Dua for guidance and a firm heart

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) to supplicate and ask Allah, saying: (O Allah, guide me), direct me, lead me, (and make me adhere to the straight path), grant me success, and make me upright in all my affairs.

Huda (guidance): It means knowing the truth in detail and as a whole and being guided to follow it outwardly and inwardly.

Sadād (adherence to the straight path): It means guidance and uprightness in all affairs following what is right in conformity with the truth, namely the straight path in terms of words, deeds, and beliefs.

Given that intangible ideas become clear when expressed in a tangible form, remember when reciting this supplication that: (Huda: your being guided to the right path). So, when asking for guidance, recall in your heart a guidance like that given to the traveler, who does not deviate from the route so as not to lose his way and remain safe and reach his destination without delay.

(And Sadād is the straightness of the arrow) as you notice how quickly the arrow reaches and hits the goal when you shoot it. When the archer shoots something, he aims the arrow at the target. Similarly, when asking Allah Almighty for Sadād, you should intend straightness like that of the arrow, and by this, you will be asking for ultimate guidance and the highest degree of straightness.

So, recall this meaning in your heart when asking Allah for Sadād similar to what you use when shooting.

Benefits

• The supplicator should be keen on rectifying and redressing his deeds by adhering to the Sunnah and offering such deeds with sincere intention.
• It is recommended to supplicate with these comprehensive words that combine success and rightness.
• The slave should seek help from Allah Almighty in all of his affairs.
• Giving examples during the teaching process.
• Combining the request for guidance and good conditions with the request to remain steadfast on that and never deviate therefrom and to attain a good outcome. His statement: "Guide me," refers to his adherence to the path of guidance, and his statement: "And make me adhere to the straight path," refers to being right and not deviating from guidance after attaining it.
• The supplicator should be careful about his supplication, recalling the meanings of his supplications in his heart, which makes them more likely to be answered.

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Among the supplications of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was: "O Allah, I ask You for guidance", i.e., the straight path of knowing the truth and acting upon it,

"piety", i.e., adhering to commands and avoiding prohibitions,

"chastity", i.e., refraining from what is unlawful or unsuitable of words or deeds, "and self-sufficiency", i.e., being free from want of others, and needing none but one's Lord, the Almighty.

Benefits

• The nobility of these qualities of: guidance, piety, chastity, and self-sufficiency, and the encouragement to adopt them.
• The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) cannot benefit or harm himself, as all this is within the power of Allah Almighty.
• The One who possesses the power to bring benefit, harm, and guidance to the creation is Allah alone—neither a close angel, a sent prophet, nor anyone else.

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The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) invoked Allah with a supplication in which he combined the principles of the noble morals that he was sent to perfect, namely the soundness of the religion, the worldly life, and the Hereafter. With such brief wording, he sought the soundness of these three comprehensive meanings. He started with the soundness of the religion that guarantees the soundness of the conditions of both abodes, as he said:

(O Allah, set right for me my religion) by guiding me to fulfill its manners most perfectly and completely.

(That is the safeguard of my affairs) and the protector of all my matters. If my religion is corrupted, my affairs will be corrupted, and I shall fail and lose. Given that the required soundness of the religion cannot be fulfilled except through the soundness of this worldly life, he said:

(And set right for me my world) by granting me physical health, security, sustenance, a righteous wife, a virtuous offspring, and whatever I need, making it lawful and support for obeying You. Then he mentioned the reason behind asking Him to set it right, saying:

(Wherein my living is), my residence, and my lifetime.

(And set right for me my Hereafter, wherein my return is) to meet You, and this could be attained through righteous deeds and Allah's guidance of His slave to worship, sincerity, and a good end.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the Hereafter after the world, since the first is the means of reforming the second. In other words, whoever remains upright in his worldly life in compliance with Allah's wish, his Hereafter will be set right for him, and he will be happy therein.

(And make life) and longevity (an increase for me in every good) to increase my righteous deeds; (and make death) and hastening it (a relief for me from every evil), trial, adversity, and affliction caused by sins and negligence, a release from worldly hardships and sorrows, and attainment of comfort.

Benefits

• Religion is the most important thing, hence, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started the supplication with it.
• Religion acts as a protection for man preventing him from every evil.
• Supplicating for worldly affairs for the sake of soundness of the religion and the Hereafter.
• Wishing to die for fear of being subject to trial in one's religion or asking Allah to die on the testimony of faith is not disliked.

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The supplication the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say most frequently is to ask Allah for steadfastness to the religion and obedience to Him and keeping away from deviation and misguidance. Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) wondered at the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) making this supplication frequently. So, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed him that the hearts lie between two of the Fingers of Allah and He turns them as He wishes. The heart is the place where Imān or Kufr lies. It is called Qalb (in Arabic) due to its frequent Taqallub (fluctuation). It fluctuates more intensely than a boiling jar. So, Allah makes the heart of whom He wills steadfast to guidance and firm upon the religion, and He diverts the heart of whom He wills from guidance to deviation and misguidance.

Benefits

• The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was submissive and humble to his Lord and used to implore Him. The Ummah is also exhorted to make the same supplication.
• The Hadīth highlights the significance of uprightness and steadfastness to the religion, and that the important thing is the end.
• A person is always in need of Allah to make him steadfast to Islam.
• We are urged to supplicate Allah a lot, in adherence to the Prophet's example.
• Steadfastness to Islam is the greatest blessing a person should seek to obtain and for which he should be grateful to his Lord.

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The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the hearts of all the children of Adam are between two Fingers of the Most Compassionate, like a single heart; He directs it as He wills. If He wills, He keeps the heart firm upon the truth, and if He wills, He leads it away from the truth. His control over all hearts is like His control over one, as nothing distracts Him from any matter. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated, saying: O Allah, the Turner of the hearts, sometimes towards obedience, sometimes towards disobedience, sometimes towards remembrance, and sometimes towards heedlessness, direct our hearts towards Your obedience.

Benefits

• Affirming destiny and that Allah directs the hearts of His slaves according to the destiny He has predetermined for them.
• A Muslim must continuously ask his Lord to keep him firm upon the truth and guidance.
• Fear of Allah and reliance upon Him alone, without any partners.
• Al-Ājurri said: People of the truth describe Allah Almighty with what He has described Himself and with what His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) described Him, and with what the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) described Him, and this is the methodology of the scholars who have complied and did not innovate in religion. End quote. So, Ahl-us-Sunnah establish for Allah what He has established for Himself of the names and attributes without Tahrīf (distortion), Ta‘tīl (negation), Takyīf (asking how), or Tamthīl (likening). They negate from Allah what He has negated from Himself and keep silent regarding what has neither been negated nor established. Allah Almighty says: {There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.}

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