1	Ramadan – The Month of Mercy The Manners of Making Dua (Supplication)‏
2	Three Peoples Duaa will not be rejected: A just ruler A fasting person until he brakes his fast An oppressed person
3	Aisha asked what can a woman on menses do to find the night of power: And he replied, “Say O Allah, indeed you are a Pardoner, and you love pardon; so pardon me.” .
4	Now follows: How to best get my dua answered
5	First – Ask Allah alone Do not make dua to anyone alongside Allah. (70:18)‏ The Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said, “Dua is worship.” Making dua is an act of worship; and directing one’s worship to other than Allah alone is major shirk, a sin which nullifies the person’s islam altogether.
6	Second- Begin by Praising Allah: The Prophet was sitting in a masjid and a man came, and prayed, “O Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me.” So the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) told him, “You were hasty. When you pray, praise Allah and send the salah on me, then ask Allah.” Another man came and he praised Allah and he sent the salah on the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.); so he (s.A..a.w.s.) said, “O suppliant, ask Allah and your prayer will be answered.” (Narrated by at-Tirmidhi
7	Thirdly – Sending blessings on the Prophet (sa)‏ The Prophet (sa) said: Every supplication will be denied until the suppliant prays upon the Prophet.” (hasan)
8	Please Note: The dua of repentance or istikhara does not require sending blessings on the Prophet.
9	Fourthly – Tell Allah about your situation – talk to him A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zakhariyyah—when he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret, saying, “My Lord! Lo! The bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord. Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor who shall inherit of me and inhereit of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee).” (Maryam:2-6)‏
10	Five – Ask with certainty : The Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said, “Ask Allah with certainty that He will answer your prayers, and know that Allah will not accept the supplication from an absent heart.” (hasan, at-Tirmidhi)‏
11	Sixth – Ask Allah for what it is three times: “If you ask Allah for the jannah three times, the jannah will say, ‘O Allah, make him enter jannah.’ And if you ask Allah to protect you from hellfire three times, hellfire will say, ‘O Allah, protect him from the hellfire.’
12	Sixth – Must have patience: Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (s.A.w.s.) said, “The person’s supplication will be answered unless he asks for sin or severing the ties of kinship, except if the person is hasty.” Then the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) was asked about hastiness. So the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) described it as, “The person says, ‘I asked, and I have not seen the answer.’ Then he leaves dua.” (Sahih Muslim)
13	Seven – Have confidence: The Prophet (s.A.w.s.) said, “When you ask Allah, ask with confidence.”
14	Eight – Trying crying to Allah: An example of this lies in the dua of Zakariyyah “A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zakhariyyah—when he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret.” (19:2)
15	Also – It is best to have wudu and face Qibla: Please note that this is not a must but it adds strength to your supplication
16	Also – It is best to call upon Allah using his names: Allah’s are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them. (7:180)
17	Also – Best to raise the hands: Salman narrated from the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.), “Surely Allah is Hayyim, and He loves to conceal the shortcomings of His servants. If His servant raises his hands, He does not let him go empty handed.”
18	Also – Best to stay away from Haram foods: “Allah the Almighty is good and accepts only that which is good. Allah has commanded the faithful to do that which he commanded the messengers, and the Almighty has said: ‘O ye messengers! Eat of the good things and do right.’ And Allah the Almighty has said, ‘O ye who believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you.’”
19	Also: Then he (s.A.a.w.s.) mentioned [the case of] a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty and who spreads out his hands to the sky [saying] : "O Lord! O Lord!" Meanwhile, his (the traveler’s) food is unlawful, his drink unlawful, his clothing unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully; so how can he be answered! (Related by Muslim
20	Also – Best to think well of Allah Hadith Qudsi “I am as my servants thinks of me, and I am with him whenever he mentions me.”
21	Also – you can ask Allah by your good deeds: Bukhari and Muslim relate the hadith of the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) of the story of three men, who each supplicated to Allah by a good deed they had done earlier in their lives. As the story goes, “Three persons of a people before you were on a journey when they were overtaken by a storm and therefore they took shelter in a cave. A rock slipped down from the mountain and blocked the exit from the cave. One of them said, ‘The only way for deliverance left is to beseech Allah in the name of some virtuous deed.’” One of the men mentioned a good deed which they had done for Allah, and supplicated, “O Lord, if I did this thing seeking only Thy pleasure, then do Thou relieve us of the distress wrought upon us by this rock.” The rock moved, but not enough to free the men. So, the other two made similar supplications by their good deeds until the rock moved enough to free them.
22	Also – Ask from Allah in good times: The Prophet (s. A.a.w.s) said, “Whoever is pleased that Allah answers his prayers during hardships and difficulties, let him make much supplication in times of ease.” (Hasan, at-Tirmidhi)‏
23	Also – Ask from a good place: For example, the Saffa and Marwa in Mecca are favored places, since the Prophet (sA.a.w.s.) made dua there.
24	Also – Choose favored times: The last third of the night is a favored time because Allah descends to the lowest heaven in that time and says, “Is there anyone asking for something so that I may grant him.” Another favored time is between the adhan and iqamah, as the Prophet (sA.a.w.s.) told Anas, “Supplication between adhan and iqamah will never be rejected. So call upon Allah at that time.” (Authentic, Ibn Khuzaimah). Another favored time is in sujud, as the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said, “The servant is closest to his Lord while in sujud, so ask Allah in that time.”
25	Also – A good day: Friday is also a preferred, especially in the last hour before maghrib. Also, while the roosters crow, since the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said, “When you hear the crowing of the rooster ask Allah from His favors because it saw an angel. And if you hear the braying of a donkey, seek refuge with Allah because it saw a devil.”
26	Other good times: “Two supplications will not be rejected: the supplication during adhan and under rain,” (hasan) then these two times are preferred for dua. Supplication on Laylat’ul-Qadr, since it is a blessed and honored time. Aisha asked the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) “What should I say on Laylat’il-qadr?” And he replied, “O Allah, indeed you are a Pardoner, and you love pardon; so pardon me.”
27	Misc things to note: You can make dua for others: The Prophet, sala Allahu alaihi wa salam, said “Whenever you make a supplication for another believer and he is not present, an angel will say ‘and same to you.’ Wiping the face is not from the sunnah
28	Finally: Don’t make Dua’a against yourself or against your children The Propeht, sala Allahu alaihi wa salam, said, “Don’t make dua against yourselves. Don’t make dua against your children. Don’t make dua against your maids. And don’t make dua against your wealth. It might be in a time in which Allah answers the prayers.” (Authentic, Abu Dauood
29	END QUESTIONS