My favorite Prayer in the Quran

​Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise. (66:11)

In the name of the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful Allah.

My favorite dua in the Quran is:

رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ

Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise. (66:11)

Every action, every deed, every sacrifice, that we did seeking sincerity and closeness to Allah calls us to love this dua. For what can be more pleasing to the soul than being close to his Lord, whose closeness and nearness the slave sought for his entire life?

وَإِنَّ لَهُ عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَىٰ وَحُسْنَ مَآبٍ

And indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return. (38:25)

This dua “Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise.” was made by Asiyah, the wife of the tyrannical Pharaoh.


وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا امْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, “Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people.” (66:11)

Ibn Jarir recorded that Sulayman said, “The wife of Fir`awn was tortured under the sun and when Fir`awn would finish the torture session, the angels would shade her with their wings. She was shown her house in Paradise.”
Ibn Jarir said that Al-Qasim bin Abi Bazzah said, “Fir`awn’s wife used to ask, `Who prevailed’ When she was told, `Musa and Harun prevailed’, she said, `I believe in the Lord of Musa and Harun.’
Fir`awn sent his aides to her and said to them, `Find the biggest stone. If she insists on keeping her faith, throw the stone on her, otherwise she is my wife. When they came to her, she looked up to the sky and was able to see her house in Paradise. She persisted on the faith and her soul was then captured. The stone was thrown on her lifeless body.” This is the meaning of her statement,

رَبِّ ٱبۡنِ لِى عِندَكَ بَيۡتً۬ا فِى ٱلۡجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِى مِن فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَعَمَلِهِۦ 

Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Fir`awn and his work

[Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 66:11)

So as our hearts incline to be close to the Generous Lord, let us work to be the foremost in good.

وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ * أُولَٰئِكَ الْمُقَرَّبُونَ * فِي جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ

And the forerunners, the forerunners - Those are the ones brought near [to Allah], in the Gardens of Pleasure. (Surah Al Waqiah, 56:10-12)

As our hearts incline to be close to our Lord, let us strive for that station in paradise.

فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ

In a seat of truth near a Powerful King (54:55)