Tasbeeh Fatima Meaning: 33-33-34 After Namaz

SubhanAllah means "Glory be to Allah", Alhamdulillah means "All praise is for Allah", and Allahu Akbar means "Allah is the Greatest." In Urdu: Allah paak hai · Tamaam taareef Allah ke liye hai · Allah sab se bada hai.

Said together, 33 or 34 times each, they are the tasbeeh most of us do after namaz, often called Tasbeeh Fatima (Tasbeeh-e-Fatima). Here is what each phrase means, where the counts come from in the hadith, and the three ways the Prophet ﷺ taught them.

The three phrases, one by one

Each has its own full guide: SubhanAllah meaning, Alhamdulillah meaning and Allahu Akbar meaning.

The three fit together like steps. SubhanAllah removes every fault and weakness from our idea of Allah. Alhamdulillah gives Him every praise. Allahu Akbar says that, after all that, He is still greater than anything we can think or say.

In Urdu and Hindi

In Hindi script they are read: सुब्हानल्लाह · अल्हम्दुलिल्लाह · अल्लाहु अक्बर.

Word by word

"In the book" is the word's number in 600 Words of the Quran and how many times it appears in the Quran.

Tasbeeh Fatima: the story

Ali narrated that Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) suffered from grinding grain with a hand mill, and her hands hurt. When she heard that some captives had been brought to her father, she went to ask him for a servant, but did not find him, and told Aisha. That night the Prophet ﷺ came to their house when they had already gone to bed. He sat with them and said:

"Shall I tell you a thing which is better than what you asked me for? When you go to your beds, say 'Allahu Akbar' 34 times, and 'Al hamdu Li llah' 33 times, and 'Subhan Allah' 33 times. This is better for you than what you have requested." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3113, English adapted from sunnah.com; also Sahih Muslim 2727)

The Prophet's own daughter, tired and in pain, was given a dhikr instead of a servant, and told it was better. That is how much these three phrases weigh.

After every namaz: 33, 33, 34

Ka'b ibn Ujrah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

"There are certain remembrances, the repeaters of which or the performers of which after every prescribed prayer will never be caused disappointment: 'Glory be to Allah' thirty-three times, 'Praise be to Allah' thirty-three times, and 'Allah is most Great' thirty-four times." (Sahih Muslim 596, English from sunnah.com)

So the 33-33-34 count that most people in India and Pakistan do after namaz is itself taught for after every obligatory prayer.

Or 33, 33, 33 and one more

Another hadith teaches the same three phrases after every prayer, with a different finish:

"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, English from sunnah.com)

The words that complete the hundred are:

These are also the opening words of the fourth kalma; see Kalma Tauheed meaning.

The three ways, side by side

All three are from Sahih Muslim or Sahih al-Bukhari. Follow what you were taught; what matters most is that the words are said with attention.

Glorifying Allah morning and evening

The Quran itself calls us to tasbīḥ, to say Allah is free of every fault, at the edges of the day:

And the Prophet ﷺ said the dearest words to Allah are four: SubḥānAllāh, al-ḥamdu lillāh, lā ilāha illallāh, Allāhu akbar, and it does not matter which you begin with (Sahih Muslim 2137). All four together, with lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh, make the third kalma.

Making the tasbeeh mean something

Saying a hundred phrases quickly is easy; meaning them is the real work. Try this:

1. SubhanAllah (33): think of one worry, and remember Allah has no weakness that could fail you.
2. Alhamdulillah (33): think of one blessing from today, even a small one.
3. Allahu Akbar (34): think of the biggest problem on your mind, and tell yourself Allah is greater.

For everything else you say in namaz with its meaning, see what to recite in namaz and namaz ka tarjuma. The words subḥān, ḥamd and akbar are all taught in 600 Words of the Quran, each with a real verse in English and Roman Urdu.