Barakallahu feek, may Allah bless you

Barakallahu feek (بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيكَ) means "may Allah bless you". Barakah is lasting good that Allah puts in a person or a thing, so the phrase asks Allah to put that good in the one you speak to. Say it when someone helps you, gives you something or tells you good news. The usual reply is wa feeka barakallah, "and may Allah bless you too".

Feek or lak: two forms

• Barakallahu feek (fik, fiki, fikum): may Allah bless you. A dua for the person.
• Barakallahu lak (laki, lakum): may Allah bless it for you. A dua about something they have received, such as a marriage, a baby, a new home or a job.

When Abdur Rahman ibn Awf told the Prophet ﷺ he had married, the Prophet ﷺ said: "Barakallahu lak. Give a wedding feast, even if only with a sheep" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5155). He said the same to Jabir when Jabir told him of his marriage (Sahih al-Bukhari 5367). For a newly married couple, the Prophet's ﷺ fuller dua is on the dua for newlyweds page.

Barakallahu fikum in the hadith

When Aqil ibn Abi Talib married, people congratulated him with the old Arab wish for harmony and many sons. He told them: do not say that, say what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Barakallahu fikum wa baraka lakum" (Sunan an-Nasa'i 3371, graded sahih by al-Albani). So the plural form is in the Sunnah too.

How to reply to barakallahu feek

• Wa feeka barakallah (wa fiki to a woman, wa fikum to a group). Aishah, told that people had said "barakallahu fikum" for a gift she sent, replied "wa fihim barakallah", "and may Allah bless them" (an-Nasa'i and Ibn as-Sunni, in Amal al-Yawm wal-Laylah).
• Ameen, accepting the dua.
• Jazakallah khair, or wa iyyakum.

Barakallah, tabarakallah and allahumma barik

Barakallahu feek is said to a person. Allahumma barik ("O Allah, bless") is said when you admire something, to protect it from the evil eye. Tabarakallah ("blessed is Allah") praises Allah, as in the Quran: "So blessed is Allah, the best of creators" (23:14). People often say mashallah tabarakallah together.

Spellings

Barakallahu feek, barakallah fik, baarakallahu feekum, barak Allah feek and barakAllahu feeki are the same phrase. "Barakallah" on its own is short for it.

1. Sahih al-Bukhari 5155 and 5367.
2. Sunan an-Nasa'i 3371, graded sahih by al-Albani.
3. An-Nasa'i, Amal al-Yawm wal-Laylah; Ibn as-Sunni, Amal al-Yawm wal-Laylah, from Aishah.
4. Quran 23:14, translation by Sahih International.