Types of du'aa

Bismillaahirrahmaanirrahiim
Alhamdulillaahi rabbil alameen
Assalaato wasalaamo ala rasoolullaah sayyidina Mohammad
wa ala ahlihi washabihi ajameen

Last time we had a general introduction to du’aa. We mentioned that du’aa is worship and the importance of du’aa. We also talked about du’aas relation to aqeedah and iman.

Today we are biithnillaah going to talk about the different types of du’aa. And du’aa can be divided up in different ways. It is important to know about this because du’aa is mentioned so many times in the Quraan, so we must know the difference and understand what kind of du’aa Allaah is talking about in different ayaat.

We can see in the Quraan and sunnah that two types of du’aa is mentioned. Du’aa ul-mas’alah, we can call it ‘du’aa of asking’ and du’aa ul-‘ibadah, du’aa of worship.



Du’aa ul-mas’alah is when we ask for something that will beneficial to us or that we ask that something harmful will be removed from us. For example, to say “O Allaah! Grant me good in this world, and good in the Hereafter!” is a way of making du’aa ul-mas’alah.

Du’aa ul-‘ibadah is a very broad concept, because all kinds of worship is included in this. Every praise we say, every prayer we perform. Every time we say Alhamdulillaah or SubhanAllaah, we make du’aa ul-‘ibadah. When we make salaah, when we pay zakaat, when we fast, when we read Quraan, when we do dhikr, this is du’aa ul-‘ibadah. Du’aa ul-’ibadah is an act or a statement where we worship Allaah, but we’re not asking something from Him.

These two types of du’aa are related to one and another. Du’aa ul-mas’alah must have, needs always du’aa ul-‘ibadah. For example, when we say ‘O Allaah forgive me’ that implies of course that Allaah is worthy of our du’aa ul-’ibadah.

And the natural or logical consequence of du’aa ul-‘ibadah is du’aa ul-mas’alah.
When we say Alhamdulillaah rabbil ‘alameen or when we say ‘La hawla wala quwatta illa billaah”, we are saying that only Allaah is worthy of our praise and that all power is with Allaah. This automatically means that only He should be asked. Why else praising Him? So by making du’aa ul-‘ibadah, the du’aa of worship, we are saying that only Allaah is the one we should ask and only He can respond to our call. Because Allaah is the only one with power to give us what is good for us and to change our situation or the situation for others. Therefore we can say that du’aa ul-‘ibadah necessitates du’aa of asking, du’aa ul-mas’alah.

These both types of du’aa, du’aa ul-mas’alah and du’aa ul-‘ibadah are both linked o each other. You can not have one perfectly without the other. There is a relationship between them. And you can’t have one type in perfection without the other. Some people only do du’aa ul-‘ibadah, and others only do du’aa ul-mas’alah. Others reject both and then there is a fourth category that do both of them. Those who reject both these types of du’aa are the ones who has no faith, no belief in Allaah (regardless of what name they give Him). They reject Allaah and therefore doesn’t worship Him and therefore doesn’t ask Him about anything. Then we come to those who do du’aa ul-‘ibadah but don’t do du’aa ul-mas’alah. They worship Allaah but they never ask from Allaah directly. This we can for example see amongst some Christians, they worship Allaah but when it comes to asking, du’aa ul-mas’alah, they ask ‘Isa, Jesus. So du’aa ul-‘ibadah is directed to Allaah but the du’aa ul-mas’alah is directed to someone or something other than Allaah. Also some extreme sufi groups are guilty of this. The third category is the ones that practice du’aa ul-mas’alah perfectly but they don’t do du’aa ul-‘ibadah. Unfortunately these days many muslims are in this category. The don’t pray, or rarely pray, rarely fast, don’t read Quraan and so on. But as soon as something happens to them, they remember Allaah and ask him for whatever it is that they need.

When du’aa is mentioned in Quraan, the shari’ah version of du’aa that is, when we call upon Allaah, there are three possibilities to what it is. It can either be meaning both types of du’aa, or only du’aa ul-‘ibadah or only du’aa ul-mas’alah. In soorah al-Furqaan, ayah 77 Allaah mentions both types of du’aa:

قُلۡ مَا يَعۡبَؤُاْ بِكُمۡ رَبِّى لَوۡلَا دُعَآؤُڪُمۡ‌ۖ فَقَدۡ كَذَّبۡتُمۡ فَسَوۡفَ يَڪُونُ لِزَامَۢا
Say (O Muhammad SAW to the disbelievers): "My Lord pays attention to you only because of your invocation to Him. But now you have indeed denied (Him). So the torment will be yours for ever (inseparable permanent punishment)." (25:77)

The reason Allaah pays attention to us is because of our worship and our asking that we do. Meaning du’aa ul-‘ibadah and du’aa ul-mas’alah. And in soorah al-Naml, ayah 62 Allaah speaks about du’aa ul-mas’alah:

أَمَّن يُجِيبُ ٱلۡمُضۡطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ
Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls on Him (27:62)

And in soorah al-Hajj, ayah 73, Allaah speaks about du’aa ul-‘ibadah:


يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ۬ فَٱسۡتَمِعُواْ لَهُ ۥۤ‌ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ لَن يَخۡلُقُواْ ذُبَابً۬ا وَلَوِ ٱجۡتَمَعُواْ لَهُ
O men! Here is a parable set forth! Listen to it! Those on whom besides Allah, ye call cannot create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! (22:73)

But I must say, that even in these two ayaat, one type of du’aa is mentioned directly, it indirectly means both types of du’aa since they are related to each other.

The actual du’aa itself can also be divided into two categories. Matter regarding religion and matters regarding the worldly life. For example, regarding the first type is that we make du’aa for strengthening our iman, forgiveness of our sins, admission to Paradise and so on. And for the second category we for example make du’aa about increasing our wealth, having children, gaining knowledge, being cured from illness and so on. We should ask Allaah from both of these categories, because what is good in this life can be used for attaining good in the next life. It can be a way of coming closer to Allaah. And du’aa can also be categorised by what is being asked for regarding if it is good for us or bad for us, if it is beneficial or causing harm.

You can say that the du’aa we make can be centred around 4 pillars:

Good that already exists. If you are in good health, or wealthy, we make du’aa that this will last. Right?

Good that is desired. A person does not have good health but wishes to have, so that person asks for it through du’aa.

Evil that exists. For example a person that is sick or poor, makes du’aa to change that situation.

Evil that does not exist. If a person fear some harm or trials, du’aa can me made that this will never happen.

And a du’aa like this, that mentions all these 4 principles or pillars, can be found in soorah ale Imraan, in some of the last ayat 193 and 194:

رَّبَّنَآ إِنَّنَا سَمِعۡنَا مُنَادِيً۬ا يُنَادِى لِلۡإِيمَـٰنِ أَنۡ ءَامِنُواْ بِرَبِّكُمۡ فَـَٔامَنَّا‌ۚ رَبَّنَا فَٱغۡفِرۡ لَنَا ذُنُوبَنَا وَڪَفِّرۡ عَنَّا سَيِّـَٔاتِنَا وَتَوَفَّنَا مَعَ ٱلۡأَبۡرَارِ
رَبَّنَا وَءَاتِنَا مَا وَعَدتَّنَا عَلَىٰ رُسُلِكَ وَلَا تُخۡزِنَا يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ‌ۗ إِنَّكَ لَا تُخۡلِفُ ٱلۡمِيعَادَ
"Our Lord! Verily, we have heard the call of one (Muhammad SAW) calling to Faith: ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and expiate from us our evil deeds, and make us die (in the state of righteousness) along with Al-Abrâr (the pious believers of Islamic Monotheism). (193) "Our Lord! Grant us what You promised unto us through Your Messengers and disgrace us not on the Day of Resurrection, for You never break (Your) Promise." (3:193, 194)

The phrase “Forgive our sins and expiate from us our evil deeds” is a du’aa that an already existing evil to be removed. The phrase “and cause us to die in a state of righteousness” is du’aa that an existing good will not be removed, but will be lasting until death. And this good is that we will always have iman! And the phrase “Grant us what you promised us through Your messengers” is a du’aa for good that we wish to have. And the last phrase “do not disgrace us on the Day of Judgement” is a du’aa to make sure an, as of now, non existing evil will not happen.