Dhikr on Special Occasions

When the sunlight vanished, or partially disappeared, during the Prophet's lifetime, he stood up in panic, as his complete knowledge of his Lord made him constantly fearful and watchful, given the misguidance and transgression of most people on earth or the possible imminence of Doomsday. So, he entered the mosque and led people in the Eclipse Prayer, prolonging the standing and prostration in a way not seen before, a sign of repentance and pursuit of forgiveness from Allah, the Almighty. Having finished his earnest supplication, the Prophet turned to people, exhorting them and explaining that Allah sends these signs to His servants as a lesson, a reminder, and a means of intimidation, so that they may hasten to remember their Lord, invoke Him, and engage in prayer.

الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري، ط1، دار الفكر، دمشق، 1381هـ. تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام للبسام، حققه وعلق عليه وخرج أحاديثه وصنع فهارسه: محمد صبحي بن حسن حلاق، ط10، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات - مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، 1426هـ. تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين، ط1، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، 1426هـ. عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام صلى الله عليه وسلم، لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، ط2، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق ، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، 1408 هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، 1423هـ. الموسوعة الفقهية الكويتية، صادر عن: وزارة الأوقاف والشئون الإسلامية، الكويت، الطبعة: (من 1404 - 1427 هـ).

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man wanted to travel, so he came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to ask for his permission and to seek provision. Therefore, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated for him, so that his supplication would serve as a provision for the man. The man's provision was for him to observe religious commands and avoid prohibitions. The man asked for more, anticipating more blessings. So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gladdened his heart with supplicating Allah to forgive his sins. The man asked for more, anticipating more blessings. So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made a final supplication that invokes both righteousness and success. He supplicated Allah to make good things of the worldly life and the Hereafter easy for this man wherever and whenever he happens to be.

بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، سليم بن عيد الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، الطبعة: الأولى 1415هـ. تحفة الأحوذي بشرح جامع الترمذي، محمد عبد الرحمن بن عبد الرحيم المباركفورى، دار الكتب العلمية، بيروت. سنن الترمذي، محمد بن عيسى الترمذي، تحقيق وتعليق: أحمد محمد شاكر، ومحمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، وإبراهيم عطوة عوض، شركة مكتبة ومطبعة مصطفى البابي الحلبي، مصر، الطبعة: الثانية، 1395هـ، 1975م. دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين، محمد علي بن البكري بن علان، اعتنى بها: خليل مأمون شيحا، دار المعرفة، بيروت، الطبعة: الرابعة 1425هـ. رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين، أبو زكريا محيي الدين النووي، تحقيق ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، الطبعة: الأولى 1428هـ. سنن الدارمي، تحقيق: حسين سليم أسد الداراني، دار المغني للنشر والتوزيع، المملكة العربية السعودية، الطبعة: الأولى 1412هـ. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين، مؤسسة الرسالة، بيروت، الطبعة: الرابعة عشرة 1407هـ. الكلم الطيب/تقي الدين ابن تيمية -تحقيق: محمد ناصر الدين الألباني-المكتب الإسلامي - بيروت - الطبعة: الثالثة - 1977م.

Two men cursed and insulted each other in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and the face of one of them turned red and the veins surrounding his neck became swollen. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Verily, I know a word; if this angry man said it, his anger would go away. If he said: I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed devil. They said to him: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Seek refuge with Allah from the devil. Thereupon he said: Am I mad? thinking that only the mad seek refuge with Allah from the devil.

1. Keenness of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on providing guidance and instruction when there is a reason for it.
2. Anger is from the devil.
3. The command to seek refuge with Allah from the devil when angry, as Allah Almighty says: {If you are tempted by Satan, seek refuge with Allah...}
4. Warning against abuse and curses and criticizing them because they lead to hostilities between people.
5. Advice should be conveyed to those who did not hear it so that they would benefit from it.
6. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against anger because it leads to evil and recklessness, and he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) never got angry unless the prohibitions of Allah Almighty were violated, which is praiseworthy anger.
7. Commenting on "Do you see any madness in me?"  An-Nawawi said: It is probable that the sayer was from the hypocrites or the rude Bedouins.

صحيح البخاري (4/ 124) (3282). صحيح مسلم (4/ 2015) (2610). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 110). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص50). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (1/ 270). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 78).

Meaning of the Hadīth: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach his Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) the Sunnah in act and word. This Hadīth includes one of the supplications that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say immediately after finishing eating while starting to clear away the plates in front of him. “Allah be praised”, i.e. praise and thanks are due to Allah alone, without anyone else. “Abundant praise”, i.e. a plentiful praise that befits Allah's Majesty, Beauty, and Perfection, as well as abundant thanks equivalent to His uncountable blessings and bounties, as Allah, the Almighty, says: {And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them} [Sūrat An-Nahl: 18]. “Sincere praise”, i.e. free of any intent to show off or seek fame. “Blessed praise”, i.e. accompanied by the ultimate acceptance, because the act, which is blessed and accepted, is good, and vice versa. “You are not in need of anyone”, i.e. we praise Allah, Blessed and Exalted, as He is the One Who is Sufficient, Who feeds his creatures and is never fed, and is the One Who needs no one. We also praise Allah, the Almighty, because we cannot do without his favor nor dispense with it.

نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر، 1407ه 1987م. بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، للهلالي، نشر: دار ابن الجوزي, الدمام, 1415ه. تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل الحريملي، نشر: دار العاصمة، الرياض، الطبعة: الأولى، 1423هـ - 2002م. تاج العروس من جواهر القاموس، للزبيدي، نشر: دار الهداية. صحيح البخاري، نشر: دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم ترقيم محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422ه. منار القاري شرح مختصر صحيح البخاري لحمزة محمد قاسم، راجعه: الشيخ عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، مكتبة دار البيان، دمشق، مكتبة المؤيد، الطائف ، ط 1410 هـ.

‘Ali ibn Rabī‘ah, who was a leading Tābi‘i, reported that he was present when ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib was brought his riding mount. When he put his foot in the stirrup, he said: “Bismillah”, meaning: I ride in the name of Allah. When he settled on its back, he said: “Exalted is He…”, praising Him for this great favor; subduing the animal and causing it to yield to let people ride it, safe from any evil it might cause them. “…who has subjected this to us”, meaning that He has made this animal subservient to us, and we would not have been able to subdue it otherwise. Then he said: “Praise be to Allah” three times and then: “Allah is the Greatest” three times. The repetition indicates the glory of Allah, and that the slave does not give Him His true right, even though he is enjoined to worship Him at all times, according to his ability. Then he said: “Exalted are You above any imperfection. I have wronged myself…”, meaning, I have wronged myself by not fulfilling Your due right upon me in expressing gratitude for this great favor, even through slight heedlessness, a passing thought, or a glance. “…so forgive me”, meaning, conceal my sins by not punishing me for them. “…for none but You can forgive sins”, meaning that this indicates admitting negligence, despite the abundant blessings of Allah upon him. “…and then he laughed. It was asked: ‘O Commander of the Believers, what made you laugh?’" In a verified version of Ash-Shamāil, the narration says: “So I asked”, instead of: “It was asked”. The reason he was asked was that nothing had (apparently) happened that would initiate laughter. It is noteworthy that in the question, addressing him as “O Commander of the Believers” preceded the question, due to the etiquette of speech. “He replied: ‘I saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) doing as I have done…’, referring to the riding and saying the Dhikr. “Then he laughed. I asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what made you laugh?’ He said: 'Your Lord, Glorious is He, is pleased.” When ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) remembered this, it necessitated even more gratitude, so he laughed. He did not laugh only by way of imitation. “…hen His slave seeks His forgiveness; he (the slave) knows”, he says this because he is aware and not heedless of the fact that: “...none can forgive sins except Allah.”

سنن أبي داود-المحقق: محمد محيي الدين عبد الحميد-الناشر: المكتبة العصرية، صيدا - بيروت. مسند الإمام أحمد بن حنبل-المحقق: شعيب الأرنؤوط - عادل مرشد، وآخرون إشراف: د عبد الله بن عبد المحسن التركي-الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة-الطبعة: الأولى، 1421 هـ - 2001 م. سنن الترمذي- تحقيق وتعليق: أحمد محمد شاكر (جـ 1، 2) ومحمد فؤاد عبد الباقي (جـ 3) وإبراهيم عطوة عوض المدرس في الأزهر الشريف (جـ 4، 5) - الناشر: شركة مكتبة ومطبعة مصطفى البابي الحلبي - مصر - الطبعة: الثانية، 1395 هـ - 1975 م. دليل الفالحين لطرق رياض الصالحين, تأليف: محمد علي بن محمد البكري الصديقي, عناية: خليل مأمون شيحا, الناشر: دار المعرفة, ط 4 عام 1425. بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين, تأليف: سليم بن عيد الهلالي, دار ابن الجوزي. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين, تأليف: مصطفى الخن ومصطفى البغا ومحي الدين مستو وعلي الشربجي ومحمد لطفي, مؤسسة الرسالة, ط 14 عام 1407 - 1987. تطريز رياض الصالحين, تأليف: فيصل مبارك, دار العاصمة, ط1423 – 2002. صحيح وضعيف سنن أبي داود- محمد ناصر الدين الألباني - مصدر الكتاب: برنامج منظومة التحقيقات الحديثية - من إنتاج مركز نور الإسلام لأبحاث القرآن والسنة بالإسكندرية، 2002.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against refraining from invoking Allah's blessings upon him upon hearing his name, nickname, or description. He said: The complete miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned, but he does not invoke Allah's blessings upon me. This is justified because: First: He acted stingily regarding something that would not cause him to lose anything small or big and would not require him to spend money or exert effort. Second: He acted stingily regarding himself as he deprived it of the reward of invoking Allah's blessings upon His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) because by refraining from this, he withheld a right that he is required to fulfill in compliance with the command and a means of attaining a reward. Third: Invoking Allah's blessings upon him fulfills part of the Prophet's right, as he is the one who taught us, guided us, called us to Allah Almighty, and brought us this revelation and this Shariah. In other words, he is the cause of our guidance after Allah Almighty. So, the one who does not invoke Allah's blessings upon him is stingy with himself and with his Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), as he withholds one of his simplest rights.

1. Refraining from invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is the epitome of miserliness.
2. Invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is among the best means of drawing close to Allah and one of the best acts of obedience at all times, especially when he is mentioned.
3. An-Nawawi said: When one invokes Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), let him combine the blessings with peace without mentioning one of them alone. He should not, thus, say: "May Allah's blessings be upon him" only, or say: "Peace be upon him" only.
4. Regarding the verse in which Allah Almighty says: {Indeed, Allah sends His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him}, Abu al-‘Āliyah said: The Salah of Allah Almighty upon His Prophet means: praising him, and the Salah of the angels and mankind upon him means: supplication.
5. Al-Halīmi said: The meaning of "Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad" is: O Allah, make him revered in this world by exalting his mention, making his religion prevail, and preserving his Shariah; and make him revered in the Hereafter by granting him intercession on behalf of his Ummah, rewarding him generously and abundantly, showing his superiority for the former and later generations through the Praiseworthy Station, and giving him precedence over all the witnesses who are brought close.

السنن الكبرى للنسائي (7/ 291) (8046). سنن الترمذي (5/ 513) (3546). مسند أحمد (3/ 257) (1736). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 486). فيض القدير شرح الجامع الصغير، لعبدالرؤوف المناوي (2/ 404). مشكاة المصابيح، لمحمد التبريزي (1/ 294). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 965).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) urges one who eats food to praise Allah, for a person has no power to bring food or eat it except through Allah Almighty and His help. Then, he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gives glad tidings to one who says these words that he deserves the forgiveness of Allah for his past minor sins.

1. It is recommended to praise Allah Almighty after eating.
2. The Hadīth demonstrates Allah's great favor upon His servants, as He provides them with, and facilitates, the means of sustenance and makes that a reason for expiating sins.
3. All matters of the servants come from Allah Almighty, not their power or strength. A servant is only required to pursue the proper means.

سنن الترمذي (5/ 452) (3458). سنن أبي داود (6/ 138) (4023). سنن ابن ماجه (4/ 417) (3285). مسند أحمد (24/ 394) (15632). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 602). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، للهلالي (2/ 54). تاج العروس من جواهر القاموس، للزبيدي (28/ 366).

‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers, and the wife of our Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in this world and in the Hereafter, related to us this noble act of Sunnah. She told us that every night, when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went to bed, he would blow into his hands mildly, short of spitting, and recite into them Sūrat al-Ikhlās, Sūrat al-Falaq, and Sūrat An-Nās. As the Hadīth does not clearly indicate which should be done first, one may blow first and then recite, or recite first and then blow. Then, he would pass his hands over as much of his body as he could reach, beginning from his head, face, and the front of his body. He would do all this three times.

- رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين، أبو زكريا محيي الدين النووي، تحقيق ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، الطبعة: الأولى 1428هـ. - بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، سليم بن عيد الهلالي، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، الطبعة: الأولى 1415هـ. - نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين، مؤسسة الرسالة، بيروت، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر 1407هـ. - صحيح البخاري، محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري الجعفي، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى 1422هـ. - صحيح مسلم؛ مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب، الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. - شرح رياض الصالحين، محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مدار الوطن، الرياض، 1426هـ. - كنوز رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين برئاسة حمد بن ناصر العمار، كنوز إشبيليا، الرياض، الطبعة: الأولى1430هـ، 2009م.