Having a Broad Chest

Hazrat Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Daamat Barakaatuhu) mentioned:

We should learn the masnoon du‘aa:

اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي وَوَسِّعْ لِي خُلُقِي وَطَيِّبْ لِي كَسْبِى وَقَنِّعْنِى بِمَا رَزَقْتَنِي وَلَا تُذْهِبْ طَلَبِي إلَى شَيْءٍ صَرَفْتَهُ عنِّي

O Allah, forgive my sins, expand (and broaden) my chest, bless me with pure income, grant me contentment in the sustenance You have blessed me with, and do not turn my attention (and striving) towards that which You have turned away from me.

The meaning of “وَوَسِّعْ لِي خُلُقِي” is: expand (and broaden) my chest i.e. I will be able to accommodate all situations while being pleased with the decree of Allah Ta‘ala.

For example, a person’s daughter loses her husband. Despite the trying situation, the wife accepts the decree of Allah Ta‘ala and is pleased with it. Similarly, the father has to now take care of his daughter. He does not feel that I am now burdened with the responsibility of taking care of my daughter, but does it with happiness. He understands that the best sadaqah as mentioned in the Hadith is the money spent on one’s daughter that has come back to one’s home.