Prophetic Supplication To seek refuge with Allah from the difficult times

We are all prone to difficult times and haunted by evil forces. In such trying times, there is no one to turn to for help and ease of our sufferings other than our Creator. Prophets too had been through difficult times and bombarded with Satanic machinations to take them away from the true path as shown by our Creator. We have shared many supplications attributed to prophets and that of last of the prophets Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Today we share yet another supplication attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as it appears in Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Invocations - كتاب الدعوات  - Chapter 28. To seek refuge with Allah from the difficult moments of a calamity) as Hadith 6347: 

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، حَدَّثَنِي سُمَىٌّ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَتَعَوَّذُ مِنْ جَهْدِ الْبَلاَءِ، وَدَرَكِ الشَّقَاءِ، وَسُوءِ الْقَضَاءِ، وَشَمَاتَةِ الأَعْدَاءِ‏.‏ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ الْحَدِيثُ ثَلاَثٌ زِدْتُ أَنَا وَاحِدَةً، لاَ أَدْرِي أَيَّتُهُنَّ هِيَ‏.

The above quoted Hadith is narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to seek refuge with Allah from the difficult moment of a calamity and from being overtaken by destruction and from being destined to an evil end, and from the malicious joy of enemies. Sufyan said, "This narration contained three items only, but I added one. I do not know which one that was."

We should remember these supplications by heart and often recite these to invoke many blessings of Allah to avert any difficult times or as protection from evil forces so as to avoid an evil end.

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.  

وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 

(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”

That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

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Prophetic Supplication attributed to Prophet Musa (Moses, AS) as mentioned in Qur'an

Propets of Allah ever sine the first of prophets, have been supplicating on behalf of their people so that they are not subjected to the Divine wrath. It must be seen that none of the prophets prayed or supplicated for own forgiveness for they were sent for the well being of the commuities and ultimately the mankind. That is the pecularity of all prophets of Allah.

Today we share the 155th verse from Surah 7. Al Aaraf (The Heights) in which Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) supplicated to Allah to forgive them all. It may be added that verses 152-156 are about the worshippers of the calf incurred the wrath of Allah. For compelte reference to the context, please read our earlier post on exegeis / tafsir of Surah Al Aaraf  (Part III). Herein under, the explanation of only the selected text/supplication is given:

وَاخۡتَارَ مُوۡسٰى قَوۡمَهٗ سَبۡعِيۡنَ رَجُلًا لِّمِيۡقَاتِنَا​ ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اَخَذَتۡهُمُ الرَّجۡفَةُ قَالَ رَبِّ لَوۡ شِئۡتَ اَهۡلَـكۡتَهُمۡ مِّنۡ قَبۡلُ وَاِيَّاىَ​ ؕ اَ تُهۡلِكُنَا بِمَا فَعَلَ السُّفَهَآءُ مِنَّا ۚ اِنۡ هِىَ اِلَّا فِتۡنَـتُكَ ؕ تُضِلُّ بِهَا مَنۡ تَشَآءُ وَتَهۡدِىۡ مَنۡ تَشَآءُ ​ؕ اَنۡتَ وَلِيُّنَا فَاغۡفِرۡ لَـنَا وَارۡحَمۡنَا​ وَاَنۡتَ خَيۡرُ الۡغَافِرِيۡنَ‏ 

(7:155) And out of his people Moses singled out seventy men for Our appointment. Then, when violent shaking seized them, he addressed his Lord: 'Had You willed, O my Lord, You could have destroyed them and me long ago. Will You destroy us for what the fools amongst us did? That was nothing but a trial from You whereby You mislead whom You will and guide whom You will. You alone are our guardian. Forgive us, then, and have mercy upon us. You are the best of those who forgive.

The seventy delegates were summoned to Mt. Sinai so that they should present themselves before their Lord, and on behalf of the community beg forgiveness for the sin of calf-worship that was committed by the Israelites, and to renew the covenant of obedience to Him. The Bible and the Talmud do not mention this, though the Bible says that Moses was summoned to Mt. Sinai so that he should be given new tablets for those that were broken, when he had thrown them down. (Exodus chapter 34). 

Every occasion of trial is very decisive for the people: it separates like a winnow useful from the useless out of a mixed mass. On such decisive occasions, the one who comes out successful in the trial does so only by Divine guidance and help, and the one who fails in the test becomes unsuccessful because he is deprived of Divine guidance and help. Though one gets Allah's guidance and help in accordance with certain Divine Laws, which are based on absolute wisdom and justice, anyway the fact is that one's success or failure in the trial depends entirely on Divine guidance and help. 

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir: 

(أَنتَ وَلِيُّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا وَارْحَمْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْغَـفِرِينَ "You are our protector, so forgive us and have mercy on us: for You are the best of those who forgive.''), pertains to (Allah's) covering the mistake and not punishing for the sin. Whenever mercy is mentioned along with forgiveness ﴿such as in Musa's supplication to Allah﴾, it includes the hope that Allah does not permit one to fall into that act again.

(وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْغَـفِرِينَ "for You are the best of those who forgive,'') for none except You can forgive the sin. 

Yusuf Ali  Explanation: 

Moses was guiltless, but he identifies himself with his whole people, and intercedes with Allah on their behalf. He recognises that it was a trial, in which some of his people failed to stand the test. Such failure was worthy of punishment. But he pleads for mercy for such as erred from weakness and not from contumacy, and were truly repentant, although all who erred were in their several degrees worthy of punishment.

Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:

Those seventy men were the best among them. The way the choice is expressed in Arabic makes them stand out from the whole community of Israelites. Nevertheless, what happened to this choice group? They were seized by a violent trembling and dropped unconscious. The reason for this, as mentioned in another sūrah, was that they asked Moses to show them God so that they would believe him and accept the law He has given them in the tablets. This is typical of the nature of the Children of Israel. It applies to all of them, whether good or bad, in different measures. The most singular thing is that they should make such a request when they were supposed to declare their repentance and seek God’s forgiveness.

 

Moses, on the other hand, turned to his Lord imploring Him to bestow His forgiveness and mercy, declaring his total submission to Him: “When they were seized by violent trembling, he said: ‘My Lord, had it been Your will, You could have destroyed them, and myself too, long ago.’“ (Verse 155) That is the mark of total submission to God’s power. Moses makes sure to declare his own submission as he addresses his supplication to God to forgive his people, end their test and to spare them from destruction because of the deed perpetrated by some fools among them: “Would You destroy us because of what the weak- minded among us have done?” (Verse 155) Moses puts his appeal in a questioning form to emphasize his request that God does not destroy them. It is as if he is saying: my Lord, Your grace makes it absolutely unlikely that You should destroy us on account of what some fools among us have done. “This is only a trial You have ordained, whereby You allow to go astray whom You will, and You guide aright whom You will.” (Verse 155)

 

Thus, Moses declares his understanding of what was taking place, that it was all a trial. In every trial, God guides those who understand its nature and recognize it as a test. He also lets those who ignore it to go deeper into error. Moses reiterates his recognition as a prelude to an appeal to God for His help to enable him and his people to pass the trial successfully: “You alone are our guardian.” (Verse 155) Give us your help so that we pass the test, and earn Your forgiveness and Your grace: “Grant us, then, forgiveness and bestow mercy on us. You are the best of all those who do forgive.” (Verse 155)

You may listen to eminent Muslim scholar Nouman Ali Khan explaining verse 155:

May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Invocations / Dua " دُعا " from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

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Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Qur'ān from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that the exegesis of the chapters of the Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  

In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided, additional input has been interjected from following sources: 

• Towards Understanding the Quran
• Tafsir Ibn Khatir
• Muhammad Asad Translation
• Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
• Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
• Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle

In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given above. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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The Power of Dua / Invocation - A real Life Experience

We have been sharing selected supplications / invocations / dua from Qur'an for the guidance of our readers, for when we invoke the immense mercy of Allah, we believe that Allah will not turn down our woes and will grant our wishes in one form or the other. Dua, according to a Hadith, has the unique ability to change destiny (Tirmidhi).

Qur'an is replete with examples and mentions when Prophets (peace be upon them) resorted to supplications as their ultimate 'weapon' to solicit Allah's help when all their efforts would fail while reforming nations in their respective hostile environments.

Today, I share a real-life experience of the fulfillment of Dua / Invocation when made from the heart of the heart. It was many years ago that a friend told me that one of his relatives suddenly lost his eye sight and went totally blind. He underwent many eye treatments but unfortunately his eyesight could not be restored. Then it went by and I lost contact with my friend as he went abroad.

In 2018, when I started writing this blog, I wanted a Qur'an with good English translation and a friend referred me to one of his friends who had a large collection of religious books. So, I went to him and requested him for a Qur'an. While he gave me a very good translation of Qur'an which I subsequently used in a a number of my posts, we also talked about religion and related matters. 

During our discourse, he advised me to be steadfast in what task I had undertaken and never be dismayed by delays if some dua or supplication is delayed. And then he related to me his real-life experience. He told me that many years ago he lost his eye sight, now you can reconnect how Allah reconnected me with the person I mentioned before who lost his eye sight. He told me that he did not know what to do as life for him was suddenly dark and blacked out. 

So, he said that he picked up a few supplications from Qur'an and started reciting these day and night and this continued for FIVE LONG YEARS. He prayed and prayed and invoked the mercy of Allah for somehow, he had a faith that his invocation would be heard one day. And then that one day came, he said. He was asleep one night, when he saw a bright white flash of light that dazzled him and he woke up. And was amazed to find that he was able to see the room in the grim darkness of night. He said he hurriedly woke up his wife to switch on the lights and was amazed to see the colorful clothes she was wearing and the things in the room. Allah had listened to his invocations and granted him back his eyesight.

This real-life experience makes my faith in Allah's countless mercies more than ever before and I now believe that supplications and prayers can change one's destiny if these are made with complete and firm faith in Allah.

Continuously turning to Allah Almighty in dua is a sign of one’s conviction in Him and the more one turns to Him, the more one’s faith increases. Dua is a condition of the heart and conversation with one’s Maker in the language of one’s choice. A Hadith says, dua is a means of beseeching Allah Almighty for the fulfillment of all our needs no matter how mundane or insignificant as it may be; or significant as facing overwhelming odds in the battlefield (Tirmidhi).

We must, therefore turn to Allah alone, and no one else, whenever in distress, for it is only He Who can grant us our wishes, for Dua in times of difficulty, accompanied by the shedding of tears is uplifting, invigorating, assuring, cleanses, refreshes and provides solace and relief to a broken heart.

May Allah help us understand Qur'ān and help us to act upon the commandments of Allah contained therein. Ameen

For more Selected Verses, please refer to our reference page: Selected Invocations / Dua " دُعا " from the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

Photo | Reference: | 1 | 

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully.

If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Follow @IslamUltimate

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Qur'ān - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Read More