Allahumma a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ibaadatik.
Oh Allah, assist me in remembering You, and being grateful to You and worshiping you in a beautiful manner.
A special dua from RasulAllah sallAllahu alayhi wasallam.
A reminder to always not just strive to improve your ibadah, but to ask Allah to help you get there.
1. Dhikr – Remembrance of Allah
2. Shukr – Gratitude to Allah
3. Husnil ‘ibaadah – sincerity, excellence and beauty of worship
These are three different things that will assist us in overcoming our tired souls and they make up the core parts of having Islam in action. They will allow us to be present with ourselves and with Allah in our ‘ibaadah. And the most amazing thing is we don’t have to try and achieve them alone.
Through this dua we ask Allah to a’inna – to help us, assist us, support us, and care for us as we aim to achieve a sense of peace through our worship.
We want to remember Allah, to praise Allah, and to worship Allah and at times we may struggle to do this. We are insan, human, and we get tired, we get distracted, we lose motivation. This dua is to help us through these bumps in the road.
And it doesn’t matter what your starting point is. Whether you are reading 3 juzu of Quran a day or 3 verses. If you ask Allah SWT, with sincerity in your heart, Allah will guide you to worship Him in the best way. In a way that you are mindful of Allah, that you are present and aware of your actions, and you will get better and better at it.
Dhikr of Allah is recited on the tongue but interpreted by the heart. Ask Allah for His assistance in dhikr and the effect of it will be immersed in your heart. And if the heart is on taqwa, then the rest of the limbs will follow.
Shukr of Allah is achieved through intentions, words and actions. And if you express your gratitude to Allah, then He will increase you in blessings, causing you to be even more grateful to Allah, and inshaAllah for Allah to increase you even further in blessings. This is because you become more aware of the blessings you have and all that you have to be thankful for.
Husnil ‘ibaadah is worshiping Allah with sincerity, beauty, and to the best of your ability. Note that it is not kathrat ‘ibaadah (lots of ‘ibaadah) that RasulAllah sallAllahu alayhi wa sallim mentions in this dua. It is to have ihsaan in your ‘ibaadah. This is also a direct result of dhikr and shukr. Your ‘ibaadah becomes beautiful, it feels your heart with beauty, and allows you to notice the beauty around you.
Allahumma a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ibaadatik.
Oh Allah, assist me in remembering You, and being grateful to You and worshiping you in a beautiful manner.
Aameen
