The purpose of zhikr is to purify hearts and souls and awaken the human conscience. The Qur'an says, "And establish regular prayer, for prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds, and remembrance of Allah is the greatest thing in life, without doubt.'' Qur'an 29.45 In other words, the remembrance of Allah has a greater impact in restraining one from shameful and unjust deeds than just the formal regular prayer. This is so because when a servant opens up his soul to his Lord, extolling His praise, Allah strengthens him with His light, increasing thereby his faith and conviction, and reassuring his mind and heart. This refers to "those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah, for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.'' Qur'an 13.28

And when hearts are satisfied with the Truth, they turn to the highest ideals without being deflected by impulses of desire or lust. This underscores the importance of zhikr in man's life. Obviously it would be unreasonable to expect these results just by uttering certain words, for words of the tongue unsupported by a willing heart are of no consequence. Allah Himself has taught us the manner in which a person should remember Him, saying, "And do bring your Lord to remembrance in your very soul, with humility and in reverence, without loudness in words, in the mornings and evening, and be not of those who are unheedful.'' Qur'an 7.205

This verse indicates that doing zhikr in silence and without raising one's voice is better. Once during a journey the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard a group of Muslims supplicating aloud. Thereupon the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Give yourselves a respite, you are not calling upon someone deaf or absent. Surely He Whom you are calling upon is near you and He listens to all. He is nearer to you than the neck of your mount." This hadith underlines the love and awe a person should feel while engaged in zhikr.

A part of this etiquette is the requirement that a person wishing to do zhikr be clean in body and dress, and smell sweet and fragrant. This will give him a fresh zeal and he will feel invigorated. One should face the qiblah during zhikr, for the best assemblies are those that face the Ka'bah.

Fiqh 4.102: Excellence of Assemblies of Zhikr

Joining the assemblies or circles of zhikr is a commendable practice as shown by the following hadith: Ibn 'Umar reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'When you pass by a garden of Paradise, avail yourselves of it.' The Companions asked, 'What are the gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah? ' The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, 'The assemblies or circles of zhikr. There are some angels of Allah who go about looking for such assemblies of zhikr, and when they find them they surround them'."

Muslim reports that Mu'awiyyah said, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, went out to a circle of his Companions and asked, 'What makes you sit here?' They said, 'We are sitting here in order to remember Allah and to praise Him because He guided us to the path of Islam and he conferred favors upon us.' Thereupon he adjured them by Allah and asked if that was the only purpose of their sitting there. 'They said, By Allah, we are sitting here for this purpose only. ' At this the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'I am not asking you to take an oath because of any misapprehension against you, but only because Gabriel came to me and informed me that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, was telling the angels that He is proud of you'."

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri and Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When any group of men remember Allah, angels surround them and mercy covers them, tranquility descends upon them, and Allah mentions them to those who are with Him."

Qatadah reported that Anas ibn Malik said, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'When a human is laid in his grave and his companions return and he hears their footsteps, two angels will come to him and make him sit and ask him, "What did you say about this man, Muhammad, may peace be upon him?" He will say, "I testify that he is Allah's servant and His Messenger." Then it will be said to him, "Look at your place in Hell-Fire. Allah has exchanged for you a place in Paradise instead of it".' The Prophet, peace be upon him, added, 'The dead person will see both his places. As for a non-believer or a hypocrite, he will respond to the angels, "I do not know, but I used to say what the people used to say ! " It will be said to him, "Neither did you know nor did you seek guidance from those who had knowledge." Then he will be hit with an iron hammer between his two ears, and he will cry and that cry will be heard by all except human beings and jinns'." (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When a servant of Allah utters the words la ilaha illa'Allah (there is none worthy of worship except Allah) sincerely, the doors of heaven open up for these words until they reach the Throne of Allah, so long as its utterer keeps away from the major sins.'' (Tirmizhi, who says it is a hasan gharib hadith)

Abu Hurairah also reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Renew your faith." "How can we renew our faith?" they asked. The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, "Say always, 'La ilaha ill-Allah'.'' (Reported by Ahmad with a sound chain of authorities)

Jabir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The best remembrance of Allah is to repeat La ilaha ill-Allah and the best prayer is alhamdu li-Allah (All Praise is due to Allah).'' (Reported by Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim, who considers its chain sound)

Fiqh 4.103: Excellence of Tasbih, Tahmid, Tahlil, Takbir and Other Supplications

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "There are two phrases that are light on the tongue but heavy on the scale of rewards and are dear to (Allah) the Gracious One. These are, subhanallah wa bi-hamdihi (All Glory is to Allah and all Praise to Him), and subhanallah al-azim (Glorified is Allah, the Great).'' (Muslim, Bukhari, and Tirmizhi) Abu Hurairah also reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "I love repeating subhanallah, wal-hamdulillah, wa la-ilaha ill-Allah, wa-Allahu akbar (Glorified is Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and there is no God but Allah, Allah is the greatest) more than all that the sun shines upon.'' (Muslim and Tirmizhi)

Abu Zharr reported, "the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Shall I tell you the words that Allah loves the most?' I said, 'Yes, tell me, O Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'The words most dear to Allah are subhan-Allah wa bihamdihi (Glorified is Allah with all praise due to Him)'." This is narrated by Muslim and Tirmizhi. In Tirmizhi's version, we also find the following: "The words most dear to Allah which He has chosen for His angels are subhana Rabbi wa bihamdihi, subhana Rabbi wa bihamdihi (Glorified is my Lord with all praise due to Him, Glorified is my Lord with all praise due to Him)."

Jabir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever says Subhan-Allah-al-Azim wa bihamdihi (Glorified is Allah, the Great, with all praise due to Him), will have a palm tree planted for him in Paradise.'' (Reported by Tirmizhi who considers it a sound hadith.)

Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Perform the enduring goods deeds more frequently." The asked, "What are these enduring deeds?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, At-Takbir, (Saying Allahu akbar i.e., Allah is the greatest) At-Tahlil, (Saying la ilaha ill-Allah, i.e., there is no god but Allah) At-Tasbih, (Saying subhan-Allah meaning, Exalted and far removed is Allah from any weakness) al-hamdu li-Allah, (This means: All praise belongs to Allah alone) and la hawla wala quwwata illa billah. (There is no power nor any authority except with the permission of Allah) This is reported by An-Nasa'i and Al-Hakim, who consider its chain of authorities sound.

Abdallah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "During the Night Journey I met Ibrahim who said to me, 'O Muhammad, convey my greetings to your ummah, and tell them that the Paradise is of pure land, its water is sweet, and its expanse is vast, spacious and even. And its plants are Subhan-Allah, wal-hamdulillah, wala ilah illallah, wa-Allahu akbar'.''

Samura ibn Jundab reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The dearest phrases to Allah are four: Subhan Allah, (Glorified is Allah), al-Hamdulillah (All praise be to Allah), Wa la ilaha ill-Allah (There is no God but Allah), and Allah-o-Akbar (Allah is the Greatest). There is no harm in beginning them in any order you choose while remembering Allah.'' (Muslim)

Abu Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone recites the last two verses of Surat al-Baqarah, they will suffice for him,'' (Bukhariand Muslim) that is, these two verses will bring him a reward equivalent to that of a night prayer, and will safeguard him from any hurt during that night. Ibn Khuzaimah in his Sahih has also mentioned it under the chapter "The Recitation of the Qur'an Equivalent in Reward to a Night Prayer."

Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked, "Can anyone of you recite a third of the Qur'an during the night?" The Companions considered this rather difficult and they said, "Who among us can do so, O Prophet of Allah?" Thereupon the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "(Say:) He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is he begotten; and there is none like unto Him.'' (The reference here is to recitation of Surah 112 (Suratul Ikhlas) of the Qur'an, which the Prophet, peace be upon him, described as equivalent to reciting one-third of the Qur'an. This hadith is reported by Bukhari, Muslim, and Nasa'i)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever says, 'La llaha illa-Allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in qadir' a hundred times during a day will have a reward equivalent to the reward for freeing ten slaves. Besides, a hundred good deeds will be recorded for him and a hundred bad deeds of his will be wiped off, and it will be a safeguard for him from Satan that day until evening, and no one will be better in deeds than such a person except he who does more than that.'' (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizhi, Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah) In the version of Muslim, Tirmizhi, and Nasa'i, we find this addition: "And whoever says subhan Allah wa bi-hamdihi a hundred times during a day, will have all his sins wiped off even if they were as numerous as the foam on the surface of the sea."

Fiqh 4.105: Excellence of Istighfar

Anas reported that he heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying that Allah says, "O son of Adam, whatever you asked Me and expect from Me I forgave - respecting that which you owed to Me - and I don't care [how great this was]. O Son of Adam, even if your sins pile up to the sky and then you seek My forgiveness I will forgive you, and O son of Adam, even if you have an earthful of sins but you meet Me without associating any other thing with Me I will forgive you.' (Reported by Tirmizhi, who considers it a hasan sahih hadith)

Abdallah b. 'Abbas said, "If one supplicates without fail for forgiveness from Allah, He finds a way out for him to get out of every distress and difficulty, and gives him sustenance through ways utterly unthought of.'' (Reported by Abu Daw'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim, who says its chain of authorities is sound.)

Juwairiyah (One of the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him) reported that one day the Prophet, peace be upon him, left her apartment in the morning as she was busy observing her dawn prayer in her place of worship. He came back in the forenoon and she was still sitting there. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to her, "You have been in the same place since I left you?" She said, "Yes." Thereupon the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "I recited four words three times after I left you and if these were to be weighed against what you have recited since morning these would outweigh them, and these words are: Subhanallah wa bihamdihi 'adada khalqihi wa rida' nafsihi wa zinata 'arshihi wa midada kalimatihi (hallowed be Allah and praise is due to Him to the extent of the number of His creation and to the extent of His pleasure and to the extent of the weight of His Throne and to the extent of ink used in recording words for His Praise).'' (Reported by Muslim and Abu Daw'ud)

Sa'd ibn Abu Waqqas reported that once the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw a woman who had some date-stones or pebbles which she was using as beads to glorify Allah. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to her, "Let me tell you something which would be easier and more excellent for you than that." So he told her to say instead Subhan-Allah 'adada ma khalaqa fil-ard wa subhan Allah 'adada ma khalaqa bayna zhalika wa subhan-Allah 'adada ma huwa khaliq wa Allahu akhar mithla zhalik wa la ilaha illa-Allahu mithla zhalik wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa mithla zhalik (Glory be to Allah as many times as the number of what He has created in Heaven, Glory be to Allah as many times as the number of what He has created on Earth, Glory be to Allah as many times as the number of what He has created between them, Glory be to Allah as many times as the number of that which He is creating, Allah is the most great a similar number of times, praise be to Allah a similar number of times, and There is no god but Allah a similar number of times, and there is no might and no power except with Allah a similar number of times).'' (Reported by the Compilers of the Sunan and Al-Hakim, who says it is a sound hadith according to the criterion of Muslim)

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, told them, "A servant of Allah said 'My Lord! All praise is for You as much as Your Glory and Sublime Majesty rightly deserve. ' This was too much for the two angels to record. They did not know how to record it. So they soared to the heaven and said, 'Our Lord! Your servant has said something which we don't know how to record?' Allah asked them--and, of course, He knew what the servant had said--'What did My servant say?' They said, 'He has said, "My Lord! All praise is for You as much as Your Glory and Sublime Majesty rightly deserve." Allah said to them, ' Write it down as My servant has said until he should meet Me and I reward him for it'.' (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Majah)

Fiqh 4.106: Counting on One's Fingers is Better than Counting Beads

Yusairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, commanded them (the emigrant women) to be regular in remembering Allah by saying, "Allah is the most great," "Glory be to Allah, the Holy," and "There is no God but Allah," and never to be forgetful of Allah and His Mercy, and to count them on their fingers, for the fingers will be questioned and will speak. (Reported in the Sunan and by Al-Hakim with a sound chain of authorities)

Abdallah b. 'Amr b. al-'As reported, "I saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, counting the glorifications of Allah on his right hand's fingers.'' (Reported in the Sunan)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If peopie sit in an assembly in which they do not remember Allah nor invoke a blessing on the Prophet, it will be a cause of grief for them on the Day of Judgment." This is reported by Tirmizhi, who says it is a sound hadith.

In the version of Ahmad, however, we read, "If people sit in an assembly in which they do not remember Allah, it will be a cause of sorrow for them, and if a man is walking and does not remember Allah, it will be a cause of sorrow for him, and if a man lies down on his bed and does not remember Allah, it will be a cause of sorrow for him." Another version says, "It will be a sorrow for them, even if they are given Paradise in reward."

The author of Fath al-'Allam says, "This hadith proves that it is incumbent on one to remember Allah and invoke blessings on the Prophet while sittmg in an assembly, for whether we take the words 'cause of grief or sorrow' to mean torment of fire or any other chastisement, obviously a punishment is incurred only when an obligatory act is neglected or a forbidden act is committed, and here it is both the remembrance of Allah and the invoking of blessings on His Prophet that are apparently incumbent."

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone sits in an assembly where there is much clamor and says before getting up to leave, Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, ashadu an-la illaha illa-anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayka (Glory be to You, O Allah, and I begin with declaring all praise is due to You, I testify that there is no god but You; I ask Your pardon and turn to You in repentance), he will be forgiven any sin that he might have committed while in that assembly. (Tirmizhi and Al-Baihaqi, (Kitab ad-D'wat Al-kabir))

It is related that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The atonement for backbiting [and slander] is to pray for forgiveness of the person who was slandered and to say, 'O Allah, forgive us and him'."

The preferable course in this regard is to pray for forgiveness of the person who was the target of the slander and to mention his good qualities. This will wipe off the effects of such backbiting, and it is not necessary to announce such a thing.

Fiqh 4.109: Injunction on Supplication

Allah has commanded people to call upon Him humbly and sincerely, promising them He will respond to their prayers and fulfill their needs.

Nu'man b. Bashir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Verily supplication is worship." Then he recited the Qur'anic verse, "And your Lord says, 'Call on Me. I will answer your prayer, but those who are too arrogant to serve me will surely find themselves humiliated in Hell!'' Qur'an 40.60. This is reported by Ahmad and Sunan.

'Abdar Razzaq reported from Al-Hasan that the Companions asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, "Where is our Lord?" At this Allah sent down the following verse of the Qur'an, "When My servants ask you (O, Muhammad) conceming Me, I am indeed close to them. I listen to the prayer of every supplicant when he calls upon Me.'' Qur'an 2.186

Abu Hurairah reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Nothing is more dear to Allah than one's supplication to Him.'' (Tirmizhi and Ibn Majah)

Abu Hurairah also reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Whoever wants Allah to answer his prayers during difficult times, should supplicate to Him more and more in times of ease'.'' (Tirmizhi)

Abu Ya'la related from Anas that the Prophet, peace be upon him, reporting from his Lord said, "Allah said, 'There are four characteristics, of which one is Mine, one yours, one common between Me and you, and one is common between you and My other servants. The one that is Mine is that you shall not associate any other god with Me, the one that is for you is that when you do a good deed I shall reward you for it, the one that is common between Me and you is that when you supplicate I shall respond to your supplications, and the one that is common between you and My other servants is that you should like for them what you like for your own selves'."

In a sound hadith the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Allah's wrath is on the one who does not call upon Him for help." 'Aishah reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Precautions are of no avail against the decree of Allah, but the supplication benefits in the case of a calamity that strikes or is about to strike. And when a calamity descends the supplication intercepts it and holds it at bay until the Day of Resurrection'. (Reported by Al-Bazar, At-Tabrani, and Al-Hakim, who says its chain of authorities is sound)

Salman Al-Farisi reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Nothing can avert the decree of Allah except supplication, and nothing increases life except virtuous deeds." (Tirmizhi)

Abu 'Awanah and Ibn Hibban reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When one of you supplicates, he should ask Allah for something important and great, for nothing is difficult for Allah."

Fiqh 4.110: Etiquette of Supplication

There are certain manners that must be observed while making a supplication to Allah. These are given in the following topics.

Ibn 'Abbas reported, "Once, when I recited the verses of the Qur'an, 'O you people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good' (2.168) in the presence of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas got up and said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah to make me one whose supplication is heard.' At this the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'O Sa'd, consume lawful things and your supplications will be heard, and by Him in Whose hands is the soul of Muhammad, when a man puts into his stomach a morsel of what is forbidden his prayers are not accepted for forty days, and a servant of Allah whose body is nourished by usury or by what is forbidden becomes more deserving of the Hell fire." (Al-Hafiz b. Marduwiyah)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "O people, Allah is Good and He, therefore, accepts only that which is good. And Allah commanded the believers as He commanded the Messengers by saying, 'O Messengers, eat of the good things, and do good deeds; verily I am aware of what you do,' Qur'an 23.51 and He said: 'O those who believe, eat of the good things that We gave you'." Qur'an 2.172 The Prophet, peace be upon him, then made mention of a person who travels widely, his hair dishevelled, and covered with dust. "He lifts his hands and makes supplication, 'O Lord, O Lord,' but his diet is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, and his clothes are unlawful, and his nourishment is unlawful. How then can his supplication be accepted?" (Muslim and Ahmad)

Fiqh 4.111: Facing the Qiblah while making a Supplication.

The Prophet (peace be upon him went out and prayed for rain and faced the qiblah.

These are, for instance, the day of 'Arafah, month of Ramadan, Friday, the last part of the night, at dawn, during prostration, at the time of rainfall, between the azhan and iqamah, at the time of encounter of armies, at times of panic, and when one's heart is soft and tender.

Abu Umamah reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, was asked, 'What supplication finds the greatest acceptance?' He answered: 'A prayer offered in the middle of the latter part of the night and after the prescribed Prayers'.' (Reported by Tirmizhi with a sound chain of authorities)

Abu Hurairah reported, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The servant is nearest to his Lord when he is prostrating to Him, so make supplication in this state." (Muslim) There are very many hadith found in various books on this subject.

Ibn 'Abbas is reported as saying, "When asking for something from Allah, you should raise your hands opposite to your shoulders; when asking for forgiveness you should point with one finger; and when making an earnest supplication you should spread out both your hands." This is reported by Abu Daw'ud.

Malik b. Yassar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Supplicate Allah with the palms of your hands, and do not supplicate Him with their backs upwards."

Salman reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Your Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted One, is Modest and Generous, and He loathes to turn away His servant empty-handed when he raises his hands to Him in supplication."

Fudalah b. 'Ubaid reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard a man supplicating during prayer. He did not glorify Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "He has been hasty." Then he called the man and said either to him, or to someone else, "When any one of you prays, he should begin by glorifying and praising his Lord and then he should invoke blessings on the Prophet, peace be upon him, and after that he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes."

Allah says: "Neither say your prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between." Qur'an 17.110 And "Call on your Lord with humility and in private, for Allah does not love those who go beyond bounds." Qur'an 7.55

Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari reported, "Once the people raised their voices in supplication. At this the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'Be easy on yourselves. You are not calling upon someone deaf or absent. Y ou are calling upon one Who is All-seeing and All-hearing. He is nearer to you than the neck of your mount. O Abdallah b. Qais, shall I tell you a word that is one of the treasures of Paradise? It is: "There is no power nor any might except with the permission of Allah''.' (Muslim and Bukhari)

Abdallah b. 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Hearts are like vessels, some more attentive and capacious than others. When you supplicate Allah you should be certain of being answered, and know that Allah does not answer a supplication that comes from a careless and inattentive heart." (Ahmad)

Fiqh 4.112: Supplications without a sin or breaking blood ties.

Ahmad records that Abu Sa'id reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Any Muslim who makes a supplication containing nothing that is sinful and nothing that involves breaking ties of blood relationships, will be given for it by Allah one of these three things: He may accept his request, or assign its reward for him in the next world, or turn away from him an equivalent amount of evil." Those who heard it said, "We would, then, make many supplications." The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, "Allah is more than ready to answer what you ask."

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Your supplication will be answered if you are not impatient, and if you do not say, 'I supplicated but my supplication was not heard'." (Malik)

Abu Hurairah also reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "None of you should say, 'O Allah, forgive me if You wish, (or) O Allah, have mercy on me if you wish.' Rather you should be firm in your request, for (Allah does whatever He wishes) and no one can force Him to do otherwise."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, loved comprehensive supplications but used other supplications as well. The Qur'anic supplication, "Our Lord, give us good in this world, and give us good in the hereafter," is just such a comprehensive supplication.

A man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said, "O Messenger of Allah, which is the best supplication?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Supplicate to your Lord for forgiveness and security in this world and in the Hereafter." He came again the next day, and then again on the following (third) day and asked him the same thing. The Prophet, peace be upon him, gave him the same answer, and then said, "If you are given forgiveness and security in this world and in the Hereafter you have attained success." Another version says: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'No supplication made by a person is better than asking "O Allah, I ask You for security in this world and in the Hereafter"'." (Ibn Majah)

Fiqh 4.113: Avoid Supplicating Against (Cursing) Yourself, your Family, or Property.

Jabir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Do not supplicate against your own selves, your children, your servants, or your property, lest you should supplicate at a time when supplications are accepted."

Abdallah b. Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, loved to repeat his supplication three times, and pray for forgiveness three times." (Abu Daw'ud)

The Qur'an says that the believers pray, "Our Lord, forgive us and our brethren in faith who have preceded us in faith." Ubayy b. Ka'b reported, "When someone requested the Prophet, peace be upon him, to pray for him, he used to begin by supplicating for his own self." (Reported by Tirmizhi with a sound chain of authorities)

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The supplications of three persons are accepted, and there is no doubt concerning their acceptance: the supplication of a father, of a traveller, and of one who is wronged.' (Reported by Ahmad, Abu Daw'ud, and Tirmizhi, with a sound chain of transmitters)

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said, "The supplications of three persons are not rejected: the supplication of a fasting person at the time of breaking fast, of a just ruler, and of a person who is wronged. Allah causes their supplications to rise above the clouds, and gates of heaven are opened for them, and God says, 'By My Majesty, I will help you, even it be after a while'." (Reported by Tirmizhi with a sound chain of authorities)

Fiqh 4.114: Prayer of a Muslim for Another Muslim in his Absence

Safwan ibn 'Abdallah reported, "I visited Abu Darda's house in Syria. I did not find him there but Umm Darda was present at the house. She asked, 'Do you intend to perform Hajj during this year?' I replied, 'Yes.' She said, 'Do supplicate Allah for us, for Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, used to say, "The supplication of a Muslim for his brother in his absence is accepted when he makes a supplication for blessings for his brother, and the commissioned Angel says, 'Amen, May it be for you too!"" I went to the market and met Abu Darda and he narrated a similar report from Allah' s Messenger, peace be upon him. (Reported by Muslim and Abu Daw'ud)

Abdallah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The supplication that gets the quickest answer is the one made by one Muslim for another in his absence.'' (Abu Daw'ud and Tirmizhi)

'Umar ibn al-Khattab reports, "I sought permission of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to perform 'Umrah. He gave me permission, and said, 'My younger brother, do not forget me in your prayers. ' 'Umar said, 'It was a word more pleasing to me than the entire wealth of the world'."

Buraidah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard a man saying, "O Allah, I ask You, I bear witness that there is no god but You, the One, the Etemal, Besought of all, Who begets not, nor is begotten; and there is none like unto Him." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "You have asked Allah by His Greatest Name. When one asks Him by this name, He gives, what one desires, and when supplicated by this name He answers." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud and Tirmizhi, who regards it a sound hadith)

Commenting on the above hadith, Al-Munzhri says, "Our teacher Abu al-Hasan Al-Maqdisi said, 'There is no weakness in its chain, and no other and more sound hadith is found on this subject'."

Mu'azh b. Jabal reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard a man saying, " O Lord of Majesty and Honor!" At this the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Your supplication will be heard, so ask for what you want to ask.'' (Reported by Tirmizhi, who says it is a sound hadith)

Anas reported, "Once the Prophet, peace be upon him, passed by Abu 'Ayyash, Zayd b. as-Samit az-Zarqi, while he was offering prayer and saying, 'O Allah, I call upon You for to You is due all praise, there is no god but You, O the Compassionate One, O the True Benefactor, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of Majesty and Honor, O the Living One, O the One Who is self-subsisting and sustains all.' The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'You have called upon Allah by His greatest name. Anyone calling upon Him by this name is heard, and whatever one asks Him for, He grants it'." (Reported by Ahmad and others. Al-Hakim says that it is sound according to the criterion of Muslim) Mu'awiyah reported, "I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, 'Whoever supplicates with these five phrases will be granted whatever he asks, 'la ilaha illa-Allah wallahu akhar (there is no god but Allah and Allah is the greatest), la ilaha ill-Allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu (there is no god but only Allah, and he has no partners), lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in qadir (to Him belongs the authority and His is all praise, and He has power over all things), la ilaha illa-Allahu wa la hawla wala quwwata illa billah (there is no god but Allah and there is no power nor any strength except with His permission)." (Reported by At-Tabarani with a sound chain)

Fiqh 4.115: Supplications for Morning and Evening

The time for the supplications of morning is from dawn until the sunrise, and those of the evening are meant for the time between 'Asr (late afternoon) until the sunset.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone said in the morning and evening: 'subhana-Allah wa bihamdihi' (Glory to Allah and all praise to Him), a hundred times, on the Day of Judgment none will come with anything better than that except the person who utters similar words or adds some to them."

Ibn Mas'ud reported, "When it was evening the Prophet, peace be upon him, would supplicate, "We have evening and the whole Kingdom of Allah also has evening and all praise is due to Allah. There is no god but Allah, the One Who has no partner with Him, His is the Sovereignty and all Praise is due to Him, and He has power over all things. O Allah, I ask You the good of this night and I seek refuge in You from the evil of this night and the evil that follows it. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from sloth and from the evil of vanity. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the torment of Hell-Fire and from the torment of the grave." And likewise when it was morning he would say, "It is morning for us and [also] for the whole Kingdom of Allah." (Muslim)

Abdallah b. Habib reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Speak." I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what should I say?" He replied, "Recite Surat al-Ikhlas, and the two last surahs (of the Qur'an), i.e. Surat al-Falaq and Surat an-Nas, in the morning and evening three times, and it will suffice you for everything."

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to teach his Companions, "When it is morning you should say, 'O Allah, we have reached morning with Your help and evening with Your help, and with Your help we live and by Your command we die, and to You is our Resurrection.' And when it is evening you should say, 'O Allah, with Your help we have reached evening, and with Your help we will reach morning, with Your help we live and by Your command we die, and to You is our return'." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who says it is a hasan sahih hadith)

Shaddad b. Aws reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The best supplication for forgiveness is to say, 'Allahumma anta Rabbi la ilaha illa anta, Khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka, wa ana 'ala 'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata'tu. A'uzhu bika min sharri ma sana'tu, abu'u laka bini'matika 'alayya wa abu'u laka bizhanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru zhzhunuba illa anta (O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I try my best to keep my covenant (faith) with You and to live in the hope of Your promise. I seek refuge in You from evil done by me. I acknowledge Your favors upon me and I acknowledge my sins. So forgive me for none forgives sins but You."') The Prophet, peace be upon him, added, "If somebody recites this during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be one of the people of Paradise. And if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be one of the people of Paradise." (Bukhari)

Abu Hurairah reported ihat once Abu Bakr as-Siddiq asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, to tell him something to pray in the morning and in the evening. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Say, O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who knows the unseen and the seen, Lord and Possessor of everything! I testify that there is no god but You. I seek refuge in You from the evil within myself, from the evil of the devil, and from his inciting one to attribute partners to Allah." Then he added, "Say this in the morning, in the evening, and when you go to bed."

'Uthman b. 'Affan reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'If any servant of Allah says daily in the morning and in the evening, ' In the name of Allah, by Whose name nothing in the earth or in the heaven can do any harm, and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing!" three times, nothing will harm him.' (Reported by Tirmizhi who regards it a hasan sahih (sound) hadith)

Thawban reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone says in the morning and in the evening, 'I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my religion, and with Muhammad as the Prophet,' Allah will certainly please him." (Tirmizhi, who says it is a sound (hasan sahih) hadith)

Anas b. Malik reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone says in the morning or in the evening, 'O Allah! it is morning, I call to bear witness to You, and to the bearers of Your Throne, Your angels, and all Your creatures, that You are Allah other than Whom there is no god, and that Muhammad is Your servant and Messenger,' Allah will emancipate one-fourth of him from Hell. If one says it twice, Allah will emancipate one-half of him from Hell. If one says it three times, Allah will emancipate three-fourths of him (from Hell). And if he says it four times, Allah will emancipate him (completely) from Hell. (Tirmizhi)

Abdallah ibn Ghannam reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone says in the morning, 'O Allah! Whatever favor has come to me, has come from You alone Who has no partner. To You all praise is due and all thanksgiving,' he expresses his thanksgiving for the day. And if anyone says the same in the evening, he expresses his thanks for the night. (Abu Daw'ud)

Abdallah ibn 'Umar said, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, always uttered these supplications in the evening and in the morning: 'O Allah, I ask You for security in this world and in the Hereafter. O Allah! I ask You for forgiveness and security in my din and in my worldly affairs, in my family and in my property. O Allah! Cover up my faults, and keep me safe from the things I fear. O Allah! Guard me from the front and the behind, from the right and the left, and from above. And I seek in Your greatness the protection from unexpected harm from beneath." (Abu Daw'ud and Al-Hakim) Waki' said, "This means to be swallowed up by the earth."

'Abdur-Rahman b. Abu Bakrah said that he told his father, "O my father! I hear you supplicating every morning with the words: 'O Allah! Grant me sound health. O Allah! Grant me sound hearing. O Allah! Grant me sound eyesight. There is no god but You.'

You repeat them three times in the morning and three times in the evening.' He replied, 'I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, using these words as a supplication and I like to follow his practice'." (Abu Daw'ud)

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone said, 'O Allah, I have risen with Your help, blessings, security, and protection, so complete Your blessings upon me, Your security for me, and your protection, in this world and in the Hereafter,' three times in the morning and in the evening, Allah will certainly complete His favors upon him."

Anas reported that once the Prophet, peace be upon him, exclaimed, "Can't anyone of you be like Abu Damdam?" The Companions asked, "Who is Abu Damdam, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "When he gets up in the morning he says, 'O Allah, I offer my honor and life to You?' So that he would not abuse those who abused him, nor would he wrong those who wronged him, or hit those who hit him."

Abu Darda reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone says daily in the morning and in the evening, 'Allah suffices me, there is no god but He, in Him is my trust, and he is the Lord of the Throne, Supreme,' seven times, Allah will suffice him for all the concerns of the life of this world and of the Hereafter."

It is reported that Talq b. Habib said, "A man came to Abu Darda and said to him, 'O Abu Darda, your house has burned.' He said: 'No, it cannot be burned. Allah will never allow this to happen because of the words that I heard from the Prophet, peace be upon him. Whoever says these words in the beginning of a day, the Prophet, peace be upon him, told us, will not be afflicted by a misfortune until the end of the day, and whoever says these words in the evening will not be afflicted until morning. These words are, "O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You, I put my trust in You, You are the Lord of the Mighty Throne. Whatever Allah wills will happen and what He does not will, cannot happen. There is no power or strength except with Allah, the Exalted, the Mighty. I know that Allah has power over all things, and Allah comprehends all things in knowledge. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the evil of myself and from the evil of all creatures under Your control. Surely the straight way is my Sustainer's way"."'

In some versions of this hadith we further find that he said, "Come, let us go. So he went with them to his house. They found all the area surrounding the house burned but his house was not damaged."

Fiqh 4.119: Supplications at Bed-Time

Huzhaifah and Abu Zharr reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, went to bed, he would say, "O Allah, by Your name I live and die." And when he woke up he said, "Praise be to Allah Who gave us life after death and to Him is the return." He placed his right hand under his cheek and prayed, three times, "O Allah, save me from Your punishment on the day when You will raise Your creature."

He would also say, "O Allah, Lord of the heavens, the earth, and the Mighty Throne, our Lord and the Lord of everything, Who causes the seed to grow and the date-stone to split and sprout, Who sent down Taurah, Injil, and the Qur'an, I seek refuge in You from the evil of all evil-mongers under Your Control. You are the First and there is nothing before You, and You are the Last, and there is nothing after You. You are the Evident and there is nothing beyond You, and You are the Source and there is no power beside You. Relieve us of our debt and poverty." This is reported by Bukhari.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also prayed, "Praise be to Allah Who has fed us and given us to drink, met all our needs, and given us refuge, while there are many who have neither anyone to meet their needs nor anyone to provide them with a refuge." And every night when he retired to bed he would hold out his hands together imploringly and blow over them after reciting Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Falaq, and Surah An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whichever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face, and front of his body. He used to do that three times.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, instructed his Companions that when they go to bed they should supplicate, "In Your name, O Lord, I lay me down to sleep. And by Your leave I raise myself up. So if You take away my soul during sleep, forgive it, and if You keep it alive after sleep protect it just as You protect Your pious servants."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, once advised his daughter, Fatimah, "Say subhan-Allah thirty three times, al-hamdu-lillah, thirty three times, and Allahu akbar, thirty four times." He also commended the recitation of ayatal-Kursi, the verse of the Throne, Qur'an 2.255 along with the above supplications, and said that he who does so will be under the protection of Allah, Who will assign a protector to protect him.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to Bara, "When you go to bed make wudu as you do for the regular prayer, and then lie down on your right side and say, ' O Allah, I surrender my soul to You, and I tum my face toward You, and I trust my affairs to Your care. I turn to You in fear and hope. There is no refuge nor any protection against You except in You. I believe in Your book which You have revealed to Your Prophet whom You sent'." Then he added, "If you die, you will die in your true nature, and these words will be your last words."

Fiqh 4.121: Supplication on Waking Up

The Prophet, peace be upon him, advised that on waking up from sleep one should say, "Thanks be to Allah Who returned my soul, made my body sound, and permitted me to remember Him."

When the Prophet, peace be upon him, woke he would say, "There is no god but You, glory be to You. O Allah, I seek Your forgiveness of my sins, and ask for Your mercy. O Allah, increase me in knowledge, and let not my heart deviate after You have guided me on the right path. Grant me mercy from You, for You are the Grantor of bounties without measure."

In another sound hadith the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever wakes up from sleep and cannot go back to sleep, and says, "La ilaha illa-Allahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa 'ala kulli sha' in qadeer, al-hamdu lillahi, wa subhan'Allah, wa la ilaha illallahu, wallahu akbar, wala hawla wala quwwata illa billah (there is no god but Allah, He is One and has no partner, to Him belongs all praise and all authority, and He has power over all things, praise be to Allah, glory be to Aliah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the greatest, there is no power nor any authority but with Allah),' and then says, 'Allahumma ighfir li (O Allah, forgive me), or asks some other thing, will be answered, and if he makes wudu and offers a prayer it will be accepted from him."

Fiqh 4.122: When One is Frightened During Sleep

'Umar b. Shu'aib reported from his father and he from his grandfather that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When one of you is frightened during sleep he should say, 'I seek protection in the perfect words of Allah, from His displeasure and punishment and from evil people, and from the (evil) prompting of devils and from their presence.' Then nothing will harm him." The narrator added, "Ibn 'Umar used to teach this to his children, both grown up and young, and he would write it on a piece of paper and make them wear it around their necks." The chain of authorities of this hadith is sound.

Khalid b. Walid reported that once he suffered from insomnia. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him, "Shall I teach you words that will make you go to sleep when you say them? Say, 'O Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens and whatever they cover, Lord of the earths and whatever they contain, Creator of devils and whomever they mislead, be my protector from the evil of all Your creatures lest some of them may hasten with insolence against me or transgress the bounds. Honored is he who is in Your protection and blessed be Your name, there is no god except You'.' (Reported by At-Tabrani in his Al-Kahir and Al-Awsat. Its chain is sound, although Abdur-Rahman did not hear it from Khalid. Al-Hafiz al-Munzhari has mentioned it)

Bara' b. 'Azib reported that a man complained to the Prophet, peace be upon him, about fear and depression. The Prophet said to him, 'Say, 'Glory to Allah, the Holy, the King, Lord of the angels and of Gabriel. Your power and glory encompass the heavens and the earth." The man said these words and Allah healed him of his depression and fear.

Jabir reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, -If someone of you sees an unpleasant dream he should spit three times on his left side and seek Allah's refuge from the accursed Satan, and change the side on which he was lying.' (Reported by Muslim, Abu Daw'ud, Nasa-i, and Ibn Majah)

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri reported that he heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, "When someone among you sees a good and pleasing dream, he should know that it is from Allah, and so he should praise and thank Allah, and describe to others what he saw in the dream. But if he sees something he dislikes then it is from Satan, so he should seek Allah's refuge from its evil and should not mention it to anyone. It will not harm him." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who said it is a hasan sahih hadith)

Fiqh 4.123: Prayer On Wearing Clothes

Ibn As-Sinni reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, put on his clothes, whether a shirt, a cloak, or a turban, he would say, "O Allah, I seek from You its goodness and the goodness for which it is made, and I seek Your refuge against its evil and the evil that is apportioned for it."

Mu'azh b. Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone wears a new garment and says, 'All thanks and praise be to Allah, Who clothed me and gave me sustenance, whereas I have no power or strength,' Allah will forgive all his previous sins." To pronounce the name of Allah is also recommended, because anything done without invoking Allah's name is flawed.

Abu Sa'id Al-Khudri reported that when the Prophet, peace be him, got a new piece of garment, he would mention it, whether a turban or a shirt or a cloak, and then would say, "O Allah all praise and thanks be to You. You have given me this garment. I seek from You its good and the good that is made of it and I seek Your refuge against its evil and the evil that it is made of." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud and Tirmizhi, who considers it a sound hadith)

'Umar reported that he heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, say "If anyone wears some new clothing and says, 'all praise and thanks be to Allah Who clothed me to cover my nakedness, and made it a means of adornment for me,' and then takes his old garment and gives it in charity, will be under the protection of Allah and will be treated as if struggling in the cause of Allah, in life and after his death."

According to a sound hadith, the Prophet, peace be upon him, dressed Umm Khalid, a small girl, in a black woolen blanket and said to her, "May you live so long that you will wear out many garments." The Companions used to say, "May you live so long that you wear out this garment and may Allah replace it with a better one." On seeing 'Umar wearing some new clothes the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "May you wear new clothes and may you live nobly and die as a happy martyr.' (Reported by Ibn Majah and Ibn As-Sinni)

Fiqh 4.124: On Discarding a Piece of Clothing

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The barrier between the eyes of the Jinn and the nakedness of the Children of Adam is [created] when a Muslim discards a garment and says, 'In the name of Allah besides Whom there is no other god'." (Ibn As-Sinni)

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When one of you leaves the house he should say, 'In the name of Allah, I put my trust in Allah. There is no power or strength except with Allah.' To him is said, 'This is sufficient for you. You are protected, saved, and guided.' The devil leaves him alone, saying to another devil, 'How can you tackle a man who is guided, saved, and well protected'.' (Abu Daw'ud)

A sound hadith reports the following supplication from Anas: "In the name of Allah, I believe in Allah, and I seek protection of Allah. There is no power or strength except with Allah." (Musnad Ahmad)

Umm Salmah reported that whenever the Prophet, peace be upon him, whenever left her apartment he would look up and then pray, "O Allah, I seek Your refuge against going astray or leading others astray, slipping or causing others to slip, doing wrong or being wronged by others, and behaving arrogantly or being treated arrogantly by others." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who considers it a sound hadith)

Fiqh 4.125: Prayers On Entering One's House

Jabir reported, "I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, 'If a man remembers Allah while entering his house and eating his meals, the devil says to his forces, "You will have no place to sleep or food to eat." But if the person fails to remember Allah while entering his house the devil says to them, "You have found the place to rest at night." And if he does not remember Allah while eating meals, the devil says, "You have found the place to rest and meals to eat.' ' "(Muslim)

Abu Malik Al-Asha'ri reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When a man enters his house he should say, 'O Allah, I seek of You the best of entrance and the best of departure. In the name of Allah we enter and in the name of Allah we go out, and we put our trust in Allah, our Lord,' and then he should greet his family." (Abu Daw'ud)

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him, "O son, when you enter your house say, 'As-Salamu Alaykum (peace be upon you).' It will bring blessing to you and to your family." (Tirmizhi)

On seeing something good and pleasing concerning one's family or property one should say, "Allah's will be done! There is no power or strength except with Allah." (Reported by Ibn As-Sinni) And on seeing in them something unpleasant, he should say, "Praise and thanks be to Allah under all circumstances." Allah says in the Qur'an (18.39), "Why did you not say, as you went into your garden, 'Allah's Will be done! There is no power but with Allah!"'

Anas reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'If for every blessing bestowed by Allah upon his servant in his family or property the servant says, "Allah's will be done! There is no power but with Allah," he will witness no misfortune concerning them except that of death'." (Reported by Ibn As-Sinni)

It is reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, on seeing something good and pleasing used to say, "Praise be to Allah with Whose blessings all good deeds are perfected." And when he saw something that displeased him, he would say, "Praise and thanks be to Allah under all circumstances." (Reported by Ibn Majah. Al-Hakim said, -The chain of this hadith is sound and its narrators are trustworthy)

Fiqh 4.126: On Looking into a Mirror

'Ali reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, looked into a mirror he would say, "Praise and thanks be to Allah. O Allah, make me good mannered as You made me good looking." (Reported by Ibn As-Sinni) Anas reported that whenever the Prophet, peace be upon him, looked at his face in the mirror, he would say, "Praise be to Allah Who fashioned my nature and gave it a perfect form, and Who honored my face and made it good, and made me one of the Muslims."

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "If one sees an afflicted person and says, 'Praise and thanks be to Allah Who has saved me from what he has afflicted you with, and has honored me over many of His creatures,' he will be saved from that affliction." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who considers it sound)

An-Nawawi states that the scholars said, "One should say the above mentioned supplication inaudibly so that the afflicted person should not hear it, lest he should be grieved by it. But if the affliction is the result of his sinful conduct then there is no harm in his listening if he is not heedful of evil."

Fiqh 4.127: On Hearing the Sound of a Cock, a Donkey, and a Dog

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, -Seek refuge with Allah against the devil when you hear the sound of a donkey, for it sees the devil, and when you hear a cock, pray to Allah for His bounty, for it sees an angel.' (Bukhan and Muslim)

Abu Daw'ud's version reads, "When you hear the barking of dogs and braying of donkeys during the night seek the refuge of Allah from them, for they see what you don't."

Abu Hurairah reported, "I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, "The wind is a blessing from Allah. It brings mercy as well as punishment. So when you see it do not abuse it, and ask Allah for its good, and seek refuge with Allah against its evil'." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud with a sound chain of narrators)

'Aishah reported that whenever the wind blew, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would supplicate, "O Allah, I ask You for its good, and the good that is in it, and the good of what it is sent with, and I seek Your refuge against its evil, and the evil it is sent with." (Muslim)

Ibn 'Umar reported that whenever the Prophet, peace be upon him, heard the sound of thunder or lightning he would say, "O Allah, do not destroy us with Your wrath nor let us perish with Your punishment, and save us before it comes to pass." (Reported by Tirmizhi, by its chain of authorities is weak)

'Abdallah b.'Umar reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw moon he would say, "Allah is the Greatest! O Allah, make it shine upon us in peace, faith, security, safety, and with the power to do what You love and are pleased with! O moon! Your Lord and our Lord is Allah." (At-Tabarani)

Qatadah reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw the moon, he would say, "You are the new moon of goodness and guidance, the new moon of goodness and guidance. I believe in Allah Who created you." He said this three times. And then he would add, "Praise be to Allah Who caused such and such month to go by in this manner and brought another month (which he named)." This is reported by Abu Daw 'ud.

Fiqh 4.128: Supplications of Sorrow and Grief

Ibn 'Abbas reported, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, at times of sorrow and grief used to supplicate, La iliha illa Allah Al-'Azim, Al-'Alim, la ilaha illa Allah, Rabbul 'arshil 'Azim, la ilaha illa Allahu, Rabbus-Samawati wa rabbul ardi wa rabbul 'arshi karim (There is no god but Allah, the Mighty, the Forbearing, there is no god but Allah, the Lord of the mighty throne, there is no god but Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and the Lord of the throne of honor)'." This is reported by Bukhari and Muslim.

Anas said that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, was faced with a serious difficulty, he would always supplicate, "Ya Hayyu, ya Qayyumu, bi-rahmatika astaghithu (O the Living, O the Eternal, I seek help in Your grace). (Tirmizhi)

Abu Hurairah reported that whenever the Prophet, peace be upon him, was faced with a serious difficulty, he would raise his head to the sky and supplicate, "Subhan-Allah al-'Azim (glory be to Allah, the Mighty)." And when he implored seriously and strongly, he would say "Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum (O the Living, the Eternal One)." (Tirmizhi)

Abu Bakrah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The supplications of distress are, 'Allahumma rahmataka arju, fala takilni ila nafsi tarfata 'ain, wa aslah li sha'ni kullahu, la ilaha illa anta (O Allah, I hope for Your mercy, so give me not over to my self even for as little as wink of an eye, and set right all my affairs, there is no god but You)." (Abu Daw'ud)

Asma, daughter of 'Amais, reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked her, "Shall I tell you words that you may say in times of pain or distress. These are, 'Allah, Allah, Rabbi la ushriku bihi shai'an (Allah, Allah, my Lord, I associate none with Him)." Another narration says that these words should be said seven times. (Abu Daw'ud)

Sa'd ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The supplication made by the Companion of the Fish (Prophet Yunus) in the belly of the fish was, 'La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu minaz-zalimin (there is no god but You, You are far exalted and above all weaknesses, and I was indeed the wrongdoer)'.

If any Muslim supplicates in these words, his supplication will be accepted." In another report we read, "I know words that will cause Allah to remove one's distress. These are the words (of supplication) of my brother Yunus, peace be upon him,'' (Tirmizhi)

Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If any servant of Allah afflicted with distress or grief makes this supplication, his supplication will be accepted: 'O Allah, I am Your servant, son of Your servant, son of your maidservant. My forehead is in Your hand. Your command conceming me prevails, and Your decision concerning me is just. I call upon You by every one of the beautiful names by which You have described Yourself, or which You have revealed in Your book, or have taught anyone of Your creatures, or which You have chosen to keep in the knowledge of the unseen with You, to make the Qur'an the delight of my heart, the light of my breast, and remover of my griefs, sorrows, and afflictions'." A supplication in these words will be answered. Allah will remove one's affliction and replace it with joy and happiness. (Reported by Ahmad and Ibn Hibban)

Fiqh 4.130: On Encountering the Enemy, and When One is Afraid of the Ruler

Abu Musa narrated that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, feared a people, he used to supplicate against them in these words, "O Allah, we request you to kill them and we seek Your protection against their evil.' (Abu Daw'ud and Nasa'i)

Ibn As-Sinni reported that in a battle the Prophet, peace be upon him, supplicated, "O Master of the Day of Judgment, I worship You alone, and seek only Your help." Anas remarked, "I saw the angels fighting against his enemies and defeating them left and right."

It is also reported from Ibn 'Umar that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When you are afraid of a ruler or someone else, you should say, 'There is no god but Allah, the Forbearing, the Gracious. Glory be to Allah, my Lord, glory be to Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens and of the mighty throne. There is no god but You, strong is your protection, and great is Your praise'."

Ibn 'Abbas said, "Hasbuna-Allah wa ni'am alwakil (Allah suffices us for everything and He is the most excellent guardian)," and then he added, "These words were uttered by the Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, when he was thrown into the fire, and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said these words when the people informed him, 'The people have gathered against you'." (Bukhari)

'Awf b. Malik reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, judged the case of two men. The one who lost the case, turning away to go, said, "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best guardian." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him, "Allah disapproves of weakness and impotence. You must put in effort and work, but if you are overwhelmed by a difficulty then say, 'Allah is sufficient for me, and he is the most excellent guardian'."

Fiqh 4.131: When One is Confronted with a Difficult Situation

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to supplicate, "O Allah, there is no ease except what You make easy, and you alone can turn a difficulty into ease." (Ibn As-sinni)

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When you leave your house and are afflicted with hardship, why don't you pray, 'In the name of Allah respecting myself, my property, and my din. O Allah, cause me to be satisfied and pleased with Your decree, and bless me in whatis decreed for me, so that I will not want to hasten what You have delayed, nor to delay what You have hastened'." (Ibn As-Sinni)

'Ali related that a slave, who had agreed on terms of his freedom with his master, came to him and said, "I cannot pay my master as I agreed in the terms of freedom, so help me." 'Ali said to him, "Let me teach you the supplication that the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught me. If you say it, Allah will cause your debt to be paid even if it be as great as a mountain. Say, 'O Allah, make Your lawful bounties sufficient for me so as to save me from what is unlawful, and from Your grace grant me sufficient abundance to make me free from the need of all except You'." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who considers it sound)

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported, "One day the Prophet, peace beupon him, entered the mosque. He saw there a man from the Ansar called Abu Umamah. He asked, 'What is the matter with you that I see you sitting in the mosque when it is not the time of prayer.' He replied, 'I am very much worried and in great debt, O Messenger of Allah!' The Prophet said, 'Let me teach you words to say so that Allah will remove your worries and settle your debt?' He exclaimed, 'Of course, O, Messenger of Allah.' The Prophet said, 'Say in morning and evening, "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from all worry and grief. I seek refuge in You from incapacity and slackness. I seek refuge in You from cowardice and niggardliness, and I seek refuge in You from being overcome by debt and being subjected to men".' The man said, 'When I did that, Allah removed all my worries and settled my debt'." (Abu Daw'ud)

Fiqh 4.132: When One is Faced with Something Difficult or Unpleasant

Abu Hurairah related that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When one of you is afflicted with any misfortune he should say, 'Ina li llahi wa inna 'ilayhi Raji'un (We are for Allah, and to Him is our return),' even if it be merely losing one's shoe straps, for this is also a misfortune." (Ibn As-Sinni)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, but cherish what gives you benefit in the Hereafter and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don't say, 'If I had not done that, such and such thing would not have happened,' but say, 'Allah has ordained it so, and whatever He pleases He does,' because 'ifs' and 'buts' open the door for Satan."(Muslim)

Abu Hurairah reported that Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said, "Satan comes to you and says, 'Who created so-and-so, until finally he says, 'Who created your Lord?' So, when he inspires such a doubt, one should seek refuge with Allah and give up such thoughts.'' (Bukhari and Muslim)

Another sahih hadith reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The people will continue raising questions until they ask, 'Allah created the creation, but who created Allah?' So whoever is faced with such a situation should say, 'I believe in Allah and His messengers'."

Fiqh 4.133: When One is Angry

Sulaiman b. Sard said, "I was sitting with the Prophet, peace be upon him, when two men abused each other and one of them became so angry that his face became swollen and changed. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'I know a word that that will cause him to relax, and this is, "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the accursed." (If he said these words) his anger will cool down.' (Muslim aud Bukhari)

'Aishah says that the Prophet, peace be upon him, loved the short but comprehensive, meaningful supplications, more than others. We give below some of these supplications, which are a must for every believer.

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, frequently prayed, "O Allah, give us all the good of this world, and the good of the life hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the fire."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, visited one of the Muslims who had become as feeble as a chicken, and inquired about his health. Allah's Messenger, peace be him, asked, "Did you supplicate Allah for anything or beg Him for it?" He replied, "Yes, I asked in these words, 'O, God punish me in this world with the punishment that You are going to inflict on me in the Hereafter'." Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, remarked, "Hallowed be Allah! You have neither the power nor the forbearance to take upon yourself the burden of Allah's punishment. Why did you not say this, 'O Allah, grant us all the good of the world, and all the good of the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of the fire?"' Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, made this supplication for him and he was all right. (Muslim)

Sa'd ibn Abu Waqqas heard his son praying, "O Allah, I ask You for Paradise and its blessings and its pleasure, and for such-and-such, and such-and-such. I seek refuge in You from Hell, from its chains, from its collars, and from such-and-such, and from such-and-such." At this Sa'd said, "You have asked Allah for a lot of good, and sought His refuge from a lot of evil. I heard Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, saying, 'There will be people who will exaggerate in supplication. For you it is sufficient to say, "O Allah, I seek from You all the good, whether I know it or I do not know it, and I seek Your refuge from all the evil, whether I know it or I do not know it.' (Ahmad and Nasa'i)

'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed to Allah, "My Lord, help me and do not turn against me. Grant me victory, and do not grant victory over me. Plan on my behalf and do not plan against me. Guide me, and make the guidance easy for me. Grant me victory over those who act wrongfully toward me. O Allah, make me grateful to You, mindful of You, in awe of You, devoted to your obedience, humble, penitent, and ever turning to You in repentance. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sins, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, guide my heart, make my tongue true, and draw out malice from my breast."

Zaid ibn Arqam said, "I am not going to say anything except what Allah's Messenger, may peace be upon him, used to say. He used to supplicate, 'O Allah, I seek refuge in You from incapacity, from sloth, from cowardice, from miserliness, from old age, and from the torment of the grave. O Allah, grant my soul righteousness, and purify it, for You are the Best Purifier. You are the Protecting friend, and Guardian. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that does not fear You, from a soul that is uncontented, and from supplication to which You do not respond." (Muslim)

The Prophet, peace be upon him, exclaimed to his Companions, "O people, would you like to be serious in your supplications?" They replied, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger." He said, "Then ask Him, 'O Allah, help us in remembring You, in offering thanks to You, and in worshipping You properly'.' (Al-Hakim)

Ahmad reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, advised: "Recite frequently, "Ya zha al-jalali w al-ikram (O, Possessor of Majesty and sublimity)"'.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also used to say, "O Controller of the Hearts, make my heart firm in Your faith. The balance is in the hands of the Beneficent, the Exalted, the Mighty, and He honors some and brings others low thereby. (Ahmad)

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to supplicate, "O Allah, I seek refuge in You against deprivation of Your bounties, against loosing Your security, against the suddenness of Your wrath, and against everything that might cause Your anger."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say, "O Allah, benefit me with what You have taught me, and teach me what is beneficial for me, and increase me in knowledge. Thanks be to Allah under all circumstances, and I seek Allah's refuge from the plight of the people of the fire.' (At-Tirmizhi)

When (his daughter) Fatimah came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, asking him to give her a servant, he said, "Say, 'O Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens, and the magnificent throne, our Lord and the Lord of all things, the Revealer of the Torah, Injil, and the Qur'an, The Splitter and Grower of the seed grain and date stone, I seek Your refuge against the evil of all things that You hold under Your control. You are the First, there is nothing before You. You are the Last, and there is nothing after You. You are the Manifest and there is nothing above You, You are Innermost and there is nothing beyond You. Remove the burden of debt from us and relieve us from want'.' (Muslim)

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also used to supplicate, "O Allah, I beseech You for guidance, virtuousness, chastity, and detachment from the world."

'Abdallah Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, seldom left an assembly without using these supplications for his Companions: "O Allah, apportion to us the fear of You that will stand between us and acts of disobedience to You, and the obedience to You that will bring us to Your Paradise, and the certainty sufficient for You to make the calamities of this world easy for us. Grant us enjoyment of our hearing, our sight, and our power as long as You grant us life, and do the same for those who inherit from us. Grant us victory over those who have wronged us and help us against those who are hostile to us. Let no calamity befall our din, do not let worldly affairs become our greatest concern or all that we know about, and do not let those rule over us who do not show us mercy." (Reported by Tirmizhi, who considers it a sound hadith)

Fiqh 4.136: Invoking Blessings on the Prophet

Allah says, "Allah and His angels send blessings to the Prophet, O you who believe! Send blessings to him, and salute him with all respect."

Abual-'Aliyah said, "Allah's sending blessings to the Prophet, peace be upon him, means that He praises him in front of the angels, and the blessings of angels mean their supplications invoking blessings on the Prophet.' (Bukhari) Sufian Al-Thawri and other scholars said, "Blessings of the Lord mean His mercy, and the blessings of the angels refer to their supplications and seeking forgiveness." (Tirmizhi) Commenting on the Qur'anic verse 33.56, Ibn Kathir said, "In this verse Allah, the Exalted, informed His servants about the revered status that His Prophet and servant occupies with Him in the higher assembly. He revealed that He praises him in the company of the angels close to Him, and that the angels pray for him, and that He has commanded the inhabitants of the lower world to send their salutations and greetings to the Prophet, so that the lower and the higher worlds would join together in his praise. On this subject there are many hadith. Some of these are given below:

Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-'As reported that he heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, saying, "If anyone invokes blessings upon me once, Allah will bestow blessings upon him ten times over." (Muslim)

Ibn Mas'ud reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The people nearest to me on the Day of Judgment will be the ones most conscientious in invoking blessings upon me." Tirmizhi reported this hadith, and he considers it a sound hadith. The words "nearest to me" here mean the ones most deserving of the Prophet's intercession and nearest to him in station.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Do not turn my grave into a site of festivities, but send greetings to me for your greetings are raised to me wherever you might be." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud with a sound chain of authorities)

Aus reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The best of your days is Friday, so send more and more greetings to me on it, for your greetings are presented to me." They asked, "How are our greetings presented to you while you are dead and your body is turned into dust?" He replied, "Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets." (Abu Daw'ud and Nasa'i)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When any Muslim sends greetings to me, Allah returns my soul to me so that I may respond to his greetings." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud with a sound chain of authorities)

Ahmad recorded that Abu Talha Al Ansari said, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, woke up one day cheerful and beaming. His companions exclaimed, 'O Prophet of Allah, you woke up today cheerful and beaming.' He replied, 'Yes! A messenger of Allah, the Mighty and the Glorified, came to me and said, "If anyone from your ummah sends you a salutation, Allah will record for him ten good deeds, wipe off ten of his sins, and raise him thereby ten degrees in rank, and He will return his salutation with a similar salutation".' Ibn Kathir considers this a sound hadith.

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever desires to be given (his reward) in full measure, should send salutations to us - the members of my family - and should say, 'O Allah, shower blessings upon Muhammad, the Prophet, his wives, the mothers of the believers, his descendants, and the members of his family, as you showered blessings upon the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praiseworthy and Glorious." (Related by Abu Daw'ud and Nasa'i)

Abu ibn Ka'ab said, "When two-thirds of the night had passed, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would get up and say, 'O people, remember Allah, remember Allah. The great commotion has come, followed by more commotions. Death has come with all that it has in store. Death has come with all that it has in store.' I said, 'O messenger of Allah, I invoke blessings to you a great deal. How much of my prayer should I reserve for invoking [such] blessings upon you?' The Prophet replied, 'Whatever you want.' I asked, 'A quarter of it?' He said, 'Whatever you wish. If you increase it, that would be better for you.' I asked, 'Half of it?' He repeated, 'Whatever you wish, but if you increase it, that would be better for you.' I asked, 'Two-thirds of it?' He said, 'Whatever you wish. If you increase it, that would be better for you.' I said, 'I devote my whole prayer to invoking blessings on you (i.e. I pray for you wherever I am).' He concluded, 'Thus will you be relieved of your anxiety, and your sins forgiven'." (Related by Tirmizhi)

Fiqh 4.138: Sending Salutations to the Prophet on Hearing His Name. Is this Obligatory?

Some Muslim scholars hold that it is obligatory to send salutations to the Prophet, i.e. invoke blessings upon him, each time one hears his name mentioned. They, like Al-Tahawi and Al-Halimi, base their argument on a hadith recorded by Tirmizhi, which he grades as sound, from Abu Hurairah, that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "May the nose of the person in whose presence I am mentioned be covered with dirt if he does not invoke blessings upon me. And let the nose of that person be smeared with dust who finds the month of Ramadan but lets it come to an end without securing pardon for himself. And may the nose of the person be smeared wlth dust whose aged parents, both of them or one of them, are still living, and who fails them (i.e. by serving them) to enter Paradise." (Related by Tirmizhi, who said it is an authentic hadith)

In a report related by Abu Zharr we read, "the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 'The most miserly among people is the one who fails to invoke blessings upon me when my name is mentioned in his or her presence'."

Other scholars are of the opinion that invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, only once while in a gathering is obligatory. After that it is no longer necessary, though it is preferred to do so. This is based on a hadith from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If some people sitting together in an assembly do not remember Allah in it, nor invoke Allah's blessings upon His Prophet, peace be upon him, they will be sorry on the Day of Judgment. Allah may either punish them or forgive them." (Tirmizhi)

Fiqh 4.139: Invoking Allah's Blessings Upon the Prophet when Writing his Name

The scholars hold it desirable to invoke Allah's blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, each time one writes his name. But this is not mentioned in any hadith, so none can be used to support this view. Al Khatib al-Baghdadi said, "I saw the handwriting of Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and I found that often he wrote the name of the Prophet, peace be upon him, without invoking Allah's blessings upon him." Then he added, "It has come to my knowledge that he used to invoke Allah's blessings upon the Prophet verbally."

An-Nawawi said, "When invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him, we should combine prayers for peace and blessings upon him (by saying Salalahu 'alaihi was sallam), and should not confine it to one of these saying either Sallahu 'alaihi (May Allah shower His blessings upon him) or 'Alaihi as-salaam (peace be upon him)'."

It is preferred to invoke Allah's blessings upon the Prophets and angels separately. As to others than the Prophets, there is consensus among scholars that Allah's blessings may be invoked for them along with others (but not separately). The statement of the Prophet, peace be upon him, has been cited above, "O Allah invoke blessings on Muhammad, the Prophet, and his wives, the mothers of the believers ..." It is disliked, however, to invoke blessings for them on their own. For instance, one should not say, "Umar, may Allah shower His blessings upon him."

Abu Mas'ud Al-Ansari reported the following account from Bashir ibn Sa'd: "I asked Prophet, peace be upon him, 'O Messenger of Allah, Allah has commanded us to invoke blessings upon you. How should we do it?' The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, remained silent until we wished we had not asked him. Then he told us to say,

'Allahumma salli 'ala muhammadin wa 'ala ali muhammadin kama sallayta 'ala ali ibrahima wa barik 'ala muhammadin wa 'ala ali muhammadin kama barakta 'ala ibrahima wa 'ala ali ibrahima fil 'alamin, innaka hammidum majeed (O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Ibrahim, and give baraka to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You gave baraka to the family of Ibrahim, in all the worlds. You are worthy of Praise and Glorious), and then he told us to give the taslim as you have learned it." (Muslim)

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said, "When you invoke blessings upon the Prophet do it in the best manner, because you don't know whether or not your blessings may be presented to him. The Companions asked him to teach them how to do it. He replied, ' Say, "Allahumma 'ij'al salawataka wa rahmataka wa barakataka 'ala sayyidil mursalin, wa imamal mutaqadimin wa khatimin nahiyyin muhammadin 'abduka wa rasuluka imamal khair wa qaidil khair wa rasulir rahmati. Allahumma b'athu maqaman yaghbatuhu bihil awalun. Allahumma salli 'ala muhammadin wa 'ala ali muhammadin kama sallaita 'ala ibrahima wa ali ibrahima innaka hamidum majeed . Allahumma barik 'ala muhammadin wa 'ala ali muhammadin kama barakta 'ala ibrahima wa 'ala ali ibrahima innak hamidum majeed (O Allah, shower Your blessings, mercy, and favors on the Chief of the Messengers, and the Chief of the Foremost, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, Your servant and Your Messenger, the leader of the virtuous, the chief of the virtuous, the Messenger of Mercy, grant him a station that is the happy goal of the most excellent, O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, give baraka to Muhammad and his family as you gave baraka to Ibrahim and his family, You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious"'." (Ibn Majah)

Fiqh 4.140: Going on a Journey

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Travel and be sound in health, and fight (in the cause of Allah) and be enriched." (Ahmad. Almanawi considers this a sound hadith)

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "No one leaves his home without two banners waiting at his door, one of them in the hands of an angel and the other in the hands of a devil. If he intends to do what pleases Allah the angel will follow him with his standard, and he will remain under the banner of the angel until he returns to his house, but if he sets out for what displeases Allah the devil with his banner will follow him about, and he will remain under the devil's banner until he returns to his house." (Ahmad and At-Tabarani. Its chain of authorities is sound)

Fiqh 4.141: Consultation and Istikharah Before Setting out on a Journey

Istikhara (Arabic) means to ask Allah to guide one to the right thing concerning any affair in one's life, especially when one has to choose between two permissible alternatives. A traveller should consult good righteous persons before setting out on a journey, because Allah says, "And consult them (O Prophet) in affairs (of moment)," (Qur'an 3.159) and one of the characteristics of the believers is that "they (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation" (Qur'an 42.38).

Qatadah said, "Every people who seek the pleasure of Allah and consult with one another are guided to the best course in their affairs."

The traveller should also make istikharah and seek guidance from Allah. Sa' d ibn Waqas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Istikharah (seeking guidance from Allah) is one of the distinct favors (of Allah) upon man, and a good fortune for the son of Adam is to be pleased with the judgment of Allah. And a misfortune of the son of Adam is his failure to make istikharah (seeking Allah's guidance), and a misfortune for the son of Adam is his displeasure with the judgment of Allah." Ibn Taimiyyah said, "He who seeks guidance from the Creator and consults the creatures will never regret it."

For this purpose one should pray two non-obligatory raka'at of prayer, even if they are of the regular sunnah prayers or a prayer for entering the mosque, and so on, during any time of the day or night. One should recite in them whatever one wishes of the Qur'an, after reciting al-Fatihah. Then one should praise Allah and invoke blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him. After this one should supplicate to Allah with the following supplication, which Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah has reported from the Prophet, peace be upon him, when he related, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, taught us how to make Istikharah in all (our) affairs, just as he taught us various surahs of the Qur'an. He told us, 'If anyone of you considers doing something he should offer a two-rak'at prayer other than the obligatory prayers, and then say (after the prayer), "Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi'ilmika. wa astaqdiruka bi-qudratika, wa as'aluka min fadlika al-azimfa-innaka taqdiru wala aqdiru, wa ta'lamu wala a ' lamu, wa anta 'allamu-l-ghuyub. Allahumma, in kunta ta' lamu anna hazhaI-amra khairun lifi dini wa ma'ashi wa aqibati amri (or 'ajili amri wa'ajilihi) f aqdirhu li wa yas-sirhu li thumma barik li fihi, wa in kunta ta'llamu anna hazha-l-amra sharrun lifi dini wa ma'ashi wa-aqibati amri (orfi'ajili amri wa ajilihi) fasrifhu anni was-rifni'anhu. Wa aqdir li al-khaira haithu kana thumma ardini bihi (O Allah ! I ask guidance from Your knowledge, and Power from Your Might and I ask for Your great blessings. You are capable and I am not. You know and I do not and You know the unseen. O Allah! If You know that this thing is good for my din and my subsistence and for my Hereafter - (or say, If it is better for my present and later needs) - then ordain it for me and make it easy for me to obtain, and then bless me in it. If You know that this thing is harmful to me in my din and subsistence and in the Hereafter--(or say, If it is worse for my present and later needs)--then keep it away from me, and keep me away from it. And ordain for me whatever is good for me, and make me satisfied with it)."' The Prophet, may peace be upon him, added that then the person should mention his need."

There is nothing authentic concerning anything specific that is to be recited in the prayer nor is there any authentic report concerning how many times one should repeat it.

An-Nawawi holds that "after making istikharah, a person must do what he is wholeheartedly inclined to do and feels good about doing and should not insist on doing what he had desired to do before making the istikharah. And if his feelings change, he should leave what he had intended to do, for otherwise he is not leaving the choice to Allah, and would not be honest in seeking aid from Allah's power and knowledge. Sincerity in seeking Allah's choice, means that one should completely abandon what one desired oneself."

Fiqh 4.142: Traveling on Thursday is Preferred

Bukhari reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, seldom set out on a journey except on Thursday.

Al-Mut'am ibn al-Miqdam reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "No one leaves anything behind with his family better than the two raka'at of prayers that he offers with them while intending to go on a journey." (At-Tabarani and Ibn 'Asakir as a mursal hadith)

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, forbade loneliness, i.e., that a man should sleep alone at night, or go on a journey alone. (Ahmad)

Umar ibn Shu'aib reported from his father and he from his grandfather that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "A single horseman (traveller) is a devil, two are two devils, but three are a caravan."

Fiqh 4.143: Bidding Farewell to One's Relatives, Asking them for Prayers, and Praying for Them

Abu Hurairah reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Anyone intending to go on a journey should say to those staying behind, 'I commend you to Allah Whose trusts are never lost'." (Ibn As-Sinni)

'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When something is entrusted to the care of Allah, He guards it." (Ahmad)

It is reported from Abu Huraraih that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "When one of you intends to go on a journey, he should bid farewell to his brothers, for Allah will make their prayers a means of good."

It is sunnah that the members of the family, as well as the friends and those who see the traveller off should pray for him as in the following prayer transmitted from the Prophet.

Salim reported that when someone wanted to leave for a journey 'Ibn Umar would say to him, "Come over to me so that I may bid you farewell as the Prophet, peace upon him, used to bid us farewell," and that he used to say, "To Allah I commend your din (Islam), your trust (That is his family, those he leaves behind, and his property), and the conclusion of your deeds."'

In another report we read that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, bid farewell to a man he would hold his hand and would not leave it until the man himself dropped the Prophet' s hand. The rest of the hadith is similar to the one given above. Tirmizhi considers this a sound (hasan sahih) hadith.

Anas reported that a man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said, "O Allah's Messenger, I intend to go on a journey, so please give me provision for the journey." The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, "May Allah provide you with piety (taqwa)." The man said, "Give me some more provision." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "And may Allah forgive your sins." The man said, "Give me still more." The Prophet, peace be upon him, then replied, "And may Allah facilitate good for you wherever you may be." Tirmizhi considers this a sound hadith. (Reported by Abu Daw'ud and Tirmizhi, who considers it to be a sound, hasan sahih, hadith)

Abu Hurairah reported that a man said to the Prophet, peace be upon him, "O Allah's Messenger, I intend to proceed on a journey, so give me some advice." The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to him, "Fear Allah, the Mighty and the Exalted, and glorify Him on every elevated piece of ground." When the man turned away to go, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "O Allah, make the distance short for him, and make his journey easy for him." Tirmizhi considers this a sound hadith.

Fiqh 4.144: Asking the Traveller "Pray for Us"

'Umar ibn al-Khattab reports, "I sought permission of the Prophet, peace be upon him, to perform 'umrah. He gave me permission and said, 'My brother, do not forget me in your prayers' ." 'Umar reported further, "This was a word more pleasing to me than the entire wealth of the world." (Reported by Abu Daw'ud and Tirmizhi, who holds it to be a sound hadith)

It is preferred for a traveller to say when leaving home, "Bismillahi tawakaltu 'alallah wa la haula wala quwwata illa billah, Allahumma inni auzhu bika an adilla au udalla au azilla au uzalla au azlima au uzlama au aj-hala au yuj-hala 'alayya (In the name of Allah, I repose my trust in Allah, and there is neither power nor any might except with Allah. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from leading others astray or being led astray, causing others to slip or being caused to slip by others, or doing wrong or be wronged by others, or behaving foolishly or being treated foolishly by others)." The traveller may choose whatever he wants from the supplications reported from the Prophet, peace be upon him. Some of these supplications are given below.

Ibn ' Abbas reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, proceeded on journey, he would say, "O Allah, You are the Companion in the journey, and the One Who looks after the family. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from worthless companions on the journey, and from finding harm when I return, O Allah, make the length of the journey short for us, and the journey easy for us." And when he returned he would say, "We are returning repentant, worshipping our Lord and praising Him." And when he went to his family he would say, "Repentant, repentant, we return to our Lord, the sin visits us not." (Reported by Ahmad, At-Tabarani, and Al-Bazar with a sound chain of authorities)

Abdullah ibn Sarjis reported that when Allah's Messenger, may peace be upon him, set forth on a journey, he would say, "O Allah, I seek refuge (with You) from the hardships of the journey and finding evil changes on my return, and disgrace after honor, and the curse of the oppressed, and a sad disarray in my property and family." And when he retumed he would use similar words, except that he would mention his family before his property, and would say "... a sad disarray in my family and property.' (Ahmad and Muslim)

Fiqh 4.145: What a Traveler Should Say on Riding

'Ali ibn Rabi'a reported that a riding animal was brought for 'Ali to ride. When he put his foot in the stirrups he said, "In the name of Allah." When he was seated on it he said, "Glory to Him Who has subjected this (means of transportation) to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). And to our Lord, surely, must we return." (Qur'an 43.13-14) Then he praised Allah three times, and glorified Him (i.e. said Allahu akbar), and then said, "Subhanaka la ilaha illa ant, qad zalamtu nafsi, faghfirli, innahu la yaghfiru zhunuba illa anta (Glory to You (O Allah), there is no god but You, I have indeed wronged my soul, so forgive me, verily none can forgive sins except You)." Then he laughed, whereupon I asked him, "Why did you laugh, O Chief of the Believers?" He replied, "I saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, doing as I did." At this I asked him, "Why did you laugh, O Allah's messenger?" He replied, "Our Lord is pleased when his servant says ' My Lord, forgive me, ' and He says, 'My servant knows that there is none to forgive sins except Me'." (Reported by Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim, who said it is sound according to the criterion of Muslim)

Al-Azdi recorded Abdullah Ibn 'Umar's narration that whenever Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, mounted his camel to set out on a journey, he glorified Allah (uttered Allah-o-Akbar) three times, and then said, "Glory to Him Who has subjected these to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). And to our Lord, surely, must we return. O Allah, we seek virtue and piety from You on this journey of ours, and actions that please You. O Allah, lighten this journey of ours, and make its distance easy for us. O Allah, You are (our) companion during the journey, and guardian of (our) family. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the hardship of the journey, the gloominess of the sights, and from finding misfortunes in property and family on our return." And the Prophet, peace be upon him, uttered these words in addition, "We are returning repentant, worshipping our Lord and praising Him." (Ahmad and Muslim)

Fiqh 4.146: What a Traveler Should Say at Nightfall

Abdullah ibn 'Umar reported that when the Prophet, peace be upon him, was travelling or fighting (in the cause of Allah) and night came on, he said, "O earth, my Lord and your Lord is Allah. I seek refuge in Allah from your evil, the evil of what you contain, the evil of what has been created in you, and the evil of what creeps upon you. I seek refuge in Allah from lions, from large black snakes, from other snakes, from scorpions, from the evil of jinn who inhabit settlements, and from a parent and his offspring.'' (Ahmad and Abu Daw'ud)

Khaulah, daughter of Hakim As-Sallammiya, reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "If anyone stops at a place and then says, 'I seek refuge with all the perfect words of Allah from the evil of his creatures,' nothing will harm him until he departs from that place." (Reported by the Group except Bukhari and Abu Daw'ud)

Fiqh 4.147: On Approaching a Village or Place

'Ata ibn Abi Marwan relates from his father that Ka'ab swore to him by Him Who split the sea for Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, that Suhaib informed him that whenever the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw a village that he wanted to enter, he always supplicated, "Allahumma rabbis samawati sab' i wa ma azlalna wa rabbul ardinas sab' i wa ma aqlalna wa rabbush sayatini wa ma adlalna wa rabbur riyyahi wa ma zaraina as'aluka khaira hazhihil qaryata wa khaira ahlaha wa khaira mafiha wa na'uzhu bika min sharriha wa sharri ahliha wa sharri mafiha (O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and what they overshadow, Lord of the seven earths and what they carry, and Lord of the devils and those whom they mislead, and Lord of the winds and what they scatter about, I ask You of the good of this village, the good of its people and the good it has, and seek Your protection from its evil, and the evil of its people, and the evil in it)." (Reported by Nasa'i, Ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim who considers this a sound hadith)

Ibn 'Umar reported, "We were with the Prophet, peace be upon him, on a journey. When he saw a town that he wanted to enter he would say, 'O Allah, bless us in it' three times, and then 'O Allah grant us sustenance from its fruits, and put our love in (the hearts of) its people, and put the love of its righteous people in our hearts'.'' (Reported by At-Tabarani in his Al-Awsar with a sound chain of authorities)

A'ishah reported that whenever the Prophet, peace be upon him, approached a place that he intended to enter he would say, 'O Allah I ask You of the good in it, and the good of what you have placed in it, and I seek Your refuge from its evil and the evil of what You have placed in it. O Allah, give us its fruits and protect us from its plagues, and put our love in the hearts of its people and put the love of its righteous people in our hearts.' (Reported by As-Sinni)

Fiqh 4.147 a: What the Traveler Should say at Dawn

Abu Hurairah reported that during a journey when the day broke, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say, "A listener has heard that we praise Allah for His favors upon us. Our Lord, accompany us and grant us Your favors. We seek protection of Allah from the Fire.' (Muslim)

Fiqh 4.148: On Going Uphill, Downhill, or Returning

Jabir said, "We used to say Allahu akbar when we went up a high place, and subhanallah when we went down a valley." (Bukhari)

Ibn ' Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, returned from hajj (or 'umrah). When he approached a path high up in mountain or one that was difficult, he would back up three steps and say. "There is no god but Allah, He is One. He has no partners. To Him belongs all dominion and praise, and He has power over all things. We are returning repentant, worshipping, prostrating, praising our Lord. He kept His promise. And gave victory to His servant, and defeated all the confederates alone."

Al-Hussain ibn Ali reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "The security for my community against drowning is to say, while boarding a ship (or a boat), 'Bismillahi majraiha wa mursaha inna rahhi laghafoor un raheem (Bukhari), wa ma qadarullaha haqa qadrihi, wal ardu jami'an qabadatuhu yaumal qiyyamati was samawatu matwiyyatun hi yameenihi subhanallahi 'amma yushrakun (Qur'an 11.41) (In the name of Allah, whether it move or be at rest! For my Lord is, be sure, Oft-Forgiving, Most merciful! No just estimate have they made of Allah, such as is due to Him, On the day of Judgment the whole of the earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand, Glory to Him! High is He above the partners they attribute to Him!)" This is reported by As-Sinni.

Fiqh 4.149: Sailing in Rough Weather

It is not permissible to embark on a voyage when the sea is stormy and agitated. According to a hadith reported by Abu 'Umran al-Jawni some of the Companions told him that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Anyone who sleeps on a house-top that has no fence, and then falls and dies, he forfeits the protection of Allah, and anyone who sails while the sea is rough, and then perishes, he forfeits the protection of Allah." (Reported by Ahmad with a sound chain of authorities)

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