اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ
Allahumma inni as'aluka 'ilman nafi'an wa a'udhu bika min 'ilmin la yanfa'
O Allah, I ask You for knowledge that is beneficial, and I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit.
Not all knowledge is equal. You can memorize facts that never change your behavior, earn degrees that never humble you, and accumulate information that never brings you closer to Allah. The Prophet ﷺ distinguished between 'ilm nafi' (knowledge that transforms) and 'ilm la yanfa' (knowledge that merely decorates). This du'a asks for the former and seeks protection from the latter.
Related Du'as
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لَا يَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لَا يَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لَا تَشْبَعُ وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لَا يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا
O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that does not humble itself, from a soul that is never satisfied, and from a supplication that is not answered.
Sahihاللَّهُمَّ أَلْهِمْنِي رُشْدِي وَأَعِذْنِي مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِي
O Allah, inspire me with right guidance and protect me from the evil of myself.
Hasanاللَّهُمَّ أَرِنِي الْحَقَّ حَقًّا وَارْزُقْنِي اتِّبَاعَهُ وَأَرِنِي الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا وَارْزُقْنِي اجْتِنَابَهُ
O Allah, show me the truth as truth and grant me the ability to follow it, and show me falsehood as falsehood and grant me the ability to avoid it.
Hasanاللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي وَسَدِّدْنِي، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْهُدَى وَالسَّدَادَ، وَاذْكُرْ بِالْهُدَى هِدَايَتَكَ الطَّرِيقَ، وَبِالسَّدَادِ سَدَادَ السَّهْمِ
O Allah, guide me and keep me straight. O Allah, I ask You for guidance and straightness — and when you think of guidance, think of the guidance of the road, and when you think of straightness, think of the straightness of the arrow.
Sahih