Etiquettes of Dua

Dua — An Act of Worship

Allah describes the very purpose of our existence as 'uboodiyyah. The term 'ibadah is very encompassing, and one of the forms we often do not appreciate enough is dua. Questions naturally arise: what is dua, what are its blessings, what etiquette must one follow, why is one person's dua answered and not another's, how can we increase the chances of acceptance, and if everything is predestined, what is the purpose of dua at all?

Linguistically, dua means to call out, to request, to implore, to seek aid. Dua is itself a form of worship.

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِیَعْبُدُونِ

“I have only created jinn and men that they may worship me.”

Adh-Dhariyat 51:56

Call on Me and I Will Answer

Allah first tells us to make dua, then says those who are too arrogant to worship Him — implying that dua is the essence of worship. That is why the Prophet (SAW) said, "Dua is the worship" (Ad-du'aa huwa al-'ibaadah). It places us as creation at our proper level and Allah as our Creator at His proper level.

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِینَ یَسْتَكْبِرُ ونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَیَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِ ینَ

“And your Lord says: Call on Me; I will answer your prayer, but those who are too arrogant to worship Me will surely find themselves in Hell in humiliation!”

Ghafir 40:60

Nearer Than the Jugular Vein

Many times we feel our hearts are far and distant from Allah, but in the Quran, Allah never precedes a dua with the vocative particle 'Ya' (as in Ya Abdallah, Ya Junaid), which is used as a sign of respect when calling someone far away. If someone is standing right next to you, you don't need to say 'Ya' — you just use their name directly. Because Allah wants to show us He is so close by His Knowledge and His absolute Hearing and Seeing, He tells us: if you want to call on Me, don't say Ya, just say 'Rabbi,' and I will respond to you.

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِ یبٌ أُجِیبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْیَسْتَجِیبُواْ لِي وَلْیُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ یَرْ شُدُونَ

“And if My servants ask thee about Me — behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way.”

Al-Baqara 2:186

Dua — A Sign of One's Faith

When we make dua, whether whispered or in the heart, we automatically affirm that Allah can hear us, that He loves and cares about us, and that He has the qudrah, the power, to respond. We give Him certain names and attributes He is deserving of — the All-Hearing, All-Seeing, All-Knowing, Ever-Caring, All-Powerful.

وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُ واْ الَّذِینَ یُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَآئِهِ سَیُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُواْ یَعْمَلُونَ

“AND GOD'S alone are the attributes of perfection; invoke Him, then, by these, and stand aloof from all who distort the meaning of His attributes: they shall be requited for all that they were wont to do!”

Al-A'raf 7:180

Invoke Him by Any of His Names

قُلِ ادْعُوا اللَّهَ أَوِ ادْعُوا الرَّ حْمَنَ أَیًّا مَّا تَدْعُوا فَلَهُ الْأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى وَلَا تَجْهَرْ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتْ بِهَا وَابْتَغِ بَیْنَ ذَلِكَ سَبِیلًا

“Say: 'Invoke God, or invoke the Most Gracious: by whichever name you invoke Him, His are all the attributes of perfection.' And pray unto Him, yet be not too loud in thy prayer nor speak it in too low a voice, but follow a way in-between.”

Al-Isra 17:110

The Manifestation of Our Dua

Every single dua will be responded to by Allah, though it may not be manifested in the way we wanted. Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri narrated the Prophet (PBUH) said: "There is no Muslim who calls upon Allah with words in which there is no sin or severing of family ties but Allah will give him one of three things: either He will answer his prayer soon, or He will store it up for him in the Hereafter, or He will remove something bad from him equivalent to what he is asking for." They said, "Then we should make a great amount of dua'a." He said, "Allah is greater" (Al-Tirmidhi 3573, classed as saheeh).

Another characteristic of dua is that it is the only act that can change predestination, the Qadr — the Prophet (SAW) said, "Nothing can repeal or change Qadr except dua." He also said that caution will not be of any benefit against qadar; no matter how cautious you are, if something has been willed for you it will happen, but dua benefits matters that have occurred and will occur.

Dua and Causality

As human beings, we seek out means and resources to satisfy our needs — if cold, we use fire; if thirsty, we use water. But part of our belief as Muslims is that these very characteristics of fire and water have been granted by Allah SWT — it is not the fire that keeps us warm nor the water that quenches our thirst, but in reality the mercy of the Creator of fire and water. This does not deny the role of the means, but instead of placing our trust in the means, we place our trust in the Provider of those means.

While the Messenger of Allah instructed the sick to seek medical treatment, he (SAW) reminded them that it is Allah who has provided a cure for every illness — hence the beautiful dua of the Prophet: "O Allah, remove the hardship, O Lord of mankind, grant cure for You are the Healer. There is no cure but from You."

Etiquettes of Making Dua: Tawassul

Tawassul refers to seeking means to draw nearer to Allah. There are two forms scholars unanimously agree upon: the first is tawassul via Allah's names and attributes, as He says, "And to Allah belong the most beautiful of names, so call on Him by them." The other is tawassul through good deeds performed sincerely for Allah's sake.

This is illustrated in the hadith of three men trapped in a cave by a boulder, each of whom asked Allah, by reference to a specific sincere good deed they had done — one his devotion to his elderly parents over his children, one his abstaining from fornication out of fear of Allah, and one his honest investment and full repayment of a laborer's wages — to move the rock. Each time, Allah answered, until the rock was fully moved and they were freed.

Persistence and Patience

The Prophet (SAW) said the dua of any worshipper will be responded to as long as he is not hasty and impatient — impatience being when a person makes dua, sees no immediate result, and gives up. Zakariya (AS) made dua for decades for a son, even into old age; when the angel finally came, Zakariya was the first to ask 'how can I have a son, I'm too old and my wife is barren?' Allah responded, kazalik — 'We have already decreed this; you're going to have a son, and you're going to call him Yahya.' This is the kind of persistence required of us.

An Attentive Heart and Hope in Allah's Mercy

The Prophet (SAW) said: "Make dua to Allah while you're in a state of yaqeen and know that Allah does not respond to the dua from an inattentive heart." Duas memorized since childhood and recited without thought may fall into this category, having a body but no soul — much like a salah lacking khushu'.

Some feel that, burdened by sin, Allah will not answer their dua. Yet Iblees himself, after refusing to bow to Adam (AS), asked Allah, "My Lord, give me respite until the day when they are resurrected," and Allah responded, "You are among those who are given respite." If Allah answered even the worst of creation, we should never be disappointed with His mercy or give up on ourselves — He will listen to those who sincerely call upon Him and seek to return to Him.

Acknowledging One's Sins

Part of the etiquette of dua is acknowledging one's shortcomings before one's Creator. Imam Ahmed, traveling and denied entry to a masjid by a guard who did not recognize him, was taken in for the night by a baker whose shop was nearby. Imam Ahmed noticed the baker continually making Istighfar while working, and asked whether he had ever seen a reward from this. The baker replied, 'By Allah! No dua I made except that it was answered, but one — to be able to see the famed Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal.' Imam Ahmed interjected, 'I am Ahmed ibn Hanbal! By Allah, I was dragged to your place so that you can have your dua come true.'

Halal Earnings and the Rejected Dua

One of the primary factors for dua not being accepted is that one eats, drinks, or earns from haram. The Prophet (SAW) said Allah is At-Tayyib and only accepts that which is Tayyib. He then described a traveler, disheveled and dusty, stretching forth his hands calling 'Ya Rabb, ya Rabb' — combining many outward factors that should earn a response — yet the Prophet says: "This person has eaten from haram, drunk from haram, worn clothes bought with haram, and been nourished by haram — how does he expect to be responded to by Allah?"

We should make dua at all times, not only during distress. The Prophet (SAW) said: "Whosoever desires that Allah answers his duas in unfavorable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful dua in days of ease and comfort." And, too, when We bestow Our blessings upon man, he tends to turn aside and keep aloof from remembering Us; but as soon as evil fortune touches him, he is full of wordy prayers (Fussilat 41:51).

Whose Dua Is Accepted Almost Instantaneously

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Three dua'as are such in which there is no doubt of their acceptance: the father's dua'a, the traveler's dua'a, and the dua'a of the oppressed" (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah). He also said three types of people's duas are not rejected: the person who has fasted at the time of iftar, the just ruler's dua, and the dua of the oppressed — whose plea Allah raises upon the clouds, opening the doors of heaven and saying, 'By My Majesty and Honour, I will help and aid you, even if the help is after some days' (Tirmidhi).

• Laylat al-Qadr
• The depths of the night, before dawn, when Allah descends to bestow His bounty
• Following the prescribed prayers
• Between the adhaan and the iqaamah
• When the call for prayer is given and when the ranks are drawn up for battle
• When rain falls
• A certain time on Friday
• When drinking Zamzam water
• When prostrating
• When hearing the crowing of a rooster
• When saying, 'La ilaha illa anta, subhaanaka, inni kuntu min al-zaalimeen'
• The prayer of those present after a soul has been taken
• Dua for one who is sick
• The prayer of the one who has been wronged
• The dua of a father for his child, of a fasting person during the day, and of the traveller
• The prayer of a father against his child, to harm him
• The dua of a righteous person for his parents
• Dua after the sun has passed its zenith and before Zuhr
• Dua when going to bed at night

Ibrahim's Example

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِیلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِیعُ الدُّعَاء رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِیمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِن ذُرِّیَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاء

“'All praise is due to God, who has bestowed upon me, in my old age, Ishmael and Isaac! Behold, my Sustainer hears indeed all prayer.' 'O my Sustainer, cause me and some of my offspring to remain constant in prayer! And, O our Sustainer, accept this my prayer.'”

Ibrahim 14:39-40

• Al-Isra 17:11 — Man often prays for things that are bad as if he were praying for something good, for man is prone to be hasty in his judgments.
• As-Sajdah 32:16 — Who are impelled to rise from their beds at night to call out to their Sustainer in fear and hope, and who spend on others out of what We provide for them.
• Az-Zumar 39:8 — When affliction befalls man, he is likely to cry out to his Sustainer, turning unto Him for help; but as soon as He has bestowed a boon upon him, he forgets Him whom he invoked before.
• Az-Zumar 39:49 — When affliction befalls man he cries out unto Us; but when We bestow a boon by Our grace, he says, 'I have been given this by virtue of my own wisdom!' Nay, this is a trial, but most of them understand it not.

Closing Supplication

We ask Allah SWT to accept our supplications and purify our hearts from any ills that may prevent our dua from being heard and responded to. 'I complain to You my lack of strength, my lack of resources, and how insignificant I am to other people. O most Merciful of those who show mercy, You are the Lord of those who have no power and You are my Lord. Who are you going to leave me to? Some distant person who would be like fire for me, or an enemy given power over me? If you have no anger toward me, I have no objection, but give me 'aafiya, it is easier for me.'