Du’a of the Qur’an Part 12: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned during Ramadan, Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a of Yusuf after being reunited with his family:

وكذلك: دعاء يوسف عليه السلام: ﴿رَبِّ قَدْ آتَيْتَنِي مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِي مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنْتَ وَلِيِّي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ﴾[يوسف: 101] فتوسل إلى الله بربوبيته وبنعمة الله عليه بنعمة الدنيا وهي: الملك وتوابعه، ونعمة الدين وهي: العلم الكامل، وبولاية الله وانقطاعه عن غيره، وتولي الله له في الدنيا والآخرة: أن يثبته على الإسلام الظاهر والباطن حتى يلقاه عليه، فيدخله في خُلص عباده الصالحين. ـ

Another example of a comprehensive du’a is the du’a of Yusuf:

رَبِّ قَدْ آتَيْتَنِي مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِي مِن تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ ۚ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنتَ وَلِيِّي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ ۖ تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ

Lord, You have given more some ownership and taught me some interpretation of events. Originator of the heavens and the earth, You are my Protector in this life and the next. Cause me to die as a Muslim and join me with the righteous. [12:101]

So he was calling on Allah by His Lordship and the by the favors that Allah had granted him:

a worldly blessing: ownership and what comes with it

and a spiritual blessing: complete knowledge

and by how he has taken Allah as his protector and turned away from any others besides Him.

“O Our Lord, Accept It From Us”: Tafsir ibn Kathir

Allah says in surah al-Baqarah:

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

And remember when Ibrahim and Isma’il raised the foundations of the House: “O our Lord, accept it from us! You are the All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” [2:127]

In his tafsir of this ayah, al-haafidh ibn Kathir mentioned the following report:

 يقول تعالى : واذكر يا محمد لقومك بناء إبراهيم وإسماعيل ، عليهما السلام ، البيت ، ورفعهما القواعد منه ، وهما يقولان : ( ربنا تقبل منا إنك أنت السميع العليم ) فهما في عمل صالح ، وهما يسألان الله تعالى أن يتقبل منهما ، كما روى ابن أبي حاتم من حديث محمد بن يزيد بن خنيس المكي ، عن وهيب بن الورد : أنه قرأ : ( وإذ يرفع إبراهيم القواعد من البيت وإسماعيل ربنا تقبل منا ) ثم يبكي ويقول : يا خليل الرحمن ، ترفع قوائم بيت الرحمن وأنت مشفق أن لا يتقبل منك . وهذا كما حكى الله تعالى عن حال المؤمنين المخلصين في قوله تعالى : ( والذين يؤتون ما آتوا ) أي : يعطون ما أعطوا من الصدقات والنفقات والقربات ( وقلوبهم وجلة ) [ المؤمنون : 60 ] أي : خائفة ألا يتقبل منهم . كما جاء به الحديث الصحيح ، عن عائشة ، عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كما سيأتي في موضعه . ـ

Allah is saying: O Muhammad, remind your people of when Ibrahim and Isma’il built the House and set up its foundations while saying:

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ

O our Lord, accept it from us! You are the All-Hearing, All-Knowing

So they were engaged in this righteous action while asking Allah to accept it from them. This is just as ibn Abi Hatim narrated that:

… Wuhayb ibn al-Ward recited this ayah and then cried, saying, “Khalil al-Rahman, you are building up the House of al-Rahman, and yet you are worried that He won’t accept it from you?!”

And this is like what Allah tells us about the inner state of the sincere believers in His statement:

Du’a of the Qur’an Part 11: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned during Ramadan, Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a of Ibrahim and his son Isma’eel while building the Ka’bah:

ومن ذلك: دعاء إبراهيم خليل الرحمن، وابنه إسماعيل، وهما يرفعان قواعد البيت: ﴿رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ * رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُسْلِمَةً لَكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ﴾[البقرة: 127، 128] فتضرعا إلى ربهم في قبول الله عملهما، وأن يكون كاملاً من كل وجه، وتحصل منه الثمرات النافعة، وتوسلا إليه بأنه السميع لأقوالهما، العليم بجميع أحوالهما، ولما دعوا بهذا الدعاء الخاص في قبول عملهما سألا اللهَ أجلَّ الأمور وأعلاها، وهو أن يمن الله عليهما وعلى من شاء من ذريتهما بالإسلام لله ظاهراً وباطناً والعمل بما يحبه ويرضاه، وأن يعلمهما العمل الذي شرعا فيه، ويكمّل لهما مناسكهما – علماً ومعرفةً وعملاً – وأن يتوب عليهما لتتم أمورهما من كل وجه؛ فاستجاب الله هذا الدعاء كله، وبارك فيه وحقق رجاءهما، والله ذو الفضل العظيم. ـ

Another example of a comprehensive du’a is the du’a of Ibrahim – Khalil al-Rahman – and his son Isma’eel when they were setting up the foundations of the Ka’bah:

رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ * رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُّسْلِمَةً لَّكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ

Our Lord, accept this from us! You are certainly the All-Hearing and All-Knowing! * Our Lord, make us those who submit to you, and our offspring as well – a nation that submits to you! And show us our rituals, and turn to us in forgiveness! You are certainly the Forgiver, the Merciful. [2:127-128]

So they beseeched their Lord to accept their deeds and that those deeds could be complete in every way, thus producing good fruits. They implored Him by the fact that He is All-Hearing of their statements and All-Knowing of their circumstances.

Du’a of the Qur’an Part 10: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned during Ramadan, Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a of Nuh, as found in surah Hud:

ومثل قول نوح لمَّا لامه اللهُ بسؤال نجاة ابنه الكافر، الذي ليس من أهله، وأن هذا عمل غير صالح، فقال: ﴿قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِهِ عِلْمٌ وَإِلَّا تَغْفِرْ لِي وَتَرْحَمْنِي أَكُنْ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ﴾[هود: 47] فتوسل بربوبية الله واستعاذ به أن يسأله سؤالا ليس له به علم، وإنما حمله عليه مجرد محبة النفس لا إرادة رضى الله، واعترف بأن هذا الذي جرى منه يوجب التضرع والاستغفار، وأنه إن لم يغفر له ربُه ويرحمه كان من الخاسرين،فالناس قسمان: رابحون: وهم الذين تغمدهم الله بمغفرته ورحمته، وخاسرون: وهم الذين فاتتهم المغفرة والرحمة، ولا يحصل ذلك إلا بالله. ـ

Another example of a comprehensive du’a is what Nuh said when Allah reprimanded him for asking for his disbelieving son to be saved, when Allah told him that his son was not one of his people and that this was not a righteous action. At this point, Nuh said:

رَبِّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أَسْأَلَكَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِهِ عِلْمٌ ۖ وَإِلَّا تَغْفِرْ لِي وَتَرْحَمْنِي أَكُن مِّنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

Lord, I seek refuge with You from asking You for what I have no knowledge of. If you do not forgive me and show mercy to me, I will be one of the losers. [11:47]

Du’a of the Qur’an Part 9: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned during Ramadan, Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a of Adam, as found in surah al-A’raaf:

ومن ذلك: دعاء آدم عليه السلام حين تاب إلى الله وتلقى منه هذه الكلمات هو وزوجه: ﴿قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنْفُسَنَا وَإِنْ لَمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ﴾[الأعراف: 23] فتوسلا بربوبية الله واعترافهم بالظلم، وإقرارهم بالذنب أن يغفر لهما؛ فيزيل عنهما المكاره كلها، وأن يرحمهما فيعطيهما أنواع المطالب، وأنه لا وسيلة لهما ولا ملجأ منه إلا إليه، وأنه لئن لم يرحمهما ويغفر لهما خسِرا الدنيا والآخرة؛ فقبل الله دعاءهما وغفر لهما ورحمهما. ـ

Another comprehensive du’a is the du’a of Adam when he repented to Allah and he and his wife received these words to say from Allah:

قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَا أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ

The two of them said, “O our Lord, we have wronged ourselves and if You do not forgive us and have mercy towards us, we would certainly be among the losers!” [7:23]

They beseeched Allah to forgive them by referencing His Lordship, confessing to wrongdoing and recognizing their sin, so that He might lift all of the negative consequences from them and that He might show mercy to them and grant them various forms of good.

Du’a of the Qur’an Part 8: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned one Ramadan, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a found towards the end on surah al-Furqan:

ومِن ذلك: دعاءُ عبادِ الرحمن الذين وصفهم الله بكل خُلقٍ جميل، وأعد لهم المنازل العالية؛ فدعوا بدعوتين: دعوةٍ استُجيبت لجميعِهم – كاملَ الدرجة ومَن دونه – ودعوةٍ استُجيبت لخواصهم وأئمتهم وقدوتهم، قال تعالى: ﴿وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا﴾ – إلى أن قال عنهم -: ﴿وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا﴾[الفرقان: الآيات 63 – 65]

Another comprehensive du’a is the du’a of the ‘ibad al-Rahman – servants of the Most Merciful – whom Allah described with all kinds of beautiful characteristics and promised them elevated ranks.

They made two supplications:

One supplication which was answered for all of them, both those who attained the highest level of excellence as well as those below that

and another supplication which was answered for the elite ones, the leading figures and role models among them.

Du’a of the Qur’an Part 7: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned one Ramadan, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a found towards the end on surah Aal ‘Imran:

وِمن ذلك: دعاء أتباع الأنبياء في مواطن الشدائد وأنواع المحن: ﴿وَمَا كَانَ قَوْلَهُمْ إِلَّا أَنْ قَالُوا رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ * فَآتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا وَحُسْنَ ثَوَابِ الْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ﴾[آل عمران: 147، 148] فدل هذا على الدعاء من الدعاء الذي استجابه الله، وأن أهله محسنون فيه، وذلك أنهم توسلوا إلى الله بربوبيته، فافتقروا إليه وطلبوا أن يرُبَّهم بما يُصلِح أحوالهم، وأن يغفر لهم الذنوب – وهي المعاصي المستقلة – وإسرافنا في أمرنا – وهي تعدي ما حد للعبد ونهي عن مجاوزته – فكما أن التقصير يلام عليه الإنسان فكذلك المجاوزة للحد، ـ

Another comprehensive du’a is the du’a of the followers of the Prophets during extreme circumstances and various types of trials:

وَمَا كَانَ قَوْلَهُمْ إِلَّا أَن قَالُوا رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ * فَآتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ ثَوَابَ الدُّنْيَا وَحُسْنَ ثَوَابِ الْآخِرَةِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

And what they said was only, “Our Lord, forgive us of our sins and our excesses in our dealings, steady our feet, and support us against the disbelieving people.” * Then Allah gave them worldly rewards and a good reward in the hereafter. And Allah loves the good-doers. [3:147-148]

This indicates that this du’a is one of the du’as which Allah accepted and that the people who made it were doing good in making it. That is because they were beseeching Allah by His role as the nurturing caretaker, drawing closer to Him and asking Him to take care of them in the ways that would be best for their circumstances and to forgive them of theirs sins – here referring to future acts of disobedience – and

وَإِسْرَافَنَا فِي أَمْرِنَا

… and of our excesses in our dealings …

referring to overstepping the set limits and the prohibitions against crossing those limits. For just as it is blameworthy for a person to fall short, likewise it is blameworthy to overstep the limits.

Du’a of the Qur’an Part 6: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned one Ramadan, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. What follows is his explanation of the du’a found at the end on surah Aal ‘Imran:

ومما أتى فيه الدعاء بجميع المطالب على وجه المطابقة: دعاء أولي الألباب وخواص الخلق حيث قالوا – بعدما تفكروا بما في ملكوت الله -: ﴿رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ * رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ مَنْ تُدْخِلِ النَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ * رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلْإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآمَنَّا رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ * رَبَّنَا وَآتِنَا مَا وَعَدْتَنَا عَلَى رُسُلِكَ وَلَا تُخْزِنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ﴾[آل عمران: 191 – 194] فتوسلوا بربوبية الله، وكرروا هذا التوسل، وإقرارهم بحكمة الله وصدق وعده ووعيده، وإيمانِهم برسل الله حين دعوهم إلى الإيمان، ومِنّة الله عليهم بالمبادرة بذلك أن يَقيْهم عذابَ النار، وأن يغفر ذنوبهم الكبار، ويُكفّر عنهم سيئاتهم الصغار؛ فيدفع عنهم أعظم العقوبات – وهو عذاب النار – ويزيل عنهم أسبابَ الشرور كلَّها، وهي الذنوب والسيئات، وأن يرزقهم اللهُ ويوفقهم لأعمال البِر كلِّها؛ فيصيروا بذلك من عباد الله الأبرار، وأن يثبتهم عليها حتى يموتوا عليها؛ فيدخلوا في معية الأبرار، وأن يؤتيَهم ما وعدهم على ألْسِنة رسله وذلك شامل لعطايا الدنيا وخيراتها وعطايا الآخرة وكراماتها، وأن يكرمهم في يوم القيامة ولا يخزهم، وحقيقٌ بقوم دعوا بهذه الأدعية الجليلة – بحيث ما بقي خير إلا سألوه ولا شر إلا استدفعوه – أن يسميهم الله أولي الألباب؛ فهذا من لبهم وعقلهم وتمام فطنتهم، نسأله تعالى أن يوفقنا لما وفقهم له، إنه جوادٌ كريم. ـ

Another example of a du’a that contains all desirable things in a stacked manner is the du’a of the people of understanding and the cream of the crop when, after reflecting on the contents of Allah’s dominion, they said:

رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ * رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ مَن تُدْخِلِ النَّارَ فَقَدْ أَخْزَيْتَهُ ۖ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنصَارٍ * رَّبَّنَا إِنَّنَا سَمِعْنَا مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي لِلْإِيمَانِ أَنْ آمِنُوا بِرَبِّكُمْ فَآمَنَّا ۚ رَبَّنَا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَكَفِّرْ عَنَّا سَيِّئَاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الْأَبْرَارِ * رَبَّنَا وَآتِنَا مَا وَعَدتَّنَا عَلَىٰ رُسُلِكَ وَلَا تُخْزِنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ۗ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَادَ

“Our Lord, You did not create this without purpose, exalted are You! So protect us from the punishment of the hellfire! * Our Lord, whoever you enter into the Hellfire, you have disgraced him. And the wrongdoers will not have any helpers. * Our Lord, we have heard a caller calling to eman, “Believe in your Lord,” so we believed. Our Lord, forgive us of our sins and remove our sins from us and cause us to die with the righteous ones. * Our Lord, grant us what You have promised us through Your Messengers and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. You certainly do not break promises. [3:191-194]

So they ask Allah by His Lordship, repeating this special way of asking, and they acknowledge Allah’s perfect wisdom and affirm their belief in the truthfulness of His promises and threats. They affirm their belief in Allah’s Messengers when they called them to believe, and they acknowledge Allah’s blessing towards them that He enabled them to be quick in doing so.

Do Not Deviate Regarding Allah’s Names: Tafsir al-Baghawi

Allah says in surah al-A’raaf:

وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا ۖ وَذَرُوا الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَائِهِ ۚ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ

To Allah belong the beautiful Names so call on Him by them, and leave those who deviate regarding His Names. They will be repayed for what they used to do. [7:180]

Commenting on this, Imam Abu Muhammad al-Husayn al-Baghawi wrote:

قوله تعالى : ( ولله الأسماء الحسنى فادعوه بها ) قال مقاتل : وذلك أن رجلا دعا الله في صلاته ودعا الرحمن ، فقال بعض مشركي مكة : إن محمدا – صلى الله عليه وسلم – وأصحابه يدعون أنهم يعبدون ربا واحدا ، فما بال هذا يدعو اثنين؟ فأنزل الله – عز وجل – : ” ولله الأسماء الحسنى فادعوه بها ” . والحسنى تأنيث الأحسن كالكبرى والصغرى ، فادعوه بها . ـ

Regarding Allah’s statement:

وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا

To Allah belong the beautiful Names so call on Him by them …

Muqatil said:

That is for a person to call on Allah and to call on al-Rahman during His prayer, for some of the mushrikoon of Mecca used to said, “Muhammad and his followers claim that they only worship one lord, so then why do they call out to two?” Allah then revealed:

وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا

To Allah belong the beautiful Names so call on Him by them …

And the word al-husna is the feminine form of al-ahsan, similar in form to the words al-kubra and al-sughra.

فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا

… so call on Him by them …

Du’a of the Qur’an Part 5: al-Sa’di

In his collection of various reflections on the Qur’an that he penned one Ramadan, sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sa’di included a beautiful section on some of the du’a found within the Qur’an. After first discussing the du’a at the heart of surah al-Fatihah, another du’a from surah al-Baqarah, the du’a at the end of surah al-Baqarah, and a du’a at the outset of surah Aal ‘Imran, al-Sa’di then turned to this du’a near the beginning of surah Aal ‘Imran:

كذلك: دعاء المتقين الذين أعد لهم الجنة وما فيها الذين يقولون: ﴿رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ﴾[آل عمران: 16]فتوسلوا بربوبية الله لهم وبإيمانهم أن يغفر لهم الذنوب وأن يقيهم عذاب النار، وإذ غُفرت ذنوبهم ووقاهم الله عذاب النار زال عنهم الشر بأجمَعه، وحصل لهم الخير بأجمَعه؛ لأن الأدعية هكذا تارة تأتي مطابقة لجميع مطالب العبد، وتارة يُذكر نوعٌ منها ويدخل الباقي باللزوم، كهذا الدعاء. ـ

Likewise, another comprehensive du’a of the Qur’an is: the du’a of the righteous ones who have been promised Jannah and the pleasures it contains:

الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا إِنَّنَا آمَنَّا فَاغْفِرْ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ ‎

Those who say, “O our Lord, we certainly believe so forgive us of our sins and protect us from the punishment of the fire.” [3:16]

So they are asking Allah by His caretaking role towards them and by their faith to forgive them for their sins and to protect them from the punishment of the hellfire.

If their sins and forgiven and Allah protects them from the punishment of the hellfire, then all forms of evil will be lifted from them and all forms of good will reach them. For with these types of comprehensive du’as, they will sometimes mention every goal a person would have, and sometimes they will only mention a certain type of goal with the others still falling under that goal by implication, and this du’a is an example of the second category.

[al-Mawahib al-Rabbaniyyah pg. 58-59]

See also: Taking the Means to Allah’s Forgiveness: Tafsir al-Sa’di