Tasbih of Fatimah (a) and the Sajdah of Thanks

What is recited after the salam is called the ta‘qibat — “that which follows” the prayer. The Holy Prophet (s) said that the servant is never closer to Allah than in the moment after the obligatory prayer, and the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) single out two acts above all others: the Tasbih of Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra (a) and the Sajdah of Thanks (sajdat al-shukr). Both are recommended (mustahab), not obligatory — but neither should ever be left out by one who loves the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

After the salam, stay seated facing the qibla, say اَللّٰهُ اَكْبَرُ three times raising the hands to the ears each time, and then begin.

The Tasbih of Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra (a)

[ Image placeholder — a person seated after the prayer, facing the qibla, counting a tasbih of Karbala clay beads in the right hand ]

Where it comes from

Fatimah (a) worked so hard at home — grinding, carrying water, sweeping — that her hands became blistered. She went to her father, the Messenger of Allah (s), to ask for a servant from the captives that had come to Madinah. He answered: “Shall I not give you something better than a servant?” — and taught her this tasbih to say after every prayer and when going to bed. She replied: “I am pleased with Allah and with His Messenger.” (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1; ‘Ilal al-Shara’i‘.)

Its merit

• Imam al-Baqir (a): “Allah is not worshipped with any glorification better than the tasbih of Fatimah (a). Had there been anything better, the Messenger of Allah (s) would have given it to Fatimah.” (al-Kafi, vol. 3.)

• Imam al-Sadiq (a): “Whoever recites the tasbih of Fatimah (a) after an obligatory prayer, before he stretches out his legs, Allah forgives him.” (al-Kafi, vol. 3.)

• Imam al-Sadiq (a) also said that this tasbih is the “abundant remembrance” (dhikran kathira) that Allah commands in the Qur’an: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللّٰهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيْرًا — “O you who believe, remember Allah with abundant remembrance.” (Surah al-Ahzab 33:41.)

• Imam al-Sadiq (a): “The tasbih of Fatimah (a) every day after every prayer is more beloved to me than a thousand rak‘ahs of prayer every day.” (Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih.)

How to recite it — step by step

Remain seated exactly as you were for the salam. Count on the fingers, or better on a tasbih — beads made of the clay of Karbala are recommended in the narrations. The order is fixed: takbir first, then hamd, then tasbih.

1. 34 times:

اَللّٰهُ اَكْبَرُ

Allāhu akbar.

Allah is the Greatest. (34 times)

2. 33 times:

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ

Al-ḥamdu lillāh.

All praise is for Allah. (33 times)

3. 33 times:

سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ

Subḥānallāh.

Glory be to Allah. (33 times)

That makes one hundred. It is recommended to conclude with one لَاۤ اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ (there is no god but Allah), and then to recite whatever further ta‘qibat you wish.

Rulings of the tasbih

• It is recommended after every prayer, obligatory or recommended, and also before sleeping. Its greatest merit is when it is said immediately after the salam, before changing position or speaking.

• If you say the dhikrs in the wrong order, go back to the point where the order went wrong and continue from there.

• If you doubt the count, take the smaller number and complete it; adding one or two extra out of caution does no harm.

• The tasbih of Fatimah (a) is also the recommended dhikr to be said with the “Tasbih of Karbala” beads in the hand at any time of day.

The Sajdah of Thanks (Sajdat al-Shukr)

[ Image placeholder — the Sajdah of Thanks: forehead on the turbah after the prayer, palms flat on the ground, seven parts on the ground as in the prayer sajdah ]

What it is and when it is done

The sajdah of thanks is a prostration performed after every prayer, obligatory or recommended, to thank Allah for the success of having worshipped Him. It is also recommended whenever a blessing reaches you or a calamity is turned away — on hearing good news, on recovering from illness, on remembering a bounty of Allah. The Ahl al-Bayt (a) would fall into this sajdah at once whenever they remembered a blessing.

Its merit

• Imam al-Sadiq (a): “The sajdah of thanks after the obligatory prayer completes the prayer, pleases the Lord, and draws admiration from the angels. When the servant prays and then prostrates in thanks, Allah says to the angels: ‘Look at My servant; he has performed My obligation and completed My covenant, then he prostrated to thank Me for what I have bestowed upon him. My angels, what is he owed?’ They say: ‘Your mercy, Your paradise…’ and Allah says: ‘I have granted him that, and more…’” (al-Kafi, vol. 3, Bab Sujud al-Shukr.)

• Imam al-Sadiq (a): “When you remember a blessing of Allah, put your cheek on the ground in thanks; if you are riding, dismount and put your cheek on the ground; and if you cannot, put your cheek on the saddle, or at least place your hand on your cheek and thank Allah.” (al-Kafi.)

How to perform it — step by step

1. Intention. After the tasbih of Fatimah (a) — or straight after the salam if you prefer — intend the sajdah of thanks for Allah.

2. Go into sajdah. Place the forehead on the turbah with the seven parts on the ground, exactly as in the prayer sajdah. It is not obligatory that the sajdah of thanks be on earth, but it is better and is the practice of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

3. Say the dhikr. The simplest and most narrated is:

شُكْرًا لِلّٰهِ

Shukran lillāh.

Thanks be to Allah. (3 times, or 100 times)

Or, as narrated in the ta‘qibat of Mafatih al-Jinan, say a hundred times:

شُكْرًا شُكْرًا

Shukran, shukran.

Thanks, thanks. (100 times)

or a hundred times:

عَفْوًا عَفْوًا

ʿAfwan, ʿafwan.

(I ask Your) pardon, pardon. (100 times)

[ Image placeholder — the right cheek placed on the ground during the Sajdah of Thanks, then the left cheek ]

4. The cheeks (recommended). It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that after the dhikr you lift the forehead, place the right cheek on the ground and say the dhikr, then the left cheek and say it, then return the forehead to the turbah and say it once more. In each position it is recommended to say يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ (O my Lord, O my Lord) repeatedly, and then to ask for your needs.

5. Rise. Sit up calmly. It is recommended to wipe the place of sajdah with the hand and pass it over the face.

Rulings of the sajdah of thanks

• It is recommended, not obligatory. Leaving it out does not affect the prayer.

• Wudu is not a condition for it, since it is not part of the prayer — but it is better performed with wudu, in the state you already have after the prayer.

• It may be done either before or after the tasbih of Fatimah (a). The common practice is: three takbirs, the tasbih, then the sajdah of thanks.

• One sajdah is enough; two sajdahs with a short sitting between them are also narrated and are better.

• Women perform it exactly the same way.

A Short Ta‘qib for Every Prayer

Among the ta‘qibat common to all prayers, this declaration of faith narrated in Mafatih al-Jinan is recommended after every prayer, before or after the tasbih:

اَللّٰهُمَّ اِنِّيْ اُشْهِدُكَ وَاُشْهِدُ مَلَائِكَتَكَ وَاَنْبِيَاءَكَ وَرُسُلَكَ وَجَمِيْعَ خَلْقِكَ اَنَّكَ اَنْتَ اللّٰهُ رَبِّيْ، وَالْاِسْلَامَ دِيْنِيْ، وَمُحَمَّدًا نَبِيِّيْ، وَعَلِيًّا وَالْحَسَنَ وَالْحُسَيْنَ وَعَلِيًّا وَمُحَمَّدًا وَجَعْفَرًا وَمُوْسٰى وَعَلِيًّا وَمُحَمَّدًا وَعَلِيًّا وَالْحَسَنَ وَالْحُجَّةَ اَئِمَّتِيْ، بِهِمْ اَتَوَلّٰى وَمِنْ اَعْدَائِهِمْ اَتَبَرَّأُ

Allāhumma innī ush-hiduka wa ush-hidu malā’ikataka wa anbiyā’aka wa rusulaka wa jamīʿa khalqika annaka antallāhu Rabbī, wal-Islāma dīnī, wa Muḥammadan nabiyyī, wa ʿAliyyan wal-Ḥasana wal-Ḥusayna wa ʿAliyyan wa Muḥammadan wa Jaʿfaran wa Mūsā wa ʿAliyyan wa Muḥammadan wa ʿAliyyan wal-Ḥasana wal-Ḥujjata a’immatī, bihim atawallā wa min aʿdā’ihim atabarra’.

O Allah, I call You to witness, and Your angels, Your prophets, Your messengers and all Your creation, that You are Allah, my Lord; that Islam is my religion; that Muhammad is my Prophet; and that Ali, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Ali, Muhammad, Ja‘far, Musa, Ali, Muhammad, Ali, al-Hasan and al-Hujjah (may Allah hasten his reappearance) are my Imams. Them I befriend, and from their enemies I dissociate.

Sources: al-Kafi (Kitab al-Salat, Bab Tasbih Fatimah and Bab Sujud al-Shukr); Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 1; Wasa’il al-Shi‘a, Abwab al-Ta‘qib; Mafatih al-Jinan, Ta‘qibat al-Mushtarakah. Rulings according to the maraji‘ of the Ja‘fari school.

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَّاٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ