It was narrated that Thawban said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Nothing extends one’s life span but righteousness, nothing averts the Divine Decree but supplication, and nothing deprives a man of provision but the sin that he commits. (Ibn Majah 90)

The question constantly get’s brought up by Muslims. Why should I make dua when Allah knows my future.

If my will is written what’s the point of anything?

This is faulty thinking and can deprive you of worshipping Allah (SWT) which is one of the best things a person can do. In Ibn Majah hadith it tells us that with dua the power is within us to change our divine decree.

But wouldn’t Allah know that I would or wouldn’t make the dua?

Yes, Allah knows everything. But that doesn’t take away from the act of worship itself. We still have to do the work which is right which will only benefit us. Allah knows our future, we do not know our future.

“Is the reward for good [anything] but good?”
(55:60)

In the Sahih hadith of Tirmidhi 2572 Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w) said:

“Whoever asks Allah (swt) Paradise three times, Paradise says: ‘O Allah, admit him into Paradise’, and whoever seeks refuge from the Fire three times, the Fire says: ‘O Allah, save him from the Fire.'”

So would do well to learn the dua’s for protection from jahannam (hellfire). The reference for this dua is Sunan Abu Dawud 5079.

allahumma ajirni minan naar dua in Arabic:

The allahumma ajirni dua in Arabic is written,

اللَّهُمَّ أَجِرْنِي مِنَ النَّارِ

Here’s a few common transliteration to help with pronunciation:

Allahumma ajirni minan nar
Allahumma ajirni min al-nar
allahumma ajirni minan naar
allahumma ajirni minnaar

The most accurate transliteration is, allahumma ajirni minan naar.

Translation of the dua:

The meaning of allahumma ajirni min al-nar is “O Allah, protect me from Hell” or can be translated to “ya Allah, protect me from Hell”.

Hadith For Protection From Hellfire

 Al-Harith b. Muslim al-Tamimi quoted his father Muslim b. al-Harith al-Tamimi as saying that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) told him secretly:

When you finish the sunset prayer, say: ‘O Allah, protect me from Hell” seven times; for if you say that and die that night, protection from it would be recorded for you; and when you finish the dawn prayer, say it in a similar way, for if you die that day, protection from it would be recorded for you. Abu Sa’id told me that al-Harith said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said this to us secretly, so we confine it to our brethren.

Reference: Sunan Abi Dawud 5079

With regards to this hadith:

This hadith was classified as d’aif meaning weak authenticity. So with regards to the belief that reciting seven times, it may not benefit you as mentioned. However, from the earlier Sahih hadith Tirmidhi 2572 we know that it is mustahabb (favored act) for a Muslim to ask Allah for Jannah, and to seek protection from hell.

So, there’s no restriction as to when, where, and how many times we should recite this dua. It is a very short dua and the benefit of reciting is apparent.

Remember in the Qur’an it says, “Is the rewards for good [anything] but good”. There can be nothing bad or harmful of doing beneficial acts whether with your tongue or with your actions. Try everyday to do the most good and over a lifetime you will have a mountain of good deeds built. 

Allah knows best, may he keep us on the straight path, keep us humble, and protect us and our families from the hellfire. 

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For those interested, there is another dua but this one is from the Quran, Surah Imran asking for Allah’s protection from hell.

Rabbana Innana Amanna