A Prayer for Beautiful Patience and a Good Life

Among the profound supplications attributed to Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) and taught to Abu Hamzah al-Thumali is a prayer that gathers the deepest hopes of the believer into a few powerful words:

“O Allah, I ask You for beautiful patience, near relief, truthful words, and a great reward.

I ask You, my Lord, for every kind of goodness—what I know of it and what I do not know.

O Allah, I ask You for the best of what Your righteous servants have asked You for.

O Best One to be asked, and O Most Generous of those who give, grant me what I ask for concerning myself, my family, my parents, my children, my loved ones, and my brothers and sisters in faith.

Make my life prosperous and easeful, bring forth my nobility and generosity, and set right all my affairs.

Make me among those whose lives You prolong, whose deeds You make righteous, upon whom You complete Your blessings, and with whom You are pleased.

Grant me a wholesome life, filled with lasting joy, abundant dignity, and complete well-being.

Indeed, You do whatever You will, and no one can do what You will except You.”

Patience in Islam is not passive surrender to hardship, nor is it the suppression of pain; it is the strength to remain faithful, dignified, and hopeful while passing through what cannot yet be changed.

The believer asks not merely for patience, but for beautiful patience—a patience without bitterness, despair, or resentment toward divine decree.

Then comes the prayer for near relief; this is a remarkable balance: patience does not mean abandoning hope.

The servant waits, but continues to ask; he endures, but expects Allah’s mercy.

As the Qur’an says:

“Indeed, with hardship comes ease.”
(Qur’an 94:6)

The supplication then expands beyond personal wishes:

“I ask You for all goodness, what I know of it and what I do not know.”

This teaches the believer that human knowledge is limited; sometimes we ask for something because we think it is good, while Allah knows a greater good that lies beyond our understanding.

The prayer also asks for goodness for oneself, one’s family, parents, children, loved ones, and brothers and sisters in faith.

True spirituality therefore does not isolate the believer from others; it enlarges the heart until personal happiness includes the wellbeing of those we love.

Finally, the servant asks Allah to “rectify all my affairs,” to improve his deeds, complete His blessings upon him, and grant him a good life filled with lasting joy and dignity.

This is perhaps the heart of the supplication: not merely to have a longer life, but to have a life whose length is accompanied by better deeds, divine satisfaction, and meaningful blessing.

The passage ends with complete surrender:

“Indeed, You do whatever You will, and none can do what You will besides You.”

Thus, the believer asks with hope, strives with patience, and leaves the final outcome to Allah.