How to Perform Salatul Tasbih: Step-by-Step

Salatul Tasbih is a four-rakah prayer built around a single phrase of remembrance repeated 300 times. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have taught it to his uncle al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, describing it as a means of forgiveness.

One thing to be upfront about before the method: scholars genuinely disagree about whether this prayer is established. That dispute is covered in full below, because you deserve to know it before you decide to make this a habit.

What you'll learn:

• The exact tasbih formula and where each of the seven sets goes
• The full four-rakah method, with the running count
• Why respected scholars land on opposite sides of this one
• When to pray it, and the mistakes people make with the counting

What Is Salatul Tasbih?

The prayer takes its name from tasbih — the glorification of Allah. The formula repeated throughout is:

سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ

Subhan Allah, wal-hamdu lillah, wa la ilaha illallah, wallahu akbar

"Glory be to Allah, all praise is for Allah, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the greatest."

You say it 75 times in each rakah. Four rakahs, 300 repetitions.

The instruction to fill your worship with remembrance is itself beyond dispute. Allah (SWT) says:

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا

Ya ayyuha-lladhina amanu-dhkuru-llaha dhikran kathira

"O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance." — Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:41

Whatever you conclude about this particular prayer's format, that command stands on its own.

Is Salatul Tasbih Authentic? The Honest Answer

This is the part most guides skip. It matters, so here it is plainly.

The prayer comes from a narration of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud 1297. The chains of that narration have been assessed very differently by very serious scholars:

Imam Ahmad said of it plainly that there is nothing authentic about it, and Ibn Taymiyyah noted that none of the four imams took it up as an established practice — a summary you can read in full at Islam Q&A. On the other side, Ibn Hajar's position — that the accumulated chains lift the hadith to hasan — is why the prayer is well known in the Shafii and Hanafi traditions, and SeekersGuidance sets out that case.

What this means for you: if you pray it, you are following a recognized scholarly position, not inventing something. If you do not pray it, you are also following a recognized position and missing nothing obligatory. What you should not do is treat it as a required practice, or condemn someone who prays it.

Before You Begin

• Wudu and the usual conditions apply. Salatul Tasbih is a voluntary prayer like any other — same purity, same qiblah, same clothing requirements.
• Avoid the forbidden times. No voluntary prayer after Fajr until the sun has risen, or after Asr until sunset (Narrated by al-Bukhari, 586). Check the windows with our prayer times tool.
• Learn the formula first. Trying to memorize the phrase while also tracking a count of 75 is how people lose their place. Say it aloud a few times before you start.
• Do not count on your fingers mid-prayer if it distracts you. Counting silently in the heart is enough.

If the basic cycle of a rakah is still new, read how to pray salah for beginners first.

How to Perform Salatul Tasbih, Step by Step

Here is one rakah. Repeat it four times.

Step 1 — Intention and opening

Intend Salatul Tasbih silently in your heart, say the opening takbir, and recite the opening supplication as usual. Nothing unusual yet.

Step 2 — Recite, then say the tasbih 15 times

Recite Surah Al-Fatihah and a short surah. Then, still standing, say the tasbih formula 15 times.

Running count: 15

Step 3 — Bowing: 10 times

Go into ruku and say your usual ruku glorification. Then say the tasbih formula 10 times before rising.

Running count: 25

Step 4 — After rising from bowing: 10 times

Stand up fully and say your usual phrase for rising. Then say the tasbih 10 times.

Running count: 35

Step 5 — First prostration: 10 times

Go into sujud, say your usual prostration glorification, then the tasbih 10 times.

Running count: 45

Step 6 — Sitting between the two prostrations: 10 times

Sit up, and after your usual supplication, say the tasbih 10 times.

Running count: 55

Step 7 — Second prostration: 10 times

Prostrate again and say the tasbih 10 times.

Running count: 65

Step 8 — Sitting after the second prostration: 10 times

Before standing for the next rakah, sit briefly and say the tasbih a final 10 times.

Running count: 75 — one rakah complete

Then stand for the next rakah and repeat all of it. After the fourth rakah, sit for the tashahhud, send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, and finish with the salam.

Use the prayer times above to find a clear window — the prayer takes roughly twenty to thirty minutes at an unhurried pace, so it is worth starting well before the next adhan.

A note on the second arrangement

A second transmitted arrangement places the first set of 15 before Surah Al-Fatihah, after the opening supplication, rather than after the recitation. The per-posture counts and the total of 75 stay identical. Both arrangements are reported, and scholars who accept the prayer permit either — follow whichever your local teacher or mosque uses.

Likewise, the four rakahs may be prayed joined as one prayer, or as two sets of two with a salam between. The Hanafi practice during the day is generally four joined; other traditions commonly pray two and two.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Losing the count and starting over. If you genuinely lose track, settle on the lower number you are confident of and continue. Do not restart the prayer.
2. Saying the tasbih instead of the usual ruku and sujud glorifications. The tasbih is said in addition to them, not as a replacement.
3. Rushing the phrase into a mumble. The point is remembrance, not speed. If 300 slow repetitions is too much today, this is a prayer you are free to leave.
4. Fixing it to a specific night. No particular night — including any specific night of Ramadan — is established for this prayer in the narration. Attaching one to it is an addition.
5. Treating it as obligatory, or pressuring others to pray it. Given the scholarly dispute, this is the mistake with the most potential to cause harm.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to pray Salatul Tasbih? Any permitted time. The narration attaches no fixed hour or date to it, only a suggested frequency — daily if you can, otherwise weekly, monthly, yearly, or once in a lifetime.

Can I pray it in congregation? It is a voluntary prayer, and voluntary prayers of this kind were not prayed in congregation by the Prophet ﷺ. Pray it individually, and at home where possible.

Is this the same as Tahajjud or Witr? No. Those are separate, firmly established night prayers. See how to pray Tahajjud and how to pray Witr — and if you are looking to build a steady voluntary routine, the daily Sunnah prayers are the better place to start, since their status is not disputed.

Does the count have to be exact? Aim for it, but the prayer is voluntary and a miscount does not invalidate it. The heart of the act is the remembrance itself — as Allah says, it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts find rest (Surah Ar-Ra'd, 13:28).

Summary

Salatul Tasbih in one line: four rakahs, 75 tasbihat in each, 300 in total.

The 75 break down as 15 standing after the recitation, then 10 each at six further points — bowing, rising, first prostration, the sitting between, second prostration, and the sitting before you stand again.

Pray it if you follow the scholars who graded the hadith hasan; leave it if you follow those who graded it weak. Either way, keep the remembrance itself — that part no one disputes.

Allah knows best (والله أعلم).