The best dhikr is the Quran, and among the greatest forms of dhikr is the word of Tawhid.

Du‘a is a great act of worship. It is one of the clearest signs of a servant’s need of his Lord.

Du‘a is worship, so it is not permissible to direct it to anyone besides Allah. Whoever calls upon other than Allah in matters only Allah can do, such as calling upon the dead, the absent, saints, or asking them to remove distress, has directed worship to other than Allah. This is major shirk.

Asking help from a living, present, capable person in something he can do, such as saying “help me” or “give me water,” is not worshipful du‘a and is not shirk. It is among ordinary permissible means.

Among the etiquettes of du‘a are:

• Sincerity to Allah.
• Beginning with praise and glorification of Allah.
• Sending prayers upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.
• Presence of heart.
• Certainty that Allah responds.
• Not being hasty.
• Eating lawful food.
• Asking for good in this world and the next.

Among the times of response are:

• During prostration.
• Between the adhan and iqamah.
• The last part of the night.
• The last hour of Friday.
• The Day of Arafah.
• The supplication of a fasting person.
• The supplication of the oppressed.

Allah responds to His servant’s du‘a in the way He knows is best. He may grant the request quickly, store its reward, or avert an equivalent harm. A Muslim should not despair if the answer is delayed.

Among the barriers to du‘a being answered are:

• Consuming unlawful wealth or food.
• Supplicating for sin or cutting family ties.
• Being hasty and abandoning du‘a.
• A heedless heart.
• Wronging people and not returning rights.
• Persisting in sins without repentance.

The supplicant should not say, “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” or “have mercy on me if You will.” Rather, he should ask with resolve and insist upon Allah.

Transgression in du‘a means exceeding the lawful limits, such as supplicating for sin, cutting family ties, asking for what is not appropriate, using affected wording, raising the voice in a disturbing way, or using unnecessary forced details.

Yes. A Muslim may ask Allah for matters of religion and worldly life, such as provision, healing, marriage, children, success, wellbeing, and other permissible matters, while asking Allah for goodness and blessing.

Yes. A Muslim may supplicate in his own language, especially outside prayer, because the purpose is presence of heart and asking Allah. Allah knows what is secret and more hidden, and He hears His servants in their different languages.

A number of scholars allowed du‘a in a language other than Arabic for one who does not know Arabic or cannot express his need in it, because Allah does not burden a soul beyond its ability. Du‘a is asking and showing need, not merely uttering words while the heart is absent.

This command to make du‘a is general and is not restricted to one language. As for prescribed adhkar and supplications with specific wording, a Muslim preserves them in Arabic as much as he can and learns their meanings gradually.

In prayer, it is better and safer to supplicate with transmitted Arabic supplications. What a person needs to ask in another language has details among scholars, especially for one who does not know Arabic.

Repeating du‘a and insisting upon Allah is legislated. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would supplicate three times in some situations.

This does not mean every du‘a must be repeated three times; the matter is broad.

Yes. From the etiquettes of du‘a is to begin with praising Allah, then send prayers upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, then ask for what one wishes.

The morning and evening adhkar are established remembrances said at the beginning and end of the day. By Allah’s permission, they protect the servant. Among the greatest are Ayat al-Kursi, the Mu‘awwidhat, Sayyid al-Istighfar, and other authentic adhkar from the Sunnah.

The closer view is that morning adhkar are said after Fajr until sunrise, and their time extends when needed until before Dhuhr. Evening adhkar are said after Asr until Maghrib, and their time extends when needed into the night.

Whoever forgets the morning or evening adhkar may say them when he remembers and hope for reward from Allah, but he should not intentionally delay them beyond their time without an excuse. The goal is to preserve them generally, not to open the door to obsessive doubts if one forgets sometimes.

Yes. The Sunnah contains adhkar for sleeping and waking, such as reciting Ayat al-Kursi, the Mu‘awwidhat, tasbih, tahmid, and takbir before sleep, and the supplication upon waking.

Yes. A Muslim may supplicate for whatever good he wishes in this world and the Hereafter, as long as it does not contain sin, cutting family ties, or transgression in du‘a. However, transmitted supplications are better, more comprehensive, and more beneficial.

If a Muslim has not memorized a transmitted du‘a, he may supplicate with whatever correct meaning is easy for him, then gradually learn the established adhkar. He should not abandon du‘a because he has not memorized all the wording, but he must not attribute wording to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم unless it is established from him.

Supplications should not be spread and attributed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم without verification. If a supplication has a good meaning and contains no contradiction, it may be used as a general du‘a, not as an established Sunnah or as having a specific virtue.

Messages that specify numbers or enormous virtues without evidence should not be spread unless verified.

Adhkar restricted to a number, time, or specific form require evidence. As for unrestricted dhikr, a Muslim may increase in it without believing in a special number or special virtue that has not been established.

Unrestricted dhikr is remembrance said at any time without restriction to a number, time, or specific situation, such as general tasbih, tahmid, tahlil, and istighfar.

Restricted dhikr is what the Shariah restricted to a time, number, or situation, such as morning and evening adhkar, adhkar after prayer, and adhkar before sleep. A Muslim follows what is established regarding its number, time, and wording as much as he can.

Dhikr may be in the heart and on the tongue, and the most complete is when heart and tongue come together. Dhikr of the tongue while the heart is heedless is deficient, and dhikr of the heart is worship, but the transmitted adhkar are said with the tongue.

Raising the hands in du‘a is legislated in general and is among the causes of response, but it should not be made a constant practice in places where raising the hands is not reported, such as inside prayer except in its proper places.

It is not legislated for the congregation or the khatib to raise their hands during the regular du‘a of the Friday khutbah, except if the khatib is making du‘a for rain, in which case he raises his hands and the people raise their hands.

It is also established in the hadith of Anas رضي الله عنه that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم raised his hands in the Friday khutbah when he prayed for rain. This shows that raising hands in the khutbah is for seeking rain and similar cases, not for the regular du‘a.

Du‘a after the obligatory prayer is legislated and recommended in general, and it is a time in which response is hoped for, provided it is individual and not a regular group practice, and that it comes after completing the prescribed adhkar such as istighfar, tasbih, tahmid, and tahlil.

However, many scholars hold that it is better to supplicate before the salam, after the tashahhud and sending prayers upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Among the greatest places for du‘a within prayer is also prostration.

Group du‘a after the obligatory prayer, where the imam supplicates and the people say amin behind him or raise their hands with him, is not from the Sunnah. It is not legislated after the prayers, neither as a permanent practice nor as a repeated occasional habit in the masjid.

The reason is that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not do this after the obligatory prayers, nor was it the practice of his Companions رضي الله عنهم, though they were the most eager for good and the most knowledgeable of the Sunnah. If it had been a legislated regular good after prayer, they would have preceded us to it.

What is legislated after prayer is to recite the established adhkar from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Individual du‘a between a person and his Lord, without a group form and without making it a sign after prayer, is a different matter.

It is better for a Muslim to count tasbih and dhikr with his fingers, because this is closer to the Sunnah.

As for using pebbles or prayer beads for counting, some scholars allowed it if it is free of showing off and false beliefs. But it should not be made a religious symbol, nor should one believe it is better than counting with the fingers.

Those who allowed counting with pebbles, date stones, or similar items cited reports from some Companions and early Muslims, and narrations in which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم directed a woman using date stones or pebbles to a better and easier dhikr without explicitly condemning the act of counting. Still, counting with the fingers remains better and closer to the Sunnah, especially with the right hand.

Among the best forms is the Ibrahimic salawat recited in the tashahhud: