15/03/2026
One of my most favorite adhkar of the morning and evening is this special dua taught to Abu Bakr by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ himself.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, teach me some words to recite in the morning and in the evening."
He ﷺ said: "Say:
'O Allah, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the hidden and the apparent, Lord of everything and its Possessor. I bear witness that there is no god but You. I seek refuge in You from the evil of my own self and from the evil of the devil and the evil of polytheism to which he calls, and from incurring any sin upon myself or upon any other Muslim.'"
He added: "Recite this in the morning, in the evening, and when you go to bed."
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أن أبا بكر الصديق رضي الله عنه قال: يا رسول الله مُرني بكلمات أقُولُهُنَّ إذا أصبَحتُ وإذا أمسَيتُ، قال: قل:
اللهم فاطِرَ السماوات والأرض عالم الغيبِ والشهادة، ربَّ كُلِّ شَيءٍ ومَلِيكَه، أَشْهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أعوذ بك من شرِّ نفسي وشرِّ الشيطان وشِرْكِهِ وأن أقترف على نفسي سوءًا أو أجرُّه إلى مسلم.
قال: «قلها إذا أصبحت، وإذا أمسيت، وإذا أخذْتَ مَضْجَعَك».
We as human beings tend to exclude ourselves from the negative aspects of human nature. It is not *us* who are bad or have any capacity for evil--rather, it's others!
It is always the *other* person who is evil, narcissistic, irrational, jealous, or passive aggressive. If we do something wrong, it is obviously not our fault, but the fault of circumstances outside of our control or the fault of people forcing us to react negatively.
We, on the other hand, always have only the best intentions and mean well in everything we do! Nothing is ever really our fault. We are blameless!
This is, of course, self-delusion.
This profound du`a helps us bring our understanding in line with reality.
It allows us to see ourselves more clearly, more objectively, more realistically.
It allows us to take off the self-serving rose-tinted glasses that we look at ourselves with, and see both ourselves and reality more soberly.
We each have a good side and a bad side. A potential for positive things and a potential for negative things. A higher self and a lower self.
The sooner you realize this, the greater your power will be to overcome these potential negative traits within you and to restrain your lower self.
Once you acknowledge the reality of your own capacity for evil, you will be more able to honestly examine your own motives, see the repressed inclinations and baser desires you keep hidden, and become aware of your own wayward tendencies before they seep out.
Allah created each of us with two different sides to our human nature:
وَنَفْسٍۢ وَمَا سَوَّىٰهَا. فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَىٰهَا. قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّىٰهَا. وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّىٰهَا
"And by the soul and ˹the One˺ Who fashioned it, then inspired it with its (instincts of) evil and piety. He has succeeded who purifies it, and he has failed who corrupts." (Surat Ash-Shams, 7-10)
Our entire mission in this world is to see ourselves clearly and to purify our soul. To recognize the capacity within our nafs for both piety and evil, and then to choose piety over evil.
Allah has endowed us with different aspects to our selves:
1. The self that calls us to evil: النفس الأمارة بالسوء
2. The reassured, calm self: النفس المطمئنة
3. The self-blaming self: النفس اللوامة
In the Quran, Allah tells us about each of them:
وَمَآ أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِىٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلنَّفْسَ لَأَمَّارَةٌۢ بِٱلسُّوٓءِ إِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّىٓ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌۭ
"And I do not seek to free myself from blame, for indeed the soul is ever inclined to evil, except those shown mercy by my Lord. Surely my Lord is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat Yusuf, 53)
This is the lower self, the side of us that calls us to evil. Its impulses pull us down into reflexively emotional reactions and defensive postures, making us feel self-righteous or bitter or resentful. It feeds us stories of how we've been wronged by others and terribly abused and victimized, and how we are owed everything and entitled. It makes us grab for immediate pleasures and instant gratification and worldly distractions. This is the lower side of the self, always taking the path of least resistance and wanting the easy way out, even if it's selfish or unethical.
وَلَآ أُقْسِمُ بِٱلنَّفْسِ ٱللَّوَّامَةِ
"And I swear by the self-reproaching soul." (Surat Al-Qiyamah, 2)
This is the self-blaming side our self. It is our conscience, our sense of right and wrong. It blames us when we've sinned or committed an injustice. It is the twinge of self-reproach we feel when we know we've been selfish or destructive or wronged another person. It tries to nudge us back to the right path, to make us admit our mistake and to seek correction or forgiveness. Silencing this inner voice too many times for too long will shut if off entirely.
يَـٰٓأَيَّتُهَا ٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُطْمَئِنَّةُ. ٱرْجِعِىٓ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكِ رَاضِيَةًۭ مَّرْضِيَّةًۭ فَٱدْخُلِى فِى عِبَـٰدِى وَٱدْخُلِى جَنَّتِى.
[To the righteous it will be said], "O reassured soul, Return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing [to Him]. And enter among My [righteous] servants, and enter My Paradise.” (Surat Al-Fajr, 27-30)
This is the higher self, the noble side of our soul. It is the side of us that clings to lofty ideals and strives to follow Truth, no matter how hard it is. It is our calm, reassured, tranquil self. Bringing out this ideal self within us, and developing it, is our goal as believers who hope for Jannah.
We human beings aren't one-dimensional. We are complex beings with many sides.
We have two contrary paths we can choose to take, two possible selves we can be: the self inclined toward good and the self inclined toward evil.
Realizing this fact shouldn't make us feel guilty or ashamed. Rather, it can make us feel liberated!
Knowing this reality about who we are and what we are capable of allows us to fully accept ourselves and become a complete human being.
You can finally shed your self-delusions and face yourself as an individual realistically, embracing both the good and the bad. You can finally be free to drop your mask, your long-held falsified self-image as a saint or a martyr or a perpetual victim of circumstance.
You will feel relieved of your inconsistencies, hypocrisies, insecurities, and just be more yourself.
Knowing what you are truly capable of is part of the path towards becoming a good person. This self-awareness is what allows you to acknowledge your own deficits and blind spots, thus making it possible to work on your weaknesses.
You cannot strengthen your weaknesses that you refuse to even see.
And, in seeing yourself clearly, you will grow more humble. When you acknowledge that you, too, have the same capacity of doing bad things as everyone else, you lose the illusion of superiority to others (الكبر, kibr). You shed your secret delusions of granduer. You chip away at the arrogance that comes with feelings of fake perfection or saintliness. Instead, you feel more humble, more down-to-earth.
The du`a which the Prophet taught to Abu Bakr (and us) teaches us to name and identify the sources of potential evil: the evil of Shaytan, his shirk (polytheism), and first and foremost, the evil of our own selves.
This clear-eyed recognition of the potential for evil within us allows us to sidestep it, to restrain it, to control it. This mature self-awareness is the only way to combat our capacity for bringing harm to ourselves or others.
As long as we remain oblivious to our own capacity for evil, we remain prey to its unpredictability. The longer we remain blind, the more likely our own evil will blind-side us and catch us off-guard. The more we deny it, the stronger this evil side of us becomes as it lurks in the shadows just out of reach of our control.
The way to control this inner evil is for us to bring it into our conscious awareness, admit to its existence, and recognize its reality.
Only then can we ask Allah to save us from it.
May Allah allow us to see ourselves clearly and grant us wisdom and self-purifucation, ameen!
