My Morning and Evening Azkar

Every day has two doors: the one we walk through at dawn and the one we walk through as the light fades. The morning and evening azkar are how I try to pass through both with Allah's name on my tongue.

They are not a long wird. On most days they take me ten to fifteen minutes. But they have become the bookends that hold the rest of the day together.

When to say them

Many scholars say the morning azkar are best between Fajr and sunrise. For the evening, some say between Asr and sunset, while others include the early part of the night after Maghrib. I say the morning set straight after Fajr, before I pick up my phone, and the evening set after I pray Maghrib. Both are tied to a prayer, and that is what keeps them from slipping. On days I miss the window, I still say them when I remember. A late remembrance is better than none.

Below is the set I come back to. I say every one of them in the morning and again in the evening.

Opening with salawat

Before anything else, I send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ three times, and I close the azkar the same way.

The master of seeking forgiveness

Then comes Sayyid al-Istighfar. The Prophet ﷺ called it the master of seeking forgiveness, and I say it once every morning and once every evening. It admits two things at once: how much Allah has given me, and how often I fall short.

The promise attached to it has two halves, one for the day and one for the night. Saying it in the morning and again in the evening means neither half of my day is left uncovered.

Seven times for protection from the Fire

Straight after, I ask Allah seven times to protect me from the Fire. It is one of the shortest duas I know, and one of the weightiest.

Scholars have differed over the strength of this narration: Ibn Hajar graded it hasan, while al-Albani considered it weak. Either way, asking Allah to keep us from the Fire is a dua every believer needs, morning and night.

Ten declarations of His Oneness

Next, I say the words of tawhid ten times. Everything else in the day rests on this sentence: there is no one to turn to but Him.

In a narration recorded by Imam Ahmad, the Prophet ﷺ tied these ten to the morning and the evening: whoever says them on waking has ten good deeds written for him, ten sins erased, is raised ten degrees, and is guarded from Shaytan until the evening, and whoever says them in the evening has the same until the morning.

The three Quls

Then I recite Surah al-Ikhlas, Surah al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas, three times each. The Prophet ﷺ told a companion that these would be enough for him against everything.

A shield in His name

Three times, morning and evening. It is so short that there is never a good reason to skip it.

Refuge in His perfect words

Then I say this, three times. Scholars explain the perfect words of Allah as His speech, complete and free of any flaw. In them I take refuge from every harm in His creation, the ones I can see and the ones I cannot.

Refuge from worry and grief

Then, three times, I say the dua I wrote about in A Dua for When Worry Weighs on the Heart. It names the things that weigh on a person, from worry about tomorrow to the burden of debt, and hands each one to Allah before the day can pick it up.

A verse for husband and wife

I also recite this verse from Surah ar-Rum, three times. It describes what Allah places between a husband and wife: tranquillity, affection and mercy, and it calls them signs for anyone who stops to reflect.

A dua for my parents

Three times, I make the dua Allah Himself taught us for our parents. In Surah al-Isra, He tells us to lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy, and to say:

A dua for righteous children

Then, three times, I make the dua of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), asking Allah for children who are righteous. Allah answered him with the good news of a forbearing son.

Closing as I began

When the last of them is done, I end where I started: sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ three times.

What helps me keep them

• Same place, same time. I sit where I prayed Fajr and don't get up until I've finished. In the evening I do the same after Maghrib.
• Start small. If the full set feels like too much, begin with Sayyid al-Istighfar and the three Quls. Add one more each week.
• Learn the meaning. They stopped feeling like a checklist once I knew what I was asking for. Reading the translation slowly, even once, changes how the Arabic lands.
• Keep a copy close. A small printed card or a copy of Hisn al-Muslim (Fortress of the Muslim) by the prayer mat saves me from reaching for my phone.