Seeking Rizq: Prayers for Sustenance, Provision, and Blessings in Islam
Question: Respected Sheikh, can you provide some prayers for sustenance?
Answer: It is important to understand that sustenance is not obtained merely by praying; rather, it requires effort and hard work, along with praying to Allah for lawful sustenance. Some people believe that just praying will open the doors of sustenance, so it is appropriate to guide people correctly in such situations. The most beloved servants of Allah, the Prophets, also worked hard to earn their livelihood. In Sahih Bukhari (2262), it is mentioned that all the Prophets tended sheep. Therefore, we must strive for sustenance and also pray to Allah. Various righteous deeds can also be a means of sustenance, such as repentance and seeking forgiveness, trust in Allah, piety, devoted worship, maintaining family ties, spending in the way of Allah, kindness to the weak, migration in the way of Allah, and marriage.
Here are some prayers for asking Allah for sustenance:
1. After Fajr prayer and at other times:
اللَّهمَّ إنِّي أسألُكَ عِلمًا نافعًا ورزقًا طيِّبًا وعملًا متقبَّلًا
Translation: “O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, good sustenance, and accepted deeds.”
Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say this prayer after Fajr prayer: “O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, good sustenance, and accepted deeds.” (Sahih Ibn Majah: 762)
2. Prayer of Prophet Isa (Jesus) mentioned in the Quran:
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا أَنزِلْ عَلَيْنَا مَائِدَةً مِّنَ السَّمَاءِ تَكُونُ لَنَا عِيدًا لِّأَوَّلِنَا وَآخِرِنَا وَآيَةً مِّنكَ ۖ وَارْزُقْنَا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ (Al-Ma’idah: 114)
Translation: “O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a table spread with food from heaven to be for us a festival for the first of us and the last of us and a sign from You. And provide for us, and You are the best of providers.”
3. Prayer of Prophet Musa (Moses):
رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ (Al-Qasas: 24)
Translation: “My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need.”
4. A great prayer from Sahih Muslim (2697):
اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي، وَارْحَمْنِي، وَاهْدِنِي، وَعَافِنِي، وَارْزُقْنِي
Translation: “O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, grant me well-being, and provide for me.”
This prayer is also recited between the two prostrations in prayer. Recite it frequently in and out of prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that these words will gather for you your worldly and hereafter needs.
5.A beloved prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for both worldly and hereafter needs:
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا في الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً، وفي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً، وقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ (Sahih Bukhari: 6389)
Translation: “O Allah, our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the Fire.”
6. Another prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
اللهمَّ اغفِرْ لي ذَنْبي، و وسِّعْ لي في داري، و بارِكْ لي في رِزْقي(Sahih Al-Jami: 1265)
Translation: “O Allah, forgive my sin, expand my home, and bless my sustenance.”
7. A prayer given by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Anas (may Allah be pleased with him):
اللَّهُمَّ أكْثِرْ مَالَهُ، ووَلَدَهُ، وبَارِكْ له فِيما أعْطَيْتَهُ (Sahih Bukhari: 6380)
You can say this prayer for yourself as: اللَّهُمَّ أكْثِرْ مَالي، ووَلَدي، وبَارِكْ لي فِيما أعْطَيْتَني
Translation: “O Allah, increase my wealth and children, and bless me in what You have given me.”
Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi
Jeddah Dawah Center, Hayy Al-Salamah, Saudi Arabia