Islamic marriage advice and family advice

Dua in Islam

Dua hands with water drops, dua', duaa

Dua'

 Dua in Islam

By Huma Ahmad of Jannah.org

Dua is defined as any invocation or prayer addressed to Allah (SWT).

In our times, we find many reasons why people do not make Dua; we forget, don't know how, or just do not think it will be answered. Fundamental to this is the loss of dependence and trust upon Allah. As Muslims there is something very wrong when we believe our Duas won't be answered. We do not turn to Allah in our times of need and instead put our trust, dependence and hopes on worldly things that we think will help us.

Although these temporal things are the means through which our Duas can be answered, the root of our being should be trained automatically to turn to Allah and not anything or anyone else. Through Dua, we strengthen our Imaan and our relationship with Allah, as well as heighten our awareness of cause and effect that can help inspire and motivate us to be closer to Islam in our lives.

We find many reassurances throughout the Quran for those who make Dua. Allah the Exalted, has said: "And your Lord says: Pray unto me: and I will hear your prayer" (Quran 40:60), "Call upon your Lord Humbly and in secret" (Quran 7:55), "When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me" (Quran 2:186), "Is not He (best) who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and who relieves its suffering." (Quran 27:62)

Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, "No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated."

In fact, it is even wrong to never make Dua, "Whosoever does not supplicate to Allah, He will be angry with Him." [Saheeh Jaami`as-Sagheer #2414]

Conditions for acceptance of Dua

  1. A Hadith says "Ad-Du'aa Huwal-3ibaadah", which means, "Dua is worship." [Abu Dawud,at-Tirmidhi, Hasan Saheeh], Dua is Ibadah so calling upon anyone other than Allah in one's Dua is Shirk. This is an important condition of having one's Dua accepted; the Dua should be directed to Allah alone.
  2. A second condition would be sincerity or Hudoor alqalb, having the heart present.
  3. Also, one's food, drink, clothes and lifestyle should be Halal. One should avoid unlawful, impious or forbidden sources or means of livelihood.
  4. Fourth, one cannot ask for something sinful or Haram. Dua should not be made against family and property (i.e. to sever the ties of kinship).
  5. If one asks Allah to curse someone, it rises up to heaven and goes to the person if they are deserving, if not it returns to the person supplicating.
  6. Patience is another condition. This perseverance in making Dua is important. One should not say "Why hasn't Allah answered my Dua" or "I have prayed and prayed so many times, but the same was not accepted" and then become disappointed and give up praying. An example of this is like a person who planted a seed or a sapling, and kept looking after it and watering it and when its complete shape and height was slow in coming, they left it and forgot about it.
  7. Lastly one should have expectation, belief with certainty only Allah can answer the Dua. Understanding dependence on Allah and asking with absolute resolve and believing with certainty that one's Dua will be answered is a also a condition of acceptance. One should not say "O Allah do this...if you wish..." because one should appeal to Allah with determination, for nobody can force Allah to do something against his Will. If one fulfills these conditions, Allah will definitely answer the Dua, avert some equivalent evil or give better in the Hereafter.

We can and should make Dua in every condition, i.e. in hardship and in prosperity. There are also some special times to make Dua where it is more likely to be accepted.

Special times for dua:

  1. When one is oppressed
  2. Between the time of Athan and Iqama
  3. At the time of the call for prayer
  4. At the time of fighting when warriors are engaged with each other
  5. When it is raining
  6. When one is sick
  7. The last third of the night
  8. Ramadan (especially Lailatul Qadr)
  9. After the Fard part of prayer\
  10. When traveling
  11. When breaking fast
  12. In Sujood
  13. Fridays, some say on Friday after Asr prayer
  14. While drinking the water from the well of Zamzam
  15. At the start of prayer (Dua of Istiftah)
  16. When one begins the prayer, i.e. with "all praise be to Allah, the Pure and the Blessed one"
  17. While one recites al-Fatiha (which is a Dua)
  18. When Ameen is said in the prayer (also relating to Fatiha)
  19. At the time of raising the head after the Rukoo
  20. In the last part of the prayer after conveying blessings unto the Prophet (SAW)
  21. Before finishing the prayer (before Tasleem (saying the Salaam to the angels))
  22. At the end of Wudu
  23. On the day of Arafah
  24. On waking up from sleep
  25. At times of adversity
  26. Prayer after the death of a person
  27. Dua when someone's heart is filled with sincerity and when it is focused on Allah
  28. Dua of the parent against or for his children
  29. When the sun moves from its meridian but before the Dhuhr prayer
  30. The Dua of a Muslim for his brother without the latter's knowledge
  31. At the time the army advances to fight in the way of Allah.

Dua can be beautified and perfected by certain actions:

  1. Have Wudu, face Qibla, be neat and clean
  2. Raise both hands up to the shoulder with palms open facing up
  3. Use words of Allah and Muhammad (SAW)- i.e. Duas found in Quran and Hadith
  4. Ask by Asma alHusna- Allah's Beautiful Names
  5. Ask Allah by your good deeds
  6. Be insistent-repeat (i.e. 3x's)
  7. Glorify Allah and recite Durud for the Prophet (SAW) at both the beginning and end
  8. Show humility, entreaty, desire and fear while making Dua
  9. Repent and try to make amends where one has wronged
  10. Confess mistakes, shortcomings, and sins
  11. Keep voice between a whisper and speaking aloud
  12. Show the need for Allah's help and implore Him for release from weakness, hardship and tribulation.
  13. Seize the opportunity of time, situation and circumstance in which prayers are answered
  14. Avoid rhymed prose to keep concentration
  15. Crying when making Dua
  16. "The Dua of Dhun-Nun (Yunus) by which he invoked Allah from within the belly of the whale was: 'LAa ilaha illa Anta, Subhanaka innee kuntu min aDH-DHaalimeen.' ('There is no God but You, glory to You, I have been among the wrongdoers.') No Muslim ever makes Dua with it but Allah answers it." [at tirmidhi in his sunan, ahmad and hakim reported it and hakim declared it authentic and adh dhahabee agreed]
  17. End with "Alhamdulillah rabbil alameen." (Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds).

We should ask for Dunya things, but not just for the sake of Dunya itself and for Akhirah things. We should not ask for punishment to be brought forward in this world or for early death. We should not curse any particular human being or animal, abuse a Muslim for no reason, abuse dead people without cause and religious excuse, or abuse fever or the wind. We should not make Dua by saying we have been given rain by this or that star or what Allah willed, and so and so willed. We should not make Dua against family and property or for sinful acts and severing the bonds.

In the end there can be reasons why the Dua might not be answered such as not fulfilling conditions like some of the ones listed above or: Divine Wisdom, trying to hurry the response of one's Dua, Dua for what is sinful or the breaking off of relations, eating, drinking, or dressing from what is Haram, not being resolute in making Dua, abandoning the duty of enjoining what is good and shunning the evil, the dominance of unmindfulness, lust and vain desires, not being submissive during Salah, or committing particular sins (not divorcing a vile woman, giving a loan without a witness, and a man who gave his wealth to the foolish).

More information on Dua can be found in a book in English, a translation of Kitaab ud-Du`aa' by Shaykh al-`Awaa'ishah (published by Jam`iat Ihyaa Minhaaj al-Sunnah), the Book of Supplications in Al-Bukhari and Riyadh us Saleheen and Ajawab Alkafi by Imam Shams Adeen Mohamad bin AbiBakr Bin Qayem Ajawyzeyah.

Jazakamullahu khairan to those who corrected and added to the above compilation. May Allah make us of those that oft turn to Him in Dua. Ameen.

41 Responses »

  1. thanks ever so much for your help yes it is very hard because he is the type of man that backs of his words aswell if i even tell him that you did give me thalak 3 times over the phone he will even deny that so allah (swt) knows the truth

  2. Thank u i have learned so many things.

    • i want abandon my all bad urges,sister please how to get rid of this.i am a 18 years student but do not have control on my bad ambitions.please give me some solution.
      .

      • Allahumma al-himni rushdi, wa a’idhni min sharri nafsi

        Recite it every morning and before going off to sleep..
        It means "O ALLAH inspire me in guidance and deliver me from evil within in myself " Ameen!

  3. Thanks alot,only Allah(S.W.A)can reward you.

  4. i learnt alot thanku, jazakallah

  5. is there any dua for girl's after she had done sex......please tell me if any dua for this

  6. ASALAMALLAYKUM,
    After going through your site, i felt to put my problem --- let me know a dua through which the misunderstanding between me and my brother should be over. plz help me

  7. Assalamo alaykom Warahmatullahi wabarakatuho.

    is there any dua after sex? Yes! If you felt happy during and after the sex with your husband,You May say: Alhamdulillah. or You may say: ALhamdulillahil lajiy binihmtaihi tatimmut saalihat. But if you are not sexually satisfied yet, tell your husband that you are not satisfied yet and he has to satisfy you.

  8. Dua to reconcile with your brothers and sisters, with your family and community:

    ((Allahummag firlanaa wali wa li waalidaynaa wa lilmuhmineyna walmuhminaati wal muslimieynaa walmuslimati, wa aslih dhaata baynina wa allif bayna quloowbinaa wa ahdinaa subulas salaam. )) O Allah! forgive our sins, and our parents, and faithful men and women, muslim men and women, and make better our relationship/ reconcile our misunderstanding, and put stronger/stable love
    between our hearts and guide us to the ways of peace. Ameen

  9. NOTE PLEASE
    ♥═ೋ═ೋ ೋ═ೋ═ೋ♥

    We would like to advise our readers that in several of our articles after The Prophet Muhammad's name instead of writing sallallahu alaihi wa sallam you may see (saw), (saws), or (pbuh). Please be advised that we see no issue with using an abbreviated version of this as all Muslims should be aware of the requirement for them to say sallallahu alaihi wa sallam after his name.

    We pray that Allah, Almighty, record this effort as a good deed, done in defense of His religion (Islam) and solely for His pleasure, and that He make it reach and benefit those who need it most, and overlook our shortcomings and cover us all with his mercy in this world and purify us for the hereafter, Ameen

  10. Only Allah can fulfill your needs

  11. Alhamdulilah

  12. I realy very happy to visit this side it made me changed my life, Allah reward u amin

  13. I am a 30 year old female and am worried about my marriage prospects. I love a person who has been very respectful and of good character so far. he claims to love me but according to him his family is not agreeing to it. Therefore, he has recently stopped talking , contacting me. I really like him and am upset over this thing. Kindly pray for me that our situation improves, his family agree and that we soon get into Nikah. I have been to the Almighty all along but I think I need other's prayers.

  14. Insha Allah sister

  15. Assalaamalaikum,
    Thanks alot,I learnt alot and it made my belief in ALLAH more hard.Shukriya.
    ALLAH HAFIZ

  16. salam, my daughter' marriage has been delaying without any resean. i am worring of black magic. what dua i should recect

  17. i like dua dua change our life dua change sorrows in pleasures dua is very imporent beacuse dua take a person to near ALLAH which create him

  18. Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh. My dear brothers & sisters, I ask you in the name of Allah (swt) please do duaa for my friend's mother who is very sick currently in a critical condition in hospital, plz do dua as Allah will hear someone somewhere. Wherever you are, plead from the bottom of your heart to do dua for her mother Jazak Allah khayr

  19. i commit a sin by watching bad stuffs but i then promise to allah not to do it again and after few days passed i did the same thing.then i repeat the procedure again and again.i really want not to do this but i cannot control myself. I know its a very bad habit and i sometimes get control on myself for months but again i do the same thing.I am very disturbed and i thnk ALLAH will not forgive me.i am afraid of ALLAH'S curse and i am afraid that if ALLAH punish me for this in academics and other things what i will do?????? but I don´t masturbate and never have but the day dreams are so strong I just want to punish myself. I feel extremely insulted and embarrased because I know that Allah won't be happy of what I did and the next whole day, I feel extremely bad, as everytime I do it, I repent and promise Allah that I won't do it again. I feel ashamed when I offer my namaz since I cannot avoid thinking of the wrong I committed. But I just can't control myself. Do you know how may I stop myself....
    I don´t want to think about this but I can´t help it.My parents have brought me up well and I have never been involved with boys and don´t wish to but this eating me up inside and I feel dirty and just feel shaitan is misguiding me. I don´t want to be mislead and need advice.PLZ

  20. Mashallah.i need an answer for u that i am interested for getting admission in medical college.plz tell me a wazifa.i hope u can help me.

  21. i love allah and nabe (saw)
    thanx a lot to share our islamic hadees non belivers & belivers are watched
    and i also share to other
    thanx again
    i need u r prayer
    remember me always your precious prayers
    dua with my name
    my name is AFREEN

  22. I need success in my all tests and exams
    and all time my mind is not working properly
    please pray for me
    telme wazifa dua ya ayat
    and every thing is against for me
    please tellme
    give response i m waiting

  23. assallam o alikum . i need a dua for height gain . my siblings and me are short heighted . plz help!

  24. I am afraid of Allah (SWT). Because I don't have any achievement in this world. Though I am a Muslimah. So pray for me to almighty Allah so that He will forgive all of us.

  25. what is the difference between gift of land and wasiot.

  26. Allahmdulillah !!! I have read and learns a lo,t may Allah in his infinite mercy bless you.
    Thou I've a request, i need a prayer point to bring back my husband back to me and his Mother.
    My husband left me over a year without a fight and also neglected his mother. he has never been like this
    if there is anything he loves the most is his mother buh for a year now he has abandoned her too.
    we feel he is not in his senses, what dua'i would you help me with ?

  27. Salam my friend Zara
    Remember Allah karim never hates the sinners he only hates the sin.
    In Sha Allah may Allah karim guide you to the right path
    Recite this all day specially after magrib salah
    "HASBUNALLAH WA NI'MAL WAKEEL
    NI'MAL MAULA WA NI'MAL NASEER"
    And recite "ASTAKFIRULLAH" on you fingers 100 times after fajr and magrib salah.
    In sha Allah everything will be fine.
    Trust me I had the same problem of watching bad stuff as yours and Alhamdulillah Allah karim has guided me by supplicating.. may you be guided too ameen
    In sha Allah.

  28. Aslamulaikum
     
    im sweety,

     In your site i came know that site give wazifa and DUA about marriage and answer questions . Im 27 years old now, i want to tell u my problem and want your  dua. My problem is i was on a relationship for four years. And we breakup our relationship ten month ago. Actually he breakup with me. And  still i love him & want him back in my life badly as like my husband.On the other way he is very happy in his own life and don't want to came back. May he is on a otherr relationship. His family members also against me. But he was ok in all time when we was together.But suddenly he changed and we had a huge fight and he broke the relation with me. Before that i want to his house and had a quarrel with him and that time was there and witnessed  all. In a bad situation mistakenly give a slap on his face in front her mother was totally mad and so-called me. In after that i try to contact with him so many times in so many way but he didn't response  and blocked me from everywhere . Than i inform my family members and they try to contact with them but they don't want to talk about it. They do not like me. In all that his action was nothing . He just forget our love,our memories,his promises which he give me about marriage . Easily he is forget everything and move on his life. even his change cell phone number,address,block me from mail i have no way to contact with him. in this nine month his didn't communicate  with me

    In all this reason people misunderstand me, and some people  always so called me. Everyone says he will never ever come back in your life ....  My family members totally stop supporting me from everything,in day by day im  lose my mantel stability, I always keep praying and beg  from ALLAH Rabulalamin.....please for give me, and give him in my life as a husband....  please help me please help me from your dua.......
    i have done so many duas but not a single one is worked. now i don't have nothing , my life  fully staked. no one wants to marry me after hearing about my past. Society always blaming a girl what had you done but thay don't want to know that girl mental situation. Please make dua for me.....
     

    • Salaam, May Allah forgive you of thr sin in haram relations and provide better for you.Ameen. I know you feel like missing him but try focus your time on Allah instead and work to build a relationship with Him. InshaAllah you will get someone better but in a halal way.

  29. . Respect and honor all human beings irrespective of their religion, color, race, sex, language, status, property, birth, profession/job and so on

    [Quran translation:17/70]
    Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.

  30. jazakallah I learned lot of stuff

  31. Salam, Please can you advise me whether there are any duas from the Quran or sunnah that i can recite which will stop my husband from being unfaithful again, and stop him from looking at other women and porn? And to love me and show care and affection. I am not ugly, but because he never looks at me and keeps his distance, i have started to feel insecure about my appearance, feel lonely, unloved and very depressed. I have explained to him about how i feel and often advise him to pray and ask Allah to guide him but he could care no less and swears and shouts at me. Please can you advise me, at the moment i am just praying to Allah to change him into a better muslim, a better husband and a better father. I do have faith that Allah will help me, but i was wondering if there were any specific surahs or duas that i could recite?? Thank you.

    • Sister, dua' is not a spell for controlling other people or making them behave a certain way. You cannot control your husband. You can only control how you react to him and what you choose to do about his behavior.

      Wael
      IslamicAnswers.com Editor

  32. My baby is one year old and he is very weak.....na kuch khata hai plzz koi wazifa btaya ke uska weight barhe or wo khana shoro kar de...

  33. Aslmk.we want to make an agreement in our nikah nama to avoid triple talaq.

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