Salaatut Tasbeeh consists of four rakaats of nafl salaah. In each rakaat, one will recite the following tasbeeh seventy-five times (due to which the salaah is named Salaatut Tasbeeh). Hence, this tasbeeh will be recited a total of three-hundred times in the salaah:
سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْـحَمْدُ لِلّٰه وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَر
It should be borne in mind that there are two methods of performing Salaatut Tasbeeh reported in the hadeeth. One may practise on whichever method one wishes. The first method is as follows:
First Method:
One will perform four rakaats nafl salaah with the intention of Salaatut Tasbeeh. After reciting the thanaa, before commencing the qiraat, one will recite the abovementioned tasbeeh fifteen times. Thereafter, one will commence the qiraat by reciting Surah Faatihah and a surah. After completing the qiraat, before going into rukoo’, one will recite the same tasbeeh ten times.
After going into rukoo’, one will first recite “Subhaana Rabbiyal ‘Azeem” as normal. Thereafter, one will recite the abovementioned tasbeeh ten times. Thereafter, one will continue with the salaah, and in each posture (qaumah, the two sajdahs, the jalsah between the two sajdahs), one will recite the normal zikr of that posture (e.g. “Rabbana Lakal Hamd”, Subhaana Rabbiyal Aa’laa”), after which one will recite the abovementioned tasbeeh ten times. In this manner, one will complete the tasbeeh seventy-five times in one rakaat.
Note: According to this method, the tasbeeh will not be recited in the first qa’dah (with the tashahhud in the second rakaat), or in the second qa’dah (with the tashahhud in the last rakaat, at the end of the salaah).
Summary
Before Surah Faatihah 15 times
After Surah Faatihah 10 times
Rukoo’ 10 times
Qaumah 10 times
First sajdah 10 times
Jalsah 10 times
Second sajdah 10 times
Second Method:
The second method is similar to the first method. However, the difference between the two methods is that in the second method, one will NOT recite the tasbeeh fifteen times before Surah Faatihah, and then ten times before the rukoo’. Rather, in the qiyaam (standing posture), one will only recite the tasbeeh fifteen times after the qiraat, before going into rukoo’.
The remaining ten tasbeeh (to complete seventy-five), that is also recited in the qiyaam posture in the first method, will be recited after the second sajdah of every rakaat.
In the case of the first and third rakaats, then after completing the second sajdah, one will sit and recite the tasbeeh ten times before standing for the next rakaat.
In the case of the second and fourth rakaats, then since one will be sitting in qa’dah after the second sajdah to recite the tashahhud, one will recite the tasbeeh in this qa’dah. In this situation, the tasbeeh will be recited first, before reciting the tashahhud, durood, etc.
General Masaa-il (Rules):
1. Sajdah Sahw does NOT become necessary for forgetting to recite the tasbeeh in any posture.
2. If one forgets to recite the tasbeeh in any posture, or recites less than the prescribed amount, then one should cover up the missed tasbeeh in the next posture. For example, if one forgot to recite the tasbeeh in rukoo’, then one should recite the tasbeeh twenty times in qaumah. Insha-Allah, if one recites the tasbeeh three hundred times over the four rakaats, he will receive the virtue of performing Salaatut Tasbeeh.