Can You Give Me Some Supplications for My Exam?
Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad
Question
I am preparing to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) next month. I was wondering if there are any helpful dua that I can recite during my study sessions and on test day. It is a very difficult exam, and it plays a very big role in the admissions process for law school which causes me a bit of anxiety. Thus, it would be great to have some dua to say as I prepare to take this test. Jazakhallah for any guidance you can provide.
Answer
Thank you for your question. May Allah reward you for trying your best and for taking the means to earn a halal livelihood. My teacher taught me that one’s job is considered dhikr, because it is done for the sake of Allah Most High, and hence it is the remembrance of Allah.
Supplications
Please see these links regarding your question:
Supplication for Success in Exam
What Is a Good Supplication to Make for Studying?
Also, I have compiled some supplications below that have been recommended by different scholars:
1) رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي, وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي, وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي, يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي
Rabbi shraḥ lī ṣadrī, wayassir lī amrī, wāḥlul ʻuqdatan mi llisānī, yafqahuwā qawlī
My Lord! Uplift my heart for me, make my task easy, and remove the impediment from my tongue, so people may understand my speech. [Quran, 20:25-28]
2) رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا
Rabbanā ātinā min lladunka raḥmatan wahayyiʼ lanā min amrinā rashadan
Our Lord! Grant us mercy from Yourself and guide us rightly through our ordeal. [Quran, 18:10]
3) رَبِّ إنّي مَغْلوبٌ فانْتَصِرْ
Rabbi inni maghlubun fāntaṣir
I am helpless, so help ˹me˺! [Quran, 54:10]
Read this eleven times after every obligatory prayer –
4) رَبِّ زِدْني عِلْمًا
Rabbi zidni ʻilma
O Allah, increase me in knowledge [Quran, 20:114]
5) Recite the blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in abundance, such as the following formula in this link. Some say to recite it 100 times after each prayer.
The Ideal Prayer on the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
6) اللّهُمّ يَسِّرْ وَلا تُعَسِّرْ وأتِمَّه على خَيْر
Allahumma yassir walā tuʻassir wa-atimmah ʻalá khayr
Oh, make it easy and don’t make it difficult, and complete it with goodness.
7) اللَّهُمَّ انْفَعْنِي بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنِي، وَعَلِّمْنِي مَا يَنْفَعُنِي، وَزِدْنِي عِلْمًا
Allahumma infa’nee bimaa ‘allamtanee wa’allimnee maa yanfa’unee، wa zidnee `ilman.
O Allah! Make useful for me what You taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me, and increase my knowledge.
8) إنّكَ على ما تَشَاءُ قَديرٌ وأنتَ حَسبُنا اللهُ نِعْمَ الوَكِيل
Innaka ‘alaa maa tashaa-u Qadeer wa anta hasbun-Allahu wa ni’mal wakeel.
(O Allah!) You do whatever You wish, and You are my Availer and Protector and the best of aid.
9) اللّهُمّ إنّي أسْتَودِعُكَ ما قَرَأتُ وما حَفِظْتُهُ فَرُدّوهُ عَلَيَّ عِندَ حاجَتي إلَيْه.
Allahumma innee astawdi’uka ma qara’tu wa ma hafizhtu. Faruddahu ‘alayya ‘inda
haajatee ilayhi.
O, Allah! I entrust You with what I have read and I have studied. Bring it back to me when I am in need of it.
10) يا عَلِيم
Ya ‘Aleem.
O, knowledgeable one!
Recite this 7 times after every obligatory prayer.
In addition to this, one must always study hard, and pray one’s five prayers on time, in addition to making dua after each prayer, for that is a time when prayer is answered. Trust in Allah in the end and know that he will set you on the right path and that your sustenance (rizq) is guaranteed.
May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.
[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria for two years where she studied aqida, fiqh, tajweed, tafsir, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Masters in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She later moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.
