Dua for Wearing a New Garment: What to Say and Why It’s Different

Distinct from the short dua recited for any garment, the Prophet ﷺ taught a longer, separate supplication specifically for new clothing — narrated in Sunan Abu Dawud and Jami' at-Tirmidhi, and referenced in Al-Albani's Mukhtasar Shama'il at-Tirmidhi.

Arabic:
اللّهُمَّ لَكَ الحَمْدُ أنْتَ كَسَوْتَنيهِ، أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ خَيرِهِ وَخَيْرِ مَا صُنِعَ لَه، وَأَعوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّهِ وَشَرِّ مَا صُنِعَ لَهُ

Transliteration: Allāhumma lakal-ḥamdu 'anta kasawtanīhi, 'as'aluka min khayrihi wa khayri mā ṣuni'a lahu, wa 'a'ūdhu bika min sharrihi wa sharri mā ṣuni'a lahu.

Translation: "O Allah, praise is to You. You have clothed me. I ask You for its goodness and the goodness of what it has been made for, and I seek Your protection from the evil of it and the evil of what it has been made for."

Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 6; Sunan Abu Dawud; Jami' at-Tirmidhi; Al-Albani, Mukhtasar Shama'il at-Tirmidhi, p.47.

The key difference from the everyday clothing dua is the phrase "khayri mā ṣuni'a lahu" — "the goodness of what it has been made for." Rather than only thanking Allah ﷻ for the garment itself, this dua asks for blessing in its purpose: if it is a garment for work, for a wedding, for travel, the du'a extends to the occasion the clothing will be worn for, and seeks protection from any harm connected to that purpose as well.

Some narrations additionally mention the Companions removing the old garment and giving it in charity when a new one was acquired — though this specific practice is reported with a weaker chain than the dua itself, and scholars differ on whether it was a general habit of the Prophet ﷺ or specific to certain occasions. The dua's authenticity, by contrast, is well established, and it is worth memorizing alongside the everyday clothing dua so that both are ready whenever needed — one for daily wear, one reserved for what is new.