What is the thawab of performing the tasbihat after prayers?

- Why is it stated that prayer tasbihat is very acceptable?

Dear Brother / Sister,

SOME VERSES AND HADITHS ABOUT PRAYER TASBIHAT

“The most beautiful names belong to Allah: so call on him by them.” (al-A'raf, 7/180)

Allah Almighty states the following in verse 103 of the chapter of an- Nisa:

“When ye pass (Congregational) prayers, celebrate Allah´s praises, standing, sitting down, or lying down on your sides.”

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi stated the following regarding the issue in various talks:

"Tasbihat at the end of prayer is like the seed of prayer."

"When a believer whose heart is alert says ´Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar' in tasbihat, he spiritually enters into the congregation of millions of people praying at that time and makes dhikr together with them. If he proceeds further, he can make dhikr with the believers at all times an in all places with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in the middle, prophets on his right and saints on his left and with all believers." (see N. ŞAHİNER, Son Şahitler, Mustafa SUNGUR'un Hatıraları, IV/15-91)

It is very important to perform tasbihat after fard prayers so as not to miss such a rewarding deed of worship and so as to be included in the spiritual company.

HADITHS

Once, the poor among the muhajirs, primarily Abu Dharr, went to the Prophet (pbuh) and said, 

"The rich attained high ranks and endless boons. They perform prayers and fasting like us. They have a lot of wealth. They give sadaqah but we can't. They free slaves but we can't."

The Prophet (pbuh) gave them the following glad tiding:

"Shall I teach you something that will make you catch up with the ones that surpassed you, that will make you surpass the ones after you and that nobody except those who do what you do can surpass you? If you say 'Subhanallah' 33 times, 'Alhamdulillah' 33 times and 'Allahu akbar' 33 times after every prayer, it will be 99 times. If you say, 'La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shayin qadir (There is no god but Allah, having no partner with Him, to Him belongs sovereignty and to Him is praise due, and He is Potent over everything)' to complete a hundred, your sins will be forgiven even if they are as abundant as the foam of the sea" (Muslim, Masajid 146)

“When one of you is in prayer, Satan comes and says, 'Remember this and that' and continues like that until he finishes prayer. (As a result of Satan’s reminding) he even abandons tasbihat.” (Tirmidhi Daawat 25)

"Renew your belief with 'La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah)'." (Musnad, 2:359; Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 4:256; al-Haythami, Majmauz-Zawaid, 1:52)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"The sentences of tasbih (Subhanallah), tahlil (La ilaha illallah) and tahmid (Alhamdulillah), which you mention Allah’s majesty, turn around the Arsh (Throne). They buzz like bees and remind of their owners. Do you not want to have somebody that will remind of you around the Arsh?"

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said the following to Harith at-Tamimi:

“When you perform the evening prayer, say defa ‘Allahumma ajirna minan nar (O Allah! Protect us from fire)’ seven times. If you say it and die that night, God Almighty will keep you away from Hell. If you say it after the morning prayer and die that day, you will be recorded among those who are saved from Hell.”

Ibn Abbas narrates:

"The Messenger of Allah would read the following after tashahhud: "Allahumma inni audhu bika min adhabi jahannam wa audhu bika min adhabil-qabri wa audhu bika min fitnatid-Dajjal wa audhu bika min fitnatil-mahya wal-mamat."

"O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment in Hell, and I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment in the grave, and I seek refuge in Thee from the trial of antichrist, and I seek refuge in Thee from the trial of life and death." (Abu Dawud, Saaht 184)

Burayda narrates:

"The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) heard someone say,

"O Allah, indeed, I ask you by my testifying that You are Allah, there is none worthy of worship except You, the One, as-Samad (You do not need anything; everything needs You), the one who does not beget, nor was begotten, and there is none who is like You."

Thereupon, the Prophet said,

"By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, he has asked Allah by His Greatest Name, the one which if He is called upon by it, He responds, and when He is asked by it, He gives" (Tirmidhi, Daawat 65, Abu Dawud, Salah 358)

"If a person says in the morning ‘Audhu billahis-sami’il alimi minash-shaytanir-rajim’ and reads the last three verses of the chapter of al-Hashr, Allah will appoint seventy thousand angels to pray and seek forgiveness for that person; if he dies that day, he will die as a martyr. If a person reads them in the evening, he will attain the same reward and degree.” (at-Taj,4;22)

“Allah Almighty ended the chapter of al-Baqara with two verses. He will the rewards of those who read them from His treasure in the High Throne. Learn them and teach them to your wives and children."

Abu Umama narrates:

The Messenger of Allah was asked, “What is the supplication that is listened to and accepted the most?" He answered, "The supplication at the end of the night and the one after fard prayers." (Tirmidhi, Daawat 80)

Fadala Ibn Ubayd narrates:

"The Messenger of Allah noticed that a person did not send blessings to the Prophet and did not salute him. He said, "That man hurried." Then, he called the man and said,

"When one of you prays, he should start by praising Allah and sending blessings to the Prophet. He can wish whatever he likes after that." (Tirmidhi, Daawat 66, Abu Dawud, Salah 358)

***

As far as we know, the tasbihat we perform accompanied by the muezzin in our mosques today did not exist when Bilal Habashi acted as a muezzin. At that time, the Muslims who performed prayers performed tasbihat individually; the muezzin and the congregation did not perform tasbihat aloud. It is understood that, afterwards, when people started to neglect and forget tasbihat, the practice of performing tasbihat together in congregation started.

It is possible to perform prayer tasbihat individually as well as in congregation.

After the congregational prayers, the congregation performs tasbihat with the participation of the muezzin all together; it is better and more appropriate in terms of virtue and thawab.

As for the issue whether performing tasbihat in congregation after prayer exists in sunnah, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) always encouraged the dhikr, supplications and worshipping in congregation; when he saw the Companions having a religious talk and mentioning Allah together, he would be pleased and give them some glad tidings.

According to a narration of Muawiya, once, the Prophet (pbuh) saw some Companions sitting in the form of a circle. He approached them and asked,

“What makes you sit here?”

They said, “We are sitting here in order to remember Allah and to praise Him for He guided us to the path of Islam and He conferred favors upon us.”

The Prophet (pbuh) asked again and received an answer with an oath from them. Then, he said,

“I am not asking you to take an oath because of any allegation against you but for the fact that Gabriel (Jibril) came to me and he informed me that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, was talking to the angels about your magnificence.” (Muslim, Dhikr, 40)

As it is seen, the Prophet (pbuh) praised even the believers who were busy with dhikr and tasbihat by coming together on any occasion, though not after a prayer. Prayer tasbihat was not performed in congregation during the era of the Prophet but the mujtahid imams who came later adopted it as a principle to perform tasbihat in congregation so that everybody who performed the prayer in congregation could do it easily and would not be deprived of its thawab.

Questions on Islam