Rabbana Duas: The Prayers in the Quran That Begin "Our Lord"
Some of the most beloved duas Muslims make were first spoken by prophets, by the youths of the cave, and even by the angels who carry the Throne. Allah preserved their words in the Quran, and many of them open the same way: Rabbanā, "Our Lord".
This article gathers the Rabbana duas of the Quran. It looks closely at some of the best known, with the Arabic, a transliteration and a translation, and ends with a full list linking to every verse so you can read each one in its place.
What "Rabbana" means
Rabb is usually translated "Lord", but the word carries more than rank. It describes the One who creates, owns, provides for and looks after something, bringing it along stage by stage. Rabbanā adds "our": it is a prayer said in the plural, on behalf of the one praying and those with them.
Opening a dua this way is itself a lesson. Before asking for anything, the person praying names their relationship to the One they are asking: we are Yours, and You look after us. The singular form, Rabbī ("my Lord"), opens many other duas in the Quran, such as Mūsā's prayer for an open heart (20:25), and a few of those appear in the list below where they sit beside a Rabbana dua.
For good in both worlds
رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٗ وَفِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ حَسَنَةٗ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
Rabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanatan wa fil-ākhirati ḥasanatan wa qinā ʿadhāban-nār.
Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. (2:201)
This is probably the most widely known dua in the Quran. It comes in the passage on Hajj, contrasting those who ask only for this world with those who ask for good in both. Anas ibn Mālik reported that it was the dua the Prophet ﷺ made most often (Sahih al-Bukhari 6389; Sahih Muslim 2690). It is short enough to learn in a minute and broad enough to cover almost anything a person could need.
For acceptance
رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلۡ مِنَّآۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلۡعَلِيمُ
Rabbanā taqabbal minnā, innaka antas-samīʿul-ʿalīm.
Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing. (2:127)
Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl said this while raising the foundations of the Kaʿbah. They were building the House of Allah, and still they asked for it to be accepted: they did not take their good deed for granted. Many people say this dua after finishing a prayer, a fast or any good work. Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl continue in the next two verses, asking for their descendants to be a Muslim nation and for a messenger to be sent among them (2:128-129).
For a heart that stays firm
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغۡ قُلُوبَنَا بَعۡدَ إِذۡ هَدَيۡتَنَا وَهَبۡ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحۡمَةًۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡوَهَّابُ
Rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā baʿda idh hadaytanā wa hab lanā min ladunka raḥmah, innaka antal-wahhāb.
Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower. (3:8)
The Quran puts this dua in the mouths of "those firm in knowledge" (3:7). Knowing a great deal did not make them feel safe: they still asked Allah to keep their hearts from turning away. Guidance is a gift that has to be kept, not a prize won once.
For patience under pressure
رَبَّنَآ أَفۡرِغۡ عَلَيۡنَا صَبۡرٗا وَثَبِّتۡ أَقۡدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ
Rabbanā afrigh ʿalaynā ṣabran wa thabbit aqdāmanā wanṣurnā ʿalal-qawmil-kāfirīn.
Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people. (2:250)
Ṭālūt's small army said this as they went out to face Jālūt (Goliath) and his soldiers. They did not ask for a little patience but for it to be poured over them. The magicians of Pharaoh, threatened with death after they believed, asked for the same in almost the same words: "Our Lord, pour upon us patience and let us die as Muslims" (7:126).
For forgiveness after a mistake
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ
Rabbanā ẓalamnā anfusanā wa in lam taghfir lanā wa tarḥamnā lanakūnanna minal-khāsirīn.
Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers. (7:23)
These were the words of Ādam and Ḥawwāʾ after they ate from the tree. It is the first repentance in human history, and it makes no excuses: it admits the wrong, names it as harm done to themselves, and asks for forgiveness and mercy. It is a natural dua to return to whenever you slip.
The closing duas of Al-Baqarah
رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذۡنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوۡ أَخۡطَأۡنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحۡمِلۡ عَلَيۡنَآ إِصۡرٗا كَمَا حَمَلۡتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِنَاۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلۡنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ وَٱعۡفُ عَنَّا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَٱرۡحَمۡنَآۚ أَنتَ مَوۡلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرۡنَا عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ
Rabbanā lā tuʾākhidhnā in nasīnā aw akhṭaʾnā. Rabbanā wa lā taḥmil ʿalaynā iṣran kamā ḥamaltahū ʿalal-ladhīna min qablinā. Rabbanā wa lā tuḥammilnā mā lā ṭāqata lanā bih. Waʿfu ʿannā waghfir lanā warḥamnā. Anta mawlānā fanṣurnā ʿalal-qawmil-kāfirīn.
Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people. (2:286)
The longest surah of the Quran ends with three Rabbana duas in a single verse. Ibn ʿAbbās reported that when it was revealed, Allah answered each request: "I have done so" (Sahih Muslim 126). The Prophet ﷺ also said that whoever recites the last two verses of Al-Baqarah at night, they will be enough for him (Sahih al-Bukhari 5009; Sahih Muslim 807), which is why many people read them before sleeping.
For family
رَبَّنَا هَبۡ لَنَا مِنۡ أَزۡوَٰجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعۡيُنٖ وَٱجۡعَلۡنَا لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا
Rabbanā hab lanā min azwājinā wa dhurriyyātinā qurrata aʿyunin wajʿalnā lil-muttaqīna imāmā.
Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us a leader [i.e., example] for the righteous. (25:74)
This dua closes the Quran's description of "the servants of the Most Merciful" in Surah Al-Furqan. "Comfort to our eyes" translates qurrata aʿyun, literally "coolness of the eyes": the calm of looking at the people you love and being at peace with what you see. It is a common dua for spouses and children, and for anyone hoping to marry.
Ibrāhīm made a family dua of his own, for his prayer, his descendants and his parents:
رَبِّ ٱجۡعَلۡنِي مُقِيمَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِيۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلۡ دُعَآءِ
رَبَّنَا ٱغۡفِرۡ لِي وَلِوَٰلِدَيَّ وَلِلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ يَوۡمَ يَقُومُ ٱلۡحِسَابُ
Rabbij-ʿalnī muqīmaṣ-ṣalāti wa min dhurriyyatī, Rabbanā wa taqabbal duʿāʾ. Rabbanagh-fir lī wa li-wālidayya wa lil-muʾminīna yawma yaqūmul-ḥisāb.
My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication. Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and the believers the Day the account is established. (14:40-41)
For a way out of a hard situation
رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحۡمَةٗ وَهَيِّئۡ لَنَا مِنۡ أَمۡرِنَا رَشَدٗا
Rabbanā ātinā min ladunka raḥmatan wa hayyiʾ lanā min amrinā rashadā.
Our Lord, grant us from Yourself mercy and prepare for us from our affair right guidance. (18:10)
The youths of the cave said this when they had fled their people and had nowhere left to go. They did not ask for a particular outcome, only for mercy and for the right way through. Allah answered by putting them to sleep for over three centuries. It is a fitting dua whenever you cannot see what to do next. (Their story opens Surah Al-Kahf, which many read every Friday.)
For those who came before us
رَبَّنَا ٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَلِإِخۡوَٰنِنَا ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِٱلۡإِيمَٰنِ وَلَا تَجۡعَلۡ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلّٗا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ رَءُوفٞ رَّحِيمٌ
Rabbanagh-fir lanā wa li-ikhwāninal-ladhīna sabaqūnā bil-īmān, wa lā tajʿal fī qulūbinā ghillan lil-ladhīna āmanū, Rabbanā innaka Raʾūfur-Raḥīm.
Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful. (59:10)
This is the dua of "those who come after", the generations of believers following the Companions. It asks forgiveness for the believers who came before, and asks Allah to remove any rancour from our hearts towards other believers. It is a dua for parents and grandparents who have passed away, and for a clean heart towards everyone else.
For light on the Last Day
رَبَّنَآ أَتۡمِمۡ لَنَا نُورَنَا وَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَآۖ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ قَدِيرٞ
Rabbanā atmim lanā nūranā waghfir lanā, innaka ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr.
Our Lord, perfect for us our light and forgive us. Indeed, You are over all things competent. (66:8)
The Quran describes the believers on the Day of Judgement with their light running before them and on their right, and this is what they will say. It is a dua we will make then, and one we can make now.
When to make these duas
There is no fixed time for a Rabbana dua: they can be made at any time, in Arabic or in your own language. Some times are especially recommended for dua in general, such as the last third of the night (see our article on Tahajjud), between the adhan and iqamah, and while fasting.
Many people make Rabbana duas in their prayer after the final tashahhud and before the salam, a common place for them. The Prophet ﷺ forbade reciting the Quran while bowing or prostrating (Sahih Muslim 479); many scholars hold that saying a Quranic dua in sujud as a dua, rather than as recitation, is permitted, but the schools differ on the details. Ask a scholar you trust about your own practice.
All the Rabbana duas in the Quran
Counts of the Rabbana duas vary, mostly because some verses contain the word several times. The list below follows the order of the Quran, one row per verse. A few verses are included where Rabbanā is joined to another opening, such as Allāhumma Rabbanā in 5:114.
| Opening words | Said by | Verse |
|---|---|---|
| Rabbanā taqabbal minnā | Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl | 2:127 |
| Rabbanā wajʿalnā muslimayni lak | Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl | 2:128 |
| Rabbanā wabʿath fīhim rasūlan | Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl | 2:129 |
| Rabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanah | The believers | 2:201 |
| Rabbanā afrigh ʿalaynā ṣabran | Ṭālūt's army | 2:250 |
| Rabbanā lā tuʾākhidhnā (three duas) | The believers | 2:286 |
| Rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā | Those firm in knowledge | 3:8 |
| Rabbanā innaka jāmiʿun-nās | Those firm in knowledge | 3:9 |
| Rabbanā innanā āmannā | The righteous | 3:16 |
| Rabbanā āmannā bimā anzalta | The disciples of ʿĪsā | 3:53 |
| Rabbanagh-fir lanā dhunūbanā wa isrāfanā | Those who fought beside the prophets | 3:147 |
| Rabbanā mā khalaqta hādhā bāṭilā | People of understanding | 3:191 |
| Rabbanā innaka man tudkhilin-nār | People of understanding | 3:192 |
| Rabbanā innanā samiʿnā munādiyan | People of understanding | 3:193 |
| Rabbanā wa ātinā mā waʿadtanā | People of understanding | 3:194 |
| Rabbanā akhrijnā min hādhihil-qaryah | The oppressed | 4:75 |
| Rabbanā āmannā faktubnā maʿash-shāhidīn | Those who wept on hearing the Quran | 5:83 |
| Allāhumma Rabbanā anzil ʿalaynā māʾidah | ʿĪsā | 5:114 |
| Rabbanā ẓalamnā anfusanā | Ādam and Ḥawwāʾ | 7:23 |
| Rabbanā lā tajʿalnā maʿal-qawmiẓ-ẓālimīn | The people of the heights (al-Aʿrāf) | 7:47 |
| Rabbanaf-taḥ baynanā | Shuʿayb and the believers | 7:89 |
| Rabbanā afrigh ʿalaynā ṣabran wa tawaffanā muslimīn | Pharaoh's magicians | 7:126 |
| Rabbanā lā tajʿalnā fitnatan lil-qawmiẓ-ẓālimīn | The people of Mūsā | 10:85-86 |
| Rabbanā innaka taʿlamu mā nukhfī | Ibrāhīm | 14:38 |
| Rabbij-ʿalnī muqīmaṣ-ṣalāti … Rabbanā wa taqabbal duʿāʾ | Ibrāhīm | 14:40 |
| Rabbanagh-fir lī wa li-wālidayya | Ibrāhīm | 14:41 |
| Rabbanā ātinā min ladunka raḥmah | The youths of the cave | 18:10 |
| Rabbanā innanā nakhāfu | Mūsā and Hārūn | 20:45 |
| Rabbanā āmannā faghfir lanā warḥamnā | A party of Allah's servants | 23:109 |
| Rabbanaṣ-rif ʿannā ʿadhāba jahannam | The servants of the Most Merciful | 25:65-66 |
| Rabbanā hab lanā min azwājinā | The servants of the Most Merciful | 25:74 |
| Rabbanā wasiʿta kulla shayʾin raḥmatan wa ʿilmā | The angels who carry the Throne | 40:7 |
| Rabbanā wa adkhilhum jannāti ʿadn | The angels who carry the Throne | 40:8-9 |
| Rabbanagh-fir lanā wa li-ikhwāninā | Those who came after | 59:10 |
| Rabbanā ʿalayka tawakkalnā | Ibrāhīm and those with him | 60:4 |
| Rabbanā lā tajʿalnā fitnatan lil-ladhīna kafarū | Ibrāhīm and those with him | 60:5 |
| Rabbanā atmim lanā nūranā | The believers on the Last Day | 66:8 |
Learn them one at a time
Every verse above has its own page on Quran Surfer, with the Arabic in the Uthmani or IndoPak script, English and Urdu translations, and Mishary Alafasy's recitation to listen to while you learn. A good way to start is one dua a week: read it in its place, listen to it a few times, and make it in your own prayers until it comes without thinking.
Sources
- The Quran, in the Saheeh International translation; Arabic text and translation from the quran.com API
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5009 and 6389, and Sahih Muslim 126, 479, 807 and 2690
- The commentary (tafsīr) of Ibn Kathīr on the verses above, for who said each dua
The wording of the hadith above is summarised rather than translated word for word; follow the links to read the full narrations. Transliterations are a guide to pronunciation, and are no substitute for listening to a recitation. For questions of religious practice, please ask a qualified scholar.