Du'a (Personal Supplication)
Personal address and supplication to Allah for help and guidance.
Du'a (Arabic: دعاء) is personal supplication or address to Allah, where the believer asks for help, guidance, forgiveness or other wishes. Unlike salah, which has fixed forms and times, du'a can be made at any time, in any place and in any language.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Du'a is the essence of worship" and "Nothing is more honored by Allah than du'a." There are specific times when du'a is particularly favored: the last third of the night, between adhan and iqamah, during sajdah in the prayer, and on Friday.
The etiquette of du'a includes beginning with praise of Allah and blessings on the Prophet, praying with sincerity and humility, raising the hands, and having trust that Allah will answer the supplication. Allah answers all supplications — either with what was requested, with something better, or by averting something harmful.
Related terms
Ijtihad (Independent Legal Reasoning)
The independent interpretive effort to derive legal rules from the Islamic sources.
Sahifa al-Sajjadiyyah (The Psalms of Sajjad)
A collection of supplications from the 4th Imam, called "The Psalms of Islam."
Salat al-Qada (Makeup Prayer)
Prayers that are made up after their time has expired.
Sunan Abu Dawud (Abu Dawud's Hadith Collection)
One of the six canonical hadith collections in Sunni Islam with a special focus on legal narrations.
Ziyarah (Visitation Prayer)
Visitation and greeting to the Prophet, the Imams, and holy persons at their graves.
Qiyas (Analogical Reasoning)
Legal analogy used to derive Islamic rules for new situations based on established rules.