Tuesday, March 1, 2011

The Best Way for Sisters to Say the Supplication to Alleviate Grief, Distress and Anxiety

The Best Way for Sisters to Say the Supplication to Alleviate Grief, Distress and Anxiety
According to Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (May Allah have mercy upon him)
An exclusive translation for Sisters Upon Al-Istiqaamah

Imam Ahmed, Musnad (1/391), and others reported upon the authority of Ibn Mas’ood that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “No slave is afflicted with anxiety and grief, and then says:

‘O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your male slave, son of Your female slave. My forelock is in Your hand. Your judgement upon me is assured and whatever you have decreed for me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, revealed in Your Book, taught one of Your creation or which You have preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You that You make the Qur’aan the spring of my heart and the light of my chest, a banisher for my grief and a reliever for my anxiety.’

Except that Allaah will replace his distress and grief with joy.”

He was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, should we not learn it?’ He said, “Of course, whoever hears it should learn it.”

Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy upon him) was asked about a woman who heard the hadeeth: ‘O Allah, I am Your slave , son of Your male slave, son of Your slave. My forelock is in Your hand...(to the end of the hadeeth. And she continuously used this wording. So she was instructed to say, “O Allah I am your female slave  daughter of Your female slave- until the end of it.” However, she refused to say this and persisted upon the original wording. Is she correct in this or not?


He responded:
“Rather, it is befitting for her to say, “O Allah, I am Your female slave (أمتك), daughter (بنت) of Your male slave (عبدك), son of Your female slave (أمتك).”
اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أَمَتك بِنتُ عَبْدِك ابْنِ أَمَتِك

This is more appropriate and better even though her statement “I am your slave (عبدك), son (ابن) of your slave” has a angle in the Arabic language like the word Zawj (i.e. which can be used for man or wife). And Allah knows best.”
Majmoo’ Al-Fataawa Vol. 22, p. 488.

The supplication in Arabic:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّى عَبْدُكَ وَابْنُ عَبْدِكَ وَابْنُ أَمَتِكَ نَاصِيَتِى بِيَدِكَ مَاضٍ فِىَّ حُكْمُكَ عَدْلٌ فِىَّ قَضَاؤُكَ أَسْأَلُكَ بِكُلِّ اسْمٍ هُوَ لَكَ سَمَّيْتَ بِهِ نَفْسَكَ أَوْ عَلَّمْتَهُ أَحَداً مِنْ خَلْقِكَ أَوْ أَنْزَلْتَهُ فِى كِتَابِكَ أَوِ اسْتَأْثَرْتَ بِهِ فِى عِلْمِ الْغَيْبِ عِنْدَكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَ الْقُرْآنَ رَبِيعَ قَلْبِى وَنُورَ صَدْرِى وَجَلاَءَ حُزْنِى وَذَهَابَ هَمِّى

So according to Shaykh Al-Islam it is better for women to say:

اللَّهُمَّ إنِّي أَمَتك بِنتُ عَبْدِك ابْنِ أَمَتِك

And the rest of the supplication is exactly the same.

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