Question

Kindly provide the translation for the following portion of the Hadith:

لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ، وَسَعْدَيْكَ، والْخَيْرُ بيَدَيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ، والرَّغْباءُ إِلَيْكَ والْعَمَلُ

عن عبدالله بن عمر رضي الله عنه: أنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ كانَ، إِذا اسْتَوَتْ به راحِلَتُهُ قائِمَةً عِنْدَ مَسْجِدِ ذِي الحُلَيْفَةِ، أَهَلَّ فَقالَ: لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ، لَبَّيْك، لَبَّيْكَ لا شَرِيكَ لكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إنَّ الحَمْدَ، والنِّعْمَةَ، لكَ والْمُلْكَ، لا شَرِيكَ لَكَ. قالوا: وَكانَ عبدُ اللهِ بنُ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عنْهما يقولُ: هذِه تَلْبِيَةُ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ. قالَ نافِعٌ: كانَ عبدُ اللهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عنْه يَزِيدُ مع هذا: لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ، وَسَعْدَيْكَ، والْخَيْرُ بيَدَيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ، والرَّغْباءُ إِلَيْكَ والْعَمَلُ.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 1184)

Answer

The aforementioned words in question can be translated as follows:

• لبيك – “Here I am at Your service”
• سعديك – “Ready to serve and be of assistance”
• الخير بيديك – “All goodness/prosperity is in Your possession”
• الرغباء إليك والعمل – “Hope [for reward] is only in You, and You alone are worthy of worship”

The full translation would therefore be: “Here I am at Your [i.e., Allah’s] service, Here I am at Your service, ready to serve and be of assistance! All goodness/prosperity is in Your possession, Here I am at Your service! Hope [for reward] is only in You, and You alone are worthy of worship!”

(References for all of the above: An-Nihayah fi Gharibil Hadith, Letters: ر غ ب, Al-Minhaj, Hadith: 2803, Ad-Dibaj, Hadith: 1184; Also see: Mirqat, Hadith: 2541)

For further explanation and/or detail, kindly refer to the aforementioned sources.

And Allah Ta’ala knows best.

Answered by: Mawlana Farhan Shariff

Approved by: Mawlana Muhammad Abasoomar