‌اَللّٰهُمَّ ‌حَبِّبْ ‌إِلَيْنَا الْإِيـْمَانَ ، وَزَيِّنْهُ فِي ‌قُلُوْبِنَا ، وَكَرِّهْ إِلَيْنَا الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ ، وَاجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الرَّاشِدِينَ

“O Allah, make imaan beloved to us and beautify it within our hearts. Make us hate disbelief, sins and disobedience. And make us among the righteous.” (Musnad Ahmad #15492)

In this du‘aa, we are taught to ask Allah Ta‘ala to make imaan beloved to us, to beautify it within our hearts and to make it deeply attractive to us. This du‘aa of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) seeks not merely imaan, but a heart that loves imaan and adores it — a heart that finds its peace and comfort in it.

When imaan becomes beloved and attractive to a person, he fulfils its dictates wholeheartedly, willingly and happily. Thereafter, even the actions of imaan become beloved to him and ‘ibaadah follows naturally. One no longer forces himself to worship; he is drawn to it. Salaah is no longer a task to complete, but a joy to experience. This is due to the fact that love is the strongest bond between the heart and its actions. Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “The coolness of my eyes has been placed in salaah.” (Sunan Nasaai #3939) Such worship does not depend on mood or convenience; it flows from love.

Sometimes a person accepts something merely for its outcome, not because he is naturally drawn to it. Like one who takes medication — he may dislike its taste, yet he endures it for the cure it brings. Similarly, a person may obey Allah Ta‘ala because he knows the benefit of obedience, while his heart has not yet found joy in it. This du‘aa asks that imaan not be like that — not something carried out reluctantly for its reward — but something beautiful in itself, loved for what it is.

After that, the du‘aa turns to the other side of the scale: we beseech Allah Ta‘ala to make certain things hateful and detestable to us — the first and foremost being kufr i.e. disbelief in Allah Ta‘ala. The second is fusooq, which in this context, refers to major sins. Lastly, ‘isyaan refers to all minor sins and acts of disobedience. (Al-Furooq lil Qaraafi vol. 1, pg. 101)

A believer is not safe until disobedience itself becomes distasteful to him. When the heart reaches that state, even the smallest sin feels heavy. A person who once struggled to leave sin begins to find it naturally repulsive. That is the difference between the nafs lawwaamah — the reproaching soul — and the nafs mutma-innah — the tranquil soul. In the first, a believer struggles against his desires; in the second, the heart itself is at peace with obedience.

Finally, we ask Allah Ta‘ala to make us from among the righteous — those who remain obedient to Him in all conditions and circumstances.

This du‘aa is a request for such a transformation that the heart’s very nature changes, so that love pulls it toward obedience and aversion pulls it away from sin. A person cannot attain this through willpower alone; rather, it is a gift from Allah Ta‘ala, earned through striving (mujaahadah), sincere du‘aa and constant turning to Him.

When Allah Ta‘ala grants this state, salaah becomes the heart’s rest, zikr becomes nourishment and obedience becomes pleasure. The world no longer controls the heart, and a person lives with clear purpose — loving what Allah Ta‘ala loves and hating what He dislikes.

(Adapted from Sharhud Du‘aa minal Kitaabi was Sunnah pg. 501)