Supplication for Travel

اللهُ أكبَر، اللهُ أكبَر، اللهُ أكبَر، سُـبْحانَ الَّذي سَخَّـرَ لَنا هذا وَما  كُنّا لَهُ مُقْـرِنين،  وَإِنّا إِلى رَبِّنـا لَمُنْقَـلِبون، اللّهُـمَّ إِنّا نَسْـأَلُكَ في سَفَـرِنا هذا البِـرَّ وَالتَّـقْوى، وَمِنَ الْعَمَـلِ ما تَـرْضى، اللّهُـمَّ هَوِّنْ عَلَـينا سَفَرَنا هذا وَاطْوِ عَنّا بُعْـدَه، اللّهُـمَّ أَنْـتَ الصّـاحِبُ في السَّـفَر، وَالْخَلـيفَةُ في الأهـلِ، اللّهُـمَّ  إِنّـي أَعـوذُبِكَ مِنْ وَعْـثاءِ السَّـفَر، وَكَآبَةِ الْمَنْـظَر، وَسوءِ الْمُنْـقَلَبِ في المـالِ وَالأَهْـل.

‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, subhanal-lathee sakhkhara lana hatha wama kunna lahu muqrineen, wa-inna ila rabbina lamunqaliboon, allahumma inna nas-aluka fee safarina hatha albirra wattaqwa, waminal-a’amali ma tarda, allahumma hawwin ‘alayna safarana hatha, watwi ‘anna bu’adah, allahumma antas-sahibu fis-safar, walkhaleefatu fil-ahl, allahumma innee aoothu bika min waatha-is-safar, waka-abatil-manthar, wasoo-il-munqalabi fil-mali wal-ahl.’

“Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, How Perfect He is, The One Who has placed this (transport) at our service, and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and to our Lord is our final destiny.  O Allah, we ask You for birr and taqwa in this journey of ours, and we ask You for deeds which please You.  O Allah, facilitate our journey and let us cover its distance quickly.  O Allah, You are The Companion on the journey and The Successor over the family, O Allah, I take refuge with You from the difficulties of travel, from having a change of hearts and being in a bad predicament, and I take refuge in You from an ill-fated outcome with wealth and family.”

Birr and taqwa: two comprehensive terms which individually, refer to all good actions and obedience i.e. performing the commanded actions and avoiding the prohibited actions.  When combined together, birr refers to doing those actions which have been commanded and taqwa refers to avoiding those actions which have been prohibited.

A successor: one who succeeds another due to the latter’s absence or death.  This is the correct meaning of the word khaleefah; thus, it is incorrect to believe that Adam is the khaleefah (vicegerent, as is commonly translated) of Allah on earth because Allah is never absent, and will never die.  This supplication proves the correct understanding of this term and shows that Allah succeeds us and guards whom we leave behind when we die or are absent.

…upon returning the same supplication is recited with the following addition:

آيِبـونَ تائِبـونَ عابِـدونَ لِرَبِّـنا حـامِـدون.

‘Ayiboona, ta-iboona, aabidoona, lirabbina hamidoon.’

“We return, repent, worship and praise our Lord.”