Learn the difference between dua, dhikr and salah, and simple ways to begin calling upon Allah.
Dua is calling upon Allah
Dua means supplication: asking Allah for help, forgiveness, guidance and good. It can express your needs and your concern for others. It is different from the prescribed five daily prayers, although supplication also has a place within salah.
Begin with meaning
Outside the prescribed recitations of salah, you can ask Allah in a language you understand. Be sincere and respectful, and ask for what is good. If you use a supplication from the Qur’an or an authentic report, learn what it means rather than treating unfamiliar words as a formula without understanding.
A Qur’anic example to explore
Qur’an 2:201 records a supplication asking for good in this life and the next, and protection from the punishment of the Fire. Open the verse here to read its Arabic and translation. A short, understood supplication can be a helpful starting point for daily remembrance.
Dhikr and trust
Dhikr means remembrance of Allah and includes forms of praise and glorification. Dua and dhikr accompany effort rather than replacing it. Do not treat a supplication as a guaranteed way to obtain a particular worldly result on a deadline; prayer is worship, not a transaction.
Common questions
Can I make dua in English?
Outside the prescribed recitations of salah, you can supplicate in a language you understand. The words within formal prayer have their own rulings.
Does dua replace the five daily prayers?
No. Personal supplication and the obligatory daily prayers are distinct.
Read the sources here
Qur’an buttons open the local text and translation. Hadith and scholarly notes are authored summaries, with the collection or source identified.