Selected Verses and Prayers

رَبِّ ‌إِنِّ‍‍ي لِمَ‍‍ا أَ‌ن‍‍زَلْتَ ‌إِلَيَّ مِ‍‌ن‌ْ خَ‍‍‍يْ‍‍‍ر‌‌ٍ فَ‍‍ق‍‍ِي‍رٌ

Rabbi innee limaaa anzalta ilaiya min khairin faqeer. 

"My Lord, I stand in need of whatever good Thou mayest send to me" (Quran 28:24).

Note: Moses was a stranger in the land, all by himself, on the run from the Egyptians. He needed some place of stay, refuge, means of livelihood, etc., but not knowing wherefrom this would come and in what form. So he prays in these general terms: “whatever good You may send me” Dr. Zahid Aziz, Ramadan Daily Quran Studies

‍رَبِّ ‌اجْ‍‍عَلْنِي مُ‍‍قِ‍‍‍ي‍‍مَ ‌ال‍‍‍صَّ‍‍لاَةِ ‌وَمِ‍‌‍نْ ‌ذُ‌رِّيَّتِي  ‌‍رَبَّنَا‌ ‌وَتَ‍‍قَ‍‍بَّلْ ‌دُع‍‍َ‍ا‌ء

Rabbi-j-alni muqima-s-salati wa min dhurriyyati Rabba-na wa ta-qabbal du’a.

My Lord, make me keep up prayer and from my offspring (too), our Lord, and accept my prayer. — Quran 14:40

Note: The first part of his [Abraham's] supplication shows that when we wish our offspring to follow Islamic teachings, such as keeping up the salaat [regular prayer], we must start by setting an example of doing the same ourselves: “make me keep up prayer and those from my offspring” - Dr. Zahid Aziz, Nature and Extent of Relationship in Islam published in The Hope Bulletin (September 2014)

‍رَبَّنَا‌ ‌اغْ‍‍فِ‍‍رْ‌ لِي ‌وَلِوَ‌الِدَيَّ ‌وَلِلْمُؤْمِن‍‍ِ‍ي‍‍نَ يَ‍‍وْمَ يَ‍‍قُ‍‍‍ومُ ‌الْحِسَابُ

Rabba-na-ghfir-li wa li-walidayya wa li-l-mu-minina yauma yaqumal hisab.

Our Lord, grant me protection and my parents and the believers on the day when the reckoning comes to pass. — Quran 14:41

Note: The second part of the supplication, for the forgiveness of (deceased) parents, again shows that we must start by asking forgiveness for our own selves: “grant me protection and my parents”. We are alive and have the opportunity to make ourselves deserving of Allah’s forgiveness through our deeds. The deceased ones can only benefit from our prayers; they cannot change their deeds. We plead for them before Allah that He may look at their good deeds and ignore their shortcomings. If we, in practice, emulate their good deeds, then it increases the worth and reward of these deeds for them with Allah. - Dr. Zahid Aziz, Nature and Extent of Relationship in Islam published in The Hope Bulletin (September 2014)

رَبَّنَ‍‍ا آتِنَا‌ فِي ‌ال‍‍دُّ‌نْ‍‍يَا‌ حَسَنَةً ‌وَفِي ‌الآ‍‍خِ‍‍رَةِ حَسَنَةً ‌وَقِ‍‍نَا‌ عَذ‍َ‍‌ابَ ‌ال‍‍‍نَّ‍‍ا‌رِ 

Rabba-na ati-na fi-d-dunya hasanatan wa fi-l akhirati hasantan wa qi-na 'adhaba-n-nar.

"Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the Fire" (Quran 2:201).

Note: The Quran teaches that we should pray for those good things, but along with that, we must pray also that we use those things in such ways and for such purposes that we advance morally (earn good in the Hereafter), instead of misusing them so that we suffer due to possessing those good things of the world. - Dr. Zahid Aziz, Ramadan Daily Quran Study, 2011.

 ‌‍رَبِّ ‌زِ‌دْنِي عِلْماً

Rabbi zidni ilma.

My Lord, increase me in knowledge (Quran 20:114).

Note: While faith brings about the spiritual and moral development of man, knowledge brings about his intellectual development, and therefore stands next in importance to faith. – Maulana Muhammad Ali, A Manual of Hadith