Why morning and evening?
Allah says: “O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance, and exalt Him morning and afternoon” (Quran 33:41–42). The Prophet ﷺ taught specific words for these two times of the day.
Morning adhkar are usually said after Fajr until the sun is well up; evening adhkar from Asr until after Maghrib. Scholars differ slightly on the exact times. Find Fajr, Asr and Maghrib for your city on our prayer times page.
1. The three Quls (3 times)
Recite Surah Al-Ikhlas (Qul huwa-llāhu aḥad), Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas, three times each. The Prophet ﷺ said: say them “three times in the morning and evening; they will serve you for every purpose” (Sunan Abi Dawud 5082, graded hasan by al-Albani; also Jami at-Tirmidhi 3575).
2. Protection from harm (3 times)
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Bismillāhil-ladhī lā yaḍurru maʿa-smihī shayʾun fil-arḍi wa lā fis-samāʾ, wa huwas-Samīʿul-ʿAlīm. “In the name of Allah, with whose name nothing on earth or in the heavens can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” Whoever says it three times in the evening will not be struck by sudden affliction until morning, and whoever says it in the morning, until evening (Sunan Abi Dawud 5088, graded sahih by al-Albani; Jami at-Tirmidhi 3388).
3. Sayyid al-Istighfar, the best way to ask forgiveness (once)
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَىٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ، وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
Allāhumma anta Rabbī lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa ana ʿabduk, wa ana ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika mastaṭaʿt, aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt, abūʾu laka bi-niʿmatika ʿalayy, wa abūʾu laka bi-dhanbī, faghfir lī fa-innahu lā yaghfirudh-dhunūba illā ant.
“O Allah, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I keep Your covenant and promise as much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me, and I admit my sins, so forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.” The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says it during the day with firm faith and dies before evening will be among the people of Paradise, and likewise whoever says it at night and dies before morning (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306).
4. The morning and the kingdom belong to Allah (once)
أَصْبَحْنَا وَأَصْبَحَ الْمُلْكُ لِلَّهِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ
Aṣbaḥnā wa aṣbaḥal-mulku lillāh, wal-ḥamdu lillāh, lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah. “We have entered the morning, and the whole kingdom belongs to Allah. Praise be to Allah. There is no god but Allah alone, without partner.” In the evening, say Amsaynā wa amsal-mulku lillāh (“We have entered the evening…”). This is the opening of a longer dhikr the Prophet ﷺ said every evening and morning (Sahih Muslim 2723).
5. By You we live (once)
اللَّهُمَّ بِكَ أَصْبَحْنَا، وَبِكَ أَمْسَيْنَا، وَبِكَ نَحْيَا، وَبِكَ نَمُوتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ
Allāhumma bika aṣbaḥnā, wa bika amsaynā, wa bika naḥyā, wa bika namūtu, wa ilaykal-maṣīr. “O Allah, by You we enter the morning and by You we enter the evening, by You we live and by You we die, and to You is the return.” In the evening, start with Allāhumma bika amsaynā, wa bika aṣbaḥnā and end with wa ilaykan-nushūr (“and to You is the resurrection”) (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3391, graded sahih; Sunan Abi Dawud 5068).
6. SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi (100 times)
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ
SubḥānAllāhi wa bi-ḥamdih. “Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Him.” Whoever says it a hundred times in the morning and evening, no one will bring anything better on the Day of Resurrection, except someone who said the same or more (Sahih Muslim 2692).
7. In the evening: seeking refuge (3 times)
أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّاتِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
Aʿūdhu bi-kalimātillāhit-tāmmāti min sharri mā khalaq. “I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created.” A man was stung by a scorpion at night, and the Prophet ﷺ told him that had he said these words in the evening, it would not have harmed him (Sahih Muslim 2709). Many say it three times.
Bonus: once a day, 100 times
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Lā ilāha illā-llāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr. “There is no god but Allah alone, without partner. His is the kingdom and His is the praise, and He has power over all things.” Saying it a hundred times in a day brings the reward of freeing ten slaves, a hundred good deeds written, a hundred sins removed, and protection from Shaytan for that day until evening (Sahih al-Bukhari 6403). Many say it in the morning.
Tips to make it a habit
- Attach it to a prayer: stay seated after Fajr and after Asr or Maghrib for ten minutes.
- Start with two or three of these, then add more once they stick.
- Use your fingers or a counter for the 100s; you can say them while walking or driving.
- Understand the meaning: reading the English once makes the Arabic come alive.
Keep going: learn how to pray Salah, the night prayer, or find more duas for forgiveness.