The Prophet ﷺ asked his Lord for taqwā (piety), meaning that Allah would grant him success in being mindful of Him. For Allah, mighty and majestic, holds the keys to everything; when a servant is left to his own devices he is lost and gains nothing, but when Allah bestows success and blesses him with taqwā he becomes firmly upright upon the path of God-fearingness.

As for the term “al-ʿafāf” (chastity), the Prophet was asking that Allah confer upon him chastity and restraint from everything He has forbidden. If we limit ʿafāf to abstention from a particular matter, then the phrase is an instance of coupling the specific with the general; otherwise, it is a pairing of near-synonyms. In all cases, ʿafāf means refraining from every prohibition Allah has set—keeping clear of all the sacred limits He has decreed.

With regard to “al-ghinā” (sufficiency), the intent is independence from all but Allah, freedom from dependence on created beings so that a person needs no one besides his Lord. When Allah grants someone this self-sufficiency, he becomes dignified and unhumiliated, for dependence on people is abasement and disgrace, whereas neediness toward Allah is honor and worship. Hence the Prophet ﷺ asked Allah for such sufficiency.

We therefore ought to follow the Messenger ﷺ in this supplication, asking Allah for guidance, piety, chastity, and sufficiency.

This hadith is also proof that the Prophet ﷺ does not possess for himself benefit or harm; the One who controls all of that is Allah alone. It likewise refutes those who attach themselves to saints and the righteous in bringing