Dhikr means remembering Allah out loud and in your heart, and it is the easiest worship a child can carry all day — walking to school, waiting in a queue, lying in bed. The Prophet ﷺ named two sentences that are light for the tongue but heavy on the scales, promised forgiveness to whoever says SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi a hundred times, taught the thirty-three counts after every prayer, called the remembrance of Allah better than gold and silver, and compared the one who remembers his Lord to someone alive next to someone dead. Every point below carries its ayah or hadith reference so you can check it yourself.
Lesson 1 · Easy to say · ages 5-7
Two light words
SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi, SubhanAllahil Azim — two sentences that cost you nothing and weigh a lot with Allah.
1The hadith
Abu Hurayra reported the Prophet ﷺ said there are two words that are very easy for the tongue to say and very heavy in the balance of good deeds: 'SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi, SubhanAllahil Azim.'
2What they mean
'Glory be to Allah and praise belongs to Him; glory be to Allah the Most Great.' You are saying Allah has no faults and all beauty.
3The best dhikr
The Prophet ﷺ also said the best remembrance is 'La ilaha illallah' and the best supplication is 'Alhamdulillah'.
4Where to say it
In the car, on the stairs, while you wait for food. Dhikr needs no wudu, no mat and no special time.
5Heavy on the scales
Allah weighs deeds on the Day of Judgement; light words with sincere hearts can outweigh big-looking things.
“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured."”
“(The following are) two words (sentences or utterances) that are very easy for the tongue to say, and very heavy in the balance (of deeds): 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi' and 'Subhan Allahi-l-`Azim'.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6682
“The best remembrance is: 'there is none worthy of worship except Allah (La ilaha illallah)' and the best supplication is: 'All praise is due to Allah (Alhamdulillah).'”
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3383
Do this before next time
Say the two sentences ten times each on your fingers before you sleep tonight.
Lesson 2 · A daily target · ages 8-11
A hundred times a day
Whoever says SubhanAllah wa bihamdihi a hundred times in a day is promised forgiveness of his sins.
1The hadith
Abu Hurayra reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said whoever says 'SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi' one hundred times a day will be forgiven all his sins, even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.
2Break it up
A hundred sounds like a lot; ten after each salah plus a few on your walk home finishes it easily.
3Forgiveness is the gift
Notice what is promised — not money or marks, but a clean record. That is the prize worth chasing.
4Count honestly
Fingers, a counter or beads are all fine. What matters is that your tongue really said it and your heart meant it.
5Allah remembers you
Allah tells us to remember Him and He will remember us, and never to be ungrateful.
“O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance”
“Whoever says, 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,' one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6405
Do this before next time
Keep a tally today and try to reach one hundred SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi before bedtime.
Lesson 3 · 33, 33, 33 and one · ages 8-11
Tasbih after every salah
The Prophet ﷺ taught a short set of dhikr to say straight after each of the five prayers.
1The hadith
Abu Hurayra reported the Prophet ﷺ said whoever extols Allah thirty-three times after every prayer, praises Allah thirty-three times, and declares His greatness thirty-three times — that is ninety-nine — then says 'La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir' will have his sins forgiven, even if they are like the foam of the sea.
2The three phrases
SubhanAllah (33), Alhamdulillah (33), Allahu akbar (33) — then the hundredth sentence that declares Allah alone is King.
3Right after salam
Do not jump up and run. Stay on the mat for one minute and finish the set; this is part of the prayer's routine.
4Learn the hundredth
Memorise the long sentence in pieces over a week — it is the same tawhid you already believe, said in words.
5A calm ending
Allah says hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah; you will feel that most in the quiet minute after salah.
Fa izaa qadaitumus Salaata fazkurul laaha qiyaamanw wa qu'oodanw wa 'alaa junoobikum; fa izat maanantum fa aqeemus Salaah; innas Salaata kaanat 'alal mu'mineena kitaabam mawqootaa
“And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.”
“If anyone extols Allah after every prayer thirty-three times, and praises Allah thirty-three times, and declares His Greatness thirty-three times, ninety-nine times in all, and says to complete a hundred: 'There is no god but Allah, having no partner with Him, to Him belongs sovereignty and to Him is praise due, and He is potent over everything,' his sins will be forgiven even if these are as abundant as the foam of the sea.”
Sahih Muslim 597
Do this before next time
Stay seated after every salah today and complete the full set of tasbih before standing up.
Lesson 4 · The best of deeds · ages 12-15
Better than gold and silver
The Prophet ﷺ asked his companions if he should tell them the best of their deeds — and the answer was dhikr.
1The hadith
Abu al-Darda reported the Prophet ﷺ asked: shall I not tell you of the best of your deeds, the purest with your Master, the highest in your ranks, better for you than spending gold and silver? They said yes. He said: the remembrance of Allah.
2Why so high
Dhikr is the one act that fits inside every other act — you can remember Allah while studying, walking, giving or fasting.
3Purest with Allah
It is hard to show off with something silent. Dhikr trains sincerity, which is why it ranks so high.
4Standing and sitting
Allah describes people of understanding as those who remember Him standing, sitting and lying on their sides.
5Build a habit
Pick one gap in your day — the bus, the walk, the queue — and give that gap to dhikr for a whole week.
Allazeena yazkuroonal laaha qiyaamaiw-wa qu'oodanw-wa 'alaa juno obihim wa yatafakkaroona fee khalqis samaawaati wal ardi Rabbanaa maa khalaqta haaza baatilan Subhaanak faqinaa 'azaaban Naar
“Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
“O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance”
Surah Al-Ahzaab · 33:42
وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةًۭ وَأَصِيلًا
Wa sabbihoohu bukratanw wa aseela
“And exalt Him morning and afternoon.”
“Should I not inform you of the best of your deeds, and the purest of them with your Master, and the highest of them in your ranks, and what is better for you than spending gold and silver...? They said: 'Of course.' He said: 'The remembrance of Allah.'”
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3377
Do this before next time
Choose one daily gap this week and fill it with dhikr instead of scrolling.
Lesson 5 · Alive, not asleep · ages 12-15
A heart that is awake
The Prophet ﷺ compared the one who remembers his Lord to someone alive, and the one who does not to someone dead.
1The hadith
Abu Musa reported the Prophet ﷺ said the example of the one who remembers his Lord compared to the one who does not is like a living creature compared to a dead one.
2Not an insult, a diagnosis
Hearts get numb when they go quiet. Dhikr is how you keep yours awake and soft.
3Signs of an awake heart
You feel bad quickly after a sin, you enjoy salah more than you dread it, and good news makes you say Alhamdulillah first.
4Morning and evening
Allah orders remembrance in the morning and the evening — these are fixed anchors that keep the whole day connected.
5Quiet is allowed
Allah tells us to remember Him humbly and without loudness — dhikr does not need an audience.
Wazkur Rabbaka fee nafsika tadarru'anw wa kheefatanw wa doonal jahri minal qawli bilghuduwwi wal aasali wa laa takum minal ghaafileen
“And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.”
Surah Al-Ahzaab · 33:42
وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةًۭ وَأَصِيلًا
Wa sabbihoohu bukratanw wa aseela
“And exalt Him morning and afternoon.”
“The example of the one who celebrates the Praises of his Lord (Allah) in comparison to the one who does not celebrate the Praises of his Lord, is that of a living creature compared to a dead one.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 6407
Do this before next time
Set two alarms — one after Fajr, one after Maghrib — and say your morning and evening dhikr at both.
Every ayah on this page comes from the Tanzil Uthmani text of the Qur'an with the Sahih International translation, and every hadith carries its collection and number so you can check it yourself. Back to the learning path
