Dhikr to Say 100 Times a Day: The Prophet's Most Rewarding Daily Practice

The Prophet ﷺ did not just prescribe dhikr vaguely. He prescribed specific phrases with specific counts and described specific rewards. And several of the most significant ones are prescribed at 100 repetitions per day.

That sounds like a lot. It is not. Three to five minutes. The length of one song. The time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

What you get in exchange for those five minutes — according to the Prophet's own words — is among the most disproportionate exchanges available to a Muslim in their daily life.

The Dhikr

SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi — 100 times:

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ

SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi

"Glory be to Allah and all praise is His."

— 100 times per day.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever says 'SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi' one hundred times a day, his sins will be wiped out even if they were like the foam of the sea." (Sahih Bukhari 6405)

This single hadith is one of the most extraordinary promises in the entire Sunnah. One hundred repetitions of five Arabic words — and sins as vast as the ocean's foam are erased. The Prophet did not attach conditions about which sins. He did not limit the forgiveness to minor transgressions.

La ilaha illallah wahdahu — 100 times, ideally after Fajr:

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu, wa huwa ala kulli shay'in qadir

"There is no deity except Allah, alone without partner. His is the dominion, His is all praise, and He has power over all things."

— 100 times after Fajr.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever says this 100 times in the morning, it will be as if he freed ten slaves, 100 good deeds will be written for him, 100 of his sins will be erased, it will be a protection against Shaytan for that day until the evening, and no one will come with something better except one who said the same or more." (Sahih Bukhari 3293)

This dhikr combines tawbah (the sins erased), 'ibadah (the hasanat written), itq (the symbolic freeing of slaves as a major act of virtue), and hifz (protection from Shaytan). Nothing you are likely to do in the first hour after Fajr competes with this.

Astaghfirullah — 100 times per day:

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ

Astaghfirullah

"I seek forgiveness from Allah."

— 100 times daily. (Sahih Bukhari 6307 — the Prophet's personal practice)

When: The La ilaha illallah formula is strongest immediately after Fajr. SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi can be distributed throughout the day. Astaghfirullah flows naturally into any idle moment — commuting, waiting, walking.

The Story Behind It

Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported the hadith about SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi 100 times. This phrase — two words repeated one hundred times — was among the most beloved dhikr to the Prophet. Scholars have analyzed why: SubhanAllah declares Allah free of all deficiency. Wa bihamdihi (and with His praise) connects that declaration of purity to an acknowledgment that all praise belongs to the same Source.

Together they say: Allah is perfect, and I recognize it. One hundred times a day, starting the morning with this acknowledgment, is a daily recalibration of the believer's orientation.

The La ilaha illallah formula with 100 repetitions is traced to the Prophet saying it during his walks, in groups, and specifically after Fajr. Some companions reported seeing him count on his fingers with focused attention — treating these five minutes as among the most important of the morning.

How to Get to 100 Times Per Day

For La ilaha illallah wahdahu — do it all at once after Fajr. After the post-salah dhikr (33/33/34), continue with 100 repetitions of this phrase. It flows naturally from the same sitting and takes about four minutes. Many Muslims use prayer beads for this specific practice.

For SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi — spread it throughout the day. Say 33 times after each of the three main prayers (Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr) and you hit 99 without adding any new time slots. Or keep prayer beads accessible at your desk and reach for them during thinking time, reading pauses, or phone calls on hold.

For Astaghfirullah — use transition moments. Between meetings, between tasks, walking from one room to another. You are already doing nothing during those transitions. Replace the background noise of the mind with Astaghfirullah instead.

Track the daily total, not the per-session count. The reward for SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi is tied to reaching 100 total per day, not necessarily saying all 100 at once. This flexibility makes it much more achievable for busy people.

Track Your 100-Times Daily Dhikr Habit

DeenBack lets you track your daily dhikr counts — SubhanAllah, La ilaha illallah, Astaghfirullah — and build the 100-a-day habit the Prophet practiced and prescribed.

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Related Dhikr and Their Rewards

SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar — the four most loved phrases:

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The most beloved words to Allah are four: SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar. It does not matter which you start with." (Sahih Muslim 2137)

These four, combined with the specific 100-time formulas above, form the core of a complete daily dhikr practice that covers glorification, praise, tawhid, and magnification.

For understanding why SubhanAllah specifically carries such weight, the article on benefits of saying subhanallah goes deeper. For building this into a daily system, how to make dhikr a daily habit covers the practical structure. To understand the meaning behind the La ilaha illallah formula, benefits of saying la ilaha illallah is essential reading.

Common Questions

Does it count if I am distracted while saying dhikr? Partial presence is better than absence. The tongue still makes the dhikr even when the heart is only partly engaged. But deliberately saying even ten of the hundred with full presence is more valuable than saying all hundred mechanically. Work toward presence, but do not let imperfect presence stop you from doing it at all.

Can I combine the 100-time formulas — say 50 of one and 50 of another? The rewards are attached to specific formulas reaching their specific counts. Fifty of SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi and fifty of La ilaha illallah does not give you either reward. Complete each formula separately.

What if I lose count? Estimate conservatively. If you think you said about 80, say 20 more to be safe. For the La ilaha illallah formula after Fajr, prayer beads of 100 make this precise and easy.

Is there any time when these dhikr should not be said? The bathroom is the only clearly restricted space in the Sunnah. Otherwise, these dhikr can be said in any state, including without wudu, while working, or while lying down.

Five Minutes for Sins Like Ocean Foam

The Prophet ﷺ was precise about this. He did not say these dhikr were nice to say. He said they erase sins like ocean foam. He said they equal freeing ten slaves. He said they protect from Shaytan for the whole day.

Either these statements are true, in which case not doing this practice daily is an extraordinary missed opportunity — or they deserve deep consideration of what the Prophet meant by them.

Either way: five minutes. Starting tomorrow morning after Fajr. One hundred of La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, counted on your fingers or on prayer beads.

Start Your 100-Times Dhikr Habit Today

DeenBack makes it easy to track whether you hit your daily dhikr targets — so you never have to wonder if you said your hundred, and never miss the extraordinary reward the Prophet described.

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