What are the morning and evening adhkar?

When they are said

The scholars set the morning adhkar after the Fajr prayer until sunrise, and the evening adhkar after the Asr prayer until sunset. This is what al-'Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim mentions in al-Wabil al-Sayyib, and it is the position Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Rajhi gives as the sound one, citing Allah's words:

"So glorify the praises of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting."— Qur'an 20:130

Shaykh al-Albani was asked directly about this and answered that the evening adhkar begin after the Asr prayer. Shaykh Ibn Baz, however, held that the matter is wide: if you miss the evening adhkar after Asr, you may still say them after Maghrib and Isha, and if you miss the morning adhkar, you may say them up to Dhuhr.

The main adhkar

These are the ones the sources single out, with the counts they specify.

• "Subhan Allahi wa bihamdihi," a hundred times. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever says, when morning comes and when evening comes, 'Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him' a hundred times, no one will come on the Day of Resurrection with anything better than what he brought, except one who said the same or more." — Sahih Muslim 2692, from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه
• "Allahumma bika asbahna wa bika amsayna…" The Prophet ﷺ used to teach his Companions: when morning comes say, "O Allah, by You we enter the morning and by You we enter the evening, by You we live and by You we die, and to You is the resurrection"; and in the evening, "…and to You is the final return." — Sunan Abu Dawud 5068 and Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3391, from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, graded hasan by al-Tirmidhi
• Sayyid al-istighfar. "O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant…" The Prophet ﷺ said whoever says it during the day, certain of it, and dies that day before evening, is among the people of Paradise; and likewise whoever says it at night and dies before morning. — Sahih al-Bukhari 6306, from Shaddad ibn Aws رضي الله عنه
• The three Quls — al-Ikhlas and the two mu'awwidhat — three times in the evening and three times in the morning. The Prophet ﷺ told 'Abdullah ibn Habib: "Say: 'Say, He is Allah, the One' and the two chapters of refuge, when you enter the evening and when you enter the morning, three times; they will suffice you against everything." — Sunan Abu Dawud 5082, al-Tirmidhi and al-Nasa'i, with a hasan chain
• "Bismillah alladhi la yadurru ma'a ismihi shay'un…" three times each morning and evening — "In the name of Allah, with whose name nothing on earth or in heaven can cause harm, and He is the Hearing, the Knowing." Sunan Abu Dawud 5088 and Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3388, from 'Uthman ibn 'Affan; al-Tirmidhi graded it hasan sahih.
• "Raditu billahi Rabban…" three times — "I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my religion, and with Muhammad ﷺ as my prophet." — from Thawban, the Prophet's ﷺ servant
• "A'udhu bikalimatillahi al-tammati min sharri ma khalaq" — three times in the evening. The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever says it in the evening, no scorpion sting will harm him until morning. — Sahih Muslim 2709, from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه
• "Astaghfirullaha wa atubu ilayh" a hundred times in the day, and the salah upon the Prophet ﷺ ten times, both listed among the morning and evening adhkar.

The evening wording differs

The morning and evening versions are not identical, and the sources are precise about the difference. In the morning you say "wa ilayka al-nushur" (and to You is the resurrection); in the evening, "wa ilayka al-masir" (and to You is the final destination). The same care applies to "Allahumma bika asbahna": the evening form begins "Allahumma bika amsayna."

Key takeaways

• The morning adhkar run from after Fajr to sunrise; the evening adhkar from after Asr to sunset, with Ibn Baz allowing them later if missed.
• "Subhan Allahi wa bihamdihi" a hundred times, morning and evening, carries the reward named in Sahih Muslim.
• Sayyid al-istighfar is the strongest of them, with the promise of Paradise for one who dies the same day or night.
• The three Quls, three times each, suffice against everything, per the hadith in Abu Dawud.
• The morning and evening forms of each du'a differ in wording — keep them distinct.

Further reading

• al-Wabil al-Sayyib, Ibn al-Qayyim
• Hisn al-Muslim, Sa'id ibn Ali ibn Wahf al-Qahtani

And Allah knows best.