Question Summary:
What are the procedures and virtues of Salāh at-Tasbīh and Salāh at-Tawbah?

Question Detail:

What are the procedures and virtues of Salāh at-Tasbīh and Salāh at-Tawbah?

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
 
Virtues of Salah at- Tasbih: 
Salāh at-Tasbīh is a prayer that carries great reward for the one who prays it.[1] 'Abdullah bin al-Mubārak (may Allah have mercy on him) has said that Salāh at-Tasbīh is such a prayer that each and every person should make a habit of praying it all the time and never let themselves be distracted from attending to this prayer.[2]
Before teaching his uncle the method of this salāh, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him:
يَا عَبَّاسُ، يَا عَمَّاهُ، أَلَا أُعْطِيكَ، أَلَا أَمْنَحُكَ، أَلَا أَحْبُوكَ، أَلَا أَفْعَلُ بِكَ عَشْرَ خِصَالٍ، إِذَا أَنْتَ فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ ذَنْبَكَ أَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ، قَدِيمَهُ وَحَدِيثَهُ، خَطَأَهُ وَعَمْدَهُ، صَغِيرَهُ وَكَبِيرَهُ، سِرَّهُ وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ (سنن أبي داود، باب صلاة التسبيح) 
Oh uncle! Shall I not give you? Shall I not grant you? Shall I not award you? Shall I not do (mercy) on you that when you do ten things Allah will forgive your sins: of the future and of the past; new and old; those you have done by mistake and those you did knowingly; big and small; hidden and revealed. [Sunan Abi Dāwūd]
At the end of the same hadīth, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked:
إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تُصَلِّيَهَا فِي كُلِّ يَوْمٍ مَرَّةً فَافْعَلْ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ مَرَّةً، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ مَرَّةً، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ فَفِي كُلِّ سَنَةٍ مَرَّةً، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ، فَفِي عُمُرِكَ مَرَّةً 
If you have the ability to pray it once each day then do so. And if you cannot, then once every week. If you cannot, then once each month. If you cannot, then once each year. If you (still) cannot, then (at least) once in your lifetime.
 
Procedure of Salāh at-Tasbīh:
Salāh at-Tasbīh is a four raka'āt nafl salāh in which one recites the following tasbīh 75 times in each rak'ah, which will be 300 tasbīhāt in four raka'āt:
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ ، وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ
Whenever we refer to tasbīh hereafter, it refers to the above mentioned tasbīh.
 
There are two methods for performing Salāh at-Tasbīh. One may choose any of the two methods.[3]
The First Method[4]
(1) Make intention to perform four raka'āt nafl salāh and commence the salāh as you would normally do by beginning with the recitation of the thanā:
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ وَ بِحَمْدِكَ وَ تَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ وَ تَعَالي جَدُّكَ وَ لاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ
(2) Recite the tasbīh fifteen times.
(3) Continue the salāh as you would normally do by reciting the ta'awwudh
(أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم), tasmiyah (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم), surah al-Fātihah and then any other surah thereafter.
(4) Recite the tasbīh ten times.
(5) Proceed into rukū' and recite the regular tasbīhāt for the rukū'.
(6) Recite the tasbīh ten times.
(7) Say the tasmī' (سمع الله لمن حمده) to go into the qawmah position and then say the tahmīd (ربنا لك الحمد) as you would in any regular salāh.
(8) Recite the tasbīh ten times.
(9) Go down for sajdah. Recite the regular tasbīhāt for the sajdah.
(10) Recite the tasbīh ten times.
(11) Go into the sitting position (jalsah) as you would do normally.
(12) Recite the tasbīh ten times while in the sitting position.
(13) Go back down for the second sajdah. Recite the regular tasbīhāt for the sajdah.
(14) Recite the tasbīh ten times.
(15) Repeat the same process for the next three raka'āt the same way; although, unlike the first rak'ah, the next three rak'ah will commence by reciting the tasbīh  fifteen times instead of beginning with the thanā, ta'awwudh, and tasmiyah.
The Second Method[5]
The second method of praying Salāh at-Tasbīh is the same as the first method with an exception to the following differences:
(1) Do NOT recite the tasbīh at the beginning of each rak'ah. Recite it fifteen times (instead of ten times) AFTER reciting surah al-Fātihah and the surah after it.
(2) At the end of each rak'ah (after the second sajdah), sit up into the jalsah position and recite the tasbīh ten times. At the end of the first and third rak'ah, right before getting up for the next rak'ah, say the takbīr (Allahu Akbar) only once to get up from the rukū' to the sitting position, i.e., there is no need to repeat the takbīr again to stand up for the second or fourth rak'ah.
(3) While sitting in the second and fourth rak'ah, recite the tasbīh before reciting the tashahhud (the at-tahiyyāt).[6]
Below are some important things to keep in mind while performing Salāh at-Tasbīh:
(1) It is preferable to fold the hands while in the qawmah position, i.e., the standing position after the rukū'.[7]
(2) If one forgets to recite the tasbīh, or did not recite the number of times one was supposed to, one may make them up in the next position where one has to recite the tasbīh again.[8] 
(3) Do not count the tasbīhāt out loud, rather count them by putting a little force on each finger and pushing it down as you count each tasbīh.[9]
(4) One may also choose to recite the full tasbīh instead of the shorter version as written below:[10]
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ ، وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إلَّا بِاَللَّه
(5) One may choose to recite any surah that one pleases; although, there is a narration that states reciting the following surahs for each rak'ah: Surah at-Takāthur in the first rak'ah, Surah al-'Asr in the second rak'ah, Surah al-Kāfirūn in the third rak'ah, and Surah al-Ikhlās in the fourth rak'ah.[11]
Salāh at-Tawbah
Procedure:
Salāh at-Tawbah is a simple two rak'āt salāh that is performed in order to secure the forgiveness of Allah Ta’ālā. It is recommended[12] that one should perform this salāh while making tawbah.
When one intends to perform this salāh, he should make his wudu properly.[13] Thereafter, he should make an intention for a two rak'āt salāh. This salāh will be prayed like any regular nafl salāh; therefore, one may choose to recite whichever surah one wants to along with surah al-Fātihah. On completion of the salāh, raise the hands for du'ā, show khushū' and khudū' and cry in front of Allah the Almighty while asking Him for forgiveness.[14]
Virtues:
Sayyiduna 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَصَدَقَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: " مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يُذْنِبُ ذَنْبًا، فَيُحْسِنُ الطُّهُورَ، ثُمَّ يَقُومُ فَيُصَلِّي رَكْعَتَيْنِ، ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ، إِلَّا غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ: {وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا فَعَلُوا فَاحِشَةً أَوْ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ ذَكَرُوا اللَّهَ} إِلَى آخِرِ الْآيَةِ (سنن أبي داود، باب في الإستغفار)
Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: “There is no one who commits a sin then purifies himself well and stands and prays two rak’ahs, then asks Allah for forgiveness, but Allah will forgive him. Then he recited this verse: ‘And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (an indecent act) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins; — and none can forgive sins but Allah — and do not persist in what (wrong) they have done, while they know’ [Āl ‘Imrān 3:135].” [Sunan Abi Dawūd]
May Allah Ta'ālā grant us all His mercy and relieve us of our sins. Āmīn.
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Bilal Mohammad
Student Darul Iftaa
USA 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
www.daruliftaa.net