What is the dua for guidance (hidayah)?

Every Muslim asks Allah for guidance at least seventeen times a day, since al-Fatiha — recited in every unit of every prayer — contains the request: 'Guide us to the straight path, the path of those You have blessed, not of those who have earned Your anger or gone astray' (1:6-7). This makes seeking hidayah the single most repeated request in a Muslim's life. Beyond the prayer itself, the Prophet taught a specific dua for guidance: 'Allahumma inni as'aluka al-huda, wat-tuqa, wal-afafa, wal-ghina' ('O Allah, I ask You for guidance, piety, chastity, and self-sufficiency') (Sahih Muslim 2721), combining the request for right direction with the character needed to actually walk that path once shown it. Guidance in Islam is understood in layers — being shown the truth in the first place, being given the ability to act on it consistently, and being kept firm on it until death — and all three layers require Allah's continual help, not just human effort. This is why guidance is sought so often and so early in life: it is not a one-time event but an ongoing need renewed with every prayer.

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