sunnahfastA fast empties the day of meals and snacks — and quietly hands you back the minutes they took. The sunnah offers something beautiful to fill them with: dhikr, the remembrance of Allah, in phrases short enough to say while the kettle boils. Every text below is quoted word for word with its source.
Two phrases, heavy on the scale
“Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "(The following are) two words (sentences or utterances) that are very easy for the tongue to say, and very heavy in the balance (of reward), and most beloved to the Gracious Almighty (And they are): Subhan Allahi wa bi-hamdihi; Subhan Allahi-l-'Adhim,"”
Easy for the tongue, heavy in the balance — the Prophet ﷺ named the trade openly. Glory to Allah and praise Him; glory to Allah, the Magnificent.
A hundred a day, forgiven like sea-foam
“Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever says, 'Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,' one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea.”
A hundred sounds like a lot until you try it: it takes a few minutes — less time than the tea you are not drinking today.
The master supplication for forgiveness
For something longer, the Prophet ﷺ described this du'a as the most superior way of seeking forgiveness, recited with firm faith in the morning and the evening:
“Narrated Shaddad bin Aus: The Prophet (ﷺ) said "The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is: O Allah, You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship except You. You have created me, and I am Your servant, and I am faithful to Your covenant and promise as much as I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your blessings upon me, and I admit my sins. So forgive me, for none forgives sins except You. (Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana `Abduka, wa ana `ala `ahdika wa wa`dika mastata`tu, A`udhu bika min Sharri ma sana`tu, abu'u Laka bini`matika `alaiya, wa abu'u laka bidhanbi faghfir lee fa innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta) " The Prophet (ﷺ) added. "If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise."”
If you keep only one habit
“`Abdullah bin Busr (ra) narrated that: A man said: “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), indeed, the legislated acts of Islam have become too much for me, so inform me of a thing that I should stick to.” He (ﷺ) said: “Let not your tongue cease to be moist with the remembrance of Allah.””
When a companion felt overwhelmed by how much there was to do, this was the answer: keep the tongue moving with remembrance. Not more obligations — one living thread running through the day.
The difference it makes
“Narrated Abu Musa: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The example of the one who celebrates the Praises of his Lord (Allah) in comparison to the one who does not celebrate the Praises of his Lord, is that of a living creature compared to a dead one."”
A fasting day with remembrance in it is simply more alive. Pair this habit with a fasting rhythm — a Monday, a Thursday, the White Days — and let one sunnah carry the other, Insha Allah.
Keep the rhythm
If you would like the evening-before nudge for every sunnah fasting day — email or notification, free forever, Insha Allah — sunnahfast does exactly that, and the upcoming fasting days page lists every date.