The 365 · Sunnah · Day 58 · Social
Reciting the Prophetic Duʿāʾ When Entering a Marketplace
The hadith
مَنْ دَخَلَ السُّوقَ فَقَالَ: لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ، وَهُوَ حَيٌّ لَا يَمُوتُ، بِيَدِهِ الخَيْرُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، كَتَبَ اللَّهُ لَهُ أَلْفَ أَلْفِ حَسَنَةٍ
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever enters a marketplace and says: lā ilāha illa Allahu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamd, yuḥyī wa yumīt, wa huwa ḥayyun lā yamūt, bi-yadihi al-khayr, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr, Allah will write for him a million good deeds, erase from him a million bad deeds, and raise him a million degrees.' (Sunan at-Tirmidhī 3428, classed ḥasan, narrated by ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Den som går in på en marknad och säger denna du'a, Allah skriver åt honom en miljon goda gärningar, suddar bort en miljon dåliga gärningar och höjer honom en miljon grader.'
The story
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ra. preserved this hadith. ʿUmar's relationship to the marketplace was operational: he was famous for his nightly walks through the markets of Madinah as Caliph, both to oversee economic activity and to ensure heedlessness was kept in check. The Prophet ﷺ giving him this duʿāʾ was structurally fitting: ʿUmar entered marketplaces more than most.
Why it's here
The marketplace is named in the hadith literature as one of the most heedless places: surrounded by transactions, distractions, and temptations, the believer's heart easily forgets Allah. The Prophet ﷺ established this duʿāʾ precisely for that reason: a single recitation upon entering converts the heedless place into a place of structural reward. The named multipliers (a million good deeds, a million erased sins, a million degrees raised) make this one of the highest-leverage single duʿāʾs in the Sunnah.
Try it today
1. Memorize the duʿāʾ in Arabic. About 30 seconds to recite. 2. Recite it every time you enter any marketplace, store, mall, or major shopping context. The hadith does not specify a single market type. 3. Pair with the broader practice of bringing dhikr into transactional spaces: say bismillah before purchases, al-ḥamdulillāh after, and limit unnecessary marketplace time.
In your day
Modern Muslims spend hours weekly in marketplaces (grocery stores, online shopping, malls). Each entry is now an opportunity for the named multiplier. Memorize the duʿāʾ; recite it at every marketplace entry, including digital ones (the moment you open Amazon, the moment you enter a store).
A reflection to carry
The marketplace duʿāʾ: a million good deeds erased. The Prophet ﷺ: 'Whoever enters a marketplace and says: lā ilāha illā Allāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulk wa-lahu al-ḥamd, yuḥyī wa-yumīt, wa-huwa ḥayyun lā yamūt, bi-yadihi al-khayr, wa-huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr: Allah will write for him a million good deeds, erase a million sins, and raise him a million degrees.' (Tirmidhī 3428.)
Read the longer reflection
The structurally severe reward (1 million good deeds + 1 million sins erased + 1 million degrees raised) for a single 30-second duʿāʾ at marketplace-entry is operationally severe. Modern application: malls, supermarkets, online shopping sites, even the 'Add to Cart' moment. Cure: memorize the duʿāʾ; recite when entering any marketplace (physical or digital); the structural multiplication-promise is unbroken across forms. The Companions practiced this consistently; modern Muslims often miss this Sunnah because they have not learned it.
Sources: Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
A verse, a healing, and a Sunnah, every morning.
Subscribe, free