A Du’a a Day: Prophetic Prayers for Ramadan

Introduction

Section 1: Prayers for guidance and forgiveness

• (1.1) Prayer for guidance and integrity
• (1.2) Prayer for ease in following guidance 
• (1.3) Prayer for taqwá and purification of the soul
• (1.4) Best prayer for seeking forgiveness (sayyid al-istighfār)
• (1.5) Prayer in sujūd for forgiveness of all sins 
• (1.6) Seeking forgiveness to start and conclude the prayer 
• (1.7) Prayer for steadfastness upon Islam 
• (1.8) Prayer for steadfastness and determination
• (1.9) Prayer for comprehensive light 

Section 2: Building good habits

• (2.10) The most frequent prayer of the Prophet ﷺ
• (2.11) Prayer at the beginning of your daily ṣalāh
• (2.12) Prayer at the end of every ṣalāh
• (2.13) Always seek refuge from these three
• (2.14) Seek refuge from these four

Section 3: Praying for others

• (3.15) Prayers for the Prophet ﷺ and his family
• (3.16) Prayer for our parents
• (3.17) Prayer to make our spouses and children the delight of our eyes
• (3.18) Prayer for Allah’s righteous servants
• (3.19) Prayer for showing appreciation
• (3.20) Prayer for those who have preceded us in faith

Section 4: The last ten nights

• (4.21) Prayer for laylat al-qadr
• (4.22) Prayer for the beginning of qiyām al-layl
• (4.23) Prayers made in qiyām 
• (4.24) A comprehensive prayer
• (4.25) A comprehensive prayer (Continued)
• (4.26) Longing to meet Allah
• (4.27) Prayer for a good ending
• (4.28) Prayer for the correction of one’s affairs
• (4.29) A comprehensive prayer to conclude the month

1. ‘Alī was one of the greatest companions. He was one of the first to accept Islam. He was from the family of the Prophet ﷺ and married the Prophet’s ﷺ daughter. He was even one of the rightly-guided Caliphs (al-khulafāʾ al-rāshidūn). Despite this elevated status, the Prophet ﷺ taught him to ask Allah for guidance. This shows us how important it is for every believer to ask Allah for guidance, regardless of their status.
2. The Prophet ﷺ not only taught ʿAlī what to say, he taught him what to think about when he is asking Allah! This helps to ensure that one’s heart will be focused when invoking Allah and not preoccupied with something else.
3. Guidance is what we ask from Allah in every single rakʿah of every ṣalāh, “Guide us on the straight path.” Allah not only shows us the straight path, but He assists us in staying firm upon it until we reach our destination of paradise by His grace and mercy.

1. All believers are in need of divine guidance, even the prophets.
2. Acting upon Allah’s guidance requires sacrifice, struggle, courage, and commitment. Hence we ask Allah to make it easy for us.

1. Supplications such as these have powerful purifying effects upon the soul when said with conviction, persistence, and proper etiquette. In fact, no one can succeed in the hereafter unless they come to Allah with a “pure heart.”¹² We need to attain a pure heart in this life, lest we suffer dire consequences on the Day of Resurrection.
2. This duʿāʾ is particularly relevant to Ramadan because the purpose of fasting is to achieve taqwá, which is what we are asking Allah for in this supplication. Without Allah’s aid, our fasting will not have the desired effect.

1. This duʿāʾ is the best way to ask for Allah’s forgiveness.
2. Allah promises to forgive us if we sincerely repent to Him, as in the verse, “Whoever commits evil or wrongs himself, but then seeks forgiveness from Allah, will find Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”¹⁴
3. Seeking forgiveness from Allah protects us from punishment, as He said, “Allah would not punish them while they seek His forgiveness.”¹⁵ Ibn ʿAbbās explained, “In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, there were two divine protections against misfortune: the presence of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ and seeking forgiveness. The first has been taken away, but seeking forgiveness remains.”¹⁶

1. One of the best times to supplicate is in the prostration part of the prayer, as the Prophet ﷺ said, “The servant is closest to his Lord during prostration, so increase your supplications therein.”¹⁸
2. We learn not to belittle the seeming insignificance of our minor sins, but rather consider the Greatness of the One we have sinned against. Bilāl ibn Saʿīd used to say, “Look not at the smallness of the sin, but rather at the One Whom you have disobeyed.”¹⁹
3. Not only must we be concerned about discontinuing habits involving minor sins, we should also not lose hope in being forgiven for our major sins if we sincerely fulfill all of the conditions of repentance. Ibn ʿAbbās said, “No sin is too enormous if forgiveness is sought, and no sin is too small if committed stubbornly.”²⁰

1. This duʿāʾ has been narrated by a number of companions. Based on the combination of their reports, this duʿāʾ is best said to start the night prayer and can also be said before the final taslīm of daily prayers.
2. In line with this duʿāʾ, we should say “I seek forgiveness from Allah” (astaghfirullāh) three times after the prayer. Scholars have explained that the wisdom in this practice is that it reminds us that our worship of Allah is actually a favor He has bestowed upon us. Therefore, upon completion of any good deed, no matter how perfectly we think we have done it, we are always in need of Allah’s forgiveness for any shortcomings within it.

1. The heart is literally the center of our being and must be safeguarded from evil influences. If we allow the whisperings of Satan or the whims of the ego to overcome it, it could very well ruin our entire being. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, in the body is a piece of flesh which, if sound, the entire body is sound, but if corrupt, the entire body is corrupt. Truly, it is the heart.”²⁵
2. It is the nature of the heart to often change from state to state. In this regard, the Prophet ﷺ said, “The parable of the heart is that of a feather blown about by the wind of the desert.”²⁶ The heart changes according to many different factors, including what we expose ourselves to, our inward and outward actions, and our emotional states. This duʿāʾ teaches us to stay focused and prioritize protecting our hearts by regularly asking Allah to keep them attached to Islam and to act accordingly.
3. We are not entitled to guidance, nor can we guarantee that we will remain guided or die as believers. Thus, we must continually ask Allah for guidance and to keep our hearts firm upon Islam.

1. The companions were enthusiastic to share the teachings of Islam with subsequent generations, which includes us! Shaddād ibn Aws taught this great supplication to a follower (tābiʿī, a student of a companion) from the tribe of Ḥanẓalah.
2. Nothing the Prophet ﷺ taught us is too insignificant to share, as he said, “Convey from me, even a single verse (āyah).”²⁸

1. Light is a frequent metaphor in the Qur’an and Sunnah. It could represent guidance, knowledge, life, religion, faith, divine revelation, the prophets, the Qur’an, or sound reasoning. Each of these manifestations of light build upon each other and reinforce each other, as in the famous Qur’anic parable, “Light upon light.”³⁰ This duʿāʾ is a request for Allah to compound all of the light He has given us.
2. This duʿāʾ is one of the best supplications to say while walking to the masjid.
3. The companions like Ibn ʿAbbās were eager to watch the Prophet’s ﷺ every action, practice, and habit. All of our knowledge of the Sunnah is due to their keen observance of his behavior.
4. The Prophet ﷺ was likewise eager to educate even his youngest companions. Ibn ʿAbbās was an adolescent at the time, yet he would become one of the most prolific and authoritative Muslim scholars of his generation.

1. We gain a deeper appreciation of the attention and precision the companions had when learning every detail about the Prophet's ﷺ life. 
2. There are many different duʿāʾs that the Prophet ﷺ would recite at the beginning of ṣalāh. These supplications are known as duʿāʾ al-istiftāḥ. It is best to learn more than one and alternate between them. 
3. This is the most authentic duʿāʾ to recite between the takbīr and Sūrat al-Fātiḥah.³⁷ 

1. Muʿādh ibn Jabal was a companion of great virtue. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ not only specifically chose him to impart this knowledge, but also informed Mu’adh that he loved him. 
2. The teaching style of the Prophet ﷺ was very effective. By telling Muʿādh that he loves him before imparting his advice, the Prophet ﷺ is gaining Muʿādh’s full attention and letting him know that he wants good for him. 
3. Muʿādh advised his student, al-Ṣunābiḥī, to say this duʿāʾ at the end of every prayer. Al-Ṣunābiḥī then advised his student, Abu Abdur-Rahman al-Ḥubulī, to say this duʿāʾ at the end of every prayer. This shows the importance of teaching others what Allah has blessed you to learn.

1. Making duʿāʾ at the end of ṣalāh before the taslīm is a sunnah that we should be more keen on implementing. 
2. When ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, one of the rightly-guided caliphs, would stand at a grave he would cry until his beard was soaked in tears. It was said to him: “Paradise and the fire were mentioned and you did not cry, yet you cry because of this?” So he said: “Indeed Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: ‘Verily, the grave is the first stage of the hereafter. Whoever is saved from it, whatever comes after will be easier for him. If he is not saved from it, whatever comes after will be worse for him.’ I have never seen anything more frightening than the grave.”⁴² 

1. The Prophet ﷺ put great emphasis on teaching his companions this duʿāʾ. In fact, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās said that the Prophet ﷺ would teach them this duʿāʾ like he would teach them a sūrah from the Qur’an.⁴⁵ 
2. Due to the importance the Prophet ﷺ placed on learning this duʿāʾ, all four schools of law (madhhabs) have stated that it is highly recommended to say this duʿāʾ before concluding the ṣalāh.⁴⁶

1. The divine reward for deeds is by jins al-ʿamal; i.e., the reward will “match” the deed being rewarded. For example, whoever relieves the difficulty of a believer in this life will have a difficulty removed in the next life. Hence, whoever “prays” upon the Prophet ﷺ once, Allah will “pray” upon him ten times.⁵²
2. Though we recite this in every ṣalāh, we often forget that we are actually praying for the Prophet ﷺ. Thinking of this as a duʿāʾ and contemplating what you are saying is one of the best ways to gain mindfulness and attentiveness (khushūʿ) and presence of heart in prayer.

1. Righteousness to parents (birr al-wālidayn) is a command repeated several times in the Qur’an and mentioned often in the Sunnah. The scholars would frequently begin their books of ethics on the right of parents to respect, kind treatment, and obedience (within reasonable limits). 
2. This duʿāʾ said on a regular basis stimulates love for our parents, which further assists us in fulfilling our duties towards them.

1. This duʿāʾ reminds us of our responsibility to provide guidance and education to our families, especially to our children. We should wish the best for our families just as we want it for ourselves. We ought to be pleased and deeply grateful to Allah to see our family members following the way of Islam. 
2. We should strive to be a moral example for our family and community members to emulate, without desiring to show off or gain worldly status.

1. The Prophet ﷺ mentioned that if we say this duʿāʾ “it will be for every righteous slave in the heavens and on earth.”⁵⁶ Imagine the reward one gets for praying for that many people! When we say this duʿāʾ in our daily prayers, we should keep this in mind and allow it to stimulate feelings of love and solidarity with all believers who have ever lived.  
2. We say this duʿāʾ in the sitting position of every ṣalāh. Due to the frequency with which we say it, we may say it mechanically without being mindful that we are actually making a prayer for ourselves and the believers! It is important to remember that this is a duʿāʾ and to say it with full conviction and presence of heart.

1. This duʿāʾ is an easy way to express thanks and appreciation to someone who performs a good deed, as well as to ask Allah to reward it in the best manner, most importantly in the hereafter. 
2. It is very important to complete the entire phrase. Some people say jazāk Allah without adding khayr, which means “May Allah reward you...” but a reward, by definition in both English and Arabic, could be good or bad! Instead, we need to say the whole phrase to complete the duʿāʾ for Allah to reward the person with good.

1. This duʿāʾ is important for fostering the love and compassion that should characterize the Muslim community. 
2. As Muslims, we should ask Allah to forgive us all for our sins, and we ourselves should forgive each other. 
3. We must ask Allah to remove any ill feelings in our hearts towards each other, such as malice (ḥiqd), hate (bughḍ), and envy (ḥasad), which are all implied by the word ghill. By repeating this duʿāʾ, especially in regard to Muslims we have bad relations with, we can purify our hearts of these spiritual diseases and perhaps open the way to reconciliation and renewal of the bonds of Islam.

1. It is profound that ʿĀʾishah asked the Prophet ﷺ what to say during laylat al-qadr, which indicates that the companions understood the importance and value of duʿāʾ at this time. 
2. The Prophet ﷺ is instructing the most beloved person to him, his wife ʿĀʾishah, to ask for pardoning from Allah. This is after fasting for at least twenty days and striving in prayer, charity, and other forms of devotion to Allah. One takeaway from this is to know that Allah’s pardoning of our shortcomings is better for us than our own good deeds. 
3. We should strive to do what Allah loves. Allah loves pardoning so we should do our best to pardon others, just as we want Allah to pardon us. Allah says, “Let them pardon, and let them overlook. Do you not love for Allah to forgive you? Allah is Forgiving, Beneficent.”⁶² This is the time of year to learn to forgive. Recent studies about people’s regrets at the end of life mention that not forgiving others is one of their greatest regrets.⁶³ 
4. Pardoning is not always the best option. If pardoning someone emboldens them to continue their wrongdoing, it is actually better not to pardon them. They should be held accountable and punished accordingly to prevent them from harming others.⁶⁴

1. Part of this duʿāʾ finds its root in the statement of Allah, “Then Allah, by His grace, has guided the believers to the truth regarding those disputes. And Allah guides whomever He wills to the Straight Path.”⁷⁰
2. ʿAbdulraḥmān ibn ʿAwf and the other companions of the Prophet ﷺ were very keen about learning about the fine details of how the Prophet ﷺ worshipped when he was out of the public eye. They would ask about things that they did not have the opportunity to observe so that they could emulate him and follow his footsteps. Consequently, this should serve as an encouragement for every Muslim to learn more about how the Prophet ﷺ worshipped Allah and attempt to emulate his way. 
3. ًThe statement “You judge between your servants” reminds us to prepare for the day when the truth will be revealed and Allah will judge between us. Therefore, our intent should be to arrive at the truth in all issues of dispute and to accept the truth no matter who it comes from, even if it takes us out of our comfort zone.

1. We should all have secret good deeds that even the people closest to us do not know about. These are sincere private acts of worship between us and Allah.
2. We can never praise Allah enough. His perfection is beyond our comprehension. This duʿāʾ teaches us how to call on Him while recognizing that.
3. Qiyām al-Layl is the one of the most important times to make duʿāʾ, and that is why many of the greatest supplications of the Prophet ﷺ were made during qiyām.

1. This duʿāʾ is one of the most comprehensive prayers one can make.⁷⁵ Al-Mullah ʿAlī al-Qārī (d. 1014H) called it “the most comprehensive supplication that has been narrated.” ⁷⁶
2. It is important for those who have knowledge to teach others, especially when they are members of the same household. The Prophet ﷺ was keen on teaching these very powerful words to his beloved wife ʿĀʾishah and mentioned that they were “comprehensive” and “complete” as an incentive to say them frequently.
3. ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (ra) used to say a duʿāʾ very similar to this one before exiting the prayer. He would also teach others to say this duʿāʾ before the taslīm.⁷⁷

1. This part of the duʿāʾ focuses on the hereafter. Though we should ask Allah for things we need in our temporary existence on earth, our primary concern should be the place we will reside eternally. The Prophet ﷺ would often say when calling upon Allah, “And let not the world be our greatest worry.”⁸¹ We need Allah’s help to enter paradise and to be saved from the fire. 
2. We should not belittle any good deed or any sin. Everything we do or say, or fail to do or fail to say, has the potential to take us closer to either Paradise or the Fire. In this duʿāʾ, we are asking Allah to help us say and do those things that will take us to Paradise and to protect us from anything that leads to the Fire. The Prophet ﷺ said, “A person may utter a word which pleases Allah without giving it much weight, and because of that Allah will raise him degrees. Another person may utter a word which displeases Allah without thinking of its gravity, and because of that he will be thrown into the Hellfire.”⁸²
3. Only Allah knows what is truly best for us. Allah says,  “Perhaps you dislike something that is good for you and like something that is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.”⁸³ When we ask Allah to make every decree for us good for us, we are asking Him to aid us in being content and pleased with His decision for us. Ibn al-Qayyim describes being pleased with Allah and His decree as the paradise of this earth, the greatest of the doors to Allah, the bliss of the worshippers, and the joy of those who long to meet Allah.⁸⁴

1. Some might find it strange that Prophet Yūsuf would ask Allah to die as a ‘Muslim’ even though he preceded Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ by centuries. It is important to know that all of the prophets were Muslims: they worshipped Allah alone, submitted fully to Him, and rejected false idols. This is the ‘general’ Islam that all prophets taught their people.
2. Asking Allah to cause us to die as Muslims is similar to Allah’s command, “O you who believe, fear Allah as he ought to be feared and do not die unless you are Muslims.” [Āli ʿImrān 3:102] This āyah was frequently recited by the Prophet ﷺ prior to his sermons, and we still often hear it recited by the khaṭīb on Fridays.
3. Nothing in the above duʿāʾ indicates that we should be eager to die. In fact, this contradicts the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, who said, “None of you should wish for death due to a calamity that has befallen him. If he must wish for death, then he should say, ‘O Allah! Let me live as long as life is better for me, and take my life if death is better for me.’”⁹²

1. Shaykh ʿAbdulraḥmān ibn Saʿdī (d. 1376 AH) said, “This duʿāʾ is one of the most comprehensive and beneficial duʿāʾs. It comprises asking Allah for the good of both the dīn and the dunya. Hence, whoever is granted guidance, piety, abstinence and contentment has indeed achieved true success in this world and the next. They have acquired everything that could be possibly sought after, and have been saved from all that is dreadful and feared.”¹⁰⁰
2. Having a lot of possessions does not make a person rich. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Richness is not an abundance of worldly goods; rather, richness is contentment with one’s lot.”¹⁰¹ A person who has a lot of wealth but still craves more is often restless and not at peace. Even though he is rich, he is not happy due to his lack of contentment. Focusing on the hereafter is one of the best ways to reach the level of contentment. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever makes the hereafter his goal, Allah will bring his affairs together, place richness in his heart, and the world will come to him despite his lack of enthusiasm for it.¹⁰²