PRAYERS OF THE FINAL PROPHET (SAAWW)

36. HIS DHIKR IN THE MORNING AND EVENING

76. From al-Qutb al-R¡wandi: It is narrated that when ~Al¢ XE "~Al¢"   XE "~Al¢ ibn al-°usayn" ibn al-°usayn H was taken to Yaz¢d, he wanted to kill him so he made the Im¡m stand in front of him and spoke to him, trying to get a response that would give him an excuse to kill him. And the Im¡m D would answer him, and while he spoke he had small prayer-beads[i] in his hand which he was turning with his fingers as he was speaking. So Yaz¢d said to him: “I am speaking to you and you are replying me while turning the prayer-beads in your hand with your fingers, so how is that permissible?” He D said: “My father narrated to me from my grandfather that when he had finished praying the morning prayer he would not talk until he had taken his prayer-beads in his hand and said:

أَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَصْبَحْتُ أُسَبِّحُكَ وَأُمَجِّدُكَ وَأُحَمِّدُكَ وَأُهَلِّلُكَ بِعَدَدِ مَا أُدِيْرُ بِهِ سُبْحَتِي.

O All¡h XE "All¡h" ! I start my day by praising and glorifying You as many times as I have turned my prayer-beads.

...and he would take the prayer-beads and start to turn them as he spoke whatever he wished to speak, other than reciting dhikr, and he said that turning the prayer-beads would be counted (as recitation of dhikr) and would act as a protection until he retired to his bed (at night) and when he retired to his bed, he would say something similar to what he had said (in the morning) and would place his prayer-beads under his pillow and it would thus be counted (as dhikr) from one time to another – so I did this to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather.” Yaz¢d said – repeating time and again: “None from among you do I address but that he replies me with that by which his success is seen,” and he withdrew from his intention to kill him and ordered that he be unshackled.[ii]