Dhikr is the remembrance of Allah, through specific short phrases, through reflection, or simply by keeping Allah in mind through the day. Unlike Salah, it has no fixed times, postures, or minimum length, which makes it one of the most accessible acts of worship to build into daily life.

The Qur'an commands it directly, without limiting it to particular moments. In Surah Al-Ahzab, chapter thirty-three, verse forty-one, an English translation of the meaning reads: “O you who have believed, remember Allah with much remembrance”.

A small number of short phrases carry particular weight in Islamic teaching. A hadith in Sahih Muslim, number twenty-six ninety-four, describes two expressions as light on the tongue, but heavy in the scale, and dear to the Most Compassionate. In meaning, they are: glory be to Allah, and praise is due to Him; and glory be to Allah, the Great. Alongside these, other phrases commonly repeated through the day mean: praise be to Allah; Allah is greatest; and there is no god but Allah.

These phrases are said in Arabic. Their wording is shown on this page, and the pronunciation is best learned by ear, from a teacher or a verified recording, rather than from this narration.

A practical way to start is to choose one or two short phrases, and attach them to something already in your routine: waiting for transport, walking somewhere, or before sleep. That is better than trying to build an elaborate structured practice straight away. Once the basic habit feels comfortable, the Morning and Evening Adhkar collections give a fuller set for those times.

Dhikr is not meant to become a mechanical word count, disconnected from meaning. The value described in the hadith is tied to what the words actually express, Allah's glory and greatness. Saying a phrase slowly, and meaning it, is generally considered better than saying it quickly many times without attention.