Fortress of the Muslim
Hisn al-Muslim 207
"اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، ﴿سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ * وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنقَلِبُونَ﴾ اللَّهُمَّ إِنّا نَسْأَلُكَ فِي سَفَرِنَا هَذَا البِرَّ وَالتَّقْوَى، وَمِنَ الْعَمَلِ مَا تَرْضَى، اللَّهُمَّ هَوِّنْ عَلَيْنَا سَفَرَنَا هَذَا وَاطْوِ عَنَّا بُعْدَهُ، اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الصَّاحِبُ فِي السَّفَرِ، وَالْخَليفَةُ فِي الْأَهْلِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ وَعْثَاءِ السَّفَرِ، وَكَآبَةِ الْمَنْظَرِ، وَسُوءِ الْمُنْقَلَبِ فِي الْمَالِ وَالْأَهْلِ"، وإذا رَجَعَ قَالَهُنَّ وَزَادَ فِيهِنَّ: "آيِبُونَ، تائِبُونَ، عَابِدُونَ، لِرَبِّنَا حَامِدُونَ".
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. “Glory be to Him who has subjected this for us, though we could not have mastered it ourselves; and surely, to our Lord we will return.” O Allah, we ask You on this journey of ours for righteousness and piety, and for deeds that please You. O Allah, make this journey easy for us and fold up its distance for us. O Allah, You are the Companion on the journey and the Guardian over the family. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the hardships of travel, a sorrowful sight, and an evil return concerning wealth and family. Upon returning, he would say the same and add: “We return, repentant, worshipping, and praising our Lord.”
Translation notes
وَاطْوِ عَنَّا بُعْدَهُ
The Arabic idiom literally asks that the distance of the journey be folded up; the witness renders this as making the distance easy.
Which idiomatic English rendering should be standardized for this travel supplication?