Salat-ul Tasbih is one of the many beautiful gifts passed on by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to his ummah. Not only does it erase your sins completely, but also helps you build a close and personal connection with Allah.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) one day said to his uncle, Abbas (RA): My Uncle, shall I not give you, shall I not present to you, shall I not donate to you, shall I not produce for you ten things? If you act upon them, Allah will forgive you your sins, first and last, old and new, involuntary and voluntary, small and great, secret and open.
These are the ten things: you should pray four rak’ahs, reciting in each one Fatihat al-Kitab and a surah. When you finish the recitation of the first rak’ah you should say fifteen times while standing: “Glory be to Allah”, “Praise be to Allah”, “There is no god but Allah”, “Allah is most great”. Then you should bow and say it ten times while bowing. Then you should raise your head after bowing and say it ten times. Then you should kneel down in prostration and say it ten times while prostrating yourself. Then you should raise your head after prostration and say it ten times. Then you should prostrate yourself and say it ten times. Then you should raise your head after prostrating and say it ten times in every rak’ah. You should do that in four rak’ahs.
If you can observe it once daily, do so; if not, then once weekly; if not, then once a month; if not, then once a year; if not, then once in your lifetime.
Sunan Abi Dawud, 1297
In-Book Reference: Book 5, Hadith 48
How To Observe Solatul Tasbeeh
When observing Solatul Tasbeeh, all the protocols for the regular prayers like ablution (wudu) clean place, clean dress and body and so on need be adhered to for this prayer as well. The additional thing in this prayer is the Tasbeeh that needs to be recited during prayer. The Tasbeeh for the prayer of forgiveness is:
“Subhaan Allahi Wal Hamdulillahi Wa Laa ilaha Illal Laahu Wallahu Akbar”
One should recite above Tasbih 300 times in four Rakah with the following method.
1. First of all, make Niyyah of 4 Rakah for offering Salatul Tasbeeh
2. In the first Rakah, after reciting Al-Fatihah and a chapter, you must recite the aforementioned Tasbeeh 15 times and go to the Rukoo posture.
3. In the Rukoo posture after reciting the regular Tasbeeh for Rukoo, recite the aforementioned Tasbeeh 10 times and afterwards rise from Rukoo.
4. Once you have risen from Rukoo and recite the praise which one does after rising from Rukoo in regular prayer, you are to follow it with 10 times recitation of the Tasbeeh and go to Sujood posture.
5. Once you are in Sujood and have recited the regular Tasbeeh, you need to follow it up with 10 recitations of the Tasbeeh and then go into the posture of ‘Jalsa’.
6. In the state of Jalsa, recite the Tasbeeh 10 times and then again go to the second Sujood posture.
7. In the second Sujood also repeat the same as in the first Sajda and recite the Tasbeeh 10 times.
8. After Sujood stands up for the second Rakat and this time without reciting Sana, go for reciting the Tasbeeh 15 times and then repeat the aforementioned steps and the perform the same number of Tasbeeh. These steps then need to be followed for the rest of the Rakats of the prayer until you conclude the prayer with Salam.
It is important to take the following considerations into mind while performing this salah:
1. Do not count loudly
2. Do not count on fingers or use a tasbih
3. It is recommended to count by gently pressing the fingers as a reminder
4. If a count is missed in any position, make up for it in the next posture Try to keep the mind as focused on the Dhikr as possible.
Since the tasbih is about praising Allah and His blessings, it is a good practice to keep reminding yourself of His blessings and favors as you recite the tasbih
In short, Salatul Tasbeeh is a great form of Nafl prayer, which results in forgiveness and pardon over one`s past sins and wrongdoings by attaining the pleasure of Allah Almighty by paying Him great Respect through Tasbeeh. Hence, all the Muslims must try to offer this prayer of forgiveness whenever they can to receive the blessings and mercy of Almighty Allah. May Allah (SWT) guide us to follow the teachings of Islam. Ameen!
