What is the du'a for gaining knowledge?

The du'a from the Qur'an

This is the shortest and most direct of them, and it is a verse of the Qur'an itself:

رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا"My Lord, increase me in knowledge."— Qur'an 20:114

It appears in Surah Ta-Ha, where Allah instructs His Prophet ﷺ — and through him every believer — to ask for increase in knowledge and in nothing else in that phrasing. The scholars noted that if there were any good thing whose increase is commanded more than knowledge, it would have been asked for here.

The du'a taught by the Prophet ﷺ

The Prophet ﷺ used to say:

اللَّهُمَّ انْفَعْنِي بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنِي وَعَلِّمْنِي مَا يَنْفَعُنِي وَزِدْنِي عِلْمًا وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ"O Allah, benefit me by what You have taught me, and teach me what will benefit me, and increase me in knowledge. And all praise is due to Allah in every circumstance."— Sunan Ibn Majah 251, from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه

Imam Tirmidhi recorded it with the addition "and I seek refuge with Allah from the state of the people of the Fire," and graded it hasan gharib from that route. Ibn Majah's version is graded sahih.

What the words are asking for

The du'a has three requests, and they build on one another.

• Benefit from what you already know: knowledge that stays on the tongue or in a notebook and never reaches the heart or the deed is not yet nafi' (beneficial). The first request is that what has already been learned actually work in you.
• Be taught what will benefit you: this asks for more, but only of the useful kind — the knowledge that draws you nearer to Allah and orders your life.
• Increase in knowledge: the same request as the Qur'anic verse, placed at the end so that the increase rests on a foundation of benefit rather than mere accumulation.

The closing phrase, "and all praise is due to Allah in every circumstance," trains the student to be grateful for what he has while asking for more — the opposite of the discontent that makes learning a burden.

When to say it

There is no fixed time the sources attach to these words. They are general supplications for the student: before study, after a lesson, when memorising, when you feel knowledge slipping, and in the quiet parts of the night. The Qur'anic verse is short enough to repeat often, and the Prophet's ﷺ du'a is suited to the beginning and end of a session of study.

A note on the longer narration

A well-known report describes a lengthy du'a and a four-rak'ah prayer for one who complains that the Qur'an slips from his memory. Ibn Kathir, who records it, examines its chains and concludes it is very weak — one of its narrators is abandoned, another was declared a liar, and al-Bukhari said it is not authentic. It is not a basis for a prescribed act of worship. The two du'as above are sound and sufficient.

Key takeaways

• The Qur'anic du'a

"My Lord, increase me in knowledge" (20:114)

is the most direct supplication for knowledge and is safe to use constantly.

• The Prophet ﷺ asked not only for more knowledge but for benefit in what was already learned, so the du'a covers both retention and increase.
• Say them before study, after a lesson, and whenever you feel knowledge slipping — no fixed time is required.
• The long narration about a four-rak'ah prayer for memorising the Qur'an is very weak and should not be treated as a prescribed practice.
• Ask with a present heart and lawful earnings; the scholars list both among the reasons a du'a is answered.

Further reading

• Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Supplication (hadith 251, 3833)
• Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Book of Supplication (hadith 3599)
• Ibn Kathir, Fada'il al-Qur'an — on the weakness of the narration of the memorisation prayer

And Allah knows best.