اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ
O Allah, I ask You for Paradise and seek refuge in You from the Fire.
Allahumma inni as'alukal jannata wa a'udhu bika minan nar
When to Read
This dua is particularly recommended when standing on Mount Safa during Hajj or Umrah. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made extensive supplications on Safa and Marwah, and it is a blessed time and place for sincere pleading to Allah.
How to Read
Face the Kaaba if possible, although it's not a strict condition as Allah is everywhere. Raise your hands, palms facing upwards, in a gesture of earnest supplication. Recite this dua with sincerity, focusing on the meaning and the request for Jannah while seeking protection from the Hellfire. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned that when he stood on Safa, he raised his hands and made dua extensively.
Virtues & Benefits
This concise yet powerful dua encompasses our ultimate desires and fears. Seeking Paradise (Jannah) is the goal of every believer, and seeking refuge from the Fire (Nar) is a necessary shield. Making this supplication at such a spiritually charged location as Mount Safa, a place where the Prophet ﷺ himself made extensive duas, imbues it with immense potential for acceptance, by Allah's grace.
Source & Authentication
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that when the Prophet ﷺ went out for Hajj or Umrah, he would say when he reached Safa: 'La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir. Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, La ilaha illallah wahdahu, la sharika lah, anjaz wa'dahu, wa nasara 'abdahu, wa hazamal ahzaba wahdah. (There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. He fulfilled His promise, and helped His servant, and defeated the confederates alone.) Then he would make supplication for a duration similar to this. And when he reached Marwah, he would say the same words as he did on Safa. (Sunan Abi Dawud 1976, and also found in Sahih Muslim with variations in wording related to the specific supplications made). While the specific wording above is for the general supplication on Safa, the principle of making extensive dua with hands raised towards the Qibla while facing it is established. The dua 'Allahumma inni as'alukal jannata wa a'udhu bika minan nar' is a fundamental and comprehensive supplication that would be appropriate to make at such a time and place, reflecting the essence of seeking good and avoiding evil.