HOW TO SUPPLICATE (DUWA) TO ALLAH?

I was unaware of this until few years ago. I used to raise my hands and start asking Allah I want this and I need that without even praising him or following the etiquettes of Duwa. Sometimes I even used to start talking and forget that I actually have to make a duwa. But little do we realise that we aren't supposed to 'demand' Allah of what we want. 

Well, like everybody we are learning things we never knew before and its only for us to become better educated Muslims and learn the right way of Supplicating to our Rabb. 

ETIQUETTES OF SUPPLICATING:
1. Begin Supplicating with sincerity and concentration. Some of us get lost in our own little world while we are praising and supplicating to the All Mighty. Also we rush in our duwas and run off.
2. Once your sincerity is stern, start by glorifying and praising Allah. Use words like SubhanaAllah wabi Hamdihi SubhanAllahil Azeem and also laa ila haa illallah. These are the most precious words to your Rabb.   Praise Him with words such as AllahuAkbar, Alhumdulillah and SubhanAllah.

3. Send peace and Blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi wa Sallam. Also end your supplication with salams on our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaihi wa Sallam.            





Narrated Faddalah ibn Ubayd (RA): that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'When anyone of you makes du'a, let him start by glorifying his Lord and praising Him, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (SAW), then let him pray for whatever he wants'
[Abu Dawud-1481, At-Tirmidhi-3477]

4. Supplicate with sincerity of acceptance. We all are in haste of when our duwas will be accepted. Just be patience and trust Allah. Be grateful for the grievous duwas that weren't accepted. If some of your duwas aren't accepted in this Dunya, it will be accepted in the Hereafter. in sha Allah
5. Whenever you acknowledge Allah's blessings upon you, be grateful and show gratitude. Say Alhumdulillah, Alhudulillahi alaa kulli haal. 
6. Whenever you acknowledge your sins, seek forgiveness from Allah. Use His attribute names, Ar-Rahman Al Gafoor. 
7. If you seek from Him wealth then call Him Al Ganiyy. If you seek from Him health, call to Him as Ash-Shaafi'. This is how you make a duwa. Praising Allah with His names and attributes with similarities of your duwas.
8. Do not ever supplicate to anyone else but Allah. You cannot do that. It's shirk. Asking and making duwa to any supernatural being, dead human or a grave is prohibited in Islam.
9. Supplicate for yourself first and then for others. 
10. Do not have the habit of asking others to pray for you and you stop praying for yourself. Sure they can make duwa for you but only a person who really wants forgiveness from Allah and who would understand the intensity of that urge is only you, not others. 

THE TIME OF ACCEPTANCE OF SUPPLICATION:

• between the Adhan and Iqamah [Al-Hakim 2: 114, and Abu Dawud #2540, ibn Majah]
• at the time of tahajjud (last third of the night)
• qayam ul layl (late at night) [Sahih Muslim-757]
• at the end of obligatory prayers (after At-tahyat and before tasleem) [At-Tirmidhi]
• a specific time on Friday [Sahih Al Bukhari]
• in prostration [Sahih Muslim, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i and others, Sahih al-Jami #1175] 
• at the time of pre-dawn meal (Suhur) and breaking of fast 
• during fasting [Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi - Hasan] 
• the night of Power and destiny [Surah al-Qadr, 97: 3]
• while travelling [At-Tirmidhi, Sahih]
• on the day of Arafat. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: 'The best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafat'.  [At-Tirmidhi and Malik] 
• when drinking Zamzam water [Reference: Ahmad 3: 357 and Ibn Majah #3062]
• in the battlefield [Abu Dawud-2540, ibn Majah, al-Hakim]
• when it is raining [Al-Hakim 2: 114, and Abu Dawud #2540, ibn Majah]

ACCEPTANCE OF DUWA BY CERTAIN PEOPLE:

• duwa of a just ruler [Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi - Hasan] 
• duwa of a sick person [Sahih Muslim -2126, At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud]
• duwa of a parent for his/her children [At-Tirmidhi - Sahih] 
• duwa of an obedient children for their parents [Sahih al-Bukhari 3:36, 472] 
• duwa of an oppressed person [Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim, Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi - Hasan] 
• duwa of a fasting person [Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi - Hasan]
• duwa of a traveler [At-Tirmidhi, Sahih]
• duwa of a Muslim for his absent sibling or friend [Sahih Muslim]
• duwa of people after death of a person [Muslim, abu Dawud, Ahmad] 
• duwa made by a group of people invoking and supplicating to Allah Az Wajal. [Sahih Muslim]
• duwa of Surah Fatihah by saying Ameen [Sahih al-Bukhari -780, Sahih Al-Muslim-410]

PLACES OF ACCEPTANCE OF DUWAS:

• duwa after stoning in Jamarat at Hajj [Sahih al-Bukhari -1753]
• duwa inside the Kabah  [Sahih Al-Muslim 2: 968]
• duwa at Mount Safa or Mount Marwa in Umrah or Hajj [Sahih Al-Muslim -1218]
• duwa at any of the holy places in Islam

O Our Rabb! Accept from us (our duwa). Indeed You, You are the Always All Hearing and the Always All Knowing

                                  

I have given references for almost every point. Please read those hadiths for more clarification and confirmation. The post would be too long if I posted every proof or evidence. If you want to read all the hadiths, please visit here

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- Manal Mirza