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 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.
Sahihاهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَاطَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ
Guide us to the straight path — the path of those You have blessed, not of those who earned anger, nor of those who went astray.
Sahihاللَّهُمَّ أَلْهِمْنِي رُشْدِي وَأَعِذْنِي مِنْ شَرِّ نَفْسِي
O Allah, inspire me with right guidance and protect me from the evil of myself.
Hasanاللَّهُمَّ عَلِّمْنِي مَا يَنْفَعُنِي وَانْفَعْنِي بِمَا عَلَّمْتَنِي وَزِدْنِي عِلْمًا
O Allah, teach me what benefits me, let me benefit from what You have taught me, and increase me in knowledge.
Hasan