Q: You will find attached a piece of paper sent to me by one of the female teachers as it was in circulation between students during exams. This piece of paper was entitled "the supplication of study and success" by Allah's permission. It includes supplications and Wird (portion of Qur'an recited with consistency) compiled by its writer. (Part No. 24; Page No. 184) The writer assembled supplications from Qur'anic verses and Prophetic traditions, however, he assigned special cases in which these supplications should be recited with no evidence or Athar (narrations from the Companions). I bring forward these supplications so as to gain your advice and caution regarding the invalidity of the method in which these supplications are said. May Allah help you to be one of the supporters of truth and prevailers, and save you to benefit Islam and Muslims. This paper includes the following:In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. The supplications of Study and Success by Allah's permission. Allah (Exalted be He) said, And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I do not worry about answering the Du`a' (supplication), but I worry about the Du`a' itself, so if I was guided to Du`a', surely I trust Allah that He will respond to my Du`a'." We are approaching exams, so I was guided by Allah to assemble these supplications to invoke Allah with whilst studying and before exams, and in cases of forgetfulness.The supplication of studying: O Allah! I ask You for the understanding of the Prophets and the memory of the Messengers and angels who are close to You, make my tongue fresh with Your remembrance and my heart humble to You and obedient to You, for You are sufficient for me and You are the best disposer of affairs.Before entering the exam room, we can invoke Allah by saying: My Lord! Let my entry be good, and likewise my exit be good. And grant me from You an authority to help me.After studying, we can say: O Allah! I entrust to you what I have read and (Part No. 24; Page No. 185) studied, and what I have learned, so let me remember it in case of need. Certainly! You have power over everything.Moreover, we can recite on starting exams: O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness), and ease my task for me; and make loose the knot (the defect) from my tongue, (i.e. remove the incorrectness from my speech), so that they understand my speech. By the Name of Allah the Judge! Nothing is easy except that which you make easy, and You are the Most Merciful.And on going to exams, we can say: O Allah! I put my trust in You, and I leave my affairs to You. Verily, there is no resort or refuge except with You.However, when facing any difficulty in exams, we can say: None has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allâh)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers. O Ever Living! O One Who sustains and protects all that exists! By Your Mercy I shall call for help. Verily, distress has seized me, and You are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.And on forgetfulness, we can say: O Allah Who will gather mankind together on the Day about which there is no doubt! Remind me of what I have forgotten.After finishing the exams, we say: "All the praise and thanks be to Allâh, Who has guided us to this, never could we have found guidance, were it not that Allâh had guided us."

A: These supplications for study and success which vary from one case to another to be said by the student in studying are considered Bid`ah (innovation in religion), as there is no mention in specifying them in such a method in the Qur'an or Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Certainly, what has been mentioned of Qur'anic verses or Prophetic traditions has been reported for specific or general reasons for the sake of invoking, beseeching, and seeking refuge to Allah and entrusting Him (Glorified be He) in all life's affairs (Part No. 24; Page No. 186) which might face humans. Accordingly, specifying such supplications in the way mentioned above is not permissible, and we should abandon such a method as not to believe in their validity in those cases. Du`a' (supplication), in general, is a kind of worship to Allah, so it is not valid except by Tawqif (a religious text and not personal opinion). Every Muslim should invoke Allah to facilitate all his or her affairs, and to increase his or her knowledge in religion, and to seek Allah's guidance and to seek His Help in reminding the Muslim what has been forgotten, and to ask Him to let us know what we ignore and to grant us success and help us to overcome difficulties without attributing Du`a' to specified cases. This is more appropriate for Muslims as far as religion is concerned, and it will result in answering their Du`a, and Allah will grant them success. Allah (Praised and Exalted be He) promised to respond the Du`a' to whoever invokes Him, and promised to grant the invoker success and guidance under one condition, namely to respond and believe in Allah's Shar` (Law), and to stick to it in accordance with what have been reported from Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). Allah (Exalted be He) says, And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright. May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.