The Supplication the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬taught Sayyiduna Ali ؓ for Memorising the Qur’an

Imam al-Tirmidhi relates in his Jami’:

Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas ؓ narrates: we were with the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, when Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi

Talib ؓ approached and said: ‘May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, this Quran slips away

from my memory, and I don’t seem to have ability to retain it.’

The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬replied: ‘O Abul Hasan, shall I not teach you some words through which Allah will

benefit you and those you teach it to, and it will help establish what you learnt?’

Sayyiduna Ali ؓ said: ‘Of course, teach me O Messenger of Allah!’

The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: When the night of Jumu’ah [Thursday night] arrives and you are able to establish

prayer in the last portion of the night, then do so; for indeed this time is witnessed, and supplications

therein are readily accepted; for verily my brother Ya’qub ؓ said to his sons, I shall soon seek

forgiveness for you from my Lord, awaiting the arrival of the night of Jumu’ah. If you unable (to
establish prayer in the last portion of the night), then do so in the middle of the night and if you are
unable to do even that, then establish prayer in the first portion, performing four units and reciting:

in the first unit, Surah al-Fatihah and Surah Yasin,

in the second unit, Surah Fatihah and Surah al-Dukhan,

in the third unit, Surah al-Fatihah and Surah al-Sajdah and

in the fourth unit, Surah al-Fatihah and Surah al-Mulk,

and when you complete the tashahhud, then praise Allah, and glorify Him in an excellent manner,

and then send salutations upon me and be excellent in it and upon all the Prophets ؓ,

and then seek forgiveness for all believing men and women and your brothers preceded you in faith,

and then say at the end of that:

 ِ ‫اللَّه َّم ار َّحم ِني بِ َّتر ِك الْمع‬
‫اصي أَّبَّ ًدا َّما أ َّْب َّق ْي َّت ِني‬ َّ َّ ْ ْ ْ ُ
Allahumma, irhamni bitark il-ma’asi abadan ma abqaitani
O Allah, bestow upon me Your Mercy so that I abandon sins forever, as long as you keep me alive

‫ف َّما ََّل يَّ ْع ِن ِيني‬

َّ
َّ‫َّو ْار َّح ْم ِني أَّ ْن أَّتَّ َّكل‬
Warhamni an atakallafa ma la ya’nini
And bestow upon me Your Mercy so that I do not burden myself with anything that does not concern me

‫يك َّع ِني‬

َّ ‫يما يُ ْر ِض‬
َّ
ِ‫النظَّ ِر ف‬
َّ ‫ن‬ ‫س‬ ‫ح‬
َّ ْ ُ ‫ي‬ ِ ْ‫وار ُزق‬
‫ن‬ ْ َّ
Warzuqni husn an-nadhari fi ma yurdika anni
And grant me sound perception of that which pleases You from me

‫اْل ْك َّرا ِم َّوالْ ِع َّز ِة ال َّ ِتي ََّل تُ َّر ُام‬

ِ ْ ‫ض َّذا الْ َّج ََّل ِل َّو‬ ِ ‫السمو‬
ِ ‫ات َّو ْاْلَّ ْر‬ َّ ‫يع‬‫د‬ِ ‫اللَّه َّم ب‬
َّ َّ َّ َّ ُ
Allahumma badi as-samawati wal-ardi dhal-jalali wal-ikrami wal-izzat il-lati la turam
O Allah, the Originator of the heavens & the earth, the Possessor of Majesty, Nobility & unsurpassable Honour

‫ك‬ َّ ِ‫ك يَّا أ ََّّّلل ُيَّا َّر ْح َّم ُن بِ َّج ََّلل‬

َّ ‫ك َّونُو ِر َّو ْج ِه‬ َّ ُ ‫أ َّْسأَّل‬
As’aluka ya Allahu ya Rahmanu bi-jalalika wa-nuri wajhik
I ask you, O Allah, O Merciful, by Your Majesty and the Light of Your Countenance

َّ ِ‫أَّ ْن تُ ْل ِزم َّ قَّ ْل ِبي ِح ْف َّظ ِك َّتاب‬

‫ك َّك َّما َّعلَّ ْم َّت ِني‬
An tulzima qalbi hifdha kitabika kama allamtani
To make my heart stridently steadfast in preserving (within it) Your Book as You taught me

َّ ‫الن ْح ِو ال َّ ِذي يُ ْر ِض‬

‫يك َّع ِن َّي‬ َّ ‫َّو ْار ُزقْ ِني أَّ ْن أَّ ْتلُ َّو ُه َّعلَّى‬
Warzuqni an atluwahu ala al-nahw il-ladhi yurdika anni
And grant me that I recite it in the manner that pleases You from me
 ‫اْل ْك َّرا ِم َّوالْ ِع َّز ِة ال َّ ِتي ََّل تُ َّر ُام‬
ِ ْ ‫ض َّذا الْ َّج ََّل ِل َّو‬ ِ ‫السمو‬
ِ ‫ات َّو ْاْلَّ ْر‬ َّ َّ َّ ‫يع‬
َّ
ِ
‫د‬ َّ ‫ب‬ ‫م‬
َّ ‫ه‬
ُ َّ ‫الل‬
Allahumma badi as-samawati wal-ardi dhal-jalali wal-ikrami wal-izzat il-lati la turam
O Allah, the Originator of the heavens & the earth, the Possessor of Majesty, Nobility & unsurpassable Honour

‫ك‬ َّ ِ‫ك يَّا أ ََّّّلل ُيَّا َّر ْح َّم ُن بِ َّج ََّلل‬

َّ ‫ك َّونُو ِر َّو ْج ِه‬ َّ ُ ‫أ َّْسأَّل‬
As’aluka ya Allahu ya Rahmanu bi-jalalika wa-nuri wajhik
I ask you, O Allah, O Merciful, by Your Majesty and the Light of Your Countenance

‫ك بَّ َّص ِري َّوأَّ ْن تُطْلِ َّق بِ ِه لِ َّسانِي‬

َّ ِ‫أَّ ْن تُ َّن ِو َّر بِ ِك َّتاب‬
An tunawwira bi-kitabika basari, wa-an tutliqa bihi lisani
That You illumine, through Your Book, my sight, and that You unshackle, through it, my tongue (to recite it)

‫َّوأَّ ْن تُ َّف ِر َّج بِ ِه َّع ْن قَّ ْل ِبي َّوأَّ ْن تَّ ْش َّر َّح بِ ِه َّص ْد ِري‬
Wa-an tufarrija bihi an qalbi wa-an tashraha bihi sadri
And that You soothe, through it, my heart, and that You expand, through it, my chest

‫َّوأَّ ْن تَّ ْغ ِسلَّ بِ ِه بَّ َّدنِي َّوأَّ ْن تَّ ْس َّت ْع ِملَّ بِ ِه ِج ْس ِمي‬
Wa-an taghsila bihi badani wa-an tasta’mila bihi jismi
And that You cleanse, through it, my form, and that You employ, through it, my body (in acts of goodness)

‫ين ِني َّعلَّى الْ َّح ِق َّغ ْي ُر َّك َّو ََّل يُ ْؤتِي ِني ِه ِإ ََّل أَّ ْن َّت‬
ُ ‫فَّ ِإنَّه ُ ََّل يُ ِع‬
Fa-innahu la yu’inuni ala al-haqqi ghairuka wa-la yu’tinihi illa ant
For indeed, no one aids me upon the truth other than You, and no one gives it to me except You

ِ َّ ِ‫و ََّل حول و ََّل قُوةَّ ِإ ََّل ب‬

‫اّلل الْ َّعلِ ِي الْ َّع ِظي ِم‬ َّ َّ َّ ْ َّ َّ
Wa-la hawla wa-la quwatta illa billah il-Ali il-Adhim
And there is no might or power except by Allah, the Most High, the Most Magnificent
O Abul Hasan, do this for three, five or seven Fridays (Thursday nights), you will be answered by the
permission of Allah. By the One who sent me with the truth, it has never failed a believer.

Ibn Abbas ؓ said: By Allah, Ali ؓ did not wait and after five or seven Fridays he came to the Prophet

‫ ﷺ‬in a similar gathering, and said: ‘I used to previously take four verses or so, and when I used to

recite them they would be forgotten, but today I can learn forty verses or so and when I recite them
it is as if the Book of Allah is in front of me, and I used to listen to your statements, and when I use
to repeat them, they would be forgotten, but today I listen to many of your statements, and when I
narrate them I don’t err in a single letter.’

The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said to him at that point: ‘(You are) a (true) believer, by the Lord of the Ka’bah, O

Abul Hasan.’