Benefits of Tasbih

Benefits of Tasbih

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth. If we are able to get even one person closer to his/her Creator with our humble efforts, we will consider ourselves the most fortunate people on this planet earth. We humbly hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.

Your Question: Can you let me know the reason for doing tasbee 33 times each after every farz.
Dear and Beloved brother in Islam, Allah has commanded the believers, who sincerely look forward to Allah and the Last Day, to follow the example of the Messenger of Allah (saws) in all facets of our life! Thus the reason for worshipping and glorifying Allah Subhanah in a particular manner, is because it was done and taught by the person who best worshipped Allah Subhanah, the Noble Messenger of Allah, Mohamed ar-Rasool Allah (saws).

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzab verse 21:There is indeed the best example for you to follow, in the Messenger of Allah, for every such person looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.

And especially in the rites of worship, it is absolutely imperitive that we do only what was done, taught, and approved by the noble Messenger of Allah (saws). No human being who ever walked on this planet earth, worshipped Allah Subhanah better or more than the person of the noble Messenger of Allah (saws). Thus, if he (saws) did it or approved it, we may do it without hesitation; but if the Messenger of Allah (saws) never did or approved of an act of worship, it does not behove the believer, who sincerely believes in Allah Subhanah and the Last Day, to do so!

Sahih Muslim Hadith 1243 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: If anyone extols Allah (Subhan-Allah) after every prayer thirty-three times, and praises Allah (Alhamdolillah) thirty-three times, and declares His Greatness (Allah-o-Akbar) thirty-three times, ninety-nine times in all, and say to complete a hundred: "There is no god but Allah, having no partner with Him, to Him belongs sovereignty, and to Him is all 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 Al-Bukhari Hadith 4.344 Narrated by Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.)
Fatima complained of what she suffered from the hand mill and from grinding, when she got the news that some slave girls of the booty had been brought to the Messenger of Allah (saws) . She went to him to ask for a maid-servant, but she could not find him, and told 'Aisha of her need. When the Prophet (saws) came, 'Aisha informed him of that. The Prophet (saws) came to our house when we had gone to our beds. (On seeing the Prophet (saws)) we were going to get up, but he (saws) said, 'Keep at your places,' I felt the coolness of the Prophet's feet on my chest. Then he (saws) 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 (i.e. Allah is Greatest)' for 34 times, and 'Alhamdu Lillah (i.e. all the praises are for Allah)' for 33 times, and Subhan Allah (i.e. Glorified be Allah) for 33 times. This is better for you than what you have requested."
Reference Link

Dhikr at-Tasbih

“Subhan Allah” {glory be to Allah}
While in ruku‘ and sujud, the person praying glorifies God.
When the verse, “So celebrate the Name of your Lord, the All-supreme,”1 was revealed, the Prophet (S) thus said: “Apply this command to your ruku‘ and say:
سُبْحانَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْعَظيمِ وَ بِحَمدهِ
Subhana rabbiya’l-‘azim wa bihamdih.
“Glory be to my Lord, the Great, and praise belongs to Him.”
And when the verse, “You are laboring toward your Lord, the Most Exalted,”2 was revealed, he (S) said: “Apply this command to your sujud and say:
سُبْحانَ رَبِّيَ ٱلاَعْلىٰ وَ بِحَمدهِ
Subhana rabbiya’l-a‘la wa bihamdih.
“Glory be to my Lord, the Exalted, and praise belongs to Him.”3
The station of tasbih
Glorifying {tasbih} and exalting {tanziyyah} God are the root of all authentic Islamic beliefs and thoughts:
Tawhid means regarding God as free from any taint of polytheism: “Clear is Allah of any partners that they may ascribe {to Him}!”4
Justice {‘adl} means considering God as free from any form of injustice: “They said, ‘Immaculate is our Lord! We have indeed been wrongdoers!’”5
Prophethood {nubuwwah} and Imamate {imamah} mean treating God as immune from the lack of the purpose, the program and the means delivering the people from the sea of desire and inclination:
﴿ وَ مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِذْ قَالُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلى بَشرٍ مِّن شيْ‏ءٍ ﴾
“They did not regard Allah with the regard due to Him when they said, ‘Allah has not sent down anything to any human’.”6
The Return {ma‘ad} means knowing God not to have made creation in vain and knowing that the end of the world is not annihilation:
“O Lord, You have not created this in vain! Immaculate are You!”7
“Did you suppose that We created you aimlessly, and that you will not be brought back to Us?”8
Yes, God is guiltless of this futile and vain act.
Glorification of God is not only the fountainhead of Islamic beliefs but also the source of enormous spiritual and moral excellences:
Subhan Allah is the source of satisfaction {rida}. If we regard Him as free from any defect, it means that we are satisfied with His decrees and submit to the wisdom behind His will.
Subhan Allah is the fountainhead of tawakkul {reliance on God}. It is only logical that we have to trust and rely on the One who is free from any need and immune from any weakness and inability: “Immaculate is He! He is the All-sufficient.”9
Subhan Allah is the source of love for God. The Essence that is clear from any defect and shortcoming is loved by man.
Subhan Allah is the preliminary part of praise and eulogy to God—praise and eulogy for the Essence that is free from filth and unpleasantness. Thus, in the Tasbihat al-Arba‘ah,10 “subhan Allah” comes first before “al-hamdulillah”.
Subhan Allah is the key to salvation from all superstitions and man-made creeds: “Clear is Allah, the Lord of the Throne, of what they allege {concerning Him}.”11
Perhaps, it is for these reasons that the command for tasbih {glorification of Allah} has been mentioned more frequently compared to other adhkar {forms of remembrance to God}. The command for tasbih has been repeated 16 times; for istighfar {asking forgiveness from Allah} eight times; for the remembrance of Allah {dhikr} five times; and for takbir {to say, “Allahu akbar”} twice. Besides, the command for tasbih is meant for all times and conditions so that man should always remember God and regard Him as free from any form of defect and shortcoming:
﴿ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا وَمِنْ آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْ وَأَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ ﴾
“And celebrate the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before the sunset, and glorify Him in watches of the night and at the day’s ends.”12
You also glorify God at the moment of victory and joyfulness: “When Allah’s help comes with victory… then celebrate the praise of your Lord.”13
In addition, glorify God in the depths of vicissitudes and adversity for the tasbih is the source of deliverance: “And had he (Jonah) not been one of those who celebrate Allah’s glory, he would have surely remained in its belly till the day they will be resurrected.”14
Yes, on account of man’s many limitations, he can never comprehend God. So, it is better for him to admit his own weakness and say, “As You are beyond the scope of the intellect and imagination, You are guiltless of and above what others ascribe to You”: “Immaculate is He, and greatly exalted above what they say!”15
Only the sincere servants of God, through divine guidance and succor, can describe God:
﴿ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ ٭إِلا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ﴾
“Clear is Allah of whatever they allege {about Him},—{all} except Allah’s exclusive servants.”16
The reward for tasbih
Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (S) said that when a servant of God utters, “Subhan Allah,” whatever is under the Divine Throne glorifies God along with him and 10 times the reward shall be given to him. When he recites, “Al-hamdulillah,” God shall grant him the blessings of the world till he meets Allah and enters into the blessings of the hereafter.17
Practical tasbih
Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: “One of the most difficult and important things that God has made necessary for creation is “abundant remembrance” {dhikr al-kathir}.” He (‘a) then said: “What it means is not the recital of “Subhan Allahi wa’l-hamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu Allahu akbar” {Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is greater} although it is also part of them. What it means is ‘to remember Allah as to what is lawful {halal} and what is unlawful {haram}’.”18
That is, to remember God when acting; if a certain task means obedience to Him, it has to be undertaken; if it earns His displeasure, it has to be abandoned.
Repetition of tasbih
Someone came to the house of Imam as-Sadiq (‘a). He saw the Imam (‘a) in a state of ruku‘glorifying God and repeating the tasbih 60 times. While in the state of sujud, the Imam repeated the tasbih 500 times.19
The repetition of tasbih is discussed not only in prayer but in the Hajj rites as well. At the time of looking at the Black Stone {hajar al-aswad}, during the sa‘i between Safa and Marwah, and in other cases, the repetition of tasbih has been recommended.
For instance, in the prayer, apart from the dhikr in ruku‘ and sujud, Tasbihat al-Arba‘ah can also be repeated in the third and fourth rak‘ahs. Based on both Sunni and Shi‘ah traditions, what is meant by the baqiyat as-salihat {“lasting righteous deeds”}20 in verse 46 of Surah al-Kahf is this Tasbihat al-Arba‘ah.21 As stated by Hadrat ‘Ali (‘a), the dhikr of Hadrat Ibrahim (‘a) at the time of constructing the Ka‘bah was “Subhan Allahi wa’l-hamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu Allahu akbar”.22
Remembrance of God {dhikr Allah} in Islamic culture
Let us take a brief look at the remembrance of God {dhikr Allah} in Islamic culture:
When surprised and amazed, our faithful ancestors would say: “Masha’ Allah” {what Allah has willed!} or “subhan Allah” {glory be to Allah!}; when entering the house: “Ya Allah” {O Allah!}; when separating from each other: “Khoda hafiz” {may God protect (you)!}; when standing: “Ya ‘Ali!” {O ‘Ali!}; to remove fatigue while working: “Khoda quwwat” {may God give you power!}; in reply to the inquiry after one’s health: “Al-hamdulillah” {All praise belongs to Allah}; when offering food: “Bismillah” {In the Name of Allah!}; and at the end of a meal, they would recite appropriate prayers and thanks to God.
Grandmothers would start their storytelling: “Yeki bud; yeki nabud” {There was once nobody except Him}.
It is clear that to live in such an atmosphere and to be reared in such an environment would encourage the remembrance of God to flow in the heart and His Name to flow from the tongue at any time and in any place.
The tasbih of other creatures
All of creation—the seven heavens and the earth and whatever there is between them—glorifies God.23 The animals such as the birds, inanimate objects such as the mountains,24 thunder and storm25 do so and that too is out of consciousness and instinct!
﴿ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ ﴾
“Each knows his prayer and glorification.”26
The tasbih of the angels is so pervasive that the Prophet (S) said: “There is not a single layer of the heavens except that therein is an angel in the state of prayer and tasbih.”27
Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “Whenever Hadrat Dawud (‘a) would read the Zabur, there was no mountain, stone and bird that did not recit it with him.”28
In the traditions, we are admonished not to strike a blow on the face of four-footed animals for they are glorifying God.29
گر تو را از غيب چشمى باز شد
با تو ذرّات جهان همراز شد
نطق آب و نطق خاك و نطق گل
هست محسوس حواس اهل دل
جمله ذرّات عالم در نهان
با تو مى گويند روزان و شبان
ما سميعيم و بصيريم و هوشيم
با شما نامحرمان ما خاموشيم
If you could see the unseen, to you would be revealed the secret behind every particle of the world.
The voice of water, soil and mud can be heard by the gnostics.
All the particles of the world say secretly to you during the day and night:
“We are hearing, discerning and vigilant. We are silent with you the strangers.”
A group of chirping sparrows passed by in front of Imam as-Sajjad (‘a). The Imam (‘a) turned to those who were near him and said: “Every morning the birds glorify Allah and pray for power for the day.”30
Some people have said that what is meant by the tasbih and sujud of other creatures is allegorical and not literal. Just as a beautiful painting and a collection of poems respectively testify to the enormous talent of the painter and the inborn disposition of the poet, the mysterious constitution of other creatures bears witness to the knowledge, power, wisdom, and precision of God, declaring Him immune from any sort of defect and shortcoming. This is the very meaning of the tasbih of other creatures.
This view is put forward when, in the first place, we have no proof and evidence substantiating this notion. Secondly, we have to resort to allegorical interpretation {ta’wil} and analysis when the apparent meaning of a word poses an impossibility such as the verse, “The hand of Allah is above their hands,”31 in which it is impossible for God to have a hand and so we say that what is meant by “the hand of Allah” is divine power. However, in case where we cannot comprehend the meaning, we have no right to resort to allegorical interpretation.
How could we resort to allegorical interpretation when the Qur’an itself says,
﴿ وَ إِن مِّن شىْ‏ءٍ إِلا يُسبِّحُ بحَمْدِهِ وَ لَكِن لا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسبِيحَهُمْ ﴾
“There is not a thing but celebrates His praise, but you do not understand their glorification”?32
How could we resort to allegorical interpretation when the Qur’an declares,
“And you have not been given of the knowledge except a few {of you}”33?
We read many times in the Qur’an that the Prophet (S) who has access to eternal knowledge, said: “I do not know.”34 So what if we also say, “We do not know” and “We do not understand”?
What is interesting is that God has explicitly declared to us our ignorance and lack of knowledge: “But you do not understand their glorification.”35 But the proud man is not ready to say: “I do not understand the secret of creation among which is the tasbih of other creatures.
Does not the Qur’an categorically disclose that the hoopoe was aware of the sun-worshipping practice of the people of Sheba and reported the same to Hadrat Sulayman (‘a), saying: “The ruler of Sheba is a woman who is sitting on a large throne and her people are worshipping the sun.36
The hoopoe’s knowledge of the peculiarities of the environment and the name of the land, and its ability to distinguish woman from man, ruler from subject, polytheism from monotheism, and the like are all signs of the intelligence of other creatures.
Does not the Qur’an say that one of the ants said to the others,
“Enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts should trample on you while they are unaware”?37
In these verses, understanding the movement of human beings, their names (Solomon), their occupation (military), their inattention to where they step, and the ant’s concern for the other ants are among the issues that makes us aware of the capacity and power of discernment of other creatures.
Now, if we accept the existence of instinct as we have to accept the text of the Qur’an, then there is no more need to justify and analyze the tasbih of other creatures.
Reference Link
The Virtue of Studying this Surah
A tradition from the holy Prophet (S) says:
"He who recites it (Surah Nasr), it is the same as if he had been with the Messenger of Allah (S) at the conquest of Mecca". 2
Another tradition from Imam Sadiq (as) says:
"He who recites Surah Nasr in his optional3 or obligatory prayers, Allah makes him successful in defeating his enemies, totally, and on the Day of Judgement he will come with a letter which talks. Verily Allah has brought him out of his grave with that letter as an immunity from the heat and fire of Hell...”4
It is clear that this virtue and honour is for the person who, with reciting it, follows the way of the Messenger of Allah (S) and practices his religion and his tradition, not only suffices its recitation with the tongue.
Surah Nasr, Verses 1-3
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful
إِذَا جَاء نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ
وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا
1. “When there comes the help of Allah and victory",
2. “And you see people entering Allah's religion in multitudes",
3. “Then celebrate the praise of your Lord and seek His forgiveness, (for) surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy)”.
Allah's Help Brings Multitudes to Allah's Religion
"When there comes the help of Allah and victory",
"And you see people entering Allah's religion in multitudes".
“Then celebrate the praise of your Lord and seek His forgiveness, (for) surely He is Oft-returning (to mercy)”.
In these three short, but, expressive verses, there are some elegant, elaborations whose careful observation helps us to understand the final goal of the Surah.
In the first verse, it says that the victory belongs to Allah.
It is not only in this occurence that this meaning is mentioned, but, in many other verses of the Qur'an the idea is reflected, including Surah Baqarah, No. 2, verse 214:

“...Ah! Verily the help of Allah is, (always) near!";
and Surah Al-'Imran, No. 3, verse 126; and also Surah Anfal, No. 8, verse 10, says:
“...there is no help except from Allah...”
It is true that preparation and supplying forces are necessary for defeating the enemy, but a believing person knows the victory comes only from Allah, and for the same reason when victory comes he does not become deluded or proud, but thanks and praises Allah...
In this Surah, the words are about, at first, the help of Allah, then, the victory, and then, the influence and spread of Islam, and finally, the entering of people, in groups, into the religion of Allah. All of them are causes and effects for each other.
Victory is absent unless there is the help of Allah, and people do not enter Islam in multitudes unless there is triumph and victory in order to remove the barriers and hindrances from the way. Of course, along with these stages, each of which is a great, divine blessing, the stage of being thankful and praising Allah; comes forth.
On the other hand, the help of Allah; and the victory are all for the final goal, i.e., people entering Allah's religion in multitudes, and guidance for all.
Victory, here is stated in general, and with some evidences that were mentioned before, the purpose is, undoubtedly, the conquest of Mecca which had such a wide effect and verily, the conquest of Mecca introduced a new chapter in the history of Islam, because the main center of polytheism was disturbed; idols were destroyed; the hope of the idol worshippers changed into disappointment; and the barriers in the way of people's faith in Islam were removed.
That is why the conquest of Mecca should be considered as a stage of the settlement of Islam in Arabia and then, in the world. It was after the conquest of Mecca that no opposition from the pagans was seen (except once, which was quickly controlled) and people from all parts of Arabia came to the holy Prophet (S) to accept Islam.
There are three important instructions, in the verse, given to the holy Prophet (S) (and naturally to all believers) which are, in fact, a gratitude for this great victory and an appropriate response to the help of Allah: the instructions of celebrating, praising, and seeking His forgiveness.
This great victory caused the polytheistic thoughts to disappear; the perfection and beauty of Allah to become more clear; and those who had lost the right way to return to the truth.
Further, it is possible that at the time of victory, some disgraceful behaviour appears in a person and he becomes involved in pride and self-conceit, or tries to take revenge and clear the personal accounts against his enemy.
These three instructions train him 'to remember the attributes of perfection and the beauty of Allah at the sensitive moments of victory'; and 'to know all of the effects from Him'; and 'to seek His forgiveness in order to both remove pride and negligence from himself; and avoid revengefulness'.
It is certain that the holy Prophet (S) of Islam, like all other prophets (a.s.), was sinless; then what is the instruction of seeking His forgiveness for?
To answer this question, it should be said that this is a model for the whole community, and on the part of a sinless, infallible one like the holy Prophet (S) and his Ahlul-Bait (as) who have already been purified by the Lord, Himself5 will mean seeking further grace and greater blessings or futher protection of the Lord against the forces of Satan.
Here, /istiqfar/ means holy Prophet's beseeching the protection of the Lord, for himself and his followers, against the forces of evil, and seeking pardon of the Lord on behalf of his faithful adherents who, might have been prey of human weakness, as did Moses for his people who had yielded to the worship of the calf.
The phrase
/innahu kana tawwaba/ ‘surely, He is Oft-retuming (to mercy)’
is the statement of reason in proportion to 'seeking forgiveness', that is, seek forgiveness and repent because Allah is Oft-returning (merciful)’.
By the way, it may also refer to the meaning that 'when Allah accepts your repentance, you, too, should accept the repentance of the guilty after victory, as far as you can, and do not repulse them from yourselves as long as there is no sign of offence or plot coming from them.’ So, the holy Prophet (S), himself, on the event of the conquest of Mecca, showed the feature of Islamic grace and mercy to his defeated, hostile enemies at its highest standard.
It was not only the holy Prophet (S) who celebrated Allah's grace and glory on his final victory against his enemies, but all prophets throughout history also did so.
For example, when Joseph (as) became exalted in Egypt and his parents and his brothers succeeded in seeing him after a very long time, he said:
"O my Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on me some power, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams and events, O Thou Creator of the heavens and the earth! Thou art my Protector in the world and in the Hereafter. Take Thou my soul (at death) as one submitting to Thy Will (as a Muslim), and unite me with the righteous"6.
Or, when Solomon (as) saw the throne of Bilqis (Queen of Sheba) ready before him, he said:
“...this is by the grace of my Lord! -to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful!...”7.
The conquest of Mecca was the greatest victory. After that conquest, whole tribes from all parts of Arabia gave their allegiance to the holy Prophet (S), collectively, and before his earthly ministry was finished, the ground was prepared for the introduction of Islam to the world.
What was the lesson to be learned from this episode in world history? It was not about Man's self-glory, but humility; not power, but, service; not an appeal to Man's selfishness or self-sufficiency, but, a realization of Allah's Grace and Mercy, and the abundant outpouring of Allah's Praises in word and conduct.
Supplication
O Lord! You are able to give that glory back, again, to Muslims under the light of following the traditions of the Apostle.
O Lord! Set us among the true advocates of the Messenger of Islam.
O Lord! Bestow on us such a success that we can spread Islamic Justice in the world so that the people of the world eagerly accept it in multitudes.
Reference Link