Supplication for Strength and Victory: Quranic Supplications 6

During Ramadan 2023, Sheikh Faraz Rabbani gave a series of daily video talks on supplications in the Quran. This series of articles are drawn from those talks and the related eBook. This article is about asking for strength and victory. The video series can be viewed here.

رَبَّنَآ أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًۭا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ

“Our Lord, pour down fortitude upon us, and make us firm, and give us triumph over the people of unbelievers.” [Quran, 2.250]

This supplication is for when we feel weak, overwhelmed, in distress. That’s where we raise our needs to Allah. We seek our strength from the Giver of strength. We realize that we have no ability and no power whatsoever except through Allah, except through our Lord – لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّٰهِ.

So what do we do? We turn in supplication. Supplication expresses both our need and our certitude. “Call upon Allah with certitude in His answer,” says the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace. We supplicate not only for desired outcomes, whether of this life or the next, but also to facilitate the means to attain what we seek. 

And Make our Feet Firm

One of the greatest means is sabr – fortitude, steadfastness, patience. This term is used differently in the Quran. Sometimes it just means patience. Here it means: “O Lord, pour down upon us great fortitude.” This is active strength. Patience is not to be passive. Patience is to be firm on what is pleasing to Allah. O Lord, Grant us to be firm and strong on what is pleasing to you, on the good that I seek, in this life or the next, and to stand up for what is right.

“And make our feet firm” – وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا. Make us steadfast. Grant us victory over those that have enmity with us. Then we chart out the path of pursuing the good, realizing that we are not weak. If we seek through Allah we can be confident to take those difficult steps that we know we need to take and that victory comes from Allah. 

Now, how victory is manifest in your life is not up to you. That is granted by Allah. But we find out what is the right thing to do. We are strong on that thing. And take the steps knowing that we’ve asked Allah to make our feet firm on that. Knowing that the ultimate success is not fleeting attainments in this life, but rather attaining the eternal good in the next.

This is a beautiful supplication to fortify ourselves with, in our life and in our religion, and to dispel our worries and concerns.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.