The short answer
Allah promises to answer: "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Begin by praising Allah and sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, ask with certainty and humility, raise your hands, keep your income halal, do not ask for sin or cutting family ties, and never give up because the answer seems slow.
Start with the promise. "Call upon Me; I will respond to you" 1. "I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me" 2. Dua is not a last resort; it is the first thing a believer does.
Begin well. The Prophet ﷺ heard a man make dua without praising Allah or sending blessings on him and said "He made haste." He taught that one should first glorify and praise Allah, then send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, and then ask for whatever one wishes 3.
Ask with conviction. Do not say "forgive me if You wish"; ask with determination, because no one can force Allah to do anything against His will 4. Call on Him "in humility and privately" 5, and raise your hands: "your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him" 6.
Clean the channel. The Prophet ﷺ described a traveller, dishevelled and dusty, raising his hands saying "O Lord, O Lord", while his food, drink and clothing were haram, and asked, "How can then his supplication be accepted?" 7. Halal earnings are part of dua.
Stay patient and ask for good. Dua is answered as long as a person does not ask for sin or for cutting the ties of kinship, and does not become impatient, saying "I supplicated and I supplicated" but saw no answer, and then abandon dua 8.
So pray for yourself, your family and the ummah, use the dua of the Quran and the Sunnah as well as your own words, and keep asking.
Call upon Me; I will respond to you.
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدۡعُونِيٓ أَسۡتَجِبۡ لَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ عَنۡ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدۡخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ ٦٠
And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible
Allah is near and responds to whoever calls upon Him.
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌۖ أُجِيبُ دَعۡوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِۖ فَلۡيَسۡتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلۡيُؤۡمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡشُدُونَ ١٨٦
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided
Begin dua by glorifying and praising Allah, then send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then ask.
Narrated Fudalah ibn Ubayd,: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a person supplicating during prayer. He did not mention the greatness of Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He made haste. He then called him and said either to him or to any other person: If any of you prays, he should mention the exaltation of his Lord in the beginning and praise Him; he should then invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ); thereafter he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو هَانِئٍ، حُمَيْدُ بْنُ هَانِئٍ أَنَّ أَبَا عَلِيٍّ، عَمْرَو بْنَ مَالِكٍ حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَمِعَ فَضَالَةَ بْنَ عُبَيْدٍ، صَاحِبَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ سَمِعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلاً يَدْعُو فِي صَلاَتِهِ لَمْ يُمَجِّدِ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَلَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " عَجِلَ هَذَا " . ثُمَّ دَعَاهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَوْ لِغَيْرِهِ " إِذَا صَلَّى أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَبْدَأْ بِتَحْمِيدِ رَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ وَالثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ يَدْعُو بَعْدُ بِمَا شَاءَ " .
Do not say "if You wish" in dua; ask Allah with determination.
Narrated Abu Huraira:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "None of you should say: 'O Allah, forgive me if You wish; O Allah, be merciful to me if You wish,' but he should always appeal to Allah with determination, for nobody can force Allah to do something against His Will
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " لاَ يَقُولَنَّ أَحَدُكُمُ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي، اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْنِي، إِنْ شِئْتَ. لِيَعْزِمِ الْمَسْأَلَةَ، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ مُكْرِهَ لَهُ ".
Call upon your Lord in humility and privately.
ٱدۡعُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ تَضَرُّعࣰ ا وَخُفۡيَةًۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ ٥٥
Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors
Allah is too generous to return empty the hands raised to Him.
Narrated Salman al-Farsi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him
حَدَّثَنَا مُؤَمَّلُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ الْحَرَّانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عِيسَى، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ يُونُسَ - حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرٌ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ مَيْمُونٍ صَاحِبَ الأَنْمَاطِ - حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ سَلْمَانَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى حَيِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ يَسْتَحْيِي مِنْ عَبْدِهِ إِذَا رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ إِلَيْهِ أَنْ يَرُدَّهُمَا صِفْرًا " .
The dua of a man whose food, drink and clothing are haram - how can it be accepted?
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:O people, Allah is Good and He therefore, accepts only that which is good. And Allah commanded the believers as He commanded the Messengers by saying: "O Messengers, eat of the good things, and do good deeds; verily I am aware of what you do" (xxiii. 51). And He said: "O those who believe, eat of the good things that We gave you" (ii. 172). He then made a mention of a person who travels widely, his hair disheveled and covered with dust. He lifts his hand towards the sky (and thus makes the supplication): "O Lord, O Lord," whereas his diet is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, and his clothes are unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful. How can then his supplication be accepted?
وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا فُضَيْلُ بْنُ مَرْزُوقٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَدِيُّ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ، عَنْ أَبِي حَازِمٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ لاَ يَقْبَلُ إِلاَّ طَيِّبًا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِمَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ فَقَالَ { يَا أَيُّهَا الرُّسُلُ كُلُوا مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ} وَقَالَ { يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُلُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا رَزَقْنَاكُمْ} " . ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الرَّجُلَ يُطِيلُ السَّفَرَ أَشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ يَا رَبِّ يَا رَبِّ وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ وَغُذِيَ بِالْحَرَامِ فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لِذَلِكَ " .
Dua is answered unless it asks for sin or cutting ties of kinship, or the person grows impatient and stops.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:The supplication of the servant is granted in case he does not supplicate for sin or for severing the ties of blood, or he does not become impatient. It was said: Allah's Messenger, what does:" If he does not grow impatient" imply? He said: That he should say like this: I supplicated and I supplicated but I did not find it being responded. and theu he becomes frustrated and abandons supplication
حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو الطَّاهِرِ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ وَهْبٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي مُعَاوِيَةُ، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ صَالِحٍ - عَنْ رَبِيعَةَ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ أَبِي إِدْرِيسَ الْخَوْلاَنِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ " لاَ يَزَالُ يُسْتَجَابُ لِلْعَبْدِ مَا لَمْ يَدْعُ بِإِثْمٍ أَوْ قَطِيعَةِ رَحِمٍ مَا لَمْ يَسْتَعْجِلْ " . قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الاِسْتِعْجَالُ قَالَ " يَقُولُ قَدْ دَعَوْتُ وَقَدْ دَعَوْتُ فَلَمْ أَرَ يَسْتَجِيبُ لِي فَيَسْتَحْسِرُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ وَيَدَعُ الدُّعَاءَ " .
This answer was compiled with the help of AI, using only the verified texts shown here. Every reference links to its source. If you find a mistake, please report it. Updated 2026-09-24