Du’aa (Calling upon Allah) Du’aa means calling upon Allah and seeking His Help, for worldly benefits such as wealth and health, or for religious benefits such as forgiveness and everlasting happiness in the hereafter. Allah’s Messenger ( described it as being the marrow of worship. In fact, du’aa is a believer’s response to Allah’s words in the Qur’an, “And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me and I will answer your prayers.'” Du’aa is a great tool in the hands of a Muslim. It is his strength. He may supplicate to Allah in his own words, but it is better to use the beautiful du’aas the Prophet () has taught us. It is important to observe the following etiquette of du’aa so that we may get benefit from them:
Seek out the blessed times for it: Friday (between the adhaan and the iqaamah, when it is raining, the last third of the night, upon breaking the fast, while prostrating in the prayers, on the Night of Al-Qadr (Decree) and on the Day of Arafah.
Be in a state of purity.
Face the direction of qiblah and raise the hands.
Implore Allah with humility and reverence.
Insist to Allah in one’s supplication by repeating the du’aa many times and invoke Him by His Names and Attributes.
f . Be fervent in prayer and hopeful of the answer.
Begin supplication with the mention of Allah, before asking of Him, and entreat Him to send His blessings and peace upon the Prophet ().
Make sure that one’s income is lawful, invoke Allah alone and be sure that He will answer one’s prayer.
Supplications for various occasions On Sleeping and Waking up 1 . Before you go to sleep, say, Bismik-Allaahumma amootu wa ahyaa In Your Name, O Allah, I die and I live. When you wake up, say: Alhamdu lillaahilladhee ahyaanaa ba’da maa amaatanaa wa ilaihinnushoor. All praise is for Allah Who has brought us to life after causing us to die, and to Him is the return [after death].
Whenever the Prophet () went to bed each night, he would cup his hands together and gently blow on them. Then he would recite into them: Say: He is Allah, the One…”
“I seek refuge in the Lord of the Daybreak…” and ” I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind…” Then he would pass them on as much of his body as his hands could reach. He would begin with the head and the face, then the entire part of his body. He would do this three times.
Allah’s Messenger () said, “When you have repaired to your bed, then recite Ayat-ul-Kursee until you complete it, and it will continue to be from Allah a protection for you and no devil will approach you until you come upon the morning.”
On Entering the Toilet and Leaving it
When you enter the toilet, say: Bismillaah. Allaamumma innee a’oodhu bika minal-khubuthi wal-khabaa’ith
O Allah, I seek protection in You from the male and female devils.
When you come out of the toilet, say: Ghufraanak I seek Your forgiveness (O Allah).
On Eating and Drinking
Allah’s Messenger () said, “Say Bismillaah (In the Name of Allah), eat with your right hand and eat of that which is next to you.” If you forget to mention Allah’s Name at the beginning, say when you remember: Bismillaahi fee awwalihi wa aakhirih
In the Name of Allah, at the first of it and at the last of it. 7.After eating say :Alhamdu lillaahilladee at’amanee haadhaa, wo razaqanaa, min ghairi hawlin minnee wa laa quwwah. Praise be to Allah Who has given me this to eat and has provided me with it with neither might nor power on my part. 8 . If you are a guest at a Muslim’s house, say when you finish eating food: Allaahumma baarik lahum feemaa razaqtahum, waghfir lahum, war-hamhum O Allah! Bless for them what You have given them, and forgive them and have mercy on them. On Leaving and Entering your Home
When you leave your home, say: Bismillaah, tawakkaltu ‘alallaah, wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaah
In the Name of Allah; I put my trust in Allah, and there is neither power, nor might except with Allah.
On entering your home, say: Bismillaahi walajnaa, wa bismillaahi kharajnaa,
wa ‘alaa rabbinaa tawakkalnaa In the Name of Allah we enter, and in the Name of Allah we leave, and in our Lord we put our trust. On entering and leaving the Mosque 11 . Upon entering the Mosque, say: Bismillaah, wassalaatu wassalaamu ‘alaa Rasoolillaah. Allaahum-maftah lee abwaaba rahmatik. In the Name of Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, open the gates of Your mercy for me.
When you leave it, you should say: Bismillaah, wassalaatu wassalaamu ’alaa rasoolillaah. Allaahumma innee as’aluka min fadlik
In the Name of Allah, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, I ask You of Your favour.
When you hear the call to prayer (the adhan), say as the mu’adh-dhin says, except when he says: Hayya alas-Salaah “Come to prayer” and Hayya alal-Falaah “Come to success”, you should say: Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaah, after each statement.
After the Adhan say: Allaahumma Rabba haadhihid-da’watitaammati, was-Salaatil-qaa’imati, aati Muhammadanil-waseelata wal-fadeelata, wab‘ath-humaqaaman mahmoodan-illadhee waratahs”O Allah, the Lord of this perfect call and the established prayer, give Muhammad Al-Waseelah (a high position in Paradise) and Al-Fadeelah (a rank above the rest of creation), and raise him on the honored station which You have promised him.” When you have finished it, ask of Allah and you will be given it. The Prophet () said, “The supplication which is made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejected.” (Abu Dawood) Exercises
Fill in the blanks with suitable words.
1 . Du’aa is a great in the hands of a Muslim. 2 . A Muslim must make sure that his is lawful.
A Muslim can call upon Allah for both and benefits.
Write a brief note on the etiquette of du’aa.
Answer these questions.
1 . What is du’aa? How did the Prophet () describe it?
List some etiquette for du’aa.
A person may supplicate to Allah in his own words. However, what is the recommended way of doing du’aa?
Activity
Learn the beautiful du’aas in this lesson and practise them in your daily life.