Dua for Goodness: Rabbana Atina in Arabic and Meaning

A Single Dua That Covers Everything

When you do not know exactly what to ask for — when the need feels too large, too complex, or too uncertain to articulate — there is one supplication that holds everything. It asks for good in this life. It asks for good in the next. It asks for protection from the worst possible outcome. Three requests, one sentence, and it comes directly from the Quran itself.

What Is the Dua for Goodness?

The dua for goodness is rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina adhab an-nar — from Surah Al-Baqarah (2:201). It asks Allah for hasanah (goodness, blessing) in this world, hasanah in the Hereafter, and protection from the Fire. Anas ibn Malik (RA) reported that it was the supplication the Prophet ﷺ most frequently made throughout his life (Sahih al-Bukhari 6389), making it the model for what an everyday dua should look like.

Rabbana Atina: Arabic, Transliteration, and Translation

Recite the following as part of your daily adhkar, in sujood, after salah, or at any moment of sincere turning to Allah:

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina adhab an-nar.

"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."

— (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:201)

The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have recited this dua so often that Anas ibn Malik described it as his most frequent supplication. The full hadith is at sunnah.com/bukhari:6389.

What "Goodness" Means in This Dua

The word hasanah (حَسَنَة) is deliberately broad. Classical tafsir scholars such as Ibn Kathir note that in the phrase fid-dunya hasanatan, goodness in this world encompasses health, beneficial knowledge, righteous family, lawful and sufficient provision, safety, and — most essentially — the tawfiq to worship Allah properly. Ibn Abbas (RA) is reported to have said: "The good in this world is a righteous wife."

In the phrase fil-akhirati hasanatan, goodness in the Hereafter refers to admission to Jannah, Allah's pleasure (ridwan), and proximity to the Prophet ﷺ. Scholars note that the Hereafter's hasanah begins at the moment of death — a good ending (husn al-khatimah) is itself part of what this dua asks for.

The third phrase — wa qina adhab an-nar — is a request for protection from the Fire, which scholars read as a statement of need alongside the two positive requests: not only give us what is good, but guard us from what is most harmful.

When and How to Recite the Dua for Goodness

The Prophet's own practice is the clearest guide: this dua belongs everywhere. Some specific contexts where it is especially recommended or particularly powerful:

During sujood (prostration). The Prophet ﷺ said: "The closest that a servant is to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so make much dua in it." (Sahih Muslim 482) The dua for goodness in sujood joins proximity to Allah with the most encompassing request possible.

After salah. The period after completing the salah and before rising from the prayer mat is a recommended time for personal dua, following the obligatory dhikr. Our guide on morning adhkar in Islam covers the structure of post-prayer remembrance, which this dua fits naturally into.

During tawaf at Ka'bah. The hadith in Bukhari explicitly mentions the Prophet ﷺ reciting it while passing between the Yemeni Corner (Rukn al-Yamani) and the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) during tawaf — a specific and authenticated practice. Even outside Hajj, the dua is appropriate whenever walking between the two markers.

In morning and evening adhkar. The Prophet ﷺ's most frequent supplication belongs as a regular part of morning and evening dhikr, where it anchors the day's supplications toward both lives simultaneously.

At any moment of sincere need. Because its scope is unlimited, it is never out of place. When you do not know how to frame your need — this dua covers it. Our guide on how to make dua properly explains the conditions and postures that make dua most effective, and this supplication from the Quran benefits from all of them.

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Why the Prophet ﷺ Made This His Most Frequent Dua

Most people, when they turn to Allah in dua, name a specific current problem: illness, debt, a relationship, a difficult exam. The Prophet ﷺ had access to specific supplications for every situation and he used them. But his most frequent dua was this one — the comprehensive request for goodness in both lives.

This teaches something deliberate. The dua for goodness is not a fallback when you cannot think of what to ask. It is the recognition that the full picture of what is good for you is known only to Allah. Hasanah in this world and the next covers what you can name and what you cannot, what is visible to you now and what will matter in forty years. Asking for it constantly is an act of theological humility — you are saying that you do not need to itemize every need, because Allah already knows what true good looks like for you.

This connects to the teaching in Surah Al-Baqarah about those who ask only for worldly benefit: "And of the people is he who says, 'Our Lord, give us in this world,' and he will have in the Hereafter no share." (2:200) The verse immediately after introduces the rabbana atina dua as the contrast — the complete request that keeps both lives in view.

Our guide on what is tawakkul explores the disposition that makes this kind of prayer meaningful: genuine reliance on Allah, combined with the action within your means, trusting Him for the rest.

Related Duas for Every Dimension of Goodness

Our guide on the daily adhkar covers these and other prophetic supplications in their full daily context, including when each one is most recommended.

DeenBack's reflection on building a meaningful daily dua practice speaks directly to how this kind of comprehensive supplication becomes transformative when it is regular rather than occasional. And for the disposition of heart that rabbana atina requires — genuine openness to what Allah determines is your good, even when it differs from what you expected — DemiManifest's piece on tawakkul in daily life is a grounding companion read.

What If You Have a Specific Need?

The dua for goodness does not replace specific supplications. When someone is ill, you say the shifa dua; when you fear enemies, you make dua for protection; when you seek forgiveness, you turn to Sayyidul Istighfar. The Prophet ﷺ did all of these — and then returned to rabbana atina as his regular touchstone.

The practice is to hold both together: specific duas for specific situations, and rabbana atina as the constant orientation that keeps both lives in view at once. Our guide on dua for protection and safety and the page on morning dua for protection cover specific supplications that work alongside this comprehensive one.

Closing

Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina adhab an-nar. This verse asks for everything that matters, across both lives, in one breath. It was the Prophet's ﷺ most frequent supplication because it reflects a complete theology: that the believer's aspiration must reach the Hereafter, that hasanah in this world is genuinely good and worth asking for, and that protection from the Fire belongs at the center of every sincere prayer.

Begin with it this morning. End with it tonight. Let it become the lens through which you see everything you bring to Allah.

Do you feel your duas are unanswered?

Have you read the dua properly? Learn authentic duas, understand their meanings, and call upon Allah with greater confidence through DeenUp.

Take the Dua Quiz