Morning and Evening Adhkar: A Short Sourced Set

Morning and evening adhkar are the remembrances the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught for the two ends of the day. The Qur'an itself points to those two times: glorify Allah "when you enter the evening and when you enter the morning" (the meaning of 30:17), and "before the rising of the sun and before its setting" (20:130).

The complete collections run to several pages, which puts many people off before they start. This article gives five items that take about five minutes, each with a source you can check.

The set

1. Ayat al-Kursi

The 255th verse of Surah al-Baqarah. The meaning in brief: Allah, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer; neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him; His is all that is in the heavens and the earth; none intercedes with Him except by His permission; He knows what is before and behind them; His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth and guarding them does not tire Him; He is the Most High, the Most Great.

The report that whoever recites it in the morning is protected until evening, and whoever recites it in the evening is protected until morning, is recorded by al-Nasa'i in al-Sunan al-Kubra and by al-Hakim. If you already recite it after each prayer (see dhikr after salah), the one after Fajr and the one after Maghrib or Asr serve both purposes.

2. The three Quls, three times each

Surah al-Ikhlas (112), al-Falaq (113) and al-Nas (114), each three times. 'Abdullah ibn Khubayb reported that the Prophet told him: say "Qul huwa Allahu ahad" and the two surahs of refuge three times when you enter the evening and when you enter the morning, and they will suffice you against everything (Abu Dawud 5082).

All three together are 15 verses; three rounds take about 90 seconds at a calm pace.

3. Sayyid al-Istighfar (the master prayer for forgiveness)

Allahumma anta rabbi, la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduk, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata't, a'udhu bika min sharri ma sana't, abu'u laka bi ni'matika 'alayy, wa abu'u bi dhanbi, faghfir li, fa innahu la yaghfiru al-dhunuba illa ant.

Meaning: "O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I keep Your covenant and promise as far as I am able. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me, and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins except You."

Shaddad ibn Aws reported it from the Prophet, who called it the master of seeking forgiveness, and said that whoever says it in the daytime with certainty and dies before evening is among the people of Paradise, and whoever says it at night with certainty and dies before morning likewise (Bukhari 6306).

It is the longest item in the set; learn it one clause at a time, Arabic and meaning together.

4. Bismillahilladhi la yadurru, three times

Bismillahilladhi la yadurru ma'asmihi shay'un fil-ardi wa la fis-sama', wa huwa al-sami' al-'alim.

Meaning: "In the name of Allah, with whose name nothing in the earth or the heavens can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing."

'Uthman ibn 'Affan reported that whoever says this three times in the evening will not be struck by a sudden affliction until morning, and whoever says it three times in the morning will not be struck until evening (Abu Dawud 5088; al-Tirmidhi 3388). Three repetitions take about 20 seconds.

5. Subhanallahi wa bihamdih, one hundred times

Subhanallahi wa bihamdih. "Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him."

Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim: whoever says it a hundred times in a day has his sins wiped away even if they are like the foam of the sea; a related report mentions saying it in the morning and the evening. A hundred repetitions take about two minutes. Count on the fingers or a counter; see tasbih counting.

When exactly?

The Qur'an's "before the rising of the sun and before its setting" (20:130) is the basis for the two windows. Scholars differ on whether "evening" begins at Asr or at Maghrib; many prefer Asr to Maghrib and accept after Maghrib as well. For your own routine, ask an imam you trust and keep to one habit.

The practical anchor is the prayer. Check today's Fajr and Asr on the prayer times page, and sit for five minutes after each. If your Fajr is at 05:40 and sunrise at 07:10 (typical for northern Europe in late winter), the window is over an hour wide; in summer it can be under 90 minutes, so saying them straight after the prayer is the safest habit. True dawn explains why Fajr is where the morning begins.

Worked example: a five-minute morning

• 05:42: Fajr prayer finishes. Stay seated.
• 05:42 to 05:44: the post-salah dhikr (istighfar, the 33s, Ayat al-Kursi, the Quls once).
• 05:44 to 05:46: the Quls two more times each (now three in total), Sayyid al-Istighfar, Bismillahilladhi la yadurru three times.
• 05:46 to 05:48: Subhanallahi wa bihamdih 100 times.
• 05:48: done, six minutes after the salam.

The post-salah dhikr and the morning adhkar overlap: Ayat al-Kursi and the first of the three Quls count for both, which is why the two sets are easiest to keep when joined.

Building the habit

• Same place, same trigger. Right after the Fajr salam and the Asr salam. Do not stand up first.
• Card, then memory. Print the five items on a card. Read for two weeks; by then most will be memorised.
• Add, don't replace. Once these five are automatic, add one item from a reliable collection every week or two ("Allahumma bika asbahna", "Radhitu billahi rabba", and the rest).
• Evening on the way home. If you pray Asr at work, the evening set can be said on the walk or bus; dhikr needs no wudu or prayer mat.

Consistency matters more than length. The believers described in 33:41 remember Allah "much", and a short set said every day is more than a long set said on Fridays. If the five prayers themselves are still a struggle, start with consistency in the five prayers; the adhkar follow once the prayers are in place.