اللّهُـمَّ إِنّـي أَعـوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْكُـفر ، وَالفَـقْر ، وَأَعـوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذابِ القَـبْر ، لا إلهَ إلاّ أَنْـتَ
Translation; O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty and I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave. There is none worthy of worship but You.
To be recited three times
Brief Commentary
- The companion Abu Bakrah, reported that he heard the Prophet (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) repeat this supplication three times in the morning, and once more three times in the evening [1]
- By asking Allah to grant us well-being in our body, we are asking to be cured from all physical and spiritual ailments, so that we possess both a healthy body and a pure heart, and therefore use this healthy body in a way that pleases Allah
- Although the seeing and hearing are both senses of the body, they have been singled out owing to their utmost importance. These two senses provide direct routes to our heart, and therefore we desire that they be pure to ensure that our heart only receives that which is pure and beneficial
- The heart is an important body part that affects the whole body in this life and the hereafter. The Prophet (SallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said that if the heart is sound, the whole body is sound, and if the heart is corrupted, the whole body will be corrupted [2]. See commentary on hadith 6 of the 40 Nawawi series
- By concluding the first segment of the supplication by affirming that none is worthy of worship except Allah, it is as if we are reminding ourselves why we want this well-being, and that is so that we can use it to worship Allah
- In the first segment of the supplication, we ask Allah to grant things to us, and in the latter segment, we seek refuge in Him alone from some things
- We seek refuge in Allah from disbelief as it will lead to eternal punishment in the hereafter and leads to the wrath of Allah
- We seek refuge in Allah from poverty as it can lead to being displeased with the decree of Allah, which may eventually lead to disbelief in Allah
- We seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave as you could be a Muslim but be punished in the grave so it isn’t sufficient to stay away from disbelief alone, but you should stay away from all forms of disobedience
- The second supplication concludes by affirming that none is worthy of worship except Allah. We are again reminding ourselves of this, as by worshipping Allah, we can be saved from these things we are seeking refuge from, or saved from their ill-effects
Action Points
- In this supplication, we ask Allah for well-being in our body, our sight, and our hearing. This means these are very important matters that we take for granted, when we should be praising Allah for them, and looking after them
- Nothing in this religion is there to teach us to get a better dunya for the sake of it alone. It is all to be sought solely as a mechanism to help us live in accordance with Allah’s commandments, therefore we are only asking for this well-being so that we use it in a way that pleases Allah. Ensure you have this intention in your heart every time you make this supplication
- We now live in a society where the pleasures through sight and hearing are readily accessible, so it is incumbent upon us to ensure we save these senses from being used for disobedience, and ensure we use them to come closer to Allah
- Poverty can lead a person to disbelief, so we should strive and remove poverty wherever possible, by giving in charity and looking after the poor
- Don’t just say these supplications every morning and evening, but always ponder over what impact they should have on your life, and what key points are they highlighting
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- Hadith, reported by Abu Dawud, hadith number 5093, and Ahmad, hadith number 20430
- Hadith, reported in Sahih Bukhari, hadith number 52, and Sahih Muslim, hadith number 4178
