Authored by: Muhammad Arshad Kamal
Respected Shaykh! I wanted to inquire about this supplication:
((اللَّهُمَّ اكْفِنِي بِحَلالِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ وَاغْنِنِي بِفَضْلِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ))
Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai (رحمه الله) graded it Hasan, while several other scholars have declared it weak. What is the correct ruling?
— Sayyid Muhammad Salman Shah, Multan Khurd
"I am unable to fulfill the terms of my contract. Please assist me."
Sayyiduna ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) replied:
"Shall I not teach you some words that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me? Even if you had a debt equal to Mount Ṣīr, Allah would pay it on your behalf. Recite this supplication:"
((اللَّهُمَّ اكْفِنِي بِحَلَالِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ وَأَغْنِنِي بِفَضْلِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ))
"O Allah, suffice me with what You have made lawful instead of what You have made unlawful, and enrich me by Your grace above all others."
(Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi: 3563)
Shaykh Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai (رحمه الله) affirmed this grading as accurate.
Therefore, identifying him as Abu Shaybah al-Wasiti (weak by majority) is incorrect.
Given the clear connection with Sayyar Abu al-Hakam and the consistent mention of “al-Qurashi” by many hadith scholars, to label this identification as a mistake is itself a mistake.
Hence, this is not ‘Abdur-Rahman al-Kufi, but ‘Abdur-Rahman al-Qurashi al-Madani, a trustworthy (ṣadūq) narrator.
Alḥamdulillah.
[August 1, 2018]
✔ Question:
Questioner:Respected Shaykh! I wanted to inquire about this supplication:
((اللَّهُمَّ اكْفِنِي بِحَلالِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ وَاغْنِنِي بِفَضْلِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ))
Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai (رحمه الله) graded it Hasan, while several other scholars have declared it weak. What is the correct ruling?
— Sayyid Muhammad Salman Shah, Multan Khurd
✔ Answer:
The supplication is narrated by Abu Wail, who reported that a slave under contract (mukatab) came to Sayyiduna ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) and said:"I am unable to fulfill the terms of my contract. Please assist me."
Sayyiduna ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) replied:
"Shall I not teach you some words that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me? Even if you had a debt equal to Mount Ṣīr, Allah would pay it on your behalf. Recite this supplication:"
((اللَّهُمَّ اكْفِنِي بِحَلَالِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ وَأَغْنِنِي بِفَضْلِكَ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَ))
"O Allah, suffice me with what You have made lawful instead of what You have made unlawful, and enrich me by Your grace above all others."
(Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi: 3563)
✔ Grading of the Hadith
This narration is classified as Hasan li-Dhatihi (intrinsically sound).Shaykh Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai (رحمه الله) affirmed this grading as accurate.
Key Clarifications on the Narrator:
- The narrator ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Ishaq here refers to ‘Abdur-Rahman ibn Ishaq al-Qurashi al-Madani, not Abu Shaybah al-Wasiti.
- Evidence:➊ Al-Jarh wa at-Ta‘dil (5/212) and Tarikh Dimashq (34/191) list Sayyar Abu al-Hakam among the teachers of Ibn Ishaq al-Qurashi.
➋ Musnad Ahmad (1/153), Fada’il as-Sahabah by Ahmad (1208), al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim (1/538), al-Ahadith al-Mukhtarah by al-Maqdisi (489), and ad-Da‘awat al-Kabir by al-Tabarani (177) all mention him as Ibn Ishaq al-Qurashi.
Therefore, identifying him as Abu Shaybah al-Wasiti (weak by majority) is incorrect.
Given the clear connection with Sayyar Abu al-Hakam and the consistent mention of “al-Qurashi” by many hadith scholars, to label this identification as a mistake is itself a mistake.
Hence, this is not ‘Abdur-Rahman al-Kufi, but ‘Abdur-Rahman al-Qurashi al-Madani, a trustworthy (ṣadūq) narrator.
✔ Supporting Scholarly Opinions
- Imam al-Tirmidhi: "Hadith Hasan Gharib"
- Imam an-Nawawi (al-Adhkar, no. 1185)
- Imam al-Mundhiri (at-Targhib wa at-Tarhib, no. 2714)
- Ibn Muflih (al-Adab ash-Shar‘iyyah, 1/194)
- Ibn al-Qayyim (al-Wabil as-Sayyib, 1/167)
→ All preserved the grading without objection. - Imam al-Hakim: "Sahih al-Isnad"
Confirmed by Imam al-Dhahabi - Hafiz Diya al-Maqdisi: "Isnaduhu Hasan"
- Shaykh al-Albani: "Hasan al-Isnad" in Silsilat as-Sahihah (no. 266)
✔ Final Verdict
The stronger opinion (rajiḥ) is that this narration is Hasan li-Dhatihi.Alḥamdulillah.
[August 1, 2018]