Dua for Guidance
Where this dua comes from
Reported by Ali ibn Abi Talib as one of several short phrases the Prophet ﷺ taught him to say, this dua pairs two related but distinct requests: hidayah (guidance — being shown the right path) and sadad (steadfastness or being on-target — actually following it once shown). Commentators have pointed out this pairing addresses two separate failure points: a person can know the right course and fail to take it, or take a course without being sure it's right in the first place. The same hadith continues with a comparison — "guidance" is likened to the guidance one receives finding a physical path (hidayatuka ila tariq), and "sadad" to hitting a target with an arrow (tusaddidu bihis-sahm) — an image meant to make the abstract request feel concrete.
When to recite
When facing a decision, or as part of daily dhikr.