What is a dua?

Salam! In this course you will learn short sentences to say to Allah during your day. They are called duas, in Arabic: دُعَاء (du'aa').

Making a dua means talking to Allah. You can ask Him for something, thank Him or tell Him that you need Him. You can do it in Arabic, and also in your own language, at any time.

Allah says: وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ "And when My servants ask you about Me, I am near" (meaning of part of verse 2:186). Allah is close to you and He always hears.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Dua is worship." (Abu Dawud 1479, Tirmidhi 2969). When you make a dua, even a tiny one, you are worshipping Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ taught us duas for every moment of the day: when we wake up, when we eat, when we go out, when we enter the mosque, when we travel, when we say thank you and when we go to sleep. Those are the ones you will learn.

How to learn: 1. Listen to an adult saying the dua. 2. Repeat it piece by piece, then all of it. 3. Say it at the right moment, every day: that is how you remember it forever. 4. Understand what it means: it is easier to remember what you understand.

The Latin letters help a little, but it is by listening that you will pronounce well.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Making a dua is a bit like talking to someone who loves you and who can do anything. You don't need big words: you can ask for a small thing (finding your toy, doing well in your spelling test) or a big thing (your family being well, going to Paradise).

Allah always answers, but not always the way we imagine. Sometimes He gives straight away what we asked for. Sometimes He keeps it for later, or gives us something better. Sometimes He protects us from something bad without us knowing (Musnad Ahmad 11133 [À VÉRIFIER : numéro et degré]).

That is why we need to be patient. The Prophet ﷺ said that a dua is answered as long as we are not impatient and say: "I asked, and I was not answered." (Bukhari 6340, Muslim 2735)

You can also make duas for other people: for your parents, your friends, someone who is ill. It is a beautiful way of loving people.

Lessons to draw from it • I can talk to Allah at any time, in my own language, about a small or a big thing. • I am patient: Allah always answers, in His way and at the best time. • I also make duas for my parents, my family and my friends.

Key points to remember • A dua is talking to Allah: thanking Him, asking Him, telling Him we need Him. • Allah is near and He always hears (2:186).

The main message Allah is very close to you: every time you talk to Him, He hears you, and every dua is an act of worship.