In
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
, ( , plural: ' ) is a prayer of
invocation
Invocation is the act of calling upon a deity, spirit, or supernatural force, typically through prayer, ritual, or spoken formula, to seek guidance, assistance, or presence. It is a practice found in numerous religious, spiritual, and esote ...
,
supplication
Supplication (also known as petitioning) is a form of prayer, wherein one party humbly or earnestly asks another party to provide something, either for the party who is doing the supplicating (e.g., "Please spare my life.") or on behalf of someon ...
or request, asking help or assistance from
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
. Duʿāʾ is an integral aspect of Islamic worship and spirituality, serving as a direct line of communication between a believer and Allah. Unlike the formal five daily prayers (
Salah
''Salah'' (, also spelled ''salat'') is the practice of formal worship in Islam, consisting of a series of ritual prayers performed at prescribed times daily. These prayers, which consist of units known as ''rak'ah'', include a specific s ...
) which have specific timings and rituals, duʿāʾ is more flexible and can be made at any time and in any place. Through duʿāʾ, Muslims affirm their dependence on Allah and their trust in His wisdom and mercy.
A special position of prayers are prayers of Sufi-Masters, the ''mustajaab ad-du'a'', prayers answered immediately. Requirements for these prayers are that the Sufi is never asking God for worldly but only for spiritual requests. In times of sickness, danger, or drought, they were answered, while their prayers could also punish those who oppose them.
Role in Islam
Muslims
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
regard dua as a profound act of worship.
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
is reported to have said, "Dua is itself a worship."
There is a special emphasis on du'a in Muslim spirituality and early Muslims took great care to record the supplications of Muhammad and his family and transmit them to subsequent generations. These traditions precipitated new genres of literature in which prophetic supplications were gathered together in single volumes that were memorized and taught. Collections such as
al-Nawawi
Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (; (631A.H-676A.H) (October 1230–21 December 1277) was a Sunni Shafi'ite jurist and hadith scholar. Ludwig W. Adamec (2009), ''Historical Dictionary of Islam'', pp.238-239. Scarecrow Press. . Al-Nawawi died at ...
's ''Kitab al-Adhkar'' and Shams al-Din al-Jazari's ''al-Hisn al-Hasin'' exemplify this literary trend and gained significant currency among Muslim devotees keen to learn how Muhammad supplicated to God.
Du'a literature is not restricted to prophetic supplications; many later Muslim scholars and sages composed their own supplications, often in elaborate rhymes that would be recited by their disciples. Popular du'as would include
Muhammad al-Jazuli
Abū 'Abdullah Muḥammad ibn Sulaymān ibn Abū Bakr al-Jazūli al-Simlālī () (d. 1465AD = 870AH), often known as Imam al-Jazuli or Sheikh Jazuli, was a Moroccan Sufi Saint. He is best known for compiling the '' Dala'il al-Khayrat'', an extr ...
's ''
Dala'il al-Khayrat
''Dalāil al-khayrāt wa-shawāriq al-anwār fī dhikr al-ṣalāt alá al-Nabī al-mukhtār'' (), usually shortened to ''Dala'il al-Khayrat'', is a famous collection of prayers for the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which was written by the Moroccan ...
'', which at its peak spread throughout the
Muslim world
The terms Islamic world and Muslim world commonly refer to the Islamic community, which is also known as the Ummah. This consists of all those who adhere to the religious beliefs, politics, and laws of Islam or to societies in which Islam is ...
, and
Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili
Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili () (full name: Abū al-Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār al-Ḥasanī wal-Ḥusaynī al-Shādhilī) also known as Sheikh al-Shadhili (593–656 AH) (1196–1258 AD) was an influential Moroccan Islamic ...
's ''Hizb al-Bahr'' which also had widespread appeal. Du'a literature reaches its most lyrical form in the ''Munajat'', or 'whispered intimate prayers' such as those of
Ibn Ata Allah. Among the
Shia
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
schools, the ''
Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya'' records du'as attributed to
Ali and his grandson,
Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin
Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Sajjad (, – 712), also known as Zayn al-Abidin () was the great-grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and the fourth imam in Shia Islam, succeeding his father, Husayn ibn Ali, his uncle, Hasan ibn Ali, and his gr ...
.
Types and categories
Dua is essentially an expression of submission of faith to God and of one's neediness.
Type I: ''Du'ā al-mas'alah'' (
دُعَاءُ الْمَسْأَلَة ''du'ā'u 'l-mas'alah''), or the 'du'a of asking.' This type of du'a is when one asks for the fulfillment of a need, or that some harm be removed from him/her. An example would be when a person asks, "O God! Grant me good in this world, and good in the next life!"
Type II: ''Du'ā al-'ibadah'' (
دُعَاءُ الْعِبَادَة ''du'ā'u 'l-'ibādah''), or the 'du'a of worship.' This type of du'a includes every single act of worship. Examples would include when a Muslim
prays
''Prays'' is a genus of moths of the family Praydidae, formerly assigned to (depending on the author) Plutellidae or Yponomeutidae.
Selected species
*'' Prays acmonias'' - Meyrick, 1914 (from India)
*'' Prays alpha'' - Moriuti, 1977 (from Japan ...
or gives ''
zakāt
Zakat (or Zakāh زكاة) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. Zakat is the Arabic word for "Giving to Charity" or "Giving to the Needy". Zakat is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam a reli ...
'' or
fasts.
Salat
The salat is the obligatory prayer recited five times a day, as described in the Quran: "And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: For those things, that are good remove those that are evil: Be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord):"
uran 11:114Salat is generally read in the Arabic language; however Imam
Abu Hanifah, for whom the
Hanafi
The Hanafi school or Hanafism is the oldest and largest Madhhab, school of Islamic jurisprudence out of the four schools within Sunni Islam. It developed from the teachings of the Faqīh, jurist and theologian Abu Hanifa (), who systemised the ...
school is named after, proclaimed that prayer could be said in any language unconditionally. His two students who created the school:
Abu Yusuf
Ya'qub ibn Ibrahim al-Ansari (), better known as Abu Yusuf () (729–798) was an Islamic jurist, as well as a student of Abu Hanifa (d.767) and Malik ibn Anas (d.795), who helped spread the influence of the Hanafi school of Islamic law, and w ...
and
Muhammad al-Shaybani
Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan ibn Farqad ash-Shaybānī (; 749/50 – 805), known as Imam Muhammad, the father of Muslim international law, was an Arab Muslim Ulama, jurist and a disciple of Abu Hanifa (later being the eponym o ...
, however, did not agree and believed that prayers could only be done in languages other than Arabic if the supplicant can not speak Arabic. Some traditions hold that Abu Hanifa later agreed with them and changed his decision; however there has never been any evidence of this.
Hanbali theologian
Ibn Taymiyah
Ibn Taymiyya (; 22 January 1263 – 26 September 1328)Ibn Taymiyya, Taqi al-Din Ahmad, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125580.001.0001/acref-9780195125580-e-959 was a Sunni Muslim scholar ...
issued a ''fatwa'' proclaiming the same. Until the 1950s,
Ismaili
Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept ...
s from India and Pakistan performed the prayer in the language of the local ''
Jama'at Khana
Jamatkhana or Jamat Khana (from , literally "congregational place") is an amalgamation derived from the Arabic word ''jama‘a'' (gathering) and the Persian word ''khana'' (house, place). It is a term used by some Muslim communities around the w ...
''.
Common duas
#A person who recites from ''("In the creation of the heavens and the earth")'' in Surah
Al Imran
Al Imran (, ; The Family of Imran) is the List of chapters in the Quran, third chapter (sūrah) of the Quran with two hundred verses (''āyāt'').
This chapter is named after the family of Imran (Joachim), which includes Joachim, Imran, Saint ...
till the end of the surah on any night or part of the night, will receive the reward of performing his
Salaat for the whole night.
#A person recites Surah
Ya Sin early in the morning then his need for the day will be fulfilled.
#
Abdullah bin Masood narrates that Muhammad has stated that the person who recites the last two ayat of Surah
Al-Baqara
Al-Baqarah (, ; "The Heifer" or "The Cow"), also spelled as Al-Baqara, is the second and longest chapter (''surah'') of the Quran. It consists of 286 verses ('' āyāt'') which begin with the "'' muqatta'at''" letters ''alif'' ()'', lām'' ( ...
till the end, then these two ayats will be sufficient for him, i.e. God will protect him from all evil and ploys.
#When retiring to sleep, make ''
wudu
''Wuduʾ'' ( ) is the Islamic procedure for cleansing parts of the body, a type of ritual purification, or ablution. The steps of wudu are washing the hands, rinsing the mouth and nose, washing the face, then the forearms, then wiping the head, ...
'', dust off the bed three times, lie on the right side, place the right hand under the head or cheeks and recite the following dua three times: ''("In your name, O Allah, I die and I live")''
#A person who recites three times ''("I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing and All Knowing from the accursed devil")'' in the morning the last three ayat of Surah
Al-Hashr
Al-Ḥashr (, "The Exile") is the 59th chapter (sūrah) of the Qur'an and has 24 Āyahs (verses). The chapter is named ''al-hashr'' because the word ''hashr'' appears in verse 2, describing the expulsion of Jewish Banu Nadir tribe from their set ...
then God delegates 70,000
angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s (''
malāʾikah'') to send mercy onto him till the evening and if he dies that day, he will die as a martyr and if he recites these in the evening then God delegates 70,000 angels to send mercy onto him till the morning and if he dies that night, he dies as a martyr.
#A Muslim servant recites ''("I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, and with Islam as my religion, and with Muhammad as my Prophet")'' three times every morning, then it becomes the responsibility of God to satisfy him on the
Day of Qiyamah.
#A person who has recited ''("O God, whatever favour has come to me or to any of Thy creatures in the morning, it comes from Thee alone who hast no partner, to whom be praise and thanksgiving")'' in the morning, he has pleased (praised, glorified) God for His favours of the morning, and if he has done so in the night, he has thanked God for His favours of the night.
#If a person recites three ayat of Surah
Ar-Rum and if he misses his normal recitation of the day, he will still be rewarded for it. This applies to the night as well.
#If a person retires to bed on the side and recites Surah
Al-Fatiha
Al-Fatiha () is the first chapter () of the Quran. It consists of seven verses (') which consist of a prayer for guidance and mercy.
Al-Fatiha is recited in Muslim obligatory and voluntary prayers, known as ''salah''. The primary literal mea ...
and Surah
Al-Ikhlas
Al-Ikhlāṣ (, "Sincerity"), also known as the Declaration of God's Unity and al-Tawhid (, "Monotheism"), is the 112th chapter (''sūrah'') of the Quran.
According to George Sale, this chapter is held in particular veneration by Muslims, and dec ...
he is immune from everything besides death.
# Reciting
Ayat-ul Kursi will cause the reciter to be protected throughout the night by the angels and
Satan
Satan, also known as the Devil, is a devilish entity in Abrahamic religions who seduces humans into sin (or falsehood). In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to God, typically regarded as a metaphor for the '' yetzer hara'', or ' ...
will not come near him.
# When a person enters his bed (to sleep), an angel and a ''
Shaitan
Iblis (), alternatively known as Eblīs, also known as Shaitan, is the leader of the devils () in Islam. According to the Quran, Iblis was thrown out of heaven after refusing to prostrate himself before Adam. He is often compared to the Chri ...
'' surround him. The Shaitan whispers 'your awakening will end in evil' and the angel says' end in good". One sleeps after engaging in dhikr, the angels will protect him throughout the night. In order to gain the protection of the angels, it is encouraged to engage in ''
dhikr
(; ; ) is a form of Islamic worship in which phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited for the purpose of remembering God. It plays a central role in Sufism, and each Sufi order typically adopts a specific ''dhikr'', accompanied by specific ...
'' and then sleep.
# A man dreamed of Muhammad several times. Each time he asked Muhammed for advice on being able to retain his faith. He was told by Muhammad to recite the following each day:
Zayn al-'Abidin's Dua
Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin conveyed his understanding of the relationship between human and God by the prayers and supplications that he offered God during his extensive nighttime vigils in the
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi
The Prophet's Mosque () is the second mosque built by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in Medina, after the Quba Mosque, as well as the second largest mosque and holiest site in Islam, after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, in the Saudi region of ...
(Mosque of the Prophet) in
Medina
Medina, officially al-Madinah al-Munawwarah (, ), also known as Taybah () and known in pre-Islamic times as Yathrib (), is the capital of Medina Province (Saudi Arabia), Medina Province in the Hejaz region of western Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, ...
. These prayers and supplications were written down and then disseminated by his sons and the subsequent generations. Among them is the ''Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya'', which is known as the Psalms of the Household of Muhammad.
The pre-conditions
In Islam there are nine pre-conditions that need to be present in order for a du'a to be accepted.
Sincerity
In Islam, rules have been made to remember Allah. All Muslims follow those rules.
It is necessary to be pure in order to remember God in Islam.
Every Muslim is required to offer prayers for 5 times, Allah is remembered through prayers. In Islam a Muslim prays to God alone.
Patience
In Islam, to be hasty in du'a is said to be a cause of rejection of du'a. The type of hastiness that is forbidden in Islam is that a person leaves du'a, thinking that God will not respond to it. In Islam, Muslims are instructed not to give up du'a because they do not see a response immediately.
Purity
In Islam, in order for a person's du'a to be accepted by God, it must be for something pure.
Good intentions
In Islam it is imperative that a person making du'a has the best of intentions for whatever he or she is asking. An example would be if someone asks for an increase in wealth, they should intend to spend more of that wealth on the poor and on their relatives than on themselves.
Attentive heart
Muslims are instructed to make du'a with an attentive heart. They should be aware of what they are saying and believe in their heart that God will respond.
Sustenance
It states in the Quran in sura Al-Baqara Verse 200:
Again and moreover Muhammad is reported to have said,
In Shia Islam
Some Shia believe there are preliminaries for fulfillment of Dua. According to
Mutahhari, Dua is both premises and conclusion, both means and end.
Other optional etiquette
There are various other optional techniques and etiquettes in the Quran and Sunnah for Du'a. Listed here are a limited few and just a fraction of the etiquettes of du'a that scholars have found in reference to in the Quran and Sunnah.
Raising one's hands
Raising one's hands is an encouraged option. There are many hadith that describe how Muhammad raised his hands during du'a. Some hadith describe him having raised his hands to or above head-level in dire circumstances. Many scholars agree that aside from times of exceptionally great need, Muhammad did not raise his hands above his head. Under any other conditions, a common practice is to raise the hands to shoulder-height with palms placed together.
Scholars however agree that there are two authentic ways of raising one's hands: when not in drastic conditions the palms of one's hands should be turned up facing the skies, whilst the back of one's hands are facing the ground, then the du'a can be "recited". One must also make sure to face the
Qibla
The qibla () is the direction towards the Kaaba in the Great Mosque of Mecca, Sacred Mosque in Mecca, which is used by Muslims in various religious contexts, particularly the direction of prayer for the salah. In Islam, the Kaaba is believed to ...
(direction of prayer), whilst making du'a.
The second way agreed upon by scholars is to have the palms facing one's face; once again one must face the Qibla, but this time the back of one's hands should also face the Qibla.
Evidence for facing the Qibla during du'a can be found in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
Abdullah ibn Zayd narrated:
Facing the Qiblah

The Qibla is the direction that Muslims face while performing salat.
There are also Sahih hadith which narrate that it is forbidden to lift one's eyes towards the sky in prayer.
Abu Huraira reported:
Wiping the face
Once the du'a has been completed, it is most common for the supplicant to wipe their face with their hands, and this act signals the end of the du'a.
See also
*
Raising hands in Dua
*
Du'a Kumayl
The (, ) is a supplication () attributed to Ali, Ali ibn Abi Talib (), the first Imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam, the fourth Rashidun Caliphate, Rashidun caliph (), and the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islam ...
*
Duha
*
Mafatih al-Janan
*
The Sermon for Necessities- a popular sermon in the Islamic world, particularly as the introduction to a khutbah during Jumu'ah
*
Durood
*
Dua in
Yazidism
Yazidism, also known as Sharfadin, is a Monotheism, monotheistic ethnic religion which has roots in Ancient Iranian religion, pre-Zoroastrian Iranian religion, directly derived from the Indo-Iranians, Indo-Iranian tradition. Its followers, ca ...
References
External links
{{Authority control
Salah
Salah terminology
Dhikr