Question:
Is it permissible to supplicate in prayer with a supplication that is not mentioned in the Quran and is there a hadith that supports its permissibility?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Prayer literally means supplication and we are encouraged to increase our supplication in prayer. According to the above question, there are several hadiths that indicate that it is permissible to make du’a using a supplication which is not stated in the Quran. Some of them are:
- From Abu Bakar RA, the Prophet PBUH taught me the following supplication for me to recite in my prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي ظُلْمًا كَثِيرًا، وَلاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَغْفِرَةً مِنْ عِنْدِكَ، وَارْحَمْنِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
“O Allah, verily I have wronged myself much and there is None who forgives sins except You. Grant me forgiveness from You and have mercy on me for You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (6236)
- From Aisyah R.anha, she said:
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ يَدْعُو فِي الصَّلاَةِ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذَابِ القَبْرِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ المَسِيحِ الدَّجَّالِ، وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ فِتْنَةِ المَحْيَا، وَفِتْنَةِ المَمَاتِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ المَأْثَمِ وَالمَغْرَمِ
“O Allah! I seek refuge with Thee from the torment of the grave, and I seek refuge with Thee from the trial of the Masih al-Dajjal (Antichrist) and I seek refuge with Thee from the trial of life and death. O Allah! I seek refuge with Thee from sin and debt.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (832)
According to both hadiths above, it is clear that the Prophet PBUH taught his companions to make du’a with supplication he taught them, of which the supplications are not mentioned in the Quran. Imam al-Hafiz al-Asqalani when commenting on the above hadith states that the supplication is before the salam and it is permissible for anyone to make du’a with any type of supplication he wishes. (See Fath al-Bari, 2/318)
The same question was asked to Dar al-Ifta’ al-Misriyyah and they state that the four madhabs agreed that there is no restriction to supplicate with only the supplication stated in the Quran or sunnah in prayer. Hence, the scholars agreed that it is permissible to supplicate with any type of du’a for the benefits of this world and the hereafter. Furthermore, we have also answered the issue of the permissibility of supplicating using languages other than Arabic in our previous article.
Closing
As a conclusion, it is permissible to make du’a with a supplication that is not mentioned in the Quran and sunnah in prayer. However, it is prioritized to supplicate with the supplication stated in the Quran and sunnah. May Allah SWT give us strength in practising the supplications taught to us by our Prophet PBUH. Amin.
Wallahua’lam.