Syamila

Duha prayer is a voluntary prayer that can be performed in the morning after sunrise until before noon.

It is also known as Salat al-Awwabeen (the prayer of the oft-repentant) or Salat al-Ishraq (the prayer of illumination) that have many benefit.

In this article, we will explain what is Duha prayer, when is its time, how to perform it, and what are some of the benefits and duas associated with it.

What is Duha Prayer?

Duha prayer is a sunnah prayer that was practiced by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions.

It is a way of expressing gratitude to Allah for His blessings, seeking His forgiveness, and asking for His sustenance and guidance.

The word duha means “the brightness of the morning” or “the forenoon”. It is derived from the root word dahw, which means “to become bright” or “to shine”.

When is Duha Prayer Time?

The time of duha prayer begins after sunrise and ends before noon. According to some scholars, the preferred time is when the sun is high in the sky, about a quarter or a third of the way between sunrise and noon.

However, some scholars say that the time of duha prayer is flexible, and one can pray it anytime between sunrise and noon, as long as one does not pray it at sunrise or noon, which are forbidden times for prayer.

So that one can pray duha prayer right after sunrise, as long as one waits for a while after the sun rise.

about a spear’s length above the horizon, which is approximately 20 minutes after sunrise, and ends when the sun reaches its zenith, which is about 10 minutes before Zuhr (noon) prayer.

How to Perform Duha Prayer?

Duha prayer can be performed in any place, whether at home or in the mosque. It can be prayed individually or in congregation.

The minimum number of rak’ahs (units) for duha prayer is two, and the maximum is twelve. The optimal number is eight, according to some scholars .

Each two rak’ahs are performed separately with a tasleem (salutation of peace) at the end.

How did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) perform Duha Prayer?

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray duha with different numbers of rak’ahs, sometimes two, four, six or eight .

He used to recite surah al-Kafirun (chapter 109) in the first rak’ah and surah al-Ikhlas (chapter 112) in the second rak’ah .

Rasulullah also used to recite other surahs such as al-Fatihah (chapter 1), al-A’la (chapter 87), al-Shams (chapter 91), al-Duha (chapter 93) and al-Sharh (chapter 94) .

He would also recite various supplications and praises to Allah during his prostration (sujud). One of the tasbihs that he used to say in his last sujud of duha prayer is:

سُبْحَانَ ذِي الْجَبَرُوتِ وَالْمَلَكُوتِ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَالْعَظَمَةِ

Transliteration:
Subhana dhi al-jabaruti wal-malakuti wal-kibriyai wal-‘azamah

Translation:
“Glory be to Him who has dominion, sovereignty, majesty and greatness.”

Duha Duas

Duha duas are supplications that we can make after performing the Duha prayer. We can ask Allah for anything that we need or want, as long as it is good and lawful.

We can also use some of the duas that are taught by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) or found in the Quran. Here are some examples of Duha duas that we can recite:

The Dua of Dhuha

This is a dua that praises Allah for His brightness, radiance, beauty, might, power and protection. It also asks Allah to grant us what He has given to His righteous servants.

It is recommended to recite this dua after the Dhuha prayer, as mentioned by some scholars. The dua is as follows:

اللّهُمَّ اِنَّ الضُّحَاءَ ضُحَاءُكَ وَالْبَهَاءَ بَهَائُكَ وَالْجَمَالَ جَمَالُكَ وَالْقُوَّةَ قُوَّتُكَ وَالْقُدْرَةَ قُدْرَتُكَ وَالْعِصْمَةَ عِصْمَتُكَ

Transliteration:
Allahumma innad-dhuha-a dhuha-uka, wal-baha-a baha-uka, wal-jamala jamaluka, wal-quwwata quwwatuk, wal-qudrata qudratuk, wal-‘ismata ‘ismatuk.

Translation:
“O Allah, the brightness of the morning is Your Brightness, and the radiance is Your Radiance, and the beauty is Your Beauty, and the might is Your Might, and the power is Your Power, and the protection is Your Protection.”

اَللّهُمَّ اِنْ كَانَ رِزْقِى فِى السَّمَاءِ فَاَنْزِلْهُ وَاِنْ كَانَ فِى الْأرْضِ فَأخْرِجْهُ وَاِنْ كَانَ بعيدًا فقربه واِنْ كان معسرًا فيسره واِن كان حرامًا فطهره بحق ضحائك وبهائك وجمالك وقوتك وقدرتك

Transliteration:
Allahumma in kana rizqi fi-s-sama-i fa-anzilhu, wa-in kana fi-l-ardi fa-akhrijhu, wa-in kana ba’eedan fa-qarribhu, wa-in kana mu’assiran fa-yassirhu, wa-in kana haraman fa-tahhirhu, bi-haqqi dhuha-ika, wa-baha-ika, wa-jamalika, wa-quwwatika, wa-qudratika.

Translation:
“O Allah, if my sustenance is in the heaven, then send it down, and if it is in the earth, then bring it forth, and if it is far away, then bring it near, and if it is difficult, then make it easy, and if it is unlawful, then purify it by the right of Your Brightness, and Your Radiance, and Your Beauty, and Your Might, and Your Power.”

اللهم اتني ما اتيت عبادك الصالحين

Transliteration:
Allahumma atini ma ataita ‘ibadakas-saliheen.

Translation:
“O Allah, grant me what You have granted to Your righteous servants.”

The Dua of Rizq

This is a dua that asks Allah to increase our sustenance and make it blessed. It is based on a verse from the Quran that says:

And say: My Lord! Increase me in knowledge. (Surah Ta-Ha, 20:114)

The dua is as follows:

رَبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا وَارْزُقْنِي فَضْلًا

Transliteration:
Rabbi zidni ‘ilman wa-rzuqni fadlan.

Translation:
“O my Lord! Increase me in knowledge and grant me bounty.”

The Dua of Istighfar

This is a dua that seeks forgiveness from Allah for our sins and mistakes. It is based on a verse from the Quran that says:

And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah’s Forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surah An-Nisa’, 4:110)

The dua is as follows:

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الَّذِي لا إِلَهَ إِلا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ

Transliteration:
Astaghfirullah al-ladhi la ilaha illa huwa al-hayyu al-qayyumu wa-atubu ilayhi.

Translation:
“I seek forgiveness from Allah, there is no god but He, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, and I turn to Him in repentance.”

Benefit of Duha Prayer

Duha prayer has many benefits and rewards in this world and the hereafter. Some of them are:

• It is a means of obtaining Allah’s forgiveness and mercy
• It is a means of obtaining Allah’s sustenance and provisions
• It is a means of obtaining Allah’s protection and guidance
• It is a means of obtaining Allah’s love and pleasure

Duha prayer is a great way to start our day with gratitude, repentance and hope. It is a means of attaining Allah’s mercy, forgiveness and bounty.

It is also a way of beautifying our character and increasing our productivity. We should try to make duha prayer a habit in our lives, as it will bring us closer to Allah and His pleasure.

May Allah accept our prayers and du’as, and grant us the best of this world and the next. Ameen.