What does hdini mean? In what circumstances is this word pronounced? Some clarifications on this invocation, easy to learn, to prepare oneself to invoke Allah during the month of Ramadan which is fast approaching.
What does hdini mean in Arabic?
Hdini is a du'a, or in English « an invocation », that the Muslim directs towards his own person. This word, which comes from the common noun « houda » meaning « guidance », is a fragment of prayer to ask to be guided, which translates as follows:
Guide me!
« Allahoumma hdini » literally means « O Allah, guide me! ».
This invocation is found in other, longer du'as such as the following:
Allahouma Hdini wa rhamni which means: O Allah, guide me and have mercy on me!
Allahuma afini: O Allah, grant me (preservation) health!
Or « Allahumma hdini sirata el moustaqim which translates as: O Lord, guide me on Your Straight Path!
It is a sound tradition of the prophets, the act of asking the Lord to guide us and to make faith bathe in our hearts. The prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him, asked Allah to guide him when he saw his people persist in idolatry.
His heart rejected chirk (giving associates to Allah) and he sought guidance on all sides, until he said these words that are found in the Quran:
"Then when he observed the moon rising, he said: « This is my Lord! » Then, when it disappeared, he said: « If my Lord does not guide me, I will certainly be among the people who are astray. »
فَلَمَّا رَءَا ٱلْقَمَرَ بَازِغًۭا قَالَ هَٰذَا رَبِّى ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَ قَالَ لَئِن لَّمْ يَهْدِنِى رَبِّى لَأَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ " (verse 77 in surah 6 THE CATTLE / AL-ANAM)
Phonetic transcription of this verse:
77 Falammā Ra'á Al-Qamara Bāzighāan Qāla Hādhā Rabbī Falammā 'Afala Qāla La'in Lam Yahdinī Rabbī La'akūnanna Mina Al-Qawmi Ađ-Đāllīna
Meaning and translation of allah y hdina in Arabic
*This guidance that we wish for ourselves should be the object of invocations towards our brothers and sisters, as attested by these other versions of this prayer:
Allah y hdina: O Allah, guide us!
Allah y hdik: May Allah guide you!
Allah y hdiha: May Allah guide her!
Allah y hdih: May Allah guide him!
Allah y hdihoum: May Allah guide them!
What to reply to allah y hdina?
It is fitting to pray oneself for one's own guidance and not to feel safe from all error, in order to preserve our heart from all ostentation, or vanity, by asking Allah y hdina (O Allah, guide us!), or, Allah hdini (O Allah, guide me!). Allah warns us in the Quran against being puffed up with pride when a person advises us, or calls us to order. Thus, when a person prays for our guidance, it is preferable and healthier to reply to him as below:
Allahuma amin!
Or simply « Amin ».
This means: O my Lord, accept (this invocation).
Other invocations containing Allah i hdina
Allahouma hdina fiman hadayt, whose appropriate translation would be: O Allah, guide us among those You have guided.
Y hdina siratal mustaqim, which means « Guide us on the Straight Path (or the Straight Way) », is an invocation that the Muslim repeats at least 22 times a day when he recites the chapter Al Fatiha of the Quran, during the obligatory prayers.
The importance of getting into the habit of asking for guidance is understood when one realizes that the Lord instituted this call for guidance in a repeated and daily manner. The heart of the being is fragile and subject to temptations. This is why solidifying it through Dhikr (the remembrance of Allah, the invocations) is so important. The constant and conscious quest for uprightness is not something temporal, and should never be taken for granted.
Allah y hdina is an invocation to which the believer clings, and which follows throughout our life.
Allah y hdina in the Quran
The Quran reminds us that Allah guides whom He wills:
"Allah calls to the abode of peace and guides whom He wills towards a straight path.
وَٱللَّهُ يَدْعُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ دَارِ ٱلسَّلَٰمِ وَيَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٍۢ مُّسْتَقِيمٍۢ " (verse 25 in surah 10 JONAH / YUNUS)
"Whomever Allah guides, that is the well-guided one. And whomever He leads astray, those are the losers.
مَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَهُوَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِى ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْخَٰسِرُونَ " (verse 178 in surah 7 THE HEIGHTS / AL-ARAF)
- Allah does not guide certain categories of people, may Allah preserve us from being among them.
Other invocations
Surah Ali Imran Verse 147
Rabbana ghfir lana dhounoubana wa israfana fi amrina wa thabet aqdaamana wanssourna ala lqawm al kafirin
« Lord, forgive us our sins as well as our excesses in our conduct, make our steps firm and grant us victory over the disbelieving people. »