24-7 Fiqh of Du'a & Dhikr Notes_Qabeelat Hosna

Qabeelat Hosna | Student Notes September 2013

Qabeelat Hosna 24/7: Fiqh al-Du‘ā’ & Dhikr September 2013 Shaykh Waleed Basyouni

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Table of Contents

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 4 Activity | How connected are you with Allāh? ......................................................... 13

Chapter 1 | The Concept of Dhikr & Du‘ā’ in Islam .......................................................... 16 The Significance and the Benefits of Dhikr and Du‘ā’ in the Life of the Muslim .......... 16 The Meanings of Dhikr and Du‘ā’ ................................................................................... 31 The Ruling of Dhikr and Du‘ā’ ........................................................................................ 33 The Categories of Dhikr and Du‘ā’ ................................................................................. 35

The Categories of Dhikr ............................................................................................. 35 The Categories of Du‘ā’ .............................................................................................. 39

For Whom Should You Make Du‘ā’ Other Than Yourself? ........................................... 43 The Ruling on Making Du‘ā’ Against or Cursing Someone ........................................... 49 Making du‘ā’ against the people of sin (fāsiq) ............................................................... 52 The ruling on requesting du‘ā’ from a living, present person ..................................... 54 The Etiquette of Dhikr and Du‘ā’ ................................................................................... 57 The Transgression (al-i‘tada) in the Du‘ā’ ..................................................................... 61

Chapter 2 | The Best Dhikr & The Accepted Du‘ā’ ............................................................ 64 The Best Dhikr is the Qur’ān .......................................................................................... 64 The Best Dhikr After Al-Qur’ān ...................................................................................... 66 La ilāha illAllāh ............................................................................................................... 69

The Meaning ............................................................................................................. 69 The situations where saying la ilāha illAllāh is ordained .......................................... 71 The virtues of la ilāha illAllāh .................................................................................... 71

Subḥānallāh .................................................................................................................... 71 The Meaning ............................................................................................................. 72 The situations where tasbīḥ is ordained ................................................................... 72 The virtues of tasbīḥ .................................................................................................. 72

Alḥamdulillāh ................................................................................................................. 73 The Meaning ............................................................................................................. 73 The situations where ḥamd is ordained ................................................................... 73 The virtues of taḥmīd ................................................................................................ 74

Allāhu Akbar ................................................................................................................... 74 The Meaning ............................................................................................................. 74 The situations where takbīr is ordained ................................................................... 74 The virtues of takbīr .................................................................................................. 75

La ḥawla wa la quwwatta illa billāh .................................................................................. 75 The Meaning ............................................................................................................. 75 The situations were ḥawqalah is ordained ................................................................ 75 The virtues of saying “La ḥawla wa la quwwata illa billāh” ......................................... 76 The Meaning ............................................................................................................. 76 The situations where sending ṣalāh and salām upon the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is ordained ............................................................................................... 77

The Accepted Du‘ā’ ........................................................................................................ 80


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The reasons why our du‘ā’ are rejected and not answered .......................................... 83

Chapter 3 | The Ruling of Du‘ā’ and Dhikr Related To Ṣalāh (Prayer) .............................. 86 Du‘ā’ al-qunūt ................................................................................................................. 91

The ruling of du‘ā’ al-qunūt in the mandatory prayers: ........................................... 91 When should we perform al-qunūt during the prayers? .......................................... 94 Rulings regarding al-qunūt ....................................................................................... 95

The Ruling of al-Qunūt during Witr Prayer ................................................................... 95 Making Du‘ā’ for the Completion of Qur’ān .................................................................. 98 Dhikr & Du‘ā’ During Sujūd of Tilāwah (Recitation) or Shukr (Thanking) ...................... 99 Dhikr & Du‘ā’ during the Khuṭbah of Jumu‘ah or ‘Īd ..................................................... 100 The Prayer of Need (ḥājah) and Its Du‘ā’ ..................................................................... 101 The Du‘ā’ of Istikhārah ................................................................................................. 102 Dhikr & Du‘ā’ After the Prayer ..................................................................................... 104

Chapter 4 | Rulings related to Dhikr and Du‘ā’ .............................................................. 107 The Ruling On Raising Hands During Du‘ā’ ................................................................. 107 What Is the Ordained Way of Raising the Hands? ..................................................... 107 The Ruling of Raising One’s Eyes to the Sky While Making Du‘ā’ .............................. 110 Ruling Related to Reciting the Dhikr .......................................................................... 111 The Rulings Regard Reciting Adhkār in Congregation ............................................... 113

Chapter 5 | “Al-salāmu ‘alaykum” ................................................................................... 116 The Meaning of the Islamic Greeting ......................................................................... 116 The Virtues of Salām ................................................................................................... 117 The Ruling on Giving Salām ........................................................................................ 117 The Etiquettes of Giving Salām ................................................................................... 118

Chapter 6 | Dhikr & Du‘ā’ 24/7 ....................................................................................... 121 Du‘ā’ for You to Memorize .......................................................................................... 121 The Ruling of Dhikr & Du‘ā’ in Our Daily Lives ............................................................ 121

The Morning and Evening Adhkār .......................................................................... 121

Activity | 21 Day Adhkār Challenge ............................................................................... 135

Activity | Du‘ā’ List ......................................................................................................... 136


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Introduction

All thanks and praise are due to Allāh, and we seek His Help and Forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allāh from whatever evil our hearts conceal and from the consequences of our evil deeds. Whomever Allāh grants guidance will never be led astray; whomever He leads astray will never find guidance. I attest that none is worthy of worship except Allāh, who has no partners, and that Muḥammad is His slave and Messenger.

“O you who have believed, fear Allāh as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims in submission to Him.” (Āle-‘Imrān, 3:102)

“O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allāh, through whom you ask one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allāh is ever, over you, an Observer.” (Al-Nisā’, 4:1)

“O you who have believed, fear Allāh and speak words of appropriate justice. He will [then] amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allāh and His Messenger has certainly attained a great attainment.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 33:70-71)


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Indeed, the most truthful speech is the Book of Allāh, the best guidance is the guidance of Muḥammad, and the worst affairs are newly invented matters. Every newly invented matter is a religious innovation, and every religious innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Hellfire.

To proceed: AlMaghrib Institute is pleased to introduce to you, the course “24/7 - Fiqh of Dhikr & Du‘ā’ .” Here, we will focus on one of the most practical aspects of our ‘ibādah (act of worship): du‘ā’. It is essential for every Muslim to practice this act of worship in order for us to stay connected to our Lord and to keep our hearts full of life and īmān.

“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allāh. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allāh hearts are assured.” (Al-Ra‘d, 13:28)

“The likeness of the one who remembers his Lord and the one who does not remember Him is like that between the living and the dead.” (Bukhāri) Those who perform dhikr are wise and are promised success, peace, happiness, mercy, forgiveness, and great rewards in this life and the next.

“Allāh has sent down the best statement: a consistent Book wherein is reiteration. The skins shiver therefrom of those who fear their Lord; then their skins and their hearts relax at the remembrance of Allāh. That is the guidance of Allāh by which He guides whom He wills. And one whom Allāh leaves astray - for him there is no guide.” (Al-Zumar, 39:23) Those who do not engage in dhikr are classified as being hard-hearted losers who are clearly in error and in the group of Satan. As such, they will be made to live a tight and


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narrow life full of misery and woe; punished in this life, they will also be risen blind in the next. They will be remorseful of all the time not spent in the remembrance of Allāh.

“And whoever turns away from My remembrance, indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind.” (Ṭāha, 20:124) This will be one of the fastest weekends of your life because we have so many varieties of topics which we will be covering during this course. Dhikr and du‘ā’ both deserve their own courses. These topics are related to us as Muslims, a community, and a family. We do this every day and every night. In these two topics there are many fiqh and ‘aqīdah issues which need to be learned and etiquettes and manners which need to be followed. There is a lot of spirituality attached to these topics. Nothing can melt a solid heart except dhikr of Allāh, and nothing can bring you closer to Allāh like du‘ā’. ‘Ali b. Abi Ṭālib (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) was asked, “How far is Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla)?” He said, “As far as when you make du‘ā’ and instantly Allāh answers it.” Du‘ā’ and dhikr connect you with Allāh. When Allāh wants to communicate with us, He sends down to us books and messengers to deliver His Words to us, but when we want to talk to Him, all we need to do is pray and call upon Him. His Orders and Words come down to us as revelation, and our words, requests, and needs go up in the form of du‘ā’ and supplications. It is like two sides of a coin: one side is du‘ā’ and dhikr and one side is Qurʾān. To make du‘ā’ and dhikr the other side of the coin is the most honorable position because you are so close to Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). In Sūrat’l-Baqarah, Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “If My servant asks you about Me, I am so close to them I will answer their calls.” This closeness in relationship is amazing and makes you different. Sometimes when you are so into du‘ā’ and dhikr, you feel so close to Allāh and so strong and pure. Story of a Businessman Shaykh Waleed saw an interview with an Emerati businessman. They asked him, “You have so much experience in life, can you tell us something that had a great impact on your life?” He said, “One day around ‘aṣr time, I left my house and was walking in the street and went to the masjid. I saw a Yemeni guy who was making du‘ā’ inside the masjid. The prayer had already finished and he was alone. I felt so jealous of the way he was making du‘ā’ because I never in my life felt so into my du‘ā’ like this man.” [Sometimes when you make du‘ā’ and pray to Allāh, at certain moments you feel so close to Him and at other times we feel distant and don’t feel a connection to Allāh.] “I could hear his voice mixed with tears and kept quiet until he finished. When he was done, I approached him and asked if I could help him. He said, ‘I am in trouble. My wife


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is scheduled for surgery, but she will not be able to have it until she pays the fee.’ I asked how much it was, and when he told me, I said I would take care of it. I gave him the money. The moment he received the money, he immediately made sujūd. He didn’t even thank me but went immediately into sujūd to thank Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) first. After that, he said thank you to me and made du‘ā’ for me. I thought that he was an honest man and asked him if he needed any more money, and he said no. I wrote my cell phone number on my business card and gave it to him and told him to feel free to call me if he needed any help in the future. He smiled and gave it back to me and said, ‘Thank you, sir. I know Who to call to help me in the future. I will call Who sent you to me.’” Lesson: From this, you see how much du‘ā’ can honor and elevate you. It makes you a person who really feels like he/she is connected with Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “There is nothing more honoring than du‘ā’.” Du‘ā’ honors you. It teaches you that you don’t ask anyone except Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). We will learn how the Muslim jurists discuss whether or not it is permissible to ask someone to make du‘ā’ for you. Shaykh Waleed only started hearing people ask him to make du‘ā’ for them once he came to America. Someone asked ‘Umar to pray for him, and he said, “Why? Do you think I’m a prophet? You pray for yourself.” Unfortunately, sometimes du‘ā’ becomes something not valuable in our lives. Some people ask others to pray for them and don’t really mean it. Many times people are not into their du‘ā’, and they do not value it. The Ṣaḥābah vs. Us The following example shows how we value dhikr and du‘ā’ and how the ṣaḥābah valued dhikr and du‘ā’: ‘Abdullāh b. ‘Amr b. al-‘Āṣ and ‘Abdullāh b. Mas‘ūd were sitting together. ‘Abdullāh b. Mas‘ūd said, “If I say in the morning, ‘subḥānAllāh walḥamdulillāh wa la ilāha illa Allāh wa Allāhu akbar’ in the morning, it is more beloved to me than spending four pieces of gold for the sake of Allāh.” ‘Abdullāh b. ‘Amr b. al-‘Āṣ said, “If I say in the morning subḥānAllāh walḥamdulillāh wa la ilāha illa Allāh wa Allāhu akbar…’ it will be more beloved to me than donating four horses to someone going for jihād fisabilillāh.” The point is not to belittle the ṣadaqah but the point is to honor dhikr and understand the value of it. Ibn Rajab commented, “The majority of the early Muslim generations agreed that dhikr of Allāh is more valuable in the Eyes of Allāh than anything else.” Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) ordered us to establish ṣalāh and said that dhikr of Allāh is even greater than that. ‘Ulemā’ said that the purpose of all ‘ibādah is to cause you to make dhikr. Ṣiyām, Ḥajj, ṣalāh, zakāh are all about dhikr of Allāh.


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This course will help you to change your perspective towards dhikr and du‘ā’. After this course, inshā’Allāh you won’t make dhikr which you don’t understand. If you understand the A, B, Cs of du‘ā’ and the basic concepts of it, you will never make du‘ā’ in a language that you do not understand. Du‘ā’ and dhikr are about the connection to Allāh. If you don’t understand what you are saying, then there is no connection. You should not be making dhikr and du‘ā’ in a language that you don’t understand. Inshā’Allāh this course will make us commit to dhikr. Shaykh Waleed will ask you in the exam whether or not you said dhikr today, and if you answer that you did not, then you will lose points. We will discuss the virtues of dhikr and du‘ā’. We will also discuss: what benefits come from du‘ā’? Why are people not committed to dhikr and du‘ā’? Why do people slack? A person’s religiosity is shown by how committed he is to dhikr. Shaykh Waleed said they used to memorize the book al-Kalīmah Ṭayyib by Ibn Taymiyyah in the same way they memorized the Qurʾān. The ṣaḥābah in several aḥadīth narrated that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would teach the some adhkār in the same way he taught them the Qurʾān, and they used to memorize it the same way. They memorized the dhikr in the tashahhud in the same way they memorized the Qurʾān. Unfortunately today we have a generation of Muslim activist leaders in MSAs and in the da‘wah field who run organizations who don’t make dhikr in the morning and evening (or barely do). When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would leave his house, he would first look up to the sky. Then he would say,

“Allāhumma inni a‘ūdhu bika an aḍilla aw uḍalla aw azilla aw uzalla ow aḍlima aw uḍlama aw ajala aw yujhala ‘alayy (Ya Allāh, I ask you to protect me from being misled or to mislead anyone. O Allāh protect me from transgressing against anyone or for anyone to transgress against me).” Many times we think about du‘ā’ in a limited form, but it is very wide. Imagine if you said this du‘ā’ every time you left the house and what kind of life you would have. You would be committed to not doing anything wrong or evil or ignorant or an act of injustice to anyone and in return, Allāh protects you from having any of these things happening to you. When we look at the programs we teach in schools and to our children, unfortunately adhkār does not take priority. Don’t underestimate du‘ā’ and the power of it!


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Stories on Du‘ā ’ A convert woman said, “What I miss most about my Christianity is du‘ā’. When I was Christian, prayer meant so much to my family and me. Before we ate, we would hold hands and pray. When I was young, every day before I went to bed, my father would kneel with me in front of the bed and we would pray together. I always prayed to God and that is one of the reasons I became Muslim. I don’t see this concept of du‘ā’ in my Muslim sisters and mothers.” We don’t value du‘ā’ and prayer. An Egyptian brother lives in Madīnah, and māshā’Allāh he made Ḥajj at least 30 times. Every year he was either invited or somehow things happened and he went for Ḥajj. What is his secret? He said, “Thirty years ago during my first Ḥajj, I was in a bus and had a group of ḥujjāj with me and men were in the front and women in the back. There was an elderly Egyptian lady who could barely walk. She was sweating and having a difficult time. I felt so sad for her. I left my spot in the first chair and said to her to please sit down. She said, ‘Son, may Allāh never prevent you from coming to Ḥajj.’ Since she said that, I was never prevented from Ḥajj.” ‘Ali b. Abi Ṭālib said, “Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) sometimes hides the deeds that He loves the most and accepts the most in people you would not expect.” Don’t ever undervalue or underestimate the power of du‘ā’. ‘Abdullāh b. ‘Amr b. al-‘Āṣ used to teach his kids “a‘ūdhu bikalimātillāhi’ttāmmāti min sharri ma khalaq” before they went to sleep and made sure they memorized it to the extent that he wrote it on a piece of paper and left it next to their bed for them to read it. This is how much he cared that his kids made this dhikr before sleeping. Note: Many people misuse this narration to show the permissibility of ta’wilah. However, if you read the narration, you will see that it is very clear that he left the paper next to their bed for them to read it because they hadn’t memorized it yet. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to make this du‘ā’ over his grandsons Ḥasan and Ḥusayn even when he was traveling – he would never miss it. They held onto it – they don’t quit like us. They didn’t even miss it during the most difficult moments. ‘Ali b. Abi Ṭālib was taught dhikr by the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and he said since he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught him, he never missed it. One of his companions said, “Not even on Naḥrawān?” Naḥrawān was one of the toughest battles he ever had. He said, “Not even that night.” He valued it. The adhān is dhikr. How many of us value the dhikr? Shaykh Bin Bāz said that those people who do not repeat after the mu’adhdhin are losers and lost a great amount of reward. Those who repeat after the mu’adhdhin and recite du‘ā’ after will receive the intercession of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) on the Day of Judgment.


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The role of dhikr and du‘ā’ in our lives must be revived. Whenever you have an event, you make so many preparations, and sometimes we forget about the One who controls the hearts of the people. Are we sincerely begging Allāh to give us barakah in our work and efforts? Does du‘ā’ truly play a major role in our lives? Every single human being is in need of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla).

Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said in Sūrah Fāṭir v. 15, “O mankind, you are all fuqarā’ (in need) to Allāh.” A faqīr is someone in need. A man came to Fuḍayl b. ‘Iyāḍ and said he wanted to give him money, and Fuḍayl said he only took from the rich, and the man said that he is rich and far from being faqīr and had 8,000 dīnārs. Fuḍayl said, “Would you like to make it 10,000?” He said, “Of course.” Fuḍayl said, “Then you are faqīr.” The greatest ḥadīth ever was reported by the people of al-Shām, and the narrator would kneel down when reporting this ḥadīth. Every single narrator of this ḥadīth from the companions to the end was from Syria. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “O My servants, all of you are misguided except those whom I guide. All of you are hungry except those I provide food for. All of you are naked except those whom I proved clothing for. Ask for food, I will provide for you. Ask for clothes, I will provide for you. O My servants, you commit sins day and night. Ask My forgiveness and I will provide it.” (Muslim) Commentary: Ibn Rajab commented: This ḥadīth shows that you need Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) in this worldly life. This is why He mentioned shelter, food, clothing, and guidance. Then Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) mentioned that you need Him also to forgive your sins because without this, you cannot survive the ākhirah. We are in need of Allāh in this life and in the next. This ḥadīth shows we are in need of Allāh at all times. Allāh says in the Qur’ān, “O mankind, you are in great need of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla).” Allāh loves us more than we love our children. Mutarrif b. ‘Abdullāh b. al-Shikhīr said, “I looked at all the good deeds and I found it all in the Hands of Allāh and He gives it to whomever he wishes.” For example: Allāh opened a brother’s heart to always give ṣadaqah, Allāh opened the heart of a sister to memorize the Qur’ān, Allāh helped a sister to make qiyām’l-layl. Mutarrif said, “When I think about this, I know that all of this is in the Hands of Allāh. If I want to have access to what Allāh has in His Hands, I have only one way to do it: du‘ā’. At that moment, I realized the value of du‘ā’.” We Are Always in Need of Allāh Du‘ā’ is one of the greatest acts of worship. You are always in need of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). We need Allāh in the times of ease and hardship. A man came to Abu’l-Dardā’, a great companion known as the wisest companion and a judge of al-Shām and great scholar of


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the Qurʾān, and asked for an advice. Abu’l-Dardā’ said to him, “Always mention Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) and remember Him in a time of ease and I guarantee you He will be with you in a time of calamity. Make du‘ā’ on a day when you are in ease so that He will listen to your du‘ā’ on a day when you are in distress.” Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “He was among the muṣabbihīn…” This is about Yūnus. A mufasir said that he used to make tasbīḥ before he was swallowed by the whale, which is why when he started making tasbīḥ from inside the belly of the whale, the angels were familiar with the sound and words but not the location. The ‘ulemā’ said he used to do the dhikr before he was in the situation. He was among those who mentioned Allāh all the time and Allāh saved him at the time of calamity. Don’t be like the mushrikīn. Allāh mentioned them and said they only pray to Allāh in a time of calamity. “When Allāh gives them, they say they don’t need. When he is in distress or calamity, he prays to Allāh.”

“And when adversity touches man, he calls upon Us; then when We bestow on him a favor from Us, he says, “I have only been given it because of [my] knowledge.” Rather, it is a trial, but most of them do not know.” (Sūrat’l-Zumar, 39:49)

“And when We bestow favor upon man, he turns away and distances himself; but when evil touches him, then he is full of extensive supplication.” (Sūrah Fuṣṣilat, 41:51)

“It is He who enables you to travel on land and sea until, when you are in ships and they sail with them by a good wind and they rejoice therein, there comes a storm wind and the waves come upon them from everywhere and they assume that they are surrounded, supplicating Allāh, sincere to Him in religion, ‘If You should save us from this, we will surely be among the thankful.’” (Sūrah Yūnus, 10:22) Allāh describes the kufār as only praying in a time of hardship and forgetting Allāh during times of ease.


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Don’t only pray to Allāh at the time of exams. What about the rest of the year? In the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad, it is narrated in an authentic ḥadīth: “Know Allāh in the times of ease and Allāh will know you in the time of hardship and calamity.”


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A c t i v i t y | How connected are you with Allāh? If you answer NO to any of the following questions, darken the appropriate space in the heart below. 1. Do you have āyat’l-kursi memorized?

2. Do you say at least three of the morning and evening adhkār regularly seven days a week? 3. Do you have any of the Prophet’s (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) general du‘ā’s memorized? 4. Do you know the du‘ā’ that should be said when you put on new clothing? 5. Do you say “bismillāh” before eating and “alḥamdulillāh” after eating? 6. Do you regularly say the adhkār right before sleeping and the adhkār after waking up? 7. Do you have the du‘ā’s for entering and exiting the masjid memorized? 8. Do you know the du‘ā’ that is recited at the end of wuḍū’? 9. Do you know more than one of the opening du‘ā’s that are recited in the beginning of ṣalāh? 10. Do you enjoy making du‘ā’ during your prayers? 11. Do you feel calm and peaceful when making du‘ā’ to Allāh? 12. Aside from your parents, do you regularly make du‘ā’ for specific individuals during your

ṣalāh? 13. Have you prayed for the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ten times daily during this past

week? 14. Did you read Sūrat’l-Kahf this Friday? 15. Did you sit in your spot after fajr making dhikr and du‘ā’ until the sun rose for at least one

day this past week?


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The dark spots are because of lack of knowledge or the lack of will. You know, but you do not practice. The more dark spots there are in your heart, the more you are prevented from being connected to Allāh. The more you make du‘ā’ and dhikr and are connected to Allāh, the more you are ready to receive and connect. Any scholar who is well respected in the area of knowledge must be someone who cares about dhikr. Ibn al-Qayyim said, “Whenever my teacher Ibn Taymiyyah prayed fajr, he stayed in the masjid until almost midday every day. I asked him, ‘You take so much time to make dhikr.’ He said, ‘This is my food and without it, I don’t have energy to do anything.’” Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “Whenever I have a problem understanding a verse in the Qurʾān, I would make du‘ā’ to Allāh and dhikr until Allāh opened my mind to understand it.” The more you are connected to Allāh, the more dhikr you do and the more your heart is open to receive from Allāh. The more your heart has layers of darkness around it, the more you are prevented from receiving the guidance from Allāh.

“And whoever turns away from My remembrance - indeed, he will have a depressed life, and We will gather him on the Day of Resurrection blind. He will say, ‘My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?’ [Allāh] will say, ‘Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten.’” (Sūrah Ṭāha, 124-126) Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said he will say, “‘Ya Rabb, why did you resurrect me blind?’ I have sent to you My message and you forgot.” The word “nisyān” (forgot) does not have the normal meaning. You forget things unintentionally or intentionally. Here, it means they forgot it intentionally and turned their backs on it. Allāh said, “We forgot about you.” Allāh never forgets in the sense that He doesn’t remember. Allāh intentionally dismissed the disbeliever in Jahannam. Allāh says that His message and dhikr came to those people, but they intentionally rejected it and intentionally put it behind their backs, so their life is in sorrow. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) describes the life of the believers: “The example of those to whom Allāh gave dhikr is someone who has light and a reason to be alive.”


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“So is one whose breast Allāh has expanded to [accept] Islam and he is upon a light from his Lord [like one whose heart rejects it]? Then woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allāh. Those are in manifest error.” (Sūrat’l-Zumar, 22) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The example of those who remember Allāh and those who don’t is like the example of those who are alive and those who are dead.” Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “Those who have believed and whose heart are assured…by the remembrance of Allāh hearts are assured.”


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Chapter 1 | The Concept of Dhikr & Du‘ā ’ in Islam

The Significance and the Benefits of Dhikr and Du‘ā ’ in the Life of the Muslim The connection between Allāh and us is two-way: from Allāh to us is the Qur’ān, and from us to Allāh are the dhikr and the du‘ā’. If one side is missing, then the entire connection falls apart.

“Say, ‘My Lord enjoins justice. In every place of worship, set your faces (and attention) towards Him. Invoke Him with sincerity and devotion, by making faith His exclusive domain. You would return to life just like He created you (the first time).’” (Al-A‘rāf, 7:29)

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, [tell them] I am indeed near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:186) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “There is nothing more dear to Allāh than a servant making du‘ā’ to him.” (Tirmidhi) When you make du‘ā’ to Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla), you are showing your true nature. There is a nice statement: “The more you show your nature to Allāh, the more Allāh shows you His nature.” Our nature is that we are weak and need Allāh and cannot survive without Him. The more you show your servitude to Allāh, the more Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) shows you His nature, which is His Forgiveness, Mercy, Acceptance, Giving. The more you show Allāh you are in need of Him, the more He gives you. The more you show your weakness and His greatness, the more your du‘ā’ will be heard. Sometimes ‘ulemā’ would intentionally wear clothes that were not fancy and make du‘ā’ because of the situation: it doesn’t fit to wear fancy clothes. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said you are not supposed to be overdressing. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saw a man in the cemetery and said, “O man who is wearing fancy shoes, take them off!” The cemetery is not a place show off and to dress in fancy clothes and be overdressed.


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Show Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) your needs and weakness. “O Allāh, I admit that I have done so much wrong to myself, and if You do not forgive me, I will be the greatest loser.” Expect nothing but Allāh showing you His nature of Forgiveness and Acceptance. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Du‘ā’ is the essence of ‘ibādah (worship).” (Tirmidhi, Aḥmad) Nothing is more honorable to Allāh. The highest position the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ever reached was during the incident of isrā’ wa’l-mi‘rāj. At that point, Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “Subḥānalladhi asra bi ‘abdihī’l-layla.” He (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) used the title of ‘abd for the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) when he was in the highest place. Anytime you run away from being a slave to Allāh, you are a slave to Shayṭān or something else.

“Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is there a deity with Allāh? Little do you remember.” (Al-Naml, 27:62)

“They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend. And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do.” (Al-Sajdah, 32:16-17) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) once asked his companions: “Shall I tell you about the best of all deeds, the best act of piety in the eyes of your Lord, which will elevate your status in the Hereafter, and carries more virtue than the spending of gold and silver in the service of Allāh or taking part in jihād and slaying or being slain in the path of Allāh? The dhikr of Allāh.” (Aḥmad)


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The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The mufarridūn will be ahead of everyone else on the Day of Judgment.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “They are the males and females who remember Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) a lot.” (Muslim) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was traveling with his companions and they were coming down a hill. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) then said this statement. What does “sabaqa mufarridūn” mean? They are ahead of everyone on the Day of Judgment. What does this mean? They will finish their judgment quickly. They are the first to approach the pool of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and drink from it. They are the first to cross the ṣirāṭ. These people move quickly. They are ahead of everyone else. They have only green lights. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said these people remember Allāh so much. This is just one example of dhikr of Allāh. Ibn al-Qayyim wrote a book al-Wābil al-Ṣayyib min al-Kamil al-Ṭayyib (The Invocation of God). He said there are 100 virtues for dhikr, but he did not come up with 100. He was only able to come up with 73 points. Note: In the old days, the first thing scholars wrote was an introduction. In modern days, an introduction is written after writing the book. The people of dhikr come ahead of everyone else. “O you who believe, mention Allāh as much as you can. Sūrat’l-Aḥzāb v. 35: “Those who remember Allāh much, males and females, Allāh has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward.”

“Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allāh often and the women who do so - for them Allāh has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 33:35)


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Dhikr works both ways: it raises your status in Jannah and wipes out your sins. This is why the people of dhikr are ahead of everyone else: most sins are wiped away. This is why they will be very fast and light on the Day of Judgment. ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) said, “There is not a short period of time that passes by without making dhikr except that on the Day of Judgment you will regret it. The lucky one is the one who comes on the Day of Judgment and finds a lot of ‘astaghfirullāh’ in his record.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The people of Paradise will not regret except one thing alone: the hour that passed them by and in which they made no remembrance of Allāh.” (Bayḥaqi in Shu‘ab’l-īmān)

“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allāh. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allāh hearts are assured.” (Al-Ra‘d, 13:28) A man came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said, “O Rasūlullāh, the laws and conditions of Islam have become too many for me. Tell me something that I can always keep.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Keep your tongue always moist with dhikrullāh .” (Tirmidhi)

“And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shayṭān (Satan), then seek refuge with Allāh. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.” (Al-A‘rāf, 7:200) The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not make your houses like graves, for the Shayṭān runs away from a house in which Sūrat’l-Baqarah is recited.” (Muslim)

“And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allāh, and remember Allāh often that you may succeed.” (Al-Jumu‘ah, 62:10)


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How does the Qur ʾān order us to make dhikr? The Qurʾān speaks about the importance of dhikr in ten different ways. Each category has several examples. 1) The Qurʾān orders us to make dhikr. This order is in specific times and general times.

“O you who believe, make dhikr of Allāh a lot and make tasbīḥ in the morning and the night.”

“O you who have believed, remember Allāh with much remembrance.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 33:41)

2) The Qurʾān forbade us from forgetting about dhikr of Allāh and from being among the heedless.

“And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.” (Al-A‘rāf, 7:205) “Don’t be among the heedless. Don’t be like those who forgot about Allāh so Allāh made them forget about themselves.” They forget about what truly benefits them and only focuses on things, which do not benefit them. When some people don’t remember Allāh, they are so busy in dunya that they don’t focus on what will benefit them the most. They focus on that which is not beneficial or that which has a temporary benefit. Some Muslim brothers and sisters don’t know how to pray and don’t memorize anything from the Qurʾān. They forgot about what will truly benefit them.

3) The Qurʾān stated that in order for you to achieve true success, you need dhikr of Allāh.

“O you who have believed, when [the adhān] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu‘ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allāh and leave trade. That is better for you, if you only knew.” (Al-Jumu‘ah, 62:9)


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4) Allāh praised the people who made dhikr.

“Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allāh often and the women who do so - for them Allāh has prepared forgiveness and a great reward.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 33:35) Allāh describes the Muslims and believers male and female.

5) Allāh said those who don’t make dhikr are among the losers. Losing happens because of the lack of dhikr of Allāh.

“O you who believe, don’t let your children and wealth make you forget the dhikr of Allāh.” (Al-Munāfiqūn 63:9) Don’t go to an extreme and forget your family. Sometimes we work and work for our family. We are making a living but forget to make a life.

6) Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said that He remembers those who remember Him and mentions those who mention Him.

“So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:152)


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7) Dhikr of Allāh is the greatest thing.

“Recite, [O Muḥammad], what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allāh is greater. And Allāh knows that which you do.” (Al-‘Ankabūt, 29:45). Allāh mentions dhikr after mentioning ṣalāh.

8) In many verses when Allāh mentions good deeds, He then mentions dhikr. Allāh ended by ordering us to make dhikr. Sūrat’l-Baqarah.

“And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allāh standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.” (Al-Nisā’, 4:103)

9) The ones who make dhikr will benefit the most from the signs of Allāh.

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding. Who remember Allāh while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the


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heavens and the earth, [saying], ‘Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.’” (Āle-‘Imrān, 3:190-191) “In the creation of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla), there are great lessons to be learned for those who remember Allāh while they are standing, sitting, or laying down.” There is a difference when you see kids who see something great and some say, “Māshā’Allāh, alḥamdulillāh” and others who say, “Wow.” The one who says dhikr really benefits when he sees the creation of Allāh.

10) In the Qurʾān, when you look at the good deeds Allāh spoke about in the Qurʾān, He connected them to dhikr. Good deeds are mentioned in a way that dhikr is the soul for the good deeds. In Sūrah Ṭā Ha, Allāh said, “Make the ṣalāh so you can make dhikr.”

“Indeed, I am Allāh. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.” (Ṭā Ha, 20:14)

Ḥajj is ordained so that Allāh will be mentioned and honored. The concept of masājid and adhān is for Allāh to be mentioned and remembered.

§ What are some benefits of constantly making dhikr and du‘ā’?

- Prevents you from sinning

- Feel contentment

- Remembering Allāh during the time of ease means Allāh will be with you in the time of hardship or calamity. (Story of the Prophet Yūnus)

- Empower you. Dhikr makes you so strong. Imām al-Ḥasan al-Baṣri (raḥimahullāh) was called by al-Ḥajjāj, who would execute people who corrected him in the ṣalāh. One day he was stuck and couldn’t remember the verse, so he quoted the verse, “Give it to me.” Then he said, “Is there not among you anyone who is smart?” No one dared to say anything. Al-Ḥajjāj said, “You talk about al-Ḥasan al-Baṣri? I’ll show you what I will do to him.” He ordered his soldier to bring something made of leather on which they cut off the heads of people. Al-Ḥasan was called into the gathering and was making dhikr of Allāh. When al- Ḥajjāj saw him, he said, “Ya Aba Sa‘īd, please come next to me!” The ministers and those around him were so surprised. He said, “I saw him like a lion and myself like a cat.” The people who make dhikr are on a completely different level and very strong. Dhikr of Allāh gives you strength in your heart.


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An Egyptian Māliki scholar during the time of Aḥmad b. Tuloon in Egypt was put in a place for lions to attack him. The lions did not touch him. He started to pray, and while he was in ṣalāh, the lion came and sniffed him and sat next to him like a dog. Aḥmad b. Tuloon said this person must be a saint or righteous person and honored him. When he came back to his class, his students asked him what he was thinking when the lion came close to him, and he said, “I wondered when the saliva was near me whether or not the saliva was najas and would invalidate the ṣalāh.”

- Dhikr gives you strength. When dhikr comes to your heart, it takes the fear out.

Anytime you make dhikr of Allāh, you feel your heart is in serenity and have tranquility. Allāh ordered the muhājirīn to make dhikr of Allāh so that the fear of the enemy is taken away.

- Dhikr gives you a sense of humility. Arrogant people will not make du‘ā’. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “…those who are arrogant to submit themselves to Me and to worship Me will enter Hellfire.”

- Dhikr is a reason for provision to be increased. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said,

“Seek provision from Allāh and worship Him.” Ibn Taymiyyah said, “When you seek provision from Allāh, you are ‘abd to Him. When you seek provision from other than Allāh, then you are a slave to whom you are seeking provision from.”

Sūrat’l-Jumu‘ah: Allāh orders us to go and seek provision from His bounties and make dhikr.

“And when the prayer has been concluded, disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allāh, and remember Allāh often that you may succeed.” (Al-Jumu‘ah, 62:10)

- Protection from Shayṭān. Ibn al-Qayyim said that if this is the only virtue, then

this is enough. ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) would always make dhikr, and the Shayṭān would always run away from him. Shayṭān fears those who make dhikr.

- Protection from jinn. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “When you take off your clothes, say ‘bismillāh’ and the jinn can no longer see your ‘awrah.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asked Allāh to protect him from the evil eyes of the humans and the jinn. Then Allāh revealed Sūrat’l-Falaq and Sūrat’l-Nās and he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used these to seek protection. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Since I received these verses, I did not pray from anything for the protection from evil eye and jinn except from these two sūrahs.”


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Story from Shaykh Waleed “A friend of mine was possessed, and we were reading on him. The jinn that was bothering him left his body. I was walking with him on one side and on his other side was a famous student of knowledge who is well known. I heard the cracking of a whip and my friend jumped about five feet and fell on his face. I went to him right away and uncovered his back. I could see the fresh mark on his back and the blood. We tried to calm him down. The jinn had hit him. I asked the jinn, ‘Did you hit him?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because I was so angry I was forced to leave him.’ I asked, ‘So why didn’t you hit me or my friend (the student of knowledge)?’ He said, ‘I would love to, but there is between and both of you a wall that I cannot go through.’ I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘Because of what you said that day.’ I said, ‘What did I say?’ He said, ‘Bismillāhi’lladhi la yaḍurru ma‘a ismihi shay’un fi’l-arḍi wa la fi’samā’i wa huwa Al-Samī‘ Al-‘Alīm. I cannot even touch you.’” Dhikr of Allāh is a real protection against so many evil things around you. One of the best benefits of dhikr of Allāh is that it protects you from the Shayṭān. Ibn ʿAbbās narrated: “The Shayṭān is in you, and anytime you are unaware and don’t think of Allāh, he whispers to you. When you make dhikr, the Shayṭān won’t bother you. If there’s nothing else from dhikr of Allāh except protection from Shayṭān, that is enough.”

- Dhikr causes forgiveness of sins. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said

that if you say subḥānAllāh wa biḥamdih, your sins will be forgiven even if it is as much as the foam in the sea. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Is it too hard for you to make 2,500 ḥasanāt every day? After each ṣalāh, say subḥānAllāh 10 times, alḥamdulillāh 10 times, and Allāhu akbar 10 times. This is 30 by your tongue, 300 in your mizān. If you do this five times a day, it is 150 by your tongue and 1,500 as reward. When you sleep, say subḥānAllāh 33 times, alḥamdulillāh 33 times, and Allāhu akbar 34 times, then that is 100 by the tongue and 1,000 rewards. And who among you commits 2,500 sins a day?” These 2,500 rewards will take care of that many sins you committed that day. It is one of the best ways to purify you from your sins.

- It makes your heart happy and strong.

- Great reward comes from it.

- SubḥānAllāh wa biḥamdih will plant a tree for you in Jannah.

- Allāh makes dhikr of those who make dhikr. The angels make dhikr for them.

- It softens the heart.

- It is a reason for the blessings of Allāh to continue coming to you.


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- It can replace certain good actions that you cannot do. For example, if a new

Muslim said he hasn’t memorized Sūrat’l-Fātiḥah, he should say any form of dhikr and it will replace it.

- One of the best gatherings is when we gather around dhikr of Allāh.

- Dhikr makes you physically strong and physically active and full of energy.

Fāṭimah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said she gets so tired from taking care of the children and cleaning the house and carrying things to the farm. She did things inside and outside of the house. [Note: It was very common at that time for a household to have a servant or slave, but Fāṭimah didn’t have one.] She said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, I heard that last night you received a lot of wealth (i.e. from zakāh). Would you get me a servant or someone who will work at home?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was so careful with the public money and would never touch it for a personal reason. This is a lesson for anyone in charge of community money or ṣadaqah. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) refused. He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “I will give you something better than a servant. When you go to bed, say subḥānAllāh 33 times, alḥamdulillāh 33 times, and Allāhu akbar 34 times.” Fāṭimah said she started doing this and never needed help in the household anymore. From this, Imām ibn al-Qayyim mentioned in his book that this is one of the proofs that dhikr brings strength to the body and makes you active. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “When you go to sleep, the Shayṭān puts 3 knots on your neck. When you wake up and mention Allāh and start your day with dhikr, one of the knots will be released…” In the ḥadīth, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said the Shayṭān makes you lazy and irritated and in a bad mood when you wake up, and if you make dhikr, this influence of the Shayṭān will be removed and you will be made active and energized.

- Dhikr results in plants in Paradise.

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) met Ibrāhīm in the incident of isrā’ wa’l-mi‘rāj, and he told him, “Tell your nation al-salāmu ‘alaykum. Tell them that Paradise is so pure and so good. Its land is so pure and good. [In another narration, its land smells of musk.] The plants of Jannah are subḥānAllāh, walḥamdulillāh, wa la ilāha illa Allāh wAllāhu akbar.” This means that every time you say this, a tree is planted in Jannah. What does this mean to you? What does it mean that if you do certain actions a palace will be built for you in Paradise? • It assures you that you will live there and that there is something there to

claim. You are securing a place for you in Jannah.


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• It shows your status in Jannah. The more plants and more palaces, the

bigger the place you have in Jannah. The more that you have, the better place you will secure in Jannah. Nothing will limit Allāh’s Faḍl and giving and reward.

- Dhikr gives you light. In Sūrat’l-An‘ām v. 122, Allāh says, “The example of those is

that Allāh gives them light.”

“And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom? Thus it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they were doing.” (Al-An‘ām, 6:122) This light is the Qur’ān, and the Qur’ān is the best form of dhikr.

- In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Ibn ʿAbbās said he heard the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in the night prayer making du‘ā’ while saying, “O Allāh put light in my heart, put light in my eyes, put light in my ears, put light on my right side and left side and in front of me and behind me. Make the light so great and bright.” What does this mean? You see things the way it is and hear things the way it is. Light is a tool of guidance. It helps you to understand and comprehend and act.

- Allāh makes dhikr of you and the angels make dhikr of you when you make dhikr.

- It prevents you from sins. When people are sinning, they do it while they are

heedless and not remembering Allāh. When you remember Allāh, you are likely to abstain from sins. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says in the Qurʾān: “When people commit sin or make indecent acts, they remember Allāh. This leads them to making istighfār.”

One brother was a heavy smoker, and he said that he wanted to quit. He asked Shaykh Waleed for advice on how to quit. Shaykh Waleed told him that one of the best ways to quit smoking is dhikr of Allāh, so every time he had the urge, make dhikr. He started this and quit smoking. Dhikr prevents you from sinning and helps you to stop. A man came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, give me a reminder that I can hold onto until the end of my life.” He (ṣallallāhu


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‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Keep your tongue moist with the dhikr of Allāh.” We can learn from this ḥadīth that dhikr of Allāh has to be through pronunciation and not just through imagination and thoughts. Dhikr involves the movement of the tongue. This ḥadīth is used as one of the evidences to prove this. Dhikr is by the tongue and not by the heart.

- Dhikr connects you with Allāh all the time. There is a dhikr to say when you leave the house, when you see something good, when you see something bad. When something good happens to you, you say, “Alḥamdulillāh’lladhi bi ni’matihi tatimmu al-ṣāliḥāt (Alḥamdulillāh to the One who with His Bounties all good things happen).” When something bad happens to you, you say, “Alḥamdulillāh ‘ala kulli ḥāl.” In every situation, there is a dhikr to say. Adhkār occupies your entire day. When it is raining or there is thunder, there is something to say. When these things are happening around you, there is something to say to connect you with Allāh. The one who remembers Allāh will be in His presence all the time. You will reach the level of iḥsān (worshipping Allāh as if you see Him), which is the highest level. When you see someone, you are always talking about him. If someone is absent, you don’t remember him. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said the people of dhikr are ahead of everyone else on the Day of Judgment.

§ What are the top 5 reasons people miss/neglect their adhkār?

- Lack of knowledge. Don’t know the benefits. - Laziness - Distractions - Not a priority - Because they started neglecting their adhkār, they do not have the habit.

- You don’t have a support community.

This could be family members or the community at large. When you are around people who don’t care about adhkār, you will not care about adhkār. When children see the parents praying and making dhikr, they will do the same. When there are more people praying and making dhikr after ṣalāh, you are more likely to make the dhikr. When you are around friends and people and educators and role models, you will commit to it. Unfortunately so many of us are around people who don’t help us make dhikr.


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When was the last time your friend asked you, “How is your wird of the Qurʾān?” (Wird is an amount of verses you read every day). Or “Did you read your morning dhikr today?” There are very few. The companions had a relationship of true brotherhood and they cared about each other in religion.

- Ignorance People don’t know what to say.

- People are busy and don’t have time for it. People think that adhkār takes so much time. It takes less than two minutes to say “subḥānAllāhi wa biḥamdihi” 100 times. Ibn Taymiyyah said, “It will wipe your sins, but it depends how perfect your adhkār is and how strong your belief in it is, and it is impossible to do it every time.” We reach the complete effect by repeating it multiple times (i.e. say it 100 times in the morning and 100 times in the evening). Sometimes are sin are so severe and need multiple washing.

- Some people overdo and think the only way to do it is to put so much emphasis on it. Don’t overdo it. Don’t this makes people turn away from dhikr.

- People don’t know the reward for dhikr. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) came to the companions and said, “Is it hard for one of you to read 1/3rd of the Qurʾān in one night? Read qul huwAllāhu ahad. It is equivalent to reading 1/3rd of the Qurʾān.”

- People don’t know the meaning. If you don’t know the dhikr in Arabic, then say it in English. The point is to know what you are saying and not to say words you do not understand. Knowing the meaning will help you a lot. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught us: “O Allāh, I ask you al-‘afuww and al-‘āfiyah.” What is the difference between al-‘afuww and al-‘āfiyah? Both words are from the same root. Al-‘afuww means something is eliminated. When someone walks in the desert and leaves footprints which the wind removes, this is ‘afuww. The ‘ulemā’ said that you are asking Allāh two things with this du‘ā’: for something to not exist – all kinds of evil, related to our sins and mistakes, or harmful things related to religion or worldly life (i.e. health issues, problems in your life, problems with your family). Al-‘afuww is for whatever happened in the past, and al-‘āfiyah is for whatever will happen in the future. We ask Allāh to remove any sin we committed, anything bad we did, anything that is harming us and to protect us in the future so that it will not happen again. We don’t really know what a lot of the du‘ā’s we say mean. We also don’t know the benefit of it.


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- Procrastination They procrastinate and then forget about it later on.

- We miss dhikr because we are involved in sins. If we are involved in ḥarām, then we won’t remember to say the adhkār.

Response to those who don’t make du‘ā’ because they feel like they commit too many sins: Sufyān b. Uyaynah said, “Allāh accepted the du‘ā’ of Iblīs, so He will most likely accept your du‘ā’.” § What are the top 5 tips that would help keep us consistent in our adhkār?

- Have CD in the car or reminder on the phone - Have a dhikr buddy - Make a schedule. Fit your adhkār into a schedule. For example: to/from work,

coming early to ‘ishā’ by 10 minutes to make your dhikr. - Many people only know one dhikr even though the Sunnah is filled with many.

For example, when you make rukū‘, from the Sunnah you can say subḥāna rabbi Al-‘Aẓīm or subḥānallāhumma rabbana wa biḥamdika allāhumma’ghfirli. This will make you excited – it is something new. The more you know and memorize a variety of adhkār, the more you will do it.

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri narrated that Mu‘āwiyah once came to the masjid and saw people gathering and asked, “Why are you here?” They said, “We only came for dhikr of Allāh.” He said, “By Allāh, is this the only reason for you to gather here?” They said, “Yes.” He asked them three times and then said, “I am not asking you by Allāh because I doubt you. I am asking because we were sitting in the masjid of Allāh one day and he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asked us this question three times and said he only asked us this because Jibrīl came to him and told him that Allāh gathered the angels and told them, ‘Look at My servants. They gathered together just to remember Me. I am so proud.’” (Muslim) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “No people will gather together remembering Allāh and mentioning Him except that the angels will surround them and Allāh’s Mercy will descend around them, and tranquility will descend into their hearts and minds, and Allāh will mention them to those in His presence.” Review: • Imām ibn al-Qayyim said there are 100 or more benefits of dhikr and he mentioned

them in his book al-Wābil al-Ṣayyib min al-Kamil al-Ṭayyib. Answer: False. He mentioned 73.

• The ‘ulemā’ said that there is one benefit of dhikr that if it was the only one, then it is sufficient. Answer: protection from Shayṭān


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The Meanings of Dhikr and Du‘ā ’ Linguistic Definition Dhikr originally comes from the word dha-ka-ra. Linguistically, dhikr means to remember something and to not forget it . I t usually refers to something honorable. Dhikr and dhukr are the root of the word. Dhukr is related to remembering something and dhikr is mentioning something. Dhukr refers to an act of your mind or heart. Dhikr is an act of the tongue. It is the thing you think about when you don’t pronounce it or do pronounce it. When you mention with your tongue, it is something already in your mind or heart. Dhikr is initiated by your mind or heart and followed by mentioning with your tongue. If you just think and don’t mention, then this is contemplating about Allāh. This is takaffur, which is an act of worship, but it is not dhikr. The pronunciation does not have to be out loud but can include the movement of the tongue. Dhikr is related to something you say intentionally because you are thinking about it. Dhikr usually refers to something honorable. This is why Allāh calls the Qur’ān dhikr. Meaning of Wird There is another word Arabs used to mention Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla): wird. Wird is something that you recite frequently. The Arabs used the word wird originally to refer to bringing cattle to the water to drink. This act of bringing them to the water is called wird. What is the connection between this meaning and dhikr? Without your daily adhkār and daily recitation, what will happen to you is what will happen to the cattle if you don’t provide water to them. In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “You will burn yourself during the daytime until ẓuhr time comes and you come back pure and clean again. You will burn yourself until ‘aṣr comes and then you pray and refresh.” Du‘ā ’ comes from the word da‘aw which means to “call out” or to “summon”. Du‘ā’ is an act of invocation and supplication. Arabs used this word to have things come towards you. For example, you say, “O Allāh, I want Jannah” because you want it to come to you. Technical Definition Dhikr is to remember Allāh by thinking about Him or mentioning His Names and Attributes or His rulings. ‘Ulemā’ said this because dhikr of Allāh is about one of three things: § Remembering and mentioning Allāh by His Names and Attributes. This can be done

in two ways:


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1) Praising the Names and Attributes of Allāh. Example: saying subḥānallāh, alḥamdulillāh, Allāhu akbar.

2) Telling people about the meaning of His Names and Attributes. Think about the meaning of it and apply it to your daily life. This means that you think about Allāh’s Mercy and are merciful to people. You think about how Allāh is Generous so you are generous to people. You make dhikr of Allāh being Al-Muḥṣin and try to do things perfectly. You remember the Attributes or Names of Allāh and apply it to your daily life.

§ Remembering the rulings and orders of Allāh. (What He loves/hates and

likes/dislikes, the ḥalāl and ḥarām). This can be done in two ways:

Dhikr means the Islamic rulings. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “If you don’t know, ask the people of dhikr.” The people of dhikr are the people of knowledge – those who know the ḥalāl and ḥarām and what is right and what is wrong.

1) Telling people about it.

The scholars are called the people of dhikr because they remind people about what Allāh loves and dislikes and what Allāh wants us to do and does not want us to do. A great scholar once said, “Majālis’l-dhikr (the gathering of dhikr) is the place where people study the ḥalāl and ḥarām.” We never come across a single time when the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) gathered the companions together to make dhikr. A great tabi‘ī said, “The gathering of dhikr (majālis’l-dhikr) means the gatherings where people learn the ḥalāl and ḥarām. They learn what is permissible and what is not permissible. It is a gathering where the dīn of Allāh is taught.” Note: this is the meaning that only the Sunnis believe in. Innovators refuse to consider this as a meaning of dhikr.

Abu Suwad al-Adawi, one of the successors, was sitting and teaching. A man in the gathering said in a loud voice, “Let’s make this a gathering of dhikr. Say, ‘subḥānAllāh.’” Abu Suwad was very angry and said, “What do you think we are doing? We are gathering and teaching knowledge. If it's not a gathering of dhikr, then what is it?” A way of making dhikr is to read a book or to teach knowledge.

2) Remembering the rulings yourself when they are needed. When you see what is ḥarām, you remember what Allāh said about it. Example: you remember what time ẓuhr starts. Applying the rule in itself is a form of dhikr.

§ Remembering Allāh during the time of calamities or when you see the uniqueness

of His creation. This can be done in two ways:


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1) When you see the greatness of His creation and you mention Allāh. This makes

you thankful to Allāh.

2) Remembering Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) in a time of calamity. This makes you a person of patience. The first thing that comes to your mind should be: alḥamdulillāh ‘ala kulli ḥāl. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that īmān is made of ṣabr and shukr. If you have ṣabr and shukr, your īmān is complete. What brings you ṣabr and shukr? Dhikr of Allāh.

Al-Du‘ā ’ is to invoke Allāh and to supplicate to Him by calling upon Him, or worshipping Him. Du‘ā’ refers to the act of worship. It means you are staying away from the way of Shayṭān and coming towards Allāh and leaning towards Allāh. How do you call upon Allāh? You can call upon Allāh directly by saying Ya Allāh, Ya Al-Raḥmān. This is the most common meaning for du‘ā’ for us. You also call upon Allāh by worshipping Him. Du‘ā’ al-mas’alah is when one is asking for fulfillment of need because he wants something to happen, something to be removed, something good, or something evil to be protected from, etc. This is the most straightforward meaning, which is very common to us. Du‘ā’ al-‘ibādah represents a very broad concept in Islam. Every single act of worship includes this type of du‘ā’. What is the relationship between du‘ā’ and dhikr? Which is more general and which is more specific? When a technical definition has different meanings, we need to ask which meaning we are talking about. Du‘ā’ as ‘ibādah is more general. In regards to du‘ā’ al-mas’alah, dhikr is more general and du‘ā’ is specific.

The Ruling of Dhikr and Du‘ā ’ The Muslim jurists have different opinions on the ruling of dhikr and du‘ā’. § First Opinion: Obligation (wājib) This is the position of the Shāfi‘is and so many of the Mālikis. Evidence:

“And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’ Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.” (Ghāfir, 40:60) How does this verse show that it is wājib to make du‘ā’? It is a command; therefore, it is wājib.


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Thumb Rule from usū l ’ l - f iqh : Any command related to religious things means it is wājib unless there is a proof it is recommended. Any command from Allāh and His Messenger related to worldly things and a form of etiquette is recommended unless there is a proof it is wājib. Example: The majority of the fuqahā’ said eating with the right hand is recommended because it has to do with etiquette. [Note: other ‘ulemā’ said it is wājib because there is another evidence in which the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made du‘ā’ against a person not eating with his right hand. However, he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did this because the man was arrogant and not because he was not eating with his right hand.]

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, [tell them] I am indeed near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:186)

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The person who does not ask from Allāh, Allāh becomes angry with him.” (Tirmidhi, Aḥmad) How does this show that it is must to make du‘ā’ and that it is a sin if you do not make du‘ā’? Allāh is only angry at something which is ḥarām. Only a few Shāfi‘is and Mālikis said this was an evidence because this position cannot be standardized. To say du‘ā’ is wājib means that in every situation you have to make du‘ā’ and are sinful if you do not do it, and no ‘ulemā’ would say this. Some fuqahā’ did not agree with this opinion. § Second Opinion: Recommended (mustaḥab)

The vast majority of scholars from the early and later Muslim generations and the official position of the four madhāhib and many scholars is that du‘ā’ is just recommended. The proof for this is in Bukhāri and Muslim: A woman came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said that she has seizures, and she asked the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to pray for Allāh to cure her. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that he can make du‘ā’ for her or she can be patient and be guaranteed Jannah. He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) gave her the option, which shows that du‘ā’ is recommended and not wājib. If du‘ā’ was wājib, then the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) must make du‘ā’ for her. The scholars mentioned so many other evidences. For example, some people said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, we have high fever in our area.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If you wish, I can pray to my Lord so that He removes it, or you can be


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patient with it and it will be purification.” They said, “If this is the case, then let it be purification for us.” Ibn Taymiyyah said, “No one would ever say about a specific du‘ā’ or situation that du‘ā’ is must unless this du‘ā’ is part of an act of worship.” All of the adhkār are recommended and not wājib.

§ Third opinion: The default ruling is that it is recommended, but it could be an obligation, or recommended, or disliked, or forbidden, or permissible depending on the situation. Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, some Māliki and Shāfi‘i scholars, Ibn Hajar, and others held this opinion. Wājib: Al-Fātiḥah in ṣalāh is du‘ā’. Recommended: adhkār of morning and night Disliked: when you are sleepy. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to not make du‘ā’ while sleepy. Forbidden: du‘ā’ asking for evil, asking Allāh by Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to do something (you don’t ask Allāh by any human being).

Shaykh Waleed’s opinion: du‘ā’ in general is wājib because it relates to ‘aqīdah. One specific du‘ā’ is not wājib. If you are sick, you do not have to make du‘ā’. It’s impossible for a Muslim to never pray to his Lord. No one among the salaf or khalaf said about a specific du‘ā’ that it is wājib. In every witr prayer, Imām Aḥmad prayed for 100 people by name from his friends. At the top of his list was Imām al-Shāfi‘i. Who do you pray for?

The Categories of Dhikr and Du‘ā ’

The Categories of Dhikr The verbal dhikr that a Muslim can make throughout the day are classified into two categories: 1. Narrated dhikr from the Qur’ān and Sunnah.

- Restricted by time, situation, number, or location.

Restricted by time: Morning and evening adhkār. In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Jābir said he heard the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying, “O Allāh, protect me from Your punishment on the Day You resurrect Your creation.” [Muslim] It is narrated that you say this before sleeping. The adhān is restricted to the times of ṣalāh. Restricted by place: When you see the Ka‘bah, when entering or leaving the masjid, when entering the bathroom.


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Restricted by situation: after sneezing, du‘ā’ to start the ṣalāh. You cannot make your own dhikr in these situations because the Sharī‘ah already specified specific things to say. You cannot add to them or change them. You cannot change the adhān. The du‘ā’ to start the ṣalāh is Allāhu akbar. This is restricted. A man sneezed and said, “Alḥamdulillāh wa ṣalāt wa salām ‘ala Rasūlullāh.” ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “Say ‘alḥamdulillāh’ and go say ‘wa ṣalāt wa salām ‘ala Rasūlullāh’ in your mother’s house.” You cannot add to or remove from the dhikr from the Qurʾān and Sunnah.

- General / unrestricted (muṭlaq). Example: Making a lot of dhikr. You can say subḥānAllāh wa biḥamdih any time during the day. You can read Qurʾān as much as you want any time (generally speaking).

Guidelines that must be fol lowed with regards to the narrated (Prophetic) adhkār :

- The dhikr must be established by correct evidence from the Qur’ān and

Sunnah only. They must be from authentic aḥadīth and not made up or fabricated aḥadīth. If there is debate over authenticity, we restrict ourselves to what is authentic. It can be debatable. For example, when you hear the adhān, you say:

Al-Bayhaqi added a statement after this, and there is a debate between the Muslim scholars of ḥadīth on the authenticity. Shaykh al-Albāni said it is weak, and Shaykh Bin Bāz said it is authentic. In this case, it is like any fiqh issue, and you follow the scholar you trust the most. No one can say it is bid‘ah. Another example is the du‘ā’ you say when looking at the mirror. The majority of the ‘ulemā’ believe it is weak.


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There may be a debate over the understanding of the ḥadīth. For example, so many scholars said there is no du‘ā’ for riding on your mount. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught this du‘ā’ to ‘Ali (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) when he was traveling, and he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was never heard saying it when riding his camel or mule inside Madīnah. Other ‘ulemā’ said that since in the Qurʾān there is a verse in Sūrat’l-Zukhruf which mentions that when you are on top of your ride, say this du‘ā’, so they take from this verse the permissibility to say this specific du‘ā’.

“That you may settle yourselves upon their backs and then remember the favor of your Lord when you have settled upon them and say. ‘Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it. And indeed we, to our Lord, will [surely] return.’” (Sūrat’l-Zukhruf, 12-13) They also said that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told ‘Ali to say this when he was riding his animal. There is a debate between the scholars on how to understand the ḥadīth. If there is a different understanding, follow the scholar you trust.

- If it was restricted: The dhikr must be established the way it was reported in regards to the time, situation, number, or location.

- The dhikr must be said exactly the way it was reported without making any changes.

- There are general etiquettes of du‘ā’ and dhikr that should be kept in mind. Be respectful, say them with khushū‘, etc.

2. What the Muslims initiate of their own forms of dhikr.

A Muslim can make his own dhikr because Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “Make a lot of dhikr of Allāh.” This is general, unrestricted dhikr. You are not allowed to make a restricted dhikr. For example, you cannot make a dhikr that you say when you see the color red. As long as you don’t restrict it and don’t have a belief attached to it and don’t treat it like the Sharī‘ah and it is general and unrestricted, then generally speaking, you are allowed.


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Note: The best dhikr ever is the dhikr from the Qurʾān and Sunnah. The best words you can use to praise Allāh with are the words Allāh used to praise Himself.

One must keep in mind that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “O Allāh, I cannot praise You as You have praised Yourself.” (Muslim) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) admitted that he could not make dhikr on his own better than what Allāh has taught him, so what about us? Guidelines that must be fol lowed in regards to the non-narrated adhkār ( i .e . adhkār that are init iated by the Muslim worshipper) :

- Sincerity.

They must be done sincerely for Allāh.

- Should be unrestricted by time, number, or situation.

- The meaning must be acceptable, good, and general without any negative connotations.

- It cannot contain improper, made-up Names and/or Attributes of Allāh.

- Dhikr cannot contain any strange language with unknown meanings. Ibn ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “If you see two people claiming that they have secrets about the religion, then know that they are upon innovation in religion.”

In someone’s wird in his book Ḥizb’l-Fātiḥ, he said: “O Allāh, we ask to love you for nothing and not because of fear of anything and not because we are seeking anything. We ask You to purify us in a way there is no purification behind it. We ask You to let us know secrets. I ask you by my teacher, the prophet, the guide. I ask you by the two, by the four, by the seventy, by the eight, by the secrets of the Sharī‘ah of Muḥammad.” What is wrong about this?

- Asking for perfection. This meaning is not acceptable. - Asking by someone as if those people have rights over Allāh - Some words have no meanings (i.e. secrets of Sharī‘ah, by the two / forty). These

are Ṣūfi codes. They believe the two are two imāms who are in charge of helping people in disasters, etc. They said “the four” are four awtād (pegs), which are needed for the earth to be stable.

In Sudan, there is a Ṣūfi tarīqa called ṣalāt’l-fātiḥ. The founder said that Jibrīl came to him and said that his prayer was better than the Prophet’s (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ṣalāh by 100,000 times.


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The Categories of Du‘ā ’ 1. In regards to its meaning

- Du‘ā ’ al-mas’alah, or the “du‘ā ’ of asking.” This type of du‘ā’ is when one asks for the fulfillment of a need. He wants something to happen or something evil to be removed or something good to happen in the future.

- Du‘ā ’ l - ‘ ibādah , or the “du‘ā ’ of worship.” This type of du‘ā’ represents a very broad concept. In Islam, every single act of worship includes this type of du‘ā’. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said the best du‘ā’ is the day of ‘Arafah. The best du‘ā’ on that day is: la ilāha illa Allāh waḥdahu la sharīka lah lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-ḥamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadīr

This is the best du‘ā’ because the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is referring to the du‘ā’ of ‘ibādah. By glorifying Allāh and saying this, you deserve the reward for your tawḥīd: forgiveness of sins and receiving all types of good.

Allāh said, “Pray to me, and I will answer you…” ‘Ulemā’ said the word du‘ā’ was used synonymously with the word ‘ibādah. Du‘ā’ means to pray to Allāh and ‘ibādah means to worship Allāh, but Allāh used them interchangeably as if they are exactly the same. In Sūrah Yūnus v. 106: “Don’t pray to other than Allāh. Whatever you pray to other than Allāh will not benefit you or harm you….”

“And do not invoke besides Allāh that which neither benefits you nor harms you, for if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.” (Sūrah Yūnus, 10:106) The mufasirīn said this means do not worship any other than Allāh. “And when My servants ask you concerning Me, [tell them] I am indeed near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:186)


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2. In regards to the users of it

- Narrated du‘ā’ This is a du‘ā’ that is quoted from the Qurʾān and Sunnah. The du‘ā’s from the Qurʾān and aḥadīth are very general. Ibn ʿAbbās was asked what “ātina fi’l-dunya ḥasanah” means and he said it means a beautiful spouse. This is ‘ilm’l-tafsīr – he explained the meaning by giving one example of what it means. It means everything good, and among the good things you can get is a beautiful spouse. ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, can you pray for me?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “O Allāh, I ask you to forgive her for all of her sins in the past and the future.” Any du‘ā’ from the Qurʾān and Sunnah is always at a higher level than any initiated du‘ā’.

- Initiated du‘ā’ The best way to ask is from the Qurʾān and Sunnah, but you can also make your own du‘ā’. For example, in witr prayer in Ramaḍān, the imām makes du‘ā’ and it is mixed between phrases from the Qurʾān and Sunnah and some made by the shaykh himself. This was seen a lot in the early Muslim generations. Imām Aḥmad (raḥimahullāh) used to say, “O the One who guides, guide us to You.” Mutarrif used to say, “O Allāh, be pleased with me and if you think I’m not worthy to reach the level at which You are pleased with me, then treat me with Your mercy because Your mercy reaches everyone.”

3. In regards to what you are asking for

We usually ask for four things. All of our requests fall into one of these categories: - The removal of harm/evil

- The protection from harm/evil

- The continuation of what is good

- Asking for non-existent good


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“Our Lord, indeed we have heard a caller calling to faith, [saying], ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord, so forgive us our sins and remove from us our misdeeds and cause us to die with the righteous. Our Lord, and grant us what You promised us through Your messengers and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, You do not fail in [Your] promise.” (Āle-‘Imrān, 3:193-194) This is the du‘ā’ of the believers which Allāh quoted in the Qurʾān. Allāh told us about this du‘ā’ because it is so unique. This du‘ā’ includes these four things above. How do these two verses have all of these four points? Removal of harm / evil: “forgive our sins” Protection from harm / evil: “do not disgrace us on the Day of Judgment” Continuity of what is good: “cause us to die with the righteous” Asking for non-existent good: “grant us what You promised us through Your messengers” (i.e. Jannah) When reading du‘ā’s in the Qurʾān, look how many points they cover from these. 4. In regards to the person making du‘ā’

All of du‘ā’ can be categorized into the following: - For yourself

“O Allāh, I ask you to forgive me.” “O Allāh, I ask you to guide me.” Ibn al-Qayyim said, “It is well-recorded from the Sunnah of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that he used the pronoun ‘me’ and not ‘we’.” “O Allāh, forgive my sins.” “O Allāh I ask You to guide me.” This was the most common way of making du‘ā’ of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

- For others “O Allāh, forgive him/her.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told Anas b. Mālik: “O Allāh, I ask you for Anas b. Mālik to have a lot of wealth and a lot of children and bless everything that You have provided for him.” (Bukhāri and Muslim) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saw Mu‘āwiyah b. Abi Sufyān and told him, “O Allāh, make this man a guided person and make him a person who will guide others and allow him to be a guide to others.” (Imām Aḥmad, Tirmidhi)


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The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “O Allāh, make Mu‘āwiyah the master of the Book and protect him from the punishment.” (Musnad of Imām Aḥmad)

- For yourself then others In the Qurʾān, Allāh says in Sūrah Muḥammad: “O Muḥammad, ask forgiveness for your sins and for the believers.” This shows that you should ask for yourself and then ask for others.

It was never reported that you pray for someone else and then yourself. You start with yourself and then the other person – this is the proper etiquette. “May Allāh forgive me and forgive you.” “May Allāh guide me and guide you.”

- For yourself and others using the pronoun “we”

Ibn ‘Umar said, “It is very rare for the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to leave a gathering before making the following du‘ā’:…” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “O Allāh, I ask You to give us khashiyah of You to prevent us from disobeying and give us the strength to worship You so that we will achieve Paradise. Give us certainty in the heart and make the calamities in the worldly life easy to deal with. O Allāh, make our senses / health strong and sound as long as we live. Give us victory over those who abuse us. Don’t give us a calamity in our dīn. And don’t make the dunya our biggest concern. Don’t make our knowledge focused on worldly things. Don’t let someone control us who has no mercy in his heart towards us.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi) A friend of Shaykh Waleed studied in what we call today Bosnia (Serbia). He said, “Waleed, if you want to live a decent life, don’t live with Muslims. There used to be an area where I lived where they cooked with khamr. They knew nothing about religion. Then the war happened. The calamity was in dunya but not in dīn. I came back to the same area where I studied and I used to be the only young man praying in the masjid, but then the masjid was full at fajr prayer.” Calamities will happen in your life. The worst calamity is to lose your dīn and start compromising your principles. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Ya Allāh, don’t let the calamity strike our dīn.”


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For Whom Should You Make Du‘ā ’ Other Than Yourself? § Parents

“And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], ‘uff,’ and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, ‘My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.’” (Al-Isrā’, 17:23-24) Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said, “’O Allāh, shower them with your mercy.’” The prophets and messengers asked Allāh to forgive them and their parents. Abu Hurayrah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) loved his mother very much, and he prayed for her so much. He said, “Anyone who prays for me and my mother, I ask You to shower him with Your Mercy.” Abu Hurayrah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) never related any ḥadīth related to the Ḥajj of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). He (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) never left the side of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). He did not make Ḥajj with the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) because his mother was sick, and he stayed behind in Madīnah. When Abu Hurayrah became rich and the prince of Madīnah, he said, “I used to have nothing!” He used to put a rock on his stomach and tie a belt around it because he was so hungry and did not have food. [Nowadays we put a belt because we have too much food.] He (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) told his students, “This is what knowledge leads to: dunya and ākhirah. I dedicated my life to the knowledge of ḥadīth during the life of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Allāh honored me and never put me down.” Imām Abu Ḥanīfah said, “When my father passed away, I did not make du‘ā’ for anything for an entire year except my parents.” Some of the salaf used to make the du‘ā’ for their parents 70 times in the ṣalāh in between the two sajdahs. Ibn Taymiyyah said, “It is a common narration: ‘O Allāh forgive me and my parents.’” Praying for your parents in every single ṣalāh is a must. One brother makes du‘ā’ for his parents in the second sujūd of the first rakʿah of every ṣalāh in order to make sure he never forgets.


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§ Family Members

“And those who say, ‘Our Lord, grant us from among our wives and offspring comfort to our eyes and make us an example for the righteous.”’ (Al-Furqān, 25:74)

The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Three supplications are answered without doubt: the supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveler, and the supplication of the parent for his son.” (Tirmidhi) Do you make du‘ā’ for your relatives (brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles)? They have rights over you, and the least of their rights upon you is that you make du‘ā’ for them. At least make du‘ā’ for them in your witr. § Those who benefited you and did good to you in your life and to your friends Always make du‘ā’ for those who have done good to you. Muslim scholars said it is highly recommended to make du‘ā’ for those who have done good to you (i.e. your teachers). The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If good is done to someone and then they say ‘jazākallāhu khayran’ to the one who did the good, they have indeed praised them well.” (Tirmidhi, al-Nasā’i) Ibn ʿAbbās said, “Once the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) went to the bathroom, so I went and got water for the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) so that he could make wuḍū’. When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saw the water, he said, ‘O Allāh, give him understanding of the religion.’” Muḥammad b. Sirīn said, “We were with Abu Hurayrah one night and he said, ‘O Allāh forgive Abu Hurayrah and his mother and those who ask forgiveness for them.’ Since that time I have been asking forgiveness for both of them, so the du‘ā’ of Abu Hurayrah will reach me!” Imām Aḥmad said, “It surprised me those who claim that they are brothers and sisters in Islam and he is stingy with his du‘ā’ for his brother. How would he be generous with his money?”


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Can you make du‘ā’ for someone who is non-Muslim who did something good to you? Yes, you are allowed to make du‘ā’ for them. Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) was asked if a person who is non-Muslim did something to him and said, “BārakAllāh fīk”, then what would he say. He said, “May Allāh bless you, too.” Ḥadīth Ḥasan: ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) narrated that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was given sheep meat as a gift, so he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told ‘Ā’ishah to distribute the meat among the neighbors, and among the neighbors were non-Muslims. He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asked what happened, and she said, “The servant took the meat to the non-Muslim neighbor and the neighbor said, ‘May Allāh bless you and what you have given to us.’” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asked what she said when she heard this and she said, “May Allāh bless them too.” This is a sound ḥadīth and Shaykh al-Albāni said it is ḥasan. If a non-Muslim sneezes, you are allowed to say, “May Allāh bless you.” To pray for someone to increase his age: this is not common in our culture today to use this form of du‘ā’. There is a debate among the scholars regarding this. Bottom line: you are allowed to pray for someone like this as long as you say “with good deeds.” “May Allāh bless you with a long life with good deeds.” This is a good du‘ā’ to make. The majority of the fuqahā’ say that this is what is permissible. § Praying for all Muslims and asking forgiveness for them

“So know, [O Muḥammad], that there is no deity except Allāh and ask forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and believing women. And Allāh knows of your movement and your resting place.” (Muḥammad, 47:19) It is from the Sunnah to make du‘ā’s for your Muslim brothers and sisters everywhere, especially those in your city. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) ordered the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to make du‘ā’ for the believers. All of the messengers and prophets made du‘ā’ for the believers. This is something we should care about. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If you visit a sick person and make du‘ā’ for him, Allāh will heal him, inshā’Allāh.” When you go to visit a sick person, make sure to say nice things.


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“And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, ‘Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.’” (Al- Ḥashr, 10)

In Sūrat’l-Ḥashr v. 10, Allāh teaches us about the believers and how they care about their Muslim brothers who are alive and dead. Our connection is not limited by time or borders. Every time you say, “Ya Allāh, forgive all the believers,” it goes from Ādam to the end of time. We are one nation and one ummah. “O Allāh, forgive us and our brothers who became Muslim before us. Don’t put any hate in our hearts towards them. The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever ask forgiveness for the believing men and women, Allāh will give such person ḥasanah (reward) for each believing man and woman.” (Ṭabarāni in al-Mu‘jam’l-Kabīr, sound ḥadīth) It is a common du‘ā’ since the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) until now: “O Allāh forgive the believer, the living one and the dead one.” Imām Muslim: Abu’l-Dardā’ said he heard the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) say, “Anyone who makes du‘ā’ for his Muslim brother while he is absent, an angel next to him will say, ‘Āmīn, and give him similar to what he asked.’” Imām al-Nawawi in Sharḥ Muslim said, “This shows you the virtues of making du‘ā’ for your brothers in their absence. This is the reward for praying for one, so what about praying for a group of Muslims in their absence?” The religion makes us never live as individuals only. We are part of a big ummah. This is the beauty of our religion. Many narrations from the early Muslim scholars say that when they wanted to receive something, they would make du‘ā’ for the same for their Muslim brother or sister. Their intention is that they receive it because they know the angel will say, “O Allāh accept and give him the same, too.” § Praying for the Leaders Muslim leaders: Imām al-Nawawi said, “There is agreement among the scholars on making du‘ā’ for Muslim leaders, regardless of they are fāsiq, in the jumu‘ah khuṭbah.” Make du‘ā’ for them to be guided and just and fair. A Ḥanbali scholar said: This is a matter of agreement. It is recommended to do it in the jumu‘ah khuṭbah. A famous Shāfi‘i scholar said it is recommended for the imām to do such thing.


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The Ḥanafi scholars said you are not allowed (a few Shāfi‘i and Ḥanbalis also said this) based on a narration from Aṭa’ who was asked if they can make du‘ā’ for the leaders in the jumu‘ah khuṭbah and he said it is not from the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and an innovation. ‘Umar b. Abd’l-Azīz wrote to all of the khaṭībs to specifically not make du‘ā’ for him in the jumu‘ah khuṭbah. This position is not the famous / common one. It is permissible for several reasons:

- Claiming that this is not the practice of the companions is not something we agree with. The statement of Aṭa’ is not accurate. In an authentic narration, when Abu Mūsa al-Ashari would make khuṭbah, he would pray for Abu Bakr and ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb. Someone came and told him that he cannot pray for ‘Umar before Abu Bakr. This was done in front of many companions and they never disagreed.

- In general, you should make du‘ā’ for a leader that Allāh guides him. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Dīn is naṣīḥah (being sincere towards others and towards your leaders).” Part of the sincerity is to make du‘ā’ for them that Allāh guides them to do what is right and say what is correct. Part of naṣīḥah towards the leaders is to make du‘ā’ for them. The students asked Fuḍayl b. ‘Iyāḍ, “If you have one du‘ā’ that Allāh said it will be answered, what would it be?” He said, “If Allāh gave one thing, I would make it for the imām of the Muslims – that Allāh guide the leader.” When ‘Abdullāh b. Mubārak (equal to Imām Aḥmad’s level) heard this, he said, “O Fuḍayl b. ‘Iyāḍ, who teaches people what is good, who can say such a thing except you?” When Fuḍayl b. ‘Iyāḍ was asked why, he said, “If he is good, then people will be good.” The result is seen in our daily life. ‘Uthmān b. ‘Affān said, “What the leader can enforce is much more than what the Qurʾān enforces.” The Qurʾān tells people not to cheat or steal, but they do.

Non-Muslim leaders: You can make du‘ā’ for non-Muslim leaders. You can ask Allāh to guide them to be just and fair and to guide them. Imām Aḥmad was tortured in the jail and the leader was personally torturing him. Imām Aḥmad was heard saying, “O Allāh, give al-Mutassim victory in his war against the Romans.” He knew that the leader was on the right track.

The ruling regarding praying for a fāsiq (evi l-doer) You can pray for a fāsiq. A fāsiq is still Muslim. At the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), a drunk man was brought and people were making du‘ā’ against him. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Don’t help the Shayṭān against him.” Be smart in the way you make du‘ā’. If your du‘ā’ is a reason for them to continue in their sin (i.e. someone has wealth from the ḥarām), then don’t make du‘ā’ for that (i.e. O Allāh, increase his wealth).


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In one community, they told Shaykh Waleed that he can give khuṭbah on any topic except alcohol because a board member was involved in selling alcohol. Shaykh Waleed gave a khuṭbah on polluted wealth. Ibn al-Jawzi’s teacher was walking along the river and on the other side of the river people were partying. The students were asking if they should beat them up, or at least make du‘ā’ against them. The shaykh said, “O Allāh, as you made them gather in this dunya happy, let them also be gathered together happy in the ākhirah.” The students asked what this meant, and the shaykh said, “Do you think they will have a happy gathering in the ākhirah if they continue in this way? I intended that Allāh change their situation.” The ruling regarding praying for non-Muslims

“It is not for the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.” (Al-Tawbah, 9:113)

“Allāh does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allāh loves those who act justly.” (Al-Mumtaḥanah, 60:8) Part of being good to them is making du‘ā’ for them. Allāh forbade us from asking forgiveness for the kufār. You cannot ask forgiveness for someone who passed away in kufr. You cannot ask Allāh to enter them into Jannah. You can pray for guidance for non-Muslims. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said about the tribe of Aslam “may Allāh save it,” and about the tribe of Ghifār “may Allāh give them forgiveness” (they were still alive). You can pray for your country to be just and have safety and prosperity. The best thing to pray for non-Muslims is guidance. If you win the dunya but lose the ākhirah, then you ended up with nothing.


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The Ruling on Making Du‘ā ’ Against or Cursing Someone

“And whoever is patient and forgives - indeed, that is of the matters [requiring] determination.” (Al-Shūra, 42:43) It is a very serious issue to make du‘ā’ against someone or yourself. Unfortunately, making du‘ā’ against others is part of some cultures. This is a bad habit. A young man in Dammam liked to go out a lot. The friends came and asked him to go out after ‘ishā’, and his father did not like it. The father said, “Go! May Allāh never let you come back” out of anger. His friends say this man never came back to the house. The father collected him from the morgue. He died in a car accident. Don’t take du‘ā’ against someone lightly. Generally speaking, du‘ā’ against anyone is not recommended. Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyyah said: “Allāh ordained du‘ā’ for one reason, which is for good things to happen, and not for bad things to happen. It is against the default rule of what du‘ā’ is made for.” Allāh made it as part of the religion for a purpose. It is not to bring evil upon yourself or others. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said that even in the case of transgression or someone does something bad to you or deserves to be cursed, “And whoever is patient and forgives, indeed that is for the matter requiring determination.” This means you have the upper hand to be able to do it.

Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said in Sūrat’l-Isrā’ v. 11, “People ask for evil in the same manner they ask for good. Human beings rush things.” Look at Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr for commentary on this verse.

Sūrah Yūnus v. 11: “And if Allāh was to hasten for the people the evil [they invoke] as He hastens for them the good, their term would have been ended for them. But We leave the ones who do not expect the meeting with Us, in their transgression, wandering blindly.”


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Qatādah and Mujāhid and other scholars said, “If Allāh answered every request you make against people, destruction will happen on earth. From Allāh’s Mercy, He will not accept such du‘ā’.” Sometimes Allāh accepts it as a lesson for us to watch our tongue. The person whom you pray against is one of two: 1. Transgressor

If he is a non-Muslim: the scholars agree that it is permissible to pray against a transgressing disbeliever if you think that this person most likely will not accept Islam. Note: it is better to make du‘ā’ for them. It is permissible to make du‘ā’ against them.

“And Noah said, ‘My Lord, do not leave upon the earth from among the disbelievers an inhabitant.”’ (Nūḥ, 71:26).

If he is a Muslim: the scholars differentiate between the one who is transgressing openly and the one who is not. They allowed it for both, but said that for the one who hides his sins, it will be better to pray for his guidance and forgiveness.

Sūrah Yūnus v. 88: “O Allāh, destroy their wealth and make their hearts solid. They will not return from their transgression until they see their punishment.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made du‘ā’ against the people of Aḥzāb. He said, “O Allāh, fill their graves and homes from fire. They have distracted me from ṣalāt’l-‘aṣr until the time almost passed.” (Bukhāri) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “O Allāh, I ask you to take care of the Quraysh and protect me from their evil. O Allāh, destroy Abu Jahl and Umayyah b. Khalaf. O Allāh, make their lives like the years of Yūsuf [when the economy was bad].” (Bukhāri)

“The cause is only against the ones who wrong the people and tyrannize upon the earth without right. Those will have a painful punishment.” (Al-Shūra, 42:42) If the transgressors are Muslims and their transgression is openly practiced, then you can openly make du‘ā’ against them. You have the right to punish them and part of that is to make du‘ā’ against them.


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“Allāh does not like the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged. And ever is Allāh Hearing and Knowing.” (Al-Nisā’, 148) Allāh doesn’t like to hear bad things to be said except in the case of ẓulm. Agreed Upon Guidelines The ‘ulemā’ agree that if you make du‘ā’ against a transgressor, you cannot make du‘ā’ against him on things not related to his transgression. For example, we cannot make du‘ā’ against his children because they have nothing to do with it. Also, the ‘ulemā’ said that you are not allowed to pray against him with another form of transgression. For example, you cannot say, “O Allāh, don’t let him die upon Islam.” This is a transgression and not allowed. You cannot say, “O Allāh, don’t ever let him make tawbah.” This is not allowed. You can only pray against his transgression. For example, you are allowed to say: “O Allāh, destroy his kingdom. O Allāh, take him away from this earth. O Allāh, stop him from hurting people.” We are still Muslims and have guidelines. We are just and fair even when we have been abused. We don’t go beyond the boundaries of our Sharī‘ah.

2. Victim

Allāh’s Messenger (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “When a person curses (la‘nah: to ask that something be deprived of Allāh’s Mercy) somebody or something, the curse goes up to the heaven and the gates of the heaven are closed. Then it comes down to the earth and its gates are closed. Then it turns right and left, and if it does not find an entrance to go anywhere, it returns to the person or thing that was cursed if he or it deserves to be cursed; otherwise, it returns to the person who uttered it.” (Abu Dāwūd)

An incident took place at the time of ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu). The du‘ā’s of Sa‘d b. Abi Waqqāṣ were accepted du‘ā’s. People came to ‘Umar and said, “Ya ‘Umar, Sa‘d b. Abi Waqqāṣ is not a good ruler. He doesn’t lead the army. When he distributes the war booty, he is not fair. When he judges between people, he is not fair and just.” In another narration: “When he prays, he doesn’t pray a long prayer.” Sa‘d said, “O Allāh, if this person is lying, I ask you to let him live a long life and live all his life in poverty and make him exposed to all kinds of trials.” The narrator said, “I swear by


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Allāh that I saw this man 90 years old in the streets of Basrah, and when a young teenage girl passed by him, he would hit on her. He lived a miserable life.” Did Sa‘d transgress in his du‘ā’? You are allowed to pray against someone who transgresses you in the area he transgressed in. No, he did not. Why? He was accused of three things: 1) related to him wanting to save his own life, 2) about his dīn (not following Sharī‘ah when judging between people), and 3) he cares about his wealth and takes money not belonging to him. He prayed against the person in the same three areas he was transgressing him in. If you are a victim, you can pray against someone. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Every day there are two angels who say, ‘Give the one who spends for Your sake reward and replacement. Destroy the wealth of those who hold their money.’” ‘Ulemā’ said that this shows that it was permissible to do it. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The one who is a slave to money and dunya will live in misery.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “May Allāh make him a loser – the one whose parents are alive in old age and he doesn’t take care of them.”

Making du‘ā ’ against the people of sin ( fāsiq) Narrated Abu Hurayrah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu): “A drunkard was brought to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). He said, ‘Give him a beating.’ Then some beat him with their hands, some with their shoes, and some with (a folded) piece of cloth. When he left, someone said to him, ‘May Allāh disgrace you!’ The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Do not help Shayṭān overcome him by uttering such words.’” (Bukhāri) The ruling on cursing someone The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The believer is not one who slanders, curses or utters foul or obscene speech.” (Tirmidhi) English is different from Arabic. In Arabic, cursing someone is more specific than making du‘ā’ against them. Curse in the Arabic language means “May Allāh take you out of His Mercy.” This is not appropriate for anyone to do because you put yourself in a position as if you control Allāh’s Mercy, which is very inappropriate and absolutely unacceptable. Cursing is not something every recommended. It is disliked in all situations. Cursing Believers Allāh’s Messenger (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Cursing a believer is like murdering him.” (Agreed upon) Ruling: It is ḥarām when it goes against a Muslim.


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Cursing non-specif ic individuals , disbelievers, or s inners Allāh cursed the kufār. Allāh cursed the thieves. Allāh curses the woman who refuses to answer the call of her husband. ‘Ulemā’ say that this is allowed.

“Indeed, Allāh has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a Blaze.” (Al-Aḥzāb, 33:64)

Abu Hurayrah reported Allāh’s Messenger (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) as saying, “Let there be the curse of Allāh upon the thief who steals an egg and his hand is cut off and steals a rope and his hand is cut off.” (Muslim) Cursing a specif ic individual , disbeliever or sinner Ruling: It is disliked when it goes against a non-Muslim or a non-believer. The ‘ulemā’ commented on a ḥadīth of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) when he was traveling and he heard someone say, “May Allāh curse the Shayṭān.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “When you curse the Shayṭān, he gets bigger and bigger until the size of the mountain, but when you say a‘ūdhu billāhi min al- Shayṭān al-rajīm, he becomes so small – the size of a fly.” ’Ulemā’ said that from this ḥadīth, even cursing the Shayṭān is not recommended. It is permissible because the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did it but it is not recommended. The believer is not a person who always curses. It is highly disliked and could be forbidden if he is a believer because the mu’min is not a person who curses. ‘Ulemā’ say that if the individual was cursed by the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), then this may be allowed. In general, the mu’min should not curse.

Bukhāri narrated that there was a man at the time of the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) whose name was ‘Abdullāh, but his nickname was Ḥimār, and he used to make the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) laugh. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) had him flogged for drinking. He was brought one day and


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he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) commanded that he be flogged, and a man who was there said, “O Allāh, curse him, how often he is brought [for this reason]!” But the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not curse him, for by Allāh, what I know about him is that he loves Allāh and His Messenger.” Ibn Mufliḥ mentioned that the curse that is applied to a specific person, whether he is a kāfir or an evildoer, such as saying, “May Allāh curse so-and-so,” mentioning him by name may fall into one of two categories:

1. Where there is a text which states that he is cursed, such as Iblīs, or where there is a text which states that he died as a kāfir, such as Pharaoh, Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl, cursing such persons is permitted.

2. Cursing a particular kāfir or evildoer concerning whom there is no text stating that they are cursed – such as wine-drinkers, those who offer sacrifices to anything other than Allāh, the one who curses his parents, those who introduce innovations in religion, and so on.

The scholars differed as to whether it is permissible to curse these people, and there are three points of view:

1) It is not permissible under any circumstance.

2) It is permissible in the case of a kāfir but not of a (Muslim) evildoer.

3) It is permissible in all cases.

(Adāb’l-Shar‘iyyah by Ibn Mufliḥ)

The ruling on requesting du‘ā ’ from a l iving, present person ‘Ulemā’ said that if you ask someone to make du‘ā’ for you, and your intention is to benefit that person only (i.e. reminding the person to make du‘ā’), then this is one thing. This is a very rare case. This intention is okay, and there is no difference of opinion in this case. [Most people request for themselves to benefit.] It is permissible to ask a righteous person to pray for Muslims as a whole, as we are permitted to ask someone to pray for rain in ṣalāt’l-istisqā’ (prayer for rain). There is no difference of opinion among the scholars that this is permissible. It is permissible to ask someone to pray for you, so that both of you can benefit from the du‘ā’ as the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asked us to pray that Allāh grants al-wasīlah (highest place in paradise) after the adhān.


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The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Any Muslim who prays for his brother in his absence, Allāh will assign an angel to say ‘āmīn’ (and same to you) every time he prays for his brother.” (Muslim) Scholars have two different opinions regarding asking someone to pray for you where your intention is for only you to benefit from it.

1) It is recommended to ask those who you think are righteous to pray for you, even if your intention is benefitting only yourself. This is the position of the majority of the Muslim jurists amongst the four madhāhib. Either you think of them as more righteous than you or you think that they are in a position where there du‘ā’ will be accepted (i.e. a person is traveling or at Ḥajj). [Note: There is no basis in the Sunnah that a woman’s du‘ā’ during delivery is accepted] This is the position of the Ḥanafis, Mālikis, Shāfi‘is, Ḥanbalis. Evidence: - There is overwhelming evidence where the companions would come to the

Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and ask him to pray for them. When Anas b. Mālik’s mother brought him to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), she asked him to make du‘ā’ for him. She wanted Anas to benefit from it. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “O Allāh, make Abu Hurayrah and his mother loved by Your servants.” This is why believers love them and hypocrites do not.

- The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) when he was traveling to ‘Umrah: “Don’t forget me in your du‘ā’.” [This is a weak ḥadīth because there is a weak narrator in the chain.]

- Uways al-Qarni was a man who lived in Yemen and was taking care of his mother, which is why he never met the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to his companions, “If you ever meet Uways al-Qarni, ask him to make istighfār for you.” (Muslim)

- The companions would sometimes ask each other to make du‘ā’ for each

other.

- A man came to Anas b. Mālik and said, “Ya Aba Ḥamzah, can you make du‘ā’ for us?” He said, “Ya Allāh, give us ḥasanah in the dunya and the ākhirah.” The man asked him to make another du‘ā’ and he made the same du‘ā’. The man asked again and he said the same thing, indicating there is nothing better than that.


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2) It is disliked. This is the position of Ibn Taymiyyah and some Mālikis.

It is only allowed to ask someone to make du‘ā’ for you if your intention is for him to benefit as well as you. Evidence: - It was never from the Prophet’s (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) Sunnah to do

such thing or the sunnah of the companions or the salaf. People came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and asked him to pray for them is because he was a prophet. A man came to Hudhayfah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) and asked him to pray for his sins to be forgiven, and he said, “May Allāh never forgive your sins. Do you see me a prophet? You pray for your sins to be forgiven.” (He doesn’t mean this literally. This is mean but is not the same meaning in English). They were strong about this because they saw people starting to treat some of the companions like holy men. Ibn Taymiyyah and the Māliki scholars said that it was not something common during the time of the companions for them to ask each other to make du‘ā’ for them. The only evidence the first group has is when the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told ‘Umar to make du‘ā’ for him, but this ḥadīth is weak and even Abu Dāwūd, who narrates the ḥadīth, mentions something about the authenticity of the ḥadīth. Bukhāri said one of the narrators is munkar in ḥadīth. Ibn Hajar also mentioned him as a weak narrator.

- Refutation for ḥadīth about Uways al-Qarni: They said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) only meant to show his status. There were people more righteous than him. The ḥadīth emphasizes his status.

- The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said the du‘ā’ of Sa‘d b. Abi Waqqāṣ is accepted, but he never encouraged people to go to him, and the companions never understand that they should go and ask him to make du‘ā’ for them.

- Ibn Taymiyyah said that when you ask people to make du‘ā’ for you, there

are several negative things that may happen. • It can make that person arrogant. This is what the companions were

afraid of the most. He said they had seen in their time that people believed they had the power to make blessings. This is what we see among misguided shuyūkh. It is a Christian thing to go to the minister and ask for forgiveness.

• Also, it is a form of humiliation – you humiliate yourself in front of someone. Allāh said, “Ya Muḥammad, if they ask about Me, I am close to them.” Ask for yourself directly. The mu’min has dignity.

• It may lead someone to believe in those people and that they have the power to forgive. It may open the door to shirk.


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To say it is not allowed to do it without this intention is not a strong opinion. Shaykh Waleed says it is permissible, but it should not be a habit. ‘Ulemā’ also recommend asking those who have made Ḥajj to make du‘ā’ for you after they have finished their Ḥajj because their sins have been forgiven. It is allowed as long as it is not excessive and there is no belief attached to it. When someone does it excessively and depends on others to make du‘ā’ for them, then it is disliked. There is a narration that a man asked Anas b. Mālik to pray for him. There is another narration: Abu Sa‘īd Mawla said ‘Umar came after ‘ishā’ to the masjid and he found people there mentioning Allāh. He sat with them, and someone said, “Ya fulān, make du‘ā’ for us.” He made du‘ā’. When ‘Umar’s turn came, they asked him to make du‘ā’ for them. The narrator said, “I said to myself that ‘Umar is a harsh and strong person and I don’t know if his du‘ā’ will soften the hearts. When he started making du‘ā’, I hadn’t seen anyone with a softer heart than ‘Umar. His heart was even softer than the mother who lost her child.” It happened occasionally. It was not a common practice. Ibn Taymiyyah and the Māliki statement are correct because it was not a common practice of the companions. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If you pray for your brother in his absence, the angels say, ‘same to you.’” From the perfection of tawḥīd is to not ask anyone to make du‘ā’ for you. It is of the perfection of tawḥīd that when you ask someone, your heart does not rely on that person but you know that the person is just a tool – you rely on Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla).

The Etiquette of Dhikr and Du‘ā ’ Book: Al-Adhkār by Imām al-Nawawi. § It must be done with sincerity

It is an act of worship. Ask Allāh to help you make dhikr. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught us to say, “O Allāh help me so that I can always remember You.”

“He is the Ever-Living; there is no deity except Him, so call upon Him, [being] sincere to Him in religion. [All] praise is [due] to Allāh, Lord of the worlds.” (Ghāfir, 40:65)

§ It must be done according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

§ It is recommended for the person to be in a state of wuḍū’ (ṭahārah).

It is allowed to make dhikr even when you don’t have wuḍū’. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “I dislike mentioning Allāh’s Name or to make dhikr while I


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don’t have wuḍū’.” (Aḥmad, authentic) From this, ‘ulemā’ say that it is recommended. What is the evidence that you are allowed to make dhikr while you don’t have wuḍū’? You say “bismillāh” before you make wuḍū’. When you get out of the bathroom, you say “ghufrānak.” When you wake up, you say adhkār.

§ It is good to purify the tongue with the siwāk or any other method that can make the mouth smell good.

§ Face the qiblah. You are allowed to make it in any direction. It is Sunnah to face the qiblah when making du‘ā’ and dhikr in general.

“Who remember Allāh while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], ‘Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire.’” (Āle-‘Imrān, 191)

§ Choose the times, the location, and the situation where the du‘ā’ and dhikr are most

likely to be answered. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said the masjid is a place for dhikr. (Bukhāri) Sūrat’l-Nūr v. 36: “Allāh will be mentioned in these places.”

“[Such niches are] in mosques which Allāh has ordered to be raised and that His name be mentioned therein; exalting Him within them in the morning and the evenings.” (Sūrat’l-Nūr, 36) There are many good times to make dhikr: early in the morning, before sunset, before you sleep, on Friday.

§ Have khushū‘ while making dhikr. (Ibn Kathīr said, “…while you have khushū‘.”)


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§ Lower the voice.

“And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.” (Al-A‘rāf, 7:205) Ibn ʿAbbās was asked, “How loud or soft should your voice be?” Ibn ʿAbbās said, “When you make dhikr or du‘ā’, you should only hear yourself but others will not hear you.”

§ Make dhikr & du‘ā’ individually or alone, away from people.

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that Allāh said, “I am just as My slave believes Me to be and I am with him when He remembers Me. So if he remembers Me within himself, I too remember him within Myself.” (Bukhāri and Muslim) Avoid people so as to not show off. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said one of the seven under the Shade of the Throne is someone who mentioned Allāh by himself while away from people and tears came down. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said Allāh says, “Those who mention Me while by themselves, I will mention them.” Sūrah Maryam: Allāh praised Zakariyya and said that he called upon Allāh in secret.

“When he called to his Lord a private supplication.” (Maryam, 3)

§ One should perform a good deed prior to making the du‘ā’.

Tawbah and ṣadaqah are among the best deeds that you can offer prior to the du‘ā’.

“So when you have finished [your duties], then stand up [for worship]. And to your Lord direct [your] longing.” (Al-Sharḥ, 94:7-8)

§ Praise Allāh and convey prayer (salawāt/durūd) upon Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa

sallam) in the beginning as well as at the end of du‘ā’.


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It is highly recommended. The ‘ulemā’ said you make it at the beginning, middle, and end of the du‘ā’. This is the best format. The least is to do it at the beginning or end. ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) reported a statement of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam): “Your du‘ā’ is stuck between the heavens and earth until you say allāhumma ṣalli ‘ala Muḥammad.”

§ Make du‘ā’ repeatedly. This repetition should be at least thrice. Anas b. Mālik said that when the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asked something, he would repeat it three times. (Bukhāri) You can do it more than three times because the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in an incident made du‘ā’ five times. (Bukhāri)

§ Make du‘ā’ with firm conviction.

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Let not any one of you say, ‘O Allāh, forgive me if You will, O Allāh, have mercy on me if You will.’ Let him be resolute in the matter, whilst knowing that no one can compel Allāh to do anything.” (Bukhāri and Muslim)

§ Make an encompassing, general du‘ā’ as much as you can.

§ Mention the Names of Allāh and His Attributes that are suitable to the request or to

the du‘ā’ that you are making.

§ Raise both hands during the du‘ā’. § Start du‘ā’ with Alḥamdulillāh

The ‘ulemā’ said the evidence is Sūrat’l-Fātiḥah. It is all praising before one request: ihdina’l-ṣirāṭ’l-mustaqīm. Therefore, it is recommended before making du‘ā’ that you praise Allāh. Musnad of Imām Aḥmad: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) heard a man making du‘ā’ and never heard him say alḥamdulillāh or al-ṣalāt wa salām ‘ala Rasulullāh, so when he finished, he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “This man rushed his du‘ā’. When one of you wants to make du‘ā’, he should start with praising his Lord.” Thanā’ means to repeat the praise.

§ It is sunnah to say “āmīn”. ‘Ulemā’ said there are many meanings. The strongest opinion is “O Allāh, accept.” Another meaning: “O Allāh, I repeat everything I just said again and again.” You double your request. It is recommended to say “āmīn” at the end of your du‘ā’.


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Q&A Should a woman say “āmīn” aloud in congregational prayer? Yes, as long as you are in the women’s side and men cannot hear you. If you are near men, then no. Imām al-Nawawi said, “There are more than 100 aḥadīth showing that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raised his hands in du‘ā’. What does someone do when their īmān is low and they don’t feel connected to Allāh?

- Look at your relationship with Allāh. Sins cut you off from Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). Ask Allāh for forgiveness and repent to Allāh. Maybe there is a sin that you are not aware of.

- When you make du‘ā’, don’t only ask for the dunya. - Follow the etiquettes of du‘ā’. - Our du‘ā’ is weak because we don’t think about it. ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said,

“I was never concerned with the answer of the du‘ā’. My concern was always with the du‘ā’ itself.”

- Choose the right time for the du‘ā’. For example: “Ya Rabb, for whatever reason, I don’t enjoy my du‘ā’ as before. Ya Allāh, if you are not angry with me, I don’t care about anything else. Ya Rabb, I know that you have so many other creation other than me, but I have only one Creator, You.” Beg Allāh and ask Him.

- Learn Allāh’s Names and Attributes and ask using them. - Acts of charity soften the heart. - Make du‘ā’ after a good deed. - Allāh is always there for you. 24/7. You can call on Him any time.

Gem: Everyone makes du‘ā’ at the same time with different tongues and different du‘ā’s, and Allāh hears every single one as if he is the only one asking, and He has the ability to give everyone whatever they asked at the same time. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that Allāh said, “O My servants, if the beginning of you until the end of you and the jinn gathered in one place and asked Me and I give each of them what they request, this would not decrease My kingdom an inkling.”

The Transgression (al-i ‘ tada) in the Du‘ā ’ Transgression in du‘ā’ is forbidden.

“Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors.” (Al-A‘rāf, 7:55) Transgression means going beyond the limit and going beyond what is permissible. There are categories:

- In the words of the prayer Examples:


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• Praying to other than Allāh. You should not pray to other than your Creator. • Praising Allāh with things He never praised Himself with, or with things He

freed Himself from (i.e. father). • To ask for something that is impossible, such as: Forgive Satan, let Fir‘awn

go to Paradise. • Using words with no meaning. • Make du‘ā’ cursing someone. • Making du‘ā’ and saying at the end “if You wish” or “inshā’Allāh” • The way it is performed: for example, making it so loud or dancing while

making du‘ā’ • Some scholars said one of the ways of transgression in du‘ā’ is to recite the

du‘ā’ like reciting the Qurʾān. Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd said, “If you stand in front of a king and do this, would it be proper?” Shaykh Waleed: This statement is not correct and doesn’t make sense. If this was correct, then it is an accusation that the Qurʾān is transgressing. If it is not a proper way of talking, then it is not a proper way of reciting the Qurʾān, which no Muslim would say. This is ghaflah: the ‘ālim is saying a statement and is unaware of the consequences of his statement. In Islam, what your statement entails, you are not entitled to.

• Some people also said it is not proper to make du‘ā’ that rhymes. Al-Suyūṭi said this. Shaykh Waleed: It is only wrong if you change the meaning just to match the rhyme. To make the du‘ā’ rhyme is the way of the Qurʾān. There is a prince who was mentally challenged and he wanted to make things rhyme, so he wrote a letter to the judge in his city. He wrote: “O our judge in Qum, I fire you so leave.” This judge was fired just because the prince wanted to make a rhyme.

It was reported that ‘Abdullāh b. Mughaffal heard his son saying (in invocation), “O Allāh! I ask You for the white palace on the right of Paradise if I were to enter it.” So he said, “Dear son, ask Allāh (ta‘āla) for Paradise and seek refuge from the Hellfire for I have heard the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saying, ‘There will come in this nation people who will transgress (or exceed) in ablution and du‘ā’.’” (Abu Dāwūd) Places where du‘ā’ is not recommended:

- Making du‘ā’ in temples

- Making du‘ā’ next to graveyards

- Making du‘ā’ in places where bid‘ah is practice


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Situations and places in which dhikr & du‘ā ’ are prohibited:

- In the bathroom.

- When listening to the khuṭbat’l-jumu‘ah.

- It is not recommended to make dhikr while sleepy.

- While you are in al-ḥammām, which is the place where people go to wash their bodies (i.e. the shower).

- While having intercourse.


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Chapter 2 | The Best Dhikr & The Accepted Du‘ā ’

The Best Dhikr is the Qur’ān Sūrat’l-Furqān v. 33: Allāh calls the Qurʾān the best word. Allāh is the best, so what comes from Him is the best as well. The Qurʾān is Allāh’s Words. Abu AbdulRahman al-Sulami said, “The virtue of the Qurʾān over any other speech is like the virtue of Allāh over any creation.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The Qurʾān is the best form of dhikr.” When we say make dhikr of Allāh, the best dhikr you can do is reading Qurʾān. The best dhikr you can study is studying the Qurʾān. Imām al-Bukhāri in his Ṣaḥīḥ mentioned the following ḥadīth when discussing the virtues of the Qurʾān: Abu Mūsa al-Ashari said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The example of the believer who reads the Qurʾān is like the example of a sweet grapefruit. It smells good and tastes good. The example of the believer who doesn’t read the Qurʾān is like the example of the date. It tastes good but there is no smell. The example of the hypocrite who reads the Qurʾān is like mint. It is sour but smells good. The example of the hypocrite who doesn’t read the Qurʾān is like a type of fruit that tastes bad and has no smell. How does this ḥadīth show the virtues of the Qurʾān? The hypocrite still smells good because of the power of the Qurʾān. Ibn Mas‘ūd said, “If you want to know if you really love Allāh or not, then look at your relationship with the Qurʾān. If you love the Qurʾān, you love Allāh.” The sūrahs and verses of Qur’ān vary in virtue because Allāh’s Words and Speech vary in virtue as well. Some of the Qurʾān is better than others. Ahl’l-sunnah wa’l-jamā‘ah agreed upon this concept. Why would Allāh’s Speech vary in virtue? Isn’t it all perfect? How can we say some is better than others? The virtue of anything comes from two sides: who said it and what it is about. From the perspective of who said it, all of Allāh’s verses are equal because they all come from the same source. When it comes from the perspective of the concept, some verses are higher in virtue.

- Al-Fātiḥah is the mother of the Qur’ān and the best sūrah. (Bukhāri) What does this mean? The mother of something means that it is the source of it. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Khamr is the mother of all evil” because it is the source of all evil. Where in Sūrat’l-Fātiḥah does it speak about Islamic rulings? “Iyyāka na‘budu wa iyyāka nasta‘īn” “ṣirāṭ’l-mustaqīm” ‘Ulemā’ said the ṣirāṭ means the religion of Islam.

- Sūrat’l-Ikhlāṣ is equal to reading 1/3rd of the Qur’ān (Bukhāri)

- Āyat’l-Kursi in Sūrat’l-Baqarah is the best āyah in the Qur’ān. (2:255)


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The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said this to Ubayy b. Ka‘b. Which sūrah is equal to 1/4th of the Qurʾān? Sūrat’l-Kāfirūn. Also Sūrat’l-Zalzalah (based on ḥasan ḥadīth)

The Names and Attributes of Allāh vary to the point where they can impact the dhikr. There are certain Names which can only refer to Allāh such as: Al-Raḥmān, Al-Quddūs, Māliki’l-Nās, Māliki Yawm’l-Dīn. Al-ism’l-a‘ẓam of Allāh (the Greatest Name of Allāh). There are aḥadīth which speak about the concept that Allāh has a Name which is the greatest name of Allāh. ‘Ulemā’ debated over this issue. There are aḥadīth which mention this phrase “the Greatest Name of Allāh.” Ḥadīth of Abi Umāmah: “Allāh’s Greatest Name is that which whenever He is asked by it, He will answer the request. It is in three sūrahs: Sūrat’l-Baqarah, Sūrah Āle-‘Imrān, Sūrah Ṭā Ha.” In another ḥadīth, he mentions v. 163 in Sūrat’l-Baqarah and v. 2 in Sūrah Āle-‘Imrān, but there is only one Name common between these: Allāh. In another ḥadīth, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) heard a man making du‘ā’ and said, “You have asked Allāh with His Greatest Name.” The ‘ulemā’ have more than 30 opinions on this issue; these are some:

1) Allāh 2) Al-Ḥayy’l-Qayyūm. This is the majority position. 3) It is unknown. This is the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Hajar. Allāh kept it

hidden for a reason so that you will ask Allāh by all of His Names. (Similarly, Allāh didn’t tell us when on Friday du‘ā’ is accepted and Allāh did not tell us when laylat’l-qadr is.)

4) Shaykh Bin Bāz said there is no such thing as the Greatest Name and the aḥadīth speaking about this means Great Name. There is no one Name with a special quality different from the others. His evidence: the aḥadīth never mention one single Name but always mention multiple Names and different Names. The ḥadīth is speaking about when you ask Allāh, mention the Name that shows His Greatness.

Review: The best form of dhikr is al-Qur’ān. Answer: True Is reciting the Qurʾān better than saying “subḥāna rabbi al-a‘la”? Answer: It depends. In certain situations, other dhikr can be better than the Qurʾān. This is not by looking at the dhikr itself but by looking at the time or situation. Ibn Taymiyyah said, “There are so many disagreements between the scholars over which one is the best, and both sides are correct.” Because of this, we can understand that when a man came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and asked what the


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best deed he can do is, he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Don’t be angry,” “Pray on time,” “Keep your tongue moist with the dhikr of Allāh.” His answers were different from each other. Those without knowledge said that these statements contradict each other, but in reality they don’t. The best deed for that particular person was to control his anger. When it comes to the deed in itself, the best deed ever is tawḥīd, which means the believing in the Oneness of Allāh and that He is the only one worthy of worship. Generally speaking, the act of the heart is better than the act of the limbs (i.e. love, fear, hope). At the time of ẓuhr, the best thing to do is pray. What are three situations when du‘ā’ or dhikr is disliked or prohibited? Answer: while taking a shower, in the toilet, while sleepy What are four of the etiquettes that should be followed during du‘ā’? Answer: face the qiblah, be the state of wuḍū’, have sincerity, start with praising Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla)

The Best Dhikr After Al-Qur’ān Samurra b. Jundub narrated that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said the most beloved words to Allāh are four: subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar (Muslim). Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that these words are more beloved to Allāh than anything the sun will reach. (Muslim) What does this statement mean? They are better than anything in this dunya. These words cover all aspects of tawḥīd and if “la ḥawla wa la quwwatta illa billāh” are added to them, it will cover the concept of qadar. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said four words are the best speech and they are from the Qurʾān. He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) then mentioned the four words. If two people made two deals and one was able to say these four words and the other had so much money, the winner is the one who said the words. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) passed by Umm Hani and she was sitting, she said at that time she was old and weak. He passed by her while she was making dhikr. He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to her, “Say subḥānAllāh 100 times, it will be equal to 300 slaves from the children of Ismā‘īl. Say alḥamdulillāh 100 times, it would be like donating 100 horses for the sake of Allāh to the mujāhidīn. Say Allāhu akbar 100 times, it would be like slaughtering 100 camels for the sake of Allāh and donating the meat to the poor people. Say la ilāha illa Allāh 100 times, and the record of your deeds will fill what is in the heavens and earth. If you say these four words, there would be no one who will come on the Day of Judgment with deeds better than yours except someone who said what you said and added to it.” (Imām Aḥmad reported this)


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The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “No one will say subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar, la ḥawla wa la quwwata illa billāh unless all of his sins will be erased / forgiven, even if it is as much as the foam of the sea. (in another narration: as long as there were no major sins).” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Saying subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar will let your sins fall off from your record the same way the dry leaves fall of the trees on a windy day.” (Tirmidhi – ḥadīth of Anas) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Ibrāhīm told me, ‘Say salām to your nation. Tell them that Paradise is pure and the soil is pure and the water is pure and sweet and the plants of Jannah are made of subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar.” Imām Aḥmad reported in his Musnad: “A group from Bani Udhrah came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). These three became Muslim. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Who will take care of them?’ Ṭalḥa said, ‘I will do that, ya Rasūlullāh.’ They stayed with Ṭalḥa. Later on, one of the battles took place and one of them died during the battle. In another battle, a second man died. The third man died in his bed. Ṭalḥa said, ‘I saw these three in his dreams in Paradise. I saw the man who died in his house in a higher place than the ones who died shahīd and the ones who died shahīd entered later on after him. I said this cannot be a true dream and went to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and told him. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘What makes you think this is from Shayṭān? There is no one better than the believer who will live a long life and fill his days with Allāhu akbar, subḥānAllāh, wa la ilāha illa Allāh walḥamdulillāh.’” This man said so many tasbīḥ, taḥmīd, and takbīr that it raised his level in Paradise. (al-Nasā’i, al-Albāni said it is ḥasan) Mustadrak al-Ḥākim: “Allāh has chosen of all the words for four words to be the best: subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar. When you say subḥānAllāh, Allāh will write 20 rewards and erase 20 sins. La ilāha illAllāh and Allāhu akbar are similar to that. For alḥamdulillāh, Allāh will write 30 rewards and 30 sins will be erased.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that when you say alḥamdulillāhi rabbi’l ʿālamīn for no reason, you get 30 instead of 20 because usually people say it when good things happen to them, but this person is doing it not because something good happened to him but because he wants to make dhikr. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Take your positions and protect yourself.” Abu Hurayrah said, “We are scared. Is the enemy approaching us?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “No. I mean take your position and protect yourself from Hellfire. Say subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar. These words will come on the Day of Judgment and save you and advance you and be the remaining good.” (Mustadrak al-Ḥākim, al-Nasā’i)


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Some ‘ulemā’ said “the remaining good” means no one can ever claim these deeds from you. From the ḥadīth of the person who is the biggest loser on the Day of Judgment, he will be stopped by other people because he did wrong to them (i.e. backbiting) and Allāh will tell them to take from his good deeds. Some ‘ulemā’ said he can take from all your deeds except the remaining good ones, which cannot be touched. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) said in Sūrat’l-Kahf v. 46: “These rewards will remain and always give you hope in the Day of Judgment that you will end up in Paradise.”

“Wealth and children are [but] adornment of the worldly life. But the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one’s] hope.” Musnad of Imām Aḥmad: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “One of the dhikr that you make to praise Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) and honor Him with is to say subḥānAllāh, wAllāhu akbar wa la ilāha illa Allāh walḥamdulillāh.” The echo of your voice will be heard around the Throne of Allāh and it will be kept repeated so the angels will know who said it. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Don’t you like your voice to be heard in such a place?” It will be kept repeating for a long time. When the angels hear your voice, they will pray for you as well and intercede for you as well. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Bakhkhin bakh (wow!). [He raised his hand and showed five fingers.] One of five are so heavy on your scale on the Day of Judgment. Subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar and a good son or a daughter that will pass away during your lifetime and you will be patient and seek the reward for it on the Day of Judgment.” Imām al-Dhahabi said this is an authentic ḥadīth. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was approached by a group of his companions who said, “Rich people get all the reward – they pray like us and fast like us but they have extra money to donate in ṣadaqah and to go to ‘Umrah, and we cannot.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) has given you the opportunity to give ṣadaqah other than the ṣadaqah of wealth. Every time you say subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar it is ṣadaqah.” (Muslim) A bedouin man came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, Qurʾān is not my thing. I cannot memorize from the Qurʾān. Can you teach me something else that will be sufficient for me?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Say subḥānallāh, wa alḥāmdulillāh, wa la ilāha illAllāh, wa Allāhu akbar wa la ḥawla wa la quwwata illa billāh.” The man said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, these five are for Him. What is for me?” [When you read the Fātiḥah in ṣalāh, you praise Allāh and then say “ihdina’l-ṣirāṭ’l-mustaqīm”] The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “You can say, ‘O Allāh, forgive me, shower me with Your mercy, protect me from anything that is harmful, provide for me, guide me.” The man held up his hands with closed palms, and he thanked the


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Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and left so happy holding his hands like this. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “This man has filled his hands with so much goodness.” [Abu Dāwūd, al-Nasā’i, authentic ḥadīth] SubḥanAllāh, what a big difference between the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and us today. If someone said this to an imām today, he would say, “Shame on you.” Don’t ever underestimate the power of these words. At any given time, if you see yourself doing nothing, just keep saying these words.

La i lāha i l lAl lāh The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Anyone who says la ilāha illAllāh sincerely enters Jannah.” (Aḥmad)

The Meaning “La” negates. The word “ilah” comes from the root aliha meaning waliha. It is common in Arabic that they replace the letter ḥamza with wow. Walah in Arabic means something that you are extremely in love with. The word “Allāh” means the One you love the most. There is added meaning to this as well: the Arabs say that love has so many different levels. It starts with liking something and thinking about something. It reaches to a level called loving so much that you worship it. This love is a combination of intense emotion and respect. Ilah means the one you love so much to the extent that you worship it. In the Qurʾān, in Sūrat’l-A‘rāf, Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) says about Fir‘awn: “Mūsa is going to leave you and your god.” Ibn ʿAbbās used to deny this qirā’āh. He used to read it as: “ilāhatak” and not “ālihatak” meaning “Mūsa will leave you and leave worshipping you” because Ibn ʿAbbās said, “Fir‘awn had no gods at this time but claimed he was the god worthy of worship.” Ibn ʿAbbās is correct and not correct. It is a correct way to read, but it is incorrect because the way we read it today is “ālihatak” meaning “leave you and your gods.” Ahl’l-sunnah say “ilah” is fi’āl which means mafḥūl. If ilah is fā’il, it means doer, but we say it is mafḥūl and means the One you worship. Those who said ilah is fā’il said ilah means Creator, Maker, Sustainer, the One who exists. This is how they translate la ilāha illa Allāh to mean there is no God that exists but Allāh. This sets apart the Sunni belief from the Mu‘tazilah, Ashā’irah, Ṣūfis. If you say “la ilāha illa Allāh” means “no Creator, Sustainer but Allāh,” this is correct, but it is not the only meaning and not the direct meaning. Why? When the Prophet


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(ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) gathered the people of the Quraysh and told them to say “la ilāha illa Allāh,” what did the Quraysh say? “This is weird and unacceptable and rejected.” They did not accept it. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Say one word and you will own the whole world.” If “la ilāha illa Allāh” means no Creator and no Sustainer except Allāh, then why did they not say it? The kufār of the Quraysh believed that Allāh is the only Creator and there is no Sustainer and no Provider but Allāh. The Quraysh don’t agree on giving that Sustainer and Creator the absolute submission in worship. When ahl’l-sunnah say “la ilāha illa Allāh”, they mean “there is no one worthy of worship except Allāh.” The first one who made the statement that ilah means Creator was Abu Ḥasan al-Ashari. If you look at the tafsīr and statements of the early Muslim scholars from the tabi‘īn and before, you will only hear them say it means “there is no one worthy of worship except Allāh.”

Allāh is the only One worthy of being worshipped. Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabari said, “It means to forbid the worship of other than Allāh.” (Jāmi‘ al-Bayān) Abu al-Muẓaffar al-Sam‘āni: “[Indeed I am Allāh, la ilāha illa ana so worship Me]. That is: no one deserves worship other than I.” (Tafsīr al-Sam‘āni) Allāh is the only One we submit ourselves to. If this settled into our minds and hearts, our relationship with Allāh would be completely different and we would be driven by love of Allāh to worship Him and honor Him. No one disobeys Allāh once in his or her lifetime or disbelieved in Allāh unless he has a lack of love or lack of respect. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) quoted what Nūḥ told his people in the Qurʾān: “Why don’t you have the proper respect for Allāh?” Allāh described the kufār and said, “They did not respect Allāh or give Allāh the proper respect. They love their gods the same way they love Allāh or even more.” Because of this, you see the difference between the ṣaḥābah and early generations and us. Anas b. Mālik said to the second generation, “You are doing things that we had considered as major sins.” The ṣaḥābah had a rule: don’t ever look at how small the sin you committed but always look at how great the Lord is whom you disobeyed. This goes back to tawḥīd and honoring and loving Allāh. It is the key to Paradise, īmān, and our dīn. It is the most important testimonial we make in our lifetime.


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The situations where saying la i lāha i l lAl lāh is ordained - When a person becomes Muslim. Some ‘ulemā’ said when a child reaches the age of

puberty or when the child starts talking. - In tashahhud - Before death - Adhān and iqamāh - After wuḍū’ - In the morning and evening adhkār - Khuṭbah of Jumu‘ah and khuṭbah of ‘Īd. Imām al-Shāfi‘i said it is a pillar of khuṭbah to

say it - When you are going through calamity or suffering or a difficult time. The proof:

When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was sweating so hard before his death, he was heard saying, “La ilāha illAllāh. Death is so hard.”

The virtues of la i lāha i l lAl lāh Many aḥadīth were mentioned above. This word is the key to Jannah. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that Nūḥ said to his son, “I order you to say ‘la ilāha illa Allāh.’ If the seven heavens and seven earths were on one side of the scale and la ilāha illa Allāh is on the other, it would be much heaver than the heavens and the earth.” If anyone says it sincerely, it will prevent Hellfire from touching that person’s body.

Subḥānallāh

The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said “There are two phrases which are light on the tongue, heavy in the balance, and beloved to the All-Merciful: subḥānallāhi wa bi ḥamdihi, subḥānallāh’l-‘aẓīm.” (Bukhāri and Muslim)


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The Meaning

Sabbaḥa indicates the freeing of something from anything shameful, harmful, or improper. It is to free Allāh from whatever is evil, improper, or bad.

Sabbaḥa is swimming. When you swim, you go far away from the shore. In Arabic, sabbaḥa originally means when you distance something from something else. SubḥānAllāh describes how pure Allāh is. SubḥānAllāh means freeing Allāh from anything that is imperfect. This is why this word never comes by itself. It is always in the company of alḥamdulillāh or Allāhu akbar or la ilāha illa Allāh. You always have to add to it another word to describe how good Allāh is and how perfect Allāh is. Subḥān means He is so far away from anything which is not proper.

The situations where tasb īḥ is ordained You will never see in the sunnah that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would say subḥānAllāh when he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saw something beautiful or amazing. When they claimed He had a son, he would say subḥānAllāh. When he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was angry at something or saw something ḥarām done, he would say subḥānAllāh. Because of lack of pure Arabic understanding, people say subḥānAllāh in situations where it is not correct. - When you see something wrong being done. - Sujūd and rukū‘ - Morning and evening - To correct the imām - When traveling and descending - After ṣalāh - Before sleeping - When making istighfār and tawbah - When traveling - When hearing the thunder

The virtues of tasb īḥ The word tasbīḥ is in the Qurʾān in 30 different times. Six times as statement from the angels, 9 times from a statement of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), 4 times from other prophets, 3 times about animals and creation making tasbīḥ, 3 times about the believers making tasbīḥ, 6 times all of creation making tasbīḥ.


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Alḥamduli l lāh

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “For him who says: ‘Subḥānallāhi wa bi ḥamdihi (Allāh is free from imperfection, and His is the praise),’ a palm-tree will be planted in Jannah.” (Tirmidhi) Ḥamd is the opposite of criticizing. Ḥamd is praising.

The Meaning

Ḥamd means to praise something with the quality that it deserves to be praised with.

We say alḥamdulillāh for two things: Allāh’s Names and Attributes, and because of what He has ordained and revealed and sent down to earth.

Alḥamdulillāh includes shukr.

The situations where ḥamd is ordained - Morning and evening adhkār - Before sleeping - In the prayer - When you hear good news - During a calamity. Why do we praise Allāh in the time of calamity? It immediately

reshapes your thinking – it is a calamity but in reality it is good because Allāh never decreed anything upon you unless it is good. A stumble may prevent a fall.

- After sneezing - At the beginning and end of du‘ā’ - After eating. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allāh will be so pleased

with His servant when he/she eats or has a sip of water and says ‘alḥamdulillāh.’” - After waking up - When wearing new clothes


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The virtues of taḥm īd Alḥamdulillāh was mentioned more than 40 times in the Qurʾān. Sometimes there is a reason and sometimes there is no reason. One of Allāh’s Names is Al-Ḥamīd, the One who deserves to be praised, and it is mentioned 15 times in the Qurʾān. In Jannah, there is a house called al-ḥamd. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “When Allāh takes a child, He will ask the angels what the parents say and they will say he said ‘alḥamdulillāh’ and Allāh will tell them He has built a house for him in Jannah called bayt’l-ḥamd.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) praised Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) the most and will be holding the banner of ḥamd on the Day of Judgment. His nation praises Allāh the most because we know more about the Names and Attributes of Allāh than any other prophets and the best praise is to praise Allāh with His Names and Attributes. What is the best form of al-ḥamd? The majority of the ‘ulemā’ said it is the way Allāh mentioned it in the Qurʾān: alḥamdulillāhi rabbi’l ʿālamīn. Other ‘ulemā’ said: alḥamdulillāh equal to His bounties and equal to the great things He gives us.

Allāhu Akbar

The Meaning

Takbīr means that Allāh is the greatest in all aspects and areas of tawḥīd’l-rubūbiyyah, al-ulūhiyyah, and al-asmā’ wa’l-ṣifāt

‘Ulemā’ said it means: He is the greatest in His Names and Attributes. Allāh’s Mercy is greater than any other mercy. Allāh’s Knowledge is greater than any other knowledge. Allāh’s Plan is the perfect plan and the best plan. Allāh’s Sharī‘ah and laws are the best laws. Allāh is the greatest in His Sharī‘ah, Qadar, and Names and Attributes.

The situations where takb īr is ordained - Takbīrāt of ‘Īd - Adhān and iqāmah - Starting the ṣalāh - Ḥadīth of Jābir: Whenever the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) went up - Dhikr of traveling - Before sleeping


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- When hearing about great things happening - After ṣalāh - When sacrificing an animal - During Ḥajj when climbing the two mountains - In calamity - In the ṣalāh - In the 10 days of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah, it is Sunnah to make takbīr

The virtues of takb īr What is the correlation between tasb īḥ , taḥm īd, takb īr and tahl ī l ( la i lāha i l lAl lāh)? From the Qurʾān and Sunnah, subḥānAllāh and alḥamdulillāh always come together and Allāhu akbar and la ilāha illa Allāh come together. Why? Tasbīḥ is to free Allāh from anything imperfect and taḥmīd describes Allāh as everything perfect. Allāh is the only One worthy of worship because He is the greatest.

La ḥawla wa la quwwatta i l la bi l lāh The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Say ‘La ḥawla wa la quwwata illa billāh’ (There is no might or power except with Allāh) in abundance, for indeed it is from the treasures of Jannah.” (Bukhāri)

The Meaning

It means that nothing and no one has the power to change one’s condition except by Allāh’s help and aid. It is one of the treasures of Jannah.

The situations were ḥawqalah is ordained - When leaving the house. What is the connection between the statement and

leaving the house? You know that you will not achieve what you want without the help and aid of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla).

- When a calamity strikes. You are saying: Ya Rabb, this is so difficult to go through, and the only way I will go through it is with Your Help

- The response to the mu’adhdhin when he says “ḥayya ‘ala al-ṣalāh”


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The virtues of saying “La ḥawla wa la quwwata i l la bi l lāh” All of the adhkār focus on how weak we are without Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla). Without Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla), we cannot make it. The way to not rely on yourself is to always constantly make dhikr.

“Verily, Allāh and His angels send prayers upon the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). O you who believe! Send prayers upon him and peace!” (Al-Aḥzāb, 33:56)

The Meaning

Ibn al-Qayyim was of the opinion that for Allāh to pray over His Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), it denotes Allāh’s praise for the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in the heavens. This is substantiated by Abu’l-‘Āliyah’s narration in Bukhāri that said, “Allāh’s prayer upon His Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is for Him to praise him amongst His angels.” According to this view, for the angels or human beings to send prayers upon the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is asking Allāh to praise the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and exalt his status.

There are two famous opinions regarding what ṣalāh means:

1) Famous opinion: Ṣalāh means Allāh’s Mercy upon you. Ibn al-Qayyim wrote extensively about this word from a linguistic and Sharī‘ah perspective. When Allāh makes ṣalāh on someone, He showers His Mercy on him. This understanding is not correct. It has nothing to do with the root or the Sharī‘ah meaning because Allāh differentiates between these: “Those people who will be receiving Allāh’s prayer and mercy.” This means that there is mercy and there is prayer.

2) Strongest opinion: Praise. When Allāh makes ṣalāh on Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), He is praising him. This entails that you have the quality and attributes that make you worthy of being praised by Allāh.

What does salām mean? During the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), when they said this, it meant, “Ya Allāh, praise Muḥammad. Ya Allāh, save Muḥammad.” Should we still continue to say salām? At his time, it was about making him safe. ‘Ulemā’ said that


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during the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), it was to save him so that he can deliver his message, and after he passed away, it is to save his sunnah and the interpretation he delivered to us.

The situations where sending ṣalāh and salām upon the Prophet (ṣallal lāhu ‘alayhi wa sal lam) is ordained - Tashahhud - On Fridays. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Say ṣalāh and salām as

much as you can on me on Fridays because there is an angel who tells me who did it.” This is one of the greatest acts of worship we do on Fridays, even more than reading Sūrat’l-Kahf.

- Morning and evening dhikr. If you say it in the morning and evening ten times, then you will receive the intercession of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

- Entering the masjid - When hearing the name of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) being mentioned - Before, during, and after making du‘ā’ - During khuṭbat’l-jumu‘ah. Imām al-Shāfi‘i said it is a pillar of making khuṭbah and the

khuṭbah is invalid if it is not done - After adhān - Ṣalāt’l-janāzah – after the second takbīr - Safa and Marwa - The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Any time people gather and leave

before mentioning Allāh and sending ṣalāh and salām on the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), they will regret this gathering on the Day of Judgment.”

It is an innovation to say this when you forget something! It is okay if you say it sometimes, but it is bid‘ah if you believe in it. Ibn Abd’l-Salām and al-Nawawi said it is an innovation to wipe your face after saying this. Some people said it prevents you from evil eye or ḥasad, but there is no basis for it. Some people say it when they smell good perfume, and there is no basis for it. The virtues of ṣalāh and salām upon the Prophet (ṣallal lāhu 'alayhi wa sal lam) Imām Ibn al-Qayyim wrote a book called Jalāl’l-Ath-ham…. This book focuses on the virtues and meanings of ṣalāh and salām on Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). He mentions 40 different virtues that you gain from doing ṣalāh and salām on Rasūlullāh:

- Allāh raises you 10 levels every time you say it - 10 ḥasanāt every time you say it - 10 sins are forgiven - It is a reason for du‘ā’ to be accepted - A reason to receive intercession from the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) - A reason for Allāh to protect you - A reason for your worries and sorrows and anxiety to go away


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Ḥadīth: A man said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, what if I make 1/4th of my du‘ā’ for you?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “That will be good for you.” He said, “What if I make ½ of my du‘ā’ for you?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “That will be even better for you.” He said, “What if I make 2/3rd of my du‘ā’ for you?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “That will be even better for you.” He said, “What if when I make du‘ā’, I will not ask anything for myself but just praise Allāh and say ṣalāh and salām on you?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “In this case, Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) will take care of all your affairs and will take care of all your sadness, anxiety, and worries away and give you whatever you want even without mentioning it.” Ibn al-Qayyim commented: This will happen to you because it shows the true nature of your love of Rasūlullāh and you love him over yourself. It means you love the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) more than yourself, which is the condition of having perfect īmān. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Those who don’t make ṣalāh and salām on me will miss their way to Judgment, especially on the ṣirāṭ.” The ‘ulemā’ said to give you aid and support, then always send ṣalāh and salām on the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Also it is one of the reasons to have a bright light on the Day of Judgment. When you make ṣalāh and salām on him once, he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) will praise you ten times and the angels as well. LECTURE ONLINE: by Shaykh Waleed on virtues of ṣalāh and salām on Rasūlullāh What is the ruling on saying the ṣalāh and salām on the Prophet (ṣallal lāhu ‘alayhi wa sal lam) when he is mentioned? There are three different opinions:

1) It is a must every time you hear his name and if you do not, then you are sinful. This is the position of a group of Ḥanafis like al-Taḥāwi, some of the Shāfi‘is and Mālikis. Allāh in Sūrat’l-Aḥzāb ordered us to make ṣalāh and salām. Tirmidhi reported that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “A loser is the one who hears my name and doesn’t offer ṣalāh and salām on me.” From this, the scholars said it is a must. This is the strongest opinion.

2) It is recommended. This is the majority opinion. It is highly recommended. It is only wājib once in your lifetime.

3) Ibn Taymiyyah and other scholars said it is recommended and only a must when

you make du‘ā’. This is not a strong opinion because there are many examples when the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made adhkār in the morning and night and it was included.

The strongest opinion is that when the name of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is mentioned, it is wājib. As for initiating it, it is recommended and not wājib.


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What is the ruling on writing the ṣalāh and salām in abbreviated form such as SAWS, SAS, PBUH, etc.? Imām al-Ṣuyūti said, “It is disliked to resort to these abbreviations when making ṣalāh and salām on the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).” The majority of the fuqahā’ said it is not allowed to abbreviate and they considered this disrespectful. In the old days, when the great imāms would start saying one ḥadīth after the other, people would keep space to later go back and fill in with “ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam”. They would not write an abbreviation. The ‘ulemā’ said ahl’l- ḥadīth are the closest people to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) on the Day of Judgment because they said ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam the most. From this, we see the nature of the early Muslim generations. They considered abbreviation a form of disrespect. Today, it is a difference case. We are in the era and time of 140 characters. Abbreviations are not a form of disrespect today. Abbreviations like this are allowed with one condition: You have to say it. The Forms of ṣalāh and salām upon the Messenger of Allāh § The short one:

After the mention of his name, one should say: ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam or ‘alayhi ṣalātu wa’l-salām which can be translated as “may the praise and peace of Allāh be upon him.” One can also say additional du‘ā’ that sends peace and blessings upon him such as: Allāhumma ṣalli wa sallim ‘ala nabiyyina Muḥammad [O Allāh send Your praise, prayers and peace upon our Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) Muḥammad].

§ The long, complete one:

There are two authentic narrations with different wordings:

Abu Muḥammad Ka‘b B. ‘Ujrah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) reported, “The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) came to us and we asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, we already know how to greet you (i.e. say al-salāmu ‘alaykum), but how should we supplicate for you?’ He said, ‘Say: Allāhumma ṣalli ‘ala Muḥammadin, wa ‘ala āli Muḥammadin, kama ṣallayta ‘ala


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āli Ibrāhīma, innaka Ḥamīdun-Majīd. Allāhumma bārik ‘ala Muḥammadin, wa ‘ala āli Muḥammadin, kama bārakta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīma, innaka Ḥamīdun-Majīd [O Allāh, exalt the mention of Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad as you exalted the family of Ibrāhīm. You are Praised and Glorious. O Allāh, bless Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad as You blessed the family of Ibrāhīm. You are Praised and Glorious.]’” (Bukhāri and Muslim)

Abu Ḥumayd al-Sa‘īdi (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) reported: The Companions of the Messenger of Allāh said, “O Messenger of Allāh! How should we supplicate for you?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) replied, “Say: Allāhumma ṣalli ‘ala Muḥammadin wa ‘ala azwājihi wa dhurriyyātihi, kama ṣallayta ‘ala Ibrāhīma; wa bārik ‘ala Muḥammadin wa ‘ala azwājihi wa dhurriyyātihi, kama bārakta ‘ala Ibrāhīma, innaka Ḥamīdun-Majīd [O Allāh, exalt the mention of Muḥammad and his wives and offspring as You exalted the mention of the family of Ibrāhīm, and bless Muḥammad and the wives and the offspring of Muḥammad as you blessed the family of Ibrāhīm. You are the Praised, the Glorious].” (Bukhāri and Muslim)

The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “...Send your prayers and blessings upon me, for they will be conveyed to me wherever you may be.” (Abu Dāwūd)

The Accepted Du‘ā ’ Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) told us that He will accept our du‘ā’s. The scholars of tafsīr discuss the following verse:

“And when My servants ask you, [O Muḥammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me, so let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.” (Al-Baqarah, 2:186) Allāh has promised to answer our du‘ā’. Does this mean that every du‘ā’ will be answered and that every request will be fulfilled?


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Does this mean Allāh accepts the du‘ā’ of everyone? They said this is problematic because Nūḥ said, “Ya Allāh, save my son,” and Allāh did not accept his du‘ā’. Allāh did not accept the du‘ā’ of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) to guide his uncle. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) for an entire month made du‘ā’ against certain individuals and cursed them in ṣalāh and made du‘ā’ against them. Allāh forbade him from doing such things and said in Sūrah Āle-‘Imrān: “The matter is not in your hands, ya Muḥammad. Allāh might guide them to repentance or punish them.” Those individuals whom the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) prayed against all became Muslim. Allāh showed His mercy took over his anger. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) prayed for his uncle his whole life and Abu Ṭālib was so close and said he knew in his heart the religion of Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was the right religion. Allāh said, “Muḥammad, you don’t guide those whom you love.” Lesson: The matter belongs to Allāh. No human being is greater than the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Ibrāhīm (‘alayhi’l-salām) made du‘ā’, “Ya Rabb, forgive my father” in Sūrat’l-Shu‘arā’ and Allāh did not accept it. What does it mean that Allāh answers the du‘ā’ and prayer of every caller?

- Some scholars said this verse has nothing to do with du‘ā’ al-mas’alah (du‘ā’ of requesting) and this verse means “I reward those who worship Me / accept their act of worship and reward them for it.” Du‘ā’ is of two types: request and worship.

- Other group said that there is no doubt that this verse deals with those who worship Allāh. They said the verse cannot be limited to the worship only and also includes du‘ā’ al-mas’alah.

They said any du‘ā’ made that meets all the conditions and proper etiquettes must be answered by Allāh, but Allāh answers the du‘ā’ in different ways. They said:

• He gives what you ask but according to the time He sees fit

• Allāh answers you by giving you something better than what you ask for. For example, maybe you asked to marry a certain person and Allāh gave you something better than what you asked for.

• Allāh protects you from something evil or bad that was supposed to happen

to you only because of your du‘ā’. (This belief sets apart the heart of the believer and a non-believer). Rabi‘ah al-Adawiyya said, “SubḥānAllāh, even when Allāh prevents you from something, He has already given you.”

• Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) will not give you what you ask for but will save this du‘ā’ in a form of reward completely for you. There is one narration


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saying that people on the Day of Judgment when they see the reward they get, Allāh will tell them it is all of the du‘ā’s that He did not give to them in dunya, they will say, “We wish none of our du‘ā’s were accepted and that they were all saved for the Day of Judgment.” Allāh knows that maybe there is one moment on the Day of Judgment when your scale is going to tip the other way and this helps you or Allāh wants you to reach a higher level in Jannah. The reward is saved for you on the Day of Judgment.

The majority of the fuqahā’ said this. The proof: ḥadīth of Imām Bukhāri in al-Adab al-Mufrad and in al-Tirmidhi – the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “No Muslim will pray and ask Allāh for something and the du‘ā’ does not ask for something ḥarām or evil or cutting the ties of kinship unless Allāh gives him one of three things: Allāh gives him what he asks for, Allāh delays it until the Day of Judgment, or He will save him from evil equal to the thing he asked for.” The companion said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, is this the case every time I ask for something? We will make so much du‘ā’!” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “And Allāh has much more than you can ask for.” This is the correct opinion.

- Some Mālikis and Shāfi‘is said: Allāh promised to answer but He promises answering if He Wills, so He does not promise to answer in all situations. Evidence: In Sūrat’l-An‘ām, Allāh said He will remove the harm if He wishes. In Sūrat’l-Shūra v. 20. Sūrat’l-Isrā’ v. 18. They said it is according to the wish of Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla).

The situations in which du‘ā’ is most likely to be answered and accepted:

§ The Time - On the day of ‘Arafah. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The

best du‘ā’ is on the day of ‘Arafah.” - Month of Ramaḍān - Jumu‘ah: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “There is a short

period of time on Friday when du‘ā’s will be accepted.” There are more than 18 opinions, and there are three which are strongest:

1) Right before maghrib. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Seek this period of time right before sunset.”

2) Ḥadīth of Anas in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: This short period of time is when the imām sits between the two khuṭbahs.

3) When the ‘iqāmah has been called before he prays ṣalāt’l-jumu‘ah. Some ‘ulemā’ said that this time moves from Friday to Friday.

- Last 1/3rd of the night. Calculate the time from maghrib to fajr and divide this by 3.

- Time of fajr. - First 10 days of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah.


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- After the ṣalāh. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “When you

make an obligatory prayer, there is a du‘ā’ that will be accepted.” ‘Ulemā’ said that is during the ṣalāh or right after the ṣalāh.

- One of the best times in ṣalāh is in sujūd or right before salām. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that right before salām, choose the most beloved du‘ā’ to you to say.

§ The Situation

- When drinking zamzam - When following the janāzah - When breaking the fast - When you are in calamity - When you have been abused or oppressed

§ The People

- The just ruler - The father - The mother - The traveler - A righteous son making du‘ā’ for his parents. A man will say, “Ya Rabb, I

don’t deserve this high level in Jannah.” The angel will say, “You reached this level in Jannah because of the du‘ā’ of your righteous children.”

§ The Place

- Makkah - Inside the masjid - On ‘Arafah during the day of ‘Arafah

Are there signs to indicate that our du‘ā ’ was answered? ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) said, “When my tongue started to flow in du‘ā’ and come so easily and I have goose bumps and tears coming down, then I know that this is the moment Allāh opened the door for my du‘ā’.” Sometimes when you make du‘ā’, you have a strong feeling that Allāh is helping and aiding you your du‘ā’, and this is a sign of acceptance in du‘ā’.

The reasons why our du‘ā ’ are rejected and not answered Ibn al-Qayyim summarized this into three areas: the caller, the du‘ā’, an outside reason. Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) will sometimes not accept your du‘ā’ because you are a transgressor and are making ẓulm. You are making du‘ā’ while your heart is not into it. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said Allāh will not accept the du‘ā’ of the one who is heedless (his heart is not into it). The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said a man will travel on his camel to go for Ḥajj or ‘Umrah and he is dusty and has put in so


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much effort but his food and clothes are from ḥarām and his income is ḥarām and he is nurtured from ḥarām. One of the main reasons your du‘ā’ is not accepted is if you are not fair and just to those around you. Also, corrupt belief with prevent the du‘ā’ from being answered. § When the du‘ā’ is weak in itself for the following reasons: It involves bad manners

towards Allāh or involves asking Allāh may for something impermissible.

The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “A person’s du‘ā’s will continue to be answered so long as he does not pray for something sinful or for the breaking of family ties.” (Muslim) Example: “O Allāh, forgive me if You wish.” This is the wrong wording and doesn’t make sense. Example: “I ask You by so-and-so to forgive me.” This is not correct wording.

§ When the person who is making du‘ā’ is weak in himself, meaning he is faint-

hearted in his turning towards Allāh.

§ Consuming ḥarām wealth is one of the major reasons why du‘ā’s are not answered.

§ Trying to hasten the response.

Don’t ever give up on your du‘ā’! One of the famous early scholars said, “There is something I’ve been asking Allāh for 20 years. I haven’t received it yet, and I’m not giving up on it yet!” Whenever you make du‘ā’, you are not losing anything – you are winning. Allāh will accept your du‘ā’ as long as you are not hasty. Be patient with it. There is a point in your life when you have to move on. For example: Imām al-Sufyān al-Thawri said, “For 20 years I have been begging Allāh to let me enjoy qiyām’l-layl. Allāh then let me enjoy it for 20 years.” For 20 years, he was struggling. Sufyān b. Uyaynah made 80 Ḥajjs during his lifetime. Every year he said while he was in ‘Arafah, he said, “Ya Allāh, don’t let this year be the last year to meet You here.” The last year he was at ‘Arafah, and someone said, “You didn’t say the famous du‘ā’ you make every year.” He said to him, “I feel shy to ask Him after all these years to let me come again.” He died in Dhu’l-Qa‘dah before the next Ḥajj. Du‘ā’ is a great ‘ibādah. Some ignorant Ṣūfis say that Allāh knows their situation so they don’t need to ask Him. This is ignorance. The true righteous, ascetic people who follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) make du‘ā’.


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‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) woke up in the night and didn’t see the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) next to her and found him praying. She put his hand in his hair to see if it was wet, and she found it dry and she heard him saying in his sujūd, “O Allāh, I have wronged myself and committed mistakes, so I ask you to forgive me.” Jābir (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “I saw the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in Makkah on the Day of ‘Arafah. After he prayed ẓuhr and ‘aṣr, he raised his hands to make du‘ā’. The sun went down and the Prophet’s (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) hands were still up.” Allāh described the prophets and messengers as praying to Him and begging Him. The concept of there not being a need for du‘ā’ is a false concept. This also goes against the concept of tawḥīd because du‘ā’ is the essence of ‘ibādah.


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Chapter 3 | The Ruling of Du‘ā ’ and Dhikr Related To Ṣalāh (Prayer) Al-ṣalāh means al-du‘ā’. What is the linguistic relationship between these? Ṣalāh is ṣilah, which means connect. It connects you with Allāh during the du‘ā’. Every part of the ṣalāh should be filled with du‘ā’.

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The closest one of you comes to his Lord is while he is prostrating, (therefore) make many supplications therein.” (Muslim)

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “I have prohibited you from reciting while bowing or prostrating. During the bowing, glorify the Lord. During the prostrations, strive your hardest in making supplications. Most likely, you will be listened to.” (Muslim) It is an innovation to make du‘ā’ between the two salāms. Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah said this is an innovation, and many other scholars mentioned this as well.

There are two positions in ṣalāh where you do not make du‘ā’: in between the two salāms and when you do the short sitting before you stand up before the next rakʿah. During this position, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) never said anything. He would sit to let his bones settle and then stand up. § The ruling of supplicating during sujūd and rukū‘ Why is sujūd the best position for du‘ā’?

- You are in total submission. - It is the position that shows your humility the most. This is why Iblīs never

made sujūd to Ādam – he was arrogant. - Sujūd is the first act of worship Allāh ordered after the creation of Ādam.

One of the first things the ‘ulemā’ talked about regarding du‘ā’ and dhikr during rukū‘: can you make du‘ā’ during rukū‘? The Shāfi‘is and Ḥanbalis said it is recommended to make du‘ā’ while you are making rukū‘. The Mālikis said it is disliked for a person to make du‘ā’ while he is making rukū‘. The Ḥanafis said it is recommended to make du‘ā’ during rukū‘ in the voluntary prayers but not the obligatory prayers.


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Thumb Rules: - There is no difference between an obligatory and voluntary prayer when it comes

to rulings. Anything applying to voluntary prayers must apply to obligatory prayers and vice versa unless there is a proof that there is a difference between the two. For example: ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) woke up and found the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was not next to her and her hand touched the feet of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) while he was making sujūd while his two feet were touching each other. This is why the ‘ulemā’ said it is sunnah that your feet touch each other in ṣalāh (not just in the voluntary ṣalāh). The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Pray as you have seen me pray.”

Those who said it is recommended / good base their argument on several evidences. Their strongest evidence: in Bukhāri – When this sūrah was revealed (Sūrat’l-Naṣr), ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) said that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to say in his rukū‘ subḥāna rabbi al-‘aẓīm… The strongest Māliki evidence and Ḥanafi evidence is: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “In rukū‘, glorify and praise your Lord. In sujūd, make a lot of du‘ā’.” [authentic] This shows that the rukū‘ is not made for du‘ā’ but is made for glorifying Allāh. Is this ḥadīth strong enough for their argument? No. In usūl’l-fiqh, we say that when the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said we glorify Allāh in the rukū‘, it does not mean you are not allowed to do anything else. Why? If this is the case, then it means we cannot glorify Allāh in sujūd, which we do. Therefore, their understanding of the ḥadīth is not a strong understanding. Many scholars even among the Mālikis and Ḥanafis do not take the position that it is not allowed. The strongest opinion is that it is permissible to make du‘ā’ in rukū‘. It is impermissible to read Qurʾān in rukū‘ and sujūd. What is the wisdom behind this? In rukū‘ and sujūd, you are in a state of humility, and the Qurʾān is the Word of dignity and glory. Can I quote from the Qurʾān in my du‘ā’ in sujūd? Yes, you can. Why? What is not allowed is reciting, and when you do this, you are not reciting the Qurʾān. This is why if a sister takes the opinion that she cannot read Qurʾān while on the menses, she can still say the du‘ā’s from the Qurʾān. Some scholars said it would be better if you change it a little bit, but there is no need for that and no proof for that.


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§ Combining all or some of the ordained du‘ā’ during rukū‘ or sujūd

Imām al-Nawawi said yes. And you can alternate. The Sunnah of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is that he would do one at a time. Note: making du‘ā’ in between the salāms is an innovation. Ibn Taymiyyah and other scholars mentioned this as an innovation. Another position in ṣalāh when you don’t say anything is the short sitting before standing to the second and fourth rakʿah.

§ Making du‘ā’ by other than what has been narrated in Qur’ān and Sunnah, and for a

worldly matter during prayer, farḍ or nafl (obligatory or recommended prayer).

The ‘ulemā’ debated over this issue. First opinion: The official position of the Ḥanafis and the famous position of the Ḥanābilah is that it is forbidden and it is not allowed to ask during your ṣalāh with anything that has to do with worldly life. Evidence: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to Mu‘āwiyah al-Sulami, “You cannot say anything in this ṣalāh from what people usually say.” They understand from this that you cannot say anything other than the Qurʾān and Sunnah, and they restricted the du‘ā’ to only what is from the Qurʾān and Sunnah. Tāwūs, the student of Ibn ʿAbbās, said, “Don’t make du‘ā’ in the obligatory prayer with anything other than what came in the Qurʾān.” Second opinion: This is the majority opinion. You can ask for anything in your ṣalāh from the dunya or ākhirah. This is the official position of the Shāfi‘is and Mālikis and one position of the Ḥanābilah. Evidence: In Bukhāri, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “After you finish tashahhud, make du‘ā’ with whatever you wish.” This is a very general statement. They refute the evidence that the Ḥanafis used about not saying anything from people’s talk in ṣalāh by saying the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was talking about conversation. Mu‘āwiyah was praying and someone sneezed and said alḥamdulillāh and he responded. The ṣaḥābah were telling him to not talk, and he said, “Don’t tell me not to talk! I can say what I want!” Later, they brought him to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) who told him, “In the ṣalāh there cannot be anything from what people say.” What is being referred to is conversation. The evidence for the majority opinion is much stronger and a clear evidence on the permissibility of making du‘ā’ with whatever you want. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said in sujūd to make any du‘ā’ you wish.


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There is a narration reported as the statement of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) but it is weak. It was narrated as an authentic narration as a statement from ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha): “Ask Allāh for everything, even to help fix the straps on shoes.” In ṣalāt’l-fajr and ṣalāt’l- ‘ishā’ and in several other ṣalāh, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made du‘ā’ and said, “O Allāh, save so-and-so person, forgive so-and-so tribe.” This is not in the Qurʾān, so the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) himself prayed for things not in the Qurʾān. They are quoting Tāwūs, but let’s look at how the ṣaḥābah understood the ḥadīth. Ibn ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “In my ṣalāh, I will ask Allāh to provide for me and help me the hay I give to my donkey and the salt I give to my wife.” Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣri said, “Pray and ask in your ṣalāh with whatever you wish.” The salaf are very clear that their practice was to pray for worldly things.

§ Making du‘ā’ in English (or any language other than Arabic) during ṣalāh in either farḍ or nafl (obligatory or recommended prayer).

First position: It is not allowed and your ṣalāh will be invalid if you do so. This is the position of those who said you cannot make du‘ā’ with that which is not in the Qurʾān. Some Ḥanābilah also said this. This is the official opinion of the Ḥanafis and it is one opinion among Mālikis and one opinion among the Shāfi‘is and one opinion among the Ḥanbalis. Note: Abu Ḥanīfah’s position is that it is permissible to do so, but the Ḥanafi position is that it is forbidden. The imām of a madh-hab may have a position that is different from the madh-hab itself. Madh-hab means “the school of.” It is not based on the choices of the founder. It is the choices of the scholars of the madh-hab. The madh-hab is based on the principles the imām laid down. Evidence: Allāh said to Nūḥ (‘alayhi’l-salām), “Don’t ask Me with something that you don’t know.” The fuqahā’ said that when you ask Allāh with a foreign language, you don’t know what it means, so you are asking in a way that has no meaning. The original Muslim jurists were talking about someone making du‘ā’ in a language he doesn’t know the meaning of. Refutation: What if this is a person’s language and he knows what it means? This can apply to someone who speaks English and doesn’t know Arabic. Anyone who is not Arab, the moment he becomes Muslim, he will be melted in society and Arabic will become his language. In modern days, we have Muslims who don’t know Arabic, but at the time of the early generations and early 500 years of Islam, this did not exist – there were no Muslims who did not know Arabic. The fuqahā’ lived at that period of time, so they taught from the culture they had at that time.


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Second position: If the person doesn’t understand Arabic and doesn’t speak it, he is allowed to make du‘ā’ in any language. The Ḥanafis, Mālikis, Imām Aḥmad. This is the most popular opinion of the Muslim jurists. Some Shāfi‘is said it is not allowed and he must learn some Arabic phrases. The common opinion is that he can say it in any language and it is based on the principle that Allāh only asks you to do what you are capable of. Third position: Imām Abu Ḥanīfah and some Mālikis and Shāfi‘is said that even if you know Arabic, you are allowed to make du‘ā’ in your own language. Shaykh Waleed believes what you must say in Arabic is the dhikr, and then you can use any language you want.

§ Making du‘ā’ for a specific person during prayer.

First opinion: The majority of the scholars from the four madhāhib believe in the permissibility. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) prayed for and against individuals in his ṣalāh. Ḥanafis, Shāfi‘is, Mālikis and strongest opinion of Ḥanābilah. Evidence: In prayer, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) prayed for specific people by name. Also, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said in his ṣalāh, “O Allāh, forgive ‘Ā’ishah all of her sins.” Abu’l-Darda’ said in his prayer he prays for 70 people in every ṣalāh. He said, “I pray for 70 of my brothers and I name them by name in my ṣalāh.” Imām al-Shāfi‘i had 100 people he named in his witr. ‘Abdullāh b. al-Zubayr made du‘ā’ for his father in ṣalāh.

Second opinion: The Ḥanafi school and one narration from the Ḥanbali scholars state that it is not allowed make du‘ā’ for someone specific during ṣalāh and this will invalidate the ṣalāh. They said that this would be like people’s talk.

Third opinion: It is allowed in the nafl (recommended prayer) and not in the farḍ (obligatory prayer). This is one narration among the Ḥanbalis.

§ If I am praying or listening to the Imām reciting Qur’ān during the prayer, am I

allowed to ask for Jannah if verses of Jannah are recited? Am I allowed to ask for salvation if verses of punishment are mentioned? The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said this during his witr prayer. This ḥadīth is authentic but was reported when the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was praying his night prayer. It was never reported during an obligatory prayer. The default rule is that there is no difference between obligatory and nafl prayers unless there is an evidence. It was not recorded that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did this during the obligatory prayers, which shows he (ṣallallāhu


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‘alayhi wa sallam) intentionally left it out because it is something obvious that was not recorded. This is the strongest opinion. Other scholars said there is no difference and you can do it in both obligatory and voluntary prayers.

§ There is nothing reported from the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) regarding special supplication during taslīm. This has no basis.

Du‘ā ’ a l-qunūt Qunūt, according to the definition of the fuqahā’, is the name of a du‘ā’ (supplication) offered during prayer at a specific point while standing. Qunūt means a long period of time invoking with sincerity and seeking the reward of Allāh. It means to pray, to ask, to stand up. Qunūt can refer to the specific du‘ā’ that you say. Qunūt can mean any du‘ā’ or a specific du‘ā’. Terminologies were usually made later on in history. In the early time of Islam during the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), companions, and successors, the term qunūt meant one du‘ā’. Because of this, when someone says the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made qunūt in fajr, does it mean he made the specific du‘ā’ or a long du‘ā’? It caused confusion to the later Muslim scholars and they started interpreting the ḥadīth of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Ibn Hajar said, “This is one of the most confusing areas of aḥadīth.”

The ruling of du‘ā ’ al-qunūt in the mandatory prayers: There are two areas: for no reason or for calamity. § During fajr Prayer.

The Shāfi‘i scholars say that qunūt in fajr prayer is sunnah whether there is a calamity or not. The majority of the Muslim jurists disagree with the Shāfi‘iyyah on this issue. Their position is based on the ḥadīth of Anas who said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) continued making qunūt until he passed away. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) spent one month making du‘ā’ for some people. Anas said that even when this calamity finished, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) continued making du‘ā’ in fajr prayer until he died (but not for those people). (this is weak)


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The vast majority of fuqahā’ disagree with the Shāfi‘is and say the ḥadīth is weak because of two weak narrators. Also, this ḥadīth is abrogated because in Bukhāri and Muslim, the ḥadīth says the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) prayed qunūt for one month and then left it. Abu Mālik said, “Father, you have prayed behind the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), Abu Bakr, ‘Uthmān, and ‘Ali. Have you seen them making qunūt at fajr in the prayer?” He said, “I have not seen any one of them do such thing, and it is an innovation. There are several narrations like this. Anas b. Mālik himself said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) only made qunūt when he was praying for or against someone. This is reported by Ibn Khuzaymah. Those who said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) prayed qunūt at fajr were referring to that one month when that incident took place. Bottom line: in fajr prayer, it is not sunnah to make qunūt. Imām Aḥmad was once praying in al-Shāfi‘is masjid and made qunūt. He was asked if someone was Ḥanbali and prayed in a Shāfi‘i masjid, then should he make qunūt and he said yes because of the unity of the Muslims.

§ At Times of Calamity

The position of the majority of the Muslim jurists (Ḥanafis, Mālikis, Shāfi‘is, Ḥanbalis) is that al-qunūt is permissible upon a calamity. A few Mālikis, Ḥanbalis, and Shāfi‘is said that qunūt is not allowed in the mandatory ṣalawāt.

Those who said it is allowed to perform du‘ā’ al-qunūt upon calamity differ on which ṣalāh it can be done in:

1. The majority of the Ḥanafis, Mālikis, and Ḥanbalis said in fajr prayer.

2. You can have the qunūt in any prayer except Jumu‘ah. This is the opinion of

Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn Hajar.

3. Only in fajr and maghrib. This is the position of some of the Ḥanbalis.

4. In any prayer that is read out loud. This is the position of some Ḥanafis and Ḥanbalis.

Who can decide which calamity we make qunūt for?

- The Ḥanābilah said the imām of the masjid or community - The majority of fuqahā’ said the head of the Islamic state in a Muslim country


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Qunūt’l-nāzilah is only done in the masjid. You do not make it in your own individual prayer. The fuqahā’ said it is ordained in:

1) war 2) plague, diseases 3) prices have increased and people are in trouble financially 4) mud slides, wildfires

The vast majority of fuqahā’ said it is permissible and recommended to make qunūt for calamity when it strikes the Muslim world or a specific region of Muslims because of the concept of brotherhood. Only a few Mālikis and Shāfi‘is said there is no concept of qunūt for calamity. Their evidence is a ḥadīth from Umm Salamah in which the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Don’t make qunūt at fajr.” Ibn Mas‘ūd said, “The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) never made qunūt in his ṣalāh.” Refutation: These two narrations are absolutely weak. The first one has several weak narrators. Also, even if these ḥadīth had a basis, they are not referring to the qunūt of calamity. For those who said it is permissible to make it during calamity, in which ṣalāh? The Ḥanafis, Ḥanbalis and some Mālikis said only in fajr. Why? Because most of the aḥadīth mention that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did it in fajr prayer. The Ḥanābilah disagreed and said it can be done in any prayer except Friday prayer and ‘Īd because there is already du‘ā’ in the khuṭbah. Their evidence is that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made du‘ā’ for a calamity in ‘ishā’ prayer, and Ibn ‘Umar said it was in maghrib. (Bukhāri) In another narration, Abu Hurayrah said he heard the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) do it at ‘ishā’ prayer and fajr prayer. Ibn ʿAbbās said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made qunūt at ẓuhr, ‘aṣr, maghrib, ‘ishā’ and fajr for a whole month. (Not every single ṣalāh) Ibrāhīm al-Nakhā’i said qunūt of calamity during jumu‘ah is bid‘ah. The early companions forbade making qunūt of calamity during jumu‘ah. Some Ḥanābilah said only during maghrib and fajr, and they base this on a ḥadīth saying the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made it at these times. Some of the fuqahā’ will see one evidence and base his opinion on what he has seen, but he doesn’t have access to everything. ‘Ilm (knowledge) is collective. You look at everyone so that it is a complete picture. Some scholars like the Ḥanafis and Ḥanābilah said only in the prayer you read aloud. The strongest opinion is with the Ḥanābilah, which is all of the five prayers except Jumu’ah and ‘Īd. This is the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and Ibn Hajar. There is consensus among the Muslim jurists that there § If someone catches the congregational fajr prayer after the Imām has finished al-

qunūt, he does not have to make up al-qunūt in his second rakʿah.


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§ The majority of the Muslim jurists dislike making qunūt upon a calamity during

voluntary prayers.

§ There is no specific form of du‘ā’ for qunūt’l-nawāzil. In the qunūt of calamity, the entire du‘ā’ should focus on the issue being prayed for. ‘Ulemā’ said it is recommended to not make it long. When ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) was in the war with the Romans, he made du‘ā’ against the Christian Romans. When ‘Ali was in a war, he made du‘ā’ against the people he was fighting.

When should we perform al-qunūt during the prayers? Ibn Hajar said, “After collecting the evidences, I concluded that the people who described the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) making his du‘ā’, they confused between the qunūt of witr and the qunūt made during calamity. The vast majority of aḥadīth in relation to the qunūt of witr, it is done before rukū‘, and when he makes du‘ā’ for calamity, it is after rukū‘.” Can it be done in any way? Yes. The qunūt of witr should be before rukū‘. When it comes to calamity, it is after rukū‘. This is the common practice of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

1. According to the Mālikis and one narration from the Shāfi‘i madh-hab, it is recommended to make the qunūt before rukū‘. Al-Nawawi said, “Our madh-hab (Shāfi‘i) is that qunūt takes place after rukū‘. This is the view adopted by Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Ali...” (Majmū‘)

2. According to the majority of the scholars from the four madhāhib, it is

recommended to make the qunūt after rukū‘. Ibn ‘Abbās, Anas and Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did the qunūt after rukū‘ (Aḥmad) and there are narrations from the companions that they made their qunūt after rukū‘ such as ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān and ‘Ali. (Ṭabari, Bayḥaqi)

3. Some of the Shāfi‘is and Mālikis said that the qunūt can be made before or after

performing rukū‘ and that is why we see narration suggested that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and his companions did both ways.

4. After analyzing all the narrations related to this issue, Ibn Hajar said, “We learn

that it was the normal practice to recite the qunūt before rukū‘. However, on certain occasions (such as the befalling of a calamity, etc.) the qunūt would be recited after rukū‘.” (Fatḥ’l-Bāri’)


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Rulings regarding al-qunūt § Raising hands during du‘ā ’ al-qunūt

First opinion: It is recommended to raise your hand during du‘ā’ al-qunūt.

This is the position of Abu Yūsuf, some Mālikis, the strongest among the Shāfi‘i and Ḥanbali scholars. Anas b. Mālik reported that he saw the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raise his hands when he was making qunūt. (Bayḥaqi in his Sunan). Also, it has been narrated that ‘Umar, ‘Ali, Abu Hurayrah, Ibn Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Abbās and others did as well. (Sunan’l-Bayḥaqi, Muṣannaf ‘Abdu’l-Razzāq, Qiyām’l-Layl by Al-Marwāzi)

Second opinion: It is not recommended to raise your hand during du‘ā’ al-qunūt.

This is the position of the Ḥanafis, the famous among Mālikis and one narration among the Shāfi‘i scholars. Abu Ḥanīfah said you point with your finger but do not raise your hands. Why? Because he said the Prophet only raised his hands three times during his lifetime: ‘Arafah, istisqā’, and the battle of Badr. However, this claim is not correct.

§ Raising the eyes toward the sky during du‘ā ’ al-qunūt .

The majority of the Muslim jurists dislike raising the eyes to the sky during al-qunūt. Ibn Ḥazm and some Shāfi‘i scholars said that it is forbidden.

The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “How is it that some people raise their eyes towards the sky during al-ṣalāt (the prayer)?” He stressed (this point) and added, “People must refrain from raising their eyes towards heaven in ṣalāt (prayer) or else their sight will certainly be snatched away.” (Bukhāri). The position of Ibn Ḥazm and the Shāfi‘is is the strongest position. § The Muslim jurists agreed that the Imām should not make du‘ā ’ al-

qunūt lengthy. Some said it should be as long as it takes to read Sūrat ’ l-Inshiqāq .

The Ruling of a l-Qunūt during Witr Prayer The majority of the Muslim scholars (the Mālikis, Shāfi‘is, Ḥanbalis and some Ḥanafis) are of the opinion that it is sunnah (recommended) because the companion who


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narrated to us about the Prophet’s (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) witr did not mention that he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to do qunūt. Another opinion, according to Abu Ḥanīfah, is that it is wājib (obligatory), whereas on the opposite side of the spectrum, some Mālikis have said qunūt in witr is not sunnah but rather, as Tāwūs said, is bid‘ah. The Ḥanafis said it because the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in an authentic ḥadīth told al-Ḥasan after he taught him the du‘ā’ of qunūt, “Put / make this du‘ā’ part of your ṣalāh.” This is an order, which is why they said it is wājib. Refutation: The majority said that if this is correct, then no one among them said the specific format is wājib, so if they are saying the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told al-Ḥasan that the du‘ā’ is wājib, then that means the specific wording is wājib also, but the Ḥanafis don’t believe in this. The Māliki position considers qunūt in witr bid‘ah. When it comes to fiqh, don’t think that you know everything. You will be surprised how the fuqahā’ have different opinions! The evidence of the Mālikis: someone said, “I was with Abu Hurayrah for ten years and never saw him pray qunūt in witr.” Refutation: We have clear aḥadīth which show us that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told al-Ḥasan to make du‘ā’ of qunūt and ‘Umar and Ibn Mas‘ūd did qunūt in witr. Therefore, we say it is recommended and Allāh knows best. Is al-qunūt ordained in all witr prayers or during specific times of the year?

- The Ḥanafis, Ḥanbalis and one narration among the Shāfi‘is: It is recommended all year long. Evidence: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to make qunūt before rukū‘ as Ubayy b. Ka‘b described. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told al-Ḥasan to make du‘ā’ of qunūt in the witr and didn’t specify a time of year.

- The Shāfi‘is and one narration among the Mālikis and Ḥanbalis: It is only recommended in the last half of Ramaḍān.

- Qatādah and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣri said it is recommended all year long except the first half of Ramaḍān.

- Some Shāfi‘is have said it is only recommended in Ramaḍān.

The strongest opinion is that you can make qunūt any time. It is not wājib to do it in every witr, but you should do it sometimes and leave it sometimes. Why are there so many opinions? Because some aḥadīth said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did it and others said he did not.


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Is there a specific form for al-qunūt of witr? You can add to the qunūt of witr. Al-Albāni said you cannot add to it, which is a weird position that no one agreed with. ‘Umar added to it.

The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught al-Ḥasan b. ‘Ali du‘ā’ al-qunūt in witr prayer: “Allāhumma-hdini fi man hadayta wa ‘āfini fi man ‘āfayta wa tawallani fi man tawallayta wa bārik li fīma a‘ṭayta, wa qini sharra ma qaḍayta, fa innaka taqḍi wa la yuqḍa ‘alayk, wa innahu la yaḍillu man wālayta, tabārakta rabbana wa ta‘ālayt.” [O Allāh, guide me among those whom You have guided, pardon me among those whom You have pardoned, turn to me in friendship among those on whom You have turned in friendship, and bless me in what You have bestowed, and save me from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can influence You; and he is not humiliated whom You have befriended, nor is he honored who is Your enemy. Blessed are You, O Lord, and Exalted. There is no place of safety from You except with You]. (Nasā’i) ‘Umar prayed qunūt with the following words: “Allāhumma inna nasta‘īnuka wa nu’minu bika, wa natawakkalu ‘alayka wa nuthni ‘alayka’l-khayr, wa la nakfuruka. Allāhumma iyyāka na‘budu wa laka nuṣalli wa nasjudu, wa ilayka nas‘ā wa naḥfid. Narju raḥmataka wa nakhsha ‘adhābaka, inna ‘adhābaka’l-jadd bi’l-kuffāri mulḥaq. Allāhumma ‘adhdhib’l-kafarata ahl’l-kitāb ladhīna yaṣuddūna ‘an sabīlika” [O Allāh, verily we seek Your help, we believe in You, we put our trust in You and we praise You and we are not ungrateful to You. O Allāh, You alone we worship and to You we pray and prostrate, for Your sake we strive. We hope for Your mercy and fear Your punishment, for Your punishment will certainly reach the disbelievers. O Allāh, punish the infidels of the People of the Book who are preventing others from following Your way]. (Bayḥaqi) Al-Nawawi said, “The correct view which was stated definitively by the majority of scholars is that there are no specific words, rather any du‘ā’ may be said.” (Majmū‘) Muslims should say ṣalāt and salām upon the Messenger (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) during al-qunūt because this is one of etiquettes of du‘ā’. The Imām or person alone should not say al-qunūt in witr out loud, according to the Ḥanafis, Mālikis and one narration among the Shāfi‘is. The Ḥanbalis, however, and the strongest opinion among the Shāfi‘is and some Mālikis are of the opinion that the Imām should say it out loud, but the one praying alone should not.


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Can you make the qunūt in English? Yes, you can. Do you say it out loud? The Ḥanafis said that it is not allowed to be out loud but should be in secret. The famous position of the Mālikis and some Shāfi‘is also agree with this. They said this because they said Allāh ordered us to make du‘ā’ silently. The majority of the scholars said that you are allowed to make it out loud. This is the position of some Ḥanafi scholars as well. The evidence for this is an authentic narration of Ubayy b. Ka‘b (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) in Ramaḍān made du‘ā’ of qunūt out loud and people were behind him. He did this in front of ‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb and the companions, and none of the companions opposed this or said it was wrong. This is proof that there was consensus of the companions at the incident that what he did was acceptable. If you are by yourself, then you do not say it out loud. What are the differences between al-qunūt of witr and al-qunūt of nāzi lah? Ibn al-Zubayr saw someone raising his hands and make du‘ā’ after rising from rukū‘. He told him the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) never did such action in the prayer. (Ḥaythami in Majma‘l-zāwā’Īd)

- Qunūt of witr is only in the witr prayer and qunūt of nāzilah can be done in obligatory prayer.

- Most of the time the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) made qunūt of witr before rukū‘ and qunūt of calamity after rukū‘.

- In qunūt of witr, you can make any type of du‘ā’, but the nāzilah is restricted to the calamity itself.

- Qunūt of nāzilah must be approved by the imām. Qunūt of witr does not need approval of anyone.

- There is a narrated form for qunūt of witr, but there is no format ever reported for qunūt of nāzilah.

Making Du‘ā ’ for the Completion of Qur’ān No Muslim scholar known to Shaykh Waleed has spoken about the permissibility of du‘ā’ at the completion of Qur’ān during the mandatory prayer or discussed this issue. As for making du‘ā’ at the completion of Qur’ān during the voluntary prayer, the majority among Ḥanafis, Mālikis and Shāfi‘is say it is disliked and some even say it is bid‘ah. The Ḥanbalis said it is recommended. It is the choice of al-Nawawi but only for the person who is praying alone. Anas (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) used to gather his family after completing the recitation of the Qur’ān, and then make the du‘ā’ with his family members following and saying “āmīn.” Imām Aḥmad used to say, “I witnessed the people of Makkah offering du‘ā’ khaṭm’l-Qur’ān in Ramaḍān in the witr.” (Al-Mughni by Ibn Qudāmah)


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The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) never reported a du‘ā’ for the completion of the Qurʾān. No one among the Muslim scholars said that you can make du‘ā’ of khaṭm’l-Qur’ān in the obligatory prayers. ‘Ulemā’ debated over the permissibility of doing khaṭm’l-Qur’ān in voluntary prayers. First opinion: It is disliked to make du‘ā’ of khaṭm’l-Qur’ān during tarāwīḥ or witr. This is the position of the Ḥanafis, the Mālikis, Shāfi‘is. The Shāfi‘is said this is one of the innovations in religion and should be stopped in the masājid. Evidence: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) never did it and not a single companion did it and not a single successor did it, so it is an innovation. Shaykh al-‘Uthaymīn said it was bid‘ah. Second opinion: The Ḥanābilah said it is recommended to do it during the voluntary prayer. (Imām al-Nawawi said it is recommended if you do it by yourself but it is not allowed to do it in congregation.) Evidence: Imām Aḥmad was asked why he said this when there is no proof for it, and he said, “I have seen the people of Makkah doing it. Makkah is an international city and scholars from all over the world come and visit and the people of Makkah are doing it, and I never heard anyone oppose it or object to it, and they have been doing this year after year.” Imām Aḥmad is saying that it was like consensus of the scholars. Du‘ā’ of khaṭm’l-Qur’ān was only reported outside of the ṣalāh by Anas b. Mālik. When he used to finish the Qurʾān, he would call his family members and neighbors and he would make du‘ā’. This is the only authentic narration we have from the early generations. Shaykh Waleed advises that if someone is in the prayer and wants to make du‘ā’ of khaṭm’l-Qur’ān, then combine the du‘ā’ of khaṭm’l-Qur’ān with the witr together. Note: In the 80s in Makkah, they used to have du‘ā’ of khaṭm’l-Qur’ān before rukū‘ and du‘ā’ of witr after rukū‘. Scholars then gathered and discussed the issue and came up with this solution and combined them together so that madhāhib agree. In the du‘ā’, you ask Allāh by the great deed you just finished (completing the Qur’ān).

Dhikr & Du‘ā ’ During Sujūd of Tilāwah (Recitation) or Shukr (Thanking) The Muslim should say subḥānallāh as he/she does in the regular prayer during sujūd. Other du‘ā’s can be added according to the Māliki, Shāfi‘i, and Ḥanbali scholars. The Ḥanafis, on the other hand, say that you should only say the tasbīḥ.

“Exalt the Name of your Lord, the Most High.” (Al-A‘la, 87:1)


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When this verse was revealed to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), he said, “Make it part of your sujūd” (Aḥmad), and this includes all kinds of sujūd. It also has been reported that he used to say other du‘ā’s in sujūd. The correct opinion: it is recommended and not wājib. Therefore, if you skip it, it is not a sin. The most authentic ḥadīth: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Say subḥāna rabbi al-a‘la and make it part of your sujūd.” Therefore, in the sujūd of tilāwah or shukr, you say this. Sujūd of shukr is done when you hear good news. The strongest opinion among the scholars is that you do not need to have your ḥijāb on or have wuḍū’ or face the qiblah for sujūd of tilāwah or sujūd of shukr because it is not ṣalāh. The point is the immediate response of the sujūd.

Dhikr & Du‘ā ’ during the Khuṭbah of Jumu‘ah or ‘ Īd The Muslim jurists agreed that it is recommended for the khaṭīb to make du‘ā’. In one narration, Ammār saw Bishr b. Marwān raising his hands while he was making du‘ā’ during khuṭbat’l-Jumu‘ah. Ammār told him, “May Allāh disgrace these two hands. I have seen the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in the ṣalāh and he never raised his hands like this. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would only point his finger.” This ḥadīth shows two things:

1) The imām is not allowed to raise his hands in khuṭbat’l-Jumu‘ah when making du‘ā’ except for praying for the rain.

2) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to make du‘ā’ in the khuṭbah. The companions approved the du‘ā’ of Bishr in the khuṭbah. They disagreed with him raising his hands.

Can a listener raise his hands while the imām is making du‘ā’? It is permissible to raise your hands as a listener during the du‘ā’. You don’t have to. You can say “āmīn” without it. Some scholars said it is bid‘ah to do it, which is not correct. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told us that raising the hands is a time when the du‘ā’ will be accepted. Imām al-Shāfi‘i said making du‘ā’ for the Muslims in the khuṭbah is one of the pillars of the khuṭbah. Some scholars like Shaykh al-Albāni said you are not supposed to make du‘ā’ in the khuṭbat’l-Jumu‘ah except related to the topic, but this opinion is shādh and has no basis in Sharī‘ah. § The Muslim scholars agree that making du‘ā’ during the khuṭbah of Jumu‘ah is

ordained for the Imām. He should choose from whatever du‘ā’ he likes without committing to a particular one because there are no special supplications.

§ There is no special supplication between the two khuṭbahs for the Imām or the attendees.


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§ There is no specific supplication on the eve or day of ‘Īd.

§ The ruling of takbīr during ‘Īd. § What is the ruling of congratulating one another by offering du‘ā’ in both ‘Īds?

The khuṭbat’l-hājjah has been narrated from the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), and in it there is du‘ā’.

According to the Ḥanafis, some Mālikis and one narration among the Shāfi‘is and Ḥanbalis, it is permissible to congratulate others on ‘Īd and to pray for each other that Allāh accept your deeds and grants you a happy ‘Īd. It has been narrated from the companions that they used to do so. (Mentioned by al-Ṣuyūti and others; Imām Aḥmad said the isnād of this narration is good)

Jubayr b. Nufayr said, “When the companions of Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) met on the day of ‘Īd, they would say to each other, ‘Taqaballāhu minna wa mink (may Allāh accept from us and you).’” (Maḥāmiliyyāt; Ibn Hajar, Fatḥ’l-Bāri’)

Imām Mālik disliked such du‘ā’s because it is imitating the people of the book. Imām Mālik was very strict about this. However, many from among the Mālikis and Ḥanbalis say that if a person congratulates you, you can congratulate them back.

The Prayer of Need (ḥā jah) and Its Du‘ā ’ It has been narrated that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If anyone wants something from Allāh, or from a human being, he should perform ablution and do it well, then pray two rakʿahs, then extol Allāh Most High and invoke blessing on the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), then say, ‘There is no god but Allāh, the Clement and Generous. Glory be to Allāh, the Lord of the mighty throne. Praise be to Allāh, the Lord of the universe. I ask Thee for words which will guarantee Thy mercy, actions which will make certain Thy forgiveness, a supply of every virtue, and freedom from every offense. Do not leave me a sin which Thou do not pardon, a care which Thou do not remove, or a want that meets with Thy pleasure which Thou do not supply, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones.’” (Tirmidhi and he said this ḥadīth is weak) Al-Albāni said, “Rather, it is ḍa‘īf jiddan (very weak).” Al-Ḥākim said mawḍū‘ (fabricated) aḥadīth were narrated from Abu Awfa. It has been narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said regarding supplicating for a missing thing: “Pray two rakʿahs and after tashahhud say, ‘O the One who guides the misguided and the One who returns the missing things. I ask you by your ‘izzah & sulṭān (Might, Power, Dignity, Owning every thing) to return to me what I have missed. It is from you and your generosity and goodness to me.” (Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Bayḥaqi said it


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is ḥasan narration from Ibn ‘Umar and al-Ḥākim said it is narrated by trustworthy narrators). Note: There was no specific format. If you have a need for something, you can pray two rakʿahs and make du‘ā’ for whatever you want. This ḥadīth is very weak and reported by Tirmidhi and has a person who is a liar in the chain. It is not Sunnah and this is what Imām Mālik said.

The Du‘ā ’ of Ist ikhārah

“Allāhumma inni astakhayruka bi ‘ilmika wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika wa as’aluka min faḍlika’l-‘aẓīmi, fa innaka taqdiru wa la aqdiru wa ta‘lamu wa la a‘lamu wa anta ‘allāmu’l-ghuyūbi. Allāhumma in kunta ta‘lamu anna hādha’l-amra –– khayrun li fi dīni wa ma‘āshi wa ‘āqibati amri faqdirhu li wa yassirhu li thumma bārik li fīhi wa in kunta ta‘lamu anna hādha’l-amra sharrun li fi dīni wa ma‘āshi wa ‘āqibati amri faṣrifhu ‘anni waṣrifni ‘anhu waqdirliya’l-khayra ḥaythu kāna thumma arḍini bihi.” [O Allāh, I seek Your guidance [in making a choice] by virtue of Your knowledge, and I seek ability by virtue of Your power, and I ask You of Your great bounty. You have power, I have none. And You know, I know not. You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allāh, if in Your knowledge, this matter (then it should be mentioned by name) is good for me both in this world and in the Hereafter (or: in my religion, my livelihood and my affairs), then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. And if in Your knowledge it is bad for me and for my religion, my livelihood and my affairs (or: for me both in this world and the next), then turn me away from it, [and turn it away from me], and ordain for me the good wherever it may be and make me pleased with it.] § The du‘ā’ of istikhārah is ordained for Muslims and there is no disagreement amongst

the scholars as Imām al-Shawkāni said. (Nā’il’l-Awtar)

“The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to teach his companions to make istikhārah in all things, just as he used to teach them sūrahs from the Qur’ān. He said, ‘If any one of you is concerned about a decision he has to make, then let him pray two rakʿahs of non-obligatory prayer, then say: …….’” (Bukhāri)

§ The matters in which ist ikhārah is ordained

- On the permissible things. It cannot be made on the obligatory or

recommended or ḥarām things. It comes from the word ikhtara, which means


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the thing that brings good to you. It is allowed when you are deciding between two recommended things and don’t know what to choose.

- It should be after the prayer. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Pray two rakʿahs and then make this du‘ā’.” These two rakʿahs must be voluntary and not sunnah or farḍ.

- The Muslim jurists agree on repeating it. Why? It is du‘ā’ and du‘ā’ can be repeated.

- No one can make istikhārah on behalf of anyone else. What if someone has menses or ḥayḍ? In this case, they make the du‘ā’ without the ṣalāh. Can the du‘ā’ be read from a piece of paper? Yes. If you do not know Arabic, you can read the translation.

§ Du‘ā ’ of ist ikhārah should be after the prayer

Ibn Abi Jamrah said. “The wisdom behind putting the ṣalāt before the du‘ā’ is that istikhārah is intended to combine the goodness of this world with the goodness of the next. A person needs to knock at the door of the King (Allāh), and there is nothing more effective for this than prayer because it contains glorification and praise of Allāh and expresses one’s need for Him at all times.” (Fatḥ’l-Bāri’)

§ The Muslim jurists agree that the person should not add to the du‘ā’ of istikhārah

anything from his own or change it, but some Ḥanafi, Māliki and Shāfi‘i scholars said it is permissible to praise Allāh and to send ṣalāh and salām on Rasūlullāh in the beginning and the end of the du‘ā’ of istikhārah.

§ Repeating istikhārah is permissible because it is a form of du‘ā’, and any du‘ā’ can be repeated. This was stated by some Ḥanafi and Shāfi‘i scholars.

§ Making istikhārah for someone else was never reported from the Prophet (ṣallallāhu

‘alayhi wa sallam), nor from any one of his companions. The ḥadīth clearly states that this is a du‘ā’ that the person makes directly for himself, unless the matter will affect the person in an indirect way; in such a case, it is allowed (example: a mother making istikhārah for her son’s marriage proposal).

§ There are no specific etiquettes unique to making istikhārah, and one follows the

same etiquette for making any other du‘ā’. Many people think that once they pray istikhārah they will have a dream or see a sign, but this is made up. Imām al-Nawawi said, “When you make du‘ā’ of istikhārah, you should not have your decision made. You should come to the ṣalāh with a neutral stand.” Shaykh Waleed disagrees with this. In the du‘ā’ itself you are asking if something is good for you. Du‘ā’ of istikhārah does not mean Allāh chooses for you. If Allāh chooses for you, then Allāh takes the responsibility, which is against qadar. You make the choice and carry


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the responsibility of your choice. We are believers and people of faith: we do research and make the decision. Why do you pray istikhārah? You are saying, “Ya Allāh, You know and I don’t. You are capable and I am not. My research leads me to choose this, but You are the One who knows everything.” Your du‘ā’ is requesting one of two things:

1) Allāh blesses your choice so even if the choice is evil, you are asking Allāh protect you from the evil of it.

2) Allāh will take it away from you. Allāh will change your heart and make it go towards something else.

‘Ulemā’ discussed why we pray first and then make the du‘ā’. It is because of etiquette. Allāh is teaching us to do something for the ākhirah and then make the du‘ā’ because the du‘ā’ is focused on dunya. You fulfill the rights of the ākhirah first.

Dhikr & Du‘ā ’ After the Prayer § Start with Allāhu Akbar or astaghfirullāh

When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to finish his prayer he would say: “Astaghfirullāh” (I seek Allāh’s forgiveness) 3 times, and “Allāhumma anta’l-salām wa minka’l-salām tabārakta ya dhal-jalāli wa’l-ikrām” (O Allāh, You are Peace and from You is all peace, blessed are You, O Possessor of majesty and honor) once. (Muslim) It is common for ahl’l-ḥadīth in India to say “Allāhu akbar” three times after the ṣalāh. Ibn Hajar mentioned this too. However, most scholars disagree with this because there is a very clear ḥadīth that when the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said the taslīm, he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would then say astaghfirullāh three times. The text is very clear and there is no space for arguing. There is a ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās: “We used to recognize the end of the ṣalāh by takbīr.” Refutation: This ḥadīth is ambiguous. Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) was a child. ‘Ulemā’ said he didn’t mean Allāhu akbar but was referring to what happened after the ṣalāh because you can say the adhkār of the ṣalāh in different ways, and takbīr could mean saying the three words together: subḥānAllāh walḥamdulillāh wa Allāhu akbar. § How to make the dhikr with your hand

The sunnah is to count with the fingertips of your right hand by putting them on the palm of the same hand.

‘Abdullāh b. ‘Amr said, “I saw the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) counting the tasbīḥ.” (Abu Dāwūd). Ibn Qudāmah said, “With his right hand.”


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It is done with the right hand as Ibn ‘Umar narrated. The proper way is to start with the pinky finger and curl it in until all fingers are inside the palm and then you open it again and start over and curl them in again. This is kāna ya‘qīdu tasbīḥ. You can do it another way and it is not ḥarām. § The ruling of using masbaḥah (prayer beads) It is best to do it with your hand because the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Use the tips of your fingers because they will testify for you on the Day of Judgment.” (Imām Aḥmad)

It was reported from several companions that they used to make tasbīḥ with stones. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) passed by Ṣafiyyah and she was siting and making tasbīḥ with the seeds of the dates. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “What is this?” She said, “Ya Rasūlullāh, I’m counting my tasbīḥ.” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Said subḥānAllāh as many as you have.” She had in front of her 4,000 seeds. Al-Shawkāni and Ibn al-Qayyim wrote about this. The maximum in aḥadīth is always 100 times for dhikr. The Ṣūfi dhikr always has a huge number, which is taken from Buddhist monks. The point from the ḥadīth: The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did not forbid her from using the seeds. He was worried about her overdoing it. Since the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) approved the use of the seeds, Ibn Taymiyyah said it shows the permissibility of using stones to count the aḥadīth. This is the position of the majority of Muslim jurists. Some fuqahā’ including some Mālikis said using beads is not allowed because of the origin. Shaykh Zayd Abu Bakr wrote about the history of beads and where they came from and found they came from Buddhist monks and then to Christianity and some Ṣūfis took it from their influence and another practice and it became something people believed in and the shaykh would pass it on to his students, etc. Shaykh Waleed: It isn’t a Sunni way of making tasbīḥ and not a sign of ahl’l-sunnah. When you read about the ‘ulemā’, they don’t have the sibḥah hanging around their necks or hands. If someone uses it because he wants to count with it, it is not bid‘ah or sinful or ḥarām. It always represents certain groups and people who do not 100% follow the Sunnah.

§ The ruling of raising hands during du‘ā’ after ṣalāh § Raising one’s voice while making dhikr after ṣalāh


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Ibn ‘Abbās (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “They used to raise their voices when making dhikr after finishing the prayer in the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).” In college, Shaykh Waleed prayed with Shaykh al-Albāni one day ‘aṣr prayer. He finished his prayer and Shaykh Waleed starting saying the tasbīḥ out loud. The shaykh said, “Who was praying next to me? The one who disturbed me in my adhkār.” Shaykh Waleed said, “Shaykh, if you raise your voice too, then you wouldn’t be confused. It is Sunnah.” The shaykh said, “Māshā’Allāh, you are teaching me the Sunnah?” Shaykh Waleed said the narration of Ibn ʿAbbās and the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raised his voice with dhikr after ṣalāh. The shaykh said Imām al-Shāfi‘i said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did this to teach them what to say. Shaykh Waleed say Imām Mālik’s response of why didn’t the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raise his voice with all of the adhkār and the ḥadīth in Bukhāri of Ibn ʿAbbās in which the word meaning “raise his voice” was used and if it was for the purpose of teaching then it would have only been done a few times, so there must have been another purpose. Shaykh al-Albāni said, “It is good to follow the evidence, but that is not my position.” The Shāfi‘is said you should not raise your voice and some Ḥanafis also said this because it is only done for teaching. The Ḥanābilah said you should raise your voice. The Ḥanafis said you should not raise your voice because the du‘ā’ in general should be in a soft voice and not loud voice. The strongest opinion among the scholars is to raise your voice in tasbīḥ, takbīr, tamḥīd and la ilāha illa Allāh. This is the opinion of al-Ṭabari, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Ḥazm, one narration of the Mālikis.

§ If two prayers are combined together, it is sufficient to recite the post-prayer

adhkār only once.

§ If a person forgets to make adhkār during the allowed time or could not due to valid reasons, he/she can read it whenever they are able. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If you overslept or forget about ṣalāh or dhikr that you used to do, then you should make up the ṣalāh and the dhikr.”

§ Imām Mālik and Mulla ‘Ali Qary mentioned that if a women prays at home, she should make the dhikr at home, as she will receive the same reward as the men in the masjid. In some aḥadīth, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever prays in the masjid and sits in the masjid making dhikr until the sun rises gets the reward of complete ‘Umrah.” It is recommended that they have a musalla in the house. Abu Bakr had a musalla in the house. This means a designated area in the house for prayer.


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Chapter 4 | Rulings related to Dhikr and Du‘ā ’

The Ruling On Raising Hands During Du‘ā ’ The Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Your Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, is Kind and Most Generous, and He is too kind to let His slave, if he raises his hands to Him, bring them back empty.” (Abu Dāwūd) First position: Raising the hands is recommended in du‘ā’ in general. This is the position of the majority of the Muslim jurists (Shāfi‘is, Ḥanafis, Ḥanbalis, one narration of Imām Mālik). The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raised his hands in so many aḥadīth. Al-Nawawi said about 100 ḥadīth were reported in relation to raising the hands. Imām Bukhāri has a chapter on raising hands in du‘ā’. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raised his hands before the battle of Badr, when asking for rain, etc. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allāh feels shy when you raise your hands to let them go empty.” He will also answer you in one of four ways. Second position: Raising the hands is disliked, but you can point with your finger to the sky. This was one narration from Imām Mālik. He said, “I dislike for a person to raise his hands except for ṣalāt’l-istisqā’.” His opinion was to raise one finger. The evidence goes against this opinion. He restricted it to istisqā’ but it was reported in other than that. Third position: Raising the hands is recommended only in times of calamity or during istisqā’ (praying for the rain). This was the other narration from Imām Mālik. Imāms al-Ṣuyūti and al-Nawawi said that there are around 100 aḥadīth showing that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would raise his hands during du‘ā’. (Tadrīb’l-Rāwi) Abu’l-Dardā’ (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “Raise up these hands of yours in supplication before they become manacled with the chains [of Hellfire].” Raising the hands shows humility and the true nature of human beings that he is in need. It stimulates Allāh’s Mercy and Generosity.

What Is the Ordained Way of Raising the Hands?

Mālik b. Yasār said that the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “When you ask of Allāh, ask of Him with the palms of your hands, not with the backs of them.” (Abu Dāwūd)


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The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would raise his hands as high as his chest in du‘ā’ and would then pass them over his blessed face. (Muṣannaf ‘Abdu’l-Razzāq) ‘Ulemā’ said there are types of raising the hands: First position: To raise your hands at the same level of your shoulder holding them together. This is known as du‘ā’ al-raghab. Second position: To raise your hands higher than your chest and not above your head. This is known as du‘ā’ al-ibtihāl. This is for when things are more severe. Third position: You only point with your index finger. This is known as du‘ā’ al-ikhlāṣ. This is during khuṭbat’l-Jumu‘ah. This is du‘ā’ al-tawḥīd. Fourth position: To raise your hands higher than your chest while the backs of the hands are facing the sky. This is known as du‘ā’ al-rahab. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did this during the battle of Badr. Abu Bakr said that he saw his underarms and his hands were raised to the extent his robe fell off of his shoulders. Some ‘ulemā’ said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did this when making the du‘ā’ for istisqā’ to the extent that his hands were so high the back of the hands faced the heaven. All of these ways are from the Sunnah of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and are for different situations. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymīn (raḥimahullāh) stated in al-Sharḥ’l-Mumti‘ (4/25) that they should be held together. He said: “As for separating them and holding them far apart from one another, there is no basis for that in the Sunnah or in the words of the scholars.” § Raising one hand in case of disability.

Imām Muslim reported that Jābir (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) held the camel with one hand and raised one hand up.

§ Raising hands with du‘ā’ during Friday sermon (Khuṭbat’l-Jumu‘ah). § Raising hands with du‘ā’ after ṣalāh.

In many communities, the imām finished the ṣalāh and starts making du‘ā’. Most of the time people don’t know what the imām is saying, so what is the point? The fuqahā’ among the four madhāhib said that this consistent act of du‘ā’ after ṣalāh is not correct and against the Sunnah of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) finished ṣalāh, he would say astaghfirullāh 3 times and then make adhkār. When people start making du‘ā’ right away, then they are losing the Sunnah by not saying the adhkār. They finish the du‘ā’ and then leave without saying the adhkār.


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Ibn ʿAbbās said, “When people invent an innovation in religion, they kill a sunnah.” It is dangerous to think you can come up with something better than the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). You can raise the hands and make du‘ā’, but to do it right after the ṣalāh is not correct. You do it after you say the adhkār from the sunnah. Sometimes the imām will occasionally do it and that is fine.

§ Wiping the face with one’s hands after making the du‘ā’. It is not recommended. This is the opinion of Shāfi‘i, Ḥanbali. Imām Mālik said it is bid‘ah to wipe over the face after finishing the du‘ā’. Imām Ibn al-Mubārak was asked if we should wipe our faces after du‘ā’, and he said he never saw any authentic ḥadīth to support such an action. Imām Sufyān al-Thawri said he disliked wiping the face after making du‘ā’. Ibn Taymiyyah said, “As for wiping the face after making du‘ā’, there is a ḥadīth or two narrated regarding this but they are not authentic.” Some of the Ḥanafis, some Shāfi‘is and some Ḥanābilah said it is recommended for you to wipe your face after du‘ā’ because of the ḥadīth Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned: “Ask Allāh with the palm of your hands and not with the backs of your hands and when you finish, wipe your face.” Ḥadīth from Abi Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah. This ḥadīth is weak because all of the ‘ulemā’ of ḥadīth agree that Ṣāliḥ b. Ḥassān is a weak narrator. Ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās: He used to wipe his face with his hands. In another ḥadīth, he said the barakah is in your hands so wipe your face with them. This is weak.

Can you make sujūd outside of the ṣalāh to make du‘ā’? Scholars said yes because ‘Ali b. Abi Ṭālib said one of the best ways to make du‘ā’ is in sujūd. However, this statement doesn’t really specify it is outside of ṣalāh. Most Muslim scholars said it is permissible and you are allowed to make sujūd outside of ṣalāh for the purpose of du‘ā’. What is not correct is to just make sujūd to praise Allāh. § Wiping the face with the hands after al-qunūt.

‘Umar b. al-Khaṭṭāb said that when Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raised his hands in du‘ā’, he would not put them down until he had wiped his face with them. (Tirmidhi) Ibn ‘Abbās said that the Messenger (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not put curtains on walls, and whoever looks into the book of his brother without his permission, then verily he’s looking into the fire. Ask Allāh with your palms (i.e. raised to the sky) and do not ask him with your forehands. Once you have finished (your supplication) wipe your face with them.” (Abu Dāwūd)

These ḥadīth are weak and some scholars have said they are ḥasan (acceptable).


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First opinion: It is not recommended for the person to wipe his face after du‘ā’. This is the opinion of Imām Mālik, the strongest one among the Shāfi‘is madh-hab, one narration from Imām Aḥmad and the choice of Ibn Taymiyyah.

Second opinion: It is recommended for the person to wipe his face after du‘ā’. This is the opinion of a few of the Māliki and Shāfi‘i scholars, and the strongest one among the Ḥanbalis.

Some Muslim jurists deem it permissible to kneel while making du‘ā’. Some Muslim scholars deem it permissible to prostrate outside the ṣalāh while making du‘ā’.

The Ruling of Raising One’s Eyes to the Sky While Making Du‘ā ’ The majority of the scholars from the four madhāhib believe in the permissibility of raising the gaze to the sky during du‘ā’. The opinion of a few jurists from the Shāfi‘is and Ḥanbalis, and the strongest opinion among Ḥanafis is that it is disliked for the person to raise his/her gaze to the sky while making du‘ā’. It is reported in so many aḥadīth that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raised his head and his eyes up to the heavens when making du‘ā’ outside the ṣalāh. Is the sky the direction (qiblah) of making du‘ā’?

“We have certainly seen the turning of your face, [O Muḥammad], toward the heaven, and We will surely turn you to a qiblah with which you will be pleased. So turn your face toward al-Masjid’l-Ḥarām. And wherever you [believers] are, turn your faces toward it [in prayer]. Indeed, those who have been given the Scripture well know that it is the truth from their Lord. And Allāh is not unaware of what they do. (Sūrat’l-Baqarah, 144) The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) upon his death was looking up to the heavens. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) came to drink from a container that was supposed to be filled with milk, but it was empty. Ubādah had seen it earlier and drank


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it because he didn’t think it was for anyone. He saw the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raising his eyes and making du‘ā’. Ubādah was afraid he was making du‘ā’ against him and ran and got him milk. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “I said, ‘O Allāh, provide food and drink for those who provided for me.’” Scholars say this should be said to the one who was supposed to give you food but did not and not for the one who provided you food. When leaving the house, he (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) raised his eyes and said the du‘ā’. It is okay to raise your eyes to the sky as long as it is outside of ṣalāh.

Ruling Related to Reciting the Dhikr § Is it mandatory to recite the narrated adhkār verbatim or can they be recited

according to the general meaning? The majority of the fuqahā’ said you should do it exactly the way it is. Jābir said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to teach them the du‘ā’ in the same way they were taught a sūrah of the Qurʾān. The Qurʾān is not recited with the meaning; it is recited exactly the way it is. In a ḥadīth, a companion said, “The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught me when I go to bed, I make wuḍū’ and lay down on my right side and say:

He changed it to say, “And I believe in Your Messenger, the one that You have sent.” The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) corrected him to say, “prophet” and not “messenger” even though they are synonyms and both are referring to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did not accept the changing of the wording, which led scholars such as Imām al-Nawawi and al-Shawkāni and Ibn Hajar and others to say adhkār is exactly the way the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught us. This is why Ibn ‘Umar was so mad at the man who sneezed and said alḥamdulillāh wa ṣalat wa salām ‘ala Rasulullāh. They consider it transgression in du‘ā’ if you don’t do it the way it is.


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Some scholars said it is allowed to change it if it is to the same meaning and if the dhikr is not restricted dhikr such as the tashahhud or what is said when breaking the fast. If it is a general du‘ā’, even if you change it a little, it is permissible. For example, some of the adhkār of the morning and night. Why is it acceptable? Their proof is that even these aḥadīth are narrated by the meaning. The ṣaḥābah sometimes changed the wording but they brought the exact same meaning because they understood the culture and Arabic language; therefore, we say that it is allowed if it is the same meaning. This can be tricky for people in our times because we don’t understand the Arabic language well enough to make a change and may mess it up.

The vast majority of the Ḥanafis, Mālikis, Shāfi‘is, and Ibn Taymiyyah said that dhikr is of two types:

1. Restricted by number and situation. In this case, the person cannot change the dhikr.

2. If the dhikr is general, then reciting it can be by its meaning. § Reciting the adhkār in a language other than Arabic.

§ Ibn Taymiyyah said the Muslim female should change the nouns/pronouns (which

are usually masculine) that are mentioned in the narrated adhkār to fit her own specific gender.

§ Is it mandatory to adhere to the specific number of repetitions that are mentioned in the narrated adhkār or can somebody add or subtract repetitions?

It depends. If it is restricted dhikr, then you cannot. If it is open dhikr, then you can. For example: adhān is restricted. We don’t have any evidence that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said subḥāna rabbi al-‘aẓīm more than three times, but it is not restricted to three and you can say subḥāna rabbi al-‘aẓīm more than three times. The sunnah is to say subḥānAllāhi wa biḥamdih to the 100. If you are confused about how many times you have said it, then you go with what you are certain about.

Some Ḥanafi, Shāfi‘i, and Ḥanbali scholars believe in the permissibility of adding more repetitions.

Most of the Ḥanafis said it is not allowed to add anything to what has been narrated, and this is the position of Ibn Hajar as well. For them, adding more repetitions is like adding more rakʿah to the ṣalāh or more repetitions to the adhān, which is not allowed.


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Some scholars combine the two opinions by saying: If the dhikr is restricted to certain situations, time, repetitions, then changes cannot be made, but if it is unrestricted, adding more repetitions is permissible.

§ If the person is not sure about the number of repetitions he/she made in reciting

the dhikr, then the person should go by the number he/she is certain about. § Making dhikr verbally vs. making dhikr in the heart

The dhikr of the heart is the contemplating and thinking about Allāh. Al-Shawkāni and other scholars said dhikr is something that you need to pronounce. The best dhikr is when your heart and tongue are connected.

§ It is an innovation in religion to make dhikr by only mentioning an explicit Name of

Allāh or by substituting it through the pronoun “He”. This was something invented after the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) where people start making dhikr with only one of Allāh’s Names. This is pure innovation in religion and never reported from the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). There is a fabricated ḥadīth that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told ‘Ali (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) to repeat saying “Allāh.” Al-Shawkāni said that by agreement of the ‘ulemā’ this is a made-up ḥadīth. Some people lie and say that Allāh told them this dhikr. They say it is in the Qurʾān when Allāh said, “Say, ‘Allāh.’” The verse is talking about the kufār when Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) told them, “Who is the Creator of this and that? Say, ‘Allāh,’ and leave them.” They said the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The Day of Judgment will be established upon people who don’t say, Allāh, Allāh, Allāh.’” (Muslim) This ḥadīth is authentic but also has another narration: “None among them say ‘la ilāha illa Allāh.’” Narrators would sometimes narrate a short version. We combine both versions to understand the ḥadīth. This ḥadīth is not talking about permissibility of dhikr. Also, when you say, “Allāh, Allāh, Allāh,” there is no meaning. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Glorify the Name of your Lord.”

The Rulings Regard Reciting Adhkār in Congregation This has two ways and one is acceptable. Before finishing a gathering, the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would make du‘ā’. When teaching and reminding and educating each other, it is fine. People sitting together and reading Qurʾān is fine. ‘Ulemā’ discuss dhikr done in a congregation where there is dancing, music, etc. When Imām Mālik heard about this, he said it is bid‘ah and forbidden to attend this. The late


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generation of Mālikis go against the teaching of early Māliki scholars regarding this issue. There is no ḥadīth supporting the ṣaḥābah coming together and making any ritual or adhkār in this manner. ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) saw people making adhkār in a circle with stones, and he told them it is not allowed.

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “No people gather in one of the houses of Allāh reciting the Book of Allāh and studying it with one another except that mercy covers them...” (Bukhāri & Muslim) Imām Nawawi said, “And in this there is evidence for the virtue of gathering for the recitation of the Qur’ān in the masjid.” And it is our view and the view of the overwhelming majority. But Mālik said, “It is disliked.” (Muslim) Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, avail yourselves of them.” The Companions asked, “What are the gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allāh?” He replied, “The circles of dhikr. There are roaming angels of Allāh who go about looking for the circles of dhikr, and when they find them they surround them closely.” (Tirmidhi) ‘Amr b. Salmah said, “We used to sit by the door of ‘Abdullāh b. Mas‘ūd before the morning prayer, so that when he came out, we would walk with him to the masjid. (One day) Abu Mūsa al-Ash‘ari came to us and said, ‘Has Abu ‘Abdul-Raḥmān come out yet?’ We replied, ‘No.’ So he sat down with us until he (Ibn Mas‘ūd) came out. When he came out, we all stood along with him, so Abu Mūsa said to him, ‘O Abu ‘Abdul-Raḥmān! I have just seen something in the masjid which I deemed to be evil, but all praise is for Allāh, I did not see anything except good.’ He enquired, ‘Then what is it?’ (Abu Mūsa) replied, ‘If you live you will see it. I saw in the masjid people sitting in circles awaiting the prayer. In each circle they had pebbles in their hands and a man would say, “Repeat Allāhu akbar a hundred times.” So they would repeat it a hundred times. Then he would say, “Say la ilāha illAllāh a hundred times.” So they would say it a hundred times. Then he would say, “Say subḥānallāh a hundred times.” So they would say it a hundred times.’ (Ibn Mas‘ūd) asked, ‘What did you say to them?’ (Abu Mūsa) said, ‘I did not say anything to them. Instead I waited to hear your view or what you declared.’ (Ibn Mas‘ūd) replied, ‘If only you had ordered them to count up the evil deeds they acquired and assured


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them that their good deeds would not be lost!’ Then we went along with him (Ibn Mas‘ūd) until he came to one of these circles and stood and said, ‘What is this which I see you doing?’ They replied, ‘O Abu ‘Abdul-Raḥmān! These are pebbles upon which we are counting takbīr, tahlīl and tasbīḥ.’ He said, ‘Count up your evil deeds. I assure you that none of your good deeds will be lost. Woe to you, O ummah of Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)! How quickly you go to destruction! These are the Companions of your Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and who are widespread. There are his (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) clothes, which have not yet decayed and his bowl which is unbroken. By Him in Whose Hand is my soul! Either you are upon a religion better guided than the religion of Muḥammad (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) or you are opening the door of misguidance.’ They said, ‘O Abu ‘Abdul-Raḥmān! By Allāh, we only intended good.’ He said, ‘How many there are who intend good but do not achieve it. Indeed Allāh’s Messenger (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to us, “A people will recite the Qur’ān but it will not pass beyond their throats.” By Allāh! I do not know, perhaps most of them are from you.’ Then he left them.” ‘Umar Ibn Salmah (the sub-narrator) said, “We saw most of those people fighting against us on the day of Nahrawān, along with the Khawārij.” (Dārimi in his Sunan) He said “better from the companions or starting bid‘ah” because the companions never understood from the verses to make dhikr in the way they were doing it. The man replied, “We are only intending good.” No one doing bid‘ah says anything different. The ṣaḥābah said, “And so many people intend good but they did not act good.” Your intention is not good enough. The narrator said that he saw most of those people on the day of Nahrawan when ‘Ali (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) was fighting the Khawārij. Al-Shātibi commented: “That which is small bid‘ah leads to big bid‘ah.” Saying takbīr together on ‘Īd is not bid‘ah. This is different from what the salaf are talking about. On ‘Īd, ‘Umar would say “Allāhu akbar” and people would say it with him. The salaf were talking about the practices of extreme Ṣūfi groups.


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Chapter 5 | “Al-salāmu ‘alaykum”

The Meaning of the Islamic Greeting “Al-salāmu ‘alaykum” is the greeting of Islam and Muslims; it is one of the most famous, well-known phrases uttered by Muslim and non-Muslims alike about Islam. The meaning of this greeting literally is peace, harmlessness, safety, and protection from evil and from faults. The name Al-Salām is a Name of Allāh, so the meaning of this required greeting between Muslims is: “May the blessing of His Name descend upon you.” The usage of the preposition ‘ala in ‘alaykum (upon you) indicates that the greeting is inclusive. “Al-salāmu ‘alaykum” is a greeting and supplication at the same time. Al-salāmu ‘alaykum or Salāmun ‘alaykum. Al-salāmu ‘alaykum is two things: a greeting and a du‘ā’. When you go to the cemetery and say al-salāmu ‘alaykum, you are making du‘ā’ for them. When you greet someone, you are greeting them and making du‘ā’ for them. Salām means peace and that you will be free from any harm from me. ‘Alaykum means “upon you.” The peace and protection is upon you and protecting you from all sides. It is so sad that you tell your friends al-salāmu ‘alaykum and then backbite him because you promised him safety and then go and betray him. What is worse is saying it and your family and friends do not see your mercy. This greeting is a way of life, which we don’t live by. “Wa barakātuh” The singular is barakah. This comes from birkah, which means oasis or well in the desert because whenever there was water in the desert, there was barakah. Barakah means a lot of good coming in and coming out. This means that this person you are meeting expects only good from you and things which will benefit him. Another meaning of barakah is that something will remain. Who started the salām greeting? Anas (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said that when the people of Yemen came, Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The people of Yemen have come, and they are the first who came shaking hands.” (Abu Dāwūd) Ādam (‘alayhi’l-salām) started this greeting. The angels greeted him.


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The Virtues of Salām

‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) narrated that a man asked Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), “What is the best thing in Islam?” He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Feeding others and giving the greeting of salām to those whom you know and those whom you do not know.” (Bukhāri and Muslim)

Abu Hurayrah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) narrated that Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I not tell you about something which, if you do it, you will love one another? Spread salām amongst yourselves.” (Muslim) Al-Qāḍi ‘Iyāḍ said, “This is urging us to spread salām, as mentioned above, among those whom we know and those whom we do not know. Salām is the first level of righteousness and the first quality of brotherhood, and it is the key to creating love. By spreading salām, the Muslims’ love for one another grows stronger and they demonstrate their distinctive symbols and spread a feeling of security amongst themselves. This is the meaning of Islam.” (Ikmāl, 1/304) Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that when you say “al-salāmu ‘alaykum wa raḥmatullāh wa barakātuh”, you receive 30 ḥasanah. It is a blessed greeting from Allāh. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Spread the salām among you.” You can say other than salām (i.e. what’s up, good morning) after saying salām.

The Ruling on Giving Salām Ḥāfiẓ Ibn ‘Abdu’l-Bar said, “It is a unanimous agreement of the Muslims that to commence salām is sunnah and to reply is wājib.” (Tamḥīd) Bukhāri has a chapter on men giving salām to women and women giving salām to men. ‘Ulemā’ said that if there is fitnah and a bad situation (i.e. a young girl by herself in a dark place and a young man) then apply salām quietly and not out loud – this is a rare case. It is the worst thing ever if you use the religion and Islam for a cheap desire that you want to fulfill (i.e. saying salām to hit on a guy or girl). If you want to play around, don’t use the religion. It was common during the time of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that men give salām to women and women give salām to men.


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It is sunnah for the young to give salām to the older and the one passing/riding gives salām to the ones sitting. Giving salām is sunnah and replying is wājib, and this is agreed upon.

The Etiquettes of Giving Salām § Allāh said, “When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is

better than it or (at least) return it equally. Certainly, Allāh is Ever a Careful Account Taker of all things.” (Al-Nisā’, 4:86)

§ Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If you say salām, make it loud so people can hear it.” (Bukhāri)

§ ‘Abdullāh b. ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “There is no reward if the salām is not

said aloud, and you must reply the same or louder.” (Bukhāri) § Abu Hurayrah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa

sallam) said, “When one of you comes to a gathering, let him say salām, and when he wants to leave let him say salām, for the former is not more of a duty than the latter.” (Abu Dāwūd)

§ Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Let the rider give salām to the walking.

Let the walking give salām to the sitting.” (Bukhāri)

“If one member of a group performs the greeting, that is enough and there is no need for the rest of them to say anything. Similarly, if a member of a group replies to a greeting, that shall be sufficient.” (‘Abdullāh b. Abi Zayd al-Qayrawāni, Risāla)

§ Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If two people are the same age, the best

amongst them should say salām first.” (Bukhāri)

§ It is permissible for the opposite gender to exchange salām. Ibn Hajar said, “Concerning the permissibility of men greeting women with salām and women greeting men: What is meant by its being permitted is when there is no fear of fitnah.” (Fatḥ’l-Bāri’)

Ibn Abi Ḥazam narrated: “There used to be an old woman who used to bring us some dates. She used to cultivate land and do cooking. We used to say salām in the presence of the companions, and she used to reply wa ‘alaykum’l-salām.” (Bukhāri)


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§ Anas b. Mālik (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) reported, “Whenever Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa

sallam) used to go past children, he used to say al-salāmu ‘alaykum to the children.” (Bukhāri)

§ ‘‘Abdullāh b. ‘Umar (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “I asked Bilāl: ‘How did Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) respond to them as they greeted him while he was in prayer?’ Thereupon he said, ‘He (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) only made a gesture with his hands (in order to respond to the greeting).’” (Tirmidhi)

§ Al-Barā’ said, “Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘There are no two Muslims

who meet and shake hands, but they will be forgiven before they part.’” (Abu Dāwūd)

§ Anas (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) narrated: “When the companions of Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu

‘alayhi wa sallam) met, they would shake hands, and when they came from a journey they would embrace one another.” (Ṭabarāni, al-Awsaṭ; Ibn Mufliḥ, Adāb’l-Shar‘iyyah)

Mālik regarded it as makrūh to embrace one who comes from a journey and said that it is a bid‘ah (innovation). He explained the fact that Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did that to Ja‘far when he came as being a unique case. Sufyān said to him, “You cannot regard it as a unique case without evidence” and Mālik fell silent. Qāḍi said, “The fact that he fell silent indicates that he accepted what Sufyān said and agreed with him.” This is the correct view, so long as there is no evidence that this is a unique case. (Ibn Mufliḥ; Adāb’l-Shar‘iyyah)

Even if the other person cannot hear you, give salām. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) forbade us from giving a sign / signal without verbalizing it. A hug is Sunnah when hearing good news or a person comes back from travel. § There are certain circumstances under which it is preferable not to offer salām.

- When a person is relieving himself

- When one is having marital relations

- When someone is sleeping

- Offering salām when someone is reciting the Qur’ān is permissible but discouraged. The same rule applies to someone who is making du‘ā’ (supplication) or one who is praying.

§ Greeting non Muslims

Rasūlullāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Do not initiate the greeting of salām to a non-Muslim.” (Muslim)


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Anas (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) reported that the companions of Allāh’s Apostle (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to him, “The people of the Book offer us salutations (by saying al-salāmu ‘alaykum). How should we reciprocate them?” Thereupon he said, “Say: Wa ‘alaykum (and upon you too).” (Muslim) You reply in full. The Qurʾān says that if anyone greets you with something, you should reply with at least the same. You can say the salām to a kāfir. You are asking for Allāh’s Mercy and barakah be put on that person (i.e. become a Muslim).

§ It has been narrated by Anas (raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu) that the companions of the

Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would walk together and when a tree would come in their way they would separate towards the left and right. Then on meeting each other, one of them would greet the other with salām.

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to start the greeting to non-Muslims with other than al-salāmu ‘alaykum.


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Chapter 6 | Dhikr & Du‘ā ’ 24/7

Du‘ā ’ for You to Memorize

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever awakes at night and then says: ‘La ilāha illAllāhu waḥdahu la sharīka lah, lahu’l-mulku wa lahu’l ḥamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadīr, subḥānallāh, wa’l-ḥamdulillāh, wa la ilāha illallāhu w’Allāhu akbar, wa la ḥawla wa la quwwata illa billāhi’l-’Aliyyi’l-‘Aẓīm. Rabbighfirli’ [None has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, alone without associate, to Him belongs sovereignty and praise and He is over all things wholly capable. How perfect Allāh is, and all praise is for Allāh, and none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, Allāh is the greatest and there is no power nor might except with Allāh, The Most High, The Supreme. O my Lord forgive me.] he will be forgiven.” or the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “…and then asks, he will be answered. If he then performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted.” (Bukhāri)

The Ruling of Dhikr & Du‘ā ’ in Our Daily Lives

The Morning and Evening Adhkār

“So be patient over what they say and exalt [Allāh] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and during periods of the night [exalt Him] and at the ends of the day, that you may be satisfied.” (Ṭāha, 20:130)

“And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech - in the mornings and the evenings. And do not be among the heedless.” (Al-A‘rāf, 7:205)


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Timings of the Morning and Evening Adhkār There is a debate between the scholars about the times which the adhkār of morning and evening both start and end. The most famous opinions are: § Morning is from mid-night until ẓuhr time. The evening is from ẓuhr until mid-night.

This is the opinion of Ibn Durayd, and al-Ṣuyūti took this opinion.

§ Morning is from fajr until sunrise, and night is from ẓuhr until sunset (maghrib). This is the opinion of another Arabic language scholar Ibn ‘Aṭiyya.

§ Morning is from fajr until sunrise, and night is from ‘aṣr until ‘ishā’. This is the

opinion of Shaykh ‘Uthaymīn. § Morning is from fajr until maghrib. Night is from maghrib until fajr. This is the

opinion of Ibn al-Jazari. § Morning is from fajr until sunrise, and evening is from maghrib until midnight. This

is the opinion of Ibn Hajar and al-Fayrūz Abādi. § Morning is from fajr until sunrise, and evening is from ‘aṣr until maghrib. This is the

opinion of al-Nawawi, Bakr Abu Zayd, and Ibn Bāz. One does not have to recite all the adhkār that were reported for every situation. Al-Nawawi said, “Say from it (morning and evening adhkār) as much as you can because each one has different ajr (reward) and benefits. Some have more protections and others more rewards. If you do not have much time left, then choose the most important with the most ajr to say first. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘If I order you to do something, then do what you are capable of.’” (Al-adhkār) It is recommended to say the morning and evening adhkār in the masjid . Jābir reported: When the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to pray fajr, he would stay in his place until the sun rose making dhikr. (Muslim) You can recite the adhkār from memory or read from a book. Al-Awzā‘i was asked: “In the morning is reading Qur’ān or reciting the dhikr of the morning better?” Al-Awzā‘i said that there is nothing better than the Qur’ān, but the ṣaḥābah and tābi‘īn used to make dhikr after fajr until the sun rose and did not read the Qur’ān.


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Upon Morning and Evening You Say:

The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “Any slave of Allāh who says in the morning of every day and in the evening of every night: ‘In the name of Allāh with whose Name nothing is harmed on earth nor in the heavens, and He is the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing’ three times shall be safe from the reach of anything evil or harmful.” (Tirmidhi)

“O Allāh! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.” (Abu Dāwūd) Upon Morning You Say:

“We have reached the morning, and at this very time unto Allāh belongs all sovereignty, Lord of the worlds. O Allāh, I ask You for the good of this day, its triumphs, its victories, its light, its blessings, and its guidance. And I take refuge in You from the evil of this day and the evil that follows it.” (Abu Dāwūd) Upon Evening You Say:


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“We have entered upon evening and the whole Kingdom of Allāh entered upon evening, and all praise is for Allāh. None has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, alone, without partner, to Him belongs all sovereignty and praise and He is over all things omnipotent. My Lord, I ask You for the good of this night and the good of what follows it and I take refuge in You from the evil of this night and the evil of what follows it. My Lord, I take refuge in You from laziness and senility. My Lord, I take refuge in You from torment in the Fire and punishment in the grave.” (Muslim)

“I take refuge in Allāh’s perfect words from the evil of His creation.” (Three times in the night) (Tirmidhi) Ibn ‘Abbās related that the Messenger of Allāh (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to commend al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn to Allāh’s protection, saying: “U‘īdhukuma bi kalimātillāhi’l-tāmmah, min kulli Shayṭānin wa hāmmah, wa min kulli ‘aynin lāmmah.” [I commend you two to the protection of Allāh’s perfect words from every devil, vermin, and every evil eye.] Upon finishing your wuḍū ’ you say:

Allāhumma-j‘alni mina’l-tawwābīna wa ja‘alni mina’l-mutaṭahhirīn. [O Allāh, make me of those who return to You often in repentance and make me of those who remain clean and pure.] (Tirmidhi) And upon leaving your house you say:

Allāhumma inni a‘ūdhu bika an aḍilla aw uḍall, aw azilla aw uzall, aw aẓlima aw uẓlam, aw ajhala aw yujhala ‘alay. [O Allāh, I take refuge with You lest I should stray or be led astray, or slip or be tripped, or oppress or be oppressed, or behave foolishly or be treated foolishly.] (Abu Dāwūd)


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On your way to the masjid you say:

Allāhumma-j‘al fi qalbi nūra, wa fī lisāni nūra, wa-j‘al fi samā‘i nūra wa-j‘al fi baṣari nūra, wa-j‘al min khalfi nūra, wa min amāmi nūra , wa-j‘al min fawqi nūra, wa min taḥti nūra, Allāhumma ātini nūra [O Allāh, place within my heart light, and upon my tongue light, and within my ears light, and within my eyes light, and place behind me light and in front of me light and above me light and beneath me light. O Allāh, bestow upon me light.] (Bukhāri & Muslim) And upon entering the masjid you say:

A‘ūdhu billāhi’l-‘aẓīm wa bi wajhihi’l-karīm wa sulṭānihi’l qadīm mina’l-Shayṭān’l-rajīm [bismillāhi wa’l-ṣalātu] [wa’l salāmu ‘ala rasūlillāh] Allāhumma-ftaḥli abwāba raḥmatik. [I take refuge with Allāh, The Supreme and with His Noble Face, and His eternal authority from the accursed devil. In the name of Allāh, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allāh. O Allāh, open the gates of Your mercy for me.] And upon leaving the masjid you say:

Bismillāh wa’l-ṣalātu wa’l-salāmu ‘ala rasūlillāh, Allāhumma innī as’aluka min faḍlik, Allāhumma-‘ṣimni mina’l-Shayṭān’l-rajīm. [In the name of Allāh, and prayers and peace be upon the Messenger of Allāh. O Allāh, I ask You from Your favor. O Allāh, guard me from the accursed devil.] (Muslim)


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Upon traveling:

Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, subḥāna’l-ladhi sakhkhara lana hādha wa ma kunna lahu muqrinīn, wa inna ila rabbina lamunqalibūn, Allāhumma inna nas’aluka fi safarina hādha’l-birra wa’l-taqwa, wa mina’l ‘amali ma tarḍa, Allāhumma hawwin ‘alayna safarana hādha, waṭwi ‘anna bu‘dah, Allāhumma anta’l-ṣāḥibu fi’l-safar, wa’l-khalīfatu fi’l-ahl, Allāhumma inni a‘ūdhu bika min wa‘thā’l-safar, wa kābat’l-manẓar, wa sū’i’l-munqalabi fi’l-māli wa’l-ahl. [Allāh is the greatest, Allāh is the greatest, Allāh is the greatest. How perfect He is, The One Who has placed this (transport) at our service, and we ourselves would not have been capable of that, and to our Lord is our final destiny. O Allāh, we ask You for birr and taqwa in this journey of ours, and we ask You for deeds which please You. O Allāh, facilitate our journey and let us cover its distance quickly. O Allāh, You are The Companion on the journey and The Successor over the family, O Allāh, I take refuge with You from the difficulties of travel, from having a change of hearts and being in a bad predicament, and I take refuge in You from an ill-fated outcome with wealth and family.] (Muslim) Upon entering a city:

Allāhumma rabb’l-samāwāt’l-sab‘i wa ma aẓlalna, wa rabb’l arḍayn’l-sab‘i wa ma aqlalna, wa rabb’l shayāṭīni wa ma aḍlalna, wa rabb’l-riyāḥi wa ma dharayn, as’aluka khayra hādhih’l-qaryati, wa khayra ahlilha wa khayra ma fīha, wa a‘ūdhu bika min sharriha wa sharri ahliha, wa sharri ma fīha. [O Allāh, Lord of the seven heavens and all that they envelop, Lord of the seven earths and all that they carry, Lord of the devils and all whom they misguide, Lord of the winds and all whom they whisk away. I ask You for the goodness of this village, the goodness of its inhabitants and for all the goodness found within it and I take refuge with You from the evil of this village, the evil of its inhabitants and from all the evil found within it.] (Ḥākim)


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Upon entering the market:

La ilāha illAllāh, waḥdahu la sharīka lah, lahu’l-mulku wa lahu’l-ḥamd, yuḥyi wa yumītu wa huwa ḥayyun la yamūt, bi yadih’l-khayru wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadīr. [None has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, alone, without partner, to Him belongs all sovereignty and praise. He gives life and causes death, and He is living and does not die. In His hand is all good and He is over all things, omnipotent.] (Tirmidhi) Upon entering the home:

Bismillāh. (Muslim) And upon sleeping you say:

As the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to place his right hand under his cheek when about to sleep and supplicate: Allāhumma qini ‘adhābaka yawma tab‘athu ‘ibādak. [O Allāh, protect me from Your punishment on the day Your servants are resurrected.] (three times) (Abu Dāwūd) Upon eating and drinking:

Bismillāh If you forget to say it before starting, then you should say (when you remember): “In the Name of Allāh in its beginning and end.” (Abu Dāwūd)


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When you finish you say:

Alḥamdulillāhi’l-ladhi aṭ‘amani hādha wa razaqanīhi min ghayri ḥawlin minni wa la quwwah. [All praise is for Allāh who fed me this and provided it for me without any might nor power from myself.] (Tirmidhi) And you say to the one who offered you the food

Allāhumma bārik lahum fīma razaqtahum, wa-ghfir lahum warḥamhum. [O Allāh, bless for them, that which You have provided them, forgive them and have mercy upon them.] (Muslim) Upon wearing new clothes you say:

Allāhumma laka’l-ḥamdu anta kasawtanīhi, as’aluka min khayrihi wa khayri ma ṣuni‘a lah, wa a‘ūdhu bika min sharrihi wa sharri ma ṣuni‘a lah. [O Allāh, for You is all praise, You have clothed me with it (i.e. the garment), I ask You for the good of it and the good for which it was made, and I seek refuge with You from the evil of it and the evil for which it was made.] (Abu Dāwūd) Upon seeing someone wearing a new garment you say:

Ilbas jadīdan wa ‘ā’ish ḥamīdan wa mut shahīdan. [Wear anew, live commendably and die a shahīd.] (Ibn Mājah)


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If you are in pain you say:

“Place your hand on the place on your body where the pain is, and say ‘bismillāh’ 3 times, and then say 7 times: A‘ūthu billāhi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uḥādhir. [I seek refuge in Allāh and His complete power and ability from the evil of what I feel and am wary of.] (Muslim) In the time of sadness, worry, or distress, you say:

Allāhumma raḥmataka arju fala takilni ila nafsi ṭarfata ‘ayn, wa aṣliḥ li sha’ni kullah, la ilāha illa ant. [O Allāh, I hope for Your mercy. Do not leave me to myself even for the blinking of an eye (i.e. a moment). Correct all of my affairs for me. There is none worthy of worship but You.] (Abu Dāwūd)

La ilāha illa anta subḥānak inni kuntu mina’l-ẓālimīn [There is absolutely no deity worthy of worship, except you, and verily I have been among those people who oppress.] Any Muslim asking Allāh through this supplication will be answered. (Ḥākim)

La ilāha illAllāhu’l-‘Aẓīm’l-Ḥalīm, La ilāha illAllāh rabb’l-‘arsh’l aẓīm, La ilāha illAllāh rabb’l-samāwāti wa rabb’l-arḍi wa rabb’l-‘arsh’l-karīm. [None has the right to be worshipped except, the Tremendous One, the Forbearing. None has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, the Lord of the tremendous Throne. None has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, the Lord of the heavens, and the Lord of the earth, and the Lord of the honorable Throne.] (Bukhāri)


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Upon encountering an enemy or transgressor, you say:

Allāhumma inna naj‘aluka fi nuḥūrihim wa na‘ūdhu bika min shurūrihim. [O Allāh, we place You before them and we take refuge in You from their evil.] (Abu Dāwūd)

Ḥasbuna’llāhu wa ni‘ma’l-wakīl. [Allāh is sufficient for us, and how fine a trustee (He is)]. (Bukhāri) If there is something difficult for you to deal with, you say:

Allāhumma la sahla illa ma ja‘altahu sahla, wa anta taj‘al’l-ḥazna idha shi’ta sahla. [O Allāh! There is nothing easy except what You make easy, and You make the difficult easy if it be Your Will.] (Ibn Ḥibbān) If you are scared and feeling the presence of Shayṭān or j inn : Call the adhān

Say three times: A‘ūdhu billāhi mina’l-Shayṭān’l-rajīm. [I seek refuge in Allāh from the Satan, the outcast.] Then spit to your left. (Muslim) If you are in debt you say:

Allāhumma-kfini bi ḥalālika ‘an ḥarāmik, waghnini bi faḍlika ‘amman siwāk.


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[O Allāh, make what is lawful enough for me, as opposed to what is unlawful, and spare me by Your grace, of need of others.] (Bukhāri & Muslim) Upon a wind storm and hearing thunder you say:

Allāhumma inni as’aluka khayraha wa a‘ūdhu bika min sharriha. [O Allāh, I ask You for its goodness and I take refuge with You from its evil.] (Abu Dāwūd)

Subḥāna’l-ladhi yusabbiḥu’l-ra‘du bi ḥamdihi, wa’l-malā’ikatu min khīfatih. [How perfect He is, (The One) Whom the thunder declares His perfection with His praise, as do the angles out of fear of Him.] (Muwaṭṭa’ from Ibn al-Zubayr) If you go to a wedding you say to the newlywed:

Bārakallāhu lak, wa bāraka ‘alayk, wa jama‘a bayn kuma fi khayr. [May Allāh bless for you (your spouse) and bless you, and may He unite both of you in goodness.] (Abu Dāwūd) To offer condolences, you say:

Inna lillāhi ma akhadh, wa lahu ma a‘ṭa, wa kullu shay’in ‘indahu bi ajalin Mūsamma… fa’l-taṣbir wa’l taḥtasib. [Verily to Allāh, belongs what He took and to Him belongs what He gave, and everything with Him has an appointed time… and then he ordered for her to be patient and hope for Allāh’s reward.] (Bukhāri & Muslim)


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When angry, you say:

A‘ūdhu billāhi mina’l-Shayṭāni’l-rajīm. [I take refuge with Allāh from the accursed devil.] (Bukhāri & Muslim) Upon seeing someone in trial or tribulation you say:

Alḥamdulillāhi’l-ladhi ‘āfani min ma-btalaka bih, wa faḍḍalani ‘ala kathīrin min man khalaqa tafḍīla. [All praise is for Allāh Who saved me from that which He tested you with and Who most certainly favoured me over much of His creation.] (Tirmidhi) Upon the conclusion of a gathering you say:

Subḥānak’allāhumma wa bi ḥamdik, ash-hadu an la ilāha illa ant, astaghfiruka wa atūbu ilayk. [How perfect You are O Allāh, and I praise You. I bear witness that None has the right to be worshipped except You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance.] (Abu Dāwūd) You begin your ṣalāh with:

Allāhumma bā’Īd bayni wa bayna khaṭāyaya kama bā‘adta bayna’l-mashriqi wa’l-maghrib, Allāhumma naqqini min khaṭāyaya kama yunaqqa’l-thawb’l abyaḍu mina’l-danas, Allāhumma-ghsilni min khaṭāyaya bi’l thalji wa’l-mā’i wa’l barad. [O Allāh, distance me from my sins just as You have distanced The East from The West, O Allāh, purify me of my sins as a white robe is purified of filth, O Allāh, cleanse me of my sins with snow, water, and ice.] (Bukhāri & Muslim)


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Upon prostrating:

Allāhumma-ghfirli dhanbi kullahu diqqahu wa jillahu wa awwalahu wa ākhirahu wa ‘alā niyyatahu wa sirrahu Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would say while prostrating, “O Allāh, forgive all of my sins, the small and the large, the first and the last, the public and private.” (Muslim)

Allāhumma a‘ūdhu bi riḍāka min sakhaṭika wa bi mu‘afātika min ‘uqūbatika. Wa a‘ūdhu bika minka la uḥṣi thanā’an ‘alayka, anta kama athnayta ‘ala nafsika. ‘Ā’ishah (raḍyAllāhu ‘anha) reported, “One night I missed the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) from his bed. I looked for him and found him praying. He was prostrating, his feet were in an upright position and he was saying, ‘O Allāh, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger. I seek refuge in Your granting of well-being from Your punishment. I seek refuge in You from You. The praise I may do cannot encompass You; You are as You have praised Yourself.” (Muslim) Upon starting the night prayer: Witr Prayer

Allāhumma rabba jibrā’īl, wa mīkā’īl, wa isrāfīl fāṭir’l-samāwāti wa’l-arḍ, ‘ālim’l-ghaybi wa’l-shahādah, anta taḥkumu bayna ‘ibādika fīma kānu fīhi yakhtalifūn. Ihdini lima-khtulifa fīhi mina’l-ḥaqqi bi’Īdhnik, innaka tahdi man tashā’u ila ṣirāṭin mustaqīm. [O Allāh, Lord of Jibrā’īl, Mīkā’īl and Isrāfīl (great angles), Creatorof the heavens and the Earth, Knower of the seenand the unseen. You are the arbitrator between Your servants in that which they have disputed. Guide me to the truth by Your leave, in that which they have differed, for verily You guide whom You will to a straight path.] (Muslim)


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Subḥāna’l-Mālik’l-quddūs (three times). [How perfect The King, The Holy One is.] …on the third time he would raise his voice, elongate it and add: Rabb’l-malā’ikati wa’l-rūḥ. [Lord of the angels and the Rūḥ (i.e. Jibrā’īl)] (Nasā’i).


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Activity | 21 Day Adhkār Challenge It normally takes 21 days to build a habit. Choose at least three of the morning and evening adhkār and challenge yourself to say them daily for 21 days, both in the morning and evening. You will be well on your way to permanently establishing dhikr as part of your daily routine! Morning dhikr starts from fajr adhān until ẓuhr. Evening adhkār start from ‘aṣr until ‘ishā’.


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Activity | Du‘ā ’ List

Write down 5 things that you are going to pray for this weekend during all prayers, including witr prayer, before sleeping and in the morning and night. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Write down 5 people you will include in your prayer this weekend during all prayers, including witr prayer, before sleeping and in the morning and night. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

24-7 Fiqh of Du'a & Dhikr Notes_Qabeelat Hosna

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ilha illallh