Quran verses about dua
Dua means calling on Allah, asking Him directly for what you need. The Quran presents it as something Allah wants. He says that He is near and answers the one who calls, and that people should call on Him and He will respond. It also gives some manners: humbly, privately, with both fear and hope, neither too loud nor silent.
Much of the Quran's teaching on dua comes through examples. Prophets and righteous people call on Allah in their own words at turning points: Job (Ayyub) in illness, Zechariah (Zakariyya) longing for a child, Moses (Musa) alone and in need in Midian, the young people of the cave. Many of the Quran's prayers begin with Rabbana, Our Lord, and are still used every day. The verses below gather the promise that Allah answers, the manners of asking, and a selection of these prayers.
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌۖ أُجِيبُ دَعۡوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِۖ فَلۡيَسۡتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلۡيُؤۡمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡشُدُونَ ﴿١٨٦﴾
And when My servants ask you about Me, I am near; I answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me. So let them answer Me, and have faith in Me, that they may be rightly guided.
Al-Baqarah 2:186 When people ask about Allah, He is near and answers the call of the one who calls on Him.
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدۡعُونِيٓ أَسۡتَجِبۡ لَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسۡتَكۡبِرُونَ عَنۡ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدۡخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ ﴿٦٠﴾
Your Lord has said, “Pray to Me, and I will respond to you. But those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell forcibly.”
Ghafir 40:60 Your Lord says to call on Him and He will respond.
ٱدۡعُواْ رَبَّكُمۡ تَضَرُّعٗا وَخُفۡيَةًۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُعۡتَدِينَ ﴿٥٥﴾
Call upon your Lord humbly and privately. He does not love the aggressors.
Al-A'raf 7:55 Call on your Lord humbly and privately.
قُلِ ٱدۡعُواْ ٱللَّهَ أَوِ ٱدۡعُواْ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنَۖ أَيّٗا مَّا تَدۡعُواْ فَلَهُ ٱلۡأَسۡمَآءُ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰۚ وَلَا تَجۡهَرۡ بِصَلَاتِكَ وَلَا تُخَافِتۡ بِهَا وَٱبۡتَغِ بَيۡنَ ذَٰلِكَ سَبِيلٗا ﴿١١٠﴾
Say, “Call Him Allah, or call Him the Most Merciful. Whichever name you use, to Him belong the Best Names.” And be neither loud in your prayer, nor silent in it, but follow a course in between.
Al-Isra 17:110 Call on Allah or call on the Most Merciful, and pray in a voice neither loud nor silent but in between.
أَمَّن يُجِيبُ ٱلۡمُضۡطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكۡشِفُ ٱلسُّوٓءَ وَيَجۡعَلُكُمۡ خُلَفَآءَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِۗ أَءِلَٰهࣱ مَّعَ ٱللَّهِۚ قَلِيلٗا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ ﴿٦٢﴾
Or, who answers the one in need when he prays to Him, and relieves adversity, and makes you successors on earth? Is there another god with Allah? How hardly you pay attention.
An-Naml 27:62 It is Allah who answers the distressed when they call on Him and removes their hardship.
وَمِنۡهُم مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٗ وَفِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ حَسَنَةٗ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ ﴿٢٠١﴾
And among them is he who says, “Our Lord, give us goodness in this world, and goodness in the Hereafter, and protect us from the torment of the Fire.”
Al-Baqarah 2:201 A short prayer for good in this world, good in the Hereafter and protection from the Fire.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغۡ قُلُوبَنَا بَعۡدَ إِذۡ هَدَيۡتَنَا وَهَبۡ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحۡمَةًۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡوَهَّابُ ﴿٨﴾
“Our Lord, do not cause our hearts to swerve after You have guided us, and bestow on us mercy from Your presence; You are the Giver.”
Ali 'Imran 3:8 A prayer that Allah not let our hearts turn away after guiding us, and that He grant us mercy.
۞وَأَيُّوبَ إِذۡ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥٓ أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ ٱلضُّرُّ وَأَنتَ أَرۡحَمُ ٱلرَّـٰحِمِينَ ﴿٨٣﴾ فَٱسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهُۥ فَكَشَفۡنَا مَا بِهِۦ مِن ضُرّٖۖ وَءَاتَيۡنَٰهُ أَهۡلَهُۥ وَمِثۡلَهُم مَّعَهُمۡ رَحۡمَةٗ مِّنۡ عِندِنَا وَذِكۡرَىٰ لِلۡعَٰبِدِينَ ﴿٨٤﴾
83And Job, when he cried out to his Lord: “Great harm has afflicted me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.” 84So We answered him, lifted his suffering, and restored his family to him, and their like with them—a mercy from Us, and a reminder for the worshipers.
Al-Anbiya 21:83–84 Job calls out that harm has touched him and Allah is the Most Merciful, and Allah answers, removes his suffering and restores his family.
وَزَكَرِيَّآ إِذۡ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُۥ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرۡنِي فَرۡدٗا وَأَنتَ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡوَٰرِثِينَ ﴿٨٩﴾ فَٱسۡتَجَبۡنَا لَهُۥ وَوَهَبۡنَا لَهُۥ يَحۡيَىٰ وَأَصۡلَحۡنَا لَهُۥ زَوۡجَهُۥٓۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ يُسَٰرِعُونَ فِي ٱلۡخَيۡرَٰتِ وَيَدۡعُونَنَا رَغَبٗا وَرَهَبٗاۖ وَكَانُواْ لَنَا خَٰشِعِينَ ﴿٩٠﴾
89And Zechariah, when he called out to his Lord, “My Lord, do not leave me alone, even though You are the Best of heirs.” 90So We answered him, and gave him John. And We cured his wife for him. They used to vie in doing righteous deeds, and used to call on Us in love and awe, and they used to humble themselves to Us.
Al-Anbiya 21:89–90 Zechariah asks not to be left alone without an heir, and Allah answers, giving him John (Yahya). The verse adds that they called on Allah in hope and awe.
فَسَقَىٰ لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَآ أَنزَلۡتَ إِلَيَّ مِنۡ خَيۡرٖ فَقِيرࣱ ﴿٢٤﴾
So he drew water for them, and then withdrew to the shade, and said, “My Lord, I am in dire need of whatever good You might send down to me.”
Al-Qasas 28:24 After helping two women water their flock, Moses sits in the shade and tells Allah he is in need of whatever good He sends.
إِذۡ أَوَى ٱلۡفِتۡيَةُ إِلَى ٱلۡكَهۡفِ فَقَالُواْ رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحۡمَةٗ وَهَيِّئۡ لَنَا مِنۡ أَمۡرِنَا رَشَدٗا ﴿١٠﴾
When the youths took shelter in the cave, they said, “Our Lord, give us mercy from Yourself, and bless our affair with guidance.”
Al-Kahf 18:10 The young people of the cave ask their Lord for mercy and right guidance in their situation.
وَٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبۡ لَنَا مِنۡ أَزۡوَٰجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّـٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعۡيُنٖ وَٱجۡعَلۡنَا لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا ﴿٧٤﴾
And those who say, “Our Lord, grant us delight in our spouses and our children, and make us a good example for the righteous.”
Al-Furqan 25:74 A prayer that one's spouses and children be a comfort to the eyes.
فَتَعَٰلَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمَلِكُ ٱلۡحَقُّۗ وَلَا تَعۡجَلۡ بِٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ مِن قَبۡلِ أَن يُقۡضَىٰٓ إِلَيۡكَ وَحۡيُهُۥۖ وَقُل رَّبِّ زِدۡنِي عِلۡمٗا ﴿١١٤﴾
Exalted is Allah, the True King. Do not be hasty with the Quran before its inspiration to you is concluded, and say, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”
Taha 20:114 The Prophet ﷺ is taught to ask, 'My Lord, increase me in knowledge.'
رَبِّ ٱجۡعَلۡنِي مُقِيمَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِيۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلۡ دُعَآءِ ﴿٤٠﴾
“My Lord, make me one who performs the prayer, and from my offspring. Our Lord, accept my supplication.”
Ibrahim 14:40 Abraham (Ibrahim) asks to be made one who establishes prayer, along with his descendants, and asks Allah to accept his prayer.
The prayers in the Quran are short and plain. Moses simply told Allah he was in need. You do not need special words or a special time to begin; you can ask in your own language for exactly what you need. Learning one or two of these Quranic duas, such as 2:201, gives you something to return to when words run out.
Questions
Does Allah answer every dua?
The Quran says Allah is near and answers the one who calls on Him (2:186, 40:60). A hadith in Musnad Ahmad explains that an answer can come as what was asked, as harm turned away, or as reward saved for the Hereafter.
What is the most common dua in the Quran?
2:201, asking for good in this world and the Hereafter and protection from the Fire, is among the most widely recited. Sahih al-Bukhari reports it was the dua the Prophet ﷺ made most often.
Can I make dua in English?
Yes. Dua is personal speech to Allah and can be made in any language. The prayers in the Quran are good models, but you can also ask in your own words, as Moses did in 28:24.