Qur’anic supplication · meaning, pronunciation and practice
Guidance is a gift for which a believer remains dependent on اللّٰه (ALLAH). This short Qur’anic supplication asks for a heart that does not turn away after guidance and for mercy. It teaches humility after learning, rather than confidence that knowledge makes a person self-sufficient.
Read the complete Qur’anic source
Qur’an study · Ali ‘Imran
Ayah 3:8
A full learner transliteration is not displayed here. Listen to the complete ayah and use the Arabic with a capable teacher rather than guessing its sounds from English letters.
Transliteration can help you begin, but it cannot reproduce every Arabic sound or replace listening, tajwid study, or correction from a capable teacher.Read from right to left. Each column keeps one Arabic word, its reading aid and its contextual gloss together. Select a word to hear it.
Each word card: Arabic · reading aid · contextual gloss
Saheeh International is the primary reading. The two named comparisons make translation choices visible; none is presented as the Arabic Qur’an itself.
[Who say], "Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.
Our Lord! Cause not our hearts to stray after Thou hast guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Thy Presence. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Bestower.
"Our Lord!" (they say), "Let not our hearts deviate now after Thou hast guided us, but grant us mercy from Thine own Presence; for Thou art the Grantor of bounties without measure.
Sources used for this ayah panelOpen the Arabic, audio and translation notes
- Arabic and word segmentation
- Quran Foundation Quran.com Content API snapshot for Qur’an 3:8. The selected riwayah and Mushaf text field are recorded with the source data.
- Reading aids
- A full learner transliteration is not displayed; use the recitation and Arabic with a capable teacher. Transliteration is not Qur’an.
- Word audio and contextual glosses
- Quran Foundation word data. Glosses help align words; they are not presented as a complete translation.
- Named translations
- Saheeh International (resource 20), M. Pickthall (resource 19), and A. Yusuf Ali (resource 22).
- Complete recitation
- Mishari Rashid al-‘Afasy, Quran Foundation recitation resource 7.
Read this verse with the surrounding discussion of revelation and understanding in Surah Ali ‘Imran. The request speaks from the position of people who have received guidance and still ask to be kept rightly directed. Do not detach it into a claim that a learner can diagnose another person’s heart. A question, mistake or moment of uncertainty does not give this page knowledge of someone’s inner state.
The panel keeps the Arabic text, transliteration, word meanings and named translations visibly distinct. Use the full verse to identify where the supplication begins. A quoted phrase must not silently include or omit surrounding narrative words.
Understand what you are asking
The first request concerns the hearts after guidance; the second asks for mercy from the Lord. The verse concludes by addressing the One who bestows. Follow these movements in the controlled word panel. Transliteration may help you follow a teacher initially, but the letters on an English keyboard cannot fully represent Arabic sounds. Learn the whole meaning before trying to attach a separate spiritual effect to each syllable.
Read the full named translation before using an individual word gloss. A gloss is a small reading aid: Arabic grammar and connected meaning do not always map onto separate English words. If two translations differ, compare their wording with a capable teacher rather than inventing a combined version labelled as revelation.
Learn the pronunciation with care
Use the complete verse recitation where available, or listen to a capable Qur’an reader. Then listen to one short phrase, follow its Arabic words and repeat after the reader. Compare the sound with the text instead of guessing pronunciation from English spelling. Use word audio where available, then return to the connected phrase.
Transliteration is temporary support. It does not represent every Arabic sound or replace recitation teaching. Ask a qualified reader about sounds you cannot distinguish and suitable stopping places. Practise at a pace that lets you listen accurately. The number of practice attempts is a learning choice, not a prescribed devotional count. A reading difficulty is a reason for patient support, not ridicule.
Bring the meaning into ordinary life
After learning a useful truth, ask for the humility to live by it and to accept correction. You might notice a temptation to win an argument rather than understand a source. Pause and return to the evidence. That is a practical reflection inspired by the supplication, not a claim that reading it makes every opinion correct. It is possible to be sincere and still need a better explanation.
The verse does not make the reciter immune from mistakes or turn a preferred teacher’s statements into revelation. Asking for steadiness goes with careful learning; it does not require pretending that you have no questions.
When learning this text as Qur’an, preserve its wording. You can record personal reflections separately, clearly labelled as your own thoughts. A display, printout or audio recording is a way to access the words; it is not an object with independent protective power.
Teach a younger learner gently
Use a simple arrow on paper to show staying on an understood direction. Explain that this is only a teaching illustration, not an image of the spiritual heart. Ask an older child how pride could make correction difficult. For a younger child, practise saying “I made a mistake; let me check.” Do not label the child’s heart when they struggle with the answer.
Offer a way to answer that suits the learner: speech, pointing to a labelled phrase or a short written explanation. Correct one specific misunderstanding at a time. Do not rank siblings by memory speed or claim to know a child’s spiritual standing from a pronunciation attempt. Keep the learning record private and free of unnecessary personal details.
Check understanding and keep a useful record
Why does a person who has received guidance still ask for guidance and mercy?
Save the phrase you have reached, the meaning you can explain and one pronunciation question for your next session. Finishing the reading is different from memorising accurately; note these as separate learning aims. Revisit the source after a mistake and explain what changed in your understanding.
If you print the verse, choose only the pages you need and avoid wasting paper. Keep Qur’anic text clean and handle it respectfully. Ask a knowledgeable local teacher about appropriate handling when a printed copy is no longer needed; do not scatter or casually discard it.