Du'a seeking forgiveness

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said:

 Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: I am as My servant expects Me and I am with him as he remembers Me. By Allah, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His servant than how one of you would be on finding the lost camel in the waterless desert. When he draws near Me by the span of his hand, I draw near him by the length of a cubit. And when he draws near Me by the length of a cubit, I draw near him by the length of a fathom. And when he draws near Me walking, I draw close to him quickly.

[Sahih Muslim, Book 037, Number 6610]

عن أبي هريرة  عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال قال الله عز وجل أنا عند ظن عبدي بي وأنا معه حيث يذكرني والله لله أفرح بتوبة عبده من أحدكم يجد ضالته بالفلاة ومن تقرب إلي شبرا تقربت إليه ذراعا ومن تقرب 

Narrated Abdullah bin Amr: Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said to the Prophet “O Allah’s Messenger! Teach me a supplication with which I may call upon Allah in my prayers.” The Prophet said,
 “Say: O Allah! I have wronged myself with a great oppression, and none forgives sins but You; so please forgive me. No doubt, You are the Forgiving, the Merciful.”

 عَنْ أَبِي الْخَيْرِ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ  قَالَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَلِّمْنِي دُعَاءً أَدْعُو بِهِ فِي صَلَاتِي قَالَ قُلْ :

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا وَلَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مِنْ عِنْدِكَ مَغْفِرَةً إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Solatul Dhuha

The day will not be perfect until my Dhuha and Witr are done aside from the obligatory prayers. Personally, solatul dhuha is an extension of my amalan for my Creator. Surely after so many years of ibadah, I must increase my amal and thus allow growth of my iman. Not necessary true... increase in amal =  increase of iman ... but, I shall let myself amal with the best of intentions or niat.

The time of Dhuha begins when the sun is about a spear’s length above the horizon and it continues until the sun reaches its meridian. It is preferred to delay it until the sun has risen high and the day has become hot. The best time is when the sun is hottest.
The minimum number of rak’ahs to be prayed is two. The most that the Prophet (SAW) performed was eight rak’ahs. Personally, I pray 4 rakaats now after praying 2 rakaats for 20 years already. Sometimes when there are time constraints, two rakaats is so convenient. 

Umm Hani narrated that the Prophet (SAW) prayed eight rak’ahs of Dhuha and made the taslim after every two rak’ahs.
(Abu Dawud)

The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever regularly prays the two rak`ats of Duha, his sins are forgiven even if they are as numerous as the foam of the sea.” 
Narrated from Abu Hurayra by al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majahm and Ahmad.



From the above , the core of it are these two du'as.
Du'a solatul Dhuha ~


          اَللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ وَتُبْ عَلَيْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيْم
100 times ... (Bukhari)


or  اَللهُمَّ اغْفِر لِيْ وَارْحَمْنِيْ وَتُبْ عَلَيْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الْغَفُوْر  
100 times..... (Baihaqi)


It is clear that Dhuha prayer is very important for the faithful. It is important not because - as many have perceived - Dhuha prayer has to do with the search for sustenance, but it is important because of the oath of God in the Qur'an. 

The Du'a of Light

I have heard of this du'a when I was 16 during an Islamic conference at the then Balai Islam which was opposite to the main mosque, Masjid Negara in Kuala Lumpur. It was an unforgettable experience. I had my first wakeup call .... more of an Islamic calling. I had never heard of hadith Bukhari or Muslim then.... and aurat was never ever mentioned in my life. So, everything I learnt there and then was totally new, like being a new Muslim convert.  However an incident that happened there still lingers in my mind and I always tell my kids about this.  One early morning ... we were awaken for subuh and I was a bit late and had to rush with a quick shower and dashed across the road to Masjid Negara because we were supposed to pray in the congregation. I had forgotten to take my wudu'.... so, I quickly walked to the women's ablution area. The Muezzin had started the azan and I practically pulled up my prayer clothes and frantically ran.... to the hall. I think they had switched off the lights around the inner courtyard .... and I could not .... for the life of me .... see anything .... it was still very dark. As I was running hastily ... suddenly, I felt like I was in the air for maybe a split second and ......SPLASH....! .... I ended in the big pool ... the water pool with the fountain...! I was soaked to the skin... totally drenched...! Still, I crawled up ...lucky no one was around to see this hysterical incident .... to continue to proceed towards the praying hall. Later after the Subuh prayers, as I was relating this to my friends and ustaz.... he asked whether I was alright...so, I lifted my skirt and showed him the bruise on my upper legs...! He quickly raised his hands across his eyes and shouted ...HARAM...HARAM.... and I was thinking... what? Everyone burst out laughing ...That was the first time I was informed about aurat....! That began my covering of my Aurat @ 16 yrs of age...! Anyway, back to that du'a ... I remembered after breakfast that day, this Kiai .... I remember ...he looked like an angel... had an aura I had never seen before... forgot his name though. He was always referred to as the Kiai. He taught the du'a and made us promise to memorize. Didn't know why but we memorized it anyways. After almost 35 years .... here it is ....     Ibn ‘Abbas reports that he once stayed the night as a guest of Maymuna, who was his aunt, and the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). They slept on their blanket lengthways, and he slept at the end, crossways. After they had all slept for a while, the Prophet rose in the middle of the night to pray the tahajjud prayer, and Ibn ‘Abbas joined him. They both did wudhu, and he prayed eleven rak'ats with the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). Then they both went back to sleep again until dawn. Bilal called the adhân and the Prophet did another two short rak’ats, before going into the mosque to lead the Dawn Prayer. Ibn ‘Abbas said that one of the du'as that the Prophet made during this night was: Translation: "O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my tongue, light in my hearing, light in my sight, light behind me, light in front of me, light on my right, light on my left, light above me and light below me; place light in my sinew, in my flesh, in my blood, in my hair and in my skin; place light in my soul and make light abundant for me; make me light and grant me light." اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورًا , وَفِي سَمْعِي نُورًا , وَفِي بَصَرِي نُورًا , وَعَنْ يَمِينِي نُورًا , وَعَنْ شِمَالِي نُورًا , وَأَمَامِي نُورًا , وَخَلْفِي نُورًا , وَفَوْقِي نُورًا , وَتَحْتِي نُورًا , وَاجْعَلْ لِي نُورًا  ( أَوْ قَالَ : وَاجْعَلْنِي نُورًا ) Transliteration: Allahummajal fi qalbi nuura, wa-fi basari nuura, wa-fi samee nuura, wa-ay-yameeni nuura, wa-ay-yasaari nuura, wa-fawqi nuura, wa-tahti nuura, wa-amaami nuura, wakhalfi nuura, wa fawqi nuura, wa tahti nuura, wa'jal li nuuraa This hadith was transmitted by Bukhari and Muslim.

Du'a At Times of Stress and Sadness (heartache)

I read this on the chatbox @ One Legacy Radio. I have always known this du'a and even memorized it but I did not the know the hadith and where or how it came about. MashAllah! Alhamdulillah...! Finally, I know exactly when to use this.

“It is reported in the Sunan of Abu Dawud and Ibn Maajah from Asmaa’ bint ‘Umays (radhiya Allahu ‘anhaa) that she said, ‘Rasulullah  (‘Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa ‘alaa aalihi wa sallam) said to me,

‏أَلَا أُعَلِّمُكِ كَلِمَاتٍ تَقُولِينَهُنَّ عِنْدَ ‏ ‏الْكَرْبِ ‏ ‏أَوْ فِي ‏ ‏الْكَرْبِ 

 ”Shall I teach you some words that you should say at the time of كرب Karb or in Karb (heartache, distress, gloom)? Say:

‏أَللَّهُ ‏ ‏أَللَّهُ رَبِّي لَا أُشْرِكُ بِهِ شَيْئًا 

“Allahu Allahu Rabbi Laa Ushriku Bihi Shai’a”

Allah  Allah , My Lord! I do not associate anything as a partner/co-equal with Him! 

The editor, Shaykh Subay’ Hamza Haakimi, states in the footnote: “Abu Dawud 1525, Ibn Maajah 3882, An Nasaa’i in his Al-Yawm wal-Laylah 647, and its chain is Hasan.” Imam Al-Mundhiri states, “An-Nasaa’i reports it in Mursal form and in Musnad form.”

Protection from all Calamities of the Earth and the Sky

My husband practices this du'a since he was still a bachelor. He learnt the local martial arts self defence when in his early twenties and was taught to read this du'a every morning and evening. I, however only picked this up these last ten years. this du'a has many benefits and gives such protection.  


بسم الله الذي لا يضر مع اسمه شيء في الارض ولا في السماء وهو السميع العليم

Transliteration: “Bimillahi al-lazi la yadhurru ma’a ismihi shayun fil ardhi wa la fi as-sama-i wa huwa as-samee’ ul-’aleem.”
Translation: “By the name of Allah, nothing can harm with His name anything in the earth and the sky; and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.”


Hadhrat Abban Bin Uthman (RA) narrates from his father that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, “That any servant who recites [the above-mentioned du'a] three times in the morning and evening, nothing will harm him.”

Before Travel

Before I start on any journey, I always read my du'a. But only until recently after I started taking arabic classes @ MEDIU I finally found the hadith about travel. Usually, I will just read the ayats from Surah Az-Zuhruf. But the hadith specifically relates the correct way of doing this. So, let us all benefit from this.
Hadith 
~The prophet, peace and blessings from Allah swt upon him has taught us a beautiful du'a for travelling. 
We first make takbir 3 times ... allahu akbar...allahu akbar...allahu akbar followed by 2 ayats from surah az-zuhruf. 
subhanallizi sahharalana ..... till the end. 


                           الله اكبر....الله اكبر.....الله اكبر


                        سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّر لَنا هَذا ومَا كُنّا لَهُ 


                           مُقْرِنينَ وإِنَّا إلى رَبِّنا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ
  then, read this du'a... 


اللّهُمَّ إنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ فِي سَفَرِنا هَذا البِرَّ والتَّقْوَى وَمِنَ العَمَلِ مَا تَرْضَى.


 اللّهُمَّ هَوِّنْ عَلَيْنَا سَفَرنا هَذا واطْوِعَنَّا بُعْدَهُ. اللهُمَّ أنْتَ الصَّاحِبُ فِي


 السَّفَرِ والخَلِيفَةُ فِي الأهْل.ِ اللّهُمَّ إنَّا نَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ وَعثَاءِ السَّفَر,ِ


           وكآبَةِ المَنْظر,ِ وَسُوءِ المُنْقلَبِ في المَالِ وَالأهْلِ". 

"o Allah, we seek piety and virtue from you in this journey of ours and the act that pleases u. o Allah lighten this journey of ours and make its distance easy for us. o Allah, you are our companion in this journey and a guardian for our family. o Allah we seek refuge from you hardships in this journey and gloominess of the sights and finding of evil changes in our property and family in our return." 
Amin. 
narrated by Muslim (425)

The Virtue of Reciting Surat Al-Kahf on Friday

I try my best to read Surah Al-Kahfi every friday after solah 'Asar. I remember, my late sister رحمة الله عليها told me many times the benefits of reading this surah. My aged mum sticks to this weekly habit without fail. And she's already 84 years old. Subhanallah!


There are many Prophetic hadiths reflecting on virtues of reciting surat Al-Kahf during the day and night of Friday. To state just a few of those hadiths, we would like to cite for you the following:

1- Abu Sa`id A-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Whoever reads surat Al-Kahf on the night of Friday, will have a light that will stretch between him and the Ancient House (i.e., the Ka`bah).” (Reported by Al-Darimi)

2- The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Whoever reads surat Al-Kahf on the day of Friday, will have a light that will shine from him from one Friday to the next.” (Reported by Al-Hakim)

3- Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) quoted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: “Whoever reads surat Al-Kahf on the day of Jumu`ah (Friday), a light will shine for him from beneath his feet to the clouds of the sky, which will shine for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will be forgiven (his sins) between the two Fridays.”

Hence, one may read surat Al-Kahf during the night or the day of Jumu`ah. The night of Jumu`ah starts from sunset on Thursday, and the day of Jumu`ah ends at sunset. Therefore the time for reading this surah extends from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Friday.

Imam Al-Mannawi quotes Al-Hafiz ibn Hajar as saying in his book Al-Amali: “In some narrations, it is said that ‘the day of Jumu`ah’, and in some others it said that ‘the night of Jumu’ah’. They may be reconciled by saying that what is meant is the day which includes the night and vice versa.” (Fayd al-Qadir, 6/199)

Imam Al-Mannawi also says: “It is recommended to read surat Al-Kahf during the day or night of Jumu`ah, as Imam Ash-Shafi`i (may Allah have mercy on him) stated.” (Fayd al-Qadir, 6/199)”


This is only the first 10 ayats of the surah Kahfi, chapter 18 of the holy Al-Quran.