Allah Almighty says: {And remember your Lord within yourself with humility and fear, without raising your voice, in the morning and evening, and do not be of those who are heedless.} [Surat al-A‘rāf: 205] Linguists said that the term āsāl (translated as evening in the verse) is the plural of asīl, which is the time between the ‘Asr (afternoon) prayer and the Maghrib (sunset) prayer. Allah Almighty also says: {And glorify your Lord with praise before sunrise and before sunset} [Surat Ta Ha: 130] And He says: {and glorify your Lord with His praise evening and morning.} [Surat Ghāfir: 55] -- And He says: {[Such niches are lit] in the houses [of worship] which Allah has ordered to raise up, and where His Name is mentioned, and He is glorified therein morning and evening by men who are not distracted by buying or selling from the remembrance of Allah} [Surat an-Nūr: 36-37] And He says: {We subjected the mountains to join him in glorifying Allah in the evening and the morning} [Surat Sād: 18]
1) The verses encourage remembrance of Allah at the beginning and end of the day, so that the slave would start and end his day with worship of Allah and obedience to Him.
2) Reciting the morning Dhikr starts with the break of dawn until the sun rises (Duha), and reciting the evening Dhikr starts after offering ‘Asr Prayer until sunset.
3) Constant imploring of Allah and seeking His forgiveness should be the state of the slave when he recites the Dhikr prescribed by the Shariah.
1451/1- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever says in the morning and in the evening ‘Subhānallah wa bihamdih (Exalted is Allah and praise be to Him)’ one hundred times, no one would come on the Day of Judgment with deeds better than his, except one who said the like of what he said or more.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) Saying ‘Subhānallah wa bihamdih’ (Exalted is Allah and praise be to Him) one hundred times or more is an encouraged Dhikr to be recited in the morning and the evening.
2) The believers are urged to compete in doing good deeds as indicated by the statement of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him): “except one who said the like of what he said or more.”
1452/2- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) also reported: “A man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, what great suffering I experienced because of a scorpion that stung me last night!’ He (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Had you said in the evening: A‘ūdhu bikalimātillāhi at-tāmmāti min sharri mā khalaq (I seek the protection of Allah’s Perfect Words from the evil of what He has created), it would not have harmed you.’” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) Resorting to Allah Almighty protects one from all evils.
2) Seeking refuge with the Perfect Words of Allah is recommended. They are the words of the Shariah which Allah revealed in His legislation, and the words related to the predestination and creation. So, the Perfect Words of Allah are the fortress of the believer.
1453/3- He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to say when he got up in the morning: “Allāhumma bika asbahna, wa bika amsayna, wa bika nahya, wa bika namūtu, wa ilaykan-nushūr (O Allah, with Your Power we have come to the morning, with Your Power we come to the evening, with Your Power we live, and with Your Power we die, and to You will be the resurrection).” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan (sound)]
1)The perfect performance of one’s deeds and his wellbeing are fulfilled only by taking refuge with Allah Almighty and seeking His help; his morning and evening and life and death are all managed by his seeking help from Allah and relying upon Him.
2) Sleep is the minor form of death. It reminds of the major death and resurrection.
1454/4- Abu Hurayrah further reported that Abu Bakr al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allah, instruct me on some words that I should say in the morning and evening.” He said: “Say: Allāhumma ‘ālim-al-ghaybi wash-shahādah, Fātir-as-samāwati wal-ard, Rabba kulli shay’in wa-malīkah, ash-hadu alla ilāha illa ant, a‘ūdhu-bika min sharri nafsi wa min sharri ash-shaytāni wa-shirkih (O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the hidden and the apparent, Lord of everything and its Possessor, I bear witness that none is worthy of worship but You. I seek refuge with You from the evil of my own self and from the evil of the devil and the evil of polytheism to which he calls).” He (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) added: “Say these words in the morning, evening, and when you go to bed.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
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Polytheism: associating partners with Allah. Another version says “the devil’s snares” instead of “the polytheism to which he calls”.
1) The Hadīth encourages perfect acknowledgment and full need to Allah as a God, for He alone is worthy of being worshiped.
2) Disassociation from the evil of one’s own self is the origin of all good; “We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our souls and our bad deeds.”
3) The Hadīth encourages seeking refuge with Allah Almighty from the evils of the devil and from his snares which he fixes for the slaves through alluring lusts and misleading doubts.
4) A successful person is the one who proceeds to Allah Almighty and holds fast to His firm rope so that he would be saved from the snares of the accursed devil.
5) The Hadīth also urges the slaves to adhere to reciting this great Dhikr which was specially taught to Al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him), given the sincere worship and seeking of help that it contains. This is the exact meaning of the verse: {It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help.}
1455/5- Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to say when the evening came: “Amsayna wa amsal-mulku lillah, walhamdu lillah, la ilāha illa Allah, wahdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, wahuwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadīr. Rabbi as’aluka khayra mā fī hadhihi al-laylah wa khayra mā ba‘daha, wa a‘ūdhu bika min sharri hadhihi al-laylah wa sharri ma ba‘daha. Rabbi a‘ūdhu bika min al-kasali, wa sū’-il kibar. Rabbi a‘ūdhu bika min ‘adhābin fin-nāri, wa ‘adhābin fil-qabr (The evening has come upon us, and all the dominion belongs to Allah and praise be to Allah. There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah alone without any partner. To Him belongs the dominion, and to Him belongs praise, and He is Omnipotent over all things. My Lord, I ask You the good of this night and the good of what follows it, and I seek refuge with You from the evil of this night and the evil of what follows it. My Lord, I seek refuge with You from laziness and woeful aging. My Lord, I seek refuge with You from the torment of the Hellfire and the torment in the grave).” In the morning, he used to say the same, starting with: “Asbahna wa asbah al-mulku lillah... (The morning has come upon us, and all the dominion belongs to Allah).” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) A Muslim should always ask Allah Almighty for good and seek refuge with Him from evil, as this is the guidance of the noble Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and the attitude of the sincere slaves of Allah.
2) Asking Allah for wellbeing is one of the greatest needs of a slave, as well as seeking refuge with Him from laziness and senility because both traits hinder one from showing diligence and persistence in doing acts of obedience.
3) The excellence of this Dhikr is evident as it implies attaining all what is desired and being saved from all what is apprehended.
1456/6- ‘Abdullah ibn Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: “Recite Surat al-Ikhlās, Surat al-Falaq and Surat an-Nās thrice every morning and evening, and they will be sufficient protection for you against everything.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
1) The Hadīth encourages the recitation of these three Surahs every morning and evening as they shield one against all evils.
2) The strongest fortress to which one can resort is seeking refuge and protection with the words of Allah, for verily they are the most invincible fortress.
1457/7- ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Any believer who says every morning and evening: “In the Name of Allah with whose Name nothing on earth or in the heaven can cause harm, and He is All-Hearing and All-Knowing,” three times, nothing will harm him.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and Al-Tirmidhi, who classified it as Hasan Sahīh (sound and authentic)]
1) Seeking blessings through mentioning Allah’s name protects one from all harms by the permission of Allah Almighty.
2) Perfect compliance with the guidance of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) necessitate abiding by the reported number of times for reciting a certain Dhikr. Any increase or reduction of the reported number of times is impermissible unless there is Shariah evidence proving it.
There is a small booklet entitled 'Al-Hisn Al-Hasīn' that is widely spread among some communities, and it is sometimes placed in cars and shops. This booklet involves many Shariah violations as it includes denounced matters. For example, it is mentioned in its introduction that whoever reads it is as if he has read the divinely-revealed books, or that whoever recites the last two verses of Surat al-Tawbah will not die on that day, and other similar strange claims that are neither sound nor authentic reports. More astonishingly, the author attributes these false reports by saying: “We were told by a person knowledgeable of Allah who narrates from his father who narrates from his grandfather!!” At the end of the booklet, there are stand-alone letters and incomprehensible words that resemble talismans and sorcerers’ writings. Thus, a believer should beware of hanging or spreading this booklet; rather, he should hasten to destroy it. Indeed, all good lies in the authentic guidance of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) to regularly recite the above-mentioned Dhikr included in the Hadīths authentically-transmitted from him. {There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; he is grieved by your suffering, and is concerned for you, and is gracious and merciful towards the believers.} Also, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, I am but a gift of mercy.” Meaning: I am mercy and guidance for you.