Duas & Dhikr

Du'a has manners the Prophet ﷺ taught and kept. Following them is part of asking well — and part of why an answer comes. Here is the adab, each point with its evidence.

Open with praise, then salawat, then ask

Fadalah ibn 'Ubayd heard a man supplicate in his prayer without praising Allah or sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said, "This man has been hasty," then called him and taught the order: when one of you prays, let him begin by praising and glorifying his Lord, then send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then ask for whatever he wishes.

Face the qibla and raise your hands

Anas (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands in supplication until the whiteness of his armpits could be seen (Sahih al-Bukhari 6341). When he went out to pray for rain he faced the qibla and supplicated (Sahih al-Bukhari 1025). Raising the hands is a cause of an answer; turning to the qibla is his ﷺ practice in the great supplications.

Be certain of an answer, and don't rush it

Ask with a present heart, sure that Allah hears and can give. Then leave the timing to Him. The one thing that holds a du'a back is impatience — giving up and complaining that nothing came.

Seek the times and states of acceptance

Some hours and postures are more open than others. Aim for them:

• The last third of the night. Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven and says: Who is calling on Me, that I may answer him? Who is asking of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him? — Sahih al-Bukhari 1145 & Sahih Muslim 758.
• Between the adhan and the iqamah. The supplication made then is not turned back — Sunan Abi Dawud 521 & Jami' at-Tirmidhi 212 (sahih).
• In sujud. The servant is nearest to his Lord while prostrating, so make much du'a there — Sahih Muslim 482.
• The hour of Friday. There is an hour on Friday in which no Muslim asks Allah for something but He gives it to him — Sahih al-Bukhari 935 & Sahih Muslim 852. Many scholars place it in the last hour after 'Asr.
• When fasting. Three whose du'a is not rejected: the fasting person until he breaks his fast, the just leader, and the oppressed — Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3598 (hasan).
• While travelling. Three supplications are answered without doubt: that of the oppressed, the traveller, and the parent — Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1905 (hasan); also Sunan Abi Dawud 1536.
• When rain falls. Two are not turned back, or seldom: du'a at the call to prayer and du'a at the time of rain — Sunan Abi Dawud 2540 (sahih).

Eat only what is lawful

Unlawful food, drink, and clothing are a wall between a servant and his answer. The Prophet ﷺ described a man worn out from travel, raising his hands to the sky, "O Lord, O Lord" — yet his food, drink, and nourishment are haram — and asked, "so how can he be answered?"