Etiquette of Dua and Times It Is Accepted

Dua means supplication, speaking to Allah in your own words or with words from the Quran and Sunnah. The Prophet ﷺ taught that dua is worship (Sunan Abi Dawud 1479).

Quran 2:186 says that Allah is near, and that He answers the one who calls on Him when he calls. Quran 40:60 also invites us to call on Him with the promise of a response.

There is no fixed form. You can ask for forgiveness, health, guidance, provision or anything lawful, big or small. Nothing is too small to ask Allah for, and nothing is too large for Him.

These manners are taken from the Quran and authentic reports. They are not all required, but they make dua better.

A person who is humble and careful about these manners often finds that the heart becomes calmer, even before the answer comes.

• Begin by praising Allah and sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ (Sunan Abi Dawud 1481).
• Face the Qibla if you can, and raise your hands (Sahih Muslim 1763, Sunan Abi Dawud 1488).
• Be sincere, humble and quiet, with a heart that hopes and fears (Quran 7:55 and 21:90).
• Ask with firm resolve and great hope. Do not say, "O Allah, forgive me if You will" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6338).
• Repeat your dua and do not be hasty. Do not say that you asked and received nothing (Sahih al-Bukhari 6340).
• Keep your earnings and food lawful. The Prophet ﷺ warned that a person whose food, drink and clothing are unlawful can hardly expect an answer (Sahih Muslim 1015).
• Do not ask for anything sinful or for the breaking of family ties (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3573).

Authentic reports mention several moments when dua is more likely to be answered. You can use them without making them a rule that dua is accepted only then.

Most of these reports are in Sahih al-Bukhari or Sahih Muslim, and the others are graded sahih or hasan by hadith scholars. The Prophet ﷺ encouraged asking Allah at all times.

• The last third of the night, when, as the Prophet ﷺ taught, our Lord descends to the lowest heaven in a way that suits His majesty and asks who is calling on Him so that He may answer (Sahih al-Bukhari 1145).
• Between the adhan (call to prayer) and the iqamah (call to start the prayer) (Sunan Abi Dawud 521).
• While in sujud (prostration) in prayer, when the servant is closest to his Lord (Sahih Muslim 482).
• On Friday, where there is a short hour in which a Muslim who asks Allah for something good is given it (Sahih al-Bukhari 935). Scholars differ about exactly when this hour is.
• The dua of a traveller, of a person who has been wronged, and of a parent (Sunan Abi Dawud 1536, Sahih al-Bukhari 1496).
• A Muslim's dua for his brother in his absence, when an angel says "and the same for you" (Sahih Muslim 2732).
• The day of Arafah, when Allah draws near and boasts of the pilgrims to the angels (Sahih Muslim 1348). It is a time to ask for much.

A dua is never wasted. The Prophet ﷺ taught that when a Muslim makes a dua that contains no sin and no breaking of family ties, Allah either gives what was asked or turns away from him a harm of equal weight (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3573). Scholars add, on the basis of a further narration in Musnad Ahmad, that Allah may also store the reward for the Hereafter.

So a delay does not mean refusal. Allah knows what is best for you better than you do, and He may answer in a way that you do not expect.

Because of this, a believer should ask with hope and also accept Allah's decision with patience, and keep making dua.

You can make dua in any language and at any time, in good days and hard days. Speak plainly, ask for both this life and the next, and keep trusting Allah after you finish.