Class05-Recommended Sunnah-Times and Places to make Dua

Class 5
‘Recommended (Sunnah) Times & Places to make Dua’


Of the great mercy of Allah is that He has favoured certain times over others. Thus, He has distinguished these timings so that the worshipper can eagerly anticipate their arrival, and thus pray earnestly and sincerely. Had all timings been the same, the worshipper would not have had the enthusiasm and fervour that exists during more blessed times.

Therefore, it is important that the one who desires that his dua be answered utilise these times, and ensure that his dua be more frequent and sincere during them.


Recommended Times

1. Laylat al-Qadar
The Night of Decree is one of the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan. During this blessed night, when the angels descend down to earth with the angel Jibril, and when the earth is overwhelmed with peace and serenity until the break of dawn, and when the doors of Paradise are opened, the worshipper is encouraged to turn to Allah, and to ask of his needs for this world and the Hereafter.

As Allah says: “We have revealed it (the Qur’an) on the Night of Decree. And what will make you understand what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. The angels come down, and the Holy Spirit, in it, with the Permission of their Lord, with all decrees. Peace! (It lasts) Until the break of dawn.” (Surah Al Qadr)

Also it was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah asked the Prophet ﷺ “If I know what night is Laylat al-Qadar, what should I say during it?” He said:Say: (the below Dua) (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

Allaahumma innaka ‘afuwwan tuhibb ul-‘afwa fa’fu ‘anni – (O Allaah, You are forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me).”

2. Du’aa’ in the depths of the night, the time before dawn
During this time, when most of creation is in a deep sleep, the true worshipper is awake, earnestly praying to his Creator, reflecting upon Allah’s creation, the heavens and earth. In fact, Allah describes the true believers as those who: “and, in the hours of dawn, they seek forgiveness from their Lord” (Surah Dhariyat 18)

Also this the time when Allaah descends to bestow His bounty upon His slaves, to meet their needs and to relieve their distress, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Our Lord descends every night, during the last third of it, to the skies of this world, and asks: Who will call upon Me, that I may answer Him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I may forgive him? narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1145.

And Amr ibn Absah reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: The closest any worshipper can be to his Lord is during the last part of the night, so if you can be amongst those who remember Allah at that time, then do so.”

This is a huge incentive, then, for any person who truly desires to come closer to Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him, and wishes to have his sins forgiven, and his du a responded to, to wake up when everyone else is asleep, and remember Allah privately, and all the while praying to Him.

Hence why Abu Bakr al-Tartushi said, “And this chapter is closed by stating: He is not a wise man who has a need to Allah, yet he sleeps away his need at night!”

So if a person wishes that his dua be answered, this is the best time to ask.

3. An Hour of the Night
In addition to the hadith pertaining to dua at the last third of the night, there are also ahadith informing us that there is a general time at night during which du as are responded to. The Prophet ﷺ said: There is at night an hour, no Muslim happens to be asking Allah any matter of this world or the Hereafter, except that he will be given it, and this (occurs) every night. (Sahih Muslim)

4. When Waking up at Night
When a person wakes up in the middle of the night, only to go back to sleep again, if he remembers Allah at this time, his dua will be accepted.

The Prophet (ﷺ) “Whoever gets up at night and says: —

‘La ilaha il-lallah Wahdahu la Sharika lahu Lahu-lmulk, waLahu-l-hamd wahuwa ‘ala kullishai’in Qadir. Al hamdu lil-lahi wa subhanal-lahi wa la-ilaha il-lal-lah wa-l-lahu akbar wa la hawla Wala Quwata il-la-bil-lah.’ – (None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. He is the Only One and has no partners . For Him is the Kingdom and all the praises are due for Him. He is Omnipotent. All the praises are for Allah. All the glories are for Allah. And none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, And Allah is Great And there is neither Might nor Power Except with Allah).

And then says: — Allahumma, Ighfir li (O Allah! Forgive me). Or invokes (Allah), he will be responded to and if he performs ablution (and prays), his prayer will be accepted.” (Sahih Bukhari 1154)

5. When the Adhan is Called
This is based on the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ : “Two (du as) are never rejected, or rarely rejected: the du a during the call for prayer, and the du a during the calamity, when the two armies attack each other”.

6. Between the adhaan and the iqaamah.
This is one of the best times for the prayer to be accepted, and what a great blessing it is! Five times every day, while a worshipper is waiting to offer his prayers to Allah, he is given the opportunity to ask from Him his needs of this world and the Hereafter

The Prophet ﷺ said: A du’aa’ offered between the adhaan and iqaamah is not rejected.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (521) and al-Tirmidhi (212).

7. During Salat
Some of the postures of the Salat during which the performance of dua has been narrated include the following:

1. After the initial takbir, when one is starting the salat.

2. Before the ruku and after one has finished reciting the Qur’an – but this is only during the witr or other qunut prayers.

3. After one has stood up from ruku .

4. During the ruku itself

5. During the sujud*

6. While sitting between the two sajdahs.

7. After the final tashahhud.

There are various duas that the Prophet ﷺ recited narrated in authentic narrations, we can find them in the book Hisnul Muslim (Fortress of a Muslim).

Download from : https://abdurrahman.org/hisn-al-muslim/ or https://islamhouse.com/en/books/39062/

These postures are in addition to the duas that he ﷺ used to do while actually reciting the Qur’an, Hudhayfah narrated in this respect:

“I prayed one night behind the Prophet ﷺ….. Whenever he read a verse in which Allah was glorified, he would glorify Allah, and whenever he read a verse which requested something (from Allah), he would request it, and whenever he read a verse that sought refuge in Allah, he would seek refuge in Allah….’* (Sahih Muslim)

So when a person is reciting the Qur’an in a voluntary prayer, they are encouraged to make du a whenever one occurs in the Qur’an. This is only for voluntary prayer, as for the obligatory prayers, it is not encouraged.

*Dua While In Sujud

This is the most noble posture that a worshipper can be in, for it is the epitome of humility and submissiveness. And how can it not be, when a person in prostration lowers his face – the most noble and sacred part of his body – to the dust, seeking the pleasure of his Lord. This is why this posture is the most beloved by Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The closest any worshipper can be to his Lord is while he is in prostration, so increase your du as in it”. (Sahih Muslim)

*While reciting Surah Al Fatiha

There are many blessings contained within Surah al-Fatihah, and of these is the fact that Allah accepts the du a that is present in the Surah. The person recites it sincerely, fully aware of its meanings.

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: Allah has said: I have divided the salat between My servant and Me in two halves, and My servant will have what he asks for.

  • So when the servant says, ‘Alhamdu lillahiRabb il- Alamin; Allah responds, ‘My servant has praised Me!’
  • And when he says, ‘Al-Rahman al-Rahim; Allah responds, ‘My servant has glorified Me’.
  • And when he says, Maliki yawm al-Din; Allah responds, ‘My servant has exalted Me
  • And when he says, Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nastain; Allah says, ‘This is between My servant and I, and My servant shall have what he desires’
  • And when he says, ‘Ihdina al-Sirat al-Mustaqim . . .’; Allah says, ‘This is for My servant, and he will get what he desires’. (Sahih Muslim)

8. A certain time on Friday. (Between Asr & Maghrib)
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ mentioned Friday and said: During it there is a time when a Muslim slave does not stand and pray and ask Allaah for something, but He will give it to him,” and he gestured with his hand to indicate how short that time is. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 935; Muslim, 852.

The opinion of the vast majority of early scholars as also of the Prophet’s ﷺ Companions is that this hour occurs after Asr prayer, right before sunset.

9. When drinking Zamzam water
The Prophet ﷺ said: Zamzam water is for that for which it is drunk.” (Narrated by Ahmad). So one should make dua at this time.

10. When rain falls
Sahl ibn Sa’d that is attributed to the Prophet ﷺ: There are two which will not be rejected: du’aa’ at the time of the call (to prayer) and when it is raining.” Narrated by Abu Dawood

11. On the day of Arafah
It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: “There is no day on which Allaah ransoms more of His slaves from the Fire than the day of ‘Arafah. He draws close then He boasts about them before the angels and says, ‘What do these people want?’” Narrated by Muslim (1348).

It was also narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said: “The best of du’aa’ is du’aa’ on the day of ‘Arafah, and the best that I and the Prophets before me said is

‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer

(There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the dominion, to Him be praise, and He has power over all things).” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3585)’ classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (1536).

The First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah

The Prophet ﷺ stated: “There are no days during which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than during these ten days.

This hadith shows the general superiority of this time, and as dua is one of the most beloved acts of worship, we are encouraged to make dua during these ten days.

11. When hearing the crowing of a rooster
The Prophet ﷺ said, When you hear the crowing of a rooster, ask Allaah of His bounty, for he has seen an angel, and when you hear a donkey braying, then seek refuge in Allah from Shay fan, for it has seen a Shaytan.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2304; Muslim, 2729.

12. When saying the du’aa’, “Laa ilaaha illa anta, subhaanaka, inni kuntu min al-zaalimeen”
The Prophet ﷺsaid: The prayer of Dhu’l-Noon (Yoonus) which he said when he was in the belly of the whale: (the Above Dua); No Muslim recites this du’aa’ concerning any matter but Allaah will answer him. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi

13. If a calamity befalls him and he says, Inna Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon, Allaahumma ujurni fi museebati w’ukhluf li khayran minha
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ say: There is no calamity that befalls one of the Muslims and he responds by saying ‘(The above Dua which means –‘Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return; O Allaah, reward me in this calamity and compensate me with something better than it),’ but Allaah will compensate him with something better than it“. (Muslim 918).

14. The du’aa’ of a father for his child, the du’aa’ of a fasting person and the prayer of the traveller
Prophet ﷺ said: There are three prayers that are not rejected: the prayer of a father for his child, the prayer of the fasting person and the prayer of the traveller.” Narrated by al-Bayhaqi

Recommended Places

1. Du a at Safa and Marwa

It is narrated in the authentic Sunnah that the Prophet ﷺ would make long du as at Safa and Marwa (Sahih Muslim), so the Muslim who is eager to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ should do likewise.

2. Dua After Stoning the Jamarat

Likewise, it is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ would stone the small Jamarah (one of the three pillars that is stoned in the last three days of Hajj), then face the qiblah, raise his hands, and make du a for a long time. He would then stone the middle Jamarah and do the same. When he stoned the large Jamarah, he would depart without making any du a. (From Sahih Bukhari)

3. When you Visit the Sick

The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said:When you visit a sick person, say good things, for the angels say Ameen to whatever you say…” Muslim (919)

May Allah make us remember these make us amongst those who are indulged in making Dua during these times. May Allah accept the Duas of all Muslims – Please do remember us and the whole Ummah in your Prayers