“O Allah, grant my soul its piety and purify it, for You are the best of those who purify it; You are its Guardian and Protector.”

Zayd ibn Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I only say to you what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say. He used to say: "Allāhumma inni a‘ūdhu bika min al-‘ajzi wal-kasal, wal-jubni wal-bukhl, wal-harami wa ‘adhāb al-qabr. Allāhumma āti nafsi taqwāha, wa zakkiha anta khayru man zakkāha, anta waliyyuha wa mawlāha. Allāhumma inni a‘ūdhu bika min ‘ilmin la yanfa‘, wa min qalbin la yakhsha‘, wa min nafsin la tashba‘, wa min da‘watin la yustajābu laha" (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from inability, indolence, cowardice, miserliness, decrepitude, and torment of the grave. O Allah, grant me the sense of piety and purify my soul as You are the Best to purify it. You are its Protector and its Guardian. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from knowledge that is not beneficial, from a heart that does not fear, from a soul that is not satisfied, and from a supplication that is not answered).

Narrated by Zayd ibn Arqam and recorded by Muslim, from the same run of supplications as the refuge sought from knowledge that does not benefit. The request is unusual in its direction: not that the soul be given what it wants, but that it be given its taqwa — and then the asking is handed over entirely, since the one who purifies it is named as its Guardian rather than its owner.