Du'a for Knowledge
'My Lord, increase me in knowledge' is the only thing in the Quran that Allah instructs the Prophet ﷺ to ask for more of. The Sunnah adds a qualifier that shapes the whole request: not knowledge as accumulation, but knowledge that benefits — paired with provision and accepted deeds.
Updated July 16, 2026
- Surah Taha 20:114
فَتَعَٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمَلِكُ ٱلۡحَقُّۗ وَلَا تَعۡجَلۡ بِٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يُقۡضَىٰٓ إِلَيۡكَ وَحۡيُهُۥۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدۡنِي عِلۡمٗا
Rabbi zidni 'ilma.
“Then exalted be Allah, the True King! And hasten not (O Muhammad) with the Qur'an ere its revelation hath been perfected unto thee, and say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge”
The one increase the Quran instructs the Prophet ﷺ to ask for.
Source: Quran 20:114
- Ibn Majah 925
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا، وَعَمَلًا مُتَقَبَّلًا
Allahumma inni as'aluka 'ilman nafi'a, wa rizqan tayyiba, wa 'amalan mutaqabbala.
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, wholesome provision, and deeds that are accepted.”
Said by the Prophet ﷺ after the salam of Fajr.
Source: Ibn Majah 925
- Tirmidhi 3599
اللَّهُمَّ انْفَعْنِي بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنِي، وَعَلِّمْنِي مَا يَنْفَعُنِي، وَزِدْنِي عِلْمًا
Allahumman-fa'ni bima 'allamtani, wa 'allimni ma yanfa'uni, wa zidni 'ilma.
“O Allah, benefit me by what You have taught me, teach me what will benefit me, and increase me in knowledge.”
A du'a joining the asking for knowledge to the asking for benefit from it.
Source: Tirmidhi 3599
Quranic du'as on this page: Arabic text — Tanzil Uthmani (public domain); English translation — Marmaduke Pickthall, “The Meaning of the Glorious Koran” (1930), public domain. Translations of hadith du'as are our own.
Frequently asked questions
What du'a is said for knowledge?
'Rabbi zidni 'ilma' — 'My Lord, increase me in knowledge' (Quran 20:114). The Prophet ﷺ also asked for 'beneficial knowledge, wholesome provision, and accepted deeds' after Fajr (Ibn Majah 925).
Why does the du'a specify 'beneficial' knowledge?
Because the Sunnah distinguishes knowledge that changes a person from knowledge merely collected — the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from knowledge that does not benefit (Muslim 2722). The request in Tirmidhi 3599 asks both to be taught and to be benefited by the teaching.
Is 'Rabbi zidni 'ilma' in the Quran?
Yes — it is the closing instruction of Surah Ta-Ha 20:114, where the Prophet ﷺ is told to say it. It is the only thing in the Quran he is told to ask for an increase of.
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