Weekly DUA
Supplication 113:
Verily, from the great forms of remembrance and the blessed supplications which every Muslim should preserve and recite every morning and evening comes the hadith that has been established in Saheehul Bukhari on the authority of Shadad ibn Aus. Shadad ibn Aus (ra) related that the Prophet (saws) said, “The leader of Supplication when seeking forgiveness is to say, O Allah you are my lord, there is no god worthy of worship except you, You created me and I am Your slave, I am upon Your covenant and Your promise to the best of my ability, I seek refuge in You from the evil that I have done, I confess to You the favors that You have bestowed on me, and I confess to You my sins, forgive me as none can forgive (sins) except You. Whoever says this in the morning and is firm upon it and he dies that day before the evening then he will be from the people of paradise. Whoever says this in the evening and is firm upon it and he dies that night before reaching the morning then he will be from the people of paradise.”
(Allahumma anta rabbee laa ilaha illa anta, khalaqtanee wa anaa abuduka, wa anaa alaa ahdika wa wa’adika mastata’tu, authu bika min sharri ma sana’atu, abu’ulaka bini’matika alaiyya, wa abu’ulaka be thanbi faghfirlee, fa innahu laa yaghfiru thunuba illa anta)
This great supplication shows how one turns to Allah the Most High in repentance and humility. The Prophet (saws) called this supplication the leader/master of supplications. The reason for him (saws) labeling it with these words is because this supplication and its virtues surpass all other forms of seeking repentance and it is raised in rank. From the meaning of the word “sayyid (leader)” refers to the one that raises its people and causes them to be raised. The Prophet (saws) began by praising Allah and acknowledging that he (saws) is a slave created by Allah-Gorified is He-, and that He-glory be to Him-is the lord who is worshipped in truth and there is no god worthy of worship in truth except Him. And that he (saws) is standing upon the promise. That he (saws) is firm in his (saws) covenant of believing in Him, His book, His messengers and Prophets and that he (saws) is upon that to best of his ability. Then one seeks refuge in Him-Glorified is He- from every evil that is performed. Then we follow this by acknowledging the blessings that has been bestowed upon us by Him the Most Glorified. One also acknowledges what we have done of sins and then immediately preceding this acknowledgement one asks for Allah’s forgiveness from all of those sins. Acknowledging that none can forgive sins except Allah-Glorified is He.
What follows will complete what is within this supplication and it will show the reason for its virtue, greatness and the cause of sins being forgiven.
He (saws) said in the beginning of the supplication, “Allahumma” meaning O Allah. This O here which is usually the Arabic word yaa which is substituted here by the letter meem that has a shaddah on it is used for one seeking something.
He (saws) said “Anta rabbi laa ilaha illa anta khalaqtanee wa ana abduka (You are my lord there is no god worthy of worship except You, You created me and I am Your slave.)” Within this statement we find submission and humility and the belief in Him alone. This belief in Him is found in the unity of His Lordship (rububiyyah) and the unity of His worship (Uluhiyyah), as he (saws) said, “Anta Rabbi (You are my Lord) meaning I do not have any other Lord nor creator except you. The Lord is the King, the Creator, the Provider, the one who arranges the affairs of His creation. This is the acknowledgement in the rububiyyah (unity of lordship) and this is followed by his (saws) saying “khalaqtanii (You created me)” meaning You are my Lord the one who has created me and I have no creator other than you.
His (saws) statement “Laa ilaha illa anta (there is no god worthy of worship except you) means there is nothing worthy or deserving of worship except You as You and You alone are the only one deserving of worship. This is the affirmation of the unity of worship (tawheed Uluhiyyah). This is followed by his (saws) statement “Wa anaa abduka (and I am Your slave) meaning I am a worshipper to you as you are the god worshipped in truth and there is none deserving of worship except you.
His (saws) statement “Wa anaa alaa ahdika wa wa’adika mastata’tu” (I keep your covenant and my pledge to you as far as I am able to) meaning I fulfill the covenant that was placed upon me, and I fulfill the pledge of believing in you, obeying you and following the commands that have been given by you. “Mastata’tu” (as far as I am able to) meaning that which I am capable of doing, Verily Allah does not burden a soul with that which it cannot handle.
His (saws) statement “Authu bika min sharri maa sana’tu” (I seek refuge in you from the evil that I have done) meaning I turn to you O Allah and I seek your refuge from the evil of what I have done and its evil consequences, its evil end, its ugly punishment and from its awful characteristics.
His (saws) statement “Abu’u laka bini’matika alaiyyah” (I admit to your blessings upon me) meaning I am aware and conscious of your great blessing that have been bestowed upon me.
His (saws) statement “Wa abu’u laka bithanbi”( I confess to you my evil deeds) meaning I recognize my sins and that which I have committed of them, from those that were small sins in the obligatory affairs and prohibited actions. I recognize my sins and the short path of tawbah (repentance) and whoever recognizes his sins and repents from them, Allah will forgive him.
His (saws) statement “Faghfirlee” (forgive me) Meaning O Allah forgive all of my sins as your mercy is all expansive and wide and you are the most forgiving. You are the forgiver the merciful and there is none who can forgive sins except you. Allah says in the Qur’an “And those when they have committed fahishah (lude evil acts) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask for forgiveness for their sins; and none forgive sins but Allah” (3:135).
Then the Prophet (saws) ended this supplication with clarifying the great reward that one can obtain if one preserves and recites this supplication every morning and evening, where he (saws) said, whoever says it (meaning these words in the supplication) in the morning and they are firm upon it, meaning they attest to its truthfulness and believe in it and that it comes from the infallible speech of the one who speaks not from his own desires (meaning Muhammad), but that it is from revelation (that which he speaks), and they die that day before reaching the evening, then they will be from the people of
paradise. Whoever says it at night and they are firm in it and they die before reaching the morning, they will be from the people of paradise.
Whoever holds onto and preserves this supplication, they will receive from the generous promise and from the great reward due to them beginning their morning with it and concluding it with tawheed of Allah in His rububiyyah (lordship) and uluhiyyah (worship), whilst witnessing the favors laid upon them and being aware of the defects and shortcomings within one self and they seek the forgiveness from the forgiver, whilst being humble in that which they seek when they begin their day and when they end it. They will be deserving of pardoning and forgiveness. We ask Allah the most Generous for His blessings.