Fiqh-us-Sunnah - 4.145

Hadith 4.145.1

What a Traveller Should Say on Riding

'Ali ibn Rabi'a reported that a riding animal was brought for 'Ali to ride. When he put his foot in the stirrups he said, "In the name of Allah." When he was seated on it he said, "Glory to Him Who has subjected this (means of transportation) to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). And to our Lord, surely, must we return." (Qur'an 43.13-14) Then he praised Allah three times, and glorified Him (i.e. said Allahu akbar), and then said, "Subhanaka la ilaha illa ant, qad zalamtu nafsi, faghfirli, innahu la yaghfiru dhunuba illa anta (Glory to You (O Allah), there is no god but You, I have indeed wronged my soul, so forgive me, verily none can forgive sins except You)." Then he laughed, whereupon I asked him, "Why did you laugh, O Chief of the Believers?" He replied, "I saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, doing as I did." At this I asked him, "Why did you laugh, O Allah's messenger?" He replied, "Our Lord is pleased when his servant says ' My Lord, forgive me, ' and He says, 'My servant knows that there is none to forgive sins except Me'." (Reported by Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim, who said it is sound according to the criterion of Muslim) Al-Azdi recorded Abdullah Ibn 'Umar's narration that whenever Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, mounted his camel to set out on a journey, he glorified Allah (uttered Allah-o-Akbar) three times, and then said, "Glory to Him Who has subjected these to our (use), for we could never have accomplished this (by ourselves). And to our Lord, surely, must we return. O Allah, we seek virtue and piety from You on this journey of ours, and actions that please You. O Allah, lighten this journey of ours, and make its distance easy for us. O Allah, You are (our) companion during the journey, and guardian of (our) family. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the hardship of the journey, the gloominess of the sights, and from finding misfortunes in property and family on our return." And the Prophet, peace be upon him, uttered these words in addition, "We are returning repentant, worshipping our Lord and praising Him." (Ahmad and Muslim)