Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abu Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned that he could not memorize the Qur’an. The narrator named Ibn ‘Uyaynah has reported these words: He said,“O Messenger of Allah! Teach me something that will be in place of the Qur’an for me, because I cannot recite.”So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Recite this supplication: ‘Allah is Pure, all praise is due to Allah, there is no deity except Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah.’”The narrator states: He closed his fingers (to memorize these words) and then said,“This is for the praise of my Lord; what will be for me (as a supplication)?”So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Supplicate: ‘O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, keep me steadfast on guidance, grant me sustenance, and grant me well-being.’”(The narrator says) So he closed the fingers of his other hand (to memorize these words) and got up (and left).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abu Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I cannot learn the Qur'an, so what will be sufficient for me to recite in prayer?" The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Recite this: 'Allah is Pure, all praise is due to Allah, nothing can happen without Allah's help, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no deity except Allah.'" The man said: "This is for Allah, what will there be for me (as supplication)?" The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Recite this: 'O Allah! Forgive me! Have mercy on me! Provide for me, keep me steadfast on guidance, and grant me well-being.'" The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This man has filled both his hands with goodness." (The narrator says) The man had closed both his fists (i.e., he counted these words on his fingers and then closed his hands).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abu Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! I am unable to learn the Qur'an, so teach me a supplication that will suffice me in its place." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Recite this: 'In the name of Allah (I begin my work seeking blessing), all praise is due to Allah alone, there is no deity except Allah, Allah is the Greatest.'" The man said: "O Messenger of Allah! This is for Allah, what will be for me?" (After this, the narrator mentioned the rest of the hadith as previously stated).

Ibn Abi Mulaika (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: I heard Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she was asked about a verse of the Qur'an, so she recited: "I begin with the name of Allah, seeking blessing, Who is Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Alif Lam Meem. Allah, there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer. He has sent down upon you the Book." This verse is up to: "But those in whose hearts is deviation follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking its interpretation. And no one knows its interpretation except Allah. And those firm in knowledge say: 'We believe in it.'" Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: When you see such people, they are the ones Allah has mentioned, so beware of them.