“Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Indeed! You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.”

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

Rabbanaa taqabbal minnaa innaka antas-samee’ul ‘aleem.

Surah Al-Baqarah ,verse 127

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It can be recited

• For the acceptance of all your good deeds. For example, salah, fasting, zakat etc.

This is the du’aa of the Prophets Ibrahim and Isma`il Alaihissalaam. They made theis du’aa while they were building the Holy Kaaba.

WORD-BY-WORD Meanings:

The Prophets Ibrahim and Isma`il Alaihissalaam were performing a good deed, yet they asked Allah to accept this good deed from them.

Ibn Abi Hatim narrated that Wuhayb bin Al-Ward recited,

“And (remember) when Ibrahim and (his son) Isma`il were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka`bah at Makkah), (saying), “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us” and cried and said, “O Khalil of Ar-Rahman! You raise the foundations of the House of Ar-Rahman (Allah), yet you are afraid that He will not accept it from you”

This is the behavior of the sincere believers.

There is an authentic Hadith narrated by `A’ishah Radi Allahu anha on this subject.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Ibn `Abbas said, “Prophet Ibrahim Alaihissalaam took Isma`il Alaihissalaam and his mother and went away with them until he reached the area of the House, where he left them next to a tree above Zamzam in the upper area of the Masjid. During that time, Isma`il Alaihissalaam ‘s mother was still nursing him. Makkah was then uninhabited, and there was no water source in it. Ibrahim Alaihissalaam left them there with a bag containing some dates and a water-skin containing water. Ibrahim Alaihissalaam then started to leave, and Isma`il Alaihissalaam ‘s mother followed him and said, `O Ibrahim! To whom are you leaving us in this barren valley that is not inhabited’ She repeated the question several times and Ibrahim Alaihissalaam did not reply. She asked, `Has Allah commanded you to do this’ He said, `Yes.’ She said, `I am satisfied that Allah will never abandon us.’

Ibrahim Alaihissalaam left and when he was far enough away where they could not see him, close to Thaniyyah, he faced the House, raised his hands and supplicated,

“O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka`bah at Makkah) until (Give thanks)’’ (14:37).

Isma`il Alaihissalaam ‘s mother then returned to her place, started drinking water from the water-skin and nursing Isma`il Alaihissalaam. When the water was used up, she and her son became thirsty. She looked at him, and he was suffering from thirst; she left, because she disliked seeing his face in that condition. She found the nearest mountain to where she was, As-Safa, ascended it and looked, in vain, hoping to see somebody.

When she came down to the valley, she raised her garment and ran, just as a tired person runs, until she reached the Al-Marwah mountain. In vain, she looked to see if there was someone there. She ran to and fro (between the two mountains) seven times.” Ibn `Abbas said that the Messenger of Allah Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam said, “This is why the people make the trip between As-Safa and Al-Marwah (during Hajj and Umrah).”

“When she reached Al-Marwah, she heard a voice and said, `Shush,’ to herself. She tried to hear the voice again and when she did, she said, `I have heard you. Do you have relief’ She found the angel digging with his heel (or his wing) where Zamzam now exists, and the water gushed out. Isma`il Alaihissalaam ‘s mother was astonished and started digging, using her hand to transfer water to the water-skin.” Ibn `Abbas said that the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam then said, “May Allah grant His mercy to the mother of Isma`il, had she left the water, (flow naturally without her intervention), it would have been flowing on the surface of the earth.”

“Isma`il Alaihissalaam ‘s mother started drinking the water and her milk increased for her child. The angel (Gabriel) said to her, `Do not fear abandonment. There shall be a House for Allah built here by this boy and his father. Allah does not abandon His people.’ During that time, the area of the House was raised above ground level and the floods used to reach its right and left sides.

Afterwards, some people of the tribe of Jurhum, passing through Kada’, made camp at the bottom of the valley. They saw some birds, they were astonished, and said, `Birds can only be found at a place where there is water. We did not notice before that this valley had water.’ They sent a scout or two who searched the area, found the water, and returned to inform them about it. Then they all went to Isma`il Alaihissalaam ‘s mother, next to the water, and said, `O Mother of Isma`il! Will you allow us to be with you or dwell with you’ She said, `Yes. But you will have no exclusive right to the water here.’ They said, `We agree.”’ Ibn `Abbas said that the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam

said, “At that time, Isma`il Alaihissalaam ‘s mother liked to have human company.”

“And thus they stayed there and sent for their relatives to join them. Later on, her boy reached the age of puberty and married a lady from them, for Isma`il Alaihissalaam learned Arabic from them, and they liked the way he was raised. Isma`il Alaihissalaam ‘s mother died after that.

Ibrahim Alaihissalaam then came back visiting and found Isma`il Alaihissalaam behind the Zamzam well, next to a tree, mending his arrows. When he saw Ibrahim Alaihissalaam , he stood up and they greeted each other, just as the father and son greet each other. Ibrahim Alaihissalaam said, `O Isma`il, Your Lord has ordered me to do something.’ He said, `Obey your Lord.’ He asked Isma`il Alaihissalaam , `Will you help me’ He said, `Yes, I will help you.’ Ibrahim Alaihissalaam said, `Allah has commanded me to build a house for Him there, ‘ and he pointed to an area that was above ground level. So, both of them rose and started to raise the foundations of the House. Ibrahim Alaihissalaam started building (the Ka`bah), while Isma`il Alaihissalaam continued handing him the stones. Both of them were saying, `O our Lord ! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the Hearing, the Knowing.‘ (2.127).”’ Hence, they were building the House, part by part, going around it and saying this supplication.