A du’a to recite after reading a book to increase one’s memory

I have not come across this narration in any primary Hadith source.

These words were actually recommended by Shaykh Muhammad ‘Awwamah (hafizahullah) to recite to boost one’s memory.

سُبْحانَ اللّٰهِ وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَ لا إِلٰهَ إِلّا اللّٰهُ وَ اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ وَ لا حَوْلَ وَ لا قُوَّةَ إِلّا بِاللّٰهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ عَدَدَ كُلِّ حَرْفٍ كُتِبَ وَ عَدَدَ كُلِّ حَرْفٍ يُّكْتَبُ إِلىٰ يَوْمِ الدِّينِ

Subhanallahi wal hamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu wallahu akbaru wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil ‘aliyyil ‘adhim ‘adada kulli harfin kutiba wa ‘adada kulli harfin yuktabu ila yawmid Din.

See here

Shaykh Shihabud Din, Abul Fath Al Abshihi (rahimahullah), a scholar of the ninth century has cited the following. This version has slight variation in the wording:

“The following has been found in some narrations, ‘If you wish to be the person with the best memory then recite the following whenever you lift a book or the Quran or start to read anything:

بسم الله وسبحان الله، ولا إله إلا الله والله أكبر ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم عدد كل حرف كتب ويكتب أبد الآبدين، ودهر الداهرين، وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم

Bismillahi wa Subhanallahi wa la ilaha illallahu wallahu akbaru wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahil ‘aliyyil ‘adhim ‘adada kulli harfin kutiba wa yuktabu abadal abidin wa dahrad dahirin wa sallallahu ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam

(Al Mustatraf Fi Kulli Fannim Mustazraf, vol. 1 pg. 42, ‘Asriyyah edition)

Note: There is no attribution of this du’a to the Hadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu’alayhi wasallam). One may practice this without such attribution.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by: Moulana Suhail Motala

Approved by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar