The Etiquettes Employed When Making Dua

Dua is an important and encouraged act of worship in Islam. It is more likely to be accepted by Allah (SWT) if correct etiquettes are employed by the supplicant, in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

The following list is for those brothers and sisters who want to perfect their dua and inshaallah fellow reader you are one of them, otherwise, you would not be reading this article. Put your trust in Allah (SWT) and follow as much as you can of the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW) who said, “Nothing is more appreciable to Allah than dua.” (Tirmithi, Ibn Majah)

1. Glorifying and praising Allah (SWT) and praying upon the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) at both the beginning and end:
   
   He (SWT) also says, “Their way of request therein will be ‘Glory to You, O Allah!’ And ‘Peace’ will be their greetings therein (Paradise) and the close of their request will be ‘All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Sustainer of the worlds.’” (10:10)
   
   The Prophet (SAW) heard a man supplicating during prayer. He did not glorify Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet. The Prophet (s) said, “He has been hasty.” Then he called the man and said either to him, or to someone else, “When any one of you prays, he should begin by glorifying and praising his Lord and then he should invoke blessings on the Prophet, peace be upon him, and after that he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes.” (Fiqh-us-Sunnah, volume 4: 111c)
2. Being in a state of wudu’:
   
   When the Prophet (SAW) invoked Allah on behalf of Ubayd ibn ’Amir, after the battle of Hunayn, he called for water and performed wudu’. He then raised his hands and said: ‘Oh Allah, Fogive Ubayd ibn Amir!’ (Bukhari and Muslim)
3. Facing the Qiblah:
   
   ‘The Prophet (SAW) left (Madinah) to this prayer, seeking rain. So he made a dua and asked for rain, then he faced the Qiblah and turned his cloak inside out’ (Bukhari, Muslim)
4. Raising both hands:
   
   The Prophet (SAW) said, ‘Indeed Allah SWT is Shy and Beneficent. He is Shy when His servant raises his hands to Him (in dua) to return them empty’ (Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi).
   
   The way in which the hands should be raised is described in the following hadiths
   
   “Ibn Abbas said: When asking for something you should raise your hands opposite to your shoulders or next to them; when asking for forgiveness you should point with one finger; and when making an earnest supplication you should spread out both your hands.”
   
   In another hadith, “Anas reported: I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) raising his hands (high enough) in supplication (for rain) that the whiteness of his armpits became visible.” (Muslim)
   
   During the Friday sermon the Prophet (SAW) did not raise his hands in dua, neither did the people listening to the sermon. Sahl ibn Sa'd narrated: “I never saw the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) raising his hands and praying on the pulpit or otherwise. But I saw him saying (doing) this way, and he would point with his forefinger making a circle by joining the middle finger with his thumb.” (Abu Dawud)
5. Acknowledging one’s sins and asking for forgiveness:
   
   Allah (SWT) says about Dhun-Nun (AS), “But He cried through the darkness (saying) ‘none has the right to be worshipped but you (O Allah)’, Glorified (and Exalted) are You! I have been of the wrong-doers.” (21:87)
   Allah (SWT) says about Musa (AS), “He said ‘My Lord! Verily I have wronged myself so forgive me.’ Then He forgave him. Verily, He is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” (28:16)
   
   A good dua would be the ‘Sayyd-ul-Istighfar’:
   ‘O Allah, You are my Lord, there is no god but You; You have created me, and I am Your servant, and I stand firm on my covenant with You according to the best of my ability; I seek refuge in You from the evils of my own actions; I acknowledge Your favors upon me and I confess my sins to You; so forgive me, for no one has power to forgive sins except You’.
6. Showing humility, submissiveness, desire and fear:
   
   Allah (SWT) says, “Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the transgressors…And invoke Him with fear and hope, Surely Allah’s Mercy is (ever) near to the good-doers.” (7:55, 56)
   
   He (SWT) also says: “O you who have attained to faith! Turn unto God in sincere repentance…” (66:8)
7. Complaining to Allah (SWT) about all your problems:
   
   Allah (SWT) said about the father of Yusuf (AS), “He said: ‘I only complain of my grief and sorrow to Allah…” (12:86)
   Allah (SWT) says, “And (remember) Nuh, when he cried (to Us) aforetime. We answered his invocation and saved him and his family from the great distress.” (21:76)
8. Making dua for oneself first, then others:
   
   Allah (SWT) says, “And those who came after them say: “Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who preceded us in Faith…” (59:10)
   
   The dua of Nuh (AS) was, “My Lord Forgive me, and my parents and him who enters my home as a believer and all the believing men and women…” (71:28)
   
   The narration of Ubay bin Ka’ab was that if someone was mentioned to the Prophet, he would invoke Allah for him but would begin with himself.
   
   However, it was also narrated that, on certain occasions, he would not begin with himself. Anas (RA) said “My mother said, ‘O Allah’s Apostle! Please invoke Allah on behalf of your servant.’ He said, ‘O Allah! Increase his wealth and childten, and bestow Your Blessing on whatever You give him” a time of distress” (Bukhari)
9. Keeping your voice between a whisper and speaking aloud:
   
   Allah (SWT) says, “Say (O Muhammad): ‘Invoke Allah, or invoke the Most Gracious, by whichever name you invoke Him (it is the same), for to Him belongs the Best Names. And offer your prayer neither aloud nor in a low voice, but follow a way between” (17:110)
10. Being determined in one’s request and certain for a response:
    
    ‘When you supplicate to Allah you should be sure of being answered. And know that Allah does not answer a supplication that comes from a careless and inattentive heart’ (Tirmidhi).
11. Insistence in dua and repetition (3 times):
    
    The Prophet PBUH had assures us, ‘The dua 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’ (Muslim).
    
    The Prophet (SAW) cursed a few members of the Quraish thrice when they placed the abdominal contents of a camel on his back whilst in sajdah (prostration)
    
    “Abdallah bin Mas’ud reported that the Prophet (SAW) loved to repeat his supplication three times, and pray for forgiveness three times.” (Abu Daw’ud)
12. Avoid using rhymed prose and not letting it affect one’s dua:
    
    Ibn 'Abbas said, “Preach to the people once a week, and if you won't, then preach them twice, but if you want to preach more, then let it be three times (a week only), and do not make the people fed-up with this Qur'an. If you come to some people who are engaged in a talk, don't start interrupting their talk by preaching, lest you should cause them to be bored. You should rather keep quiet, and if they ask you, then preach to them at the time when they are eager to hear what you say. And avoid the use of rhymed prose in invocation for I noticed that Allah's Apostle and his companions always avoided it.” (Bukhari)
    
    However, the Prophet (SAW) on occasions used rhymed prose in dua, such as “I seek refuge in You from eyes that do not shed tears and a soul that is not satisfied and from a heart that does not show humility.”
    
13. Making dua to Allah (SWT) by His Beautiful Names (Amaa’ al Husna):
    
    Allah (SWT) says, “And to Allah belong the beautiful names, so invoke Him by them” (7:180).
14. Making dua for everything and in times of distress and pleasure:
    
    Allah (SWT) says: “And of them there are some who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!’” (2:201)
    
    Allah SWT says, “When We bestow Our favour upon man, he avoids (to appreciate it) and keeps himself far aside (from obedience), and when some evil touches him, he is full of lengthy prayers.” (41:51)
    
    The Prophet (SAW) said, “(Anyone who is pleased) that Allah responds to him at the time of trouble and distress, (should) increase Dua at the time of calmness.” (Tirmithi)
    
15. Seizing the opportunity to make dua during the times in which they are more likely to be answered:
    
    See the section “Best times to make dua”
16. Ending the dua with Aameen:
    
    We went out with the Apostle of Allah (SAW) one night and came upon a man who made supplication with persistence. The Prophet (SAW) waited to hear him. The Prophet (SAW) said: “He will have done something which guarantees (Paradise for him) if he puts a seal to it.” One of the people asked: “What should he use as a seal?” He replied: “Aameen, for if he ends it with Aameen, he will do something which guarantees (Paradise for him).” Narrated by AbuZuhayr an-Numayri in Sunan Abu Dawood
    
    Brothers and sisters in Islam, may Allah keep us steadfast in our religion, grant us wellbeing and goodness (Kheir) in this life and the next and save us from Hell-fire.