Question

I came across the following du’a in two places: Tirmidhi (3502) and Riyadus Salihin (834).

Tirmidhi:

اللّٰهُمَّ اقْسِمْ لَنَا مِنْ خَشْيَتِكَ مَا يَحُولُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ مَعَاصِيكَ وَمِنْ طَاعَتِكَ مَا تُبَلِّغُنَا بِهِ جَنَّتَكَ وَمِنَ الْيَقِينِ مَا تُهَوِّنُ بِهِ عَلَيْنَا مُصِيبَاتِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَتِّعْنَا بِأَسْمَاعِنَا وَأَبْصَارِنَا وَقُوَّتِنَا مَا أَحْيَيْتَنَا وَاجْعَلْهُ الْوَارِثَ مِنَّا وَاجْعَلْ ثَأْرَنَا عَلٰى مَنْ ظَلَمَنَا وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى مَنْ عَادَانَا وَلاَ تَجْعَلْ مُصِيبَتَنَا فِي دِينِنَا وَلاَ تَجْعَلِ الدُّنْيَا أَكْبَرَ هَمِّنَا وَلاَ مَبْلَغَ عِلْمِنَا وَلاَ تُسَلِّطْ عَلَيْنَا مَنْ لاَ يَرْحَمُنَا

Riyadus Salihin:

اللهم اقسم لنا من خشيتك ما تحول به بيننا وبين معاصيك، ومن طاعتك ما تبلغنا به جنتك، ومن اليقين ما تهون به علينا مصائب الدنيا، اللهم متعنا بأسماعنا وأبصارنا وقوتنا ما أحييتنا، واجعله الوارث منا، واجعل ثأرنا على من ظلمنا، وانصرنا على من عادانا، ولا تجعل مصيبتنا في ديننا، ولا تجعل الدنيا أكبر همنا، ولا مبلغ علمنا، ولا تسلط علينا من لا يرحمنا

a) The riwayah of Tirmidhi contains the word مصيبات while the riwayah of Riyadus Salihin (which quotes Tirmidhi) contains مصائب. Which is the correct version?

b) Also the riwayah of Tirmidhi contains و متّعنا while the riwayah of Riyadus Salihin contains اللهم متّعنا. Which is the correct version?

 

Answer

This Hadith is recorded in several Hadith sources, among them are Sunan Tirmidhi, Hadith: 3502 and Sunan Nasai, Hadith: 10161 (kubra).

The version that appears in Riyadus Salihin are actually the one that appear in Sunan Nasai.

To answer your question more specifically: The version in Riyadus Salihin conforms to the one in Sunan Nasai, and not to the current available published versions of Sunan Tirmidhi.

Although this may seem like a technical error by ‘Allamah Nawawi (rahimahullah), one should consider two things:

1) It is highly possible [rather most probable] that his copy of Tirmidhi has the words as he has quoted them, especially since he has also cited these words in his other book; Al-Adhkar, Hadith: 761 and referenced it to Sunan Tirmidhi.

2) Despite the above, one may recite either version as both are reliably recorded in different Hadith sources.

 

And Allah Ta’ala Knows best.

Answered by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar