How to make duʿāʾ
Duʿāʾ is the marrow of worship. The Sunnah gives it an etiquette — a way of asking that makes the supplication most beloved to Allah and most likely to be answered. Here are its classical adab.
- 1
Begin with praise and ṣalawāt
Open by praising Allah for what He is worthy of, then send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ. The Sunnah is that a supplication that begins with ḥamd and ṣalawāt is not left suspended between the heavens.
- 2
Face the qiblah and raise your hands
Where you can, turn toward the qiblah and raise your open hands — a posture of humility and need before Allah, who is shy to return empty the hands raised to Him.
- 3
Ask with certainty and a present heart
Call upon Allah while certain of an answer, with a heart that is present, not heedless. Ask firmly — never “O Allah, forgive me if You wish” — for none can compel Him and nothing is great to Him.
- 4
Be earnest and persistent
Repeat the supplication and do not hurry. The Prophet ﷺ warned against saying “I supplicated and was not answered, so I gave up.” Persistence is itself part of the worship.
- 5
Seek the times and states of acceptance
Certain moments are nearer to acceptance: the last third of the night, between the adhān and iqāmah, in the prostration of prayer, the last hour of Friday, while fasting, and when the rain falls. Reach for these.
- 6
Keep your food and earnings lawful
The Sunnah ties the answering of duʿāʾ to lawful (ḥalāl) sustenance. Unlawful food, drink, and clothing are a veil between a supplication and its acceptance.
- 7
Ask for good, never for sin
Supplicate for what is good in this life and the next. A duʿāʾ for sin or for severing the ties of kinship is not answered as asked; ask instead for what draws you nearer to Allah.
- 8
Close with ṣalawāt and trust
Seal the supplication as you began it — with blessings on the Prophet ﷺ — and leave the outcome to Allah, trusting that He answers either by giving, by averting a harm, or by storing it for the Hereafter.
Supplications by need
- Duʿāʾ for anxiety and distress
- Duʿāʾ for forgiveness
- Duʿāʾ for hardship and difficulty
- Duʿāʾ for knowledge and studying
- Duʿāʾ for protection
- Duʿāʾ for travel
- Duʿāʾ before sleep
- Duʿāʾ for grief and loss
- Morning duʿāʾ (adhkār al-ṣabāḥ)
- Evening duʿāʾ (adhkār al-masāʾ)
- Duʿāʾ before and after eating
- Duʿāʾ for leaving and entering the home
- Duʿāʾ inside the prayer (ṣalāh)
- Duʿāʾ for exams, study, and ease in a hard task
Where the etiquette of duʿāʾ is taught at length.
Al-Ghazālī gives supplication and the daily litanies two whole books of the Iḥyāʾ; al-Nawawī and Ibn al-Qayyim return to it throughout. Each is a complete English audiobook, free to start.
