Five Du’as the Prophet ﷺ Made

As a carefree child, I remember frowning and repeating certain du’as or supplications in a bid to memorise them, understanding the words but not necessarily how powerful and meaningful they were. At that time, it was something I did to impress my parents by doing ‘the right thing’.

In my more-chaotic adult life, I have a much deeper appreciation for the many supplications that the Prophet ﷺ had made, and how so many of them are preserved and passed down to us, all 1400+ years later!

Supplicating is such a beautiful and tender thing. We are acknowledging our vulnerabilities and weaknesses and worries to the only One who could do anything about it, subhanAllah. But more beautifully, the 5 du’as or supplications I’m sharing today are all prayers the Prophet ﷺ himself made, and that makes me feel closer to the Prophet ﷺ. These prayers are his own words, coming out from his own heart and aspirations.

Living more than 1400+ years apart from Prophet Muhammad ﷺ can sometimes make it challenging to feel a connection to him. I sincerely hope inshaAllah that reading these du’as would not only give you actual tools to deal with this life (supplication is a believer’s weapon after all!), but a greater appreciation and closeness to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. 💚

Du’a #1: The Most Frequent Du’a He ﷺ Ever Made

Shahr bin Hawshab said to Umm Salamah: ‘O Mother of the Believers! What was the supplication that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said most frequently when he was with you?”

She said: ‘The supplication he said most frequently was:

“O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion.
Ya Muqallibal-qulub, thabbit qalbi ‘ala deenik.”

She said: ‘So I said: “O Messenger of Allah, why do you supplicate so frequently: ‘O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion.’

He said: ‘O Umm Salamah! Verily, there is no human being except that his heart is between Two Fingers of the Fingers of Allah, so whomsoever He wills He makes steadfast, and whomever He wills He causes to deviate.’”

Can you imagine that the most steadfast and the person whose heart is firmest upon the religion made this du’a frequently? If anything, that tells me that this du’a should be in our arsenal so that we too can have firm hearts and patient constancy just like he did, inshaAllah.

Du’a #2: The Du’a He ﷺ Taught With Love

This next du’a is not only beautiful in its wording, but the manner in which this supplication was taught, and subsequently passed down to us is a whole beautiful story in itself!

Mu’adh ibn Jabal reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took me by the hand and he said, “O Mu’adh, I swear by Allah that I love you. I swear by Allah that I love you. O Mu’adh, I advise you not to forget supplicating after every prayer by saying:

“O Allah, help me to remember You, to give thanks to You, and to worship You in the best manner.

Allahumma a’inni ala zikrika was shukrika wa husni ibaadatik.”

First of all, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was holding Mu’adh’s hands!

Secondly, he ﷺ repeated twice that he loved him before he told him not to forget reading this supplication. I can only imagine how closely Mu’adh must have been listening to the Prophet ﷺ to ensure he never forgot it!

Thirdly, the wording of the supplication itself! The Prophet ﷺ taught not just Mu’adh but all of us, that we do need help in remembering Allah, to be thankful to Him, and to worship Him in the best of ways.

Du’a #3: A Du’a to Reconcile Hearts

I don’t know about you, but it feels to me like discord, disagreement and disharmony is rife in relationships today. It affects our mental and emotional health, families, working relationships and even the way we connect and build communities. Being at peace with each other is a precious foundation to build on.

And yet our hearts, and love itself, are subtle creations and are completely controlled by the One who created them.

In the Qur’an, a verse from Surah an-Anfal says:

“Had you given away all the riches of the Earth you could not have joined their hearts, but it is Allah Who joined their hearts. Indeed He is All-Mighty. All-Wise.”

We can (and should!) take healthy marriage communication classes, positive parenting workshops or attend team-building retreats, but if we don’t seek His Help in bringing hearts together, there’s a big part that is missing.

The verse mentioned earlier was referring to the Aws and Khazraj tribes — two warring factions in Yathrib (now Medina) who were bent on annihilating each other before Islam came to bring their hearts together in mutual feelings of love and sincere brotherhood.

If Allah could bring the hearts of two warring tribes together (who had been killing each other for years!), He can most definitely bring the hearts of our friends, families and our communities together.

This next du’a is:

“O Allah! Reconcile between our hearts. And resolve our affairs. And guide us toward peace and paths of guidance. And take us out of the darkness into the light.

Allahumma allif baina qulubina. Wa aslih zaata bainina. Wahdina subulas-salaam. Wa najjina min al-dhulumati ilan-nur.”

Du’a #4: The Du’a That Differentiates

I love this next du’a because it gives me a whole new perspective on things that we normally ask for: knowledge, provision and good actions. However, the specific wording of the du’a tells me that these things can be given and still not be good for us!

We can be given knowledge that does not benefit, provision that is not good, and actions that are not accepted!

Umm Salma, may Allah be pleased with her, said the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say in the supplication in the morning prayer:

“O Allaah indeed I ask You for beneficial knowledge, and a good halal provision, and actions which are accepted.

Allaahumma inni as’aluka ilman nafi’a, wa rizzqan tayyeeba, wa amalan mutaqabbalan.”

How lucky are we to know what to ask for?!

Du’a #5: A Du’a Better Than Cold Water

This du’a is not originally the Prophet’s ﷺ own words, but is in a hadith!

Abu Darda reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Prophet David would supplicate, saying:

“O Allah, I ask you for Your love and the love of those who love You and the deeds that will bring me to Your love. O Allah, make Your love more beloved to me than myself, my family, and even cold water.

Allahumma inni as’aluka hubbak min yuhibbuk, wal amal al-lazi yuballighuni hubbak. Allahummaj’al hubbaka ahabba ila min nafsi wa ahli wa minal ma’il baarid.

What could we possibly ask for beyond Allah’s love and making sure that that love is stronger than our love for anything else in this life, even cold water?!

I hope you’ll consider adding these du’as to your daily rituals, and that they will make you think about Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when reading them, and feeling that much closer to him, especially during this month of Rabi’ al-Awwal!

Click here to find out all you need to know about Rasul Week!

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