What are the virtues of dhikr and which remembrances should be maintained?
2026-09-21
F48 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Original Q&A · Complete published question and answer
The complete published question and answer are included. The distinction between reciting in a state of janābah and touching the muṣḥaf without ritual purity, and both alternative counts for the remembrances after prayer, are preserved.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
هذا السائل (ج. ر) من بريدة يقول: أسأل عن فضل الذكر وعن منزلته، مثلًا: هل أقول: سبحان الله، والحمد لله، ولا إله إلا الله، والله أكبر، هل تذكر على هذه الصفة، أو أقول: سبحان الله ثلاثًا وثلاثين، ثم أنتهي وأقول: الحمد لله ثلاثًا وثلاثين؟
وجهوني بهذا، جزاكم الله خيرًا.
الجواب
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.
الحمد لله، وصلى الله وسلم على رسول الله، وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن اهتدى بهداه،أما بعد:
فالذكر له شأن عظيم، وهو من أفضل الأعمال، وأفضله قراءة القرآن، أفضل الذكر كلام الله عز وجل، ثم ما شرعه الله لعباده من التسبيح والتحميد والتهليل والتكبير، وقول: لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله والدعاء، كله من الذكر، يقول الله -جل وعلا-: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا [الأحزاب:41-42] ويقول -جل وعلا-: فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلا تَكْفُرُونِ [البقرة:152] ويقول -جل وعلا-: إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْقَانِتَاتِ [الأحزاب:35] إلى أن قال سبحانه: وَالذَّاكِرِينَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا وَالذَّاكِرَاتِ أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا [الأحزاب:35] وقال -جل وعلا-: فَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ الصَّلاةُ فَانتَشِرُوا فِي الأَرْضِ وَابْتَغُوا مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ [الجمعة:10].
ويقول النبي ﷺ: سبق المفردون قالوا: يا رسول الله، ما المفردون؟ قال: الذاكرون الله كثيرًا والذاكرات قالت عائشة -رضي الله عنها-: "كان النبي ﷺ يذكر الله على كل أحيانه" كان -عليه الصلاة والسلام- يذكر الله على كل أحيانه، يعني: ليلًا ونهارًا، على طهارة وعلى غير طهارة.
فهذا يبين لنا فضل الذكر، وأنه ينبغي للمؤمن أن يكثر منه، ولو كان على غير طهارة، الذي يحتاج إلى طهارة قراءة القرآن، لا يقرؤه الجنب، ولا يمس المصحف من كان محدثًا، وأما بقية الأذكار يقولها المحدث وغير المحدث، التسبيح والتهليل والتحميد والتكبير، قول: لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله والاستغفار، كل هذا ذكر.
والذكر بعد الصلاة أنت فيه مخير، إن شئت أفردت، وإن شئت جمعت، إن شئت جمعت قلت: سبحان الله، والحمد لله، والله أكبر ثلاثًا وثلاثين مرة، ثم تقول تمام المائة: لا إله إلا الله، وحده لا شريك له، له الملك، وله الحمد، وهو على كل شيء قدير بعد كل صلاة من الصلوات الخمس، وإن شئت أفردت تقول: سبحان الله، سبحان الله، سبحان الله، ثلاثًا وثلاثين، ثم تقول: الحمد لله ثلاثًا وثلاثين، ثم الله أكبر ثلاثًا وثلاثين، الأمر في هذا واسع.
ولك نوع آخر، وهو أن تقول: سبحان الله، والحمد لله، ولا إله إلا الله، والله أكبر خمسة وعشرين مرة، تزيد فيها لا إله إلا الله، سبحان الله، والحمد لله، ولا إله إلا الله، والله أكبر، خمسة وعشرين مرة، بعد كل صلاة، أنت مخير بين هذا وهذا.
ثم تقرأ آية الكرسي اللَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ [البقرة:255] ثم تقرأ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ [الإخلاص: 1] والمعوذتين بعد كل صلاة، وتكررها ثلاثًا بعد المغرب والفجر وعند النوم، وكان النبي ﷺ يكثر من التسبيح: سبحان الله وبحمده، سبحان الله العظيم، ويقول: حب الكلام إلى الله أربع يقول ﷺ: أحب الكلام إلى الله أربع: سبحان الله، والحمد لله، ولا إله إلا الله، والله أكبر ويقول -عليه الصلاة والسلام-: الباقيات الصالحات: سبحان الله، والحمد لله، ولا إله إلا الله، والله أكبر، ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله.
وإذا تيسر لك أن تقرأ القرآن فالقرآن أفضل الذكر عن ظهر قلب، أو من المصحف، فذلك من أفضل الأعمال، كلام الله هو أفضل الذكر، ولك بكل حرف حسنة، والحسنة بعشر أمثالها، نعم.
المقدم: جزاكم الله خيرًا يا سماحة الشيخ.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
The questioner J. R. from Buraydah says: I ask about the merit and status of remembrance of Allah. For example, should I say “Glory be to Allah, all praise belongs to Allah, there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Allah is the Greatest” together in this way? Or should I say “Glory be to Allah” thirty-three times, finish, then say “All praise belongs to Allah” thirty-three times? Please guide me on this; may Allah reward you with good.
Answer
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
All praise belongs to Allah. May Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his Companions, and those who follow his guidance. To proceed:
Remembrance has great importance and is among the best deeds. Its best form is reading the Quran: the best remembrance is the speech of Allah, mighty and majestic. Then comes what Allah has prescribed for His servants of glorifying Him, praising Him, declaring His oneness and greatness, saying “There is no power and no strength except through Allah,” and supplication. All of these are remembrance. Allah, majestic and exalted, says: “O you who believe, remember Allah with much remembrance, and glorify Him morning and evening” [al-Aḥzāb 33:41–42]. He says: “So remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me and do not be ungrateful to Me” [al-Baqarah 2:152]. He says: “Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the devout men and devout women” [al-Aḥzāb 33:35], until His words: “And the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so—Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a tremendous reward” [al-Aḥzāb 33:35]. He also says: “When the prayer has been completed, disperse through the land, seek Allah's bounty, and remember Allah often so that you may succeed” [al-Jumuʿah 62:10].
The Prophet ﷺ says: “The mufarridūn have gone ahead.” They asked, “Messenger of Allah, who are the mufarridūn?” He replied, “The men who remember Allah often and the women who do so.” ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—said: “The Prophet ﷺ used to remember Allah at all times.” He, peace and blessings be upon him, remembered Allah at all times: by night and day, in a state of ritual purity and without it.
This shows us the merit of remembrance and that the believer should do it frequently, even without ritual purity. What requires ritual purity is reading the Quran: a person in a state of janābah must not recite it, and a person without ritual purity must not touch the muṣḥaf. As for the other forms of remembrance, both someone without ritual purity and someone with it may say them: glorification, declaring Allah's oneness, praise, declaring His greatness, saying “There is no power and no strength except through Allah,” and seeking forgiveness. All of this is remembrance.
Regarding remembrance after prayer, you have a choice. You may say the phrases separately or together. If you wish to combine them, say “Glory be to Allah, all praise belongs to Allah, and Allah is the Greatest” thirty-three times, then complete the hundred by saying “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is all praise, and He has power over all things,” after each of the five prayers. If you wish to say them separately, say “Glory be to Allah” thirty-three times, then “All praise belongs to Allah” thirty-three times, then “Allah is the Greatest” thirty-three times. There is latitude in this.
There is another form: saying “Glory be to Allah, all praise belongs to Allah, there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Allah is the Greatest” twenty-five times. You add “There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah” to these: “Glory be to Allah, all praise belongs to Allah, there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Allah is the Greatest,” twenty-five times after every prayer. You may choose either form.
Then recite Āyat al-Kursī, beginning “Allah—there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all” [al-Baqarah 2:255]. Then recite “Say: He is Allah, One” [al-Ikhlāṣ 112:1] and the two surahs of seeking refuge after every prayer, repeating them three times after Maghrib and Fajr and at bedtime. The Prophet ﷺ frequently said: “Glory and praise be to Allah; glory be to Allah, the Magnificent.” He says, “The words most beloved to Allah are four.” He ﷺ says: “The words most beloved to Allah are four: Glory be to Allah; all praise belongs to Allah; there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; and Allah is the Greatest.” He, peace and blessings be upon him, also says: “The enduring good deeds are: Glory be to Allah; all praise belongs to Allah; there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; Allah is the Greatest; and there is no power and no strength except through Allah.”
If you are able to read the Quran, the Quran is the best remembrance, whether from memory or from the muṣḥaf. That is among the best deeds. Allah's speech is the best remembrance. For every letter you have a good deed, and a good deed is multiplied tenfold. Yes.
Presenter: May Allah reward you with good, Your Eminence.
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website fatwa 13899
الموقع الرسمي للشيخ عبد العزيز بن باز
Official website of Shaykh ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Bāz
Arabic checked against the complete official published transcript. Text is preserved; spacing is normalized and legacy honorific glyphs are expanded. The English translates every displayed paragraph; Quran quotations are translations of their meanings.