Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un, also known as Istirja, is a powerful dua that Muslims recite mainly when they hear someone has passed away and in times of hardship generally. It gives them strength, clarity, and patience, while keeping those who say it focused on what is truly important: that everything belongs to Allah and returns to Him.
Table of Contents
Pronunciation
The following video we have made will help you learn the proper pronunciation of Innalillahiwainnailaihirojiun word by word:
The phrase is five short words. Native Arabic speakers shorten the final vowel of raji’un in casual speech, but in formal recitation each syllable is pronounced fully. Aim for an unhurried delivery: the dua is meant to be a moment of pause, not a reflex.
Key takeaways:
- Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ) means “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we return.” Known as the Istirja.
- Source: Quran al-Baqarah 2:156 — said by those tested with hardship; verses 155–157 promise the reciter Allah’s mercy and guidance.
- When to say it: on hearing of a death, on any loss or calamity, at any moment of grief. Sahih Muslim 918a includes the longer form ending …Allahumma’jurni fi musibati wa akhlif li khairan minha.
- Reward: Allah’s salawat (special blessing) and rahmah upon the reciter, plus guidance (al-Baqarah 2:157).
Inalillahi wainailaihi rajiun in Arabic
The full dua in Arabic consists of 5 words, written with diacritical marks (tashkeel) as:
إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
And without the diacritical marks:
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون
It can be broken down word by word as follows:
| Inna | إِنَّا | We |
| lillahi | لِلّهِ | belong to God |
| wainna | وَإِنَّـا | and We |
| ilayhi | إِلَيْهِ | to Him |
| raji’un | رَاجِعونَ | will Return |
Innalillahiwainnailaihirojiun Meaning
The general meaning of the dua is “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return.” It affirms two truths at once: that we are Allah’s possession (we belong to Him), and that we are travelers on a return journey (we will go back to Him). As the Quran says, “Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you should be within towers of lofty construction” (Quran 4:78).
Related:
The grammar carries weight. The opening particle inna (إِنَّ) is an emphatic affirmation, often rendered “indeed” or “verily.” The dua does not say “we will probably return” or “we may return.” It states the return as a settled fact already underway. That single grammatical detail is part of why scholars describe the phrase as a remedy for grief: it relocates the believer from the shock of loss into the certainty of Allah’s plan.
When to say it?
Whatever the reason that prompts you to recite Innalillahiwainnailaihirojiun, do not let it become a reflex without reflection. The phrase is most powerful when said with full presence of heart: an active acknowledgement that the matter is in Allah’s hands, not a verbal habit.
1. Hearing news of a deceased person
The most common occasion is when you hear that someone has passed away. Recite the dua and then follow it with a supplication for the deceased: at minimum, Allah Yerhamo (الله يرحمه, “May Allah have mercy on him”) for a man, or Allah Yerhamha (الله يرحمها) for a woman. This pairing of istirja plus a dua of mercy is the basic Muslim response to news of death.
2. Time of Hardship
Unlike what many think, we do not say it only when someone passes away. The Quran itself frames it as the response of the patient to any disaster: “Who, when faced with a calamity, say: Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un, indeed we belong to Allah and to Him we will return” (Quran 2:156). Times of hardship, financial loss, illness, or sudden distress all warrant the same phrase.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un
إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ
Verily we belong to Allah, and verily to Him do we return.
The full Umm Salama dua (Sahih Muslim 918a)
The Quranic phrase is the opening line of a longer dua the Prophet ﷺ taught his companion Umm Salama. The complete sunnah form, narrated in Sahih Muslim 918a in the Book of Funerals, adds a request for reward and replacement:
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ، اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي وَأَخْلِفْ لِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. Allahumma’jurni fi musibati wa akhlif li khayran minha.
“Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return. O Allah, reward me in my calamity and replace it for me with something better.”
Umm Salama narrated that she heard the Prophet ﷺ say: any Muslim who is afflicted with a calamity and responds with this dua, Allah will reward them in their affliction and give them something better in its place. When her husband Abu Salama died, Umm Salama recited the dua, and she later married the Prophet ﷺ himself, a replacement she described as far greater than what she had lost (Sahih Muslim 918a).
Scope: any calamity, not just death
Imam an-Nawawi, in his commentary on Sahih Muslim 918a, explicitly extends istirja to any calamity, worldly or religious. The Arabic word used in the hadith is musiba (calamity), not mawt (death). That is why classical scholars treat the dua as a universal Muslim response to any kind of loss or hardship.
- Loss of property or wealth: theft, business failure, damaged possessions.
- Illness or injury: for yourself or a loved one, including chronic conditions and accidents.
- Lost or broken everyday objects: al-Bayhaqi records in Shu’ab al-Iman a narration about the Prophet ﷺ saying istirja when his sandal strap broke. The same general principle is preserved in Abu Dawud’s al-Marasil with a narration about saying it when a lamp went out.
- Religious calamities: falling into sin, missing a fardh prayer, losing motivation in worship.
- Minor inconveniences: being injured, dropping something important, or facing sudden bad news.
The principle scholars draw from this is simple: anything that causes a believer real discomfort, no matter how small, is a musiba. The broken-sandal and lamp narrations are cited in al-Bayhaqi’s Shu’ab al-Iman and Abu Dawud’s al-Marasil respectively, and are quoted by Islamweb when explaining the scope of istirja. They are not in Bukhari or Muslim, so they sit at the level of supporting evidence rather than the strongest grade.
Saying it when a non-Muslim dies
A common modern question: can a Muslim say inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un when a non-Muslim relative, friend, or neighbour passes away? The position summarized by Islamweb’s fatwa department and by Sheikh Ibn Baz is that it is permissible if the death constitutes a personal calamity for the Muslim. The phrase expresses the Muslim’s own loss and acknowledgement of Allah’s decree, not a religious endorsement of the deceased’s beliefs.
What is not permitted is asking Allah to forgive someone who died upon disbelief (kufr), that is, making dua of maghfira (forgiveness) or rahma (mercy in the afterlife) for them. The Quran is explicit on that boundary. But istirja itself, said for one’s own grief, falls within the wider sunnah scope of responding to any musiba.
How to console the bereaved (ta’ziyah)
When you visit or contact someone who has lost a loved one, the classical Arabic condolence phrase preserved in Hisn al-Muslim 162 is:
أَعْظَمَ اللَّهُ أَجْرَكَ، وَأَحْسَنَ عَزَاءَكَ، وَغَفَرَ لِمَيِّتِكَ
- To a man: A’zamallahu ajraka, wa ahsana ‘aza’aka, wa ghafara li-mayyitik.
- To a woman: A’zamallahu ajraki, wa ahsana ‘aza’aki, wa ghafara li-mayyitiki.
The English meaning: “May Allah magnify your reward, perfect your patience in bereavement, and forgive your deceased.” This phrasing is the preferred sunnah wording for offering condolences because it asks for three things at once: enlarged reward for the grieving, beautified sabr (patience), and forgiveness for the one who has passed. If the deceased is a non-Muslim, the final clause (wa ghafara li-mayyitik) is dropped. See the section above on the ruling around istirja for non-Muslims.
Common Spelling
Because it is a five-word transliterated phrase, the English spelling can vary widely. The following are the most common acceptable forms:
- Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un (most accurate transliteration)
- inalillahi wainailaihi rajiun
- innalillahiwainnailaihirojiun
- ina lilah waina ilayhi rajioon
The following spellings are common online but they are incorrect because they distort the actual Arabic words. They should be avoided:
- ina lilah waina allah rajiun
- inna lillahi wa inna lillahi rojiun
- inilah wa inallah rajioon
Phrase Origin
The phrase is not a separate du’a invented by scholars; it is direct Quranic speech. It appears in Surah al-Baqarah, embedded in a passage of three consecutive verses (Quran 2:155, 2:156, and 2:157) that together describe the test, the response, and the reward.
Quran 2:155, the test
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.” (Saheeh International)
[Quran 2:155]
Quran 2:156, the response
الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
“Who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.'” (Saheeh International)
Transliteration: Allatheena itha asabat-hum musibatun qaloo inna lillahi wa-inna ilayhi raji’oon.
[Quran 2:156]
Quran 2:157, the reward
أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
“Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.” (Saheeh International)
[Quran 2:157]
The three verses together form a single argument. Allah promises a test (2:155), names istirja as the speech of the patient who pass the test (2:156), and lists the reward for them in three parts (2:157): salawat (blessings) from their Lord, rahma (mercy), and hidayah (guidance). That is why classical commentators describe saying inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un with patience and sincerity as one of the most efficient acts of worship: a few seconds of speech that triggers a three-part reward from Allah.
Ibn Kathir, in his tafsir of this passage, treats it as a general consolation for the entire Muslim ummah rather than a verse revealed in response to a single battle or incident. He explains that Allah is informing believers in advance that tests will come, and is teaching them, before the test arrives, what to say when it does. That is part of the wisdom of having the phrase memorised: it is preventive medicine, not just a reaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun mean in English?
The phrase translates as “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return,” taken directly from Surah al-Baqarah 2:156 (Saheeh International translation). It expresses two things at once: ownership (everything belongs to Allah) and destination (everyone returns to Him). The act of saying it is called Istirja.
When should you say inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun?
It is most commonly said upon hearing of a death, but classical scholars including Imam an-Nawawi held it is recommended for ANY calamity, worldly or religious, including loss of property, illness, or even minor discomforts like a broken sandal strap (cited in al-Bayhaqi’s Shu’ab al-Iman) or a lamp going out (in Abu Dawud’s al-Marasil). The Prophet ﷺ taught that anything causing real discomfort to a believer counts as a musiba.
What is the full dua when someone dies in Islam?
The complete sunnah form taught by the Prophet ﷺ to Umm Salama is: “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. Allahumma’jurni fi musibati wa akhlif li khayran minha,” which means “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return. O Allah, reward me in my calamity and replace it for me with something better.” (Sahih Muslim 918a, Book of Funerals).
How do you reply to someone who says inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun?
There is no single mandated reply. The most common Sunnah response is to repeat the same phrase, joining them in the remembrance of Allah’s ownership. When offering formal condolences (ta’ziyah) to the bereaved, the classical wording from Hisn al-Muslim 162 is: “A’zamallahu ajrak, wa ahsana ‘aza’aka, wa ghafara li-mayyitik,” meaning “May Allah magnify your reward, perfect your bereavement, and forgive your departed.”
Can you say inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun when a non-Muslim dies?
Yes, according to the majority position summarized by Islamweb and Sheikh Ibn Baz. If the death constitutes a personal calamity for the Muslim, for example a non-Muslim relative, friend, or colleague, saying istirja is permissible because it expresses the Muslim’s own loss and acknowledgement of Allah’s decree, not a religious endorsement. What is NOT permitted is to ask Allah to forgive a person who died as a non-Muslim.
Is inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun said only for death?
No. Classical scholars including Imam an-Nawawi explicitly extend it to any worldly or religious calamity: financial loss, illness, harm, even minor inconveniences. The Umm Salama hadith (Sahih Muslim 918a) uses the general word musiba (calamity), not mawt (death), which is why the phrase functions as a universal Muslim response to hardship.
