#1
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ ، الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ ، مٰلِكِ يَوْمِ الدِّيْنِ ، إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِيْنُ ، اِهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيْمَ ، صِرَاطَالَّذِيْنَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّآلِّيْنَ
“In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very Merciful. All praises and thanks are for Allah, the Lord of all the worlds, The All-Merciful, The Very Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement. You Alone we worship, You Alone we ask for help. Guide us on the Straight Path, the path of those whom You have favoured, not of those who incur (Your) anger nor of those who have gone astray. (1:1-7)”
#2
رَبِّ إِنِّيْ لِمَآ أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيْرٌ
“My Lord, truly I am in dire need of any good which You may send me. (28:24)”
#3
اَللّٰهُمَّ أَحْسِنْ عَاقِبَتَنَا فِي الْأُمُوْرِ كُلِّهَا ، وَأَجِرْنَا مِنْ خِزْيِ الدُّنْيَا وَعَذَابِ الْآخِرَةِ
“O Allah, grant us the best outcome in all of our affairs, and protect us from the humiliation of this world and the punishment of the hereafter.”
Busr b. Abī Artāt (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates that I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ supplicate with [the above]. (Aḥmad 17628)
#4
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ الثَّبَاتَ فِي الْأَمْرِ ، وَالْعَزِيْمَةَ عَلَى الرُّشْدِ ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مُوْجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ ، وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ شُكْرَ نِعْمَتِكَ ، وَحُسْنَ عِبَادَتِكَ ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ قَلْبًا سَلِيْمًا ، وَلِسَانًا صَادِقًا ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا تَعْلَمُ ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا تَعْلَمُ ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا تَعْلَمُ ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوْبِ
“O Allah, I beg you for steadfastness in all matters and the determination to take the right course. I ask You for all that which will necessitate Your mercy and the determination to do all that which will necessitate Your forgiveness. I ask You to make me grateful for Your blessings and to worship You in an excellent manner. I ask You for a sound heart and a truthful tongue. I ask You for the good of what You know, I seek Your protection from the evil of what You know, and I seek Your forgiveness for what You know. Indeed, You are the All-Knowing of the unseen.”
Shaddād b. Aws (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was teaching this duā to me. he said: “O Shaddād, when you see people collecting gold & silver as their treasures, then consider [the above] as your treasure.” (Ahmad 17155)
#5
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ مِنَ الْخَيْرِ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ ، مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ أَعْلَمْ ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّرِّ كُلِّهِ عَاجِلِهِ وَآجِلِهِ ، مَا عَلِمْتُ مِنْهُ وَمَا لَمْ أَعْلَمْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيْرِ مَا سَأَلَكَ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا عَاذَ مِنْهُ عَبْدُكَ وَنَبِيُّكَ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ ، وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ ، وَأَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ ، وَمَا قَرَّبَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ قَوْلٍ أَوْ عَمَلٍ ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ كُلَّ قَضَاءٍ قَضَيْتَهُ لِيْ خَيْرًا
“O Allah, I beg You for all good: the immediate and the delayed, what I know of and what I do not know. I seek Your protection from all evil: the immediate and the delayed, what I know of and what I do not know. O Allah, I beg You for the good which Your slave and Prophet ﷺ asked from You, and I seek Your protection from the evil which Your slave and Prophet ﷺ sought protection for from You. O Allah, I beg You for Paradise, and whatever words or actions lead to it. I seek Your protection from Hell-fire, and whatever words or actions lead to it. I ask You to decree good for me in everything You foreordain for me.”
‘Āishah narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught her [the above]. (Ahmad 25019)
#6
اَللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ جَبْرَائِيْلَ ، وَمِيْكَائِيْلَ ، وإِسْرَافِيْلَ ، فَاطِرَ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ، عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ ، أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيْمَا كَانُوْا فِيْهِ يَخْتَلِفُوْنَ ، اِهْدِنِيْ لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيْهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ ، إِنَّكَ تَهْدِيْ مَنْ تَشَاءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيْمٍ
“O Allah, Lord of Jabrā’īl, Mīkā’īl and Isrāfīl, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and seen; You will judge between Your servants in what they used to differ. Guide me in what is contentious to the truth, by Your will. Indeed, You guide whomsoever You wish to a straight path.”
ʿAbdur Rahmān b. Awf (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated: I asked ‘Ā’isha (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhā), the mother of the believers, (to tell me) the words with which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commenced the Salāh when he got up at night. She said: “When he got up at night he would commence his Salāh with [the above] words. (Muslim 770)
#7
اَللّٰهُمَّ اهْدِنِيْ وَسَدِّدْنِيْ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْأَلُكَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالسَّدَادَ
“O Allah, guide me and grant me firmness. O Allah, I beg You for guidance and firmness (on the straight path).”
Ali (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him: “Say: [the above] and when you make a mention of guidance, keep in mind the (Straight) Path and when you consider the Straight (Path), keep in mind the straightness of the arrow.” (Muslim 2725)
#8
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أَسْتَخِيْرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ ، وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيْمِ ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوْبِ . اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هٰذَا الْأَمْرَ (وَيُسَمِّي حَاجَتَه) خَيْرٌ لِّيْ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِيْ ، فَاقْدُرْهُ لِيْ وَيَسِّرْهُ لِيْ ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِيْ فِيْهِ ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هٰذَا الْأَمْرَ (وَيُسَمِّي حَاجَتَه) شَرٌّ لِّيْ فِيْ دِيْنِيْ وَمَعَاشِيْ وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِيْ ، فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّيْ وَاصْرِفْنِيْ عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِيَ الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِيْ بِهِ
“O Allah, I ask you for the best through Your knowledge, I seek strength through Your power, and I ask You from Your majestic benevolence. For You are fully able whilst I am not, You know everything whilst I do not know anything, and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allah, if in Your knowledge, this matter (specify the matter) is good for me in my religion, my livelihood and my ultimate destiny, then decree it for me and make it easy it for me, then bless it for me. But if in your knowledge, this matter (specify the matter) is bad for me in my religion, my livelihood and my ultimate destiny, then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it and decree good for me wherever it may be, then make me pleased with it.”
Jābir (raḍiy Allāhu ‘anhu) narrated: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to teach us istikhārah (when one seeks Allah’s help in making a decision) for all matters, the same way he taught us Sūrahs from the Qur’ān. He ﷺ said: “When one of you intends to do something, he should offer two rak‘ahs of voluntary Salāh, and then say [the above].” (Bukhārī 6382)
Ibn Abī Jamrah (raḥimahullāh) said: ‘The wisdom of preceding Salāh before the du‘ā’ is that the purpose of istikhārah is to combine the good of this world and the Hereafter. A person needs to knock at the door of the King (Allah), and there is nothing more effective for this than salāh, because it combines the glorification and praise of Allah, and expresses one’s need for Him at all times. (Fath al-Bārī)