The dua
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِRabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanatan wa fil-ākhirati ḥasanatan wa qinā ‘adhāban-nār
“Our Lord, give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
Anas ibn Malik said: “The most frequent supplication of the Prophet ﷺ was: O Allah, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire” (Sahih al-Bukhari 6389; Sahih Muslim 2690).
Word by word
- رَبَّنَا (rabbanā): our Lord
- آتِنَا (ātinā): give us
- فِي الدُّنْيَا (fid-dunyā): in this world
- حَسَنَةً (ḥasanatan): good, from the root ح س ن
- وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ (wa fil-ākhirah): and in the Hereafter
- وَقِنَا (wa qinā): and protect us, from the root و ق ي, the same root as taqwa
- عَذَابَ النَّارِ (‘adhāban-nār): the punishment of the Fire
Rabbanā is plural: “our Lord”. When you make this dua you are asking for yourself and for others at the same time.
The context in the Quran
The verse comes in a passage about Hajj. Allah describes two kinds of people. Some ask only for this world: “Our Lord, give us in this world”, and they have no share in the Hereafter (Quran 2:200). Others ask for both, and this dua is their words. The next verse says that those people will have a share of what they have earned (Quran 2:202).
So the dua teaches balance. It is not wrong to ask for good in this life, such as health, family and provision, as long as the Hereafter is not forgotten.
What does hasanah include?
The word ḥasanah is left open. It covers every kind of good: knowledge, faith, health, a righteous family, lawful provision in this world, and Allah’s pleasure and Paradise in the next. Because it is so general, one short sentence covers almost everything a person could ask for.
When to say it
It can be said at any time. Abu Dawud records that the Prophet ﷺ said it during tawaf, between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone (Sunan Abi Dawud 1892). Many Muslims also say it in sujud, at the end of the prayer before the salam, or as a closing dua after other requests.
