Hadith: . . . . .

عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَرْقَمَ رَضيَ اللهُ عنه قَالَ: لَا أَقُولُ لَكُمْ إِلَّا كَمَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: كَانَ يَقُولُ:
«اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْهَرَمِ وَعَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ، اللهُمَّ آتِ نَفْسِي تَقْوَاهَا، وَزَكِّهَا أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا، أَنْتَ وَلِيُّهَا وَمَوْلَاهَا، اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ، وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لَا يَخْشَعُ، وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لَا تَشْبَعُ، وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا».
[صحيح] - [رواه مسلم] - [صحيح مسلم: 2722]

Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I only say to you what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say. He used to say:
"Allāhumma inni a‘ūdhu bika min al-‘ajzi wal-kasal, wal-jubni wal-bukhl, wal-harami wa ‘adhāb al-qabr. Allāhumma āti nafsi taqwāha, wa zakkiha anta khayru man zakkāha, anta waliyyuha wa mawlāha. Allāhumma inni a‘ūdhu bika min ‘ilmin la yanfa‘, wa min qalbin la yakhsha‘, wa min nafsin la tashba‘, wa min da‘watin la yustajābu laha" (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from inability, indolence, cowardice, miserliness, decrepitude, and torment of the grave. O Allah, grant me the sense of piety and purify my soul as You are the Best to purify it. You are its Protector and its Guardian. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from knowledge that is not beneficial, from a heart that does not fear, from a soul that is not satisfied, and from a supplication that is not answered).
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Muslim] - [Sahih Muslim - 2722]

Explanation

One of the supplications of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was: "O Allah, I seek refuge with You" and turn to You alone "from inability", meaning the inability to act effectively, "indolence", meaning the lack of will to act. The incapable cannot act, and the lazy does not want to. "Cowardice", which is refraining from doing what ought to be done, "miserliness", which is withholding what must be given, "decrepitude", which leads to the weakening of the body, "and torment of the grave", and from the causes that lead to it. "O Allah, grant me the sense of piety” and guide my soul to obey You and avoid disobedience, "and purify my soul" and cleanse it from vices and lowly traits. "You are the best to purify it" and no one can purify it except You. "You are its Protector", its helper, caretaker, "and its "Guardian", the One Who manages its affairs, its Lord, Owner, and Bestower of blessings. "O Allah, I seek refuge with You from knowledge that is not beneficial," such as astrology, sorcery, magic, or any knowledge that brings no benefit in the Hereafter, or knowledge that is not acted upon. "From a heart that does not fear" You, that neither submits nor finds peace and stillness in Your remembrance. "From a soul that is not satisfied", always greedy and discontent with what Allah has lawfully provided. "And from a supplication" that is rejected and "not answered".

Benefits from the Hadith

1. It is recommended to seek refuge with Allah from the things mentioned in the Hadīth.
2. Encouraging piety, spreading knowledge, and acting upon it.
3. Beneficial knowledge is that which purifies the soul and generates in it fear of the Almighty Lord that flows to all body parts.
4. The submissive heart is that which fears and trembles at the remembrance of Allah, then softens and finds tranquility.
5. Condemnation of greed for the worldly life and the inability to be satisfied with its desires and pleasures, for the craving, greedy soul that longs for worldly gains is a person's worst enemy.
6. That is why the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sought refuge from it.
7. A servant should avoid the causes that lead to rejection of supplication and its lack of response.
8. An-Nawawi said: This Hadīth and other supplications that include rhymed phrases serve as evidence for what the scholars have stated—that the blameworthy rhyming in supplication is that of affectation, for it takes away humility, submissiveness, and sincerity, and distracts from earnest pleading, neediness, and an attentive heart. But as for what occurs without effort or affectation, due to perfect eloquence and the like, or what is memorized, then there is no harm in it—rather, it is good.