Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim
Iqra Islamic Publications
Welcome to Islam
Accept Islam for your salvation
Live according to Islam for your spiritual progress

RĀTIB AL-HADDĀD

Rātib al-Haddād is a dhikr (remembrance of Allāh) to be recited every night after ‘Ishā salāh. It is a collection of sūrahs (chapters) and verses from the Holy Qur’ān Karīm as well as the kalimāt (declarations of Muslim belief), tasbīhāt (glorification of Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā) and various du‘ā (supplications) which the Beloved Prophet Muhammad al-Mustafā Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam recommended in his Blessed Sayings or Hadīth Sharīf.

Imām ‘Abdallāh bin ‘Alawī al-Haddād, Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu (1044-1132 H), popularly known as Mawlānā al-Haddād, has rendered a great service to Muslims in compiling the most beloved of these supplications in one small kitāb (booklet) called Rātib al-Shahīr, popularly known after him as Rātib al-Haddād. It consists of just the most basic supplications which take at most 15 minutes to recite.

Rataba in Arabic means to arrange in a regular sequence. Thus a Rātib is a sequential supplication to Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā. So, Rātib al-Haddād consists of the most well-known supplications of Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam, sequentially arranged by Mawlānā al-Haddād for regular voluntary recitation.

Shahīr in Arabic means famous. The Rātib of Mawlānā al-Haddād has become so famous that it is called Rātib al-Shahīr (The Famous Rātib). Mawlānā al-Haddād is famous in this world as well as in the ‘ālam al-arwāh (the world of the souls) for his Rātib and for his legacy of dhikr in general, so much so that Shaykh Uways bin Muhammad al-Qādirī Rahmatullāhi ‘alayh in his Tawassul (Supplication To Allāh Through Various Means) has versified on him and called him Sāhib u’r Rawātib (The Possessor of the Rātibs).

The relevant verses in the Tawassul as given in Jawhar u’n Nafīs (The Most Precious Pearls), compiled by Shaykh ‘AbdulRahmān bin ‘Umar al-Qādirī are:

Bi Adhamī ma‘a Uways i’l Qarnī
Wa Sāhib i’r Rawātib i’l Haddādi

Wa bish-Sharīfi ‘Abdillāh i’l Haddādi
Huwa Waliyyu Qayyim u’l Karāma

For the sake of Shaykh Adham and Shaykh Uways al-Qarnī
And Mawlānā al-Haddād, the Possessor of the Rātibs. (verse 47)

And for the sake of the noble Sayyid ‘Abdallāh al-Haddād
He is a saint with established miracles (verse 65)

Of all the awliyā’ (friends of Allāh, sūfī saints) whom he mentions in his Tawassul, Shaykh Uways bin Muhammad al-Qādirī keeps Mawlānā al-Haddād in the company of Shaykh Ibrāhīm ibn Adham, and Shaykh Uways al-Qarnī, Rady Allāhu ‘Anhum. Isn’t that special?

Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi of Madīna, the translator of the Rātib informs us in The Prophetic Invocations that the Rātib came to the Imām by inspiration (ilhām) and was composed on the night of the twenty-seventh of Ramadān in 1071 H which was Laylatu’l Qadr, the Night of Destiny. Allāhu Akbar!

Rātib al-Haddād is the wird (regular voluntary invocation) that the murīdīn (spiritual disciples) receive as a special gift from their shaykh (spiritual master) when initiated into tarīqah (spiritual path leading to Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā). Once they receive it, it becomes their wazīfa (assigned duty) to recite it everyday. The spiritual rewards of its daily recitation are immense. If someone is seeking maghfira (salvation and permanent forgiveness) from Allāh, the Glorified and the Exalted, he can be recommended to recite this dhikr. If your shaykh has put you under the canopy of Mawlānā al-Haddād, you are directly linked to his ancestor, Muhammad u’r Rasūlullāh, may Allāh’s blessings and peace be upon him.

Rātib al-Haddād begins with Sūrah al-Fātiha, Āyat u’l Kursī, and the last two verses of Sūrah al-Baqarah. Then follow various kalimāt, tasbīhāt, salawāt, and da‘awāt (plural of du‘ā: supplication) each to be recited a specific number of times.

For example:

Kalimah at-Tawhīd

Lā ilāha Illallāhu
Wahdahū lā sharīka lahū
Lahu’l Mulku wa Lahu’l Hamdu
Yuhyī wa Yumītu
wa Huwa ‘alā kulli shay’in Qadīr
(This is to be recited three times)

None is worthy of worship but Allāh,
He is One, He has no partner,
His is the Kingdom, and His is the Praise,
He gives life and He causes death,
and He is Powerful over all things.

Tasbīh, Tahmīd, Tahlīl, Takbīr
(Tasbīh: Glorification of Allāh, Tahmīd: Praise of Allāh,
Tahlīl: Kalimah at-Tayyiba about Pure Islamic Monotheism,
Takbīr: Declaring the Greatness of Allāh)

SubhānAllāh wa’l Hamdu Lillāh
wa lā ilāha Illallāhu Wallāhu Akbar
(This is to be recited three times)

Glory be to Allāh, and all Praise is due to Allāh
and none is worthy of worship but Allāh, and Allāh is Most Great.

Tasbīh

SubhānAllāhi wa bi-Hamdihī
SubhānAllāh i’l-‘Azīm
(This is to be recited three times)

Glory be to Allāh with His Own Glorification
Glory be to Allāh, the Incomparably Great

Du‘ā

Rabbanaghfir lanā wa tub ‘alaynā
Innaka Anta’t Tawwāb u’r Rahīm
(This is to be recited three times)

O our Lord! Forgive us and relent towards us;
truly, You are the Forgiver, the Merciful.

Salāt

Allāhumma Salli ‘alā Sayyidinā Muhammad
Allāhumma Salli ‘alayhi wa Sallim
(This is to be recited three times)

O Allāh, send blessings on Sayyidinā Muhammad
O Allāh, send blessings and peace on him.

Istighfār

Astaghfirullāha Rabb al-barāyā
Astaghfirullāha min al-khatāyā
(This is to be recited four times)

I seek forgiveness of Allāh, the Lord of all creation
I seek forgiveness of Allāh for all mistakes.

There are more than a dozen such kalimāt, tasbīhāt and da‘awāt to be recited various number of times among which is tahlīl (or the Kalimah at-Tayyiba: Lā ilāha Illallāh: None is worthy of worship but Allāh) to be recited from 50 to 1000 times; it is normal practice to recite it 100 times. After this, you recite Muhammad u’r Rasūlullāh (Muhammad is the Prophetic Messenger of Allāh) once. Following this, Sūrah al-Ikhlās is recited three times and Sūrah al-Falaq and Sūrah an-Nās once each.

This is followed by al-Fātiha for Rasūlullāh Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam; for Sayyidinā al-Faqīh al-Muqaddam Muhammad ibn ‘Alī Bā ‘Alawī, Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu, the Qutb u’l Ghawth (Pillar of spiritual succour) in the Bā ‘Alawī tarīqa; for all the sūfī mashāyikh (spiritual masters); for Qutb u’l Irshād Sayyidunā al-Habīb ‘Abdallāh bin ‘Alawī al-Haddād, Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu, the compiler of the Rātib; for our parents, our mashāyikh and all Muslims, men and women.

Rātib al-Haddād ends with the following resounding du‘ā:

Allāhumma innā nas’aluka Ridāka wa’l Jannah
wa na‘ūdhu bika min sakhatika wa’n nār
(This is to be recited three times)

O Allāh! We ask of You Your Good Pleasure and Paradise,
And we seek Your protection from Your displeasure and from Hell-fire.

Rātib al-Haddād is universally popular: you see devotees reciting it in the Haramayn in Makka and Madīna, as well as in Yemen, East Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sweden, U.K, and Canada; indeed all over the world. Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi begins his biography of Mawlānā al-Haddād Rady Allāhu ‘Anhu by expounding on Rātib al-Haddād. In fact, we find that the supplications in Rātib al-Haddād are the very same ones which we recite when doing the tawāf of the Ka‘ba, except for the special supplications recited at each of the four corners of the Ka‘ba and at Hajar al-Aswad. So, Rātib al-Haddād can be recited while doing tawāf.

With more and more disciples reciting Rātib al-Haddād, many ‘ulamā (scholars) and mashāyikh (spiritual masters) have decided to include it in their kutub (books) so that it becomes generally available. Even kutub about Mawlid (the blessed birth) of Rasūlullāh Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam inevitably include Rātib al-Haddād so that both Dhikr and Mawlid are recited together. Alhamdu Lillāh.

Some of the kutub (books) which contain the Rātib are:

  1. Sharh Rātib al-Haddād (An Appreciative Explanation of Rātib al-Haddād), a compendium of the adhkār and awrād of Imām ‘Abdallāh bin ‘Alawī al-Haddād, compiled by Al-Habīb ‘Alawī bin Ahmad bin al-Hasan bin ‘Abdallāh bin ‘Alawī al-Haddād, published by Pustaka Nasional, Singapore, 1417/1997.
  2. Wasīlatu’l ‘Ibād ilā Zādi’l Ma‘ād (A Means For People To Provide For The Hereafter), a compendium of the adhkār and awrād of Imām ‘Abdallāh bin ‘Alawī al-Haddād, compiled by As-Sayyid ‘Alawī bin Muhammad bin Tāhir al-Haddād, Maktaba Ishā‘at al-Islām, Delhi, 1397/1977.
  3. Mukhkhul ‘Ibāda li Ahli’s Sulūk wa’l Irāda (The Kernel of Worship For Intending Spiritual Travellers), compiled by al-Habīb as-Sayyid ‘Abdallāh bin Mustafā bin Hasan al-‘Aydarūs, n.d.
  4. Adhkār wa’l Awrād (Regular Voluntary Invocations), compiled by Muhyiddīn bin ‘Abdul Rahmān bin Muhammad Zanzibārī, with the permission of Shaykh ‘Umar bin ‘Abdallāh āl Shaykh Abū Bakr bin Sālim, published in Cairo, 1408/1987.
  5. Shawāriqu’l Anwār min Ad‘iyati’s Sādati’l Akhyār (Brilliant Burst of Sunshine In The Supplications of the Noble Spiritual Elite), compiled by As-Sayyid Muhammad bin ‘Alawī al-Mālikī al-Hasanī of Makka, n.d.
  6. Mawlid Sharaf al-Anām (The Birth of Prophet Muhammad, the Most Noble in the Whole World), published by Sulaymān Mar‘ī, Singapore, n.d.
  7. Majmū‘a Mushtamila (A Compendium of Writings), of Shaykh ‘Abdul Rahmān bin Ahmad al-Zayla‘ī al-Qādirī, published by Maktabatul Islāmiyya, Djibouti, 1972.
  8. The Prophetic Invocations, compiled by Imām ‘Abdallāh ibn ‘Alawī al-Haddād, translated by Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi, The Starlatch Press, Chicago, 2000.
  9. Majmū‘un (A Compendium), published by Sulaymān Mar‘ī, Singapore, published on 7 Dhu’l Qa‘dah 1350 H, the day of the anniversary of Mawlānā al-Haddād.
  10. Rātib al-Haddād, printed separately. Biqalam (penned by): Sa‘īd ibn ash-Shaykh ‘Alī Sa‘īd al-Adnī, published by Hāji Mohamed and Sons, Mombasa.
  11. The Writings of Mawlānā al-Haddād, published by Iqra’ Islamic Publications, Toronto, 1417/1997.
  12. Al-Awrād wa’l Adhkār (Regular Voluntary Supplication to Allāh), part 5 of As-Salawāt wa’l MadāihHubb i’r Rasūl (Blessings and Eulogies For The Love of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam), Iqra’ Islamic Publications, Toronto, 1418/1998.

May Allāh Subhānahū wa Ta‘ālā give us the hidāya (guidance) to recite Rātib al-Haddād on a daily basis and may He make it a means for our salvation, Āmīn Yā Rabb al-‘Ālamīn.

Siddīq Osmān Noormuhammad
Toronto, Canada.
1417/1997
Updated Dhu’l Qa‘dah 1424/2004
Translation of Rātib al-Haddād

< Return