There is profound wisdom and depth in the short and comprehensive, yet very powerful du’as that have been taught to us by Rasulullah (sallalahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Along with the other du’as that we make, we should memorize high-impact Prophetic du’as to get their barakah in our lives. One such du’a that we have been taught to make in the morning after Fajr prayer is:
اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْماً نَافِعاً، وَرِزقاً طَيِّباً، وَعَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّلاً
O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, a good provision, and accepted deeds.
Ibn As-Sunni, no. 54, Ibn Majah no. 925. Its chain of transmission is good (Hasan), Ibn Al-Qayyim 2/375.
This is a very beautiful, power-packed du’a to start every day of ours with. The words are few yet the meaning is vast.
O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge
Naf’i (beneficial) knowledge can mean knowledge that will benefit us as well as others. We should aim to learn something new every day instead of stagnating. However, we should also make sure that what we are learning is not useless, time-wasting stuff, but rather it benefits us in our deen or dunya. Whether it be medicine, or art, we should look for ways to gain and spread real benefit from our knowledge. The most beneficial ‘ilm is undoubtedly that of the Deen. But, even that will not benefit all who seek it. To reap its benefit, we should seek it with a pure intention and strive to implement and spread it too. What we learn should make us a better person and help us get closer to Allah.
Another Prophetic du’a connecting ‘ilm and benefit is:
“O Allah! Make beneficial for me what You taught me, and teach me knowledge that will be beneficial to me and increase me in knowledge.”
..(I ask You for) a good provision
We are asking Allah for Tayyib Rizq (good and pure provisions). It means sustenance that is permissible and pure, good and beneficial. We should be concerned about the status of our income, food and drink. All of it should be halal and good and pure to nourish and protect from corruption our physical and spiritual selves
And (I ask You for) accepted deeds
The believer should always be concerned about the acceptance of his/her deeds in the sight of Allah. It is a very, very scary prospect that a person gathers deeds that he deems good, but when he goes before Allah, he finds no recompense because his deeds were rejected. Allah says in Surah al-Furqan, ayah 23:
“And We shall have turned towards all the [supposedly good] deeds they ever done, and shall have transformed them into scattered dust.”
The main pre-requisite for an accepted deed is a sound intention. The deed should be done with the intention of pleasing Allah alone, and not for the sake of showing off or attaining worldly gains. Another pre-requisite is that it should be in accordance with the Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallalahu ‘alaihi wasallam). In other words, it should be based on sound, beneficial knowledge, rather than personal whims or innovations. Halal rizq is also a pre-requisite for acceptance of deeds, especially sadaqah and du’as.
So, we see an inter-connection between all the three things asked for in the du’a. When we act based on beneficial knowledge, and consume halal rizq, it is then that our deeds are most likely to be accepted.
May Allah enable us to learn this du’a and ask Him for it every morning. May He accept it from us such that each day we spend in this world is a productive, successful day – wherein we are able to learn beneficial knowledge, earn and consume good and pure rizq, and perform beautiful, righteous deeds that are accepted in the sight of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala!
