Remembrance of Allah (Adhkar)
The practice of remembrance of Allah (Adhkar) is among the most commendable actions a Muslim can observe to draw nearer to the Almighty. Maintaining a consistent remembrance of Allah enlightens the heart, calms the mind, and illuminates the path. Allah states: “Those who have believed and their hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” (Quran 13:28). This indicates that tranquility of the heart is attained through remembering Allah. Moreover, Allah has promised: “And the men and women who engage in Allah’s remembrance often – for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” (Quran 33:35), which refers to the magnificent reward of Paradise.
Morning Adhkar
Upon waking, it is obligatory for a Muslim to express gratitude to Allah for His blessings. One significant form of gratitude is through remembrance, which can take various forms, including:
- Reciting the “Master of Seeking Forgiveness,” as narrated in Sahih Bukhari. It is reported from Shaddad Ibn Aus (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: “The Master of Seeking Forgiveness is to say: O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no deity except You. You created me, and I am Your servant. I am committed to Your covenant and promise as best as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me, and I confess my sins. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.” He added: “Whoever says this during the day with firm belief and dies before the evening will be among the people of Paradise, and whoever says it at night with firm belief and dies before the morning will be among the people of Paradise.”
- Reciting “Subhan Allah wa Bi Hamdih” (Glory be to Allah and praise Him) one hundred times. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated: “Whoever says in the morning and the evening: Subhan Allah wa Bi Hamdih one hundred times, no one will come on the Day of Resurrection with better deeds than what he has done unless someone says the same or adds to it.”
- Reciting Surah Al-Ikhlas and the two Mu’awwidhat (Surah Al-Falaq and Surah Al-Nas) three times as narrated by Abdullah Ibn Khubeib (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “We went out on a night of rain and darkness to seek the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to pray for us. When we found him, he asked: ‘Did you pray?’ I did not respond, so he said: ‘Say.’ I remained silent, then he repeated: ‘Say.’ I still did not respond. Then he instructed: ‘Say!’ I asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what should I say?’ He said: ‘Say, He is Allah, the One, and the two Mu’awwidhat three times in the evening and the morning, and it will suffice you from everything.’
- Reciting: “O Allah, with You we rise in the morning, and with You we enter the evening, and with You we live and with You we die, and to You will be the ultimate return.” It was reported from Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would say when he rose in the morning: “O Allah, with You we rise in the morning, and with You we enter the evening, with You we live and with You we die, and to You will be the return.”
- Proclaiming the statement of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “We have entered the evening and the sovereignty belongs to Allah, all praise is due to Allah, there is no deity except Allah alone, without partner. To Him belongs sovereignty and praise, and He has power over all things. O Allah, I ask You for the good of this night and the good that follows it, and I seek refuge in You from the evil of this night and the evil that follows it. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from laziness and the trials of old age. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from punishment in the Fire and punishment in the grave. And when morning comes, he would say: “We have risen in the morning and the sovereignty belongs to Allah.”
- Seeking refuge with the complete words of Allah from the evil of what He has created. Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a man complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him) of a scorpion sting, and the Prophet replied: “If you had said, ‘I seek refuge with the complete words of Allah from the evil of what He has created,’ it would not have harmed you.”
- Reciting: “O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, Lord of all things and Sovereign over all, I bear witness that there is no deity except You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my soul, and from the evil of Satan and his deception.” This was narrated by Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him), that Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): “Teach me something to say in the mornings and evenings and when I go to bed.” The Prophet replied: “Say: O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed, Lord of all things and Sovereign over all, I bear witness that there is no deity except You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my soul, and from the evil of Satan and his deception.”
- Reciting: “In the Name of Allah, with Whose Name nothing can harm in heaven or on earth, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing,” three times. The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: “Any servant who recites every morning and evening: ‘In the Name of Allah, with Whose Name nothing can harm in heaven or on earth, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing,’ three times, nothing will harm him.”
- Declaring: “O Allah, whatever blessings I experience in the morning, they come from You alone, without partner.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) stated: “Whoever says when he wakes up: ‘O Allah, whatever blessings I experience in the morning, they come from You alone, without partner, to You be praise and thanks,’ has fulfilled the gratitude of his day. Likewise, if one says this in the evening, he has fulfilled the gratitude of his night.”
- In a narration by Abdullah Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) would say in the morning and evening: “O Allah, I ask You for well-being in this life and the Hereafter. O Allah, I ask You for forgiveness and well-being in my religion, my worldly affairs, my family, and my wealth. O Allah, conceal my faults and keep me safe from my fears. O Allah, protect me from in front of me, from behind me, from my right, from my left, and from above. I seek refuge in Your greatness from being struck down from beneath me.”
- Reciting: “There is no deity but Allah, He is alone without partner, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise, and He has power over all things.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever says in the morning: ‘There is no deity but Allah, alone without partner, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise, and He has power over all things,’ will have the reward of freeing a slave from the descendants of Isma’il, and ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten sins will be removed from him, and ten levels will be raised for him. He will be in protection from the devil until evening, and if he says it in the evening, he will have the same reward until morning.”
- The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed those who wake up to say: “We have entered the morning, and sovereignty belongs to Allah, the Lord of all worlds. O Allah, I ask You for the good of this day, its openings, victories, lights, blessings, and guidance. I seek refuge in You from its evil, the evil of what came before it, and the evil of what follows it.” When evening comes, he should say the same.
- Asking: “O Allah, grant me well-being in my body, well-being in my hearing, well-being in my sight. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty, and O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave. There is no deity except You,” three times. Abdur Rahman ibn Bakrah reported: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘O Allah, grant me well-being in my body, well-being in my hearing, well-being in my sight. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty, and O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave. There is no deity except You.’ Repeat this three times in the morning and evening.”
- Reciting: “We have risen upon the pure nature of Islam and the word of sincerity, and the religion of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the way of our father Ibrahim, a Hanif, a Muslim, and not of the polytheists.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to say: “We have risen upon the pure nature of Islam, and the word of sincerity, and the religion of our Prophet Muhammad, and the way of our father Ibrahim, a Hanif, a Muslim, and not of the polytheists.”
- Supplicating: “O Ever-Living, O Sustainer, by Your mercy, I seek help. Rectify all of my affairs for me, and do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye.” The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) advised Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her): “What prevents you from listening to my advice to say when you wake and when you go to bed: O Ever-Living, O Sustainer, by Your mercy, I seek help. Rectify all of my affairs for me, and do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye.”
- Asking: “O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, good provision, and accepted deeds.” It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would say: “O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, good provision, and accepted deeds.”
The Importance of Morning Adhkar
The morning adhkar hold significant virtues for a Muslim. Among the merits of morning adhkar are:
- Connecting the Muslim with their Creator, fostering a deep bond with Allah.
- Serving as a fortress against devils and evil.
- Bringing health and happiness to the believer.
- Observing morning adhkar leads to the forgiveness of sins and an increase in good deeds.
- Demonstrating the believer’s humility and dependence on Allah.