﷽ Al-Asmaa ul-Husna : Benefits of reciting Ya Muakhkhir (يا مؤخّر)

1. Name

المؤخّر
Al-Muakhkhir

2. Meaning

The Delayer
He Who Puts Far Away

3. Explanation

The One who delays or postpones. The One who puts off advancement. The One who holds back or keeps something back to put it in its proper place. The One who causes something to lag behind.

4. Quran

يَغْفِرْ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرْكُمْ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى ۚ إِنَّ أَجَلَ اللَّهِ إِذَا جَاءَ لَا يُؤَخَّرُ ۖ لَوْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

Allah will forgive you of your sins and delay you for a specified term. Indeed, the time [set by] Allah, when it comes, will not be delayed, if you only knew.' ". (16:61)

فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً ۖ وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

And when their term has come, they will not remain behind an hour, nor will they precede [it]. (71:4)

لِمَن شَاءَ مِنكُمْ أَن يَتَقَدَّمَ أَوْ يَتَأَخَّرَ

To whoever wills among you to proceed or stay behind. (74:37)

قُل لَّكُم مِّيعَادُ يَوْمٍ لَّا تَسْتَأْخِرُونَ عَنْهُ سَاعَةً وَلَا تَسْتَقْدِمُونَ

Say, "For you is the appointment of a Day [when] you will not remain thereafter an hour, nor will you precede [it]." (34:30)

لِّيَغْفِرَ لَكَ اللَّهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِن ذَنبِكَ وَمَا تَأَخَّرَ وَيُتِمَّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكَ وَيَهْدِيَكَ صِرَاطًا مُّسْتَقِيمًا

That Allah may forgive for you what preceded of your sin and what will follow and complete His favor upon you and guide you to a straight path. (48:2)

يُنَبَّأُ الْإِنسَانُ يَوْمَئِذٍ بِمَا قَدَّمَ وَأَخَّرَ

Man will be informed that Day of what he sent ahead and kept back. (75:13)

وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ

And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror]. (14:42)

وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا الْمُسْتَقْدِمِينَ مِنكُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمْنَا الْمُسْتَأْخِرِينَ

And We have already known the preceding [generations] among you, and We have already known the later [ones to come]. (15:24)

وَمَا نُؤَخِّرُهُ إِلَّا لِأَجَلٍ مَّعْدُودٍ

And We do not delay it except for a limited term. (11:104)

5. Hadith

5.1 Abu Musa (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) used to supplicate:

‏اللهم اغفر لي خطيئتي وجهلي، وإسرافي في أمري، وما أنت أعلم به مني، اللهم اغفر لي جدي وهزلي، وخطئي وعمدي، وكل ذلك عندي، اللهم اغفر لي ما قدمت وما أخرت، وما أسررت وما أعلنت، وما أنت أعلم به مني، أنت المقدم، وأنت المؤخر، وأنت على كل شيء قدير

"O Allah! Forgive my errors, ignorance and immoderation in my affairs. You are better aware of my faults than myself. O Allah! Forgive my faults which I committed in seriousness or in fun deliberately or inadvertently. O Allah! Grant me pardon for those sins which I committed in the past and I may commit in future, which I committed in privacy or in public and all those sins of which You are better aware than me. You Alone can send whomever You will to Jannah, and You Alone can send whomever You will to Hell-fire and You are Omnipotent."

(Riyad as-Salihin 1476)

5.2 'Ali (رضي الله عنه) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was in Salat (prayer), he used to supplicate towards the end of prayer after Tashahhud and before the concluding salutations:

‏اللهم اغفر لي ما قدمت وما أخرت، وما أسررت وما أعلنت، وما أسرفت، وما أنت أعلم به مني، أنت المقدم، وأنت المؤخر، لا إله إلا أنت

"O Allah! Forgive my former and latter sins, which I have done secretly and those which I have done openly, and that I have wronged others, and those defaults of mine about which You have better knowledge than I have. You Alone can send whomever You will to Jannah, and You Alone can send whomever You will to Hell-fire. None has the right to be worshipped but You."

(Riyad as-Salihin 1424)

5.3 Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Umar (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said, "Whoever is afflicted with financial issues, should say while leaving his home

بسم الله على نفسي ومالي وديني، اللهم رضِّـني بقضاءك، وبارك لي فيما قُـدِّر لي، حتى لا أحب تعجيل ما أخَّرت، ولا تأخير ما عجَّـلت

"I call the name of Allah upon myself, my properties and my religion. O Allah, give me contentment by Your decrees, and put Your blessings in what has been decreed for me, so that I may not wish for the hastening of what You have delayed, and the delaying of what You have hastened."

(Ibn Sunni)

5.4 Anas (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said,

‏أتموا الصف المقدم، ثم الذي يليه، فما كان من نقص فليكن في الصف المؤخر

"Fill (complete) the first row, then the one next to it; and if there is any deficiency (incompleteness), it should be in the last row."

(Riyad as-Salihin Book 8, Hadith 103)

5.5 It was narrated that Jabir bin ‘Abdullah (رضي الله عنه) said: “The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said:

خَيْرُ صُفُوفِ الرِّجَالِ مُقَدَّمُهَا وَشَرُّهَا مُؤَخَّرُهَا وَخَيْرُ صُفُوفِ النِّسَاءِ مُؤَخَّرُهَا وَشَرُّهَا مُقَدَّمُهَا

‘The best rows for men are the front rows and the worst rows are the back rows, and the best rows for women are the back rows and the worst are the front rows’.”

(Sunan Ibn Majah Vol. 1, Book 5, Hadith 1001)

5.6 It was narrated that Ibn `Abbas (رضي الله عنه) said: “When the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) prayed Tahajjud at night, he would say:

اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ قَيَّامُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ مَالِكُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ وَوَعْدُكَ حَقٌّ وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ وَالنَّبِيُّونَ حَقٌّ وَمُحَمَّدٌ حَقٌّ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ وَإِلَيْكَ حَاكَمْتُ فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ وَلاَ إِلَهَ غَيْرُكَ وَلاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِكَ

“O Allah, to you is praise, You are the Light of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth, and everyone therein. To You is praise, You are the Truth; Your promise is true, the meeting with You is true, Your saying is true, Paradise is true, the Fire is true, the Hour is true, the Prophets are true, and Muhammad (ﷺ) is true. O Allah, to You have I submitted, in You I believe, in You have I put my trust, to You I turn in repentance, by Your help I argue, to You I refer my case, so forgive me for my past and future sins, what I have done in secret and what I have done openly. You are the One Who brings forward and puts back. None has the right to be worshipped but You, and there is none who has the right to be worshipped other than You. And there is no power and no strength except with You.”

(Sunan Ibn Majah Vol. 1, Book 5, Hadith 1355)

5.7 Ibn 'Abbas (رضي الله عنه) reported: The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) used to supplicate:

‏اللهم لك أسلمت، وبك آمنت، وعليك توكلت، وإليك أنبت وبك خاصمت، وإليك حاكمت، فاغفر لي ما قدمت، وما أخرت وما أسررت وما أعلنت، أنت المقدم، وأنت المؤخر، لا إله إلا أنت‏ ولا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله‏

"O Allah! to You I submit, in You I affirm my faith, in You I repose my trust, to You I turn in repentance and with Your Help I contend my adversaries and from You I seek judgement. O Allah! Grant me forgiveness for the faults which I made in past and those ones I may commit in the future, those which I committed secretly or openly. You Alone send whomever You will to Jannah, and You Alone send whomever You will to Hell-fire. There is none worthy of worship except You.There is no strength to resist evil and no power to do good except through Allah."

(Riyad as-Salihin 1480)

6. Benefits of invoking (Ya Allahu) Ya Muakhkhiru frequently

Worldly tasks will be happily carried out
Will love Muslims and avoid disbelievers
Will die on Iman (Faith)
Will be blessed with the abilities for Tawbah (Repentance)
Obedience for Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ)
Will not be troubled by enemies
Will be blessed with the abilities to do good deeds
The inner self will not be commanded by desires (i.e.,guidance for Nafs-e-Ammara)
Rid disruptive behavior
Develop saintly habits
Will find tranquility in Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah)
All your responsibilities will be handled by Allah
Difficult tasks will be eased