In the Name of
Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) has taught us how to supplicate Allah and he dedicated many
supplications that connected all life activities with Almighty Allah. So each
single step you take in life has a special supplication. Upon going to sleep
you invoke Allah and also upon waking. There is a special supplication when you
leave home, or when confused, unable to decide a certain matter, or when you
travel or return from a journey or ride your car; all have a special
supplication.

Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, wants us to connect all
our life with Him, in every single move and stillness too. So, we do not take
one pace without having Allah in our minds and we do nothing without seeking
His Help. All our life is with Allah, The Bestower, not with the bestowed good.
Our will regarding everything is one with the Will of The Truth, all praise and
glory be to Him. We must be sure that goodness lies in what Allah has chosen
and our incapacity to see the good and evil bringers must make us only wish
that which Allah has destined for us. We must follow the good example of our
father Ibrâhîm (Abraham, peace be upon him) when he was cast into fire to be
burned.

Into a blazing fire Ibrâhîm was cast and at that moment
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, sent Angel Jibrîl (Gabriel, peace be
upon him) to Ibrâhîm asking him, ‘Do
you have a need?’ But what was the answer Ibrâhîm gave him? Did he say
to him, ‘Rescue me from what I am
in?’ No, he did not say that, but said to Angel Jibrîl, ‘From you no, but as for Allah, His
Knowledge of my state spares Him my begging.’ And forthwith came the
Command of Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, ‘O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrâhîm (Abraham)!’
(Al-Anbiyâ’, 69: 21).

 

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says and His Saying
is the absolute truth (what means):

“Say: My Lord would not care for you were it
not for your supplication).” (Al-Furqân, 25: 77)

Therefore, supplication is essential. It is the heart of
worship. However, we repeat that you should not make all the good you gain from
supplication is the fulfillment of your wish or need; rather your gained good
should be how sincerely you beseech and implore Allah. But what does beseeching
mean? Some people arrogantly suppose that they can fulfill everything,
anything. To every believer in that false assumption out of ignorance we say,
‘No, you are capable of doing nothing, except with the Power of Allah, all
praise and glory be to Him.’ When you realize that you are weak, undeceived by
your means or powers; when supplication is your pursued path through which you
touch your weakness before the Might of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him,
and it shakes in you the belief in self-sufficiency by means and your pride of
soul; when you feel that you are nothing and that you poorly need the Help of
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, in everything; that no matter how
powerful you are, you still need Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, in every
little move you make in life, only then your state will agree in meaning with
the Sanctified hadith saying:

“He who is
occupied with remembering Me than beseeching Me, I shall give him the best of
what I give the beseechers.”

All the supplications of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) revolve around this point: confessing weakness
before the Power of Allah in everything; in every single step and move that
makes you sense your true weakness and need to cry out for the Help of Allah or
seek His Refuge from whatever may take you away from Him. That is what our
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has taught us,
which represents the summit of piety and submission shown to The King, Whose
Majesty reigns supreme, and the way of remembering Him.

Among the noble manners of the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) was remembering Allah (whether by heart,
words, or deeds) in all his moves: eating, drinking, sleeping, awaking, selling
and buying. If he ate he used to mention the Name of Allah on food and when he
finished eating he used to thank Allah for His Blessings. See how our noble
Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) teaches us to live with the
remembrance of Allah and resigning oneself to Him. In one of his hadiths the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “When any of you go to his bed he should clean it with the edge (or
the inside) of his garment three times and say, ‘With your Name my Lord I have
laid down my side and with it I raise it. If you take my soul, forgive it; and
if you send it, guard it with what you guard your righteous servants.’”

Supplication upon going to sleep

Whenever the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) went to his bed he used to blow his breath in his hands (while
cupped together) reciting Surat Al-Ikhlâs [or At-Tauhîd (112)] and
Al-Mu‘auwidhât [Surat Al-Falaq (113) and Surat Al-Nâs, and (114)] then pass his
hands over whatever parts he can reach of his body.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) said, “When you go to bed
perform ablution as you do for Prayers then lie down on your right side and
say, ‘O Allah! I surrender myself to You, and entrust all my affairs to You and
I commit my back to You (commit it to Your Protection and totally rely on You)
in hope of You (Your reward) and in fear of You (Your punishment). There is no
escape nor refuge from You (Your Punishment) except with You (Your mercy). O
Allah! I believe in the Book (the Noble Qur’an) which You have revealed and in
Your Prophet (Muhammad) whom You have sent.’”

Before sleep the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) used to put his right hand under his cheek and say, “O Allah! Save me from Your Torment on
the Day You shall resurrect Your servants.”

Whenever the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) lay in his bed he used to say, “With
the Name of Allah I have laid down my side. O Allah! Forgive me my sin, drive
away my devil, free me from my pledge and place me in the highest assembly (i.e.,
among the Angels on high).”

These are some of the supplications the Messenger of Allah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to repeat before going to sleep.
They all are prayers invoking Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, to guard
him while asleep and drive the devil away from him. But of what do these
supplications remind us? They remind us of our weakness before the Power and
Might of Allah. We pray Allah that if He should take our soul and keep it with
Him to reward it good, and if He should restore it to our bodies to make its
life righteous. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):

“It is Allah Who takes away the souls at the
time of their death, and those that die not during their sleep. He keeps those
(souls) for which He has ordained death and sends the rest for a term
appointed. Verily, in this are signs for a people who think deeply.” (Az-Zumar,
39: 42)

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) declared that he has
no power over his soul and teaches us to mind well this truth. When we sleep
our souls are with Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, if He wills He can
take them and if He wills He can send them back to our bodies.

Supplication
here does not contradict the Will of Allah. It is an appeal that Allah bestows
goodness on our souls: if He should take them to have mercy upon them, and if
He should send them back, it would be only for doing good. It is a confession
as well as a reminder to man that Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, is Able to
make man sleep never to wake up again, that He takes his soul, which sets forth
a reminder every night of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him.

When you
place your head on the pillow you remember things you did on this day and
others you intend to do tomorrow. If your plans involve anything evil do not do
it, because you know well that you have neither might nor power. That Allah can
take your soul at sleep and never shall He return it. All this is a reminder
every night of the Power of Allah, The Exalted and Ever-Majestic, which makes
all your life connected with Allah, all praise and glory be to Him.

 

This is
concerning sleep. On awakening the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) also teaches us what to say. The Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) said in his noble hadith:

“All the Praises
are to Allah Who has made us alive after He made us die (sleep) and unto Him is
the Resurrection.”

Upon
awakening the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to
say:

“All the Praises
are to Allah Who restored to me my soul, made my body healthy and has allowed
me to remember Him.”

 

He also used to say:

“All the Praises are to Allah Alone, He has no partner; Allah is
the Most Great; there is neither might nor power except with Allah, the Most
High, the Supreme.”

To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return

Thus, we see that on going to sleep we remember Allah; we
remember that our souls are with Him. When The Almighty restores this soul to
us upon awakening, He, all praise and glory be to Him, deserves from us all
thanks and gratitude. But who amongst us before sleep makes remembering Allah
the last words on his tongue? Or his first words upon arousing? None pays
attention to that except the devoted servants. It is a prayer of praises and
asking help in which you only express remembrance and thanking. You harbor no
ill will, but you heartily know that to Allah you belong and to Him you shall
return.

Does supplication end at sleep and awakening? No, but
continue with the movement of your life throughout the night. But is there any
action that may arise from a sleeper? Yes, when he is unable to sleep or has a
nightmare, to know that the force and course of religion never leave mankind a
single moment, but they are always with him the moment he is awake and
conscious, meaning all along his conscious life. What does man do upon seeing a
bad dream? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
teaches to say:

“I seek refuge
with the Perfect Words of Allah from His Anger and
His Punishment, and from the evil of His servants, and from the whisperings of
the devils and lest they should attend (or come near) me.” Whoever says them will be safe
from all evils on that day.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
said, “If anyone of you sees a dream
that he likes, then it is from Allah, and he should thank Allah for it and
narrate it to others; but if he sees something else, i.e., a dream that he
dislikes, then it is from Satan, and he should seek refuge with Allah from its
evil, and he should not mention it to anybody, for it will not harm him.”

It is narrated that Ibn Thâbit (may Allah be pleased with
him) complained to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
of sleeplessness, so the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told
him to say:

“O Allah! The
stars have set and the eyes have calmed and You are the Ever Living, the
Sustainer and Protector of all that exists. Neither slumber, nor sleep
overtakes You. O Ever Living, O Sustainer and Protector of all that exists!
Guide my night and bring my eyes to sleep.”

Ibn Thâbit said that after he repeated it Allah dispelled
his trouble.

Connection with Allah never ends

The bond between the servant and his Lord never breaks at
the hour of sleep or awakening but accompanies him during his night. If he sees
a nightmare he hurries to  
Allah seeking His Refuge. Also, if he was sleepless during the night and
tried to sleep but failed he resort to Allah, all praise and glory be to Him,
to soothe him to sleep. Honestly, have you ever seen a closer communication
with Allah? Have you touched how far Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, wants us
to seek His Help in every single move and soft whisper in the wheel of our
life?

We are only offering some examples but if we viewed life
entirely we would find that to the believer it forms an endless series of links
connecting us with Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, their base is the
rule saying: supplication is the heart of worship.

If afterwards we moved on to the morning and evening, we
would find that every morning has more than an invocation and every evening as
well. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
commanded us to remember Allah often through supplication in the morning and
evening. He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Whoever says in
the morning and in the evening (these words): ‘Gloried be Allah and all praises
are due to Him,’ one hundred times, none shall come on the Day of Resurrection
with anything better except someone who has said the same or more.’”

In the evening the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) used to supplicate saying:

“We have reached the night and the whole Kingdom has reached the
night belonging (only) to Allah and all praises
and thanks be to Allah. There is no god but Allah; the One Who has no
partner. His is the dominion, and to Him belong all praises and thanks, and He
is Able to do all things. My Lord! I beg of You the blessing that exists in
this night and the blessing of that which follows it and I seek refuge in You
from the evil that exists in this night and the evil of that which follows it.
My Lord! I seek refuge in You from sloth and from the ill of senility. And I
seek refuge in You from the torment of hellfire and from the torment of the
grave.”

 

And when he rose in the morning he used to say:

“We have reached the morning and the whole Kingdom has reached
the morning belonging (only) to Allah and all praises and thanks be to Allah.”

We can see that upon the arrival of evening or morning
time, each has more than a supplication. When you rise at dawn there is a
supplication, also at daybreak and when you sleep after nightfall. And that is
true faith: to have the Religion of Allah accompanying you in every moment.
That you remember Allah always and have your life closely connected with Him.
That your tongue is never silent of giving thanks, praises and supplications.
Have you ever seen a status closer than this to Allah, Blessed and Exalted be
He?

The Master Supplication for begging forgiveness

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) said in his noble hadith:

“The superior
way of begging forgiveness is that a Muslim says: O Allah! You are my Lord;
there is no god but You, You have created me, and I am Your servant and I hold
to Your Covenant and Promise as much as I can; I seek refuge in You from the
evil of what I have done: I acknowledge Your Favour upon me, and I acknowledge
my sin, so forgive me, for verily none forgives sins except You, glory be to
You.”

 

If you said this blessed supplication, which the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) called the master
supplication for begging forgiveness, in the morning and you died on that day
you would enter Paradise. And if you said it in the evening and you died on
that night you would enter Paradise. Truly, what a superb supplication and a
superb honor!

If we now moved to your daily life and its usual
activities, the first to occur to you is eating and drinking, which are
recurring acts. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) teaches us the supplication of eating and drinking:

“When any of you
eats, he should pronounce the Name of Allah, the Most Exalted, and if he
forgets to pronounce the Name of Allah, the Most Exalted, at the beginning, he
should say, ‘In the Name of Allah at the beginning and at the end of it.’”

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said
in another hadith:

“When any of you
eats, he should eat with his right hand. And when he drinks, he should drink
with his right hand, for Satan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left
hand.”

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) teaches us the supplication that should be uttered at drinking water:

“When any of you
drinks water he should say, ‘Glory be to the One Who gave us sweet water by His
Mercy and did not give us saline bitter water by our sins.’”

We shall briefly review few examples of the supplications
which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to
repeat during all activities of life. In ablution he used to say:

“O Allah!
Forgive my sins, make spacious my abode and give blessings in my sustenance.”

After ablution he used to say:

“I testify that
there is no god but Allah, Alone, Who has no partner and I testify that
Muhammad is His servant and Messenger! 
O Allah, make me of those who return to You often in repentance and make
me of those who remain clean and pure.’

Whoever says that hadith after performing ablution, as the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has said it, would
have the eight gates of Paradise opened for him to enter from wherever he likes.

All the supplications that we recite between the Azân [The
Muslim summons to prayer, called by the muezzin from a minaret of a mosque five
times a day] and the Iqâmah [the call for the actual standing for performing
the prayers] are the supplications of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace). The believer says between the Azân and the Iqâmah:

“O Allah! Lord
of this most perfect call (of not ascribing partners to You) and of the regular
prayer about to be established, grant Muhammad Al-wasîlah (the highest degree
in Paradise) and Al-fadîlah (a rank or place above the rest of creation) and
raise him to a position of praise and glory which You have promised him.”

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
added that whoever says it will be entitled his intercession on the Day of
Resurrection.

On starting the prayer – between the Opening Takbîr
[Commencement of Prayer by saying Allahu Akbar ‘Allah is the Most
Great’] and the recitation of Al-Fâtihah [the first Chapter in the Noble
Qur’an] – we say:

“O Allah!
Distance me from my sins just as You have distanced the East from the West. O
Allah! Purify me from my sins as a white cloth is purified from dirt. O Allah!
Cleanse me from my sins with snow, water and hail.”

When you bow in Prayers after thrice repeating, ‘Subhân
Raby Al-‘Adhîm ‘(Glory be to my Lord, the Most Great), say: “O Allah! To you I have bowed, and in
You I have believed, and to You I have submitted, and before You are humbled my
hearing, my sight, my brain, my bones and my nerves.”

When you prostrate yourself in Prayers after thrice
repeating, ‘Subhân Raby Al-‘Alâ (Glory be to my Lord, the Most
High),’ say as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
used to say:

“O Allah! To You
I have prostrated myself, and in You I have believed and to You I have
submitted. My face has prostrated before He Who created it and fashioned it,
and brought forth its faculties of hearing and seeing. Blessed be Allah, the
Best of creators.”

After you recite At-Tashahud [Testification: a certain
invocation to be recited at the middle or the end of the Prayers] and before
offering the Salutation ending the Prayer, invoke with the supplication of the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), saying:

“O Allah! I seek
refuge with You from the torment of the grave, and from the torment of Fire and
from the trials and tribulations of life and death and from the evil affliction
of Al-Masîh Ad-Dajjâl (the Antichrist).”

After you offer the Salutation ending the Prayer, say:

“O Allah! You
are As-Salâm (One free from all defects and deficiencies) and from You comes
Salâm (peace, or safety), blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor.”

Activities of Life

The supplications that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) has taught us include all the activities of
life. Among the supplications of traveling is the one saying:

“O Allah, You
are the Companion on the journey, and The Successor over the
family; O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the hardship of traveling, an
unhappy return, and a distressing scene regarding family and wealth. O Allah,
fold for us the land (i.e., make the distance shorter and draw closer for us
the lands), and make easy our journey.”

And when the traveler returns home he should say as the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to say:

“Returning,
repenting, worshipping and praising our Lord.”

On the wedding night, the groom should repeat the
supplication of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace), saying:

 

‘O Allah, I ask You for the goodness within her and the goodness
that you have made her inclined towards, and I seek refuge with You from the
evil within her and the evil that you have made her inclined towards.’

And when man holds a newborn he should repeat the
supplication of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), saying:

“I
commend you to the Protection of Allah’s Perfect Words from every devil and
vermin, and from every (evil, harmful,) envious eye.”

 

Upon seeing natural phenomenon as rainfall the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) invoked Allah saying:

 

“(Let it rain)
around us and not on us.”

Because when it rains outside the city prosperity and
verdure will reign among all people, but if it rained inside perhaps people may
be harmed.

When suffering a hardship say as the Messenger of Allah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to say:

“There is no god
but Allah, the Majestic, the Most Forbearing. There is no god but Allah, the
Lord of the Tremendous Throne. There is no god but Allah, the Lord of the
heavens and the earth and the Lord of the Honorable Throne. O Allah! Your Mercy
is what I hope for, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink
of an eye, and rectify for me all of my affairs. There is no god but You.”

These supplications express the weakness and want of man,
who in the life of this world has power over nothing. In traveling he is either
leaving behind someone who needs his care as his parents, his children or his
wife, so he wants a Guardian to hold his place, or parting with someone he
needs. In both cases he should leave all to Allah, whether to help him in his
travel or help his family he left behind. To you people in this world are one
of two: those who need you and those whom you need. Therefore, you want Allah,
Blessed and Exalted be He, to help those who need you while you are away, or
help you tolerate the want of people you need.

For every state there is an invocation

We clearly see that Islam assigned an invocation to every
state man lives in order to strengthen the ties between the Creator and His
creatures.

For instance, as though when you sleep, which is a period
of total unconsciousness of worldly existence, you are trying to say, ‘O Lord!
Though unconscious of the entire universe still I remember You.’ And upon
rising, to have your movement in life given to you by Allah right and complete,
you have to seek the Help of Allah in doing good.

The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, has restored
your soul to your body after you slept unconscious of the entire universe, so
you welcome Allah’s Bestowment with praise and contentment. Usually man does
not remember Allah and turn to Him imploringly except at hard times. Hard times
that bare man’s inability, make him turn to Allah, Whose Majesty reigns
supreme. For instance, you do not appreciate that you have feet, eyes and hands
except when these organs are injured. But when sound, to you they simply exist
carrying their job while you are insensible or even unaware of their
existence!! Familiarity and monotony of life make you receive all the Blessings
of Allah as common, so you never contemplate them. But when they become unsound
or no longer capable of performing their role, in such case you feel and
appreciate the greatness of the bestowed Blessings of Allah, for which you
failed to pay thanks because of your negligence.

You do not realize the value of money and the want you may
fall into except at its loss. You do not realize the high blessing of having a
water drop except when about to perish of thirst, or the worth of a morsel of
bread except when you are dying of hunger. For each of these sublime blessings
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, assigned an invocation to keep it and
ensure the continuity of your benefiting from it.  The events of life that pass on you without thinking of them
are from the Grace of Allah upon you. Therefore, there is a supplication for
everything. If you remember Allah at your happy prosperous moments, He will
surely remember you at the time of your distress.  A servant should never forget that he is created to worship
Allah, the Creator, as states the noble Qur’anic verse (what means):

“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and humans except
they should worship Me (Alone). I seek not any provision from them (i.e.
provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should
feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures).” (Az-Zâriyât, 51: 56-57)

This noble Qur’anic verse applies to all life events, in
every movement we make in life there is a blessing, a rule and a supplication
and they all are acts of worship. 
Supplication in all life events is meant to obtain the Blessing of
Allah, the Power of Allah and the Might of Allah. Therefore, if you seek the
Help of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, your life would be good, good in
everything. Any food eaten after pronouncing the Name of Allah on it, the devil
will never eat from it. Any deed started by invoking Allah, the devil will
never spoil it, and he will never enter a house in which supplications are
recited.

Blessing is not in abundance but in winning the Good

Pleasure of Allah. Also money is not in large amounts but in having the
Blessing of Allah in it, to spend it while enjoying it instead of spending it
while suffering some illness. Spending it in such case will give you nothing
but pain and sorrow, while seeing before you things you love of worldly
delights but you stand deprived of them.

Mercy, blessings and peace of mind      

Thus was the life of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) in all the affairs of his life. He wants us to
always remember Allah, in every single step and move we take. At sleep, arousing,
leaving home, going to work, during work, returning home, drinking water, in
facing the events life unfolds, those pleasant and those bitter. By such
remembrance, you will obtain mercy, blessings and calm of mind. When you say
them you will surely lead a good, safe and tranquil life. But if you forget
them you will lead a wretched life full of tension, anger and discontentment.
Allah has decreed all the life incidents that befall you, so turn to the
Remembrance of Allah to help you face them. Recite the Qur’anic verse in which
The Exalted and Ever-Majestic addresses his believing servants, assuring them
of the good care He will give them in worldly life if they abide by His Law and
of the great reward He has prepared for them in the Hereafter:

“We have been your friends in the life of this world
and are (so) in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have (all) that your
inner-selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) for which you ask for.”
(Fussilat, 41: 31)

And the Qur’anic verse saying (what means):

“Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female,
while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We
will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful
provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best
of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).” (An-Nahl, 16:
97)