Discover the meaning of the term Al-dʿaʾ (دعاء) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 2 min readSeeking mercy. When it (the verb) is ascribed to Him, or to what pertains to His meaning, such as the salah, with regard to Allah the Most High, it is stripped of the meaning of "asking", in order to declare Him transcendent of it. When it is governed by the lam, it means benefit; when governed by "'ala", it means harm, as will come in the section on the salah, Allah willing.
The answering of supplication has set periods, etiquettes, conditions, times and places, in the books of hadith.
Its root: da'w, which is to incline a thing toward you by a sound and speech coming from you; and also: asking, whether with raised or lowered voice; as one says: "I called him from afar", and "I supplicated Allah within myself". The plural: ad'iya. In technical usage: requesting an act from the lower to the higher; so supplication (du'a) is a kind of asking.
In technical usage: an initiatory speech (kalam insha'i) indicating a request, with humility; it is called su'al (asking).
﴿وَمَثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ كَمَثَلِ ٱلَّذِى يَنْعِقُ بِمَا لَا يَسْمَعُ إِلَّا دُعَآءًۭ وَنِدَآءًۭ ۚ صُمٌّۢ بُكْمٌ عُمْىٌۭ فَهُمْ لَا يَعْقِلُونَ﴾
« The example of those who disbelieve is like that of one who shouts at what hears nothing but calls and cries cattle or sheep - deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand. »
Surah البقرة : 171
﴿هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُۥ ۖ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةًۭ طَيِّبَةً ۖ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ ٱلدُّعَآءِ﴾
« At that, Zechariah called upon his Lord, saying, "My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication." »
Surah آل عمران : 38
﴿لَهُۥ دَعْوَةُ ٱلْحَقِّ ۖ وَٱلَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُم بِشَىْءٍ إِلَّا كَبَـٰسِطِ كَفَّيْهِ إِلَى ٱلْمَآءِ لِيَبْلُغَ فَاهُ وَمَا هُوَ بِبَـٰلِغِهِۦ ۚ وَمَا دُعَآءُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍۢ﴾
« To Him [alone] is the supplication of truth. And those they call upon besides Him do not respond to them with a thing, except as one who stretches his hands toward water [from afar, calling it] to reach his mouth, but it will not reach it [thus]. And the supplication of the disbelievers is not but in error [i.e. futility]. »
Surah الرعد : 14
﴿ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى وَهَبَ لِى عَلَى ٱلْكِبَرِ إِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَسَمِيعُ ٱلدُّعَآءِ﴾
« Praise to Allah, who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac. Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication. »
Surah ابراهيم : 39
﴿رَبِّ ٱجْعَلْنِى مُقِيمَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِى ۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَآءِ﴾
« My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and [many] from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication. »
Surah ابراهيم : 40
﴿وَيَدْعُ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ بِٱلشَّرِّ دُعَآءَهُۥ بِٱلْخَيْرِ ۖ وَكَانَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ عَجُولًۭا﴾
« And man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good, and man is ever hasty. »
Surah الإسراء : 11
This term appears in 15 verses of the Quran.