Chapter: Remembrance of Allah after Prayer

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked about the following reports:

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir said: “The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—commanded me to recite the surahs of refuge at the close of every prayer.”

Abū Umāmah said: “It was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, which supplication is most readily heard?’ He replied, ‘That offered in the latter part of the night and at the close of the obligatory prayers.’”

Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal reported that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—took him by the hand and said: “O Mu‘ādh, by Allah, I love you. So never fail to say at the close of every prayer: ‘O Allah, help me to remember You, thank You, and worship You well.’”

Do these hadiths indicate that supplicating after completing the prayer is a Sunnah? Please give us a ruling and explain the matter fully; may you be rewarded.

He replied:

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds. The well-known hadiths in the Sahīh, Sunan, and Musnad collections indicate that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to supplicate at the close of his prayer, before completing it, and that he would instruct his Companions to do so and teach them how. No one has reported that, when the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—led the people in prayer, he and those praying behind him would supplicate together after completing the prayer—not at the dawn prayer, the afternoon prayer, or any other prayer. Rather, it is established that he would