❖ The Supplication:
“Whoever enters the market and says:لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
‘There is no god but Allah, alone without partner. To Him belongs sovereignty and praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things competent.’
…Allah will write for him one million good deeds, erase one million sins, and build for him a house in Paradise.”
❖ The Ruling:
Although widely circulated, this Hadith is weak (ḍaʿīf), as demonstrated by comprehensive evaluations from prominent hadith scholars. The narrators in various chains of this narration are either weak or unknown, and in some cases, the isnād (chain) contains inconsistencies or errors.❖ Examination of the Chains and Narrators:
Several chains exist for this narration, and each has significant weaknesses:① Chain through
- Declared weak by:
- Imām Ibn Maʿīn: “Not worth anything.”
- Imām al-Bukhārī: “There is something wrong with him.”
- Imām al-Tirmidhī: “Criticized by hadith scholars.”
- Imām al-Nasā’ī, Abū Ḥātim, al-ʿUqaylī, al-Dāraqutnī, and Ibn Ḥajar — all declared him weak.
② Chain through
- Declared weak by:
- Ibn Maʿīn, Ibn Ḥibbān, Abū Ḥātim, al-ʿUqaylī, al-Dhahabī, al-Haythamī, al-Bawṣayrī, and Ibn Ḥajar.
- Al-Albānī: “This narration is unanimously weak.” (al-Silsilah al-Ḍaʿīfah)
③ Chain through
- Known Mudallis (ambiguous narrator) and no explicit mention of hearing (simaʿ), making this chain unreliable.
④ Chain through
- Contains Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth, also a Mudallis, with no simaʿ stated.
- Imām al-Dhahabī: “Masrūq is not reliable.”
⑤ Chain with an
- Contains a majhūl (unknown) narrator, hence not acceptable.
⑥ Chain through
- Imām Ibn Abī Ḥātim declared it a mistake due to confusion in the isnād.
⑦ Chain through
- Contains Salam ibn Maymūn al-Khawwaṣ, a weak narrator, and ʿAlī ibn ʿAṭā’, who is unknown.
❖ Verdict of Renowned Hadith Scholars:
- Imām Abū Ḥātim: “This Hadith is rejected (munkar).”
- Imām al-Tirmidhī: “Gharīb (odd).”
- Imām ʿAlī ibn al-Madīnī: “Munkar.”
- Imām Ibn al-Qayyim: “This Hadith is defective; leading hadith scholars have criticized it.”
❖ Important Note:
Despite the emotional appeal and spiritual theme of the duʿā’, truth and authenticity must always be prioritized. There are numerous well-authenticated daily supplications and practices in Islam. Encouraging weak narrations, even with good intent, opens the door to distortion and bidʿah.Those who promote this narration must reflect on the weight of their responsibility. To claim that scholars who reject weak hadith are “discouraging sinners from righteous deeds” is both unfair and misleading.
Conclusion:
The supplication upon entering the market, though popular, is based on weak narrations and should not be attributed to the Prophet ﷺ as an authentic Sunnah. Scholars such as Imām al-Tirmidhī, Ibn al-Madīnī, Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Albānī, and others have critically analyzed and rejected its authenticity.It is vital for Muslims to rely on sound ahadith for their acts of worship and remembrance.
