The 365 · Verses · Day 76 · Knowledge
The Prophet ﷺ asked daily for an increase in knowledge until his last breath. There is no ceiling.
Qur'an Q 20:114
فَتَعَـٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلْمَلِكُ ٱلْحَقُّ ۗ وَلَا تَعْجَلْ بِٱلْقُرْءَانِ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يُقْضَىٰٓ إِلَيْكَ وَحْيُهُۥ ۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا
“...but say, 'Lord, increase me in knowledge!' (Abdel Haleem)”
Svenska: ...men be [bönen]: 'Herre! Låt min kunskap växa!' (Knut Bernström)
The story
Ibn Kathir explains the context: the Prophet ﷺ would receive revelation from Jibril and was so eager to memorize it that he would move his tongue rapidly, repeating each phrase as he heard it. Allah revealed Q 75:16-19 telling him not to do this; the gathering of the Quran in his chest and the explanation of it would be Allah's responsibility. Q 20:114 is part of the same instruction: do not rush, but pray for an increase. Ibn Kathir cites Ibn 'Uyaynah's note: 'The Prophet ﷺ did not cease increasing in knowledge until Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, took him.' The Prophet ﷺ until his death recited 'Rabbi zidni 'ilma' daily. The du'a' is the only Quranic command for the Prophet ﷺ to ask Allah for an increase in something specific.
In the language
زِدْنِي (zidni) is the imperative of zada, 'to increase.' The construction is direct: increase me. The grammatical object (knowledge) is in the accusative without the definite article, which carries the meaning 'knowledge of every kind.' The Prophet ﷺ is taught to ask for the increase without specifying the form: knowledge of revelation, of fiqh, of language, of the unseen, of the heart. All of it. The du'a' is open-ended on purpose.
Why this verse
The only command in the Quran for the Prophet ﷺ to ask Allah for an increase in something specific. Ibn 'Uyaynah noted: 'The Prophet ﷺ did not cease increasing in knowledge until Allah took him.' The du'a' is the lifelong posture of the believer.
Bring it into today
Make 'Rabbi zidni 'ilma' your closing du'a' after every learning session. After a podcast, after a tafsir lecture, after a YouTube khutbah, after reading a chapter. The du'a' protects you from the modern trap of feeling done; the Prophet ﷺ never felt done.
A reflection to carry
The Prophet ﷺ was given by Allah the most comprehensive revelation in human history. He was the most knowledgeable human who would ever live. Allah still commanded him to ask for more knowledge. The instruction is for us by extension: there is no ceiling. The knowledgeable scholar still asks. The student of the religion still asks. The sincere seeker still asks. The du'a' is daily. The increase is daily.
Read the longer reflection
Ibn 'Uyaynah's observation is striking: the Prophet ﷺ did not cease increasing in knowledge until his death. The Prophet ﷺ was 63 years old when he died. From the cave of Hira' at age 40 until his last breath at 63, twenty-three years of continuous revelation, he kept asking. The principle is structural: knowledge has no end. The closer you come to knowing, the more you see how much remains unknown. The du'a' is therefore not a one-time supplication; it is the lifelong posture of the believer. Memorize 'Rabbi zidni 'ilma' in Arabic. Recite it after every act of seeking knowledge: after a class, a book, a sermon, a Qur'an portion. The du'a' keeps the door open.
Sources: Ibn Kathir. 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.
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