The Rabbana Atina Dua

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited a sick Companion. The Companion had wasted away and grown so thin that he had become like a fledgling bird. The Prophet asked: "Are you praying to Allah for anything?" That Companion said: "Yes. I pray: O Allah, whatever punishment You are going to give me in the hereafter, give it to me in this world instead." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah, Allah! You do not have the strength for that," and then advised him to recite the dua in this ayah. He then prayed for that Companion to be restored to health, and before long the man recovered (Sahih Muslim, Dhikr 26).

This dua is taken from ayah 201 of Surah al-Baqarah. Both because it is taken from the Noble Qur'an and because its meaning is so wide, the Messenger of Allah recited this dua at every opportunity. The words "good in this world" include health and well-being, lawful provision, righteous children, a good spouse, beneficial knowledge, acceptable deeds and worship — in short, everything that may be called a blessing. "Good in the hereafter" means Allah's pardon, Paradise, every kind of blessing that Allah Most High has prepared for His good servants, and especially seeing Allah.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), known as the Companion whose acts of worship most closely resembled those of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), would recite only this dua when he wished to pray briefly. When he wished to pray at length, he would again recite it among his other duas. This shows how carefully the noble Companions strove to do what our Prophet did.