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{{Short description|Islamic prayer of invocation, supplication or request}}
{{Other uses}}
{{multiple issues|
{{cleanup rewrite|date=April 2012}}
{{unreliable sources|date=October 2011}}
{{Over-quotation|date=March 2012}}
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{{Islam}}
In [[Islam]], '''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|duʿāʾ}}''' ({{langx|ar|دعاء}} &nbsp;{{IPA|ar|duˈʕæːʔ|IPA}}, plural: ''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|ʾadʿiyah}}'' {{lang|ar|أدعية}} &nbsp;{{IPA|ar|ʔædˈʕijæ|}}) is a prayer of [[invocation]], [[supplication]] or request,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Dua|editor=John L. Esposito|encyclopedia=The Oxford Dictionary of Islam|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|year=2014|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e561|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423045826/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t125/e561|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 23, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|author=Gardet, L. |title=Duʿāʾ| year= 2012 |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam| edition=2nd|publisher=Brill |editor1=P. Bearman|editor2= Th. Bianquis|editor3= C.E. Bosworth|editor4= E. van Donzel|editor5= W.P. Heinrichs|doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0195}}
</ref> asking help or assistance from [[God in Islam|God]]. Duʿāʾ is an integral aspect of Islamic worship and spirituality, serving as a direct line of communication between a believer and God. Unlike salat, a formal daily prayer performed five times a day with prescribed motions, postures, and recitations, du'ā' is a more "free prayer", characterized by spontaneity and informality. For this reason, du'ā' most closely corresponds to the English term prayer, a term that originates from the Latin precare, meaning 'to beg' and 'to entreat'.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite journal |last=Khalil |first=Atif |date=2011 |title=Is God Obliged to Answer Prayers of Petition (Du'a)? The Response of Classical Sufis and Qur'anic Exegetes |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jmedirelicult.37.2.0093 |journal=Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=94 |doi=10.5325/jmedirelicult.37.2.0093 |issn=1947-6566}}</ref> Thus, duʿāʾ is more flexible and can be performed at any time and in any place. Through duʿāʾ, Muslims affirm their dependence on God and their trust in His wisdom and mercy.

Within [[Sufism]] the ''mustajaab ad-du'a'' are special  dua of Sufi-Masters, these prayers are believed to be answered immediately.<ref name="auto4">Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystische Dimensionen des Islam: Die Geschichte des Sufismus. Diederichs, 1992. p. 230 (German)</ref> For these prayers to be answered it is required that the Sufi never asks God for worldly but only for spiritual requests.<ref name="auto4"/> None the less, in times of sickness, danger, or drought, prayers for providence were answered.<ref name="auto4"/> Stories even account a [[Sheikh]] who's dua was so powerful he was able to restore a fallen angel to his rank in the heavens.<ref name="auto4"/>

==Role in Islam==
[[File:Puncak Gunung Guntur, Garut - Jawa Barat.jpg|thumb|An [[Islam in Indonesia|Indonesian Muslim]] man doing dua]]
In Islamic thought, du'ā' is considered both an act of worship and the most spontaneous and ordinary appeal to God.<ref name="auto5">{{Cite book |last=Katz |first=Marion Holmes |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/_/allSNvtTpZwC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Prayer in Islamic Thought and Practice |date=2013-05-06 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-88788-5 |pages=29 |language=en}}</ref> It fulfils three theological purposes: praise, petition, and intercession. Praise is primarily directed at God, his divine qualities and deeds, but can also celebrate the divinely inspired qualities of human beings like the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]] and members of the early community. Petition is to ask for God's aid and intervention.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite book |last=Renard |first=John |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pn7wd |title=Islam and Christianity: Theological Themes in Comparative Perspective |date=2011 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-25508-1 |edition=1 |pages=203 |doi=10.1525/j.ctt1pn7wd}}</ref> Annemarie Schimmel observes that prayer is an intimate conversation between man and God that consoles the sorrowful heart, even in the absence of an immediate response.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schimmel |first=Annemarie |date=1952 |title=Some Aspects of Mystical Prayer in Islam |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1569044 |journal=Die Welt des Islams |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=112 |doi=10.2307/1569044 |issn=0043-2539|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Intercessory prayer reflects a more communal dimension of prayer, grounded in the belief that prayers on behalf of another person are meaningful and beneficial. It is common for Muslims to follow any mention of Muhammad with "May God bless him and give him peace." In this way, Muslims are expected to offer prayers even for Muhammad.<ref name="auto2"/>

Classical Muslim exegetes and Sufi thinkers debated how Qur'ānic verses promising divine response to supplication could be reconciled with prayers remaining unanswered. Commentaries by Al-Tabari, Fakhr al-Din al Rāzī, and al-Qurtubi on the following verses sought to explore this paradox:<ref name="auto3"/><blockquote>"I answer the call [''da'wa''] of the suppliant [''da'i''] when he calls upon Me [''da'ani'']." (Q 2:186)</blockquote><blockquote>"Call upon Me [''ud'uni''] and I will answer you." (Q 40:60)</blockquote>Atif Khalil notes that Islamic traditions provided different ways to reconcile this paradox. By drawing on the hadith "Du'ā' is worship", some exegetes extended the meaning of du'ā' to include repentance or worship (''<nowiki/>'ibāda''). In this reading, God's 'response' is his acceptance rather than a fulfilment of the prayer. Later authors such as 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, al-Qurtubī, and al-Ghazālī argued that effective du'ā' requires good moral conduct, repentance, and the pursuit of a lawful life. Thus, sin and injustice can serve as obstructions to receiving a divine response.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Khalil |first=Atif |date=2011 |title=Is God Obliged to Answer Prayers of Petition (Du'a)? The Response of Classical Sufis and Qur'anic Exegetes |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jmedirelicult.37.2.0093 |journal=Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=95-96 |doi=10.5325/jmedirelicult.37.2.0093 |issn=1947-6566}}</ref> Sufi commentators like Rāzī and Rūmi maintained that even the act of calling upon God is itself the greatest reward, demonstrating faithful dependence upon God. As du'ā' facilitates intimacy (''qurba'') with God, prayer serves as its own response. Most authors noted that sincere petitions may be answered in varied ways: the request may be granted, deferred to the afterlife, rewarded with something better, or used to avert any misfortune.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Khalil |first=Atif |date=2011 |title=Is God Obliged to Answer Prayers of Petition (Du'a)? The Response of Classical Sufis and Qur'anic Exegetes |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/jmedirelicult.37.2.0093 |journal=Journal of Medieval Religious Cultures |volume=37 |issue=2 |pages=103-104 |doi=10.5325/jmedirelicult.37.2.0093 |issn=1947-6566}}</ref>

There is a special emphasis on du'a in Muslim spirituality and early Muslims took great care to record the supplications of Muhammad and his family and transmit them to subsequent generations.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book |last=Tillier |first=Mathieu |title=Supplier Dieu dans l'Égypte toulounide : le florilège de l'invocation d'après Ḫālid b. Yazīd (IIIe/IXe siècle) |date=2022 |others=Naïm Vanthieghem |isbn=978-90-04-52180-3 |location=Leiden |oclc=1343008841}}</ref> These traditions precipitated new genres of literature in which prophetic supplications were gathered together in single volumes that were memorized and taught.<ref name="auto"/> Collections such as [[al-Nawawi]]'s ''Kitab al-Adhkar'' and Shams al-Din al-Jazari's ''al-Hisn al-Hasin'' exemplify this literary trend and gained significant currency among Muslim devotees keen to learn how Muhammad supplicated to God.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Over time, devotional literature on du'ā' has expanded beyond prophetic supplications. This devotional literature documents formulaic du'ā' of certain pious individuals.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Turner |first=Colin |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Islam_The_Basics/utxkAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0&bsq=who%20someone%20to%20offer%20their%20prayers%20in%20the%20traditional%20form%20are%20permitted%20to%20offer%20their%20prayers%20while%20sitting%20or%20lying,%20as%20they%20are%20able |title=Islam: The Basics |date=2013-12-19 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-29691-0 |pages=110 |language=en}}</ref> Popular du'as would include [[Muhammad al-Jazuli]]'s ''[[Dala'il al-Khayrat]]'', which at its peak spread throughout the [[Muslim world]], and [[Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili]]'s ''Hizb al-Bahr'' which also had widespread appeal.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}} Du'a literature reaches its most lyrical form in the ''Munajat'', or 'whispered intimate prayers' such as those of [[Ibn Ata Allah]]. Among the [[Shia Islam|Shia]] schools, the ''[[Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya]]'' records du'as attributed to [[Ali]] and his grandson, [[Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin]].{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}
{{Blockquote|Narrated Anas:<br />Allah's Apostle said," None of you should long for death because of a calamity that had befallen him, and if he cannot but long for death, then he should say, 'O Allah! Let me live as long as life is better for me, and take my life if death is better for me.' "|[[Muhammad al-Bukhari]]|''[[Sahih al-Bukhari]]''<ref>{{Hadith-usc|bukhari|usc=yes|8|75|362}}</ref>}}
[[File:Young Muslim supplicating in Masjid al-Haram, 6 April 2015.jpg|thumb|A young [[Muslim]] supplicating after [[salah]] at the [[Great Mosque of Mecca]], [[Saudi Arabia]]]]

== Types and categories ==
[[File:Portrait of Emperor Akbar Praying.jpg|thumb|Portrait of the [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Akbar]] invocation of a Dua prayer]]

Dua is essentially an expression of submission of faith to God and of one's neediness.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Maulana |first1=Imam |last2=Fathima |first2=Raisha |last3=Nisa |first3=Haiyun |last4=Suryani Oktari |first4=Rina |date=2022 |title=Islamic psycho-immunological approaches in increasing immunity during the COVID-19 pandemic |journal=E3S Web of Conferences |volume=340 |pages=05009 |doi=10.1051/e3sconf/202234005009 |bibcode=2022E3SWC.34005009M |s2cid=246310255 |issn=2267-1242|doi-access=free }}</ref> Dua denotes a petitionary prayer that seeks divine favour or aid. Unlike salat, it is considered by Muslim thinkers to be a verbal phenomenon although at times physical postures may be used. The content of dua is usually centred on human need and distress, although it can, and ideally should, also include expressions of gratitude and praise.<ref name="auto5"/>

Type I: ''Du'ā al-mas'alah'' (<big>دُعَاءُ الْمَسْأَلَة</big> ''du'ā'u 'l-mas'alah''), or the 'du'a of asking.' This type of du'a is when one asks for the fulfillment of a need, or that some harm be removed from him/her. An example would be when a person asks, "O God! Grant me good in this world, and good in the next life!"{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Type II: ''Du'ā al-'ibadah'' (<big>دُعَاءُ الْعِبَادَة</big> ''du'ā'u 'l-'ibādah''), or the 'du'a of worship.' This type of du'a includes every single act of worship. Examples would include when a Muslim [[salat|prays]] or gives ''[[zakāt]]'' or [[Sawm|fasts]].{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

=== Salat ===
{{main|Salah}}

{{See also|Holy Du'a}}
The salat is the obligatory prayer recited five times a day. The timing of the five prayers is based upon a hadith that recounts the angel Gabriel's visit to Muhammad. Gabriel visited Muhammad five times: at noon (zuhr), in the mid-afternoon ('asr), at sundown (maghrib), in the evening ('ishā'), and at sunrise (fajr).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Katz |first=Marion Holmes |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/_/allSNvtTpZwC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Prayer in Islamic Thought and Practice |date=2013-05-06 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-88788-5 |pages=20 |language=en}}</ref> It is described in the Quran: "And establish regular prayers at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: For those things, that are good remove those that are evil: Be that the word of remembrance to those who remember (their Lord):"[Quran 11:114] Salat is generally read in the Arabic language; however, Imam [[Abu Hanifah]], for whom the [[Hanafi]] school is named after, proclaimed that prayer could be said in any language unconditionally. His two students who created the school: [[Abu Yusuf]] and [[Muhammad al-Shaybani]], however, did not agree and believed that prayers could only be done in languages other than Arabic if the supplicant can not speak Arabic. Some traditions hold that Abu Hanifa later agreed with them and changed his decision; however, there has never been any evidence of this.<ref name="Mahmasani">{{cite book |last=Mahmasani |first=Subhi |title=Falsafat Al-tashrī Fi Al-Islām: The Philosophy of Jurisprudence in Islam|page=69 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ldIUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA69 |year=1961 |isbn=967996406X |access-date=3 August 2019}}</ref> Hanbali theologian [[Ibn Taymiyah]] issued a ''fatwa'' proclaiming the same.<ref>{{cite book |last=Abdul-Rahman |first=Muhammad |title=Islam: Questions and Answers - the Heart Softeners, Part 1 |publisher=MSA Publication Limited |year=2007 |pages=108 }}</ref> Until the 1950s, [[Ismailism|Ismaili]]s from India and Pakistan performed the prayer in the language of the local ''[[Jama'at Khana]]''.<ref name="asaniPakistan">{{Cite journal | last1 = Asani | first1 = A. S. | title = The khojahs of Indo-Pakistan: The quest for an Islamic identity | journal = Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs | volume = 8 | pages = 31–41 | year = 1987 | doi = 10.1080/02666958708716015}}</ref>

=== Common duas ===

#A person who recites from {{lang|ar|{{script/Arabic|إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ}}}} ''("In the creation of the heavens and the earth")'' in Surah [[Al Imran]] till the end of the surah on any night or part of the night will receive the reward of performing [[Salah|salat]] for the whole night.<ref>Mishkat al-Masabih 1196, Book 4, Hadith 612</ref>
#A person who recites Surah [[Ya Sin]] early in the morning will have his needs for the day fulfilled.<ref>Mishkat al-Masabih 2177, Book 8, Hadith 67</ref>
#[[Abdullah, son of Masud|Abdullah bin Masood]] narrates that Muhammad stated that the person who recites the last two ayat of Surah [[Al-Baqara]] till the end, then these two ayats will be sufficient for him, that is, God will protect him from all evil and ploys.<ref>Sahih al-Bukhari 5009, Book 66, Hadith 31</ref>
#When retiring to sleep, make ''[[wudu]]'', dust off the bed three times, lie on the right side, place the right hand under the head or cheek, and recite the following dua three times: {{lang|ar|{{script/Arabic|اللَّهُمَّ بِاسْمِكَ أمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا}}}} ''("In your name, O Allah, I die and I live")''<ref>Sahih al-Bukhari 7394, Book 97, Hadith 23</ref>
#A person who recites three times {{lang|ar|{{script/Arabic|أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ}}}} ''("I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing and All Knowing from the accursed devil")'' in the morning, followed by the last three ayat of Surah [[Al-Hashr]], then God delegates 70,000 [[angel]]s (''[[Islamic view of angels|malāʾikah]]'') to send mercy onto him till the evening. If he dies that day, he will die as a martyr. If he recites these in the evening, then God delegates 70,000 angels to send mercy upon him until the morning, and if he dies that night, he dies as a martyr.<ref>Mishkat al-Masabih 2157, Book 8, Hadith 47</ref>
#A Muslim servant who recites {{lang|ar|{{script/Arabic|رَضِيتُ بِاللَّهِ رَبَّاً وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينَاً وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيَّاً}}}} ''("I am pleased with Allah as my Lord, and with Islam as my religion, and with Muhammad as my Prophet")'' three times every morning, it becomes the responsibility of God to satisfy him on the [[Islamic eschatology|Day of Qiyamah]].<ref>Hisn al-Muslim 87</ref>
#A person who recites {{lang|ar|{{script/Arabic|اللَّهُمَّ مَا أَصْبَحَ بِي مِنْ نِعْمَةٍ أَوْ بِأَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ فَمِنْكَ وَحْدَكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ فَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ وَلَكَ الشُّكْرُ}}}} ''("O God, whatever favour has come to me or to any of Thy creatures in the morning, it comes from Thee alone who hast no partner, to whom be praise and thanksgiving")'' in the morning has pleased (praised, glorified) God for His favours of the morning; and if he recites it at night, he has thanked God for His favours of the night.<ref>Mishkat al-Masabih 2407, Book 9, Hadith 177</ref>
#If a person recites three ayat of Surah [[Ar-Rum]] and then misses his usual recitation of the day, he will still be rewarded for it. This applies to the night as well.
#If a person retires to bed on the side and recites Surah [[Al-Fatiha]] and Surah [[Al-Ikhlas]], he is immune from everything except death.
# Reciting [[Al-Baqara 255|Ayat-ul Kursi]] will cause the reciter to be protected throughout the night by the angels, and [[Satan]] will not come near him.<ref>Sahih al-Bukhari 5010, Book 66, Hadith 32</ref>
# When a person goes to bed, an angel and a ''[[Devil (Islam)|Shaitan]]'' surround him. The Shaitan whispers: "your awakening will end in evil", while the angel says, "end in good". Whoever sleeps after engaging in dhikr will be protected by angels throughout the night. To gain the protection of the angels, it is encouraged to engage in ''[[dhikr]]'' before sleeping
# A man once dreamed of Muhammad several times. Each time, he asked Muhammed for advice on how to retain his faith. Muhammad told him to recite the following each day:

{{Blockquote|In the name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful O Allah! O Allah! O Allah! The Security, the Security the Security from the vanishment of the faith. O the Eternally Known! O the Eternally Obliging and O the Guide of those gone astray, Thee alone do we worship and of Thee (only) do we seek help. May Allah's blessings be upon His best creation Mohammed and all his (pure) progeny.|''Book of 101 Dua's (Supplications)''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.duas.org/101dua.htm#_Toc238539275|title=Book of 101 Dua|website=www.duas.org|access-date=July 21, 2019}}</ref>}}

=== Zayn al-'Abidin's Dua ===
Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin conveyed his understanding of the relationship between human and God by the prayers and supplications that he offered God during his extensive nighttime vigils in the [[Al-Masjid an-Nabawi]] (Mosque of the Prophet) in [[Medina]]. These prayers and supplications were written down and then disseminated by his sons and the subsequent generations. Among them is the ''Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya'', which is known as the Psalms of the Household of Muhammad.

{{Blockquote|All Praise is for Allah who treats me with clemency, just as if I have no sin. So my Lord is the most praised by me of all, and most worthy of my praise. O' Allah! I find the roads of wishes to You wide open, And the rivers of hope to You vast and running, And counting on Your bountifulness (in times of need) for those who wished You freely accessible, And the gates of prayer to those who are disparate, wide ajar, And I know that You are for those who ask You in the position of answer, And for those who are distressed, You are in a posture of rescue.|An extract of the Dua of [[Abu Hamza al-Thumali]] by Ali ibn al-Husayn Zayn al-'Abidin<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.duas.org/thumali.htm|title=Dua'a AbuHamza Thumaly Alt|website=www.duas.org|access-date=July 21, 2019}}</ref>}}

== Conditions and etiquette ==
Classical jurists and Sufi writers have defined the conditions and etiquette ([[Adab (Islam)|''adab'']]) that must accompany du'ā' to maximise its efficacy. The conditions are as follows:<ref name="auto1">{{Citation |title=Duʿāʾ |url=https://referenceworks.brill.com/doi/10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0195 |access-date=2025-10-20 |language=en |doi=10.1163/1573-3912_islam_COM_0195|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

* Only consume legally permitted foods
* Praying with the conviction that one's prayer will be answered
* Remain undistracted during prayer
* What is prayed for should not be used for sinful acts, create enmity between blood relations, or violate the rights of Muslims
* Do not ask for anything impossible as it would suggest a lack of respect for God.
The etiquette consists of:<ref name="auto1"/>

* Choosing the best periods to pray
* Prostrating or standing upright
* Performing ablutions beforehand
* Confessing faults and repenting
* Facing the qibla
* Raising hands towards the heavens
* Praise the divine at the beginning, middle, and end of the prayer.

In Islam there are nine pre-conditions that need to be present in order for a du'a to be accepted.{{Citation needed|date=March 2012}}
[[File:Babur and his army saluting the standards.jpg|thumb|The first [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Babur]] and his [[Mughal Army]] perform a Dua prayer while saluting their standards.]]

=== Sincerity ===
In Islam, rules have been made to remember God. All Muslims follow those rules.
It is necessary to be pure in order to remember God in Islam.<ref>{{cite web |last1=quran |first1=wazifa |title=quran |url=https://wantmyloveback.com/ |website=want my love back |publisher=danish |access-date=3 May 2020 |ref=quran}}</ref> 
Every Muslim is required to offer prayers for 5 times, God is remembered through prayers. In Islam a Muslim prays to God alone.

=== Patience ===
In Islam, to be hasty in du'a is said to be a cause of rejection of du'a. The type of hastiness that is forbidden in Islam is that a person leaves du'a, thinking that God will not respond to it. In Islam, Muslims are instructed not to give up du'a because they do not see a response immediately.

=== Purity ===
In Islam, in order for a person's du'a to be accepted by God, it must be for something pure.

=== Good intentions ===
In Islam it is imperative that a person making du'a has the best of intentions for whatever he or she is asking. An example would be if someone asks for an increase in wealth, they should intend to spend more of that wealth on the poor and on their relatives than on themselves.

=== Attentive heart ===
Muslims are instructed to make du'a with an attentive heart. They should be aware of what they are saying and believe in their heart that God will respond.

=== Sustenance ===
It states in the Quran in sura Al-Baqara Verse 200:

{{Blockquote| When you have fulfilled your sacred rites, praise Allah as you used to praise your forefathers ˹before Islam˺, or even more passionately. There are some who say, “Our Lord! Grant us ˹Your bounties˺ in this world,” but they will have no share in the Hereafter.|{{qref|2|200|c=y}}}}

Again and moreover Muhammad is reported to have said,
{{Blockquote|"O People! God is al-Tayyib (pure), and He only accepts that which is pure! God has commanded the Messengers, for He said, 'O Messengers! Eat from the pure foods, and do right.' Furthermore he said, 'O you who believe! Eat from the pure and good foods we have given you.' Then Prophet [[Hadrat|Hazrat]] Muhammad mentioned a traveller on a long journey, who is dishevelled and dusty, and he stretches forth his hands to the sky, saying, 'O my Lord! O my Lord!', While his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully; how can he be answered?"<ref>Hadith reported by Ahmad, Muslim, and al-Tirmidhi from Abu Hurayrah, as mentioned in sahih al-Jami #2744</ref>}}

== Shi'a Isma'ili tradition==
[[File:Laylat al-Qadr 19th Ramadan 1429 AH in Behesht-e Zahra, Tehran (11 8706300789 L600).jpg|thumb|An Iranian Shi'a Muslim praying and making Du'a on [[Laylat al-Qadr]], 2008]]

Some Shia believe there are preliminaries for fulfillment of du'ā'.<ref>Razi Shirazi. Some points on dua. 2016. Society for appreciation of cultural works and disgnitaries</ref> According to [[Mutahhari]], Du'ā' is both premises and conclusion, both means and end.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lib.eshia.ir/15055/1/10|title=الدعاء - المطهري، الشيخ مرتضى - کتابخانه مدرسه فقاهت|website=lib.eshia.ir|access-date=July 21, 2019}}</ref>

Shi'a Isma'ili Muslims perform du'ā' three times a day as part of worship services in the [[Jama'at Khana|jamatkhanas]] (assembly places). Those unable to pray in congregation at the jamatkhana are expected to recite the obligatory du'ā' at dusk and dawn.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDannell |first=Colleen |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Religions_of_the_United_States_in_Practi/Bd_AICOMwccC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Religions of the United States in Practice |date=2001-11-18 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-01001-4 |pages=32 |language=en}}</ref> The du'ā' is key to the worship service, without which it remains incomplete. The Isma'ili du'ā' is recited in Arabic and consists of six cycles. Each part begins with [[basmala]] and concludes with [[sujud]] (prostration). The first half of each cycle conveys fundamental principles and the second half is a supplication followed by tasliyah or salah.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDannell |first=Colleen |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Religions_of_the_United_States_in_Practi/Bd_AICOMwccC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Religions of the United States in Practice |date=2001-11-18 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-01001-4 |pages=35 |language=en}}</ref> 

The core of the Shi'a Isma'ili du'ā' is recognising the authority and leadership of 'Ali and the Nizari lineage of imams. In this tradition, imams are understood as divinely inheriting the capacity to uncover the secrets of the Qur'an and thus revered as trustees of Muhammad's message and divine revelation. Every du'ā' ends with a testimony acknowledging the present imam.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDannell |first=Colleen |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Religions_of_the_United_States_in_Practi/Bd_AICOMwccC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Religions of the United States in Practice |date=2001-11-18 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-01001-4 |pages=38 |language=en}}</ref> After reciting the du'ā', each member of the congregation turns to either side to shake hands while saying shah jo didar, that is, "May you glimpse His divine countenance".<ref>{{Cite book |last=McDannell |first=Colleen |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Religions_of_the_United_States_in_Practi/Bd_AICOMwccC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Religions of the United States in Practice |date=2001-11-18 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-01001-4 |pages=40 |language=en}}</ref>

== Other optional etiquette ==
There are various other optional techniques and etiquettes in the Quran and Sunnah for Du'a. Listed here are a limited few and just a fraction of the etiquettes of du'a that scholars have found in reference to in the Quran and Sunnah.

=== Raising one's hands ===
{{main|Raising hands in Dua}}

Raising one's hands is an encouraged option. There are many hadith that describe how Muhammad raised his hands during du'a. Some hadith describe him having raised his hands to or above head-level in dire circumstances. Many scholars agree that aside from times of exceptionally great need, Muhammad did not raise his hands above his head. Under any other conditions, a common practice is to raise the hands to shoulder-height with palms placed together.

Scholars however agree that there are two authentic ways of raising one's hands: when not in drastic conditions the palms of one's hands should be turned up facing the skies, whilst the back of one's hands are facing the ground, then the du'a can be "recited". One must also make sure to face the [[Qibla]] (direction of prayer), whilst making du'a.

The second way agreed upon by scholars is to have the palms facing one's face; once again one must face the Qibla, but this time the back of one's hands should also face the Qibla.

Evidence for facing the Qibla during du'a can be found in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

Abdullah ibn Zayd narrated:
{{Blockquote|'The Prophet left (Madinah) to this prayer, seeking rain. So he made a du'a, and asked for rain, then he faced the Qibla and turned his cloak inside-out'|''[[Sahih al-Bukhari]]'' #6343, Muslim No. 894 and others}}

=== Facing the Qiblah ===
[[File:The prayer.jpg|thumb|[[Raising hands in Dua]]]]
The Qibla is the direction that Muslims face while performing salat.

There are also Sahih hadith which narrate that it is forbidden to lift one's eyes towards the sky in prayer.

Abu Huraira reported:
{{Blockquote|People should avoid lifting their eyes towards the sky while supplicating in prayer, otherwise their eyes can be snatched away.<ref>Hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah and Jabir b. Samura, as mentioned in Sahih Muslim (Book of Prayer, chapter 24), No. 863 and No. 862</ref>}}

=== Wiping the face ===
Once the du'a has been completed, it is most common for the supplicant to wipe their face with their hands, and this act signals the end of the du'a.

{{Blockquote|Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas:<br />The Prophet said:...<br />Supplicate Allah with the palms of your hands; do not supplicate Him with their backs upwards. When you finish supplication, wipe your faces with them.|[[Abu Dawood]]|''[[Sunan Abu Dawood]]''<ref>{{Hadith-usc|usc=yes|abudawud|8|1480}}</ref>}}

{{Blockquote|Narrated Yazid ibn Sa'id al-Kindi:<br />When the Prophet made supplication (to Allah) he would raise his hands and wipe his face with his hands.|Abu Dawood|''Sunan Abu Dawood''<ref>{{Hadith-usc|usc=yes|abudawud|8|1487}}</ref>}}

== See also ==
* [[Raising hands in Dua]]
* [[Du'a Kumayl]]
* [[Duha]]
* [[Mafatih al-Janan]]
* [[The Sermon for Necessities]] - a popular sermon in the Islamic world, particularly as the introduction to a khutbah during Jumu'ah
* [[Durood]]
* [[Yazidi#Duʿa|Dua]] in [[Yazidism]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource|The Holy Quran|The Holy Quran}}

{{Characters and names in the Quran}}
{{Sufism terminology}}
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[[Category:Salah]]
[[Category:Salah terminology]]
[[Category:Dhikr]]