Allahumma Yassirli Jalisan Saliha Dua: Meaning, Hadith Source & When to Recite

Allahumma Yassirli Jalisan Saliha (Arabic: اللَّهُمَّ يَسِّرْ لِي جَلِيسًا صَالِحًا) is a short supplication asking Allah to make a righteous companion easy for you to find — whether for friendship, marriage, a study circle, or daily work. It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 3742 as the practice of Alqamah ibn Qays during his travel to Damascus, and in Sunan an-Nasa’i 465 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 413 as the dua of Hurayth ibn Qabisah upon arriving in Madinah. In both cases, Allah answered the dua almost immediately by sending one of the senior Companions to sit beside the supplicant.

This complete guide covers the full Arabic text with and without tashkeel, the correct transliteration, the English meaning, a word-by-word breakdown the top-ranking pages do not provide, the two original hadith narrations side-by-side, an honest answer to whether this is a Prophetic dua or a Successor’s practice, the Sunnah-modeled method of reciting it (after two rak’ahs), the supporting Quranic and Prophetic context on righteous companionship, common variant spellings such as Allahummar zuqni jalisan saliha, and answers to the questions Muslims actually search for about this dua.

Allahumma Yassirli Jalisan Saliha in Arabic, Transliteration & English

The full dua is only five Arabic words, which makes it one of the easiest supplications in the Sunnah to memorize. Below is the verified text exactly as it appears in Sahih al-Bukhari 3742 and Sunan an-Nasa’i 465.

Arabic with tashkeel (diacritical marks):

اللَّهُمَّ يَسِّرْ لِي جَلِيسًا صَالِحًا

Arabic without tashkeel (copy-friendly):

اللهم يسر لي جليسا صالحا

Transliteration:

Allahumma yassir li jalisan saliha(n).

English meaning:

“O Allah, facilitate for me a righteous companion.”

Word-by-Word Meaning of the Arabic

Five words, four ideas. Understanding each word lets you make the dua with awareness instead of just reciting the sounds. The breakdown below follows the classical Arabic morphology.

• اللَّهُمَّ (Allahumma) — “O Allah.” The vocative form reserved in Arabic for direct address to Allah alone. It carries the meaning of Ya Allah with added intensity.
• يَسِّرْ (yassir) — an imperative verb from the root ي-س-ر (ease, facilitate). It does not just mean “give”; it asks Allah to make easy, to remove obstacles, to smooth the path. The same root gives us the famous verse Yuridu Allahu bikum al-yusra wala yuridu bikum al-‘usra — “Allah intends ease for you, not hardship.”
• لِي (li) — “for me.” A personal preposition that makes the request specifically about the supplicant.
• جَلِيسًا (jalisan) — “a companion,” from the root ج-ل-س (to sit). A jalis is not just any acquaintance; it is one who literally sits with you, the person whose company you keep during your daily hours.
• صَالِحًا (salihan) — “righteous, pious, upright,” from the root ص-ل-ح (to be sound, virtuous, in good order). A salih is someone whose state with Allah is in order, whose company therefore brings benefit, not harm.

Combined, the dua is a precise request: “O Allah, make it easy for me to find someone whose company is righteous.” It is not asking for a famous scholar or a public personality — it is asking for the right person in the seat next to yours.

Hadith Source — Sahih al-Bukhari 3742, Sunan an-Nasa’i 465 & Jami at-Tirmidhi 413

This dua is recorded in three of the most authentic classical hadith collections, each with a different narrator and a different setting. Together they give the supplication a strong evidentiary base.

• Sahih al-Bukhari 3742 — in the Book of the Virtues of the Companions, in the chapter on the merits of Ammar and Hudhayfah. The narrator is Alqamah ibn Qays, a senior Tabi’i (Successor) from Kufa, who made this dua after praying two rak’ahs in the mosque of Damascus.
• Sahih al-Bukhari 3743 — a parallel narration of the same story, transmitted through a different chain (Sulayman ibn Harb — Shu’bah — al-Mughirah — Ibrahim — Alqamah).
• Sunan an-Nasa’i 465 — in the Book of Salah, in the chapter on being brought to account for the prayer. The narrator is Hurayth ibn Qabisah, another Tabi’i, who made the dua immediately on arriving in Madinah.
• Jami at-Tirmidhi 413 — in the Book of Supplications. This is the same Hurayth narration; Imam at-Tirmidhi graded it Hasan Ghareeb, and later scholars including Shaykh al-Albani authenticated it as Sahih.

The chain of transmission for Sahih al-Bukhari 3742 runs: Malik ibn Isma’il — Isra’il — al-Mughirah — Ibrahim — Alqamah ibn Qays. Every link is among the trustworthy narrators in the standard biographical works.

The Story of Alqamah ibn Qays in Damascus

Alqamah ibn Qays an-Nakha’i was one of the most respected students of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (RA) and a senior teacher of the Kufan school. According to Sahih al-Bukhari 3742, he travelled from Kufa to Damascus, entered the mosque, and prayed two rak’ahs of voluntary prayer. He then said:

“Allahumma yassir li jalisan salihan” — “O Allah, facilitate for me a righteous companion.”

Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari 3742, Book of the Virtues of the Companions.

Almost immediately a man approached and sat next to him. It was Abu ad-Darda (RA), one of the most knowledgeable Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They spoke about the recitation of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, and Abu ad-Darda quizzed him on a verse from Surah al-Layl, confirming that Alqamah had received the recitation exactly the way the Prophet (peace be upon him) had taught it. The dua was answered the same hour it was made, and with one of the great teachers of the Companions.

The Story of Hurayth ibn Qabisah in Madinah

The second story is told by Hurayth ibn Qabisah himself, narrated in Sunan an-Nasa’i 465 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 413. Hurayth said:

“I came to Madinah and said: Allahumma yassir li jalisan salihan — ‘O Allah, make it easy for me to find a righteous companion.’ Then I sat with Abu Hurairah (RA), and I said: ‘I asked Allah to grant me a righteous companion, so narrate to me a hadith you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), so that Allah may benefit me by it.'”

Reported in Sunan an-Nasa’i 465 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 413, on the authority of Hurayth ibn Qabisah.

Abu Hurairah (RA) then taught him the famous hadith that the first thing a person will be brought to account for on the Day of Resurrection is the salah, and that any shortfall in the obligatory prayers will be completed from the voluntary prayers. Again, the dua was answered immediately — this time with the most prolific narrator of hadith among the Companions, and with a teaching that has shaped the practice of every Muslim since.

A clarification on what your post may have shown before: earlier versions of this article quoted the entire salah-accountability hadith as if it were the dua text. The hadith that Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated about salah is what Hurayth received after his dua was answered — it is the fruit of the supplication, not the supplication itself. The dua proper is just the five Arabic words above.

Is This a Prophetic Dua or a Successor’s Practice?

Honest answer: the words “Allahumma yassir li jalisan saliha” are not directly transmitted from the Prophet (peace be upon him) as one of his own supplications. The supplication is recorded as the practice of two senior Tabi’in (Successors of the Companions): Alqamah ibn Qays and Hurayth ibn Qabisah. Both were students of the great Companions, and both narrations sit inside the most authentic hadith books precisely because they teach an established practice of the early Muslims.

Scholars of fiqh and hadith therefore distinguish between two categories:

• Prophetic duas (marfu’): supplications the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself taught or made. These have the highest weight.
• Companion and Successor duas (mawquf / maqtu’): supplications attributed to the early generations. These are recommended when the meaning is sound and when scholars have not classified the wording as innovation.

“Allahumma yassir li jalisan saliha” falls in the second category. Its meaning is sound, its wording is short and Quranic in tone (the verb yassir echoes the language of Surah al-Baqarah 2:185), and its acceptance is documented in the hadith record. It is therefore widely taught and recited — particularly by scholars writing on companionship, study, and marriage — without being labelled bid’ah.

When and How to Recite This Dua

Both narrators in the hadith made this dua in the same way: first they prayed (Alqamah explicitly prayed two rak’ahs in the mosque before saying it; Hurayth made it as he settled into the city), and then they raised it as a personal request. This gives a simple template anyone can follow.

The Sunnah-modeled method (four steps)

1. Pray two rak’ahs of voluntary prayer. This follows Alqamah’s exact practice in Sahih al-Bukhari 3742. Any time outside the three forbidden prayer times (sunrise, zenith, sunset) is suitable.
2. Sit, face the qiblah, and raise your hands. Begin with the praise of Allah and salutations on the Prophet (peace be upon him), which is the established etiquette of dua.
3. Say: Allahumma yassir li jalisan saliha — “O Allah, facilitate for me a righteous companion.” Repeat it with full presence of heart, three or more times.
4. Take the means (asbab). Place yourself in environments where righteous companions exist: regular masjid attendance, Quran circles, beneficial study groups, families with practising members. Allah ties the answer to your effort, just as he did when Alqamah travelled all the way from Kufa to Damascus before the dua was made.

Life moments where this dua is especially relevant

• Moving to a new city or country and looking for a Muslim community.
• Starting a new job, university programme, or business.
• Searching for a righteous spouse, where the future jalis will be the closest one of all.
• Choosing a study circle, Quran teacher, or Islamic class.
• Travelling, where a single travel companion can shape the entire journey.
• Sending children to a school or program where they will spend their daily hours with peers.

Why Pious Companionship Matters — Quran & Sunnah Context

The dua only makes sense against the backdrop of how Islam treats companionship. The Quran and Sunnah are emphatic: who you sit with shapes who you become.

The musk seller and the blacksmith (Sahih al-Bukhari 5534)

This is the single most important supporting hadith, and it uses the exact phrase from the dua — jalis salih. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“The example of a righteous companion (al-jalis al-salih) and an evil companion is like a seller of musk and a blacksmith’s bellows. From the seller of musk you will either buy some, or you will perceive a pleasant fragrance; and from the bellows of the blacksmith you will either get your clothes burned, or you will smell a foul stench.”

Sahih al-Bukhari 5534, on the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari (RA).

The Prophet (peace be upon him) called the righteous person a jalis salih — the same two words you ask Allah for in the dua. The supplication is therefore directly aligned with a Prophetic teaching.

“A man is upon the religion of his close friend” (Jami at-Tirmidhi 2378)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “A man is upon the religion of his close friend, so let each of you look at whom he befriends.” Reported by Abu Hurairah (RA) in Jami at-Tirmidhi 2378, and declared Hasan by Imam at-Tirmidhi. The hadith makes companionship a matter of religion, not lifestyle.

Quranic warnings about bad companionship

Surah al-Furqan 25:27–29 describes the wrongdoer on the Day of Judgment biting his hands in regret and saying, “Woe to me! I wish I had not taken so-and-so as a close friend. He led me astray from the Reminder after it had come to me.” Surah az-Zukhruf 43:67 adds: “Close friends, on that Day, will be enemies to one another — except for the righteous.” Both verses turn the dua into a form of self-protection: ask Allah for a righteous companion now, before you find yourself wishing you had asked.

Common Variants: Yassir Li vs Arzuqni vs Irzuqni

Search engines surface a number of variant spellings for this dua — “allahumma arzuqni jalisan saliha,” “allahumma irzuqni jalisan saliha,” “allahumma yassir li jalisan saliha,” “rabbi yassir li jalisan saliha.” All point at the same idea, but only one wording is verified in the classical hadith collections.

• “Allahumma yassir li jalisan saliha” (يَسِّرْ لِي) — this is the verified, classical wording recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 3742, Sunan an-Nasa’i 465, and Jami at-Tirmidhi 413. Yassir means “make easy / facilitate.” This is the wording to use.
• “Allahumma arzuqni / irzuqni jalisan saliha” (ارْزُقْنِي) — from the root ر-ز-ق (to provide). It means “O Allah, provide me with a righteous companion.” The meaning is sound and the wording is permissible, but this exact phrasing is not the one in the classical hadith narrations. It appears to be a folk variant.
• “Rabbi yassir li jalisan saliha” — users sometimes confuse this with the better-known prayer for ease (Rabbi yassir wa la tu’assir) or with a verse of Quran. The companion-dua wording in the hadith uses Allahumma, not Rabbi.

If your goal is to follow the exact words narrated from Alqamah and Hurayth — recommended — use Allahumma yassir li jalisan saliha. If you accidentally said one of the variants, your dua is still valid; just return to the classical wording the next time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of Allahumma yassirli jalisan saliha?

It means “O Allah, facilitate for me a righteous companion.” The Arabic verb yassir is from the root ي-س-ر and carries the sense of “make easy” or “smooth the way.” Jalis is one who sits with you — the person whose company you keep daily — and salih means righteous, upright, sound. The dua asks Allah specifically for the kind of close, daily companion whose presence brings goodness.

Is Allahumma yassirli jalisan saliha from the Prophet (peace be upon him)?

It is not directly transmitted from the Prophet (peace be upon him) as one of his own supplications. It is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 3742 as the practice of the Tabi’i Alqamah ibn Qays, and in Sunan an-Nasa’i 465 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 413 as the practice of Hurayth ibn Qabisah. Both were senior Successors. The meaning is sound, Allah answered the dua immediately in both narrations, and scholars consider it permissible and recommended.

What is the correct hadith reference for Allahumma yassirli jalisan saliha?

The primary reference is Sahih al-Bukhari 3742 (with a parallel chain at 3743) in the Book of the Virtues of the Companions, narrated by Alqamah ibn Qays. Supporting references are Sunan an-Nasa’i 465 in the Book of Salah, and Jami at-Tirmidhi 413 in the Book of Supplications, both narrated by Hurayth ibn Qabisah. Earlier versions of articles citing only “Sunan an-Nasa’i 465″ usually quote the salah-accountability hadith that Abu Hurairah (RA) taught Hurayth after the dua — not the dua text itself.

When should I recite Allahumma yassirli jalisan saliha?

Following the practice of Alqamah in Sahih al-Bukhari 3742, the Sunnah-modeled method is to pray two rak’ahs of voluntary prayer first, and then make the dua. Particularly good moments are before entering a new community, starting a new job or school, looking for a spouse, joining a study circle, or travelling. The dua can be repeated at any time, but tying it to two rak’ahs follows the exact behaviour the hadith preserves.

Is it “Allahumma yassir li” or “Allahummar zuqni jalisan saliha”?

The classical, verified wording in the hadith books is Allahumma yassir li (يَسِّرْ لِي) — “make easy for me.” The variants “allahumma arzuqni” and “allahumma irzuqni” mean “O Allah, provide me with…” and carry a sound meaning, but they are not the wording recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, Sunan an-Nasa’i, or Jami at-Tirmidhi. To follow the exact practice of Alqamah and Hurayth, use yassir li.

What are the benefits of Allahumma yassirli jalisan saliha?

The strongest benefit is documented in the hadith record itself: Allah answered the dua immediately for both Alqamah and Hurayth, granting them the company of Abu ad-Darda and Abu Hurairah (RA). Beyond that, the dua aligns the supplicant with the Prophetic teachings on companionship (Sahih al-Bukhari 5534 and Jami at-Tirmidhi 2378), it is short enough to memorise in one sitting, and it is applicable to almost every situation where one’s daily companion will shape one’s faith — friendship, marriage, work, study, and travel.