( , plural: , "invocation"/"supplication") literally translates to 'invocation' and is a fundamental act of prayer and worship in Islam. Unlike other formal religious prayers, du'ā' is informal and is considered, by Muslims, a direct channel of communication with the divine. There are multiple types of du'ā' and specific etiquette to be followed when performing du'ā'.
Role in Islam
In Islamic thought, du'ā' is considered both an act of worship and the most spontaneous and ordinary appeal to God. It fulfils three theological purposes: praise, petition, and intercession. Praise is primarily directed at God, his divine qualities and deeds, but can also celebrate the divinely inspired qualities of human beings like the Islamic prophet Muhammad and members of the early community. Petition is to ask for God's aid and intervention. Annemarie Schimmel observes that prayer is an intimate conversation between man and God that consoles the sorrowful heart, even in the absence of an immediate response. Intercessory prayer reflects a more communal dimension of prayer, grounded in the belief that prayers on behalf of another person are meaningful and beneficial. It is common for Muslims to follow any mention of Muhammad with "May God bless him and give him peace." In this way, Muslims are expected to offer prayers even for Muhammad.
Classical Muslim exegetes and Sufi thinkers debated how Qur'anic verses promising divine response to supplication could be reconciled with prayers remaining unanswered. Commentaries by Al-Tabari, Fakhr al-Din al Rāzī, and al-Qurtubi on the following verses sought to explore this paradox:"I answer the call [da'wa] of the suppliant [da'i] when he calls upon Me [da'ani]." (Q 2:186)"Call upon Me [ud'uni] and I will answer you." (Q 40:60)Atif Khalil notes that Islamic traditions provided different ways to reconcile this paradox. By drawing on the hadith "Du'ā' is worship", some exegetes extended the meaning of du'ā' to include repentance or worship ('ibāda). In this reading, God's 'response' is his acceptance rather than a fulfilment of the prayer. Later authors such as 'Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, al-Qurtubī, and al-Ghazālī argued that effective du'ā' requires good moral conduct, repentance, and the pursuit of a lawful life. Thus, sin and injustice can serve as obstructions to receiving a divine response. Sufi commentators like Rāzī and Rūmi maintained that even the act of calling upon God is itself the greatest reward, demonstrating faithful dependence upon God. As du'ā' facilitates intimacy (qurba) with God, prayer serves as its own response. Most authors noted that sincere petitions may be answered in varied ways: the request may be granted, deferred to the afterlife, rewarded with something better, or used to avert any misfortune.
There is a special emphasis on du'ā in Muslim spirituality and early Muslims took great care to record the supplications of Muhammad and his family and transmit them to subsequent generations. These traditions precipitated new genres of literature in which prophetic supplications were gathered together in single volumes that were memorized and taught. Collections such as al-Nawawi's Kitab al-Adhkar and Shams al-Din (Allama Muhammad) al-Jazari's al-Hisn al-Hasin exemplify this literary trend and gained significant currency among Muslim devotees keen to learn how Muhammad supplicated to God.
Over time, devotional literature on du'ā' has expanded beyond prophetic supplications. This devotional literature documents formulaic du'ā' of certain pious individuals. Popular du'ā's would include Muhammad al-Jazuli's Dala'il al-Khayrat, which at its peak spread throughout the Muslim world, and Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili's Hizb al-Bahr which also had widespread appeal. Du'ā literature reaches its most lyrical form in the Munajat, or 'whispered intimate prayers' such as those of Ibn Ata Allah. Among the Shia schools, the Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya (The Scripture of al-Sajjadiyya) records du'as attributed to Ali and his grandson, Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-Abidin.
Theological distinction from salat
Islamic jurisprudence states there is a distinction between du'ā' and salat. Salat is an obligatory liturgical ritual performed 5 times daily, whereas du'ā' is a personal invocation. Salat is performed with strict rules and in classical Arabic and du'ā' is more flexible with spontaneity and in any language without geographic requirements. Salat belongs to ibadat, the strict regulations of bodily worship, while du'ā'' is an open-ended, internal discussion with the divine. ''du'ā' can be performed while walking, resting, or doing other activities, independent of the strict posture, geographical, and other rules placed on the 5 salat prayers.
Types and categories
Some Shia believe there are preliminaries for fulfillment of du'ā'.Razi Shirazi. Some points on dua. 2016. Society for appreciation of cultural works and disgnitaries According to Mutahhari, Du'ā' is both premises and conclusion, both means and end.
Shi'a Isma'ili Muslims perform du'ā' three times a day as part of worship services in the jamatkhanas (assembly places). Those unable to pray in congregation at the jamatkhana are expected to recite the obligatory du'ā' at dusk and dawn. The du'ā' is key to the worship service, without which it remains incomplete. The Isma'ili du'ā' is recited in Arabic and consists of six cycles. Each part begins with basmala and concludes with sujud (prostration). The first half of each cycle conveys fundamental principles and the second half is a supplication followed by tasliyah or salah.
The core of the Shi'a Isma'ili du'ā' is recognising the authority and leadership of 'Ali and the Nizari lineage of imams. In this tradition, imams are understood as divinely inheriting the capacity to uncover the secrets of the Qur'an and thus revered as trustees of Muhammad's message and divine revelation. Every du'ā' ends with a testimony acknowledging the present imam. After reciting the du'ā', each member of the congregation turns to either side to shake hands while saying shah jo didar, that is, "May you glimpse His divine countenance".
Other optional etiquette There are various other optional techniques and etiquettes in the Quran and Sunnah for du'ā'. Listed here are a limited few and just a fraction of the etiquettes of du'ā that scholars have found in reference to in the Quran and Sunnah.
Raising one's hands
Raising one's hands is an encouraged option. There are many hadith that describe how Muhammad raised his hands during du'ā. Some hadith describe him having raised his hands to or above head-level in dire circumstances. Many scholars agree that aside from times of exceptionally great need, Muhammad did not raise his hands above his head. Under any other conditions, a common practice is to raise the hands to shoulder-height with palms placed together.
Scholars however agree that there are two authentic ways of raising one's hands: when not in drastic conditions the palms of one's hands should be turned up facing the skies, whilst the back of one's hands are facing the ground, then the du'ā' can be "recited". One must also make sure to face the Qibla (direction of prayer), whilst making ''du'ā.
The second way agreed upon by scholars is to have the palms facing one's face; once again one must face the Qibla, but this time the back of one's hands should also face the Qibla.
Evidence for facing the Qibla during du'ā''' can be found in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
Abdullah ibn Zayd narrated:
Facing the Qiblah
The Qibla is the direction that Muslims face while performing salat.
There are also Sahih hadith which narrate that it is forbidden to lift one's eyes towards the sky in prayer.
Abu Huraira reported:
Wiping the face Once the du'ā'has been completed, it is most common for the supplicant to wipe their face with their hands, and this act signals the end of the du'ā'''.
See also Raising hands in du'ā' Du'ā' Kumayl Duha Mafatih al-Janan The Sermon for Necessities - a popular sermon in the Islamic world, particularly as the introduction to a khutbah during Jumu'ah Durood Du'ā' in Yazidism
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