Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
This supplication has not been authentically reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, with this wording. However, a report with a similar meaning has been authentically narrated from him with a good chain of transmission, in which he asked Allah to erase misery from him and establish him among the people of happiness.
It has been authentically reported that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said while circumambulating the Ka‘bah:
“O Allah, if You have written me among the people of happiness, then establish me among them. And if You have written sin and misery for me, then erase me and establish me among the people of happiness, for You erase whatever You will and establish whatever You will, and with You is the Mother of the Book.”
This report was recorded by al-Tabari in his Tafsir (13/564), al-Dulabi in Al-Kuna wa al-Asma’ (635), Ibn Battah in Al-Ibanah (1565), and al-Lalaka’i in Sharh Usul I‘tiqad Ahl al-Sunnah (1206).
Its chain of transmission is hasan (good), as Ibn Kathir stated in Musnad al-Faruq (2/549).
Therefore, the well-known wording heard by the questioner:
“O Allah, if You have decreed evil deeds for us, then replace them with good deeds”
cannot correctly be attributed to ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him. Rather, the authentically reported supplication from him is the one mentioned above.
This supplication is related to the issue of divine decree, namely: can what has been decreed for a person change?
Imam al-Tabari transmitted several views from the early generations concerning this matter. Some held that what has been written does not change. Others distinguished between what is in the Preserved Tablet and what is recorded in the records of the angels. Others affirmed erasure and confirmation in certain types of divine decree.
Among the texts cited concerning erasure and confirmation is the saying of Allah تعالى:
{Allah eliminates what He wills and confirms what He wills, and with Him is the Mother of the Book.}
[Al-Ra‘d: 39]
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that some forms of divine writing are recorded in the records of the angels, and that increases and decreases may occur in them according to the causes that Allah has decreed, such as maintaining ties of kinship and other causes.
At the same time, Allah’s knowledge does not change, nor does He acquire knowledge after having been ignorant of something. He, Glorified be He, knows what was, what will be, and what would have been had it occurred. Therefore, erasure and confirmation do not mean that something became known to Allah that He did not previously know. Exalted is Allah far above such a notion.
Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned that Allah knows what has been written and what He will subsequently increase, whereas the angels know only what Allah has taught them.
Yes. Such supplication itself demonstrates the servant’s dependence upon Allah and his asking Allah to keep him firm upon goodness and grant him a good ending.
It has also been reported from ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, with a similar meaning:
“O Allah, if You have written me among the miserable, then erase me and write me among the happy, for You erase whatever You will and confirm whatever You will.”
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned this report in Shifa’ al-‘Alil and explained that Allah, Glorified be He, does whatever He wills, and that the keys to guidance and divine success are in His hand.
Therefore, the believer does not rely solely upon his deeds. Rather, he asks Allah for steadfastness, guidance, and a good outcome, while continuing to perform acts of obedience and avoiding sins.
A distinction should be made between two matters:
First: Supplicating that Allah erase misery from a servant and establish him among the people of happiness.
This is the meaning found in the report from ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.
Second: Replacing evil deeds with good deeds after sins have been committed.
This is established by the Qur’an, and it occurs through repentance, faith, and righteous deeds.
Allah تعالى says:
{And those who do not invoke another deity besides Allah, nor kill the soul which Allah has forbidden except with right, nor commit adultery. Whoever does that will meet its consequences. The punishment will be multiplied for him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will remain therein humiliated—except those who repent, believe, and do righteous deeds. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good deeds, and Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.}
[Al-Furqan: 68–70]
This replacement is related to the servant’s state after repentance, faith, and righteous action. It is distinct from simply attributing the aforementioned supplication to ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.
The supplication, “O Allah, if You have decreed evil deeds for us, then replace them with good deeds,” has not been authentically reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, with this wording.
However, it has been reported from him with a good chain of transmission that he said:
“O Allah, if You have written me among the people of happiness, then establish me among them. And if You have written sin and misery for me, then erase me and establish me among the people of happiness, for You erase whatever You will and establish whatever You will, and with You is the Mother of the Book.”
Likewise, the erasure of evil deeds and their replacement with good deeds is established in the Qur’an for those who repent, believe, and perform righteous deeds, as Allah تعالى says:
{For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good deeds.}
And Allah knows best.