Dua for Exams & Studying

رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي

Rabbishrah lee sadree Wayassir lee amree Wahlul ‘uqdatan min lisanee Yafqahoo qawlee

“O my Sustainer! Open up my heart and make my task easy for me, and loosen the knot from my tongue so that they might fully understand my speech.” [Qur’an 20:25-28]

These were the words of prayer Musa (alayhis Salam) uttered when he was going to see Pharoah to deliver his message. He was nervous and distressed because of his speech impediment, and he beseeched Allah Almighty with these words in order to seek help from Him for his task.

Pray this du’a as often as you want, before sitting to study, or taking any exams. Study hard, pray your Salaah on time, make Dua after each prayer and place your trust in Allah.

Sayyid al-Istighfar

Sayyid al-Istighfar: The Best Way of Seeking Forgiveness

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّيْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ ، خَلَقْتَنِيْ وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ، وَأَنَا عَلَىٰ عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ ، أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ ، أَبُوْءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوْءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِيْ ، فَاغْفِرْ لِيْ فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوْبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ.

Allāhumma Anta Rabbī, lā ilāha illā Ant, khalaqtanī wa ana ʿabduk, wa ana ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika mā’staṭaʿt, aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt, abū’u laka bi niʿmatika ʿalayya wa abū’u laka bi-dhambī fa-ghfir lī fa-innahū lā yaghfiru-dh-dhunūba illā Ant.

O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no god worthy of worship except You. You have created me, and I am Your slave, and I am under Your covenant and pledge (to fulfil it) to the best of my ability. I seek Your protection from the evil that I have done. I acknowledge the favours that You have bestowed upon me, and I admit my sins. Forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.

Shaddād b. Aws (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The most superior manner of seeking forgiveness is that you say [the above]. Whoever says it during the day with firm belief in it and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise. And whoever says it during the night with firm belief in it and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.” (Bukhārī 6306)

Dua for Istikharah

Istikharah Dua in Arabic
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ الْعَظِيمِ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ وَاقْدُرْ لِي الْخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي

Transliteration
Allâhumma inni astakhiruka bi ilmika wa astaqdiruka biqudratika wa as’aluka min fadlikal-azimi, fa innaka taqdiru walâ aqdiru wa ta’lamu walâ a’lamu wa anta allamul ghuyubi. Allâhumma in kunta ta’lamu anna hâdhal amra khayrun li fi dini wa ma-ashi wa aqibati amri faqdir-hu li wa yassir-hu li thumma barik li fihi wa in kunta ta’lamu anna hâdhal amra sharrun li fi dini wa maâshi wa aqibati amri fasrifhu anni wasrifni anhu waqdir liyal-khayra haythu kâna thumma ardini.

Translation
“O Allah, verily I seek the better [of either choice] from You, by Your knowledge, and I seek ability from You, by Your power, and I ask You from Your immense bounty. For indeed You have power, and I am powerless; You have knowledge and I know not; You are the Knower of the unseen realms. O Allah, if You know that this matter is good for me with regard to my religion, my livelihood and the end of my affair then decree it for me, facilitate it for me, and grant me blessing in it. And if You know that this matter is not good for me with regard to my religion, my livelihood and the end of my affair then turn it away from me and me from it; and decree for me better than it, wherever it may be, and make me content with it.”

Dua in Anticipation of Ramadan

On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), used to say the following when the month of Rajab began.
اَللّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَنَا فِى رَجَبَ وَ شَعْبَانَ وَ بَلِّغْنَا رَمَضَان
“Oh Allah! Bless us in Rajab and Sha`ban, and bring us, oh Allah, to Ramadan.”
[Narrated by Tabarani and Ahmad]

Adhkar for Alleviating Calamaties

Every individual should make a point of reciting this at times of difficulty.

A recommendation is to stipulate a daily amount to be recited, e.g. 50/100/200 times.

Dua Upon Waking Up

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِىْ اَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا اَمَاتَنَا وَ اِلَيْهِ النُّشُوْرُ

All praise to Allah, who gave us life after having given us death and to him is our final return.

(Bukhari)

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Dua for Returning Haji

Say the following words when meeting the Haji after their return from the blessed journey
قَبِلَ اللهُ حَجَّكَ وَ غَفَرَ ذَنْبَكَ وَ اَخْلَفَ نَفَقَتَكَ

May Allah accept your Hajj, forgive your sins and recompense your expenses.

(at-Tabrani)
Source: at Tazkiyah

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Dua When Putting on Clothing

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي كَسَانِي مَا أُوَارِي بِهِ عَوْرَتِي وَأَتَجَمَّلُ بِهِ فِي حَيَاتِي

All praises are due to Allah, who clothed me with which I cover my body and with which I adorn myself in my life.

(Tirmidhi)

Source: Central Mosque

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Dua When Seeing Someone in Difficulty

اَلْحَمْدُ للهِ الَّذِىْ عَافَانِىْ مِمَّاابْتَلاَكَ بِهِ وَفَضَّلَنِىْ عَلىَ كَثِيْرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقَ تَفْضِيْلاً

Al-hamdu lillãhil ladhi afani mimabtalaka bihi wa faddalani ala kathiririm mimman khalaqa tafdilâ.

All praises are for Allah who has granted me safety from the difficulty you are in and (praises for Him) who has favoured me over a great part of His creation.

(Tirmidhi)

Note: This duá should be read in a low tone so the person in difficulty does not hear.

Difficulty
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