How to Perform the Dhikr After Prayer

Question:
This questioner, who used the initials (M. M. A) as a code for his name, is Egyptian and resides in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in al-Ras. He says: Your Eminence! What is the best practice in the Sunnah when I recite the tasbih, tahlil, and takbir? Should I lower my voice, or keep it in my heart, or say it with my lips? Please guide us in this matter?

Answer:
The Sunnah is to raise the voice with the dhikr. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: "Raising the voice with dhikr when the people disperse from the obligatory prayer was the practice in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." So the Sunnah is to raise the voice when he says the taslim and says: "I seek Allah's forgiveness, I seek Allah's forgiveness, I seek Allah's forgiveness. O Allah, You are Peace and from You comes peace. Blessed are You, O Owner of Majesty and Honor." Then he raises his voice... "There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is over all things competent," once. And it is better to say it three times after the Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha' prayers, and after the Maghrib and Fajr prayers, he adds ten times as an addition: "There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise. He gives life and He causes death, and He is over all things competent," ten times. He raises his voice so that those around him hear it; they hear it from the door of the mosque; they hear it and know that the prayer has ended, those at the door of the mosque, or those passing by the door of the mosque, as Ibn Abbas said: "I used to know when they had dispersed by that, when I heard them," because he was a boy who might attend the congregation, and might not attend the congregation.
The point is: that the Sunnah is to recite aloud. Some people, when they say the taslim, lower their voices. This is contrary to the Sunnah. Rather, the Sunnah is that when he says the taslim, he raises his voice so that those around him hear it, and the people know that the prayer has ended. Then after this, he glorifies Allah, praises Him, and magnifies Him thirty-three times each. If he lowers his voice in these, there is no harm; because the knowledge of the end of the prayer has been established by the first dhikr. So if he lowers his voice somewhat with "Subhan Allah" (Glory be to Allah), "Alhamdulillah" (Praise be to Allah), and "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest) thirty-three times, there is no harm. And if he raises his voice, there is no harm; because they follow the dhikr. The Sunnah after prayer: after the known dhikr, he says: "Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar" thirty-three times each, totaling ninety-nine. Then he completes the hundred with: "There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is over all things competent."
As Muslim narrated in the Sahih from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And this is a great favor.
"And the poor among the emigrants came to him and said: O Messenger of Allah! Our brothers, the people of wealth, have wronged us; they pray as we pray, and fast as we fast, and give charity while we do not give charity - because: we have nothing - and they free slaves while we do not free slaves. So he said to them (peace and blessings be upon him): They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He said: So they returned to him and said: O Messenger of Allah! Our brothers, the people of wealth, heard and did as we did. They began to glorify Allah as we do. He said to them (peace and blessings be upon him): ..
Allah has combined for them the charities with wealth and the performance of the prescribed dhikr. This is the favor of Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He). And the poor man has his favor, and he has his reward like their rewards; because his inability prevented him. And when a person is prevented by inability, and his intention is good that he would spend, he has the reward of those who spend. Just as the one who strives in the path of Allah has a great reward, and the one who stays behind has a reward like his. The one who stays behind who is unable to strive, and he loves to strive, but is unable due to illness or the like, has a reward like the reward of those who strive. This is a favor from Allah, Exalted and Majestic is He.

The presenter: Praise be to Allah. May Allah preserve you, Your Eminence. Is it obligatory to maintain the order in these dhikr? And if someone precedes some of them over others, is there anything wrong with that?

The Shaykh: The Sunnah is to begin with "I seek Allah's forgiveness" three times, "O Allah..." first when he says the taslim. Then after that, he says: .. once, or three times as in the hadith of Ibn al-Zubayr and al-Mughirah. Then he says: .
It is authentic from the hadith of al-Mughirah and the hadith of Ibn al-Zubayr that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do this when he said the taslim. In the hadith of Thawban: The first thing he says when he says the taslim is: .. Then he turns to the people and gives them his face, peace and blessings be upon him.
Then he says, as in the hadith of Ibn al-Zubayr and al-Mughirah: He recites this aloud after the five prayers. And he adds in the Maghrib and Fajr: ten times, as established in several hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then after this, he says: "Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar" thirty-three times each. Then he concludes it by saying: Then it is recommended for him to recite the Verse of the Throne after this [al-Baqarah: 255]. Then he recites [al-Ikhlas: 1] and the two Mu'awwidhat (chapters of protection) after that. In the Fajr and Maghrib, he repeats them three times. In the early morning and early night, he repeats and the two Mu'awwidhat three times. As for after the Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha', once. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah reward you.