These Islamic birthday wishes put a short dua beside the happy birthday. Each Arabic line has its transliteration in brackets and its meaning after, so you can say it on a call without guessing.
Some Muslims mark birthdays and some don't. Scholars differ on it, and so do families. The duas here are general blessings for a long life and good deeds, so they suit a birthday or any ordinary Tuesday. Where the Arabic changes for a man or a woman, both forms are given, because Barakallahu feek sent to your sister is a slip she will catch.
Short duas for a message or the back of a photo
Put the Arabic and the transliteration on separate lines, since mixing them on one line can push the full stop to the wrong end. Any of these can close one of the longer birthday wishes for WhatsApp.
- بارك الله في عمرك (Barakallahu fi umrik, or fi umriki to a woman). May Allah bless your life. If you learn one line from this page, learn this one.
- حفظك الله (Hafizakallah to a man, Hafizakillah to a woman). May Allah protect you.
- أطال الله عمرك في طاعة الله (Atalallahu umrak fi ta'atillah, or umraki to a woman). May Allah lengthen your life in obedience to Allah.
- كل عام وأنت بخير (Kul aam wa anta bikhair to a man, wa anti bikhair to a woman). May you be well every year. Strictly a greeting, also used at the new year.
- بارك الله فيك (Barakallahu feek, or feeki to a woman). May Allah bless you.
- وفقك الله (Waffaqakallah, or Waffaqakillah to a woman). May Allah grant you success. Good for a birthday in exam season.
- اللهم بارك لها (Allahumma barik laha). O Allah, bless her. Write it under a daughter's photo, and change it to lahu for a boy.
- أدام الله عليك الصحة والعافية (Adamallahu alaykas-sihhata wal-afiyah, or alaykis-sihhata to a woman). May Allah keep you in health and well-being. Send this one to anyone past sixty.
- زادك الله علما ونورا (Zadakallahu ilman wa nura, or Zadakillahu to a girl). May Allah increase you in knowledge and light.
- اللَّهُمَّ أَكْثِرْ مَالَهُ وَوَلَدَهُ، وَبَارِكْ لَهُ فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَهُ (Allahumma akthir malahu wa waladahu, wa barik lahu fima a'taytahu). O Allah, increase his wealth and his children, and bless him in what You have given him. (Sahih al-Bukhari 6334) The Prophet (peace be upon him) made this dua for Anas ibn Malik. For a girl, each -hu becomes -ha.
Islamic birthday wishes for a friend
Bi zahril-ghayb, literally "on the back of the unseen", describes a dua made for someone who isn't there to hear it. The Prophet said that when a Muslim makes such a dua for his brother, the angel says, "And for you the same" (Sahih Muslim 2732). So send the wish. Then repeat the dua after Isha.
- Barakallahu fi umriki, Sana. May the job you've made dua for since Ramadan finally come through.
- Happy birthday to the friend whose Surah Al-Kahf reminder reaches me every Friday before my tea does.
- Three Ramadans at your iftar table when I knew nobody here. May Allah keep it full.
- Hafizakillah, Mehwish. Thank you for the midnight karak chai. And for never once letting me pay.
- Twenty-seven today. Insha'Allah this year is kinder to your sleep and your bank balance.
- Tonight's first dua is yours.
- Ameen to every dua you scribble on the back of the prayer timetable.
- Insha'Allah we make Umrah together before your next birthday, as promised over biryani.
- Less traffic, more barakah. That's my whole dua for your year.
- Still the first to text "reached?" when I travel. May Allah keep you safe too.
- You lent me your geometry box in Class 7 and never asked for it back. Happy birthday, Imran.
- Allah knows I don't say it enough. Doha felt like home only after I met you.
- You make dua for our whole gang without being asked. Today the duas are for you.
- Insha'Allah this is the year your parents say yes to the rishta you keep praying about. Happy birthday, yaar.
Wishes for a brother or sister
Brothers and sisters can take some teasing next to the dua, as long as the dua part is said straight. Leave faith out of the joke.
- Bhaijaan, you gave me half your Eidi every year and called it a loan. Barakallahu fi umrik. And no, I'm not paying it back.
- Happy birthday, Baji. May Allah reward you for every Eid pathani suit of mine you ironed before your own.
- We learnt from the same torn Qaida, and you still read faster than me. Hafizakallah, little brother.
- Barakallahu feeki, Apa. May your new home in Leicester fill up with guests the way Ammi's did.
- You still wake the whole house for sehri, then somehow you're the last one at the table. Happy birthday anyway.
- Nineteen, and still borrowing my attar before Jumu'ah. May Allah give you your own bottle, Bhai.
- Insha'Allah you learn Ammi's haleem recipe before you turn thirty.
- Same parents, same fights over the last shami kebab. Stay this close when we're both old.
- To the brother who drove four hours to change my flat tyre, then complained for six. Hafizakallah.
A parent's wishes for a son or daughter
When your child is small, read the Arabic aloud and let them say the Ameen. Older children may screenshot it and keep it for years.
- One year since Abbu whispered the adhan in your ear. Allahumma barik lahu, our little Zayan.
- Your first roza at seven, asleep on the prayer mat before Maghrib. May Allah keep you that determined, beta.
- Zadakillahu ilman wa nura, beti, my little bookworm.
- May Allah keep you the coolness of our eyes long after you've left home.
- Sixteen today. We still have your Qaida with the cartoon stickers, and we're keeping it.
- Eighteen, and still the first to say salaam when you come home. May Allah keep you that gentle.
- Happy birthday to the boy who finished the whole Quran at eleven, the week every house in the lane got mithai.
- Ammi's duas for your nikah started long ago, and it's still years away, Insha'Allah.
- Hafizakillah, beti. The house is too quiet without you hunting for your hijab pins.
- Your first salary bought Nani a new tasbih and a box of Ajwa dates. May Allah put barakah in every salary after it.
- A long life, and good deeds to fill it. We ask for both in every salah.
Lines for a husband or wife
One dua in Surah Al-Furqan asks for spouses and children who are a comfort to the eyes, which suits a husband's or wife's birthday. The Arabic shifts with who it's for, so a wife gets umriki and Hafizakillah, and a husband umrik and Hafizakallah.
- Every morning after Fajr, you make my chai with two spoons of sugar. May Allah keep us together here and in Jannah.
- You leave the last date on the plate for me at iftar and think I don't notice. I do. Barakallahu fi umriki.
- Eleven years, two children, one rented flat with a leaking kitchen tap, and still Alhamdulillah every morning. Happy birthday, jaan.
- May Allah make me your comfort, the way you've been mine since our nikah.
- Let's grow old arguing about whose turn it is to set the sehri alarm, Insha'Allah.
- Barakallahu fi umrik. You were the answer to a dua I hadn't found the words for yet.
- The Umrah where we got lost between the hotel and the Haram is still my favourite day with you.
- Hafizakallah, jaan. Text me from Riyadh, and skip the airport dates.
For parents and elders
For Ammi and Abbu, a short line read aloud on a call beats a long paragraph they have to squint at. Send the text afterwards, so they can show it to whoever visits next.
- Ammi, may Allah return every dua you made for us on that green prayer mat a hundred times over.
- Nani, your tasbih has gone round more times than any of us could count. May Allah reward every bead.
- Abbu, many more slow mornings with the Urdu paper, Insha'Allah.
- Dada jaan, your knees still carry you to the masjid at Fajr. May Allah keep them strong.
- Happy birthday, Khala. Adamallahu alaykis-sihhata wal-afiyah, and may your kitchen always smell of nihari.
- You carried me on your shoulders to the Eid prayer, Abbu. Now I'd carry you anywhere.
- Mamu, you taught me leg-spin in the gali behind Nani's house. May Allah give you a long life in His obedience.
Duas from the Quran that suit a birthday
Each of these is quoted exactly as it appears in the Quran. Copy the Arabic from a Quran app rather than typing it, because one dropped letter can change a word.
- رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ (Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina adhaban-nar). Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the Fire. (Quran 2:201) As an Islamic birthday dua for anyone at all, this is the safest choice.
- رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي (Rabbi awzi'ni an ashkura ni'matakal-lati an'amta alayya wa ala walidayya wa an a'mala salihan tardahu wa aslih li fi dhurriyyati). My Lord, help me to be grateful for the favour You gave me and my parents, and to do good work that pleases You, and make my children righteous. (Quran 46:15) In the verse, a person says this on reaching forty, so save it for a 40th.
- رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا (Rabbana hab lana min azwajina wa dhurriyyatina qurrata a'yunin waj'alna lil-muttaqina imama). Our Lord, grant us from our spouses and children the coolness of our eyes, and make us an example for the God-conscious. (Quran 25:74) In Arabic, cool eyes are happy eyes.
- وَقُل رَّبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا (Wa qul rabbir-hamhuma kama rabbayani saghira). And say, my Lord, have mercy on them as they raised me when I was small. (Quran 17:24) A child's dua for both parents, for Ammi's or Abbu's birthday.
Hadith about a long life
Abdullah bin Busr narrated that a Bedouin asked the Prophet, "O Messenger of Allah, who is the best of people?"
مَنْ طَالَ عُمُرُهُ وَحَسُنَ عَمَلُهُ (Man tala umuruhu wa hasuna amaluh). The one whose life is long and whose deeds are good. (Jami at-Tirmidhi 2329, graded Hasan by Darussalam)
The second hadith, narrated by Anas ibn Malik, is about family.
مَنْ أَحَبَّ أَنْ يُبْسَطَ لَهُ فِي رِزْقِهِ، وَيُنْسَأَ لَهُ فِي أَثَرِهِ، فَلْيَصِلْ رَحِمَهُ (Man ahabba an yubsata lahu fi rizqihi, wa yunsa'a lahu fi atharihi, fal-yasil rahimah). Whoever would love his provision to be widened and his life to be lengthened, let him keep ties with his relatives. (Sahih al-Bukhari 5986)
Rahim, the word for relatives here, also means womb. A birthday call to the phuppo you haven't rung since Eid is one small way to keep that tie.
Wishing a Muslim friend when you're not Muslim
If you aren't Muslim, keep it short and spell the name the way your friend does, since Mohammed and Muhammad are both common. Islamic birthday wishes from a non-Muslim friend need one Arabic phrase at most, and plain short birthday wishes work too. Allah is the Arabic word for God, so "May Allah bless you" is a kind thing to write.
A gentle note: if the birthday falls in Ramadan, your friend is probably fasting from dawn to sunset, so plan the cake for after iftar. Keep alcohol out of any hamper, rum cake included.
- Barakallahu feek, Faiz. Hope I spelt that right.
- Thank you for every Eid you fed me sheer khurma until I couldn't move. Happy birthday, Hina.
- Good health and an easy year to you, Arif. Dinner's on me, after iftar if it's Ramadan.
- May Allah bless you this year, Rukhsar. You cover for half the office, so today we cover for you.
- Happy birthday, Sameer. Five years of your Eid invitations, and I still owe you a meal.
- Many happy returns, Noor. I hope this year brings everything you've been asking Allah for.
Urdu lines in Roman script
Typed in Roman letters, Urdu duas read the way a nani says them. Any of these works as a birthday status too.
- Saalgirah mubarak ho. Allah aapko sehat wali lambi umar de, Ameen.
- Allah tumhein woh sab de jo tum sajde mein chupke se maangte ho.
- Jahan bhi raho, Allah ke hifz-o-aman mein raho. Saalgirah mubarak, Bhai.
- Tumhari umar mein barkat ho, aur tumhari salary mein bhi.
- Ammi ki har dua tumhare saath ho, chahe tum Bhopal mein ho ya Birmingham mein.
- Is saal sirf achhi khabrein aayein, aur Eidi pichhle saal se zyada.
- Har Jumme ko tum sabse pehle meri khairiyat poochti ho. Aaj pehla paigham mera hai, saalgirah mubarak.
- Allah tumhein nazar-e-bad se bachaye aur har jaiz muraad poori kare. Ameen.
A calm birthday card for Abbu or Nani
HeartCraft's Classic design is the quiet one, set under a night sky, and it suits Abbu or Nani better than the louder styles. On their phone they cut the cake first, and then your photos and letter come up, a minute or so in all. Open the letter with the birthday dua and let your own words follow it. A 4-digit passcode is optional, which helps if the letter is private. Nothing needs installing on their side. The HeartCraft birthday card is just a link, and WhatsApp is fine for sending it. There's a short video version too, the right shape for your status.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say happy birthday in Arabic?
Most people say عيد ميلاد سعيد (Eid milad saeed), and it doesn't change for a man or a woman. To add a name, put ya in front of it: Eid milad saeed ya Maryam. In a family that keeps the word Eid for the two Eids only, Barakallahu fi umrik sits more easily.
What do you say back to Barakallahu feek?
Wa feeka barakallah if a man said it to you, wa feeki barakallah if it came from a woman. Both mean "and may Allah bless you too". If the whole family group sent it at once, one wa feekum barakallah covers everyone.
How do you write these duas for a couple or a family?
Only the ending moves. Barakallahu feekum works for a group, and Allahumma barik lahuma is for two people, so it fits an anniversary card as well as twins sharing a cake.
