Secrets of the Prophetic Supplication

Occasion: Transcription of a Fajr khatira delivered on 2025-05-25 Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

The Doctor opened the khatira with blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and upon his family and Companions, then said: O Allah, we ask You for the good of this day, the good of what is in it, and the good of what follows it, and we seek refuge in You, our Lord, from the evil of this day, the evil of what is in it, and the evil of what follows it. O Allah, set right for us our religion, which is the safeguard of our affairs; set right for us our worldly life, in which is our livelihood; and set right for us our Hereafter, to which is our return; and, O Allah, make life an increase for us in every good, and make death a relief for us from every evil. O Allah, protect us from disgrace in this world and from the punishment of the Hereafter. O Allah, do not empower over us, because of our sins, those who do not fear You regarding us and do not have mercy on us. O Allah, Your gentleness, Your pardon, and Your kindness; O Allah, Your mercies that encompass all things, be gentle with us, O Lord of the worlds.

Supplication in Travel and in the Turning of Circumstances

We mentioned in the chapters on supplication that the Prophet ﷺ used to supplicate while traveling. The discussion here is about supplication in travel specifically, and about supplication in times of upheaval in life. Glory be to Allah, the All-Powerful! At times of travel you expect nothing, because all the decrees are in the hand of the King, glory be to Him, the Exalted, and He alone, the Mighty and Majestic, is able to carry out what He wills.

Returning from Travel: The Mosque First

When the Prophet ﷺ returned from his travel, the first thing he turned to was the mosque. That is because the mosque is the home of hearts before the homes of bodies, and the basic principle among people is that they give their hearts rest before their bodies, is it not so? And they relate that the first thing he began with when he returned from his travel ﷺ was that he went back to his mosque, peace and blessings be upon him.

Then it was mentioned that he ﷺ used to instruct his family to say to him upon his return: Praise be to Allah. And he ﷺ used to say: «الحمد لله الذي تتمّ بنعمته الصالحات» ("Praise be to Allah, by whose blessing righteous deeds are completed")^[1], and he would teach his family to say: Praise be to Allah who has brought us together with you, or: Praise be to Allah who has kept you safe. And we Egyptians say "Praise be to Allah for your safety," and it exists in this original: Praise be to Allah who has kept you safe.

And it is reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned from a military expedition, and when he entered, ʿĀʾishah met him, took his hand, and said: Praise be to Allah who gave you victory, honored you, and exalted you.^[2] This sentence expresses the longing of one person for another, but the Prophet ﷺ taught those around him that the bonds between human hearts are preceded by bonds with Allah, glory be to Him, the Exalted. So she praises Allah who kept him safe for her; for were it not for Allah's favor in preserving that person, he would not have been safe and would not have returned. And accordingly the tongue is busy with remembrance and with supplication to Allah, Blessed and Exalted, night and day. And glory be to the All-Creating, the All-Knowing, who taught the Prophet ﷺ and entrusted him with the secret of his teaching of his Companions and his wives, may the pleasure of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, be upon them all.

Saying Istirjāʿ

And when we speak of supplication in itself and how the Prophet ﷺ trained his Companions, the troubles of this world are very many, as you know, may Allah preserve your station. And the world, with its multitude, its preoccupations, and its hardships, is greater and mightier than any person can bear by himself, and hence there had to be a seeking of help from the Lord of the worlds, glory be to Him, the Exalted. For that reason the Prophet ﷺ used to teach his Companions to say istirjāʿ, saying: إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون ("Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return").

We say that when we lose a person, but it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: «ليسترجع أحدكم في كل شيء حتى في شسع نعله، فإنها من المصائب» ("Let each of you say istirjāʿ over everything, even over the strap of his sandal, for it is among the calamities")^[3]. So why is it counted among the calamities? Then he reflects on the value of the pair of sandals: how many refugees on the borders between countries look hopefully for what people give them! And if a young boy is given a pair of shoes, even a modest one, how great is his happiness and joy in such a thing! And the Prophet ﷺ used to teach his Companions: إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون ("Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return").

When Something Startles a Person

And it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ, when something startled him, would say: «هو الله ربي لا شريك له» ("He is Allah, my Lord; He has no partner")^[4]. He is Allah who commands and forbids, who decrees concerning His servants, who judges between creatures, and who rules over His creation, glory be to Him, the Exalted. And when we say "my Lord," we have already mentioned that He looks after the affairs of those He lords over. And he ﷺ used to say: He has no partner.

In Fright

And the Prophet ﷺ used to teach his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, to say in fright: «أعوذ بكلمات الله التامة من غضبه وشرّ عباده ومن همزات الشياطين وأن يحضرون» ("I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from His anger and from the evil of His servants, and from the whisperings of the devils, and that they should be present with me")^[5]. We seek refuge in Allah, glory be to Him, the Exalted, from His anger, for the anger of the Lord of Might, glory be to Him, the Exalted, is a grave matter.

As for the whisperings of the devils and that they be present, he said in explaining its meaning: Satan is a whisper that comes to you from afar; he sends me the signal from afar and cannot be near me; but no sooner do I begin to listen to him than he comes step by step until he is with me, and then we think together, talk together, walk together, and work together.

The Supplication for Sleeplessness: "The Stars Have Set"

And it is reported that one of the Companions said: O Messenger of Allah, I am anxious all night, I toss and turn and do not sleep. So the Prophet ﷺ said to him: «قل: اللهم غارت النجوم، وهدأت العيون، وأنت حيّ قيّوم لا تأخذك سنة ولا نوم، يا حيّ يا قيّوم أهدئ ليلي وأنم عيني» ("Say: O Allah, the stars have set, the eyes have grown calm, and You are the Ever-Living, the Self-Sustaining; neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes You. O Ever-Living, O Self-Sustaining, calm my night and make my eye sleep")^[6]. And in one narration: «وأغمض عيني» ("and close my eye").

The Prophet ﷺ wanted to open the minds of his Companions to the science of astronomy and what lies beyond it, and to looking at the stars and their states, so as to open these horizons to the realization that the One who had power over the stars and made them set is able to put him to sleep and to wake him, glory be to the Most High, the All-Powerful.

And reflect on the words "O Ever-Living"; just imagine the words "O Ever-Living," glory be to Allah, the All-Powerful! For He, glory be to Him, the Exalted, is the Ever-Living who does not sleep. And the servant needs sleep, so he turns to his Lord, glory be to Him. He is the Ever-Living whom neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes, exalted is Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, above any likeness, He is as He has told of Himself, glory be to Him, the Exalted. So the Prophet ﷺ speaks to his Companions, may the pleasure of Allah, Blessed and Exalted, be upon them: O Ever-Living, O Self-Sustaining, calm my night and close my eye.

And he concluded by saying: May Allah keep your religion and your worldly life sound, preserve your well-being and your safety, and may Allah, the Exalted, reward you with good.

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: The wording was transmitted as it appeared in the transcription; the well-known narrated wording is «الحمد لله الذي بنعمته تتمّ الصالحات», which is in Ibn Mājah from the ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah, may Allah be pleased with her, regarding what he used to say when he saw what pleased him; I did not find it restricted to returning from travel. The speaker did not attribute the ḥadīth. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: The speaker did not attribute the report, and I was not certain of its authenticity nor of the correctness of ascribing what precedes it, the instruction to his family to say it upon return, so it was introduced in a hedged form. ^[3]: Editor's documentation: The speaker related it with the words "in one narration" without attribution, and I was not certain of its source, and there is criticism of its chain of transmission among the people of knowledge, so it was introduced in the form of a narration. ^[4]: Editor's documentation: The speaker did not attribute the ḥadīth. In the books of Sunnah on distress there is a close wording, «الله الله ربي لا أشرك به شيئًا»; so the speaker's wording is transmitted here as it appeared. ^[5]: Editor's documentation: From the well-known supplication for fright, found in Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī from the ḥadīth of ʿAmr ibn Shuʿayb from his father from his grandfather, may Allah be pleased with him, and the speaker did not attribute it. It includes ﴿وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُونِ﴾ (and I seek refuge in You, my Lord, lest they be present with me) in Sūrat al-Muʾminūn, verse 98, and the speaker said it as part of the supplication without mentioning the verse. ^[6]: Editor's documentation: The speaker did not attribute the ḥadīth; it is narrated by al-Ṭabarānī and others regarding the complaint of sleeplessness, and its chain is weak according to the people of knowledge; so it is mentioned by way of narration, and supplicating with its meaning is not objectionable.