Du’a (supplication) is more likely to be accepted by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) as mentioned by Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), if the correct adab (manner) and etiquette is used. Listed below are some of the etiquettes of du’a.
Any Muslim who supplicates Allah with a supplication that does not contain any sin or cutting off of family relations, Allah will give him one of three things for it:
2. or He will save it for him until the Hereafter
3. or He will avert something bad from him equal to the value of his du’a.
(Explanation: a du’a has a certain relative value determined by Allah, so if a person says a particular dua, say 15 times in a day, then Allah protects him from something bad that is equal to the valued amount of his du’a.)
2. To start with thanking Allah and praising Him and then giving salat on the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and ending the du’a with the same
‘When one of you has prayed, then let him begin with praising Allah and Glorifying Him, then let him pray upon the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). After that, he may make any du’a that he wishes’
[Ahmad, abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, – sahih, narrated by Fadalah ibn Ubayd]
3. To ask Allah by His Names and Attributes
[7:180]
[reported by abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi, who regard it a sound hadith]
4. Raising One’s Hands
‘The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) made the du’a, and I saw him raise his hands, until I could see the whiteness of his armpits’
[Sahih al-Bukhari #4323]
‘The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) raised his hands and said:
‘O Allah! I ask your protection for what Khalid had done!’
[Sahih al-Bukhari #4339]
‘Indeed, Allah is Shy and Beneficent. His is Shy when His servant raises his hands to Him (in a du’a) to return them empty, disappointed!’
[Ahmad, abu Dawud #1488, at-Tirmidhi #3556, ibn Majah #3865 and others]
[abu Dawud]
5. Face the Qiblah when making du’a.
Abdullah ibn Zayd (radiAllahu anhu) narrated:
‘The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) left (Madinah) to this prayer, seeking rain. So he made a du’a, and asked for rain, then he faced the qiblah and turned his cloak inside-out’
[Sahih al-Bukhari #6343, Muslim #894 and others]
[Sahih al-Bukhari #3960 and others]
6. Performing Wudu
Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari (radiAllahu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), after the battle of Hunayn, called for water, performed wudu, then raised his hands and said:
‘O Allah! Forgive Ubayd ibn Amir!’
[Sahih al-Bukhari #4323, Muslim #2498]
7. Trust in Allah and have Yaqeen (certainty) that it will be answered
‘O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request from Me, and were I to give everyone what they requested, that would not decrease what I have anymore than a needle decreases the sea if put into it’
‘When one of you makes a du’a, then let him be firm and determined in his du’a, and let him not say, ‘O Allah! If You will, then please forgive me’, for there is noone who can force Allah to do anything’.
8. Persistence in du’a, not being hasty and abandoning du’a
The du’a of any worshipper will continue to be responded to, as long as he does not ask for a sin or breaking the ties of kinship, and as long as he is not hasty’.
It was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, and what does it mean to be hasty? He responded,
‘A worshipper says, ‘I have prayed and prayed, and I don’t see that it will be accepted,’ so he gives up hope of being answered and leaves du’a’
9. Abandonment of obligatory deeds
‘By Him, in whose hand is my soul, you should enjoin good and forbid evil or else it is likely that Allah will send a punishment upon you and then you will invoke Him and you will not be answered’
[at-Tirmidhi]
So, for example, how could those who have constantly neglected and abandoned Fajr prayers in the Masjid expect that their Du’a will be answered?
10. Presence of the heart in the du’a
The whole point of du’a is that a person calls out with a sincere heart to his Creator. This sincerity cannot be achieved if one calls out heedlessly, without earnestness.
Make du’a to Allah in a state that you are certain that your du’a will be responded to, and know that Allah does not respond to a du’a that originates from a negligent, inattentive heart.
[at-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim]
[Ahmad]
11. Say du’a at times of trouble and of pleasure
(Anyone who is pleased) that Allah responds to him at the time of trouble and distress, (should) increase Du’a at the time of calmness.
[at-Tirmidhi]
12. Ask Allah alone
When Ibrahim (alayhis salam), for example, left his wife and child in the middle of the desert, without any support or help, he prayed to Allah, describing their pitiful situation:
“O our Lord! I have settled some of my family in a valley having no cultivation, near Your Sacred House – O our Lord! So that they may keep the prayer established, therefore incline some hearts of men towards them, and provide them fruits to eat – perhaps they may be thankful.”
[Surah Ibrahim, 14: 37]
“I only complain of my distraction and anguish to Allah, and I know from Allah that which ye know not”
[Surah Yusuf, 12: 86]
In the hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (radiAllahu anhu), RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said to him while he was riding behind him on the same mount,
‘Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask only Allah and if you seek help, seek help only from Allah. And know that if all the nations were to gather together to benefit you, they would benefit you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you, and if they gather together to harm you, they would harm you only with something that Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages are dry.’
[at-Tirmidhi]
13. To Cry with the fear of Allah
“O my Lord, they [the idols] have indeed led astray many among mankind. But whoever follows me, he verily is of me. and whoever disobeys me, still you are indeed Most Forgiving, Most Merciful”
[Surah Ibrahim, 14: 36].
“If you punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You-only You are the Almighty, the All-wise”
[Surah Ma’idah, 118].
And the prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) then raised his hands and said,
‘Allahumma! Ummati! Ummati! (O Allah! my ummah! my ummah!)’ and then he started crying – out of concern for his followers, just like Ibrahim and Isa (alayhum salam) were concerned for their followers.
[Muslim #202 and others]
14. Make Du’a for oneself before making Du’a for others
Thus, it is permissible to make du’a without mentioning one’s self, but in general it is recommended to do so.
15. Perform the Du’a in conformity with the Shari’ah
‘Whoever innovates in this matter of ours, something which is not part of it, it will be rejected.’ If a person is sincere but is not following the Sunnah, his worship is rejected. Similarly, if a person is following the Sunnah but his work is not sincerely done for the sake of Allah, his worship is still rejected.
16. Make du’a in a moderately low voice
“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He does not like the aggressors” [Surah A’raf, 37: 55]
“And remember your Lord by your tongue and within yourself, humbly and with fear without loudness in words, in the morning and in the afternoon and be not of those who are neglectful.”
[Surah A’raf, 37: 205]
This principle is also mentioned in a hadith. Once, the sahabahs were travelling and loudly engaging in dhikr. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said,
‘O people! Be gentle on yourselves, for you are not calling someone who is deaf or absent. Rather, you are calling the One Who hears everything, Ever-Close.’
[Sahih al-Bukhari #6384]
17. To Repeat the Du’a three times
18. Do not make dua against oneself, ones family, wealth and children
It is possible that a person, in a state of severe anger, curses and makes du’a against himself, his family and friends, or his wealth. This is definitely an act that does not befit a Muslim, and the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) warned against this.
Do not pray against yourselves, do not pray against your children and do not pray against your servants, and do not pray against your wealth, for it is possible that it might correspond to an hour/time during which all prayers are answered, and your du’a (prayer) will be answered’.
[Muslim, abu Dawud]
19. Acknowledging One’s sins
Part of the etiquette of du’a is to acknowledge one’s shortcomings and sins in front of one’s Creator, and expressing sincere regret for them. It is also worthwhile to acknowledge all of Allah’s mercy bestowed upon you.
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said,
‘The sayyid al-Istighfar is that a person says: O Allah! You are my Lord, there is no one worthy of worship except You. You created me, and I am Your slave. And I am (following) Your covenant and Promise as much as I can. I seek Your refuge in the evil that I have done. I acknowledge Your favours upon me, and I acknowledge my sins. So forgive me, since no one forgives sins except You!’
So when one raises one’s hands to Allah, expecting a response from Him, one should also ponder over one’s own relationship with Allah, and the shortcomings that one possesses. in this way the person should recall his many sins, and feel his own humility – that is, he should remember that he is asking One whom he has disobeyed, and sinned against, and not fulfilled his rights upon Him. Let him taste his impudence when he asks Allah for more and more, without fuilfilling the basic deeds that are obligatory upon him.
20. To say ‘Ameen’
The Jews do not envy you for any matter as much as they envy you for Ameen, and for giving salams to one another.
[Sahih al-Bukhari]
Whoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and women, then a good deed will be written for him for every single believing man and woman (that he prayer for)
[al-Tabarani]
21. To make du’a for all matters
This is beacuse everything occurs by Allah Ta’ala’s Will, so if Allah does not Will it, it will not occur, no matter how trivial the matter may be.
Ask Allah for everything, even if it is only a shoe-lace, beacuse if Allah does not make it easy, then it will not be possible
[as reported in a hadith in at-Tirmidhi 4:292 and others]
22. Doing good deeds and asking Allah by one’s good deeds
‘Three persons of a people before you were on a journey when they were overtaken by a storm; therefore, they took shelter in a cave. A rock slipped down from the mountain and blocked the exit of the cave. One of them said, ‘The only way for deliverance is to beseech Allah and (to mention) some virtuous deed (he did purely for His sake).’
One of the men mentioned a good deed which they had done for Allah, and supplicated, ‘O Lord! If I did this thing seeking only Thy pleasure, then do Thou relieve us of the distress wrought upon us by this rock.’
The rock moved, but not enough to free the men. So, the other two made similar supplications while mentioning their good deeds until the rock moved enough to free them.
[Sahih al-Bukhari, Muslim]
23. To make du’a plentifully
When one of you wishes for something, then let him increase (his wishes), for verily he is asking his Lord, the Most Exhalted and High
[reported by Adh ibn Humayd in his Muntakhab 1:193]
When one of you asks something (from Allah), then let him be plentiful (in what he asks for), for indeed he is asking his Lord
[ibn Hibban #2403]
24. To make Du’a for all Muslims
[Qur’an 47:19]
[abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi]
‘Whenever you make a supplication for another believer and he is not present, an angel will say ‘and same to you.’’
25. Not to use rhymed prose when making du’a
‘…And beward of poetry and rhyming in your du’a, for verily i encountered the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and his Companions avoiding this’
[Sahih al-Bukhari #6337]
26. Not to transgress when making du’a
[abu Dawud]
27. Not to make du’a for prohibited and impossible things
Ibn Abbas, while giving his students advice, reported,
‘…And beward of poetry and rhyming in your du’a, for verily i encountered the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and his Companions avoiding this’
[Sahih al-Bukhari #6337]
28. To make a Du’a that encompasses most of the needs of Deen and the dunya
‘And there are men who say: “Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and defend us from the torment of the Fire!” These will have a share of what they earned, and Allah is swift in Reckoning.’
[surah al-Baqarah 2:201-202]
29. Not to make du’a against oneself and family
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said, “Get down from it, for a cursed one must not escort us. Do not make Du’a against yourselves, do not make Du’a against your children and do not make Du’a against your wealth. It might coincide with a time when Allah answers what you asked for.”
[Muslim, abu Dawud]
30. Not to consume Haram (unlawful) and keep to the Halal (lawful)
‘Allah the Almighty is good and accepts only that which is good. Allah has commanded the faithful to do that which he commanded the messengers and the Almighty has said: ‘O Messengers! Eat of the good things and do right.’ And Allah the Almighty has said, ‘O you who believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you.”
[Muslim]
31. Not to ask for sin or break ties of kinship
The companions said ‘…so we will ask for more.’ He replied, ‘Allah is more (generous).’
[Ahmad]
I love ur work mayALLAH REWARD U ALL
Aoa ,it would be great if the same adab are also written in urdu
May Allah reward you for your efforts ,please write the same adab in. Urdu.
Thank you and Jazaky Allah Khair, I don’t know Urdu, but I will try to find someone to do it In Shaa Allah
Salam Alaekun. Jazak’Allah Akhairan for this insightful compilation. Kindly permit me to print it out.
Wa Alikoum Assalam,
Please feel free to print, email or republish this content
May Allah accept our prayers
— BEGIN QUOTE—
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
‘When one of you has prayed, then let him begin with praising Allah and Glorifying Him, then let him pray upon the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). After that, he may make any du’a that he wishes’
— END QUOTE—
Does anyone knows what to recite exactly ?
Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem,
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaah,
First I would like to thank the person who wrote this. May Allaah use it as an expiation for his or her sins, ameen.
Secondly, It is a valuable peace of work which is forgotten by many of our fellow brothers and sisters these days whilst making suppliication(s), including me. So baarakAllaahufeekum for the reminder.
Last but not least, ahaadeeth (plural for hadeeth) can be checked on the following site which contains the kutub sitta (the six books of hadeeth).
Buchaari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmizi, An-Nasaa-i and Ibn Maajah plus the Muwatta of Imaam Maalik (rahimahumAllaah).
Keep on the good work. Wa hayyakumAllaah,
Your brother in deen.
Sunnah.com
Mashaa Allah thats much researched and accurately designed. Jazakumullah al khair!
May ALLAH (SWA) help all of us, forgive our sin and grand us Jannatul firdausi. Jazak-ALLAH bikhair
Assalamulykum..can you tell me how to praise Allah before making dua?
Can i praise Allah in my own language??
Yes in Shaa Allah
very informative,may Allah reward u
Alhamdulillah barakallahu fihkhum……….