After-Prayer Adhkar in Order from the Sunnah
The after-prayer azkar in the order narrated in the Sunnah — istighfar, tasbeeh and takbeer, Ayat al-Kursi and the Mu'awwidhat — sourced and graded.
What are the after-prayer azkar?
The after-prayer azkar are a fixed set of remembrances and supplications narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him), said right after finishing each obligatory prayer, before standing up or turning to anything else. They follow an order narrated in hadith, starting with istighfar and ending with tasbeeh, takbeer, Ayat al-Kursi and the Mu'awwidhat.
This short portion — under two minutes — is one of the easiest azkar to keep up, because it is tied to an event that already repeats five times a day and needs no separate reminder: the prayer itself.
Many azkar are narrated in scattered places throughout the Sunnah, but what is narrated with the wording 'after every prayer' or 'when he finished his prayer' is specific to this exact moment rather than any other time of day — and that is what this article gathers, in order, with its sourcing.
Istighfar three times, then "O Allah, You are Peace"
The first thing legislated right after finishing the prayer is seeking forgiveness three times, then the supplication narrated from Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him):
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا انْصَرَفَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ اسْتَغْفَرَ ثَلَاثًا، وَقَالَ: اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ، تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
English meaning: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) finished his prayer, he would seek forgiveness three times, then say: O Allah, You are Peace and from You is peace, blessed are You, Owner of majesty and honour.
Tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer, 33 times each
Next comes the greatest of the after-prayer azkar in weight, with an explicit statement of its effect on the forgiveness of sins, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him):
مَنْ سَبَّحَ اللَّهَ فِي دُبُرِ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِينَ، وَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِينَ، وَكَبَّرَ اللَّهَ ثَلَاثًا وَثَلَاثِينَ، فَتِلْكَ تِسْعَةٌ وَتِسْعُونَ، وَقَالَ تَمَامَ الْمِائَةِ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، غُفِرَتْ خَطَايَاهُ وَإِنْ كَانَتْ مِثْلَ زَبَدِ الْبَحْرِ
English meaning: Whoever glorifies Allah thirty-three times after every prayer, praises Him thirty-three times, and proclaims His greatness thirty-three times — that is ninety-nine — and completes the hundred by saying: there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner; His is the dominion and His is all praise, and He is over all things capable — his sins will be forgiven even if they are like the foam of the sea.
How the 33/33/33 count works
The hadith specifies a precise count: 'Subhan Allah' thirty-three times, 'Alhamdulillah' thirty-three times, 'Allahu Akbar' thirty-three times — ninety-nine in total — then the hundred is completed with the declaration of tawhid in the hadith's own wording.
This is the order most scholars follow; other narrations record a different sequence of the same words, but the count of thirty-three for each phrase and a total of one hundred is agreed upon in the hadith's substance.
Because the count here is precise and repeats five times a day, it's one of the azkar most likely to lose track amid the rush of leaving the prayer spot. A digital counter dedicated to each of the three stages helps more than relying on memory or counting on fingers, so the hundred is reached with certainty rather than a guess.
Ayat al-Kursi after every prayer
Also among the after-prayer azkar is Ayat al-Kursi, on whose virtue there is the hadith of Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him):
مَنْ قَرَأَ آيَةَ الْكُرْسِيِّ دُبُرَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ مَكْتُوبَةٍ لَمْ يَمْنَعْهُ مِنْ دُخُولِ الْجَنَّةِ إِلَّا أَنْ يَمُوتَ
English meaning: Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death.
The Mu'awwidhat after every prayer
The portion closes with the three Mu'awwidhat surahs, following the hadith of 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir (may Allah be pleased with him):
أَمَرَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنْ أَقْرَأَ بِالْمُعَوِّذَاتِ دُبُرَ كُلِّ صَلَاةٍ
English meaning: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded me to recite the Mu'awwidhat after every prayer.
The full order together
Putting the hadiths above together, the order of the after-prayer azkar is:
- Istighfar — three times
- 'O Allah, You are Peace and from You is peace, blessed are You, Owner of majesty and honour' — once
- Tasbeeh, tahmeed and takbeer: 33 times each, completed with the declaration of tawhid
- Ayat al-Kursi — once
- The three Mu'awwidhat: al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and al-Nas
When are they said, and what if someone misses them?
The wording 'when he finished' and 'after every prayer' shows they are said right after the salam, before turning to leave or talking to those nearby. If someone is distracted from them, he says them whenever he remembers, as long as he is still in the place he prayed.
They are said after all five prayers equally, not specific to one over another — though the morning and evening azkar are added on top of them specifically after Fajr and Asr.
Practically, the easiest way to keep them up is to say them right where you prayed, before standing — not delayed until after leaving the mosque or folding the prayer mat. Every delay is a step toward forgetting them, while saying them immediately makes them feel like part of the prayer itself rather than a separate task after it.