Allahumma 'afini fi badani, Allahumma 'afini fi sam'i, Allahumma 'afini fi basari, la ilaha illa anta. Allahumma inni a'udhu bika minal-kufri wal-faqr, Allahumma inni a'udhu bika min 'adhabil-qabr, la ilaha illa anta.
O Allah, grant me wellbeing in my body. O Allah, grant me wellbeing in my hearing. O Allah, grant me wellbeing in my sight. There is no god but You. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from disbelief and poverty. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave. There is no god but You.
Allahumma ʿafini fi badani is number 8 of the 16 evening adhkar. It is recited 3 times in the evening. Source: Abu Dawud 5090, al-Adab al-Mufrad 701 (Hasan).
Word-by-word meaning
Each line asks Allah for ʿafiyah — soundness and safety from every harm — in one part of you, then closes by affirming that there is no god but Him.
Arabic
Transliteration
Meaning
اللَّهُمَّ
Allahumma
O Allah
عَافِنِي
ʿafini
grant me wellbeing (ʿafiyah)
فِي بَدَنِي
fi badani
in my body
فِي سَمْعِي
fi samʿi
in my hearing
فِي بَصَرِي
fi basari
in my sight
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
la ilaha illa anta
there is no god but You
إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ
inni aʿudhu bika
I seek refuge in You
مِنَ الْكُفْرِ
minal-kufr
from disbelief
وَالْفَقْرِ
wal-faqr
and poverty
مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ
min ʿadhabil-qabr
from the punishment of the grave
What ʿafiyah means
ʿAfiyah is a broad word: health, but also protection from illness, trial and harm, in this life and the next. Asking for it in the body, the hearing and the sight covers the whole person — the body you act with and the two senses through which knowledge and guidance reach the heart.
The Qur'an reminds us that these senses are a trust we will answer for: “the hearing, the sight and the heart — each of these will be asked about” (Qur'an 17:36). Asking Allah to keep them sound is asking to be able to use them well.
The second half turns to what threatens a person beyond the body: disbelief, which harms the religion; poverty, which harms the worldly life; and the punishment of the grave, the first stage of the Hereafter. In a few short lines the dua asks for protection of body, faith, livelihood and the next life.
The hadith behind it
ʿAbd ar-Rahman, the son of the Companion Abu Bakrah, noticed his father repeating these words three times every morning and three times every evening, and asked him about it. Abu Bakrah replied that he had heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ supplicate with them, and that he loved to follow his Sunnah.
It is narrated by Abu Dawud (5090) and by al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (701). Shaykh al-Albani graded the chain of Abu Dawud's narration hasan (good).
Some printed collections give the refuge from the grave as “wa aʿudhu bika min ʿadhabil-qabr”. This page follows the wording in both hadith sources, where it begins again with “Allahumma inni aʿudhu bika”.
When to recite it
Three times in the evening, after ʿAsr, and three times in the morning, after Fajr — which is why it appears in both the evening adhkar and the morning adhkar. Both halves of the dua are repeated together.
From the same hadith: the dua of the distressed
In Abu Dawud's narration, Abu Bakrah goes on to report that the Prophet ﷺ said the supplication of one in distress is:
Allahumma rahmataka arju, fa la takilni ila nafsi tarfata ʿayn, wa aslih li sha'ni kullah, la ilaha illa anta.
O Allah, it is Your mercy that I hope for, so do not leave me to myself even for the blink of an eye, and set right all my affairs. There is no god but You.
Abu Dawud 5090
Questions
What does Allahumma afini fi badani mean?
“O Allah, grant me wellbeing in my body.” The full dua continues by asking for wellbeing in one's hearing and sight, and seeks refuge from disbelief, poverty and the punishment of the grave.
Is Allahumma afini fi badani a dua for health?
Yes. It asks Allah for ʿafiyah — health and protection from harm — in the body, hearing and sight, and is one of the best-known supplications for good health from the Sunnah.
How many times should it be recited?
Three times in the morning and three times in the evening, as Abu Bakrah reported from the Prophet ﷺ (Abu Dawud 5090).
Can I say it at other times of the day?
Yes. Supplication is not restricted to set times, so you can ask Allah for wellbeing with these words whenever you like. Reciting it three times morning and evening is the practice narrated in the hadith.
Is the hadith authentic?
It is narrated by Abu Dawud (5090) and al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad (701). Al-Albani graded the chain of Abu Dawud's narration hasan (good).