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InIslam,duʿāʾ (Arabic:دعاء IPA:[duˈʕæːʔ], plural:ʾadʿiyahأدعية [ʔædˈʕijæ]) is a prayer ofinvocation,supplication or request,[1][2] asking help or assistance fromGod. Duʿāʾ is an integral aspect of Islamic worship and spirituality, serving as a direct line of communication between a believer and Allah. Unlike salat, a formal daily prayer performed five times a day with prescribed motions, postures, and recitations, du'ā' is a more "free prayer", characterized by spontaneity and informality. For this reason, du'ā' most closely corresponds to the English term prayer, a term that originates from the Latin precare, meaning 'to beg' and 'to entreat'.[3] Thus, duʿāʾ is more flexible and can be performed 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, themustajaab ad-du'a, prayers answered immediately.[4] Requirements for these prayers are that the Sufi is never asking God for worldly but only for spiritual requests.[4] In times of sickness, danger, or drought, they were answered, while their prayers could also punish those who oppose them.[4]
In Islamic thought, du'ā' is considered both an act of worship and the most spontaneous and ordinary appeal to God.[5] It fulfils three theological purposes: praise, petition, and intercession. Praise is primarily directed at God, his divine qualities and deeds, but can also celebrate the divinely inspired qualities of human beings like the Prophet Muhammad and members of the early community. Petition is to ask for God's aid and intervention.[6] Annemarie Schimmel observes that prayer is an intimate conversation between man and God that consoles the sorrowful heart, even in the absence of an immediate response.[7] Intercessory prayer reflects a more communal dimension of prayer, grounded in the belief that prayers on behalf of another person are meaningful and beneficial. It is common for Muslims to follow any mention of Prophet Muhammad with "May God bless him and give him peace." In this way, Muslims are expected to offer prayers even for the Prophet.[6]
Classical Muslim exegetes and Sufi thinkers debated how Qur'ānic verses promising divine response to supplication could be reconciled with prayers remaining unanswered. Commentaries by Al-Tabari, Fakhr al-Din al Rāzī, and al-Qurtubi on the following verses sought to explore this paradox:[3]
"I answer the call [da'wa] of the supplinat [da'i] when he calls upon Me [da'ani]." (Q 2:186)
"Call upon Me [ud'uni] and I will answer you." (Q 40:60)
Atif Khalil notes that Islamic traditions provided different ways to reconcile this paradox. By drawing on the hadith "Du'ā' is worship", some exegetes extended the meaning of du'ā' to include repentance or worship ('ibāda). In this reading, God's 'response' is his acceptance rather than a fulfilment of the prayer. Later authors such as 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, al-Qurtubī, and al-Ghazālī argued that effective du'ā' requires good moral conduct, repentance, and the pursuit of a lawful life. Thus, sin and injustice can serve as obstructions to receiving a divine response.[8] Sufi commentators like Rāzī and Rūmi maintained that even the act of calling upon God is itself the greatest reward, demonstrating faithful dependence upon God. As du'ā' facilitates intimacy (qurba) with God, prayer serves as its own response. Most authors noted that sincere petitions may be answered in varied ways: the request may be granted, deferred to the afterlife, rewarded with something better, or used to avert any misfortune.[9]
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.[10] These traditions precipitated new genres of literature in which prophetic supplications were gathered together in single volumes that were memorized and taught.[10] Collections such asal-Nawawi'sKitab al-Adhkar and Shams al-Din al-Jazari'sal-Hisn al-Hasin exemplify this literary trend and gained significant currency among Muslim devotees keen to learn how Muhammad supplicated to God.[citation needed]
Over time, devotional literature on du'ā' has expanded beyond prophetic supplications. This devotional literature documents formulaic du'ā' of certain pious individuals.[11] Popular du'as would includeMuhammad al-Jazuli'sDala'il al-Khayrat, which at its peak spread throughout theMuslim world, andAbul Hasan ash-Shadhili'sHizb al-Bahr which also had widespread appeal.[citation needed] Du'a literature reaches its most lyrical form in theMunajat, or 'whispered intimate prayers' such as those ofIbn Ata Allah. Among theShia schools, theAl-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya records du'as attributed toAli and his grandson,Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin.[citation needed]
Narrated Anas:
Allah's Apostle said," None of you should long for death because of a calamity that had befallen him, and if he cannot but long for death, then he should say, 'O Allah! Let me live as long as life is better for me, and take my life if death is better for me.' "
Dua is essentially an expression of submission of faith to God and of one's neediness.[13] Dua denotes a petitionary prayer that seeks divine favour or aid. Unlike salat, it is considered by Muslim thinkers to be a verbal phenomenon although at times physical postures may be used. The content of dua is usually centred on human need and distress, although it can, and ideally should, also include expressions of gratitude and praise.[5]
Type I:Du'ā al-mas'alah (دُعَاءُ الْمَسْأَلَةdu'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!"[citation needed]
Type II:Du'ā al-'ibadah (دُعَاءُ الْعِبَادَةdu'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 Muslimprays or giveszakāt orfasts.[citation needed]
The salat is the obligatory prayer recited five times a day. The timing of the five prayers is based upon a hadith that recounts the angel Gabriel's visit to the Prophet. Gabriel visited the Prophet five times: at noon (zuhr), in the mid-afternoon ('asr), at sundown (maghrib), in the evening ('ishā'), and at sunrise (fajr).[14] It is 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):"[Quran 11:114] Salat is generally read in the Arabic language; however, ImamAbu Hanifah, for whom theHanafi school is named after, proclaimed that prayer could be said in any language unconditionally. His two students who created the school:Abu Yusuf andMuhammad al-Shaybani, 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.[15] Hanbali theologianIbn Taymiyah issued afatwa proclaiming the same.[16] Until the 1950s,Ismailis from India and Pakistan performed the prayer in the language of the localJama'at Khana.[17]
In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful O Allah! O Allah! O Allah! The Security, the Security the Security from the vanishment of the faith. O the Eternally Known! O the Eternally Obliging and O the Guide of those gone astray, Thee alone do we worship and of Thee (only) do we seek help. May Allah's blessings be upon His best creation Mohammed and all his (pure) progeny.
— Book of 101 Dua's (Supplications)[26]
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 theAl-Masjid an-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) inMedina. These prayers and supplications were written down and then disseminated by his sons and the subsequent generations. Among them is theAl-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, which is known as the Psalms of the Household of Muhammad.
All Praise is for Allah who treats me with clemency, just as if I have no sin. So my Lord is the most praised by me of all, and most worthy of my praise. O' Allah! I find the roads of wishes to You wide open, And the rivers of hope to You vast and running, And counting on Your bountifulness (in times of need) for those who wished You freely accessible, And the gates of prayer to those who are disparate, wide ajar, And I know that You are for those who ask You in the position of answer, And for those who are distressed, You are in a posture of rescue.
— An extract of the Dua ofAbu Hamza al-Thumali by Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin[27]
Classical jurists and Sufi writers have defined the conditions and etiquette (adab) that must accompany du'ā' to maximise its efficacy. The conditions are as follows:[28]
The etiquette consists of:[28]
In Islam there are nine pre-conditions that need to be present in order for a du'a to be accepted.[citation needed]
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.[29] Every Muslim is required to offer prayers for 5 times, Allah is remembered through prayers. In Islam a Muslim prays to God alone.
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.
In Islam, in order for a person's du'a to be accepted by God, it must be for something pure.
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.
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.
It states in the Quran in sura Al-Baqara Verse 200:
When you have fulfilled your sacred rites, praise Allah as you used to praise your forefathers ˹before Islam˺, or even more passionately. There are some who say, “Our Lord! Grant us ˹Your bounties˺ in this world,” but they will have no share in the Hereafter.
Again and moreover Muhammad is reported to have said,
"O People! God is al-Tayyib (pure), and He only accepts that which is pure! God has commanded the Messengers, for He said, 'O Messengers! Eat from the pure foods, and do right.' Furthermore he said, 'O you who believe! Eat from the pure and good foods we have given you.' Then ProphetHazrat Muhammad mentioned a traveller on a long journey, who is dishevelled and dusty, and he stretches forth his hands to the sky, saying, 'O my Lord! O my Lord!', While his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully; how can he be answered?"[30]
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Some Shia believe there are preliminaries for fulfillment of du'ā'.[31] According toMutahhari, Du'ā' is both premises and conclusion, both means and end.[32]
Shi'a Isma'ili Muslims perform du'ā' three times a day as part of worship services in thejamatkhanas (assembly places). Those unable to pray in congregation at the jamatkhana are expected to recite the obligatory du'ā' at dusk and dawn.[33] The du'ā' is key to the worship service, without which it remains incomplete. The Isma'ili du'ā' is recited in Arabic and consists of six cycles. Each part begins withbasmala and concludes withsujud (prostration). The first half of each cycle conveys fundamental principles and the second half is a supplication followed by tasliyah or salah.[34]
The core of the Shi'a Isma'ili du'ā' is recognising the authority and leadership of 'Ali and the Nizari lineage of imams. In this tradition, imams are understood as divinely inheriting the capacity to uncover the secrets of the Qur'an and thus revered as trustees of the Prophet's message and divine revelation. Every du'ā' ends with a testimony acknowledging the present imam.[35] After reciting the du'ā', each member of the congregation turns to either side to shake hands while saying shah jo didar, that is, "May you glimpse His divine countenance".[36]
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 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 theQibla (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:
'The Prophet left (Madinah) to this prayer, seeking rain. So he made a du'a, and asked for rain, then he faced the Qibla and turned his cloak inside-out'
— Sahih al-Bukhari #6343, Muslim No. 894 and others
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:
People should avoid lifting their eyes towards the sky while supplicating in prayer, otherwise their eyes can be snatched away.[37]
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.
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:
The Prophet said:...
Supplicate Allah with the palms of your hands; do not supplicate Him with their backs upwards. When you finish supplication, wipe your faces with them.
Narrated Yazid ibn Sa'id al-Kindi:
When the Prophet made supplication (to Allah) he would raise his hands and wipe his face with his hands.
— Abu Dawood,Sunan Abu Dawood[39]
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