Arabic Text
عن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يقول:
«اللهم إنِّي أسألك الهُدىٰ والتُّقَىٰ والعَفافَ والغِنَى».
رواه مسلم.
Translation
Ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to say:
“O Allah, I ask You for guidance, taqwa, chastity, and sufficiency.”
1. Connection to the Chapter
This hadith belongs under التقوى because it gathers the inner qualities that protect a believer from deviation. Guidance shows the road, taqwa keeps a person on it, chastity protects the soul from being degraded, and sufficiency frees the heart from needing what people possess. The chapter of taqwa is not only about fear; it is about asking Allah for the state that keeps the servant upright.
The Prophet ﷺ does not merely tell us to be strong. He teaches us to ask Allah for the very qualities that make strength possible. That is the heart of taqwa: dependence on Allah for the condition of the heart.
2. Key Words Meaning
الهُدىٰ — guidance; being shown the truth and made steady upon it.
التُّقَىٰ — God-consciousness; guarding oneself from what displeases Allah.
العفاف — chastity, purity, self-restraint; being dignified in desire and need.
الغِنَى — sufficiency, richness of the soul, and being free from asking people.
3. Hadith Lessons
The first lesson is that the believer should ask Allah to improve both religion and life. The Prophet ﷺ did not separate spiritual needs from practical needs. Guidance and taqwa shape the soul, while chastity and sufficiency protect a person’s dignity in ordinary life. This is a complete supplication for a complete human being.
The second lesson is that taqwa needs to be requested, not assumed. A person may admire righteousness, but that does not mean he possesses it. The Prophet ﷺ teaches us to ask for it directly, because hearts change and guidance is a gift from Allah.
The third lesson is that العفاف is a major protection. A person with chastity is not ruled by appetite, shameful dependence, or uncontrolled desire. He asks Allah to make him dignified, clean, and self-guarded. That is deeply connected to taqwa, because many sins begin when restraint collapses.
The fourth lesson is that الغنى is not only money. It is the state of not being enslaved by neediness. A person may be poor and still rich in the heart if he is content, dignified, and not begging from creation. This is a powerful form of freedom.
4. Special Reflections
This hadith is especially modern in a world that has made desire, exposure, and dependency feel normal. People are constantly urged to want, ask, display, and consume. The Prophet ﷺ teaches the opposite direction: ask Allah for sufficiency, not endless craving; ask for chastity, not shamelessness; ask for guidance, not confusion.
It also shows the beauty of Prophetic du‘a. The wording is brief, but it gathers life itself. A believer does not need a thousand scattered desires if he has these four. Guidance keeps him correct, taqwa keeps him guarded, chastity keeps him clean, and sufficiency keeps him free.
There is also a quiet correction here: some people think religious life is only about external duties. But this supplication reaches the interior of the soul. It asks for the state in which obedience becomes possible and sin becomes difficult. That is the deeper meaning of taqwa.
5. Three Questions to Close With
- Do I ask Allah for the qualities that keep my heart upright, or only for outward relief?
- Which is weaker in me right now: guidance, taqwa, chastity, or sufficiency?
- Am I living as someone who depends on Allah for dignity, or as someone who keeps chasing it from creation?