Question:
What is the supplication that the Prophet PBUH always recites?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Supplication is a worship that enables us as slaves to ask from Allah SWT. (See al-Azkar by al-Nawawi, pg. 395). It also means asking with one’s whole heart to Allah SWT with hope of goodness from Him, humbly asking so that one’s request is granted. (See Jawami' al-Du'a min al-Qur'an wa al-Sunnah by Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, pg. 5)
Allah SWT loves His slaves who supplicates to Him as stated In His verses. Among them is a statement of Allah SWT:
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So, let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.”
Surah al-Baqarah (186)
Ibn Kathir explained, the verse showed that Allah SWT never disappoint those who supplicate to Him, for He is the All-Hearing of supplications. This meaning includes the encouragement to always supplicate and that Allah SWT will not waste any of the supplication that we make to Him. (See Tafsir al-Quran al-‘Azim, 1/506)
The Supplication That the Messenger Muhammad PBUH Always Recites
Answering the above question, we cite a hadith narrated by Anas RA who said:
كَانَ أَكْثَرُ دُعَاءِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
“The most frequent invocation of The Prophet (ﷺ) was: (اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ) - "O Allah! Give to us in the world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire." (2.201)
Sahih al-Bukhari (6389) and Sahih Muslim (7016)
Imam Muslim added in his narration:
وَكَانَ أَنَسٌ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ بِدَعْوَةٍ دَعَا بِهَا، فَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَدْعُوَ بِدُعَاءٍ دَعَا بِهَا فِيهِ
“Whenever Anas had to supplicate, he made this very supplication, and whenever he (intended) to make another supplication he (inserted) this very supplication in that.”
In a hadith also narrated by Anas RA, he said:
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُكْثِرُ أَنْ يَقُولَ: يَا مُقَلِّبَ القُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، آمَنَّا بِكَ وَبِمَا جِئْتَ بِهِ فَهَلْ تَخَافُ عَلَيْنَا؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، إِنَّ القُلُوبَ بَيْنَ أُصْبُعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ اللهِ يُقَلِّبُهَا كَيْفَ يَشَاءُ.
"The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) would often say: Ya Muqallibal-qulub, thabbit qalbi 'ala dinik('O Changer of the Hearts! Strengthen my heart upon Your Religion.)' So, I said: 'O Prophet of Allah! We believe in you and what you have come with, but do you fear for us?' He said: 'Yes. Indeed, the hearts are between two Fingers of Allah's Fingers, He changes them as He wills.'"
Musnad Ahmad (12107), Sunan al-Tirmizi (2140), al-Baihaqi in Syu’ab al-Iman (757) and al-Tabarani in al-Du’a (1261)
While in another hadith narrated from Syahr bin Hausyab, he said:
قُلْتُ لأُمِّ سَلَمَةَ : يَا أُمَّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُ دُعَاءِ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا كَانَ عِنْدَكِ ؟ قَالَتْ : كَانَ أَكْثَرُ دُعَائِهِ : يَا مُقَلِّبَ القُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ قَالَتْ : فَقُلْتُ : يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا لأَكْثَرِ دُعَائِكَ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ ؟ قَالَ : يَا أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ آدَمِيٌّ إِلاَّ وَقَلْبُهُ بَيْنَ أُصْبُعَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِ اللهِ ، فَمَنْ شَاءَ أَقَامَ ، وَمَنْ شَاءَ أَزَاغَ.
“I 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 (Yā Muqallibal-qulūb, thabbit qalbī `alā dīnik).’” 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.’”
Musnad Imam Ahmad (26618) and Sunan al-Tirmizi (3522)
Conclusion
Thus, according to the above presented evidences, it can be concluded that among the supplications that the Prophet PBUH would always recite are:
- According to the hadith from Anas RA:
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
"O Allah! Give to us in the world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire."
- According to the hadith from Anas RA and Ummu Salamah R.Anha:
يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ
“O Changer of the hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion,”
However, this does not mean that supplication is only limited to only these two dua, but we are also encouraged to supplicate with other ma’thur supplications stated in the Quran and sahih hadiths.
Hopefully, we will be able to always increase our supplications in our daily lives and that our supplications are granted by Allah SWT. Amin.