أَصْبَحْنَا عَلَىٰ فِطْرَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ ، وَعَلَىٰ كَلِمَةِ الْإِخْلَاصِ ، وَعَلَىٰ دِيْنِ نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ ، وَعَلَىٰ مِلَّةِ أَبِيْنَا إِبْرَاهِيْمَ حَنِيْفًا مُّسْلِمًا وَّمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ
We have entered the morning upon the natural religion of Islam, the statement of pure faith (i.e. Shahādah), the religion of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and upon the way of our father Ibrāhīm, who turned away from all that is false, having surrendered to Allah, and he was not of the polytheists.
Aṣbaḥnā ʿalā fiṭrati-l-islām. wa ʿalā kalimati-l-ikhlāṣ, wa ʿalā dīni Nabiyyinā Muḥammadin ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam, wa ʿalā millati abīnā Ibrāhīma ḥanīfam-muslima, wa mā kāna min-l-mushrikīn.
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Abzā (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said [the above]. (Aḥmad)
Brief Commentary
• It is from the blessings of Allah that He made our natural disposition to be in conformance with the teachings of Islam; hence Islam is the natural and complete way of life to follow.
• We say this every morning and evening so that we can remind ourselves that we are following the religion that is in conformance to our nature. This makes it easier to accept and follow.
• The “statement of pure faith”, is the testimony that none is worthy of worship except Allah i.e. it is the first pillar from the five pillars of Islam.
• ‘Ikhlāṣ (pure faith)’ is also translated as ‘sincerity’ as we should utter this statement with complete sincerity to its meanings and what it entails. It is also called ‘the statement of purity’, as when we say it, we are purifying our beliefs from associating any partners with Allah.
• We affirm that we are following the religion of our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as this is the only religion that is acceptable to Allah ( See Qur’an 3:85).
• We also affirm that we are on the path of our father Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām), who was the Imām (leader) of tawḥīd. We are not the first people to follow this monotheist religion; and to be a true follower of Abraham, one has to single out His worship and devotion to Allah alone, without associating any partners with Him.
Action Points
• Whenever you say this duʿā’, ensure your heart is filled with the love of Allah as He has made the religion easy for you by creating you to naturally follow this religion.
• If you ever find yourself straying away from the commandments of Allah, then realise that you are not only disobeying Allah, but you are going against the nature of your creation, which will no doubt harm you.
• The “statement of pure faith” (i.e. lā ilāha illa Allah) is a very strong statement and testimony. Ponder over its meanings and realise the magnitude of this statement every time you say it. Ensure it is not just coming from your lips, but you are saying it from your heart too.
• We are the true followers of the path of Ibrāhīm (ʿalayhis-salām). Muslims are the ones who truly follow this path, whilst the other religions have significantly strayed from this path.
