Core Morning Adhkar
1. Ayat al-Kursi (2:255): Recited once after Fajr. The Prophet: “Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi after every obligatory prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise except death.” (Nasa’i — authenticated)
2. Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, al-Nas: Each recited three times in the morning and three times in the evening. The Prophet: “Say: ‘He is Allah, [who is] One’ and the Mu’awwidhatayn [the last two surahs], three times in the morning and three times in the evening — they will suffice you against everything.” (Abu Dawud — authenticated)
3. Sayyid al-Istighfar (the master of seeking forgiveness): “Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduka wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’t. A’udhu bika min sharri ma sana’t. Abu’u laka bi ni’matika ‘alayya wa abu’u bi dhanbi, faghfir li fa innahu la yaghfiru al-dhunuba illa ant.” (“O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no deity except You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I am upon 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 acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins except You.”) The Prophet: “Whoever says it in the morning with certainty and dies that day before the evening is from the people of Paradise. And whoever says it in the evening…” (Bukhari)
4. Morning Tasbih: “Subhanallah wa bihamdihi” — 100 times. “Whoever says ‘SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi’ 100 times in the morning and in the evening, no one will come on the Day of Resurrection with something better than him, except someone who said the same or more.” (Muslim)
Core Evening Adhkar
1. The Evening Protection Du’a: “Allahumma bika amsayna, wa bika asbayna, wa bika nahya wa bika namutu wa ilayk al-nushur.” (“O Allah, by You we enter the evening, by You we enter the morning, by You we live, by You we die, and to You is the resurrection.”) — (Abu Dawud — authenticated)
2. Three Times Repetition for Complete Protection: “A’udhu bi kalimat-illah al-tammat min sharri ma khalaq” — (“I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created”) — three times. “Whoever says it three times in the evening will not be harmed by a scorpion that night.” (Tirmidhi — authenticated) — understood as general protection from harm.
The Theology of the Adhkar
The morning and evening adhkar encode a specific spiritual philosophy: the day begins with acknowledgment of divine creation and lordship (morning) and ends with return to that acknowledgment (evening). In between, the believer lives in the world — but the bookends ensure that consciousness of Allah brackets all worldly activity. This is the practical implementation of the Quranic command to “remember Allah much” (33:41) — not constant explicit dhikr is possible for a working human being, but structured, densely meaningful remembrance at the day’s edges primes and closes the day in divine consciousness.
See also: Adhkar, Dhikr, Understanding Dua, Muhasaba, Tasmiyah, Surah Al Fatiha, Asma Al Husna