Praying For Guidance, Piety, Chastity And Sufficiency

عَن ابنِ مسْعُودٍ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم  كَانَ يَقُولُ:  اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أسْألُكَ الهُدَى  والتُّقَى  والعَفَافَ  والغِنَى

Ibn Mas’ud narrated that The Prophet (ﷺ) prayed, “O Allah, verily I ask you for guidance, piety, chastity and sufficiency.”

Narrated in Sahih Muslim

Grade: sahih (authentic)

Reflections:

1.Rasulullah (ﷺ) taught us to pray for the four things in the above hadith:

a. Al-Huda – guidance in gaining knowledge and practising good deeds

b. At-Taqwa – piety, which means carrying out what Allah has ordained and shunning that which He has forbidden

c. Al-Afaf or ‘iffah – chastity, referring to the act of keeping away from sinful pleasures

d. Al-ghina – sufficiency, the feeling of freedom from want and being always content with what has been fated by Allah. 

2. Guidance is from Allah. No person brings guidance to another except that Allah permits it.

3. Each of us should pray to Allah for His guidance in increasing our faith, in multiplying our good deeds and in beautifying our character when facing tribulations both worldly and spiritual in nature.

4. Additionally, in ‘Syarh Sahih Muslim’, an-Nawawi wrote, “’Afaf or ‘iffah (chastity) means to restrain oneself from that which is unlawful. Whereas al-ghina (sufficiency) refers to contentment of the heart and freedom from want for what other humans can provide.”

5. If a person wishes to be guided towards becoming a Muslim with decency and piety, whose affairs are eased, whose heart is calm and at ease, and who guards himself from what is forbidden, he should ask only from Allah and not His creation.

So, let’s practise the du’a (prayer) in the above hadith:

اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أسْألُكَ الهُدَى  والتُّقَى  والعَفَافَ  والغِنَى