Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta is the dhikr the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ recited at the close of every obligatory prayer, immediately after the salam. The full supplication is a three-part affirmation of tawhid in providence: no one can withhold what Allah gives, no one can give what Allah withholds, and no worldly status can override His decree. It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 844 and Sahih Muslim 593a, narrated by al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah, and listed by Imam al-Nawawi in Riyad as-Salihin 1416.
Said five times a day across the five fard prayers, this short dhikr is one of the most consequential statements a Muslim repeats. It quietly dismantles the anxiety of dealing with worldly providers, employers, doctors, and gatekeepers by anchoring the heart in tawakkul. This page walks through the dua’s exact wording with three common transliteration spellings, the full hadith context including the kalimah-tawhid prefix most renderings drop, when and how to recite it, and what every Arabic word carries.
Table of Contents
What “Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta” Means
The full English meaning of Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta wa la mu’tiya lima mana’ta wa la yanfa’u dhal-jaddi minka al-jaddu is: O Allah, no one can withhold what You have given, no one can give what You have withheld, and the fortune of the fortunate cannot benefit them against You. Every clause is a denial — no withholder, no giver, no benefiter — and the only one named in the sentence is Allah.
Read as one sentence, the dua makes three theological claims at once. First, that all giving traces back to Allah. Second, that all withholding traces back to Allah. Third, that whatever might appear to compete with Him — wealth, power, social rank, what classical scholars summarised under the Arabic word al-jadd — has no real leverage. The dhikr is therefore a statement of tawhid ar-rububiyyah: belief in Allah’s exclusive lordship over what comes to you and what is kept from you.
Because it is recited after every fard prayer, the dua becomes one of the most-repeated post-salah statements in a Muslim’s day. Five repetitions a day function as a daily reset against the soft polytheism of attributing rizq, success, or shortage to people. The Prophet ﷺ practised it consistently, and the companions transmitted it through a clear chain — most notably from al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah, whose letter to the caliph Mu’awiyah preserves the wording verbatim.
Key takeaways:
- This dhikr affirms that Allah alone gives and withholds, and that worldly status cannot override His decree.
- It belongs to the post-salah routine — said immediately after the salam of every obligatory prayer.
- The hadith is Muttafaq ‘alayhi — graded Sahih by both al-Bukhari (844) and Muslim (593a).
- Reciting it consistently is a practical exercise in tawakkul that frees the heart from anxiety about worldly providers.
Full Arabic Text, Transliteration, and the Kalimah-Tawhid Prefix
The complete supplication the Prophet ﷺ said after every fard salah has two parts. He first declared tawhid with the kalimah La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir, then continued with Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta…. Most popular renderings of the dua quote only the second half, but the canonical hadith in Bukhari 844 and Muslim 593a records both clauses together. Memorising the kalimah prefix restores the full Sunnah form.
لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير. اللّهُـمَّ لا مانِعَ لِما أَعْطَـيْت وَلا مُعْطِـيَ لِما مَنَـعْت وَلا يَنْفَـعُ ذا الجَـدِّ مِنْـكَ الجَـد
The same supplication without diacritical marks:
لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك وله الحمد وهو على كل شيء قدير. اللهم لا مانع لما أعطيت، ولا معطي لما منعت، ولا ينفع ذا الجد منك الجد
Related:
English-speaking readers will encounter three common spellings of the same verb — a’tayta, atait, and ataita — all transliterating the Arabic ﺃَﻋْﻄَﻴْﺖَ. The variation is purely orthographic; the Arabic word and meaning are identical. Use whichever spelling matches your local mosque’s azkar booklet:
La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir. Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta, wa la mu’tiya lima mana’ta, wa la yanfa’u dhal-jaddi minka al-jaddu.
Word-by-Word Breakdown
Each clause is short, but the Arabic stacks meaning densely. Here is what every word carries:
- اللّهُمَّ (Allahumma) — “O Allah.” The vocative particle ya fused into the divine name, reserved for calling on Allah.
- لا (la) — “no” / absolute negation. Repeated three times in the dua to deny three different roles to anyone other than Allah.
- مانِعَ (mani’a) — “withholder” or “one who prevents.” Negated entirely: no withholder exists for what Allah gives.
- لِما أَعْطَيْت (lima a’tayta) — “of what You have given.” The relative particle lima introduces what Allah has already given.
- وَلا مُعْطِيَ (wa la mu’tiya) — “and no giver.” The second negation, this time of any agent capable of giving.
- لِما مَنَعْت (lima mana’ta) — “of what You have withheld.” Mirrors the first clause in reverse.
- وَلا يَنْفَعُ (wa la yanfa’u) — “and there does not benefit.” The third absolute denial: no benefit accrues.
- ذا الجَدِّ (dhal-jaddi) — “the possessor of fortune.” The Successor al-Hasan al-Basri glossed al-jadd as prosperity, wealth, and worldly fortune in general.
- مِنْكَ (minka) — “against You” — literally “from You” in the sense of resisting You.
- الجَدُّ (al-jaddu) — “his fortune.” The accusative subject of the verb: it is the fortune that fails to benefit.
Read together, the structure is three flat negations of three different agents — withholder, giver, beneficiary — leaving only Allah as the active mover. There is no hierarchy of partial causes in this sentence; the dua is grammatically as well as theologically monotheistic.
When and How to Recite It
The dua belongs to the adhkar al-salah — the post-prayer remembrances — said immediately after the salam that ends every obligatory prayer. The Prophet ﷺ recited it after Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha, not just once a day or as a special-occasion supplication. Bukhari 844 places it in the chapter titled “The Remembrance of Allah After As-Salat,” which establishes its position as a standing Sunnah for every fard.
There is a subtle but important fiqh distinction at play here. Dhikr — fixed remembrance formulas like this one — is said after the closing salam. Du’a — personal supplication — is preferably said before the salam, inside the final tashahhud, where the Prophet ﷺ taught the companions to ask Allah for their needs. The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta and scholars such as Ibn Uthaymin both clarified this distinction: the closing salam is the boundary between in-prayer du’a and post-prayer dhikr. Allahumma la mani’a belongs to the second category.
Recitation is silent or low-voiced for the personal portion. The early generations would say these adhkar audibly enough for those around them to hear without making it a congregational announcement. There is no requirement to raise the hands; this is not a du’a of asking but a statement of tawhid. After this dua comes the rest of the post-salah sequence — Subhanallah thirty-three times, Alhamdulillah thirty-three times, Allahu akbar thirty-four times, and the Ayat al-Kursi recommendation — which together complete the daily routine the Prophet ﷺ established.
The Hadith Source and Authentication
The dua is recorded in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, which classifies it as Muttafaq ‘alayhi — agreed upon by the two highest-graded hadith collections in Sunni tradition. The grade is Sahih in the strongest sense: every link in the chain meets the conditions of authenticity required by both al-Bukhari and Muslim independently.
The narration travels through a specific chain. The companion al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him), governor of Kufa, dictated the wording in a letter to the caliph Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan. The letter was written down by Warrad, al-Mughirah’s clerk, and Warrad’s transmission is what survives in the canonical collections. In Sahih al-Bukhari it is recorded as hadith 844, in the Book of Adhan, in the chapter on remembrance after salah. In Sahih Muslim it appears as hadith 593a, in the Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer. Imam al-Nawawi later included it in his anthology Riyad as-Salihin as hadith 1416, in the chapter on the excellence of the remembrance of Allah.
A classical gloss on the dua’s hardest phrase comes from al-Hasan al-Basri (the second-generation Successor of Basra), who explained that al-jadd in this context means prosperity — wealth, social standing, and worldly fortune of any kind. His interpretation reframes the final clause: “and the prosperity of the prosperous cannot benefit them against You.” Whatever a person’s worldly position, it does not weight the scales of Allah’s decree.
Lessons, Tawakkul, and Related Post-Salah Duas
Three practical lessons sit inside this short dhikr. First, tawakkul — every grant of rizq, health, success, or relationship traces back to Allah; thanking the intermediate cause is fine, but worshipping it is shirk. Second, rida — the things you ask for and do not receive are not a withholding by people, they are a withholding by Allah, and accepting that is closer to contentment than chasing alternative providers. Third, dignity in poverty or power — whether you possess al-jadd or you don’t, what you have or lack is a test, not an identity.
This dua sits inside a larger sequence of post-salah adhkar the Prophet ﷺ taught. The sequence typically opens with Allahumma antas-salam, continues through La ilaha illallah wahdahu and Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta, and closes with Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, and Allahu akbar repeated thirty-three, thirty-three, and thirty-four times respectively, followed by Ayat al-Kursi and the two short Surahs of refuge — al-Falaq and an-Nas — recommended after every fard salah, with greater emphasis after Fajr and Maghrib. Each formula reinforces the same orientation: that the worshipper has just spoken with the only One who gives, withholds, and decides.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta mean in English?
It means “O Allah, no one can withhold what You have given, no one can give what You have withheld, and the fortune of the fortunate cannot benefit them against You.” The dua is a three-part affirmation that Allah alone gives, withholds, and decides — leaving no other agent on the scales of providence.
Is Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta said after every fard prayer?
Yes. The hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari 844 and Sahih Muslim 593a places it among the adhkar al-salah — said after every obligatory prayer, not just once a day or on special occasions. The Prophet ﷺ recited it after Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha consistently, immediately following the closing salam.
What is the full hadith of Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta?
The full hadith begins with the kalimah-tawhid prefix: “La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir”, then continues “Allahumma la mani’a lima a’tayta, wa la mu’tiya lima mana’ta, wa la yanfa’u dhal-jaddi minka al-jaddu.” Both clauses together are the canonical post-salah dhikr in Bukhari 844 and Muslim 593a.
Is this dua in Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, and who narrated it?
It is in both — Muttafaq ‘alayhi (Sahih al-Bukhari 844 and Sahih Muslim 593a) — and also recorded by Imam al-Nawawi in Riyad as-Salihin 1416. The narrator is the companion al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah, transmitted through Warrad, his clerk, who wrote it down in a letter to the caliph Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan.
What is the difference between dhikr and du’a after salah?
Dhikr is structured remembrance — fixed formulas like this dua — said after the salam that ends the prayer. Du’a is personal supplication, and the Prophet ﷺ taught that du’a is preferably said before the salam, inside the final tashahhud, where the door of asking is most open. The salam is the boundary between the two.
What does “la yanfa’u dhal-jaddi minka al-jaddu” mean?
It means “and the fortune of the fortunate cannot benefit them against You.” The phrase al-jadd refers to worldly prosperity — wealth, power, status, and social standing. Classical scholar al-Hasan al-Basri glossed al-jadd as prosperity in general: whatever a person possesses cannot tip Allah’s decree in their favour.
Memorise the full hadith with the kalimah-tawhid prefix, and make it part of your routine after every fard salah. Five recitations a day, every day, train the heart toward tawakkul more reliably than any sermon. The wording is short; the orientation it carries is one of the most important a Muslim can hold through ordinary life.
Thank You!