Morning and Evening Adhkar: When to Say Them and How to Build the Habit
Updated · By the NUR team at PrismCode Labs
The morning and evening adhkar are short remembrances of Allah that the Prophet ﷺ taught for the start and end of each day. They take a few minutes, and many Muslims find them the easiest daily act of worship to keep up once they become routine. This guide covers when to say them, some well-known examples with their sources, and how to make them stick.
When are the morning and evening adhkar said?
Most scholars describe the morning adhkar as being said after Fajr until sunrise, and the evening adhkar after Asr until Maghrib. Others extend the times, for example allowing the morning adhkar until midday and the evening adhkar into the night. If you miss the preferred window, saying them later is still good. Remembrance is never wasted.
Well-known adhkar and where they come from
The full collection is longer than this list. These are some of the most commonly recited, with the sources usually cited for them:
- Ayat al-Kursi (Surah al-Baqarah 2:255): recited for protection, reported in hadith collected by an-Nasa’i and others.
- Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas, three times each in the morning and evening: reported by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi.
- Sayyid al-Istighfar, the "master of seeking forgiveness": reported by al-Bukhari, with the promise of Paradise for one who says it with certainty and dies that day or night.
- "SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi" one hundred times: reported by Muslim.
- "Bismillahil-ladhi la yadurru…" three times, asking that nothing harm you: reported by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi.
For the complete set with Arabic text and references, Hisnul Muslim (Fortress of the Muslim) by Sa’id bin Wahf al-Qahtani is the collection most people use.
How to make the adhkar a daily habit
- Attach them to a prayer. Say the morning adhkar straight after Fajr and the evening adhkar after Asr, before you pick up your phone for anything else.
- Start small. Begin with three or four adhkar you can keep every day, then add more once they feel natural.
- Learn the meaning. Reading a translation once makes the words far easier to say with presence.
- Use a counter for the repeated ones so you can focus on the words, not on counting.
- Do them with someone. A spouse, sibling or friend checking in makes consistency much easier.
Keeping the adhkar on your iPhone
NUR includes the morning and evening remembrances, a tasbih counter that keeps its place, and the duas of Hisnul Muslim with their references. Its prayer circles let a small private group see how each other’s prayers are going each day, which helps if you want a gentle nudge from people you trust. NUR is free, with no subscription and no advertising.
Next, read how prayer time calculation methods work.
Frequently asked questions
What time should I say the morning adhkar?
Most scholars say after Fajr until sunrise. Some allow them until midday. If you miss the time, saying them later is still good.
What time should I say the evening adhkar?
Most scholars say after Asr until Maghrib. Some extend the time into the night.
Can I read the adhkar from my phone?
Yes. Reading the adhkar from a book or a phone is fine. Many people use an app with a built-in counter for the adhkar that are repeated.
Where can I find the full list of morning and evening adhkar?
Hisnul Muslim (Fortress of the Muslim) is the most widely used collection, with Arabic text, translation and hadith references. NUR includes its duas with their references.
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