594)

• Muslim 594 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

Mu’ādh b. Jabal (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ took him by the hand and he said, “O Mu’ādh, I swear by Allah that I love you. I swear by Allah that I love you. O Mu’ādh, I advise you not to forget supplicating after every prayer by saying: [the above]. (Abū Dāwūd 1522)

• Abū Dāwūd 1522 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

‘Amr b. Maymūn al-Awdī narrated that Sa’d (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) used to teach his sons the following words as a teacher teaches his students and he used to say that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to seek refuge with Allah from them [the above] at the end of every prayer. (Ibn Ḥibbān 2024)

• See citation within the Virtue text above

Abū Hurayrah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “He who recites [the above] after every prayer will have all his sins forgiven even if they are as abundant as the foam of the sea.” (Muslim 597) Abū Hurayrah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated that Abū Dharr said: “O Prophet of Allah, the wealthy people have all the rewards; they pray as we pray; they fast as we fast; and they have surplus wealth which they give in charity; but we have no wealth which we may give in charity. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: O Abū Dharr, should I not teach you phrases by which you acquire the rank of those who excel you? No one can acquire your rank except one who acts like you. He said: Why not, Messenger of Allah? He said: say [the above] after each prayer.” (Abū Dāwūd 1504) Ka’b bin ‘Ujra (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: “There are certain utterances, the repeaters of which or the performers of which at the end of every obligatory prayer will never be caused disappointment: ‘Subhānallah’ 33 times, ‘Alhamdulillah’ 33 times and ‘Allahu Akbar’ 34 times after every prayer. (Muslim 596)‏

• Muslim 597; Abū Dāwūd 1504; Muslim 596 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

Abū Umāmah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever reads [Āyat al-Kursī] after every obligatory prayer, there is nothing that will prevent him from entering Paradise except death.” (Nasā’ī in ‘Amal al-Yawm wa-l-Laylah 100)

**Brief Commentary**• Āyah al-Kursī begins with ‘Allah’. According to many scholars, ‘Allah’ is the Greatest Name of Allah, and is the most frequently mentioned Name in the Qur’ān, appearing over 2,500 times.• ‘Allah’ refers to **the One who is adored and worshipped**. Thus, the āyah begins by establishing the greatest truth: that Allah is the sole being that deserves to be worshipped.• It then describes Allah as the “**Ever Living (al-Ḥayy)**”: The one who has all the attributes of life in the most complete form e.g. hearing, seeing, knowing, power etc. Al-Ḥayy is the one who will never die, and nor is He touched by even the ‘smaller death’ (sleep). His life is absolutely perfect, and He alone gives life.• Since He alone is the absolute source of life, and possesses the attributes of perfect life, it only makes sense that He alone is “**The Sustainer of all** (al-Qayyūm)”. Al-Qayyūm is the one who maintains all; but needs none to maintain Him. Everything within the heavens and the earth is dependent on Allah and needs Him to sustain and manage their existence. He, however, is completely Self-Sustaining, and independent of any of His creation.• Whoever needs to sleep will always be deficient in maintaining and sustaining the affairs of His subjects. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah does not sleep, and it is not befitting that He should sleep” (Muslim). Not only does Allah not sleep, he does not even feel drowsy: ‘**Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep**.’ This is also very comforting, as we do not need to worry about the heavens and planets falling on us, or to worry that He may be unavailable when we may need Him.• ‘**To Him Alone belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth**’:  Allah is the Master and Owner of all. He is the Owner and King of everything in the heavens and the earth. **Nothing happens in this world except that Allah has willed it**. Everything is subject to His will and decree. We are only custodians of what we have been given, not the true owners. Once we firmly believe that what we own is only a loan from Allah for a limited time, we will feel content and humble. We will empty our hearts from greed and stop chasing worldly pleasures. Whether we are tested with wealth or poverty, our hearts will remain attached to the True Owner of the heavens and the earth: Allah. This part of the verse also grants believers solace, as they know who to turn to for all their needs.• After mentioning His ownership and complete dominion, Allah says, ‘**Who is it that can intercede with Him except with His permission?**’ This further explains Allah’s oneness and uniqueness. No one even comes close to sharing His power and will. Only those He will give permission to on the Day of Judgement (such as our beloved Messenger ﷺ) will be allowed to intercede.• ‘**He knows what is before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills**’: Allah’s knowledge is not just limited to the present. It also encompasses the past, and extends to the future.This belief should fill our hearts with awe and fear, as everything we do is within Allah’s knowledge. Likewise, it should make us content with our decree, as it was decreed by the One Who knows how things will develop in the future.• All the technological advancements that we see now are only due to Allah granting us the permission to encompass this knowledge. Thus, we should always remain humble, and thankful to Allah.• We are then introduced to one of Allah’s greatest creations, allowing us to ponder on Allah’s greatness: ‘**His Kursī (footstool) extends over the heavens and the earth**’: The Prophet ﷺ said, “The seven heavens in comparison to the Kursī is nothing but like a ring thrown in a desert, and the excellence of the Throne of Allah over the Kursī is like the excellence of that desert over that ring.” (Bayhaqī)• If the Throne of Allah is this great, and Allah Has created it and is bigger than His creation, then how great is Allah!• By knowing this, it is then no surprise that ‘**their preservation tires Him not**’ as the heavens and the earth are insignificant in size to Him. Allah cares for and provides sustenance to billions of beasts and creatures: those that crawl in the land, those that swim in the ocean, and those that fly in the sky. And yet, He never becomes tired.• The ending ‘**And He is the Most High, the Magnificent**’ perfectly summarises the verse, as the whole verse is describing the greatness of Allah. These are two of the majestic Names of Allah. Allah is Great in Himself. All of His Names and Attributes are great and most perfect. Allah is Great in His might, and Great in His knowledge. Everything that He does is Great. Allah is far, far above any weakness or defect. No one can overpower Him, and He is Greater than anything we can imagine.` `` `**Benefits & Action Points***The Greatest Ayah*• The main theme of all of the morning and evening adhkār is **tawḥīd** (the Oneness of Allah), and at the forefront is Āyah al-Kursī.• Āyah al-Kursī is the greatest verse of the Qur’ān. This is because the verse beautifully describes who Allah is. **The most majestic verses in the Qur’ān are the verses that talk about Allah**, as there is no topic of discussion which is more grandiose, more majestic and more beautiful than Allah (ʿazza wa jall). The āyah starts off with one word ‘Allah’; and then goes on to mention 20+ of Allah’s Names and Attributes.• Āyah al-Kursī is a gift to us from Allah, our Creator and Master. We were created to worship and know Allah; and in just a few lines He has perfectly summarised to us who He is, including His Greatness, His Power, His Knowledge, His Kingdom, and **ultimately His Oneness**. There is nothing on earth that will teach us about Allah better than this āyah.• lbn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh) writes, “By Allah, if an intelligent believer recited Sūrah al-Hadīd, the end of Sūrah al-Hashr, Ayah al-Kursī, and Surah al-Ikhlās with **deep thought** and **contemplation**, his heart would burst open out of the awe (of Allah), and he would be baffled by His Greatness.”• Āyah al-Kursī contains the **Greatest Names of Allah** (al-Ḥayy and al-Qayyūm), as mentioned by the Prophet ﷺ (Abū Dāwūd). When we ask Allah by these Names, our duʿas are accepted.• Āyah al-Kursī has a tongue and two lips that glorify Allah at the leg of the Allah’s Throne (as reported in Aḥmad).` `` `**Recite it 8x a Day**• Memorise this verse and recite it every day. It is sunnah to recite Āyah al-Kursī every day:1) **Before sleeping**: “When you lie down in your bed, recite Āyah al-Kursī from beginning to end; a guardian angel will stay by you and no devil will approach you, until you wake up in the morning” (Bukhārī).2) **After every farḍ prayer**: “Whoever reads [Āyah al-Kursī] after every obligatory prayer, there is nothing that will prevent him from entering Paradise except death” (Nasā’ī).3) **In the morning and evening**: “Reading Āyah al-Kursī from Sūrah al-Baqarah. If you read it in the morning, you will be protected from us (i.e. the devils) till the evening. And if you read it in the evening, you will be protected from us (i.e. the devils) till the morning” (Ḥākim).• By reading this verse a multiple number of times daily, we refresh our knowledge of Allah, renew our īmān in Him, and affirm His Oneness.` `` `**A Powerful Source of Protection**• A great portion of the morning and evening duʿās revolve around asking Allah for protection. By starting off the adhkār with Āyah al-Kursī, we begin to appreciate the **greatness of Allah**. This should help us to be more attentive and optimistic when reciting the remainder of the adhkār.• Āyah al-Kursī is one of the strongest means of protection from the devils. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “In Sūrah al-Baqarah, there is a verse which is the best verse of the Qur’ān. **It is never recited in a house except that the Shaytān leaves**: it is Āyah al-Kursī” (Ḥākim).` `` `**Living by Āyat al-Kursī**• By knowing that the entire universe belongs to Allah and that He possesses the ultimate power and knowledge, we **rely** only on Him. Knowing that He always takes care of us and is the Perfect Manager of the entire creation makes us **love** Him and place our **hope** in Him.• Since He is the Magnificent, we are in **awe** of Him and always **humble** ourselves to Him. He is the Only one who possesses all of these unique attributes, so we **submit** ourselves to Him and **worship Him** Alone.

• Nasā’ī in ‘Amal al-Yawm wa-l-Laylah 100 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

‘Uqbah b. ‘Āmir (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded me to recite ‘al-Mu’awwidhāt’ at the end of every prayer.” (Abū Dāwūd 1523)

• Abū Dāwūd 1523 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

Abū Dharr (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhā) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever says [the above] 10 times after Maghrib and Fajr, whilst sitting in the position of tashahhud and before moving, Allah will write 10 good deeds for him for each time he says it. (Likewise) He will forgive 10 sins and raise 10 stages for him. It will be a shield for him against all repulsive things and he will be guarded from Shaytān. No sin will be allowed to reach him that day (i.e. destroy him or invalidate his actions) except for shirk. He will be from the best of people in terms of actions, except for the one who recites it even more than him.” (Aḥmad 17990)

• Aḥmad 17990 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

Muslim b. Ḥārith al-Tamīmī (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ secretly said to him: “When you finish Maghrib, say [the above] seven times. If you say that and then die during that night, it will be a protection for you. And after praying Fajr, say the same. If you die on that day, it will be a protection for you.” (Abū Dāwūd 5079)

• Abū Dāwūd 5079 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

Umm Salamah (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā) narrated that when the Prophet ﷺ performed the Fajr ṣalāh, he would say [the above], when he said the salām. (Ibn Mājah 925)

• Ibn Mājah 925 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)

Ubayy b. Ka’b (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to pray the Witr with three rak’ahs. In the first he would recite: [Sūrah al-A’la] in the second: [Sūrah al-Kafirun], and in the third: [Sūrah al-Ikhlas]. And he would say the Qunūt before bowing, and when he finished he would say [the above], and would raise and extend his voice the third time. (Nasā’ī 1699)

• Nasā’ī 1699 (as cited within the Virtue text on the source page)