Below is a chapter from the Book entitled: Fathul Ma’een Bi Tasheeh Hadith Aqd Tasbeeh bi Yameen written by Fareeh ibn Salih with the Introduction by Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdillah bin Baz rahimahullah
” كيفية عد التسبيح والتحميد والتكبير “
How to Count the Tasbeeh, Tahmeed, and Takbeer
There has not come any clear evidence about how to do so specifically. So like that:it is performed together using the conjunction (و). So it is said: Subhanallah, wal-Hamdulilah, wallahu Akbar. Subhanallah, wal-Hamdullah, wallahu Akbar…until the specified number. It was said: it should be performed individually, so it is said: Subhanallah, Subhanllah, Subhnallah…until the specified number. Then Alhamdulliah, Alhamdulliah, Alhamdulliah…until the specified number. Then Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar…until the specified number.
Imam Nawawi rahimahullah said in Sharh Muslim (5/93): “In regards to his statement about how to count the Tasbeeh, Tahmeed, Takbeer that Abu Salih rahimahullah said: Allahu Akbar, Subhanallah, Alhamdulliah thirty three times. He mentions after these Ahaadith from routes other than the route of Abu Salih. What is apparent from it is that Tasbeeh is made thirty three times separately, Takbeer is made thirty three times separately, and Tahmeed likewise. This is what is apparent from the Ahaadith. Qaadi ‘Iyyad said: it is more deserving than the interpretation of Abu Salih”.
Hafidh Ibn Hajr rahimahullah said in Fath (2/329): “Some have considered the strongest opinion to combine them due to the narration coming with the conjunction (و). That which is apparent to me is that both affairs are good, except that separating them has distinguishment over the other. That is that dhikr requires counting and for him for every movement of that, whether with the fingers or other than it, is reward, which the one who combines them only receives a third of”.
The strongest opinion with me, and Allah knows best, is to perform them together using to the conjunction (و) due to two reasons:
In the the Hadith of Abu Hurairah radiallahu anhu reported about this dhikr indicates this. It is what is reported by Muslim in his Saheeh (2/97) that Sumayy the free servant of Abu Bakr ibn Abdurrahman, one of the narrators of the Hadith, narrated the Hadith of Abu Hurairah to his family. That is to perform the dhikr together. So they said: you made a mistake. Verily the Messenger (ﷺ) said: Glorify Allah thirty three times, Praise Allah thirty three times, make Takbir thirty three times. So with that, Sumayy returned to his Shaikh Abu Salih. He is Dhakwaan az-Ziyaat one of the narrators. So he reported to him the differing that happened in his house in how to perform this dhikr. So Abu Salih took the hand of Sumayy and said: Subhanallah, walhamdulliah…wallahu Akbar. Subhanallah, walhamdullah etc. So he combined them using using to the conjunction (و). An a narrator knows best his narration.So this is Sumayy and his Shaikh Abu Salih who narrated this Hadith reported that the way to preform this is by combining them. However, Hafidh Ibn Hajr in Fath (2/392) and al-’Ayni in Umdatul Qaari (6/130) said: “Verily Imam Muslim rahimahullah did not connect the statement of Sumayy. So he narrated this Hadith to some of his family, so they said: you made a mistake…until the end”. The narration in Bukhari in his Saheeh (1/202) from the Hadith of Abu Hurairah indicates from the apparent that it should be performed together also because they differed on how to perform it. What is apparent is that it was the Companions radiallahu anhum when Abu Hurariah said:
اختلفنا بيننا
We differed
Some of us said that we should say, “Subhan-al-lah” thirty three times and “Al hamdu li l-lah” thirty three times and “Allahu Akbar” thirty four times. I went to the Prophet (ﷺ) who said, “Say, “Subhanallah”, walhamdulilah” wallahu Akbar”, thirty three times…until the end of the Hadith. This indicates that the way to perform this raises to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he is the one who taught them the way to perform it. This is what is closer. This is what Shaikhul Islaam Ibn ul-Taymiyyah rahimahullah said in Majmoo’ al-Fatawa compiled by Ibn Qaasim (22/515). In the Saheeh also, it says: Subhanallah, walhamdullah, wallahu Akbar thirty three times. This is memorized by the explainers of the Hadith, like Hafidh Ibn Hajr, al-’Ayni, and other than them.
It is reported on the tongue of the Messenger (ﷺ) , Ahaadith about the virtue of dhikr. What is apparent from them is that they should be performed together. For example, his(ﷺ) statement from the Hadith of Anas radiallahu anhu:
ان سبحان الله ، والحمد لله ، ولا إله إلا الله ، والله أكبر ، تنفض الخطايا كما تنفض الشجرة ورقها
“Verily Subhanallah, wal-Hamdulliah, wa La illah illa Allah, wallahu Akbar remove the sins like how the tree loses its leaves”
[Reported in Ahmad (3/152)]
And from the Hadith of Ibn Abi Awfa radiallahu anhu:
سبحان الله ، والحمد لله ، ولا إله إلا الله ، والله أكبر ، ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله
Subhanallah, Walhamdullah, Wa La illah illa Allah, wa la huwa wa la Quwwata illa Allah”
[Reported Ahmad (4/352)]
Translated by
Faisal Ibn Abdul Qaadir Ibn Hassan
Abu Sulaymaan
