"A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: 'I cannot learn anything of the Quran; teach me something that I can say instead of reciting the Quran.' He said: 'Say: SubhanAllah, wal-hamdulilah, wa la illaha ill-Allah, wa Allahu Akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa Billahil-aliy al-azim (Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is none worthy of worship except Allah, Allah is Most Great, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah the Exalted and Magnificent ).'"  

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنِّي لاَ أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ آخُذَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَعَلِّمْنِي شَيْئًا يُجْزِئْنِي مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَقَالَ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ  

Teach me the words which I should (often) utter. He said: Utter," There is no god but Allah, the One, having no partner with Him. Allah is the Greatest of the great and all praise is due to Him. Hallowed be Allah, the Lord of the worlds, there is no Might and Power but that of Allah, the All-Powerful and the Wise." He (that desert Arab) said: These all (glorify) my Lord. But what about me? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: You should say:" O Allah, grant me pardon, have mercy upon me, direct me to righteousness and provide me sustenance." Musa (one of the narrators) said: I think he also said:" Grant me safety." But I cannot say for certain whether he said this or not. Ibn Abi Shaiba has not made a mention of the words of Musa in his narration. (Using translation from Muslim 2696)   

جَاءَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ عَلِّمْنِي كَلامًا أَقُولُهُ قَالَ قُلْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيرًا سُبْحَانَ اللهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إِلا بِاللهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ قَالَ هَؤُلاءِ لِرَبِّي ﷻ فَمَا لِي؟ قَالَ قُلْ اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي قَالَ ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ قَالَ مُوسَى أَمَّا عَافِنِي فَأَنَا أَتَوَهَّمُ وَمَا أَدْرِي  

A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: I cannot memorise anything from the Qur'an: so teach me something which is sufficient for me. He said: Say Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is most great, and there is no might and no strength but in Allah. :He said: Messenger of Allah, this is for Allah, but what is for me? He said: Say: O Allah have mercy on me, and sustain me, and keep me well, and guide me. When he stood up, he made a sign with his hand (indicating that he had earned a lot). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: He filed up his hand with virtues. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 832)   

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ آخُذُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَعَلِّمْنِي مَا يُجْزِئُنِي قَالَ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ هَذَا لِلَّهِ ﷻ فَمَا لِي؟ قَالَ قُلِ اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَعَافِنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَهُوَ مُمْسِكُ كَفَّيْهِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَمَّا هَذَا فَقَدْ مَلَأَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ قَالَ مِسْعَرٌ فَسَمِعْتُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ مِنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ السَّكْسَكِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي أَوْفَى عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَثَبَّتَنِي فِيهِ غَيْرِي  

[Machine] A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "I cannot memorize anything from the Quran, so teach me something that will suffice me." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Say, 'Subhan Allah' (Glory be to Allah), 'Alhamdulillah' (Praise be to Allah), 'La ilaha illallah' (There is no god but Allah), 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), and 'La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah' (There is no power or strength except with Allah)." The man left or stood up or something like that. He said, "This is for Allah, so what about me?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "Say, 'Allahumma ighfirli warhamni wa'afini wahdini warzuqni' (O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, protect me, guide me, and provide for me) or 'arzuqni wa'hdini wa'afini' (provide for me, guide me, and protect me)." Mas'arah narrated, "Perhaps I asked Abu Khalid about something like that."  

أَتَى رَجُلٌ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنِّي لَاأَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ آخُذَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ شَيْئًا فَعَلِّمْنِي شَيْئًا يُجْزِئُنِي مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ قَالَ فَذَهَبَ أَوْ قَامَ أَوْ نَحْوَ ذَا قَالَ هَذَا لِلَّهِ ﷻ فَمَا لِي؟ قَالَ قُلْ اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَعَافِنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي أَوْ ارْزُقْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَعَافِنِي قَالَ مِسْعَرٌ وَرُبَّمَا قَالَ اسْتَفْهَمْتُ بَعْضَهُ مِنْ أَبِي خَالِدٍ يَعْنِي الدَّالَانِيَّ  

[Machine] A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I am unable to read the Quran, so teach me something that will suffice me." The Prophet ﷺ said to him, "Say Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah), Subhanallah (glory be to Allah), La ilaha illallah (there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the greatest), and La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no power or might except with Allah)." The man said these words, raised his hand, and counted five with his fingers. He then said, "O Messenger of Allah, what about me?" The Prophet ﷺ said to him, "Say Allahumma ghfirli (O Allah, forgive me), wa arhamni (and have mercy on me), wa 'afini (and grant me safety), wa ahdi ni (and guide me), wa rzuqni (and provide for me)." The man said these words, raised his other hand, and also counted five with his fingers. The man then left, and he had closed both of his hands, so the Prophet ﷺ said, "Indeed, he has filled his hands with goodness."  

أَتَى رَجُلٌ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي لَا أَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ فَمُرْنِي بِمَا يُجْزِئُنِي مِنْهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ قُلْ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ قَالَ فَقَالَهَا الرَّجُلُ وَقَبَضَ كَفَّهُ وَعَدَّ خَمْسًا مَعَ إِبْهَامِهِ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ هَذَالِلَّهِ تَعَالَى فَمَا لِنَفْسِي؟ قَالَ قُلْ اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَعَافِنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي قَالَ فَقَالَهَا وَقَبَضَ عَلَى كَفِّهِ الْأُخْرَى وَعَدَّ خَمْسًا مَعَ إِبْهَامِهِ فَانْطَلَقَ الرَّجُلُ وَقَدْ قَبَضَ كَفَّيْهِ جَمِيعًا فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ لَقَدْ مَلَأَ كَفَّيْهِ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ  

[Machine] A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "O Messenger of Allah, teach me something from the Quran that will suffice me." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Say: Subhanallah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah), Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (There is no power or might except with Allah)." The man repeated these words with his hand on his chest and said, "This is for my Lord, what should I do next?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "Say: 'Forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, provide for me, and protect me.'" The man repeated these words with his other hand on his chest, and then he stood up. Ja'far ibn Awf added to his narration, "I was present with Ibrahim when he narrated this hadith, and I memorized it from him."  

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَلِّمْنِي شَيْئًا يُجْزِئُنِي مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَإِنِّي لَا أَقْرَأُ قَالَ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ قَالَ فَضَمَّ عَلَيْهَا الرَّجُلُ بِيَدِهِ وَقَالَ هَذَا لِرَبِّي فَمَاذَا إِلَيَّ؟ قَالَ قُلِ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَعَافِنِي قَالَ فَضَمَّ عَلَيْهَا بِيَدِهِ الْأُخْرَى وَقَامَ زَادَ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ عَوْنٍ فِي حَدِيثِهِ قَالَ مِسْعَرٌ كُنْتُ عِنْدَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَهُوَ يُحَدِّثُ بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فَاسْتَثْبَتُّهُ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ  

[Machine] A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "I am not proficient in reciting the Quran. Teach me something that will suffice me." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Say, 'Subhanallah' (Glory be to Allah), 'Alhamdulillah' (Praise be to Allah), 'La ilaha illallah' (There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah), and 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the greatest)." The man asked, "Is this sufficient for me with my Lord?" The Prophet ﷺ replied, "Say, 'Allahumma ighfirli wa rhamni wa rzuqni wa 'afini' (O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, provide for me, and protect me)."  

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنِّي لَا أُحْسِنُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ شَيْئًا فَعَلِّمْنِي شَيْئًا يُجْزِئُنِي مِنْهُ فَقَالَ «قُلْ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ» قَالَ هَذَا لِرَبِّي فَمَا لِي؟ قَالَ «قُلِ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَارْزُقْنِي وَعَافِنِي»  

A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: I cannot memorise anything from the Qur'an: so teach me something which is sufficient for me. He said: Say Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is most great, and there is no might and no strength but in Allah. :He said: Messenger of Allah, this is for Allah, but what is for me? He said: Say: O Allah have mercy on me, and sustain me, and keep me well, and guide me. When he stood up, he made a sign with his hand (indicating that he had earned a lot). The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: He filed up his hand with virtues. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 832)   

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ أَتَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ فَعَلِّمْنِي مَا يُجْزِئُنِي مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ قُلْ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ» قَالَ هَذَا لِلَّهِ فَمَا لِي؟ قَالَ «قُلْ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَعَافِنِي وَارْزُقْنِي» فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «لَقَدْ مَلأَ يَدَيْهِ خَيْرًا»  

"A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: 'I cannot learn anything of the Quran; teach me something that I can say instead of reciting the Quran.' He said: 'Say: SubhanAllah, wal-hamdulilah, wa la illaha ill-Allah, wa Allahu Akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa Billahil-aliy al-azim (Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, there is none worthy of worship except Allah, Allah is Most Great, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah the Exalted and Magnificent ).'" (Using translation from Nasāʾī 924)   

جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ إِنِّي لَا أَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ آخُذَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ فَعَلِّمْنِي شَيْئًا يُجْزِئُنِي مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ «قُلْ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ» قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ إِبْرَاهِيمُ السَّكْسَكِيُّ لَيْسَ بِذَاكَ الْقَوِيَّ  

"جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النَّبِىِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: إِنِّى لا أَسْتَطِيعُ أنْ أَتَعَلَّمَ القُرآنَ فَمَا يُجْزينِى؟ قَالَ: تَقُولُ: سبحَانَ الله، وَالحَمْدُ لله، وَلا حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إِلا بِالله، وَلا إِلَه إِلا الله، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ، فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ هَكَذَا، وَجَمَعَ أَصَابعَهُ الخَمْسَ، فَقَالَ: هَذَا لله فَمَا لِىَ؟ قَالَ: تَقُولُ: اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِى، وَارْحَمْنِى، وَاهْدنى، وَارزُقْني، فَقَبَضَ الرَّجُلُ كَفَّيْهِ جَمِيعًا، فَقَالَ النَّبىُّ ﷺ أَمَّا هَذَا فَقَدْ مَلأَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الخَيْرِ".  

" عَنْ سَعْدٍ قَالَ: جَاءَ أَعْرَابِىٌّ إِلَى النَّبِى ﷺ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ الله عَلِّمْنِى شَيْئًا أَقُولُهُ: قَالَ: قُلْ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الله وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، الله أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا، وَالْحَمْدُ لله كَثِيرًا، سبحَانَ الله رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِالله الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ، فَقَالَ الأَعْرَابِىُّ: هَذَا لِرَبِّى فَمَا لِىَ؟ قَالَ: قُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِى وَارْحَمْنِى وَاهْدِنِى وَارْزُقْنِى وَعَافِنِى".