Allāhumma alhimnī rushdī — Dua for the Inspiration of Right Guidance

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray: 'O Allah! Inspire me with the right path and protect me from the evil of my own self'" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Daawat 66/3483).

This short but profound dua contains two fundamental requests:

Alhimnī rushdī (Inspire right guidance): Rushd means the right path, guidance, and maturity. Inspiration (ilham) is the knowledge and understanding that Allah places in the heart. A person cannot find the right path by his own intellect; he finds it only if Allah inspires him. To say "inspire us with the right path" is to ask Allah for guidance.

Aʿidhnī min sharri nafsī (Protect me from the evil of my self): The lower self calls a person to evil. "The self indeed commands evil" (Yusuf 53). The evil of the self consists of such blameworthy traits as arrogance, greed, lust, anger, and miserliness. Only Allah can protect from these evils.

The two requests complete one another: through inspiration the right path is found, and through protection from the lower self one remains firm upon that path. Reciting this dua on waking in the morning, when starting work, and before making an important decision is very beneficial.