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رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ.
My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteousness of which You approve. And admit me by Your mercy into [the ranks of] Your righteous servants.
Rabbi awzini an ashkura nimatakallati anamta alayya wa ala walidayya wa an amala ṣalihan tarḍah, wa adhkilni birahmatika fi ibadikaṣṣalihin.
This supplication was spoken by Prophet Sulayman when he heard the ant warn the other ants that Sulayman’s army was approaching and that they should seek shelter lest they be crushed. Indeed, to be able to hear, let alone understand the words of this tiny creature and to appreciate that it has a mind that allows it to warn others of imminent danger is a remarkable gift. And so Prophet Sulayman asks Allah to enable him to show thanks for this blessing and for the blessings that He bestowed upon his parents. After asking Allah to enable him to do righteous deeds, Sulayman asks Allah to include him among His righteous servants by means of His Mercy. Hence, Sulayman acknowledges that all good comes from Allah and that to be included among Allah’s righteous servants is another blessing that Allah bestows, and not something that can be essentially attributed to one’s deeds or one’s righteousness. All good is a gift from Allah.