The Prayer of Need – Salat or Dua al-Haja The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said in a Hadith narrated by Tirmidhi: “whoever has a need of anything from Allah or from any human being should perform wudu as perfectly as possible. After that he should pray two rak’ahs of prayer. Next, he should praise Allah Almighty and send blessings upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Then he should say:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ الْحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ أَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ وَالْغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ وَالسَّلَامَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ إِثْمٍ لَا تَدَعْ لِي ذَنْبَاً إِلَّا غَفَرْتَهُ وَلَا هَمَّاً إِلَّا فَرَّجْتَهُ وَلَا حَاجَةً هِيَ لَكَ رِضَاً إِلَّا قَضَيْتَهَا يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Lā ilāha illallāhul-halīmul-karīm subhānallāhi rabil-a’rshil-a’dhīm al-hamdu lillahi rabil-ā’lamīn asaluka mūjibāti rahmatik wa a’zāima maghfiratik wal-ghanīmata min kulli birr was-salāmata min kulli ithm lā tada’ lī dhamban illā ghafartah wa lā hamman illa farrajtah wa lā hājatan hiya laka ridhan illa qadhaytahā yā arhamar-rāhimīn.
There is no God but Allah, the Forbearing, the Most Generous. Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Magnificent Throne. Praise be to Allah Lord of the Worlds. I ask You for that which evokes Your mercy, for deeds which bring about Your forgiveness, for the benefit of complete piety, and for safety from all error. Do not leave me with any sin unforgiven, nor worry unrelieved, nor any need that is pleasing to You without fulfilling it, Most Merciful of those who show mercy.”
Even though there were earlier du’a books that were more exhaustive, Imam al-Nawawi’s Kitab al-adhkar is perhaps one of the most famous and widely-used, comprising. The author is known for his other concise hadith collections, such as al-Arbaʿin al-Nawawiyya (Al-Nawawi’s Forty Hadiths) and Riyad al-Salihin (Gardens of the Righteous). If you would like to learn more about Hadith science and scholars such as Imam al-Nawawi, consider enrolling in one of our Hadith courses.
