The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

«الدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ».

Meaning: Supplication is worship. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2969), who graded it hasan sahih.

A Muslim asks Allah alone for forgiveness, provision, healing and the removal of harm. We do not invoke a deceased person, saint or prophet for what only Allah can do; directing this worship to someone other than Allah is major shirk. This is different from asking a living, capable person for ordinary assistance or asking them to pray for us. Allah answers supplication and removes harm; no created being has independent control over that.

One lawful means of drawing near to Allah in dua is asking Him by His beautiful names and attributes. For example: O Forgiving One, forgive me; O Merciful One, have mercy on me. Allah says:

﴿وَلِلَّهِ الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا﴾

Meaning: To Allah belong the most beautiful names, so call upon Him by them. [Al-A'raf 7:180, excerpt]

For the distinction between lawful means of approaching Allah and invoking someone else, see Permissible Tawassul and Refuting Calling Upon Other Than Allah.

Sincerity to Allah is the foundation, together with an attentive heart, awareness of our need for Him and good expectations of Him. Dua should not be words spoken while the heart turns away, or an experiment undertaken without trust in Allah. When your attention wanders, bring it back to what you are asking. Do not abandon dua because your concentration is imperfect.

Important means include repentance, obedience, lawful food and earnings, and restoring other people's rights. Do not ask Allah to help you continue an injustice or sin. Ask for help to leave it and begin putting right what you can.

It is prescribed to begin by praising Allah, then sending salah upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, before asking for your needs. This is taught in the hadith of Fadalah ibn 'Ubayd, narrated by Abu Dawud (1481) and authenticated by al-Albani. This is a recommended manner of supplication; you may also make a brief request without this opening. Say the supplications taught for particular occasions as they were reported, without routinely adding an introduction each time.

Ask firmly and eagerly. Do not say, O Allah, forgive me if You wish: the Prophet prohibited this and taught us to be firm in asking. Narrated by Muslim (2679). Firmness does not mean believing that Allah now owes us a particular outcome. We ask sincerely while submitting to His wisdom.

Persistence and repeated requests do not contradict acceptance of Allah's decree. Continue asking, pray for your family and other Muslims, seek the favourable times, and take lawful practical steps towards what you need.

Do not reserve dua for emergencies. Ask Allah when you are healthy and comfortable as well as when you are struggling. The Prophet encouraged those who wish to be answered during hardship to make abundant supplication during ease. Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (3382) and graded hasan through supporting reports by al-Albani.

Allah says:

﴿ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ﴾

Meaning: Call upon your Lord humbly and privately; He does not love those who transgress. [Al-A'raf 7:55]

Keep your voice low in personal supplication. Ask clearly and humbly, without forcing rhyming phrases or caring more about impressive wording than its meaning. Focus on asking sincerely rather than impressing anyone listening.

Being in a state of purification and facing the qiblah are recommended when practical, but neither is a condition for dua outside salah. Raising the hands is prescribed in general supplication; the hadith of Salman in Abu Dawud (1488) was authenticated by al-Albani. Where the Sunnah specifies a particular posture, follow it. Do not lift your hands separately while making dua in prostration, between the two prostrations or during the tashahhud.

Learn comprehensive supplications that include the good of this world and the Hereafter, and understand what you say. One is:

﴿رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ﴾

Meaning: Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire. [Al-Baqarah 2:201, excerpt]

See Comprehensive Duas from the Quran and Comprehensive Duas of the Prophet from the Sunnah for more. You may also ask for your own particular needs in words with a sound meaning.

Dua is prescribed throughout the day and night. Someone in need should not wait for a special time before beginning. Among the times and circumstances established in the evidence are:

1. The last third of the night, as in Abu Hurayrah's hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (1145). Calculate the night from sunset to true dawn and divide it into three parts; the last third does not begin at a fixed clock time throughout the year.
2. Between the adhan and iqamah, according to Anas's hadith in Abu Dawud (521), authenticated by al-Albani.
3. Prostration. The Prophet said: «أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ فَأَكْثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ». Meaning: A servant is nearest to his Lord while prostrating, so make abundant supplication. Narrated by Muslim (482).
4. After the final tashahhud and before the salam, following the prescribed remembrances there. The Prophet instructed the worshipper to choose a supplication after the tashahhud, as in al-Bukhari (835). Muslim (588) records seeking refuge from four matters.
5. The hour of response on Friday. One of the strongest times to seek it is late in the day after 'Asr and before sunset, based on Jabir's hadith in Abu Dawud (1048), authenticated by al-Albani. Scholars differ over its precise identification, so do not restrict the virtue of Friday supplication to this period alone.
6. Travel. The special merit of a traveller's supplication is recorded in Abu Hurayrah's hadith in al-Tirmidhi (3448), who graded it hasan.

The supplication of an oppressed person is particularly serious; the Prophet warned against it in Sahih al-Bukhari (2448). Someone who has been wronged must still avoid transgression in dua and must not blame an innocent person for the wrongdoer's actions. Dua does not replace lawful steps to stop abuse and protect one's safety and rights.

Unlawful food and nourishment are among the obstacles. The Prophet described a man who travels far and raises his hands to the sky, then said:

«وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ وَغُذِيَ بِالْحَرَامِ فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذَلِكَ».

Meaning: His food, drink and clothing are unlawful, and he has been nourished unlawfully; how, then, could he be answered? Narrated by Muslim (1015, excerpt). This is a severe warning about unlawful earnings, not a reason for a sinner to stop praying or despair of repentance.

Other obstacles include asking for sin or the severing of family ties, and transgressing in what we ask: for example, asking to succeed in a sinful act or to wrong someone. Seeking protection from an abusive person is not automatically a forbidden request to sever family ties merely because the abuser is a relative.

Another is impatience that leads a person to abandon dua. The Prophet said:

«لَا يَزَالُ يُسْتَجَابُ لِلْعَبْدِ مَا لَمْ يَدْعُ بِإِثْمٍ أَوْ قَطِيعَةِ رَحِمٍ مَا لَمْ يَسْتَعْجِلْ».

Meaning: A servant continues to be answered so long as he does not ask for sin or severing family ties, and does not become impatient. Narrated by Muslim (2735). He explained the impatience as saying that one has prayed without seeing an answer, becoming weary and giving up. The pain of waiting or feeling sad is not, by itself, this abandonment. Ask Allah for relief and tell Him of your weakness without objecting to His judgement.

Also avoid attaching dua to unproven counts, rituals or special schedules, then promising inevitable results: marriage within a week, recovery after a set number, or punishment for not forwarding a message. A widely shared personal experience does not establish a religious promise.

The Prophet explained that a Muslim who makes a supplication free of sin and severing family ties receives one of three things: the request is granted promptly, it is stored for the Hereafter, or an equivalent harm is averted. Narrated by al-Bukhari in his separate work Al-Adab al-Mufrad (710) and authenticated by al-Albani.

You may see the answer, be spared a harm you never knew about, or find the reward of your supplication in the Hereafter. We cannot identify which has occurred in a particular person's case, or declare that delayed recovery or provision is punishment for a particular sin. Examine your own conduct and repent, but do not judge other people's standing with Allah by how long their hardship lasts.

Dua is itself a means Allah has decreed; it does not contradict belief in qadar. A person asking for healing also pursues appropriate treatment, and someone asking for provision seeks lawful work. The Prophet joined pursuing what benefits us with seeking Allah's help and avoiding helplessness. Narrated by Muslim (2664).

Begin with what you need today: seek forgiveness for a wrong you know about, restore a right you can return, and ask Allah in words you understand. If the wait is long, keep calling upon Him and keep doing what He has commanded.