Al-Baqarah · Madani · ayah 201 of 286

Al-Baqarah 2:201

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ

“But among them is he who says, "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."”

Saheeh International

Essence

The prayer the Prophet ﷺ said most: good here, good hereafter, and a shield from the Fire; everything a human being needs.

A reflection

The prayer he said most often

A father has driven his children to school for twelve years. At every school gate he says the same short prayer under his breath. At eighteen, his daughter realises she knows it by heart, and has never once been taught it.

Sahih al-Bukhari records what Anas ibn Mālik, who served the Prophet ﷺ for years, noticed. The supplication he made most often was this one. 'Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire'.

Of all the prayers he knew, he chose this one most. That choice says something. It is short enough for a breath, and wide enough for a life.

A classical commentary records a scene with Anas himself, years later. Friends asked him to pray for them. He prayed these words. They talked a while, and as they rose to leave they asked again. Pray for us. He said: do you want me to split it into pieces for you? If Allah gives you good in this world and good in the next, and protects you from the Fire, He has given you all good.

The ayah does not present it as a private prayer. It is the prayer of a whole group: 'among them are those who say'. It is a portrait of the believer at the end of the pilgrimage, asking for both worlds at once.

If you learn one prayer from the Quran, learn this one. Say it at the school gate, the bus stop, the hospital door. You will be in good company.

The full entry has 6 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.