Rabbi Habli Hukman (رَبِّ هَبْ لِي حُكْمًا) is the opening line of a three-verse dua spoken by Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), recorded in the Quran in Surah Ash-Shu’ara, ayat 83 to 85. Its full meaning is “My Lord, grant me wisdom and join me with the righteous.”
This supplication has become one of the most-recited Quranic duas for seekers of knowledge, anyone preparing for a major decision, and Muslims who want their legacy to be remembered with good. On this page you will find the full Arabic text, line-by-line transliteration, side-by-side English translations, the classical tafsir of each verse, and answers to the most common questions about how and when to recite it.
Table of Contents
Rabbi Habli Hukman in Arabic (Ayat 83-85)
The full dua spans three short verses of Surah Ash-Shu’ara, a Makki surah and chapter 26 of the Quran. With diacritics:
رَبِّ هَبْ لِي حُكْمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ وَاجْعَل لِّي لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ فِي الْآخِرِينَ وَاجْعَلْنِي مِن وَرَثَةِ جَنَّةِ النَّعِيمِ
Without diacritics, for easier reading on small screens:
رب هب لي حكما وألحقني بالصالحين * واجعل لي لسان صدق في الآخرين * واجعلني من ورثة جنة النعيم
Key takeaways:
- The dua is three verses (Surah Ash-Shu’ara 26:83-85), not a single line.
- It is the supplication of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), made after his confrontation with idolatry.
- The word “hukm” is most commonly rendered as wisdom, sound judgment, or knowledge — not prophethood.
- It asks for four things: wisdom, righteous company, an honourable legacy, and Jannat al-Naim.
- There is no fixed sunnah timing — it is recited as part of general dua, before study, or after the five daily prayers.
Transliteration of the Full Dua
Below is the line-by-line transliteration of all three verses, which is the form most recited and memorised by non-Arabic speakers:
- Ayat 83: Rabbi habli hukman wa alhiqni bis-saliheen
- Ayat 84: Waj’al li lisana sidqin fil-akhireen
- Ayat 85: Waj’alni min warathati jannatin-na’eem
Pronounced together as a continuous supplication, the rhythm of the three lines is one of the reasons this dua is so easy to commit to memory. Common spelling variants you may encounter include “alhiqni” / “alhiqnee,” “saliheen” / “saaliheen,” and “lisana sidqin” / “lisaana sidqin” — all transliterate the same Arabic words.
English Translation (Side-by-Side)
Different English translators render the Arabic with subtle but meaningful differences, particularly for the word hukm. Here are the three most widely cited renderings of ayat 83-85:
Related:
- Sahih International: “My Lord, grant me authority and join me with the righteous. And grant me a reputation of honour among later generations. And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Pleasure.”
- Dr. Mustafa Khattab (The Clear Quran): “My Lord! Grant me wisdom, and join me with the righteous. Bless me with honourable mention among later generations. And make me one of those awarded the Garden of Bliss.”
- Hilali & Khan: “My Lord! Bestow Hukman (religious knowledge, right judgement of the affairs and Prophethood) on me, and join me with the righteous. And grant me an honourable mention in later generations. And make me one of the inheritors of the Paradise of Delight.”
The translations agree on the second clause onward, but diverge on whether hukm in ayat 83 means authority, wisdom, or religious knowledge. The next section unpacks why.
What “Hukm” Actually Means: Wisdom, Knowledge or Authority?
The Arabic word hukm (حُكْم) is one of those Quranic terms with a range of overlapping meanings rather than a single English equivalent. Classical tafsir records at least four explanations from the early generations:
- Knowledge — the explanation Ibn Abbas (ra) gave, as cited by Ibn Kathir in his commentary on 26:83. This is the dominant classical reading.
- Wisdom and sound judgement — the rendering preferred by Mustafa Khattab and supported by Tafheem-ul-Quran (Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi), who notes that wisdom is the practical fruit of knowledge.
- Religious understanding — how Hilali & Khan amplify the term, treating it as a composite of fiqh and right judgement.
- Authority or the power to rule — the rendering Sahih International chooses, capturing a secondary meaning of hukm as “to judge” or “to decide.”
One reading that classical scholars largely reject is “prophethood.” Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was already a prophet when he made this dua, so asking for prophethood would be redundant. Maududi makes this point explicitly in Tafheem-ul-Quran. The safest takeaway: when you recite Rabbi Habli Hukman, you are asking Allah for the wisdom and sound understanding to act righteously — not for worldly power.
The Context: Prophet Ibrahim’s Life When He Made This Dua
The verses immediately before Rabbi Habli Hukman in Surah Ash-Shu’ara (26:69-82) describe Prophet Ibrahim’s confrontation with his people over their idol worship. He has just smashed the idols, debated his father and the elders, and declared that he worships only the Lord of the worlds, who created him, guides him, feeds him, and will resurrect him on the Day of Judgement. Ayat 82 ends with Ibrahim’s hope that Allah will forgive him on the Day of Recompense.
It is at that moment — alone against an entire society, expelled by his own father — that he turns to Allah and recites the dua of 83-85. The placement matters: this is not a routine supplication. It is the dua of a man who has just lost his community and is asking Allah to give him a better one (the righteous), to preserve his legacy across generations, and to grant him the only inheritance worth having — Jannat al-Naim. Reading the dua with this backdrop in mind reveals how complete it is: it covers his present (wisdom), his social need (righteous company), his afterlife on earth (an honourable name), and his ultimate end (Paradise).
Tafsir of Each Verse (83, 84, 85)
Ayat 83 — “Rabbi habli hukman wa alhiqni bis-saliheen”
Ibn Kathir, citing Ibn Abbas, explains hukm here as knowledge — the kind that produces correct action. The phrase alhiqni bis-saliheen (“join me with the righteous”) is read by Ibn Kathir as a prayer to be made one of the righteous in this world and to be gathered with them in the Hereafter. It is the same request expressed by Prophet Yusuf (AS) at the end of Surah Yusuf (12:101).
Ayat 84 — “Waj’al li lisana sidqin fil-akhireen”
The literal phrase is “a tongue of truthfulness among later generations.” Mufti Muhammad Shafi’s Maarif-ul-Quran reads lisan here in its idiomatic sense of “description” or “reputation,” and notes that Ibrahim is asking to be remembered with good after his death. He further observes that this prayer was clearly answered: Jews, Christians and Muslims all venerate Prophet Ibrahim, and his name is invoked in the salawat that Muslims recite five times daily in their prayers.
Ayat 85 — “Waj’alni min warathati jannatin-na’eem”
“And make me of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss.” Ibn Kathir notes that warathah (inheritors) is the word used in several Quranic verses about Paradise (for example Surah Al-Mu’minun 23:10-11) and signals not just entry into Jannah but receiving a permanent share in it. Maududi adds that Jannat al-Naim — literally “the Garden of Pleasure” or “of Bliss” — is one of the names of Paradise emphasising its eternal, unmixed delight.
How Allah Answered This Dua
One of the most powerful aspects of Rabbi Habli Hukman is that the Quran itself records its acceptance. Each of Ibrahim’s four requests has a visible response elsewhere in the revelation:
- Wisdom and joining the righteous: In Surah As-Saffat 37:100-101, immediately after another of Ibrahim’s supplications, Allah responds by granting him a “forbearing son” — Ishaq (AS) — and a lineage of righteous prophets descends from him.
- A tongue of truthfulness among later generations: Surah Maryam 19:49-50 records Allah saying about Ibrahim, Ishaq and Yaqub, “We gave them of Our mercy, and We made for them a high tongue of truthfulness.” Maarif-ul-Quran identifies this as the explicit answer to ayat 84.
- Inheritance of Jannat al-Naim: In Surah Al-Baqarah 2:130, Allah declares that Ibrahim “will be among the righteous in the Hereafter” — sealing the final clause of the dua.
For the believer reciting these verses today, that pattern is meaningful: the dua is a template Allah has shown He answers. It is not just an aspirational text; it is a request whose acceptance is documented inside the same Book in which it is recorded.
When and How to Recite Rabbi Habli Hukman
Because Rabbi Habli Hukman is a Quranic dua rather than one tied to a specific hadith ritual, there is no fixed sunnah timing for it. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not narrate a particular count or moment for this supplication. That said, the dua fits naturally in several settings that scholars commonly recommend:
- After the five daily prayers — in the period of dua that follows tasbih, when personal supplications are made.
- Before seeking knowledge — opening a study session, exam, lecture, or a serious reading of the Quran.
- Before major decisions — alongside Istikhara, when you want Allah’s wisdom in the choice you are about to make.
- In the last third of the night — the time when dua is most readily accepted, per the hadith of Abu Hurairah in Sahih al-Bukhari.
- As part of daily adhkar — many Muslims include it among the morning and evening remembrances precisely because it covers wisdom, righteous company and Paradise in one short text.
There is no narrated reward for reciting it a specific number of times. Be cautious of online claims promising a fixed benefit “for those who recite it X times” — no authentic hadith establishes such a count for this particular dua. The benefits are the four things the verses themselves ask for, granted by the generosity of Allah to whoever calls on Him sincerely.
Related Duas of Prophet Ibrahim
Surah Ash-Shu’ara 83-85 is one of several duas Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is recorded making in the Quran. If you found Rabbi Habli Hukman meaningful, these companion supplications carry overlapping themes and are well worth memorising together:
- “Rabbi habli min as-saliheen“ (رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ) — Surah As-Saffat 37:100, Ibrahim’s earlier dua asking Allah for righteous offspring. This is a different prayer from Rabbi Habli Hukman, despite the similar opening words.
- “Rabbana taqabbal minna“ (رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا) — Surah Al-Baqarah 2:127, the supplication Ibrahim and his son Isma’il made while raising the foundations of the Ka’bah.
- “Rabbi ij’alni muqima as-salah” (رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ) — Surah Ibrahim 14:40, Ibrahim’s dua to be among those who establish prayer.
- “Rabbana wa taqabbal du’a” (رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ) — Surah Ibrahim 14:41, the closing line of his comprehensive dua for himself, his parents and the believers.
Read together, these supplications form a portrait of how Prophet Ibrahim (AS) actually prayed — for inner reform first, then for family, then for community, and finally for the Hereafter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Rabbi Habli Hukman mean?
Rabbi Habli Hukman means “My Lord, grant me wisdom (or sound judgement, or knowledge).” It is the opening of a three-verse dua — “Rabbi habli hukman wa alhiqni bis-saliheen” — recorded in Surah Ash-Shu’ara 26:83-85, in which Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) also asks Allah to join him with the righteous, grant him an honourable mention among later generations, and place him among the inheritors of Jannat al-Naim.
Where is Rabbi Habli Hukman in the Quran?
The dua is in Surah Ash-Shu’ara (Chapter 26), ayat 83 to 85. Surah Ash-Shu’ara is a Makki surah of 227 verses, located in Juz 19 of the Quran.
Does “hukm” mean wisdom or authority?
Classical tafsir records both, plus knowledge and sound judgement. Ibn Abbas (ra), as cited by Ibn Kathir, explained hukm in this verse as “knowledge.” Mustafa Khattab and Maududi prefer “wisdom.” Sahih International renders it “authority.” What scholars generally reject is reading it as “prophethood,” because Ibrahim (AS) was already a prophet when he made this dua.
When should I recite Rabbi Habli Hukman?
There is no fixed sunnah timing for this dua, since it is a Quranic supplication rather than a hadith-prescribed one. Common occasions are after the five daily prayers, before studying or making a major decision, in the last third of the night, or as part of daily morning and evening adhkar.
Who said Rabbi Habli Hukman in the Quran?
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) made this dua. The Quran records it in Surah Ash-Shu’ara 26:83-85, immediately after his confrontation with his people over their idol worship and his declaration that he worships only the Lord of the worlds.
Is Rabbi Habli Hukman from the Quran or hadith?
It is directly from the Quran — specifically Surah Ash-Shu’ara 26:83-85. It is not a hadith narration, although it carries the same standing as any Quranic dua and is fully part of the sunnah of the prophets in the broad sense.
What does “lisana sidqin fil-akhireen” mean?
The phrase literally translates as “a tongue of truthfulness among later generations.” Mufti Muhammad Shafi’s Maarif-ul-Quran interprets lisan here as “reputation” or “the way one is remembered.” It is a prayer that one’s name be invoked with honour by people of every era after one’s death — a request the Quran itself confirms was granted to Ibrahim (AS) in Surah Maryam 19:50.
