Question

How many times should we recite: Ya Rabb?

1. ‘Aishah (radiyallahu ‘anha) reported that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “When the servant said, ‘O Lord! [Ya Rabb]’ four times. Allah said, ‘I am listening to you, my servant. Ask and you will be granted.'”

2. I have seen another narration of Anas (radiyallahu ‘anhu) where he said: “Whenever a servant said, ‘O Lord! O Lord!’ Allah said, ‘I am listening to you, I am listening to you.”

3. And another where people complained to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) of the drought. He said, “Kneel down and say: ‘O Lord! O Lord!’. And the index rises skyward. Immediately, it rained so much that they wanted it to stop.”

4. Atam (114H) said: “Whenever a servant said, ‘O Lord! O Lord! O Lord!’ Allah looks at him carefully [gives him his attention]. ‘We mentioned this to Hasan Basri said: ‘Do not you read the Quran?’ Then he recited: (Surah Al ‘Imran, verse: 191-195)”

So my question is, should we say: Ya Rabb two times, three or four times?

Answer

Such difference in numbers are not considered contradictory.

One may practice on any of these, although to repeat it four times will be ideal.

To say the word Ya Rabb in du’a is frequently repeated in the Quran as the method of the Ambiya (‘alayhimus salam) in their du’as.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best,

Answered by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar

Checked by: Mawlana Haroon Abasoomar