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Rabbana Atina Fid Dunya Hasanah: Meaning and Context

By the Ayanur team ·

Short answer

Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina 'adhaban-nar is a dua from the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, ayah 2:201. In the Saheeh International translation it reads "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) It asks for good in both lives and for protection from the Fire.

The answer in more detail

This dua is short, complete and easy to learn, which is why it's one of the most repeated supplications among Muslims. It comes in the part of Surah Al-Baqarah that describes the rites of Hajj (2:196-203). There, the Quran contrasts two kinds of people who call on Allah. One group asks only for this world, and the ayah just before says they will have no share in the Hereafter. The other group, in ayah 2:201, asks for good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protection from the Fire. The next ayah says these people will have a share of what they have earned.

So the dua is also a lesson in how to ask. It doesn't tell the believer to give up this life. It asks for good in it, and keeps the next life in view at the same time.

Anas ibn Malik reported that this was the supplication the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made most often. The report is in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.

Rabbana atina is the opening of one of the best-known duas in the Quran. Here's the full dua, its meaning phrase by phrase, and where it sits in the Quran.

The full dua

وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ﴿٢٠١﴾

But among them is he who says, "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."

Surah Al-Baqara (The Cow), 2:201

Transliteration: Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina 'adhaban-nar.

The ayah begins "But among them is he who says", which introduces the person making the dua. The dua itself is the part inside the quotation marks, from "Our Lord" to "the Fire".

Meaning, phrase by phrase

Arabic (transliterated) Meaning
Rabbana Our Lord
atina give us
fid-dunya hasanatan in this world, good
wa fil-akhirati hasanatan and in the Hereafter, good
wa qina and protect us
'adhaban-nar from the punishment of the Fire

Rabbana means "our Lord". It's plural, so the person asks for others along with themselves. Many duas in the Quran begin this way.

Atina is a request: "give us". It's direct and simple, the way a servant asks the One who owns everything.

Fid-dunya hasanatan asks for good in this life. The dua doesn't list what that good is. Ibn Kathir, in his commentary on this ayah, explains that it gathers every worldly good a person might ask for, such as health, a home, a family, provision, beneficial knowledge and good deeds.

Wa fil-akhirati hasanatan asks for good in the next life. Commentators explain this as Paradise, and everything that leads to it, such as an easy reckoning on the Day of Judgment.

Wa qina 'adhaban-nar asks for protection from the Fire. It completes the dua: asking for the good, and asking to be kept from the worst outcome.

Where it appears: the passage on Hajj

The dua comes in Surah Al-Baqarah's passage about Hajj (2:196-203). After the rites, the Quran describes two kinds of people:

  • Those who ask only, "Our Lord, give us in this world." The ayah before ours says they will have no share in the Hereafter.
  • Those who ask for good in this world and in the Hereafter, and for protection from the Fire. This is 2:201.

The ayah after it says that the second group will have a share of what they earned, and that Allah is swift in account. Read together, the three ayat teach balance: ask for this world, but never only for this world.

When people say it

Because it covers so much in so few words, Muslims say this dua at many moments:

  • After prayer, among their personal duas.
  • During Hajj and Umrah, since it's part of the Hajj passage.
  • At the end of a gathering or a talk, as a closing dua.
  • Whenever they don't know what to ask for. It asks for good in both lives, which covers what a person needs even when they can't put it into words.

Other Rabbana duas in the Quran

Surah Al-Baqarah alone has several duas that begin with Rabbana, and there are many more across the Quran. They come from prophets, from believers, and from people who repent. A good place to start is our list of short Quran verses in English, which includes ayat you can learn along with this dua.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Rabbana atina fid dunya hasanah in the Quran?

It's in Surah Al-Baqarah, the second surah, ayah 201 (2:201). It appears in the passage about the rites of Hajj.

What does hasanah mean?

Hasanah means something good. The dua asks for hasanah twice: once for this world and once for the Hereafter. The classical commentator Ibn Kathir explains that the good of this world gathers every good thing a person may ask for, and the good of the Hereafter includes Paradise.

Is it hasanah or hasanatan?

Both are heard. In the recited Arabic the word ends in hasanatan because of its place in the sentence. Hasanah is the word on its own, which is why many people write the dua's name that way.

Can I say this dua in any language?

You can make dua in any language. Many people learn this one in Arabic because it's the exact wording of the Quran, and then keep its meaning in mind as they say it.

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