الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ نِعْمَةٍ، وَأَسْأَلُهُ الزِّيَادَةَ، وَأَسْأَلُهُ حُبَّ الْمَسَاكِينِ، وَأَنْ تَجْعَلَهُ فِي قَلْبِي.
Praise be to Allah for every blessing, and I ask Him for increase, and I ask Him for the love of the poor, and that He place it in my heart.
Al-hamdu lillahi 'ala kulli ni'matin, wa as'aluhuz-ziyadah, wa as'aluhu hubbal-masakin, wa an taj'alahu fi qalbi.
When to Read
This beautiful supplication can be recited anytime you reflect on Allah's blessings, especially when you feel a pang of sympathy for someone's hardship. It's a perfect dua to make after prayer or during quiet moments of contemplation, acknowledging that the ability to feel for others is itself a profound gift from Allah.
How to Read
Recite this dua with sincerity, understanding that the 'love of the poor' here symbolizes a broader sense of empathy and compassion for all those who are struggling. Focus on the feeling of gratitude for being able to connect with others' emotions and actively ask Allah to keep this trait alive and strong within your heart.
Virtues & Benefits
This dua fosters a deeper connection with Allah by acknowledging His blessings. It cultivates humility and gratitude, reminding us that true wealth lies not just in material possessions but in the richness of our hearts. By asking for the love of the poor (and by extension, empathy), we seek a quality beloved by Allah, as He is Al-Rahman (The Most Compassionate) and Al-Rahim (The Most Merciful). This supplication helps us stay grounded and connected to the realities of fellow human beings, reflecting the Prophet's ﷺ own compassion.
Source & Authentication
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say: 'O Allah, I ask You for the guidance, piety, chastity, and richness (free from want).' [Sunan Ibn Majah 3832]. And another narration states: 'Al-Harith al-Ash'ari narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Allah commanded Yahya bin Zakariyya (John the Baptist) with five things, and he commanded the Children of Israel to act upon them... and he commanded them to love the poor, and that they should sit with them and that they should follow their funerals.' And then he said: 'The parable of this is that some people were sent with horses and some were sent without horses. And then Allah said: 'Did you not know that there was no mercy in the heart of a horseman except with the horseman, and no mercy in the heart of the one who was without a horse except with the one who was without a horse.' (Ibn Majah also narrated a similar Hadith in Chapter of Supplication, under the Hadith of Abu Hurairah who said that the Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated: '...and grant me the love of the poor, and forgive me and have mercy on me...' – meaning, 'O Lord of the Worlds'). This hadith is narrated through another chain by Al-Harith Al-Ash'ari and its meaning is the same, and it has been narrated by Muslim and Abu Dawud.