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Dhikr and du‘a · When the moment comes

Say 'Inna lillah' and ask for something better

The practice
When a loss or hardship hits, say: Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un. Allahumma'jurni fi musibati wa akhlif li khayran minha.
When
When bad news or a loss reaches you
In daily life
Learn it now, on an ordinary day, so it's ready on your tongue when the hard phone call comes, a job falls through or something precious breaks. Keep it in a note on your phone, and let it be the first thing you say.

The source

عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏"‏ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ تُصِيبُهُ مُصِيبَةٌ فَيَقُولُ مَا أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي وَأَخْلِفْ لِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا ‏.‏ إِلاَّ أَخْلَفَ اللَّهُ لَهُ خَيْرًا مِنْهَا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَتْ فَلَمَّا مَاتَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ قُلْتُ أَىُّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ أَوَّلُ بَيْتٍ هَاجَرَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ ثُمَّ إِنِّي قُلْتُهَا فَأَخْلَفَ اللَّهُ لِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ قَالَتْ أَرْسَلَ إِلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم حَاطِبَ بْنَ أَبِي بَلْتَعَةَ يَخْطُبُنِي لَهُ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ لِي بِنْتًا وَأَنَا غَيُورٌ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَمَّا ابْنَتُهَا فَنَدْعُو اللَّهَ أَنْ يُغْنِيَهَا عَنْهَا وَأَدْعُو اللَّهَ أَنْ يَذْهَبَ بِالْغَيْرَةِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

“Umm Salama reported Allah's Messenger ﷺ as saying:If any Muslim who suffers some calamity says, what Allah has commanded him," We belong to Allah and to Him shall we return; O Allah, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange for it," Allah will give him something better than it in exchange. When Abu Salama died she said: What Muslim is better than Abu Salama whose family was the first to emigrate to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I then said the words, and Allah gave me God's Messenger ﷺ in exchange. She said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent Hatib b. Abu Balta'a to deliver me the message of marriage with him. I said to him: I have a daughter (as my dependant) and I am of jealous temperament. He (the Holy Prophet) said: So far as her daughter is concerned, we would supplicate Allah, that He may free her (of her responsibility) and I would also supplicate Allah to do away with (her) jealous (temperament)”
Narrated by Umm SalamaSahih Muslim 918a
The full hadith, with its chain and grading →

Arabic: ara-muslim · Translation: Abdul Hamid Siddiqui (eng-muslim), from the eng-muslim edition of hadith-api (public domain), sunnah.com numbering.

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Sources: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and narrations of Jami at-Tirmidhi graded sahih or hasan sahih by al-Albani.