The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The warrior in the path of Allah, the pilgrim, and the person performing ʿumrah are the guests of Allah. He invited them so they responded to Him; they asked Him, so He gave them” (Nasā’ī).
You have been invited by Allah as His guest. This is the perfect time to ask Him for all your needs and desires, and to pour your heart out to Him in secret conversation (munājāh).
Ḥajj is filled with opportunities to make duʿā’, but making the most of them requires preparation: both strategy and stamina. At every step of the journey, aim to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ, who made abundant duʿāʾ throughout ḥajj.
It is sunnah to make duʿā’ in the following times and places during ḥajj:
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Duʿā’ whilst travelling
- Ṭawāf
- Between al-Rukn al-Yamānī and the Black Stone
- At the Multazam
- At Ṣafā and Marwah
- The Day of ʿArafah: between ẓuhr and sunset
- In Muzdalifah, especially between fajr and sunrise
- After pelting the first and second Jamarāt
Duʿa: Your Lifeline
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
“And your Lord said: ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you…’” (40:60)
Duʿā’ is the essence of worship. It is every moment, minute and hour in which you pour your heart out to Allah, praise Him, seek His forgiveness and beg Him. Duʿā’ helps you to realise how pathetic, poor and powerless you are; and how Great, Generous and Gracious Allah is. You realise that you cannot do a single thing without Him leading you to completely submit to Him and express your ʿubūdiyyah (servitude) to Him.
Duʿā’ is a whispering conversation with Allah, your Creator, Lord and Sustainer. You ask Him because only He can give. He has power over everything, whilst you have none. His knowledge encompasses everything, whilst you know little. He is the Lord and you are His slave.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is nothing more honourable to Allah than duʿā’.” Whilst fellow humans will tire of your persistent questioning and begging, Allah, the Generous Lord, does not stop giving and is angered when you don’t ask from Him! He Prophet ﷺ said, “Allah is angry with those who do not make duʿā’ to Him” (Tirmidhī).
The Secret of Duʿa
The secret to making duʿā’ is to express your utter need of Allah, with deep humility, desperation and dependence. Beg Him as though your life depends on it and you cannot survive without it.
Another often-neglected secret is dedicating a significant portion of duʿā’ to praising Allah, glorifying Him, and asking Him by His Most Perfect Names. Don’t just rush to ask for what you want. Instead, feel closeness to your Lord as you praise Him and recognise who He is ﷻ.
Both of these secrets are reflected in the duʿās of the Prophets in the Qur’ān, and especially in the duʿās of our beloved Prophet ﷺ, during ḥajj and beyond.
Ḥajj creates the ideal set of conditions which makes your duʿā’ more likely to be accepted. The physical exhaustion from walking, the sleepless nights, and the intense heat wear you down. Stripped of comfort, dressed in simple garments, and far from your usual conveniences, you begin to feel like a beggar, utterly dependent on Allah’s mercy. In this state of vulnerability, humility and utter helplessness, your duʿā’ flows from the depths of your heart.
Allah ﷻ is listening to the language of the heart, not the language of the tongue!
The Optimal Guide for Making Duʿa
- Make your heart present and completely focus on Allah.
- Choose a time in which du‘ā’ is readily accepted.
- Perform wuḍū’, face the qiblah and raise your hands.
- Humble yourself and submit to Allah.
- Start by praising Allah.
- Send Salawāt upon the Prophet ﷺ.
- Repent for your sins and ask for forgiveness.
- Ask with persistence, love and fear.
- Ask Allah through His Oneness and Names.
- Give ṣadaqāh before making du‘ā’.
(Adapted from Ibn al-Qayyim’s al-Jawāb al-Kāfī)
Day of ʿArafah
The Day of ʿArafah is the ultimate day of duʿā’. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The best duʿā’ is the duʿā’ of the Day of ʿArafah. The best of what I and the Prophets before me have said is:
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ ، ولَهُ الْحَمْدُ ، وَهُوَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيْرٌ
There is no god worthy of worship but Allah. He is Alone and He has no partner whatsoever. To Him Alone belong all sovereignty and all praise. He is over all things All-Powerful” (Tirmidhī).
Every moment from dhuhr till sunset should be filled with begging Allah for His mercy, forgiveness and freedom from the hell-fire. Keep repeating the above dhikr and reflect on its meaning.
Tips to Making Duʿa
- Go to Allah as a humble beggar in dire need.
- Lengthen your duʿā’ as though your life depends on it.
- Have firm conviction that your du’ā’ will be accepted.
- Firmly believe that it is ONLY Allah who is able to help you and accept your duʿā’.
- Be persistent and repeat your duʿās.
- Ask Allah for everything. Nothing is too big for Him.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When one of you asks for something from Allah, then let him be plentiful (in what he asks for), for indeed he is asking his Lord” (Ibn Ḥibbān).
Imām al-Nawawī (raḥimahullāh) wrote: “It is mustaḥabb to perform dhikr and duʿā’ in abundance, and to exert oneself in this. This is the best day of the year for duʿā’. It is the essence, core objective and foundation of ḥajj.
Therefore one must devote every effort to doing dhikr, making duʿā’, reciting Qur’ān, supplicating with various supplications and performing a variety of adhkār.… He should make duʿā’ for himself, his parents, his relatives, his teachers, his companions, friends and loved ones, all those who have done good to him, and all the Muslims. He should be extremely careful not to neglect any of these, because he will not be able to make amends for it, unlike other acts.”
This is the day you will make the longest duʿā’ of your life. Praise Him, beg Him, and let your tears flow. As millions gather around you under the heat of the sun, feel the barakah of this incredible moment and taste the sweetness of talking to your Lord.
“I struggle to make duʿā’ for more than 5 minutes”
- If you have ever felt like this, you may find the following tips useful:
- Spend a long-time praising Allah at the start of your duʿā’ and during it.
- Send abundant salutations on our beloved Messenger ﷺ .
- Ask Allah with the duʿās from the Qur’ān and Sunnah. Have a book/print-out ready. (See the book ‘I Am Near’ or ‘Dhikr & Dua’ App by Life With Allah, for a collection of duʿās).
- Write down a list of duʿās beforehand.
- Keep repeating certain duʿās. E.g. Don’t just ask Allah for Paradise once. Keep asking Him, and keep coming back to it.
- Make duʿā’ for people by their names. Abu al-Dardā’ (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) said, “Indeed I make duʿā’ for thirty of my brothers whilst I am in sujūd, with their names and their fathers’ names.”
- Make duʿā’ for the Ummah.
- Learn the deeper meanings of and reflect on the Qur’ānic and Prophetic duʿās to learn how to make duʿā’.
- Uphold the etiquettes of duʿā’.
Duʿa Is Life
Duʿā’ isn’t just for ḥajj. The connection, focus, and closeness to Allah that you build through duʿā’ during ḥajj is something you need to carry with you into your everyday life. Just as ḥajj is filled with golden opportunities for duʿā’, so is your daily life: in sujūd, after tashahhud, in the last third of the night, after each ṣalāh, and between the adhān and iqāmah.
Make duʿā’ an essential part of your daily routine. It is the anchor that strengthens your bond with Allah and keeps your heart connected to Him.
