We know that a person is closest to Allah when he is in sujud and the best duaa is taught by Allah. But I have heard that it is not permissible to recite any verse in the sujud. Is it also in case of the verse of supplication? Please, can you make it clear for me? Thank you.
Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
In sujud (prostration position), a Muslim is recommended to make duaa to Allah Almighty. One may say duaa that is based on Quranic verses or prophetic hadiths.
Answering your question, Dr. Wael Shihab, PhD in Islamic Studies from Al-Azhar University and currently the Imam of the Downtown Toronto Masjid in Canada, states:
Good times for duaa
A Muslim is recommended to make duaa in good times and situations where duaa will be mostly answered by Almighty Allah.
Among the good times for duaa are while in sujud, before the Fajr time, when it rains, at the time of breaking one’s fasting, etc.
What to say in sujud
A Muslim may make duaa in his or her sujud position by saying words, phrases, or sentences from the Quran that imply duaa. For instance, one may say in his duaa the following Quranic supplications:
{Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.} (Al-Baqarah 2:286)
{Our Lord! Vouchsafe us comfort of our wives and of our offspring, and make us patterns for (all) those who ward off (evil).} (Al-Furqan 25:74)
It is noteworthy that answering one’s duaa depends on many factors such as one’s closeness to Allah, earning halal (lawful) livelihood, choosing good times for making duaa such as duaa in the sujud and before the Fajr time, and adhering to good manners of making duaa such as starting one’s duaa with praising Allah and sending peace and blessings to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and closing one’s duaa with the same.
Forms of answering duaa
Moreover, you need to know that the response to one’s duaa may take one of the following forms:
1- To get what you ask for,
2- To be protected against an evil that would befall you if you don’t make such duaa, or
3- To be delayed to the Hereafter when you receive rewards from Allah for your duaa.
So, never lose hope in gaining Allah’s blessings and favors through making duaa, which is a form of worship in itself. In shaa’ Allah, you may get what you ask for, you may be protected against some evils, or/and you may get the reward for your duaa itself in the Hereafter.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.