PRAISE ALLAH WITH HIS BEAUTIFUL NAMES BEFORE MAKING YOUR REQUEST
Begin to call Him with His Beautiful Names as found in the Sunnah such as the following:
- Allah
- Al-Hayyu (The Ever-Living), Al-Qayyum (The Sustainer)
- Dhul-Jalaali wal-Ikraam (The Owner of Majesty & Generosity, The Possessor of Glory & Honour)
- Al-Mannaan (The Bestower of all good)
- Badee’ as-Samaawaati wal-Ard (The Originator of the heavens and the earth)
- Al-Ahad (the One), As-Samad (the Self-Sufficient Master)
The Names of Allah listed above are found in the following hadiths:
Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “Whenever a matter would distress him, the Prophet ﷺ would say: ‘Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyoom!, bi-rahmatika astagheeth (O Ever-Living, O Sustainer! In Your Mercy do I seek relief).’” And with this chain, that he said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Be constant with (or make it a habit to supplicate with): Ya Dhal-Jalaali wal-Ikraam (O Owner of Majesty and Generosity).’”[Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (3524)]
Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه narrated: “I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: ‘O Allah, I ask You by virtue of the fact that the Praise is due to You, there is no god but You, Al-Mannaan (the Bestower of all good), Badee’ as-Samaawaati wal-Ard (the Originator of the heavens and the earth), Ya Dhal-Jalaali wal-Ikraam (O Owner of Majesty and Generosity), Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyoom (O Ever-Living, O Sustainer).’ The Prophet ﷺ then said: ‘He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by it, He answers, and when asked by it, He gives.’” [Sunan Abi Dawud (1495)]
Buraydah ibn al-Hasib رضي الله عنه narrated: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: ‘O Allah, I ask You by my testifying that there is no god but You, Al-Ahad (the One), As-Samad (the Self-Sufficient Master), Who begets not, nor has been begotten, and to Whom there is none co-equal or comparable to.’ Then he said: ‘You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked by it, He gives, and when supplicated by it, he answers.’” [Sunan Abi Dawud (3475)]
HOW TO GAIN ASSURANCE FROM ALLAH THAT YOUR SUPPLICATION WILL BE ANSWERED
(1) Make du‘aa on the Day of ‘Arafah.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “The best of supplication is the supplication of the Day of ‘Arafah.” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (3585). Classified as ‘Hasan’ (good) by Sheikh al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami’ as-Saghir wa Ziyadatuh (3274)]
This is the best time to make du‘aa. Definitely, supplications on this day are considered the best compared to any other day. This alludes to the higher likelihood of our prayers being answered due to their weight in the sight of Allah.
(2) Precede your supplication with the following adhkaar (remembrances) taught by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
(A)
لَآ إِلٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ.
LA ILAAHA ILLA ANTA SUBHAANAKA INNI KUNTU MINAL-DHZAALIMEEN.
Meaning:
There is no god worthy of worship except You; Glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.
Reference Hadith:
Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas رضي الله عنه narrated: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The supplication of Dhun-Nun when he called upon Allah while in the belly of the fish, is: ‘La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minal-zalimin (There is no god worthy of worship except You; Glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers).’ So indeed, no Muslim man ever supplicates with these words for any need except that Allah answers his supplication.’” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (3505)]
(B) SubhaanAllaah (Glory be to Allah), Alhamdulillaah (the Praise be to Allah), Allaahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) ten times each.
Reference Hadith:
Anas ibn Malik رضى الله عنه narrated: “Umm Sulaim came to the Prophet ﷺ (may Allah send Blessings and Peace upon him) and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, teach me some words that I may supplicate with during my prayer.’ He said: ‘Glorify Allah (by saying SubhanAllaah) ten times, and praise Him (by saying Alhamdulillah) ten times, and magnify Him (by saying Allahu Akbar) ten times, then ask Him for what you need; He will say: ‘Yes, yes.’” [Sunan an-Nasa’i (1299) and Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (481)]
Recite the tasbeeh (SubhanAllah), tahmeed (Alhamdulillah) and takbeer (Allahu Akbar), each of them ten times, after the final tashahhud before giving the salaam, and then ask for whatever you deem good. Allah will respond: “Yes, yes” to your du‘aa (supplication); that means He will definitely grant you the best outcome, according to His Wisdom, for your du‘aa. He knows what is best for us.
With full conviction, practise this Sunnah taught by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, especially during tahajjud. It will definitely change your life.
(C)
اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ، بَدِيعُ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، يَا ذَا الْجَلاَلِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ، يَا حَىُّ يَا قَيُّومُ.
ALLAAHUMMA INNEE AS-ALUKA BIANNA LAKAL-HAMDA LAA ILAAHA ILLAA ANTAL-MANNAAN, BADEE‘US-SAMAAWAATI WAL-ARDI, YAA DZAL-JALAALI WAL-IKRAAMI, YAA HAYYU YAA QAYYOOM.
Meaning:
O Allah, I ask You by virtue of the fact that the Praise is due to You, there is no god but You, Al-Mannaan (the Bestower of all good), Badee’ as-Samaawaati wal-Ard (the Originator of the heavens and the earth), Ya Dhal-Jalaali wal-Ikraam (O Owner of Majesty and Generosity), Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyoom (O Ever-Living, O Sustainer).
Reference Hadith:
Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه narrated: “I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: ‘O Allah, I ask You by virtue of the fact that the Praise is due to You, there is no god but You, Al-Mannaan (the Bestower of all good), Badee’ as-Samaawaati wal-Ard (the Originator of the heavens and the earth), Ya Dhal-Jalaali wal-Ikraam (O Owner of Majesty and Generosity), Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyoom (O Ever-Living, O Sustainer).’ The Prophet ﷺ then said: ‘He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by it, He answers, and when asked by it, He gives.’” [Sunan Abi Dawud (1495)]
(D)
اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ.
ALLAAHUMMA INNEE AS-ALUKA BIANNEE ASHHADU ANNAKA ANTALLAAHU LAA ILAAHA ILLAA ANTAL-AHADUS-SAMADULLADZI LAM YALID WALAM YOOLAD, WALAM YAKUN LAHOO KUFUWAN AHAD.
Meaning:
O Allah, I ask You, I bear witness that there is no god but You, Al-Ahad (the One), As-Samad (the Self-Sufficient Master), Who begets not, nor has been begotten, and to Whom there is none co-equal or comparable to.
Reference Hadith:
Buraydah ibn al-Hasib رضي الله عنه narrated: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: ‘O Allah, I ask You by my testifying that there is no god but You, Al-Ahad (the One), As-Samad (the Self-Sufficient Master), Who begets not, nor has been begotten, and to Whom there is none co-equal or comparable to.’ Then he said: ‘You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked by it, He gives, and when supplicated by it, he answers.’” [Sunan Abi Dawud (3475)]
(E) Another means by which you can be assured that Allah will answer your du‘aa is to make it upon waking up during the night and precede it with the following dhikr:
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ. اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَلَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ. وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ. اَللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي.
LAA ILAAHA ILLALLAAHU WAHDAHU LAA SHAREEKALAHOO, LAHUL-MULKU WALAHUL-HAMDU, WAHUWA ‘ALAA KULLI SHAY-IN QADEER. ALHAMDULILLAAHI, WASUBHAANALLAAHI, WALAA ILAHA ILLALLAAHU, WALLAAHU AKBAR. WALAA HAULA WALAA QUWWATA ILLAA BILLAAH. ALLAAHUMMAGHFIRLEE.
Meaning:
There is no god worthy of worship except Allah. He is Alone and He has no partner whatsoever. To Him Alone belong all sovereignty and all praise. He is over all things All-Powerful. All praise be to Allah and Allah is free from imperfection. There is no god worthy of worship except Allah. Allah is the Greatest. There is no power (in averting evil) or strength (in attaining good) except through Allah. O Allah, forgive me.
Reference Hadith:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever gets up at night and recites [the above] and then says: ‘O Allah, forgive me’ or makes du‘aa, he will be responded to. If he performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted.” [Sahih al-Bukhari (1154)]
(3) Make du‘aa during the last third of the night.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “When it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Blessed and Most Exalted, descends (in the manner befitting Him) every night to the heaven of the world (the lowest heaven) and says: ‘Who will invoke Me (demand anything from Me), that I may respond to his invocation? Who will ask Me for something that I may give (it to) him? Who will seek My forgiveness that I may forgive him?’” [Sahih al-Bukhari (6321)]
(4) Make du‘aa between Adhan and Iqamah.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “The du‘aa made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejected.” [Sunan Abi Dawud (521) and Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (212)]
This is a practice that many Muslims often overlooked, despite how simple it is to seize. Make the most of this blessed daily moment, and do not miss the chance for your du‘aa to be accepted.
(5) Make du‘aa whilst in sujood (prostration).
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:
“As for the prostration, strive earnestly (and go to great lengths) in making du‘aa, for it is most likely that your supplication will be answered.” [Sahih Muslim (479a)]
“The nearest a servant is to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so increase in supplication (in this state).” [Sahih Muslim (482)]
Pour your heart out to Allah in this position and ask for anything you deem good, minor or major; for yourself, your family, friends and the Ummah.
(6) Make du‘aa at the end of the obligatory prayers.
Abu Umamah رضي الله عنه narrated: “It was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which supplication is most likely to be listened to?’ He said: ‘(During) the last part of the night, and at the end of the obligatory prayers.’” [Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (3499)]
Scholars have interpreted that ‘end of the obligatory prayers’ can refer to either just before the salaam or after it. But the most authentic opinion is that ‘end of the obligatory prayers’ means after the final tashahhud and before the salaam. There is no evidence that the Prophet ﷺ raise his hands to supplicate after every obligatory prayers. Even if an imam wishes to supplicate after every obligatory prayer, he should supplicate alone; not in congregation because the Prophet ﷺ never led his companions in making du’aa by raising his voice after every obligatory prayer.
If you need to make du’aa after the prayer, it is best to make it after completing the prescribed Sunnah adhkaar.
(7) Make du‘aa at the last portion of the day of Jumu‘ah
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Friday is divided into twelve hours (or portions of time) . There is no Muslim slave who asks Allah for something but He will give it to him, so seek it in the last hour (portion) after ‘Asr (prayer).” [Sunan Abu Dawud (1048)]
If a Muslim sincerely makes du‘aa during this time, asking Allah for something lawful and good, Allah promises to answer that supplication according to His wisdom.
(8) Make du‘aa when it rains.
Sahl ibn Sa’d رضي الله عنه narrated: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Two things are not rejected.’ Or he said: ‘They are not rejected: supplication at the time of the call to prayer, or at the time of battle when they clash with one another.’” Musa ibn Ya’qub said: “Rizq ibn Sa‘id ibn ‘Abdul-Rahman al-Madani narrated to me, on the authority of Abu Hazim, on the authority of Sahl ibn Sa’d, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, who said: ‘And under the rain.’” [Imam al-Hakim’s al-Mustadrak ‘ala as-Sahihayn (2563), published by Dar al-Minhaj al-Qawim (Syrian Arab Republic)]
The phrase ‘under the rain’ refers to the time when rain is actually falling and a person is beneath it. However, scholars generally understand it to refer to the time of rainfall, not that every part of a person’s body must be exposed to the rain. If you are indoors while it is raining, it is still considered a blessed time for du‘aa. However, the literal wording of the hadith specifically mentions being under the falling rain.
(9) Make du‘aa immediately after witnessing or hearing of a blessing given to someone.
Prophet Zakariya عليه السلام, after witnessing the sustenance miraculously provided to Maryam عليها السلام and learning from her that it came from Allah, immediately invoked his Lord, asking Him to grant him a good offspring. This event is recounted in the Qur’an:
“So her Lord (Allah) accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zakariya. Every time he entered Al-Mihrab (a praying place or a private room) to visit her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: O Maryam! From where have you got this? She said, This is from Allah. Verily, Allah provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit.
At that time Zakariya invoked his Lord, saying: ‘O my Lord! Grant me from You, a good offspring. You are indeed the All-Hearer of invocation.’
Then the angels called him, while he was standing in prayer in Al-Mihrab, (saying): ‘Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya, confirming (believing in) the word from Allah [i.e. the creation of ‘Isa عليه السلام, the Word from Allah (Be! – and he was!)], noble, keeping away from sexual relations with women, a Prophet, from among the righteous.’” [The Noble Qur’an, Surah Ali ‘Imran, 3:37-39]
Allah answered Prophet Zakariya’s عليه السلام supplication by granting him a righteous son, Prophet Yahya عليه السلام.
(10) Make du‘aa when hearing the crowing of the rooster.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “When you hear the crowing of the rooster, ask Allah of His bounty, for it has seen an angel. And when you hear the braying of a donkey, seek refuge in Allah from Satan (devil), for it has seen a Satan.” [Sahih al-Bukhari (3303) and Sahih Muslim (2729)]
The wisdom behind making a du‘aa is that when the rooster crows upon seeing an angel, it is hoped that the angel will say “Aameen” to one’s supplication, making it more likely to be answered.
(11) Make du‘aa when visiting the sick.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Whenever you visit the sick or the dead, say good words because the angels say “Aameen” to whatever you say.” [Sahih Muslim (919)]
This teaches us that when we are present with someone who is sick or dying, we should speak only good words and make du‘aa, because the angels affirm (say “Aameen”) to whatever we say. This emphasises the importance of positive speech and supplication during such visits.
(12) Make du‘aa when the soul is taken.
Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها narrated: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered upon Abu Salamah when his sight had become fixed (i.e., he had just died). So he closed his eyes, then said: ‘Indeed, when the soul is taken, the sight follows it.’ Then some of his family began to wail, so he said: ‘Do not supplicate upon yourselves except with good, for indeed the angels say “Aameen” to whatever you say.’ Then he said: ‘O Allah, forgive Abu Salamah, raise his rank among the rightly guided, grant him a successor in his descendants who remain, forgive us and him, O Lord of the worlds, expand his grave for him, and illuminate it for him.’” [Sahih Muslim (920a)]
Key Lessons from This Hadith:
- Say only good when present at someone’s death or illness.
- Avoid wailing or making negative supplications as the angels say “Aameen” to everything.
- Supplicate for the deceased with forgiveness, mercy, and elevation of rank.
- The angels are witnesses to our words at this critical moment.
(13) Make du‘aa when drinking Zamzam water.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Zamzam water is for whatever it is drunk for.” [Musnad Ahmad (14849) and Sunan Ibn Majah (3062)]
For explanation, visit:
https://preciousgemsfromthequranandsunnah.wordpress.com/2022/09/28/duas-when-drinking-zamzam-water/