Khatm dua
There is no single supplication that the Prophet taught for finishing the Quran. The long dua printed at the back of many mushafs is a custom, it has no named author, and it changes from one edition to the next. What is actually narrated is shorter and easy to check, so this page sets each text beside its source and its grade, and leaves out anything it could not verify.
What is narrated, with its grade
Narrated, and graded authentic
What Anas ibn Malik did
كان أنس بن مالك إذا أشفى على ختم القرآن بالليل أبقّى منه شيئاً حتى يصبح، فيجتمع أهله، فيختمه معهم
كان أنس إذا ختم القرآن جمع ولده وأهل بيته فدعا بهم
When Anas ibn Malik was close to completing the Quran at night, he would leave a little of it until morning so that his family could gather and he could finish it with them. And when Anas completed the Quran, he would gather his children and his household and supplicate with them.
Source: Sunan al-Darimi, Fada’il al-Qur’an 33, quoted verbatim in islamweb fatwa 7491. Read the source.
Provenance: islamweb fatwa 113418 states that al-Darimi’s report of Anas was graded authentic (sahih) by Shaykh Husayn Salim Asad. Note what it is: a Companion’s practice of gathering the family and supplicating. It is not a fixed wording.
Practice of the salaf, not a hadith of the Prophet
A dua of the salaf
اللهم ارحمني بالقرآن واجعله لي إماما ونورا وهدى ورحمة، اللهم ذكرني منه ما نسيت
O Allah, have mercy on me through the Quran, and make it for me a leader, a light, a guidance and a mercy. O Allah, remind me of what I have forgotten of it.
Source: Matalib Uli al-Nuha, quoting al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azim: “I found the people in Basra doing it, and in Mecca”, mentioned from ‘Uthman. Quoted verbatim in islamweb fatwa 110189. Read the source.
Provenance: The fatwa presents this as something reported from some of the salaf, not as a hadith of the Prophet, and sees no objection to saying it. It gives no chain to the Prophet and claims none.
Practice of the salaf, not a hadith of the Prophet
A shorter form from the Musannaf
اللهم اغفر لي بالقرآن، اللهم ارحمني بالقرآن، اللهم اهدني بالقرآن، اللهم ارزقني بالقرآن
O Allah, forgive me through the Quran. O Allah, have mercy on me through the Quran. O Allah, guide me through the Quran. O Allah, provide for me through the Quran.
Source: Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf, from Zayd ibn ‘Ali, who heard Abu Ja‘far al-Baqir saying it. Quoted verbatim in islamweb fatwa 110189. Read the source.
Provenance: Reported of a follower (tabi‘i), not of the Prophet. The same fatwa cites it as an example of the salaf supplicating in these words.
Long-standing custom; the attribution was not accepted
The takbir said at the end of the short surahs
الله أكبر لا إله إلا الله والله أكبر الله أكبر ولله الحمد
Allah is greatest. There is no god but Allah, and Allah is greatest. Allah is greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.
Source: TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi, entry “Hatim” by Abdurrahman Cetin, which prints this Arabic as the most widespread of these formulas. Read the source.
Provenance: The same entry says the practice of saying takbir from Surah al-Duha onward was narrated as a hadith attributed to the Prophet by al-Bazzi, a transmitter of Ibn Kathir’s reading (al-Hakim III, 304), but that al-Bazzi was accused of relaying disconnected reports as connected ones and that hadith scholars did not accept reports of his of this kind. It continued as a tradition, and the tahlil and tahmid phrases were added to it over time.
The Arabic above is reproduced exactly as it appears in the sources linked beside it. The English is our own plain rendering, offered to help you read the Arabic, and it is not a translation taken from those sources.
The short answer
- Is there a fixed prophetic khatm dua? No. Two fatwa bodies say so in plain words, quoted below.
- Is it good to supplicate after completing the Quran? Yes, and gathering the family to do it has an authenticated precedent in the practice of Anas ibn Malik.
- What should you say? The sources quoted here point to supplicating in your own words, and they preserve a few short wordings that the salaf used. Those are printed above with their chains.
What is often claimed, and what the sources say
| Claim | Verdict in the sources |
|---|---|
| There is a specific dua the Prophet taught for completing the Quran. | Not established. islamweb fatwa 11726: “We know of no specific dua for the completion of the Quran established from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” IslamQA 37683 quotes Shaykh Ibn Baz: “There is no evidence that there is a specific du‘a for finishing the Quran as far as I know.” islamweb 11726IslamQA 37683 |
| Whoever completes the Quran has one supplication that is answered. | Weak. islamweb fatwa 7491 says this did not come from the Messenger of Allah by any authentic route, and that the closest it found is a report of al-Tabarani, of which al-Haythami said: “in it is ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn Sulayman, and he is weak.” The TDV encyclopedia cites the same wording from al-Haythami VII, 172 without adding a grading of its own. islamweb 7491TDV, Hatim |
| The long dua printed at the back of many mushafs is the khatm dua. | A custom, and it varies between editions. islamweb fatwa 113418: “No particular dua is required in that, neither those found in the mushafs nor others.” The same fatwa notes these printed duas differ from one edition to another. It has no single named author and no chain, which is why this page does not reprint it: we could not tie a fixed wording to a verifiable named source, so under our sourcing rule we leave it out and say so. islamweb 113418 |
| Surah al-Ikhlas is recited three times before the khatm dua. | Reported to have no basis. TDV Islam Ansiklopedisi, entry “Hatim”: it has been reported that reciting Surah al-Ikhlas three times before this dua has no basis and is an innovation, citing al-Zarkashi, al-Burhan I, 474 and Ibn al-Jazari, al-Nashr II, 451. TDV, Hatim |
Why this page does not print the long dua
Search for a khatm dua and you will find the same long Arabic text on hundreds of pages, usually with no source at all. We could not tie it to a named author, a named collection or a chain of transmission, and the one fatwa that addresses it directly says the printed duas differ between mushaf editions and that none of them is required. Our rule for this site is that a devotional text is published only when it can be quoted verbatim from a named, verifiable source shown on the page. That text does not meet it, so it is absent, and this paragraph exists so the absence is visible rather than silent.
This page reports what named sources say. It does not issue a ruling, and nothing here should be read as one. Where scholars differ, both positions are given with their references so you can take the question to the scholar or fatwa body you follow.
Finishing a reading in the first place
A khatm is one complete reading: 604 pages in the Madani mushaf, 30 juz, 6,236 ayat. The khatm calculator splits that over however many days you have and tells you the surah and ayah each day opens and closes on, which is the part most plans leave out. You can also read the Quran here with translation, and browse the supplications that come from the Quran itself, each shown inside its own ayah.
Common questions
Is the khatm dua sunnah?
Supplicating after completing the Quran is treated as good practice by the sources quoted here, and the Anas ibn Malik report gives it a Companion’s precedent. A specific fixed wording as sunnah is a different claim, and islamweb 11726 and IslamQA 37683 both say no such wording is established from the Prophet.
Can I make dua in my own language?
The sources cited above direct the reader to supplicate with whatever good of this world and the next they wish, rather than to a set text. They do not restrict that to Arabic. For a matter that affects your own practice, ask a scholar you trust.
What did the earliest Muslims actually do at a khatm?
The best documented thing is gathering. Al-Darimi records that Anas ibn Malik would hold back a small part of his reading overnight so his family could be present, then finish it with them and supplicate. The TDV encyclopedia adds that ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas and Anas ibn Malik are among the Companions reported to have taken part in khatm supplications with their households.
Is there a Turkish version of this page?
Yes. Hatim duası covers the same question from the Turkish sources, including the TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi entry.
Is the long dua printed at the back of many mushafs authentic?
It is a custom rather than a narration. islamweb fatwa 113418 says that no particular dua is required for a completion, “neither those found in the mushafs nor others”, and notes that these printed duas differ from one edition to another. It carries no named author and no chain, which is why this page does not reprint it.
Is it true that whoever finishes the Quran has one supplication that is answered?
That wording is weak. islamweb fatwa 7491 says it did not come from the Messenger of Allah by any authentic route, and that the closest it found is a report of al-Tabarani, of which al-Haythami said: “in it is ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn Sulayman, and he is weak.” The TDV encyclopedia cites the same wording from al-Haythami without adding a grading of its own.
Should Surah al-Ikhlas be recited three times before the khatm dua?
The TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi entry on hatim reports that doing so has no basis and is an innovation, citing al-Zarkashi in al-Burhan and Ibn al-Jazari in al-Nashr. That is the encyclopedia reporting a position, and a question about your own practice belongs with a scholar you trust.
What is the takbir said at the end of the short surahs?
The most widespread formula is printed in full above, with its Arabic. The same TDV entry records that saying takbir from Surah al-Duha onward was attributed to the Prophet by al-Bazzi, a transmitter of Ibn Kathir’s reading, but that al-Bazzi was accused of relaying disconnected reports as connected ones and hadith scholars did not accept reports of his of this kind. It continued as a tradition, and the tahlil and tahmid phrases were added to it over time.
Which short wordings did the salaf use?
Two are printed above with their Arabic. One is quoted in Matalib Uli al-Nuha from al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azim and mentioned from ‘Uthman; the other is in Ibn Abi Shaybah’s Musannaf, heard from Abu Ja‘far al-Baqir. islamweb fatwa 110189 presents both as things reported from some of the salaf, not as hadith of the Prophet, and gives no chain to him.
How much reading is one khatm?
One complete reading: 604 pages in the Madani mushaf, 30 juz, 6,236 ayat. The khatm calculator splits that over however many days you have and names the surah and ayah each day opens and closes on.
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