Du’a Asking for Support
رَبِّ انْصُرْنِي بِمَا كَذَّبُونِ
Rabbin surnee bimaa kazzaboon “My Lord, support me because they have denied me.” (23:26)
This du’a was made by Prophet Nuh (as) while he was building the Ark. Many of us can relate to this story on some level: the people refused to believe in Nuh (as) and dismissed him entirely. They even mocked him sarcastically, asking, “O Noah! Does carpentry appeal to you more than Prophethood? Why are you building an ark so far from the sea? Are you going to drag it to the water or is the wind going to carry it for you?”
In life, we will all encounter detractors—people who criticize us and doubt our vision or capabilities. What Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala inspired in Nuh (as) was not to grieve over their words, but to learn to tune out and ignore these baseless remarks. The opinions of others do not define our reality. If Nuh (as) could hold fast to doing what is right and believe in himself, nothing else would matter. We too should place complete trust in Allah and rely solely on Him, reciting the same du’a as Nuh (as): Rabbin surnee bimaa kazzaboon (“My Lord, support me because they have denied me”) as we continue with our work.
The subsequent ayah states: “So We inspired to him, ‘Construct the ship under Our observation, and Our inspiration, and when Our command comes and the oven overflows, put into the ship from each [creature] two mates and your family, except those for whom the decree [of destruction] has proceeded. And do not address Me concerning those who have wronged; indeed, they are to be drowned. And when you have boarded the ship, you and those with you, then say, ‘Praise to Allah who has saved us from the wrongdoing people.’” (23:27-28)
Allah provided Nuh (as) with guidance to build the Ark, yet it was still Nuh (as) who had to carry out the work himself. As an old proverb goes, “chop wood and carry water”—meaning everyone must put in the effort. You cannot gain abs without doing sit-ups. There is no preference based on age or ethnicity; no discrimination between black, yellow, white, or brown. Everyone must chop the wood and carry the water.
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