All praise is due to Allah. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of Allah, his household and companions.
Allah SWT says in the Holy Quran: “When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them)”. From this ayah, we can infer that Allah SWT is indeed very close to His worshippers and is always there to listen and answer our prayers. We also understand from this ayah that Allah SWT is directly speaking to us, calling upon us and reassuring us that He is close, without the need of anyone or anything in the middle between us and Him. We are given the blessing in this world to pray and speak directly to the Almighty. We see this in the story of the Arabian man who asked the Prophet PBUH, “O prophet of Allah, Is Allah SWT far from us? So that we have to call Him loudly in our Dua? Or is He close to us? So, we that we have to call Him in a soft or gentle voice in our Dua? The Prophet PBUH kept silent. Allah SWT then sent Angel Jibreel, with the above ayah from Surah Al-Baqarah. The meaning of the complete ayah is: “When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every supplicant when he calls on Me: let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way.”
This is why in Islam the power of Dua is great and it is classified as a practice of I’badah. In fact, it carries the essence of I’badah. The Prophet PBUH said: “The Dua (supplication) is the essence of worship”. In this Hadith, the Prophet used the word “Mukh” in Arabic, which translates as the “mind”. This is a metaphor used to explain the importance of Dua in I’badah, just like the importance of the mind of the human being. The mind controls and directs the body, the Dua is central to our connection to Allah and His worship.
Allah SWT does not only listen to our prayers, but we are also rewarded greatly for seeking Allah’s help and guidance. The Prophet PBUH and the pious people used Dua as a weapon against their enemies and the enemies of their religion. Our Deen has witnessed and testified for the great importance of Dua.
For this reason, it is important for every Muslim to understand the manner in which they should perform Dua, when the right time is to make Dua, and the do’s and don’ts of this act of worship. For the purpose of this question, we will concentrate on answering the timing of performing the act of Dua.
In general, Dua is not limited by time or place or any specific action. The matter is basically completed when one makes the Dua and Allah hears them. Allah SWT says:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ which means “Pray to Me and I will answer you”.
Dua in general can be made both outside of our usual daily prayers or during our prayers such as in Rukoo’ or Sujood. We are allowed to make Dua whenever we like, whether that may be during prayer, or for example while making Sujood outside prayer. We can also make it while sitting, standing, walking and in any other position we like. We must, however, refrain from making Dua or saying Allah’s name in dirty places such as toilets. However, there are a few fundamental factors and manners that make Dua more effective and are therefore recommended in Islam, such as:
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- In Sujood, whether praying or outside of prayer. The Prophet PBUH said, “The closest that the slave comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke Allah much (in prostration)”,
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- In the last third of the night. In the Hadith, the Prophet says: “Our Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the latter part of the night is left, and says: Who supplicates Me so that I may answer him? Who asks Me so that I may give to him? Who asks Me forgiveness so that I may forgive him?”,
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- When facing the Qiblah,
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- Between the Azan and Iqamah while waiting for the prayer,
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- After the prayer,
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- When it is raining,
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- At Holy places, such as the Prophet’s Mosque or around the Kab’ah or Al Multazm (the area between the black stone and the door of the Ka’bah), and,
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- When around pious people (e.g. taraweeh prayers and Quran classes, which the Angels descend upon).
All of the above are recommended but the one that is truly crucial is the making of Dua with sincerity, humility, feeling a real need towards Allah; to start the Dua with praise of Allah, and end it with sending peace and blessings upon the Prophet. The Prophet PBUH says, “Supplicate to God whilst you are assured of being answered, and know that God does not answer the supplication which comes from a careless and inattentive heart.” It is for this reason that Ali RA famously said, “I do not worry about the answer of my Dua as I worry about how to make Dua correctly.”
In conclusion, we should include Dua as part of our daily routines and never neglect this great opportunity which help enormously in opening the doors of goodness, doors which will never be able to open without the power of Dua. May Allah SWT allow us to make proper Dua, Dua which will be accepted by Allah the Almighty. Ameen
And Allah Knows Best.