presently memorizing....

The Prophet said, 'Whoever when he wakes in the morning says 'I seek refuge with Allah against the accursed satan'

اعوذ بالله السميع العليم من الشيطان الرجيم

and then recited three verses from the last part of Surah al Hashr, will be assigned seventy thousand angels to pray for him until the evening, and should he die that day, he would have
died a martyr'
[Ibn Ahmad, Darimi, Tirmidhi 5/182]
Whoever recites this at night, he/she will attain the same reward.

هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۖ عَالِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ ۖ هُوَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ الرَّحِيمُ

Allah is He, than whom there is no other god― Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He Most Gracious, Most Merciful.


هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْمَلِكُ الْقُدُّوسُ السَّلَامُ الْمُؤْمِنُ الْمُهَيْمِنُ الْعَزِيزُ الْجَبَّارُ الْمُتَكَبِّرُ ۚ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ

Allah is He, than whom there is no other god― the sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection). the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him.

هُوَ اللَّهُ الْخَالِقُ الْبَارِئُ الْمُصَوِّرُ ۖ لَهُ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰ ۚ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۖ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

He is Allah the Creator the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the exalted in Might, the Wise.

to conceive a child

Alhamdulillah, I have had it easy with conceiving a child...MashaAllah! But my challenges, however, are to raise all seven of them ... in the best way I knew. At the time when Islamic Awareness was not really prevalent, trying to educate them Islamic-ally was difficult. I prayed hard for guidance from Allah swt and Alhamdulillah and MashaAllah, I think they have grown up well adjusted and strives in the way of Allah 'azza wa jalla. Four of my seven children alhamdulillah, have managed to memorize all 30 juzuk of the Al-Quran and now are still studying in different fields. I truly believe that reading du'a from the earliest ... even before conceiving the child is of utmost importance.
During the pregnancy.... reading the holy Al-Quran contributes greatly to the growth of the baby ...spiritually, emotionally as well as physically.
When my daughter-in-law had difficulty conceiving a child, I advised her to read this du'a in her last sujud. She did that during the month of Ramadhan, the holy month ... in her 5 obligatory prayers and in the Terawikh prayers. And there were definitely many sujuds ... during this month. And Mashallah, the next month, she concieved and gave birth... 9 months later to a beautiful baby girl, Batrisyah.
If you are trying for a baby .... I pray that you will be successful and give birth to a true mu'min or mu'minah ... برك الله فيك


رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاء

O my Lord, grant me a good offspring. You are, indeed, the All-Hearer of invocations
Qur’ān 3:38


رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا وَأَنْتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِينَ

"O my Lord! leave me not without offspring, though Thou art the best of inheritors.
21:89
رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

"O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!"
37:100
this du'a to read by the husband ...
وَإِنِّي خِفْتُ الْمَوَالِيَ مِنْ وَرَائِي وَكَانَتِ امْرَأَتِي عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِي مِنْ لَدُنْكَ وَلِيًّا

"Now I fear (what) my relatives (and colleagues) (will do) after me: but my wife is barren: so give me an heir as from Thyself.
19:05

Allāh Tā`ala has related to us in the Qurān in the advice of Nūh (alaihissalam) to his people:
Seek forgiveness from your lord he will increase you in offspring and wealth.
(Surah Nūh. 71: 10/12)
This indicates to the fact that if one seeks forgiveness from Allāh Tā`ala, Allāh Tā’ala will increase him in children and wealth.

for the protection of children and husband

These days, children are just not safe wherever  they go... not to schools, even religious schools, playing in the park or just plain visiting relatives. Children used to be free to roam anywhere... jungle-trekking, doing daily chores like going to the nearby shops or after school activities. I try my best to oversee their affairs ... but, with 7 children ... security has been one difficult task. No matter how careful we are ... it's just not enough. So, I rest my affairs with Allah swt ... and I seek His protection. When my huband and kids go off to work and school, I read this du'a for them...

 أُعِيذُكُم بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍ

(I seek refuge for you in the perfect words of Allah, from every devil and every poisonous reptile, and from every bad eye).
Al-Bukhari4/119

Our prophet Muhammad saw would seek protection for his grandsons; Hassan and Hussain (radiAllahu anhuma) by the above du'a.

Ibn 'Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W) used to seek refuge for Al-Hasan and Al-Husain saying:

""U'idhukuma bikalimatillahi-tammati,min kulli shaitanin wa hammatin, wa minkulli'ainin lammah (I seek refuge for the two of you in the Perfect Words of Allah, from every devil and every poisonous pest, and from every harmful eye)." And he would say: "It is with this that Ibrahim would seek refuge for Ishahaq and Ismail [peace be upon them]." (Sahih)

حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، وَيَعْلَى، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنِ الْمِنْهَالِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُعَوِّذُ الْحَسَنَ وَالْحُسَيْنَ يَقُولُ ‏"‏ أُعِيذُكُمَا بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَيَقُولُ ‏"‏ هَكَذَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يُعَوِّذُ إِسْحَاقَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلاَمُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْخَلاَّلُ حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ وَعَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ نَحْوَهُ بِمَعْنَاهُ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏

English reference	: Vol. 4, Book 2, Hadith 2060
Arabic reference	: Book 24, Hadith 2201

THIS is a must... in all our du'as.

This one .... also works when rushing to find that short and compact du'a .. which says all that needs to be said.
and for that quickie du'a .... when time is of the essence, this one gets to the point...always. :)

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

"Our Lord! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the fire." (2:201)

For marriage and children

I was approached by a sister to memorise this du'a in masjidil haram during my hajj almost 20 years ago. She said this du'a will help strengthen my marriage and for my children to be successful solehiin and solehaat. Immediately after a couples of times reading this du'a, I performed the tawaf/circumambulate the holy kaabah reading this particular du'a.... over and over again! And after all these years practising this du'a, I vouch for it 200 percent! Alhamdulillah. my family and I,... we have had some tough times ... but mashaallah, bi iznillah .... and inshaAllah, we have and shall overcome them all.... alhamdulillah.

رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

O Lord! Grant unto us in our spouse/s and our children who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous." (Al-Quraan 25.074)

In times of dire need

I read this du'a specially when in need of Allah swt to oversee my affairs ..... to guide me make the right decision!

يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ أَسْتَغِيثُ

“O Alive and everlasting One, I beseech You by Your mercy.” (Mustadrak Hakim)

وَأَصْلِحْ شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ فَلَا تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ

“Rectify for me all my affairs and do not leave me in charge of my affairs for even the blink of an eye and.” (Hisnul Hasin)

sayyidul istighfar

~This is my first du'a I memorized when I was in my teens.. in cambridge ... feeling totally lost and seeking directions in my life.

The master remembrance for seeking forgiveness (sayidul-Istighfaar) is something we should never leave, as the Prophet ﷺ taught in a well known authentic hadith that whoever said this remembrance with certainty in the morning and died before night would go to heaven, and whoever would recite it at night and died before dawn would also go to Heaven.
Insha Allah. (Bukhari)
Commentary: The reason for the extraordinary merit for this Istighfar lies most probably in the abundance of humility and servitude found in this du’a.





اللهم أنت ربي لا إله إلا أنت ، خلقتني وأنا عبدك ، وأنا على عهدك ووعدك ما استطعت ، أعوذ بك من شر ما صنعت ، أبوء لك بنعمتك علي وأبوء لك بذنبي فاغفر لي ، فإنه لا يغفر الذنوب إلا أنت

“Dear God, you are my Lord. There is no God but You. You created me and I am your servant. I am trying to fulfill my covenant with you and prepare for Your promise of the Hereafter to the best of my ability. I seek refuge from the evil that I have done. I admit to You that I recognize your blessings upon me. I admit my sins to you and I seek your forgiveness because no one forgives sins except you.” (Bukhari)

best times and places for du'a

1. lailatul qadr (night of the decree)
2. last third of the night (approximately from 2.30am to fajr)
3. at the end of the fardhu prayers
4. between the azan and the iqamah
5. in the late night
6. during the azan
7. during the rain
8. when travelling .... musafir
9. an hour on friday. (probably after asar)
10. while drinking zam-zam
11. during prostration
12. when waking up in the middle of the night
13. the one who is suffering injustice or oppressed
14. the parents du'a for their child
15. when fasting ... esp in the month of ramadhan
16. of a righteous leader
17. from a child for the parents
18. during performing hajj
19. after praising Allah and giving salawat upon Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu saw, after the tashahhud at the end of salat.

simply, to me...du'a is...

1. my salvation
2. my worship to Allah 3zza wa jalla
3. my sacred one to one conversation with my Creator ...
4. my potent weapon
5. my cure
6. my desperate plea
7. my spiritual elevation
8. my protection against shaitan...
10. my pacifier
11. my cry of hope ...

the etiquette of Du'a

1. be sincere to Allah swt.
Sincerity means being deeply devoted to Allah by heart. A sincere person has a deep fear for Allah, profoundly believes in Him, sees and advocates the righteousness in the best way. A sincere person is the one who believes in Allah with certainty, the Hereafter, prophets, the Heaven and the Hell and angels.

2. begin with Allah's Praise and Blessings on His Prophet.
Fudalah b. 'Ubaid reported that the Prophet, saw, heard a man supplicating during prayer. He did not glorify Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet. The Prophet saw, 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 saw and after that he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes."

3. to make Du'a with firm conviction.
Abu Hurairah Radi Allahu anhu narrates from Rasulullah saw,, "Do du'a to Allah with this confidence that HE will accept it and know this well that Allah doesn't accept the du'a done with a negligent and careless heart. (Tirmidhi)

4. make Du'a with enthusiasm & yearning.

5. be sincere in your du'a and endeavour to bring about a "presence of heart and mind" and cherish a high hope of the du'a being accepted.

Allah swt has commanded us to be sincere when making Du'a, as He says:

"So, call you (O Muhammad and the believers) upon (or invoke) Allah making (your) worship pure for Him (Alone) (by worshipping none but Him and by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allah's sake only and not to show off and not to set up rivals with Him in worship)" [Noble Quran 40:14]

Sincerity in Du'a means having the firm belief that the One upon Whom you are calling - Allah, may He be glorified and exalted - is alone Able to meet your need, and it also means avoiding any kind of showing off in your Du'a.

6. du'a in prosperity and adversity.

The Prophet saw said: "Remember Allah during times of ease and He will remember you during times of hardship." [Narrated by Ahmad]

7. do not ask but from Allah swt alone.

Ask only Allah Ta'ala alone for all your needs. Do not depend upon His creation. (Tirmidhi/Ibn Hibbaan)

8. abstain from making du'a of severing family ties or other sins. (Muslim, Tirmidhi)

Rasullah saw said, "Don't do bad du'a [against] yourself, your wealth, or for your children. May it be the moment of acceptance in the court of Allah and your bad du'a be accepted. (Muslim)

9. make the du'a in a soft voice and do not call unto thy Lord loudly.

11. seek forgiveness and repent.

Sin is one of the main reasons why du'as are not answered, so the person who is making du'a should hasten to repent and seek forgiveness before he makes du'a. Allah tells us that Nuh as. said:

"I said (to them): 'Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.'" [Noble Quran 71:10-12]

12. to make du'a repeatedly. (Bukhari, Muslim). This repetition should be at least thrice (Abu Dawud)

One may repeat the du'a thrice in none sitting or he may repeat it on three different occasions. The "repetition of the du'a" can be interpreted in both ways."

13. to seek the best times and places.

Among the best times is the time just before Fajr (dawn), the last third of the night, the last hour of Jama'ah (Friday), when rain is falling, and between the Adhan and Iqamah.supplication and reverence and the desire and dread.

Among the best places are mosques in general, and al-Masjid al-Haram [in Makkah] in particular.

Among the situations in which Du'a' is more likely to be answered are: when one is mistreated or oppressed, when one is travelling, when one is fasting, when one is in desperate need, and when a Muslim makes Du'a for his brother in his absence.

14. one should perform a good deed prior to making the Du'a & he should mention this during the course of the du'a.

For e.g. He should say, O Allah! I had performed so & so deed solely for Your pleasure. O Allah! accept my Du'a due to the barkat of that deed. (Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud).

15. to abstain from haram food, clothing and earnings. (Muslim : Tirmidhi)

16. to face the Qibla

17. to sit as in the Tashahhud position

18. to spread both hand and raise them up to the shoulders (for men).

19. take wudhu before du'a ....preferably.

20. To praise Allah Ta'ala at the beginning as well as at the end of Du'a (All six major hadith collections) and convey salam upon the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu Ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam at the beginning as well as the end. (Abu Dawud, Musnad-e-Ahmad)

21. make du'a whilst mentioning the Asma al-Husnaa (the names of Allah Ta'ala ) and the sublime attributes Of Allah Ta'ala.

22.to mention ones helplessness and dependence. (Tirmidhi)

23. to make du'a in favour of oneself first, thereafter ones parents and to include the other Muslims in the du'a as well (Muslim).
for example, teachers, ulamak, neighbours, friends, the righteous and the oppressed.

Don't make a Duaa in which you ask Allah Ta'ala to confine His Mercy to yourself Only (Bukhari, Abu Dawud, Nasai, Ibn Majah)

24. To make Du'a with firm conviction (for e.g. he should not say: "O Allah! If you wish fulfil so and so task of mine." (All six major hadith collections)

25. The one making the Du'a as well as the person listening to it, both should say Aameen at the end. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasai)

26. to abstain from Haram food, clothing and earnings. (Muslim : Tirmidhi)

27. to make a Du'a that encompasses most of the needs of Deen and the dunya. (Abu Dawud)

28. to enjoin good and forbid what is evil.

29. Don't be impatient over the acceptance of Du'as. In other words, don't say: "I've made Du'a repeatedly but to no avail." (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasai, Ibn Majah)

30. Rub both hands over the face at the termination of the Du'a (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibbaan, Majah, Hakim)

the great benefit and virtue of supplication / du'a

Du'a is of paramount importance in Islam. The benefits of du'a are immense as are it virtues.

1. By offering du'a, we are actually carrying out Allah’s command. Allah says: “And your Lord said: Du'a to Me, I shall answer you.” [Sûrah Ghâfir: 60]
He also says: “And du'a to Him, making your religion sincerely for Him alone.” [Sûrah al-A`râf: 29]

2. Supplication protects us from arrogance. Allah says: “And your Lord said: Supplicate to Me, I shall answer you. Indeed, those who are too haughty to worship Me shall enter Hell in humiliation.” [Sûrah Ghâfir: 60]

3. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Supplication is worship.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (2969), Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1479), Sunan Ibn Mâjah (3826)]

4. Du'a is the most noble of deeds before Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There is nothing more noble before Allah than supplication (du'a).” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3370) and Sunan Ibn Mâjah (3829) with a good chain of transmission]

5. Du'a is beloved to Allah. In a hadîth from Ibn Mas`ûd – though with a weak chain of transmission – it is related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Ask Allah of His bounty, for truly Allah loves to be asked.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3571)]

6. Du'a expands a person’s heart. It alleviates worry, removes distress, and eases a person’s affairs.

7. Du'a is a means of warding off Allah’s anger. Allah is angry with those who do not beseech Him. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever does not ask Allah, Allah becomes angry with him.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3373) and Sunan Ibn Mâjah (3827), and declared a good hadîth by al-Albânî]

8. Du'a shows our reliance upon Allah. The reality of relying upon Allah is for our hearts to depend on Allah alone. This reliance manifests itself in its greatest form when we beseech Allah in supplication, seeking His help, entrusting our problems and our concerns to Him and Him alone.
حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
“Allah is sufficient for us and He is the Best Guardian”. (Surah Al-Imraan)

9. The rewards of du'a is guaranteed. As long as the supplicant fulfills the conditions of having his supplication answered, he will certainly achieve what is good and invariably earn a good share of benefit on account of his supplication.
Supplication is by Allah’s decree. Therefore, He may decree that something would befall his servant had he not offered supplication, so when the servant offers supplication, it is warded off from him.

10. Du'a opens to the servant the doors of communion with Allah and all the pleasures of doing so. A person might embark upon communicating to his Lord, placing his needs before Him, to find that, while beseeching his Lord, his heart has become filled with the love of Allah, knowledge of Him, submission, humility, and adulation. The experience be so profound and overwhelming that he forgets the need that prompted him to beseech his Lord in the first place. What he experiences in his heart becomes dearer to him than the fulfillment of his need. His joy in it is greater than the joy would be of having his need fulfilled immediately and thereby bringing an end to this special experience.

11. Supplication fosters love between Muslims. When one supplicates for his fellow Muslim without that other knowing about it, his supplications are answered.
It strengthens the love that we feel for one another. Allah says: “On those who believe and work righteous deeds will the Most Gracious bestow love.” [Sûrah Maryam: 96]

12. Du'a is a characteristic of the pious and God-fearing. Allah says about His Prophets (saw): “They were ever quick in good works, and they would supplicate to us in hope and fear and were humble before Us.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 90]

13. Du'a is a way of making the heart resolute, and it is a cause for being triumphant.

14. Du'a is the refuge of the oppressed and downtrodden. When oppression and weakness strips a person of all practical hope and leaves him with no soul to help him against those who oppress him, he raises his hands to the sky and sets forth his complaint before his Lord, the Almighty. Allah strengthens him and gives him success and lets His wrath fall upon those who oppress.

15. Du'a is a sign of having true faith in Allah. It is an admission of Allah’s Lordship. It is an admission of Allah’s divinity, of His exclusive right to be worshipped. It is a recognition of Allah’s most beautiful names and attributes. When a worshipper beseeches his Lord in supplication, it implies that he believes in His existence, His independence, His hearing and seeing all things, his generosity, His mercy, His power, and his worthiness of being worshipped alone without partner.