Mannerisms of requesting from The King
Now that we have explored the position of DuâÄ, particularly those supplications that are sourced from the QurâÄn and Sunnah, in the life of a conscious Muslim, let us consider some of its mannerisms. Are there certain things we should be doing when calling upon AllÄh to increase the likeliness of an answer? Below are a few to consider:
1. Check the direction of your heart; Sincerity
It happens all too often when, whilst oneâs DuâÄ is directed to AllÄh, his heart remains facing the wrong direction, having inwardly placed more hope in what people possess than that which is in the Hands of AllÄh.
AllÄh said:
ÙÙØ¥ÙÙÙÙ Ø±ÙØ¨ÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ§Ø±ÙØºÙØ¨Ù
âAnd to your Lord direct your longing.â
Oneâs heart is not merely to be freed from the obvious prohibited attachments, idols or graves but the unobvious ones as well, like an employer, a GP, investor, or a potential father-in-law, all of which are detrimental to the sincerity of our DuâÄ.
AllÄh said:
ÙÙØ§Ø¯ÙعÙÙÙÙ Ù ÙØ®ÙÙÙØµÙÙÙÙ ÙÙÙÙ Ø§ÙØ¯ÙÙÙÙÙ
âCall upon Him, having made the religion pure for Himâ.Â
In the same way we direct our words to AllÄh in DuâÄ we should ensure our inner yearning is directed to Him and only Him.
2. Introduce your DuâÄ correctly
Introduce your DuâÄ with the praise of AllÄh and saluations upon the messenger (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam). It is not custom for one to make requests from people without first introducing it appropriately, and our Lord is no exception to the rule. Thus when the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) came across a man who was making DuâÄ without having included any introductions, he said; âThis man had rushedâ. Then he said:
إذا صÙÙ Ø£ØØ¯ÙÙ ÙÙÙØ¨Ø¯Ø£ Ø¨ØªÙ Ø¬ÙØ¯ Ø±Ø¨Ù Ø¬Ù ÙØ¹Ø² ÙØ§ÙØ«ÙØ§Ø¡ عÙÙÙ Ø Ø«Ù ÙØµÙ٠عÙ٠اÙÙØ¨Ù صÙ٠اÙÙ٠عÙÙÙ ÙØ³ÙÙ Ø Ø«Ù ÙØ¯Ø¹Ù بعد ب٠ا شاء
âWhen anyone of you makes DuâÄ, let him start by glorifying his Lord and praising Him, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam), then let him pray for whatever he wants.â
Ê¿Ali b. AbÄ« TÄlib said:
Ù٠دعاء Ù ØØ¬Ùب ØØªÙ ÙØµÙÙÙ٠عÙ٠اÙÙØ¨Ù صÙ٠اÙÙ٠عÙÙÙ ÙØ³ÙÙ
âEvery DuâÄ is blocked until salutations upon the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) are sent.â
ʿUmar also said:
Ø¥Ù Ø§ÙØ¯Ø¹Ø§Ø¡ Ù ÙÙÙ٠بÙÙ Ø§ÙØ³Ù اء ÙØ§Ùأرض ÙØ§ ÙØµØ¹Ø¯ Ù ÙÙ Ø´ÙØ¡ ØØªÙ تصÙ٠عÙÙ ÙØ¨Ù٠صÙ٠اÙÙ٠عÙÙÙ ÙØ³ÙÙ
âDuâÄ remains held between the heavens and the earth, none of it ascending to the heavens till you send salutations upon your Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam).â
Note that sending blessings on the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) could take several forms:
1 â Sending salutations upon him before making duâÄ, and after praising AllÄh.
2 â Sending salutations upon him at the beginning of the duâÄ, in the middle and at the end.
3 â Sending salutations upon him at the beginning and at the end, and oneâs personal request may be made in between.
All of these formats are acceptable.
3. Be decisive in your request
Do not make suggestions to AllÄh, but be assertive by saying, for example: âO AllÄh give me, O AllÄh grant me, O AllÄh bestow upon meâ¦â because nobody can force AllÄh to do anything.
The Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) said:
ÙØ§ ÙÙÙÙÙÙÙÙÙÙ Ø£ÙØÙØ¯ÙÙÙÙ Ù : اÙÙÙÙÙÙÙ Ù٠اغÙÙÙØ±Ù ÙÙ٠إÙÙÙ Ø´ÙØ¦ÙØªÙ Ø Ø§ÙÙÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙ Ø§Ø±ÙØÙÙ ÙÙÙ٠إÙÙÙ Ø´ÙØ¦ÙØªÙ Ø ÙÙÙÙØ¹ÙزÙ٠٠اÙÙÙ ÙØ³ÙØ£ÙÙÙØ©Ù Ø ÙÙØ¥ÙÙÙ٠اÙÙÙÙ ÙØ§ Ù ÙÙÙØ±ÙÙÙ ÙÙÙÙ
âNone of you should say âO AllÄh, forgive me if You wishâ âO AllÄh, have mercy upon me if You wish.â Be assertive in your request, for nothing can force AllÄh.â
4. Ask persistently
We may ask once or twice from a member of family or friend for something, but should it not be granted, we usually feel shy to ask again, for most of us are naturally inclined to the dislike of persistent requests. To AllÄh however, it is not âpesteringâ; for AllÄh is Rich and unafraid of giving, thus He loves being asked over and over again.

Ê¿AbdullÄh b. MasâÅ«d said, speaking about the DuâÄ of the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam):
ÙÙØ§ÙÙ Ø±ÙØ³ÙÙÙ٠اÙÙÙÙÙ٠صÙÙÙÙ٠اÙÙÙÙÙ٠عÙÙÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ³ÙÙÙÙÙ Ù ÙÙØ¹ÙØ¬ÙØ¨ÙÙ٠أÙÙÙ ÙÙØ¯ÙعÙÙÙ Ø«ÙÙÙØ§Ø«Ùا ÙÙÙÙØ³ÙØªÙØºÙÙÙØ±Ù Ø«ÙÙÙØ§Ø«Ù
âThe Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) used to like making DuâÄ three times and to seek repentance three times.â
This was the case in the majority of his situations, although it has also been reported that he made DuâÄ more than three times, as he did when he made DuâÄ for baraka/blessing for the tribe of Ahmas and as is the case when he guided us to repeat a specific DuâÄ for the ill person seven times.
READ MORE: 5 Duas for Protection from Shirk
Your repetition of the DuâÄ displays your servitude to AllÄh, your desperation for His help, and your sincere belief that what you need cannot be provided by anyone but Him. ImÄm Ibnul Qayyim said:
 Ù٠٠أÙÙØ¹ Ø§ÙØ£Ø¯ÙÙØ© : Ø§ÙØ¥ÙØØ§Ø ÙÙ Ø§ÙØ¯Ø¹Ø§Ø¡
âOne of the most beneficial of cures is persistent DuâÄ.â
5. Have presence of heart
By the end of this series, we will have added a further 40 supplications to our arsenal to choose from during our calls to AllÄh. Having said that, with the passage of time there is always the genuine worry of falling prey to mechanical repetition. One of the greatest barriers between us and an accepted DuâÄ is an unattentive heart.
The Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) said:
Ø§Ø¯ÙØ¹ÙÙØ§ اÙÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ£ÙÙÙØªÙÙ Ù Ù ÙÙÙÙÙÙÙÙÙ Ø¨ÙØ§ÙØ¥ÙØ¬ÙØ§Ø¨ÙØ©Ù Ø ÙÙØ§Ø¹ÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ§ Ø£ÙÙÙ٠اÙÙÙÙÙÙ ÙØ§ ÙÙØ³ÙØªÙØ¬ÙÙØ¨Ù Ø¯ÙØ¹Ùاء٠٠ÙÙÙ ÙÙÙÙØ¨Ù ØºÙØ§ÙÙÙÙ ÙØ§ÙÙ
âCall upon AllÄh when you are certain of a response, and remember that AllÄh will not answer a DuâÄ that comes from a heedless and distracted heart.â
Implore Him with a fully conscious heart, feeling His Divine presence as if in front of you, internalising that you are completely encompassed by His Knowledge and Power over you, and realising that He sees and hears of you what you cannot see or hear of yourself. With such a mentality, how can oneâs heart wander off during DuâÄ?
6. Face the Qibla
When the Messenger of AllÄh (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) met the pagans during the Battle of Badr, where a minority of unprepared Muslims were up against a fully prepared majority of pagans, the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) wasted no time in making DuâÄ after first turning towards the direction of prayer.[13]
Although on several occasions the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) made DuâÄ facing other than the direction of prayer, undoubtedly, as Imam An-Nawawi said, facing the Qibla is desirable.[14]
7. Raise your hands
We have previously cited the Hadīth:
Ø¥ÙÙÙÙ Ø±ÙØ¨ÙÙÙÙÙ Ù ØªÙØ¨ÙارÙÙÙ ÙÙØªÙØ¹ÙØ§ÙÙÙ ØÙÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ±ÙÙÙ Ù ÙÙØ³ÙØªÙØÙÙÙÙ Ù ÙÙÙ Ø¹ÙØ¨ÙدÙÙÙ Ø¥ÙØ°Ùا رÙÙÙØ¹Ù ÙÙØ¯ÙÙÙÙ٠إÙÙÙÙÙÙ٠أÙÙÙ ÙÙØ±ÙدÙÙÙÙÙ ÙØ§ صÙÙÙØ±Ùا
âYour Lord is generous and shy. If His servant raises his hands to Him, He becomes shy to return them empty.âÂ
The image of someone extending his hands palm up is the classical image of a humble and desperate beggar; one that accurately reflects our servitude to AllÄh. But what is the format of raising oneâs hands during DuâÄ? The scholars have cited at least three different formats, depending on oneâs situation and nature of request.
The first: To raise oneâs right index finger. This was the way of the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) particularly when he was on the pulpit, raising it during DuâÄ, as it was also his way during the Tashahhud, again, making DuâÄ with it. Similarly, if one is, say, in a public domain, and wishes to make a passing DuâÄ, one can raise his finger when doing so.
The second: When making a general DuâÄ. Here, one is to place his hands towards one another with palms facing skywards, raising them approximately parallel to your shoulders.
The third: When making DuâÄ during an enormous happening â âIbtihÄlâ â which, for example, has an affect on the Ummah at large or something that has major implications on you. During such situations, the Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) would raise his hands so high till the whiteness of the armpits could be seen, as he did on the day of Badr.
8. Make DuâÄ during times of both ease and difficulty
A mannerism that is largely abused by the most of us is making DuâÄ during times of need and desperation, whilst finding no need to when all is well. When injury sets in; when an enemy is on our case; when cash is a little low; when CVs arenât attracting interviews; when hearts are enslaved with lust, or any other difficulty, our hands are immediately raised. While it is praiseworthy that we turn to AllÄh in such times, we should not only be doing so during times of difficulty, but also during times of ease.
Speaking about why the DuâÄ of the Prophets were answered, AllÄh said:
Ø¥ÙÙÙÙÙÙÙ Ù ÙÙØ§ÙÙÙØ§ ÙÙØ³ÙØ§Ø±ÙØ¹ÙÙÙÙ ÙÙ٠اÙÙØ®ÙÙÙØ±Ùات٠ÙÙÙÙØ¯ÙعÙÙÙÙÙÙØ§ Ø±ÙØºÙØ¨ÙØ§ ÙÙØ±ÙÙÙØ¨Ùا ÙÙÙÙØ§ÙÙÙØ§ ÙÙÙÙØ§ Ø®ÙØ§Ø´ÙعÙÙÙÙ
âSurely, they used to rush to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and they humbled themselves before Us.â
In this Äyah, several aspects of an accepted DuâÄ is identified:
1- âRushing to do good deedsâ
They lived a life of Islamic practice, worshipping AllÄh and glorifying Him which made their DuâÄ, when offered, worthy of being answered.
2 â âThey used to call on us with hope and fearâ
In all situations, their immediate reaction was to raise their hands to AllÄh, regardless of whether it was happiness or sadness that they were expressing, or whether they felt security or fear.
3 â âThey humbled themselves before Usâ
The Prophets evicted all pride and arrogance from their hearts, for how can oneâs DuâÄ be accepted when he inwardly competes with AllÄh or challenges His judgement?
In short, one of the key ways of ensuring that your DuâÄ during tough times is answered is by ensuring that you have a large bank of Duas made during times of ease.
The Prophet (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) said:
Ù Ù Ø³Ø±Ù Ø£Ù ÙØ³ØªØ¬Ùب اÙÙÙ ÙÙ Ø¹ÙØ¯ Ø§ÙØ´Ø¯Ø§Ø¦Ø¯Ø ÙÙÙÙØ«Ø± Ø§ÙØ¯Ø¹Ø§Ø¡ ÙÙ Ø§ÙØ±Ø®Ø§Ø¡
âWhoever wishes for AllÄh to answer his DuâÄ during times of difficulty, then let him make abundant DuâÄ during times of ease.â
The ordeal of Prophet Yunus (Ê¿alayhi al-SalÄm) is well known. After walking away from his community in depair of them, a whale swallowed him. Yunus (Ê¿alayhi al-SalÄm) found himself within layers upon layers of darkness; the darkess of the night, within the darkness of the sea, and within the darkness of a whale. And yet, Yunus made DuâÄ saying:
ÙÙØ§ Ø¥ÙÙÙÙ٠إÙÙÙÙØ§ Ø£ÙÙÙØªÙ Ø³ÙØ¨ÙØÙاÙÙÙ٠إÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙ
he right to be worshipped but You, Glory be to You, I have surely been of the wrongdoers.â
His Dua was answered and AllÄh relieved him from this trauma soon after, but why was his Dua answered? AllÄh tells us:
ÙÙÙÙÙÙÙÙØ§ Ø£ÙÙÙÙÙÙ ÙÙØ§ÙÙ Ù ÙÙ٠اÙÙÙ ÙØ³ÙبÙÙØÙÙÙÙ (143) ÙÙÙÙØ¨Ùث٠ÙÙÙ Ø¨ÙØ·ÙÙÙÙ٠إÙÙÙÙ ÙÙÙÙÙ Ù ÙÙØ¨ÙØ¹ÙØ«ÙÙÙÙ
âAnd had he not been of those who glorified AllÄh, He would have remained inside its belly until the day of resurrection.â
Had it not been for the good deeds he had put forward prior to this trial, the belly of the whale would have become his grave. Speaking about this Äyah â âhad he not been of those who gloried AllÄhâ â QatÄda said:
ÙØ§Ù ÙØ«Ùر Ø§ÙØµÙÙÙØ§Ø©Ù ÙÙ Ø§ÙØ±ÙØ®Ø§Ø¡Ø ÙÙØ¬ÙÙØ§Ù اÙÙ٠بذÙÙ; ÙØ§Ù: ÙÙØ¯ ÙØ§Ù ÙÙØ§Ù ÙÙ Ø§ÙØÙÙ Ø©: Ø¥Ù Ø§ÙØ¹Ù Ù Ø§ÙØµØ§ÙØ ÙØ±Ùع ØµØ§ØØ¨Ù إذا ٠ا Ø¹ÙØ«ÙØ±Ø ÙØ¥Ø°Ø§ ØµÙØ±Ø¹ ÙØ¬Ø¯ Ù ØªÙØ¦Ø§
âHe used to pray abundantly during times of ease and so AllÄh saved him through that. It used to be said âGood deeds carry a person when he slips. Should he fall, he will find something to lean on.ââ
Speaking about this Ayah as well, Abul âAaliya said:
ÙØ§Ù ÙÙ Ø¹Ù Ù ØµØ§ÙØ ÙÙ٠ا Ø®ÙØ§
âHe had good deeds prior to this.â
Thus when the trial of Yunus did eventually arrive, its effects were lessened and the end was relief. Do not allow your first relationship with DuâÄ to start with a calamity that befalls you, but be as the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllÄhu Ê¿alayhi wasallam) would teach the youth:
ØªÙØ¹Ø±ÙÙ إÙÙ اÙÙÙÙ ÙÙ Ø§ÙØ±Ø®Ø§Ø¡Ù ÙØ¹Ø±ÙÙÙÙ ÙÙ Ø§ÙØ´Ø¯Ø©Ù
âKnow AllÄh during times of ease and AllÄh will know you during times of hardship.â
There may be certain difficulties that â AlhamdulillÄh â are not affecting you at present. Whilst others struggle to make ends meet, your finances may be in place, and whilst others are challenged with ill health, yours is spot on. AllÄh may have spared you from many trials that others battle, but there are a set number of trials every one of us must experience.
Death and its hardships; the darkness of the grave; the trial of the underground; the terror of the resurrection; the intensity of the gathering; the long awaiting; the slippery bridge over the hellfire and the many phases of horror on the Day of Standing. These are trials that are inevitable on us individually, and thus, the best we can do to lessen their impact tomorrow is by amassing for them many good deeds today, as when these phases do eventually unfold, the difference between a person who had recognised AllÄh and worshipped Him in this world in contrast to another who had not prepared will be inconceivable.
We are now ready to start the journey with our 40 selected supplications, beginning in the next part, inshÄAllÄh.