Etiquettes and Correct Method of Supplication After Salah

This excerpt is taken from the book Ṣaḥīḥ Ṣalāh Nabawī ﷺ, authored by al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAzīz, published by Maktabah Dār al-Andalus.

Statement Regarding Duʿā’ (Supplication)​

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the times when supplications are accepted, he said:

جوف الليل ودبر الصلوات المكتوبات

Translation:
“The latter part of the night and after the obligatory prayers.”

Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Daʿawāt, Bāb Ḥadīth Yanzilu Rabbunā Kulla Laylah ilā al-Samā’ al-Dunyā: 3499 (Ḥasan)

❀ Since the time after the obligatory prayers is among the times when supplications are accepted, it was deemed appropriate to mention duʿā’ after Ṣalāh.
❀ Duʿā’ should be made after completing the prescribed adhkār, so that the Sunnah remembrances—which are established by numerous aḥādīth—are not neglected.

Importance and Virtue of Duʿā’​

❀ Allah Almighty says:

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
[al-Mu’min: 60]

Translation:
“And your Lord said: ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who show arrogance toward My worship (i.e., duʿā’) will enter Hell in humiliation.’”

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

الدعاء هي العبادة

Translation:
“Duʿā’ is worship.”

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Witr, Bāb al-Duʿā’: 1479; Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3247, 2969 (Ṣaḥīḥ)

Acceptance of Duʿā’​

❀ Allah, the Lord of the worlds, says:

أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ
[al-Baqarah: 186]

Translation:
“I respond to the supplication of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.”

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

Translation:
“No person supplicates to Allah except that his supplication is answered in one of three ways: either he is granted what he asked for in this world, or it is stored for him in the Hereafter, or an equivalent amount of his sins are forgiven—so long as he does not supplicate for sin, severing family ties, or hastily say that his supplication has not been accepted.”

Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Daʿawāt, Bāb Mā min Rajulin Yadʿū Allāh biduʿā’ illā Istujība lahu: 3604

Conditions for the Acceptance of Duʿā’​

❀ One’s food, drink, and clothing must be lawful. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ mentioned a man who:

الرجل يطيل السفر أشعث أغبر يمد يديه إلى السماء يا رب يا رب ومطعمه حرام ومشربه حرام وملبسه حرام وغذي بالحرام فأنى يستجاب لذلك

Translation:
“A man who travels long distances, disheveled and dusty, raising his hands to the sky saying: ‘O my Lord! O my Lord!’ while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he has been nourished with unlawful means—so how can his supplication be accepted?”

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Zakāh, Bāb Qabūl al-Ṣadaqah min al-Kasb al-Ṭayyib: 1015

❀ Supplication should be made with presence of heart. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

ادعوا الله وأنتم موقنون بالإجابة واعلموا أن الله لا يستجيب دعاء من قلب غافل لاه

Translation:
“Supplicate to Allah with certainty of acceptance, and know that Allah does not accept the supplication of a heedless and distracted heart.”

Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Daʿawāt: 3479

❀ One must refrain from acts of disobedience, as sins provoke the anger of Allah.

Etiquettes of Duʿā’​

❀ Make duʿā’ while in a state of wuḍū’, as Allah loves those who remain pure. [al-Baqarah: 222]
❀ Supplicate only to Allah; do not supplicate to anyone else. [al-Mu’min: 14]
❀ Do not supplicate against yourself or another Muslim.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Zuhd: 3009

❀ Supplicate for a fellow Muslim in his absence, for an angel says “Āmīn” and supplicates the same for you.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Dhikr wa al-Duʿā’: 2733

❀ Supplicate with resolve and full certainty of acceptance.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Dhikr wa al-Duʿā’: 2678

❀ Supplicate with humility, longing, fear, and earnest supplication.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Īmān: 202

❀ Supplicate in a low voice. [Maryam: 55]
❀ Repeat supplication, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would repeat duʿā’ three times.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Jihād: 1794

❀ Do not supplicate only in hardship; rather, supplicate in ease and hardship alike.

Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3382 (Ḥasan)

❀ Make abundant supplication to Allah.

Reference: Ibn Ḥibbān: 889; al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah 3/16, ḥadīth: 1325

❀ It is permissible to request duʿā’ from a righteous living person.
[al-Baqarah: 68; al-Nisā’: 64; Yūsuf: 97]

❀ Seeking duʿā’ from the deceased is not permissible, such as asking someone in a grave to supplicate.

❀ Allah Almighty says:

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ يَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَنْ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُمْ عَنْ دُعَائِهِمْ غَافِلُونَ
[al-Aḥqāf: 5]

Translation:
“And who is more astray than one who calls upon others besides Allah—those who will not respond to him until the Day of Resurrection and who are unaware of their supplication?”

The Companions رضي الله عنهم would request duʿā’ from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ during his lifetime, but after his passing, no Companion ever went to his grave to request duʿā’.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Istisqā’: 1010

❀ Do not give the intermediary (wasīlah) of any absent, living, or deceased person while supplicating. Allah says:

وَيَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ هَٰؤُلَاءِ شُفَعَاؤُنَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ
[Yūnus: 18]

Translation:
“They worship besides Allah those who can neither harm nor benefit them, and they say: ‘These are our intercessors with Allah.’”

❀ Do not supplicate for sin or severing family ties.

Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3604

❀ Do not be hasty in seeking acceptance, such that one abandons duʿā’ out of despair.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6340; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2735

Method of Duʿā’​

❀ Duʿā’ is of two types:

① Prescribed supplications (adhkār)—such as morning and evening adhkār, supplications after adhān, and after Ṣalāh. These should be recited at their specific times without adopting a special posture.
② General supplications—where a person presents his needs to Allah in any language. In such duʿā’, raising the hands is permissible.

Raising the hands during prescribed adhkār is contrary to the Sunnah, yet many people, due to ignorance or deliberate action, raise their hands at every occasion and for every duʿā’. This is against the Sunnah. Concerning such people, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

Translation:
“Towards the end of time, there will be people who exaggerate in supplication.”

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Ṭahārah, Bāb al-Isrāf fī al-Wuḍū’: 96 (Ṣaḥīḥ)

A Recommended Sequence for Duʿā’​

❀ If the following method is adopted, the duʿā’ will be accepted, inshā’Allah:

① Begin by praising Allah and sending ṣalāh upon the Prophet ﷺ.

Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3476; Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 1285 (Ṣaḥīḥ)

② Acknowledge Allah’s blessings and confess one’s sins, then supplicate.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tawḥīd: 7507

③ Present one’s righteous deeds as a means.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3465; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 6949

④ Make comprehensive supplications.

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1482 (Ṣaḥīḥ)

⑤ Supplicate using the Beautiful Names of Allah.
[al-Aʿrāf: 180]

⑥ Supplicate using al-Ism al-Aʿẓam (the Greatest Name of Allah).

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1495; Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3475 (Ṣaḥīḥ)

Al-Ism al-Aʿẓam (The Greatest Name of Allah)​

❀ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that the following supplications contain al-Ism al-Aʿẓam:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْمَنَّانُ بَدِيعُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ يَا ذَا الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1495; Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3544 (Ṣaḥīḥ)

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِأَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1493; Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3475; Sunan Ibn Mājah: 3857 (Ṣaḥīḥ)

وَإِلَٰهُكُمْ إِلَٰهٌ وَاحِدٌ ۖ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الرَّحْمَٰنُ الرَّحِيمُ
[al-Baqarah: 163]

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1496; Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3478 (Ḥasan)

اللَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ
[Āl ʿImrān: 1–2]

Reference: Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1496; Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: 3478 (Ḥasan)

Words After Which Duʿā’ Is Accepted (Inshā’Allah)​

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tahajjud, Bāb Faḍl man Taʿārra min al-Layl fa-Ṣallā: 1154

Distortion in Prescribed Supplications​

Although a person is permitted to make personal supplications—as long as the words are free from disbelief or shirk—the best supplications are those reported from the Sunnah. However, some people have introduced alterations into prescribed supplications.

For example:

• Adding “وَالدَّرَجَةَ الرَّفِيعَةَ” after Āti Muḥammadan al-Wasīlah wa al-Faḍīlah.
• Adding “وَارْزُقْنَا شَفَاعَتَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ” after Wa abʿath-hu maqāman maḥmūdan alladhī waʿadtah.
• Adding extra phrases after Allāhumma anta al-Salām wa minka al-Salām after Ṣalāh.

This is a grave injustice and excess. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once corrected a man who said “Rasūlik” instead of “Nabiyyik”, even though the meaning did not change.

Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Wuḍū’: 239

This proves that altering prescribed supplications is not permissible, and such alteration is not merely a change in duʿā’ but a distortion of ḥadīth, which is ḥarām.

The Issue of Collective Duʿā’ After Ṣalāh​

The practice of the imām and congregation making collective duʿā’ after obligatory prayers has no proof from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ or from the Companions رضي الله عنهم. Had this been practiced even once, its evidence would have reached us just like other issues of religion. However, there is no authentic ḥadīth supporting it.

For this reason, a large group of scholars—including Ḥanafī scholars—have declared it a reprehensible innovation (bidʿah), such as:

• Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله (Mukhtaṣar al-Fatāwā al-Miṣriyyah; Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 22/519)
• Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله (Zād al-Maʿād 1/257)
• Muftī Muḥammad Ibrāhīm رحمه الله (Duʿā’ Baʿd al-Farā’iḍ kā Masnūn Ṭarīqah)
• ʿAllāmah Anwar Shāh al-Kashmīrī رحمه الله (al-ʿUrf al-Shadhī 86)
• Mawlawī Fayḍullāh al-Banglādēshī رحمه الله (Aḥkām al-Daʿawāt al-Murawwajah 21)
• Mawlawī Rafīq Dilāwarī رحمه الله (ʿImād al-Dīn 397)
• Muftī Rashīd Aḥmad Ludhiyānwī رحمه الله (Aḥsan al-Fatāwā)

They all declared collective duʿā’ after the obligatory prayers to be an innovation.