+ -

عَنْ عَلِيٍّ رضي الله عنه قَالَ: قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
«قُلِ اللهُمَّ اهْدِنِي وَسَدِّدْنِي، وَاذْكُرْ بِالْهُدَى هِدَايَتَكَ الطَّرِيقَ، وَالسَّدَادِ سَدَادَ السَّهْمِ».

[صحيح] - [رواه مسلم] - [صحيح مسلم: 2725]
المزيــد ...

‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to me:
"Say: O Allah, guide me and make me adhere to the straight path, and when asking for Huda (guidance), think of your being guided to the right path, and Sadād (adherence to the straight path) is the straightness of the arrow."

[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Muslim] - [Sahih Muslim - 2725]

Explanation

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) commanded ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib (may Allah be pleased with him) to supplicate and ask Allah, saying: (O Allah, guide me), direct me, lead me, (and make me adhere to the straight path), grant me success, and make me upright in all my affairs.
Huda (guidance): It means knowing the truth in detail and as a whole and being guided to follow it outwardly and inwardly.
Sadād (adherence to the straight path): It means guidance and uprightness in all affairs following what is right in conformity with the truth, namely the straight path in terms of words, deeds, and beliefs.
Given that intangible ideas become clear when expressed in a tangible form, remember when reciting this supplication that: (Huda: your being guided to the right path). So, when asking for guidance, recall in your heart a guidance like that given to the traveler, who does not deviate from the route so as not to lose his way and remain safe and reach his destination without delay.
(And Sadād is the straightness of the arrow) as you notice how quickly the arrow reaches and hits the goal when you shoot it. When the archer shoots something, he aims the arrow at the target. Similarly, when asking Allah Almighty for Sadād, you should intend straightness like that of the arrow, and by this, you will be asking for ultimate guidance and the highest degree of straightness.
So, recall this meaning in your heart when asking Allah for Sadād similar to what you use when shooting.

Translation: Urdu Spanish Indonesian Bengali French Turkish Russian Bosnian Sinhala Indian Chinese Persian Vietnamese Tagalog Kurdish Hausa Portuguese Swahili Thai Pashto Assamese amharic Dutch Gujarati Romanian
View Translations

Benefits from the Hadith

  1. The supplicator should be keen on rectifying and redressing his deeds by adhering to the Sunnah and offering such deeds with sincere intention.
  2. It is recommended to supplicate with these comprehensive words that combine success and rightness.
  3. The slave should seek help from Allah Almighty in all of his affairs.
  4. Giving examples during the teaching process.
  5. Combining the request for guidance and good conditions with the request to remain steadfast on that and never deviate therefrom and to attain a good outcome. His statement: "Guide me," refers to his adherence to the path of guidance, and his statement: "And make me adhere to the straight path," refers to being right and not deviating from guidance after attaining it.
  6. The supplicator should be careful about his supplication, recalling the meanings of his supplications in his heart, which makes them more likely to be answered.