Dua for entering the market, and how strong its chain is

The dua for entering the market is the tahlil La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah with the words yuhyi wa yumit, wa huwa hayyun la yamut. It is reported in Jami at-Tirmidhi and Sunan Ibn Majah with a very large reward. Its chain is disputed: at-Tirmidhi called it gharib, several scholars graded it weak, and al-Albani graded it hasan from all its routes. The text and the details are below.

Dua 1: On entering the market

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ، وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ، بِيَدِهِ الْخَيْرُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ

Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamd, yuḥyī wa yumīt, wa huwa ḥayyun lā yamūt, bi-yadihil-khayr, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr

There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is Living and never dies. In His hand is all good, and He has power over all things.

Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428, 3429; Sunan Ibn Majah 2235. Graded gharib by at-Tirmidhi, hasan by al-Albani, weak by others

Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.

Guide

When and how to say it

The reward in the hadith

The report is from Umar ibn al-Khattab, through his son Abdullah and grandson Salim. It says that whoever enters the market and says these words, Allah writes for him a million good deeds, wipes away a million bad deeds and raises him a million degrees.¹ Another wording says: "and builds for him a house in Paradise".

How strong is this hadith?

At-Tirmidhi himself called it gharib (reported through a single, unusual route). Its chains include narrators the critics considered weak, so a number of hadith scholars graded it weak, and Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut graded the Ibn Majah route very weak. Al-Albani and Ahmad Shakir graded it hasan, because its several routes support each other.² So scholars differ. The words themselves are pure tahlil, correct in every part, and remembering Allah in a place of distraction is good in itself. Say them, but do not state the size of the reward as certain.

Why the market

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The most beloved places to Allah are the mosques, and the most disliked places to Allah are the markets."³ Markets are where people forget Allah in buying, selling and wanting, so remembering Him there carries weight.

Malls, supermarkets and shopping online

Scholars apply the word suq to any place of buying and selling, so a mall, a supermarket or a high street counts. Nothing specific is reported for shopping online, but any time is right for dhikr. When you leave the house to shop, say the dua for leaving home too.

Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428, 3429.
Gradings as recorded for Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428 and Sunan Ibn Majah 2235.
Sahih Muslim 671.
Jami at-Tirmidhi 3428, 3429; Sunan Ibn Majah 2235. Graded gharib by at-Tirmidhi, hasan by al-Albani, weak by others

Questions

Good to know

What is the dua for entering the market?

La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, yuhyi wa yumit, wa huwa hayyun la yamut, bi-yadihil-khayr, wa huwa ala kulli shay'in qadir (Tirmidhi 3428).

Is the dua for entering the market authentic?

Scholars differ. At-Tirmidhi called it gharib and several scholars graded it weak, while al-Albani graded it hasan from all its routes. Its words are sound dhikr either way.

Can I say it in a mall or supermarket?

Yes. Any place of buying and selling counts as a market.

What does yuhyi wa yumit mean?

He gives life and causes death. Wa huwa hayyun la yamut means: and He is Living and never dies.