Assalamu Alaikum
Soon we’ll be bidding farewell to Ramadan. Have we made most of this month? Are you satisfied with your dualist? Should we have asked for something more? Well, let us make most of the remaining days of Ramadan. Here are some beneficial supplications which could come handy.
SIMPLE ZIKR WITH GREAT REWARD
Busy life gives us little time to be spent on voluntary Salah! There are several physical activities which give us space for our thoughts to wander. Focusing on simple zikr during this time could help us gain abundant reward! How do you spend your time as you drive back home? Or, when you prepare your family’s favorite food for iftar? How about using that time on remembering Allah? You may utter these with ease even as you are waiting for your turn in the queue or as you rest reclining on the couch.
أستغفر الله
astaghfirullah (I seek forgiveness from Allah)
Are you wondering why aren’t you reaching expected results in your business? In spite of your best efforts, do you still find yourself lagging? How about trying istaghfar (seeking forgiveness)?
Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “If anyone constantly seeks pardon (from Allah), Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide sustenance for him from where he expects not.” [Abu Dawud].
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, “I swear by Allah that I seek Allah’s Pardon and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” [Al-Bukhari].
سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ
Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi (Glory be to Allah and His is the praise)
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Whoever says, ‘Subhan Allah wa bihamdihi,’ one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea. (Sahih al-Bukhari 6405)
Don’t we feel guilty for the sins we have committed? Let us ensure to wash them off by glorifying Allah as stated above. Isn’t this easy? How about adding more hasanat (good deeds) by uttering this too :-
سبحان الله العظيم
Subhan-Allahil-Azim (Glory be to Allah the great/ Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection)
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “There are two statements that are light for the tongue to remember, heavy in the Scales and are dear to the Merciful: ‘Subhan-Allahi wa bihamdihi, Subhan-Allahil-Azim [Glory be to Allah and His is the praise, (and) Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection]’.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهْوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
(There is no god but Allah Alone, with no partner or associate. To Him belongs praise and His is the sovereignty, and He is Able to do all things)
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said,” Whoever says: “La ilaha illal-lah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu-l-mulk wa lahul- hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in qadir,”
one hundred times will get the same reward as given for manumitting ten slaves;
and one hundred good deeds will be written in his accounts,
and one hundred sins will be deducted from his accounts,
and it (his saying) will be a shield for him from Satan on that day till night,
and NOBODY WILL BE ABLE TO DO A BETTER DEED EXCEPT THE ONE WHO DOES (utter) MORE THAN He.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6403)
Wow! We could score more good deeds than others by uttering the above supplication. We could in cultivate the habit of uttering such zikr as we chop vegetables or tidy our home. Do we really need to count? Insha Allah, we could easily utter it more than hundred times! We try so hard to beautify our home, it’s time we shift our focus towards adding sparkle to our eternal home in heaven. The next supplication is just what we need.
لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله
la hawla wala quwwata illa billah
(There is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah)
Abu Musa (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me, “Shall I not guide you to a treasure from the treasures of Jannah?” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah!” Thereupon he (ﷺ) said, “(Recite) ‘La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah’ (There is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah).” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Sometimes we are just not sure, whether to seek forgiveness, or glorify Allah (to please Him) or supplicate for us. How about achieving all this from a single supplication? Sending blessings on the prophet unleashes great bounty upon us!
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّد
allahumma salli ala muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad (O Allaah, send prayers/blessings upon Muhammad and his family)
Anas bin Malik said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sends salah (blessings) upon me once,
Allah (SWT) will send salah upon him tenfold,
and will erase ten sins from him,
and will raise him ten degrees in status.”
( Sunan an-Nasa’i 1297 )
Are you hungry for more? Let’s see some of the supplications of our beloved prophet.
INVOCATIONS OF THE PROPHET
Some of us make a list of invocations to ask Allah. Masha Allah. But, let us not ignore the invocations of our beloved prophet(PBUH). I found it very amusing that all my son would pray for was the pancakes which were right before him! Well, he was just seven and was fasting with difficulty. When I first read the invocations of our beloved prophet, I wondered, “Why didn’t I ask for this?” Apparently, even I was behaving like a child. All I could think about were the things which were within my reach! The supplications of the prophet are beautiful and focus not just on our current affairs but also our character, mindset, life and what follows afterlife. Alhamdulillah. Here are some of such invocations: –
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa’fu ‘anni
(O Allah, You are Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me)
It was narrated from ‘Aishah that she said: “O Messenger of Allah, what do you think I should say in my supplication, if I come upon Laylatul-Qadr?” He said: “Say: ‘Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa’fu ‘anni (O Allah, You are Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me).'” [Sunan Ibn Majah 3850].
Maybe coming odd night could be the night of the decree! Don’t forget to supplicate the above invocation. Try adding this dua(supplication) to your sujood while praying salah.
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
(O Allah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.)”
Narrated Shaddad bin Aus: The Prophet (ﷺ) said “The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is: ‘Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana `Abduka, wa ana `ala `ahdika wa wa`dika mastata`tu, A`udhu bika min Sharri ma sana`tu, abu’u Laka bini`matika `alaiya, wa abu’u laka bidhanbi faghfir lee fa innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) added. “If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6306)
Reserving a place in Jannah could just be a supplication away! Would you care to recite this in the morning and the evening?
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ جَهَنَّمَ وَمِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَمِنْ فِتْنَةِ الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ وَمِنْ شَرِّ فِتْنَةِ الْمَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ
Abu Huraira reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When any one of you utters tashahhud (in prayer) he must seek refuge with Allah from four (trials) and should thus say:” O Allah! I seek refuge with Thee from the torment of the Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trial of life and death and from the evil of the trial of Masih al-Dajjal” (Antichrist). (Sahih Muslim 588)
Alhamdulillah, above supplication covers major torments and trials. It is generally read in salah. Shouldn’t it be in our “list of dua (supplication)” to be recited before breaking the fast? We all ask for Jannatul firdouse (Highest level in paradise). Let us ensure that we don’t forget to seek refuge from trials and torments too.
We may find it difficult to recollect all the supplications of our prophet. We don’t want to miss asking for khair (good). Next supplication is just what we need.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ بِهِ عَبْدُكَ
Allahumma inni as’aluka min khayri ma sa’alaka ‘abduka wa nabiyyuka, wa a’udhu bika min sharri ma ‘adha bihi ‘abduka wa nabiyyuka
( O Allah, I ask You for the good that Your slave and Prophet has asked You for, and I seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your slave and Prophet sought refuge. ) Please refer Sunan Ibn Majah 3846
Finally let us look at some of the supplications from Quran.
INVOCATIONS FROM QURAN
There are numerous supplications in Quran. Here I am just quoting few.
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً، وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً، وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
rabbana atina fee alddunya hasanatan wafee alakhirati hasanatan waqina AAathaba alnnari
Narrated Anas: The most frequent invocation of The Prophet (ﷺ) was: “O Allah! Give to us in the world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good and save us from the torment of the Fire.” (Quran 2.201) [Sahih al-Bukhari 6389]
Don’t forget to pray for your parents, children, and spouse. These supplications from the Quran is just what we need.
رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا
rabbi irhamhuma kama rabbayanee sagheeran
My Lord, have mercy upon them (parents) as they brought me up [when I was] small. (Quran 17:24)
رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا
rabbana hab lana min azwajina wathurriyyatina qurrata aAAyunin waijAAalna lilmuttaqeena imaman
Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes and make us leaders of the pious. (Quran 25:74)
Of course, there are many more supplications of prophets in Quran. It’s worth pondering upon supplication which prophets made at the time of injustice. Our ummah is in need of our help. The least we could do is include all our Muslim brothers and sisters in our supplications.
May we remain steadfast on Islam; May those who are living in hostile conditions find peace soon; May those who have lost home settle soon; May those who are unhealthy recover soon; May those who have broken family ties reconcile; May Allah help those who have lost loved ones be patient and reward them for their patience; May their loss be replaced with that which is better; May we remain united; May Allah facilitate for us to do Umrah and haj often – Ameen.
Is there any supplication (from Quran or hadith) that you are fond of? If so, please add it to the comments. May we help one another to follow Islam better.
- The essence of Ramadan - April 22, 2021
- Day 9 Ramadan 2019 – From the Table to the Bin - May 13, 2019
- Honey Bee – Reflections from the Life of a Friend - March 27, 2019
Really so helpful and informative all tips. I like this post. Thanks for the good post of sharing it with us.