The most beautiful Supplications of Rasolollah ﷺ - III
The journey of Taif and the supplication of the Prophet of Allah
Today, I want to take you on a journey - some 1400 years ago, to a time that changed the course of history. But this isn't just any historical narrative. As you read these words, I want you to be there, to feel the scorching Arabian heat, to walk those streets, to witness these moments through your own eyes. Let your heart travel back in time, and become one of those who witnessed the most difficult days of our beloved Prophet ﷺ...
- - -
The streets of Makkah had become unbearable. Every day, I watched as our beloved Prophet ﷺ endured more and more persecution. The loss of Abu Talib and Khadijah رضي الله عنها had left him particularly vulnerable, and the Quraysh's torment only intensified. My heart would break seeing him pelted with stones, dust thrown on his back while praying, and the endless mockery he faced with such patience.
Then came that day when he decided to journey to Ta'if. Hope flickered in our hearts - perhaps the people there would be more receptive, perhaps they would offer the support that Makkah had denied. I watched as he walked those 50 miles, his blessed feet traversing the harsh terrain, carrying not just the physical burden of the journey but the weight of his responsibility to convey Allah's message.
But Ta'if... oh Ta'if. The pain of what happened there still brings tears to my eyes. The chiefs not only rejected him but set their slaves and children after him with stones. I can still see him ﷺ, taking refuge in a garden, his sandals filled with blood from the stones that had struck him. His blessed feet that had walked so far in hope, now wounded and bleeding.
It was there, in that garden belonging to Utbah and Shaybah, leaning against a grape vine, exhausted and bleeding, that he raised his hands to Allah and made this dua. The words that came from his blessed lips carried such pain, yet such beautiful reliance on Allah:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَشْكُو إِلَيْكَ ضَعْفَ قُوَّتِي، وَقِلَّةَ حِيلَتِي، وَهَوَانِي عَلَى النَّاسِ
"O Allah, I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources, and my humiliation before people."
أَنْتَ رَبُّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ وَأَنْتَ رَبِّي
"You are the Lord of the weak, and You are my Lord."
إِلَى مَنْ تَكِلُنِي؟ إِلَى بَعِيدٍ يَتَجَهَّمُنِي؟ أَمْ إِلَى عَدُوٍّ مَلَّكْتَهُ أَمْرِي؟
"To whom would You leave me to? To a distant one who would frown upon me? Or to an enemy to whom You have given control over my affairs?"
إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِكَ عَلَيَّ غَضَبٌ فَلَا أُبَالِي، غَيْرَ أَنَّ عَافِيَتَكَ هِيَ أَوْسَعُ لِي
"If You are not angry with me, then I do not care, though Your protection is more encompassing for me."
أَعُوذُ بِنُورِ وَجْهِكَ الَّذِي أَشْرَقَتْ لَهُ الظُّلُمَاتُ، وَصَلُحَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْرُ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ
"I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which darkness is illuminated, and the affairs of this world and the Hereafter are set right."
مِنْ أَنْ تُنْزِلَ بِي غَضَبَكَ، أَوْ يَحِلَّ عَلَيَّ سَخَطُكَ
"From Your anger descending upon me, or Your wrath befalling me."
لَكَ الْعُتْبَى حَتَّى تَرْضَى
"To You belongs all reconciliation until You are pleased."
وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِكَ
"And there is no power nor strength except through You."
Know that anything I say after this, is futile - I cannot capture the eloquence or the essence of this supplication, words cannot even attempt to capture the feelings of that moment. However, I will try to explain - failing as I may...
When the Prophet ﷺ begins with اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَشْكُو إِلَيْكَ (O Allah, indeed I complain to You), he teaches us the most beautiful lesson - that in our deepest pain, we turn only to Allah. Not to complain about others, but to acknowledge our own state: our ضَعْف (weakness), our قِلَّةَ حِيلَتِي (lack of resources), our هَوَان (lowly position) among people.
Then comes that profound recognition - أَنْتَ رَبُّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ (You are the Lord of the weakened ones) وَأَنْتَ رَبِّي (and You are my Lord). Here he ﷺ, the best of creation, aligns himself with all who are مُسْتَضْعَفِين (the weakened/oppressed), before affirming his personal relationship with Allah.
But what brings tears flowing is إِلَى مَنْ تَكِلُنِي؟ (to whom would You leave me?) - that vulnerable question that carries so much trust. And then that peak of pure love - إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِكَ عَلَيَّ غَضَبٌ فَلَا أُبَالِي (if You're not angry with me, I don't care) - "if You're not angry with me, nothing else matters." Think about it - bleeding, rejected, exhausted - yet his only concern was Allah's رِضا (pleasure).
Every word that follows builds on this pure devotion, culminating in that beautiful submission: وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِكَ (there is no power nor strength except through You).
During a particularly dark period of my life, when I endured intense trials and hardship that shook my entire being, this dua became my constant companion. The words إِلَى مَنْ تَكِلُنِي (to whom would You leave me?) took on a whole new meaning when I was completely cut off from the world, with nothing but these words to comfort me.
I understood then why the Prophet ﷺ chose these specific words in Ta'if. When you're in a situation where you have absolutely no control, you realize that truly, there is no one but Allah. The words إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِكَ عَلَيَّ غَضَبٌ فَلَا أُبَالِي (if You are not angry with me, then I do not care) became more than just a phrase - they became a lifeline.
In those long hours of solitude and uncertainty, أَعُوذُ بِنُورِ وَجْهِكَ (I seek refuge in the light of Your Face) was not just a supplication, but the only light that penetrated the darkness of my situation.