The Great Prayer of the Prophet: Don't Let the World Become Our Biggest Sadness

God willing God bless you تُبَلِّغُنَا بِهِ God bless you مُصِيبَاتِ الدُّنْيَا، وَمَتِّعْنَا بِأَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُوَّتِنَا مَا أَحْيَيْتَنَا، وَاجْعَلْهُ الْوَارِثَ مِنَّا، وَاجْعَلْ ثَأْرَنَا عَلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَنَا، وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى مَنْ God bless you Allah's blessings عِلْمِنَا، وَلا تُسَلِّطْ عَلَيْنَا مَنْ لا يَرْحَمُنَا

“"O Allah, make us happy with fear of You which is a barrier between us and disobedience to You, and with obedience to You which leads us to Your heaven, and with confidence which You make us a consolation in facing the world's calamities. Give us pleasure with our hearing, sight and strength as long as You give us life, and make them our heirs. Make retribution for those who wrong us, help us with those who are enemies us, and do not make our disaster our religion. Do not make the world our greatest sorrow, nor do You make the world the final limit of our knowledge. And do not rule over us those who do not love us."”

That was the prayer that never left the lips of the noble Prophet ﷺ when one day he was about to rise from an assembly. Imam At-Tirmidhi narrated in his Sunan, from Abdullah bin Umar radhiyallahu 'anhuma, he said: "‘Fallama kāna Rasūlullāhi shallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam yaqūmu min majlisin hattā yad'u bihā'ulā'il-kalimāti li-ashābihī‘-It was very rare for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to stand up from a gathering unless he prayed with these words for his companions.

It is not just a routine, but a valuable legacy that he left for his people - a complete package of happiness in this world and the hereafter, arranged in a string of short words that are down to earth and reach the depths of the soul.

Imagine, when the companions sat with the Prophet, before they left and dispersed to their respective activities, he took the time to recite this prayer for them. Subhanallah, how much love he had for his people until the moments of separation were filled with kindness that continued to flow.

Let's reflect on the requests one by one in this great prayer, because we are actually being invited to have a direct dialogue with God about the most important things in life.

Starts with "“Allahummaqsim lana min khashyatika ma yahulu baynana wa bayna ma'ashik‘-اللَّهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ مَا يَحُولُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ مَعَاصِيكَ. Khashyah not just ordinary fear, it is a fear born of deep recognition. Allah says:

God willing

"Indeed, those who fear Allah among His servants are only the scholars."” (QS. Fathir: 28)

The more we know Allah, the more we fear Him, and that fear will become a solid wall, restraining our hands, tongue, and heart from violating His boundaries.

Then the prayer flows into the second request: "“Wa min tha'atika ma tuballighuna bihi jannatak‘ Obedience is the path, and Paradise is the goal. But that path will not be taken if we are not given the strength to walk it. Therefore, we ask Allah directly to grant us obedience itself—not just obedience, but obedience that reaches Him.

Then we invoke the third: “Wa minal-yaqini ma tuhawwinu bihi 'alaina mushibatid-dunya” وَمِنَ الْيَقِينِ مَا تُهَوِّنُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا مُصِيبَاتِ الدُّنْيَا. This is a sedative for a soul that is always worried. Sure is the pinnacle of faith, when a servant believes wholeheartedly that whatever befalls him has been arranged by the All-Wise. Allah says:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوَ وَنَقْصٍ مِنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنْفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ Allah's blessings قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

"And indeed We will give you trials with a little fear, hunger, lack of wealth, souls and fruits. And convey good news to those who are patient, (namely) those who, when a disaster strikes them, say: Innā lillāhi wa innā ilaihi rāji'ūn."‘ (QS. Al-Baqarah: 155-156)

With this belief, disasters feel lighter, they even become a sin buster and a lifter. In a hadith, from Abu Hurairah radhiyallahu 'anhu, Rasulullah ﷺ said:

مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلَا وَصَبٍ وَلَا هَمٍّ prayer يُشَاكُهَا، God willing

“No Muslim is afflicted with fatigue, illness, anxiety, sadness, harm, or grief, even if a thorn pricks him, but Allah will expiate his sins because of it.” (HR. Bukhari no. 5641, Muslim no. 2573)

This prayer then turns to external blessings that we often take for granted: “Matti'na bi asma'ina wa absharina wa quwwatina ma ahyaitana”—وَمَتِّعْنَا بِأَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُوَّتِنَا مَا أَحْيَيْتَنَا. And then he begged: “Waj'alhul-waritsa minna”—وَاجْعَلْهُ الْوَارِثَ مِنَّا.

That is, make this hearing, sight and strength remain sustainable and useful until the end of life, so that they become “"heir"” The most faithful companion to our death. Or, as some scholars interpret it: May this blessing continue to flow to our descendants after our departure.

Then this prayer enters the stage of relationships with others: “Waj'al tha'rana 'ala man zyarda‘ This is not a teaching of revenge, but rather absolute submission to Allah. Because the prayer of the oppressed is a prayer that is answered. From Mu'adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

may Allah bless him and give him peace of mind وَبَيْنَ اللَّهِ حِجَابٌ

"Be afraid of the prayer of the oppressed, for there is no veil between his prayer and Allah.” (HR. Bukhari no. 2448, Muslim no. 2613)

And we pray: “Wanshurna 'ala man 'adana‘-وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى مَنْ عَادَانَا. The most obvious enemy is Satan, whom Allah Himself commands us to be hostile to:

God willing عَدُوٌّ فَاتَّخِذُوهُ عَدُوًّا

"In fact, Satan is your enemy, so treat him as an enemy."” (QS. Fathir: 6)

After dealing with humans, we return to the most crucial matter: “Wa la taj'al musibatana fi dinina‘-And the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. This is the nadir. All worldly calamities can still be treated, wealth can be recovered, health can be restored, and even the loss of a loved one can still be endured. But the calamity of religion—going astray, doubting, shirk, or dying in disbelief—is a calamity beyond compare. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

God bless you قَلْبِهِ نُكْتَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ، فَإِذَا هُوَ نَزَعَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ وَتَابَ صُقِلَ قَلْبُهُ، فَإِنْ عَادَ زِيدَ فِيهَا حَتَّى تَعْلُوَ message: message: message: message رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَنُوا يَكْسِبُونَ

"Indeed, if a servant makes a mistake, a black spot will be placed in his heart. If he leaves it, makes istighfar, and repents, then his heart will be clean. But if he returns (does it), that point will be added to cover his heart. That is the ar-ran mentioned by Allah: 'Never mind, even what they always do has covered their hearts.‘ (HR. Tirmidhi no. 3334, Ibn Majah no. 4244, from Abu Hurairah radhiyallahu 'anhu, Tirmidhi said: hasan authentic hadith)

Then we pray: “Wa la taj'alid-dunya akbara hammina wa la mablagha 'ilmina‘-What a beautiful prayer this is. The world should not be the peak of anxiety, nor should it be the limit of the horizon of thought. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

مَنْ كَانَتِ الآخِرَةُ هَمَّهُ، جَعَلَ اللَّهُ غِنَاهُ فِي قَلْبِهِ، وَجَمَعَ لَهُ شَمْلَهُ، وَأَتَتْهُ الدُّنْيَا وَهِيَ God willing God bless you وَلَمْ يَأْتِهِ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَا قُدِّرَ لَهُ

"Whoever makes the afterlife his goal, Allah makes riches in his heart, gathers his affairs, and the world comes to him in a state of humiliation. And whoever makes the world his goal, Allah makes poverty before his eyes, scatters his affairs, and the world does not come to him except what has been appointed for him."” (HR. Tirmidhi no. 2465, from Anas bin Malik radhiyallahu 'anhu, Tirmidhi said: Hasan sahih hadith)

Finally, we ask for protection from the greatest humiliation: “Wa la tusallith 'alaina man la yarhamuna‘This is a prayer that we will not be under the power of oppressors, cruel rulers, or anyone who lacks compassion. Because when the oppressed rule, order is destroyed, and the weak are tormented.

This is a prayer for safety from the slander of bad leadership, as well as a prayer so that we ourselves do not become unjust leaders when given a mandate. In a history, the Prophet ﷺ taught prayers for protection from the power of people who do not love, because in fact the tyranny of the ruler is one of the greatest tests for the people.

How rarely do we ask for things like this in our prayers? We're busy asking for wealth, a luxurious home, a high position, or healing from illness. But the Prophet Muhammad taught us to ask for something more essential: fear that prevents us from sin, obedience that leads to paradise, faith that alleviates calamities, the benefit of our senses until the end of our lives, justice against injustice, victory over our enemies, salvation in our religion, a soul free from worldly attachments, knowledge that remains untouched by the world, and protection from the power of inhumane people.

So where do we stand? Have our prayers been focused solely on small, temporary requests, while the eternal truth has escaped our awareness?

Abdullah bin Umar radhiyallahu 'anhuma-who narrated this prayer-lived to witness how Rasulullah ﷺ never got tired of teaching goodness. And now, the same prayer reaches us through a continuous sanad. It is no coincidence that we hear this today. This is an invitation from the Beloved God so that we not only live, but live with a clear direction.

From today, make this great prayer your wirid which never leaves your lips. Read it with appreciation, for every word in it is a map of the journey of a true believer.

When you stand before Him, may everything you've ever prayed for in this prayer bear witness that you've strived to be a servant who understands life's priorities. Because truly, prayer isn't just about what we ask for, but about who we are when we ask.

And Allah knows best