31. Supplication
٣١۔ كتاب الدعاء
The etiquette of making dua for everything you do (a tawhidic worldview)
Ibn 'Umar said: I make supplication in everything I do: even that Allah will make the stride of my mount long so that I find ease in that.
إِنِّي لَأَدْعُو فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مِنْ أَمْرِي حَتَّى أَنْ يُفْسِحَ اللَّهُ فِي مَشْيِ دَابَّتِي حَتَّى أَرَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا يَسُرُّنِي
Dua of Umar to be among the righteous
that he (Umar) used to make dua with his words:
allāhumma tawaffanī maʿa al-abrār, wa-lā tukhallifnī fī al-ashrār, wa-alḥiqnī bi-al-akhyār.
Allah, let me die with the pious and do not leave me among the evil. Join me to the doers of good."
أَنَّهُ كَانَ فِيمَا يَدْعُو:
(اللَّهُمَّ تَوَفَّنِي مَعَ الأَبْرَارِ، وَلاَ تُخَلِّفْنِي فِي الأَشْرَارِ، وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالأخْيَارِ)
Duas of Abdullah b. Masud
Abdullah ˹b. Masud˺ used to use these duas a lot:
Our Lord, make peace between us and guide us on the path of Islam. Save us from the darkness to the light. Remove acts of deviance from us, both open and hidden. Bless us in our hearing, our eyes, our hearts, our spouses and our children and turn to us for You are the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. Make us grateful for Your blessings and make us among those who praise it and speak of it and complete it upon us.
كَانَ عَبْدُ اللهِ يُكْثِرُ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ بِهَؤُلاَءِ الدَّعَوَاتِ:
(رَبَّنَا أَصْلِحْ بَيْنَنَا وَاهْدِنَا سَبِيلَ الإِسْلاَمِ، وَنَجِّنَا مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ، وَاصْرِفْ عَنَّا الْفَوَاحِشَ مَا ظَهْرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ، وَبَارِكْ لَنَا فِي أَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُلُوبِنَا وَأَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا، وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ، وَاجْعَلْنَا شَاكِرِينَ لِنِعْمَتِكَ، مُثْنِينَ بِهَا، قَائِلِينَ بِهَا، وَأَتْمِمْهَا عَلَيْنَا.)
Dua of Anas for the pious and the righteous
When Anas made dua for his brother, he said:
May Allah bless him with the blessing of those who are pious. They are neither unjust nor corrupt. They stand at night in prayer and fast in the day.
كَانَ أَنَسٌ إِذَا دَعَا لأَخِيهِ يَقُولُ:
(جَعَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ صَلاَةَ قَوْمٍ أَبْرَارٍ لَيْسُوا بِظَلَمَةٍ وَلاَ فُجَّارٍ يَقُومُونَ اللَّيْلَ وَيَصُومُونَ النَّهَارَ۔)
My mother took me to the Prophet ﷺ and he stroked my head and prayed for provision to be given to me.
ذَهَبَتْ بِي أُمِّي إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَمَسَحَ عَلَى رَأْسِي وَدَعَا لِي بِالرِّزْقِ
Anas b. Malik was told that your brothers have come to you from Basra –and that day he was at the zawiyyah– wanting for you to make dua to Allah for them. He said:
O Allah, forgive them and show mercy to them. Give them good in this world and good in the Next World and protect them from the punishment of the Fire.
They asked him to say more and he said repeated the same thing. He said: If you are given this, you have been given the good of this world and the next.
قِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّ إِخْوَانَكَ أَتَوْكَ مِنَ الْبَصْرَةِ وَهُوَ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِالزَّاوِيَةِ لِتَدْعُوَ اللَّهَ لَهُمْ قَالَ:
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا وَآتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
فَاسْتَزَادُوهُ فَقَالَ مِثْلَهَا فَقَالَ إِنْ أُوتِيتُمْ هَذَا فَقَدْ أُوتِيتُمْ خَيْرَ الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ
Saying the tasbih erases sins
The Prophet ﷺ took a bough and shook it and not all the leaves fell off. Then he shook it again and not all the leaves fell off. Then he shook it a third time but not all the leaves fell off. He said: "Saying Glory be to Allah, praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, shake off sins as the leaves of a tree fall away."
أَخَذَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ غُصْنًا فَ نَفَضَهُ فَلَمْ يَنْتَفِضْ ثُمَّ نَفَضَهُ فَلَمْ يَنْتَفِضْ ثُمَّ نَفَضَهُ فَانْتَفَضَ قَالَ: «إِنَّ سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ وَلاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ يَنْفُضْنَ الْخَطَايَا كَمَا تَنْفُضُ الشَّجَرَةُ وَرَقَهَا»
Advise to Fatimah ᴿᴬ to recite a particular tasbih before going to sleep
a woman came to the Prophet ﷺ to complain to him of a need. He said: "Shall I show you something better than that? You should say, lā ilāha illa Allāh (There is no god but Allah) 33 times when you go to sleep and say subḥān Allāh (Glory be to Allah) 33 times, and say al-ḥamdu lillāh (Praise be to Allah) 34 times, and then that hundred is better than his world and all that it contains."
أَتَتِ امْرَأَةٌ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ تَشْكُو إِلَيْهِ الْحَاجَةَ أَوْ بَعْضَ الْحَاجَةِ فَقَالَ: «أَلاَ أَدُلُّكِ عَلَى خَيْرٍ مِنْ ذَلِكَ؟ تُهَلِّلِينَ اللَّهَ ثَلاَثِينَ عِنْدَ مَنَامِكِ وَتُسَبِّحِينَ ثَلاَثًا وَثَلاَثِينَ وَتَحْمَدِينَ أَرْبَعًا وَثَلاَثِينَ فَتِلْكَ مِئَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا فِيهَا»
Slaughter seven camels and free one hundred slaves just through dhkir
The Prophet ﷺ said: *"If someone says, lā ilāha illa Allāh (There is no god but Allah) one hundred times, subḥān Allāh (Glory be to Allah) one hundred times, and Allāhu Akbar (Allah is Greater) one hundred times, that is better than freeing ten slaves and slaughtering seven camels."
وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ: «مَنْ هَلَّلَ مِئَةً وَسَبَّحَ مِئَةً وَكَبَّرَ مِئَةً خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ عَشْرِ رِقَابٍ يُعْتِقُهَا وَسَبْعِ بَدَنَاتٍ يَنْحَرُهَا»
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: Messenger of Allah, what is the best supplication? He answered: "Asking Allah for ʿāfiyah (well-being and forgiveness) in this world and the Hereafter." Then he came to him the following day and asked: Prophet of Allah, what is the best supplication? He answered: "Asking Allah for ʿāfiyah (forgiveness and well-being) in this world and the Hereafter. When you are given well-being in this world and the next, then you have achieved success."
فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَيُّ الدُّعَاءِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: «سَلِ اللَّهَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ» ثُمَّ أَتَاهُ الْغَدَ فَقَالَ: يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ أَيُّ الدُّعَاءِ أَفْضَلُ؟ قَالَ: «سَلِ اللَّهَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، فَإِذَا أُعْطِيتَ الْعَافِيَةَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ فَقَدْ أَفْلَحْتَ»
from the Prophet ﷺ who said, *"The words which Allah loves the most are:
subḥān Allāh, lā sharīka lahu, lahu al-mulku wa-lahu al-ḥamdu, wa-huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr, lā ḥawla wa-lā quwwata illā bi-Allāh, subḥān Allāhi wa-bi-ḥamdihi
Glory be to Allah who has no partner. His is the Kingdom and praise is His and He has power over all things. There is no power nor strength except by Allah. Glory be to Allah and by His praise."
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: «أَحَبُّ الْكَلاَمِ إِلَى اللهِ:
سُبْحَانَ اللهِ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ، سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ۔»
The Prophet ﷺ came to me while I was praying when he needed something. I was taking a long time and he said: ''Aishah, you must make concise and comprehensive duas." When I finished, I asked: Messenger of Allah, what are the concise and comprehensive duas?' He said, "Say:
allāhumma innī asʾaluka min al-khayri kullihī, ʿājilihi wa-ājilihī, mā ʿalimtu minhu wa-mā lam aʿlam. wa-aʿūdhu bika min al-sharri kullihī, ʿājilihi wa-ājilihī, mā ʿalimtu minhu wa-mā lam aʿlam. wa-asʾaluka al-jannata wa-mā qarraba ilayhā min qawlin aw ʿamal, wa-aʿūdhu bika min al-nāri wa-mā qarraba ilayhā min qawlin aw ʿamal. wa-asʾaluka mimmā saʾalaka bihī Muḥammadun ﷺ, wa-aʿūdhu bika mimmā taʿawwadhā minhu Muḥammadun ﷺ. wa-mā qaḍayta lī min qaḍāʾin fa-ijʿal ʿāqibatahu rushdā.
O Allah, I ask You for all good, ˹in this world and the Hereafter˺, what I know of it and what I do not know. I seek refuge with You from all evil, ˹in this world and the Hereafter˺ what I know of it and what I do not know. I ask You for the Jannah and whatever words or actions bring one near to it. I seek refuge with You from the Hellfire and whatever words or actions bring one near to it. I ask You by what Muhammad ﷺ asked You and I seek refuge from You by what Muhammad ﷺ sought refuge from. And whatever fate You have decreed for me, make its end right guidance ˹for me˺."
دَخَلَ عَلَيَّ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَأَنَا أُصَلِّي وَلَهُ حَاجَةٌ فَأَبْطَأْتُ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ: «يَا عَائِشَةُ، عَلَيْكِ بِجُمَلِ الدُّعَاءِ وَجَوَامِعِهِ» فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفْتُ قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ وَمَا جُمَلُ الدُّعَاءِ وَجَوَامِعُهُ؟ قَالَ: قُولِي
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ أَعْلَمْ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ أَعْلَمُ وَأَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِمَّا سَأَلَكَ بِهِ مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِمَّا تَعَوَّذَ مِنْهُ مُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ وَمَا قَضَيْتَ لِي مِنْ قَضَاءٍ فَاجْعَلْ عَاقِبَتَهُ رُشْدًا»