What to Say After Salah: The Sunnah Adhkar
You give the salam to your right, then to your left, and for a second you just sit there. Your phone is face-down on the carpet. Something is already pulling you up. Most of us stand at this point. The Prophet ﷺ stayed a little longer, and filled those minutes with a handful of short words.
Here they are in the order most people say them, each with the Arabic, a transliteration, the meaning and the source. Together they take two to three minutes. Learn them one at a time: start with the first step and the 33s, then add a piece each week.
The routine at a glance
- Astaghfirullah three times, then "Allahumma antas-salam…" (about 10 seconds)
- "La ilaha illallahu wahdahu…" with "Allahumma la mani'a…" (15 seconds)
- SubhanAllah 33, Alhamdulillah 33, Allahu Akbar 33, and one line to make 100 (about a minute)
- Ayat al-Kursi (30 seconds)
- Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas (30 seconds)
- "Allahumma a'inni…" (5 seconds)
- Your own dua, for as long as you like
The first step has a fixed place, right after the salam. For the rest, the narrations tell us what he said "after every prayer" without fixing a sequence, so treat this order as a well-worn path rather than a rule.
1. Astaghfirullah, then "You are Peace"
أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ، أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ. اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ السَّلَامُ، وَمِنْكَ السَّلَامُ، تَبَارَكْتَ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
Astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah. Allahumma antas-salam, wa minkas-salam, tabarakta ya dhal-jalali wal-ikram.
"I ask Allah's forgiveness" (three times). "O Allah, You are Peace and from You comes peace. Blessed are You, Owner of majesty and honour."
Sahih Muslim 591, 592
Thawban reported that when the Prophet ﷺ finished his prayer, he asked forgiveness three times and then said these words.
Asking forgiveness straight after worship can feel odd, until you remember where your mind went in the second rak'ah. Then you ask As-Salam, the Source of Peace, for peace before you walk back into the day.
2. "There is no god but Allah, alone"
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، اللَّهُمَّ لَا مَانِعَ لِمَا أَعْطَيْتَ، وَلَا مُعْطِيَ لِمَا مَنَعْتَ، وَلَا يَنْفَعُ ذَا الْجَدِّ مِنْكَ الْجَدُّ
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir. Allahumma la mani'a lima a'tayt, wa la mu'tiya lima mana't, wa la yanfa'u dhal-jaddi minkal-jadd.
"There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things. O Allah, no one can withhold what You give, no one can give what You withhold, and no one's fortune can help him against You."
Sahih al-Bukhari 844, Sahih Muslim 593
Al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah wrote these words to Mu'awiyah as what the Prophet ﷺ said after every obligatory prayer.
Slow down for the second half. Whatever you carried into the prayer sits in His hand: what He gives, nobody can block, and what He holds back, nobody can hand you. Said honestly, it puts down a weight you were never meant to carry.
3. SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ · الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ · اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
SubhanAllah (33) · Alhamdulillah (33) · Allahu Akbar (33)
"Glory be to Allah. All praise is for Allah. Allah is the Greatest."
Sahih Muslim 597
Then complete the hundred with the first line of step 2: La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah…
Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said whoever does this after every prayer will have his sins forgiven, even if they were like the foam of the sea.
This is the part people rush. Go at the pace where you can still hear each word.
4. Ayat al-Kursi
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡحَيُّ ٱلۡقَيُّومُۚ لَا تَأۡخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٞ وَلَا نَوۡمٞۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِي يَشۡفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِهِۦۚ يَعۡلَمُ مَا بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَمَا خَلۡفَهُمۡۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَيۡءٖ مِّنۡ عِلۡمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَۚ وَسِعَ كُرۡسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفۡظُهُمَاۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِيُّ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ
Allahu la ilaha illa huwal-Hayyul-Qayyum. La ta'khudhuhu sinatun wa la nawm. Lahu ma fis-samawati wa ma fil-ard. Man dhal-ladhi yashfa'u 'indahu illa bi-idhnih. Ya'lamu ma bayna aydihim wa ma khalfahum. Wa la yuhituna bi-shay'in min 'ilmihi illa bima sha'. Wasi'a kursiyyuhus-samawati wal-ard. Wa la ya'uduhu hifzuhuma. Wa huwal-'Aliyyul-'Azim.
"Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great"
Al-Baqarah 2:255
Abu Umamah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every prescribed prayer, nothing will prevent him from entering Paradise except death" (al-Nasa'i, al-Sunan al-Kubra 9848). Some early critics questioned its chain; many hadith scholars accepted it, and al-Albani graded it sahih.
Five times a day, you remind yourself that neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. You will get tired today. He won't.
5. Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and An-Nas
'Uqbah ibn 'Amir said the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told him to recite the surahs of seeking refuge (al-mu'awwidhat) after every prayer (Abu Dawud 1523). That name covers Al-Falaq and An-Nas. Many scholars include Al-Ikhlas, so most people say all three.
قُلۡ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ لَمۡ يَلِدۡ وَلَمۡ يُولَدۡ وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدُۢ
Qul huwa-llahu ahad. Allahu-s-samad. Lam yalid wa lam yulad. Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad.
Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One / Allah, the Eternal Refuge / He neither begets nor is born / Nor is there to Him any equivalent."
Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4
قُلۡ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلۡفَلَقِ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَٰتِ فِي ٱلۡعُقَدِ وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
Qul a'udhu bi-rabbil-falaq. Min sharri ma khalaq. Wa min sharri ghasiqin idha waqab. Wa min sharrin-naffathati fil-'uqad. Wa min sharri hasidin idha hasad.
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak / From the evil of that which He created / And from the evil of darkness when it settles / And from the evil of the blowers in knots / And from the evil of an envier when he envies."
Al-Falaq 113:1-5
قُلۡ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ إِلَٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ مِن شَرِّ ٱلۡوَسۡوَاسِ ٱلۡخَنَّاسِ ٱلَّذِي يُوَسۡوِسُ فِي صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ مِنَ ٱلۡجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ
Qul a'udhu bi-rabbin-nas. Malikin-nas. Ilahin-nas. Min sharril-waswasil-khannas. Alladhi yuwaswisu fi sudurin-nas. Minal-jinnati wan-nas.
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind / The Sovereign of mankind / The God of mankind / From the evil of the retreating whisperer / Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind / From among the jinn and mankind."
An-Nas 114:1-6
You came into the prayer from a world of noise. You go back out having asked for refuge.
6. "Help me remember You"
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ، وَشُكْرِكَ، وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ
Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika, wa shukrika, wa husni 'ibadatik.
"O Allah, help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You well."
Abu Dawud 1522
The Prophet ﷺ took Mu'adh ibn Jabal by the hand and said, "O Mu'adh, by Allah, I love you," then advised him never to leave saying this at the end of every prayer.
You have just finished worshipping, and you ask for help to do it again, and better. It is an honest dua: it admits you can't manage any of it alone. Scholars differ on whether "the end of every prayer" here means the final sitting before the salam or the moments after it. Both are practised.
Then ask for what you need
Now raise whatever you are carrying. Asked which dua is most likely to be heard, the Prophet ﷺ said: in the last part of the night, and after the obligatory prayers (Tirmidhi 3499, graded hasan by Tirmidhi).
So five times a day, you are handed one of those moments. You don't need special words. Ask in your own language, for the small thing and the big thing, for your parents, for the person you keep thinking about. Then stand up.
Stay a little longer on the prayer mat
Sereni gives you one quiet minute with the Quran each day — a verse, a hadith and a dua — chosen for whatever you’re carrying.
Frequently asked questions
Do I say the adhkar before or after the sunnah prayer?
Scholars differ. Many say the adhkar first, then pray the sunnah. The Hanafi school, followed in Turkey and much of South Asia, says only Allahumma antas-salam after Dhuhr, Maghrib and Isha, prays the sunnah, then completes the rest. This rests on 'A'ishah's report that the Prophet ﷺ stayed seated after the salam only as long as it takes to say those words (Sahih Muslim 592).
Is it 33 or 34 times Allahu Akbar?
Both are authentic. One narration has 33 of each plus the closing line to make 100 (Sahih Muslim 597). Another has Allahu Akbar 34 times, after 33 SubhanAllah and 33 Alhamdulillah (Sahih Muslim 596). You can use either.
Can I count on my fingers or with prayer beads?
'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said he saw the Prophet ﷺ counting tasbih on his fingers (Abu Dawud 1502), so many people prefer the fingers. Most scholars also allow prayer beads.
Are the adhkar after salah obligatory?
No. They are sunnah, and your prayer is complete without them. If you have to leave quickly, say the short ones and keep the rest for the next prayer.
Keep reading: Ayat al-Kursi: meaning and virtue · Sayyid al-Istighfar · Duas before sleep