Duas in salah belong to particular positions and moments. Learn where a text was reported before treating it as an opening prayer, a prostration dua or a request before salam.
Allahumma ba‘id bayni wa bayna khatayaya kama ba‘adta baynal-mashriqi wal-maghrib. Allahumma naqqini minal-khataya kama yunaqqath-thawbul-abyadu minad-danas. Allahummagh-sil khatayaya bil-ma’i wath-thalji wal-barad.
O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced east from west. O Allah, cleanse me of sins as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. O Allah, wash away my sins with water, snow and hail.
Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin kama sallayta ‘ala ali Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin kama barakta ‘ala ali Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majid.
O Allah, bestow blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You bestowed blessings upon the family of Ibrahim. You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.
Allahumma laka raka‘tu wa bika amantu wa laka aslamtu. Khasha‘a laka sam‘i wa basari wa mukhkhi wa ‘azmi wa ‘asabi.
O Allah, to You I bow, in You I believe and to You I submit. My hearing, sight, marrow, bones and nerves are humbled before You.
Allahumma laka sajadtu wa bika amantu wa laka aslamtu. Sajada wajhi lilladhi khalaqahu wa sawwarahu wa shaqqa sam‘ahu wa basarahu. Tabarakallahu ahsanul-khaliqin.
O Allah, to You I prostrate, in You I believe and to You I submit. My face prostrates to the One who created and shaped it and opened its hearing and sight. Blessed is Allah, the best of creators.
Allahummaghfir li ma qaddamtu wa ma akhkhartu wa ma asrartu wa ma a‘lantu wa ma asraftu wa ma anta a‘lamu bihi minni. Antal-Muqaddimu wa antal-Mu’akhkhiru la ilaha illa ant.
O Allah, forgive what I have done before and what comes later, what I have concealed and made public, my excesses and what You know better than I do. You bring forward and hold back; there is no god except You.
Allahumma antas-Salamu wa minkas-salam, tabarakta dhal-jalali wal-ikram.
O Allah, You are Peace, and peace comes from You. Blessed are You, Possessor of majesty and honour.
Context and use
This guide gives a map of the settings. It complements a complete prayer lesson rather than replacing the required recitations and movements.
Sunni school differences
Opening formulas, additional recitations, final-sitting requirements and Qunoot differ across Hanafi, Shafi‘i, Maliki and Hanbali teaching. The examples below identify narrations without making all of them compulsory in every prayer.
At the opening of prayer
Sahih al-Bukhari 744 records an opening supplication asking for cleansing from sins. Its setting is between the opening takbir and the recitation.
This is one narrated opening, not proof that all worshippers must use only that version. Follow a coherent prayer lesson and learn its wording with the relevant source.
In bowing and prostration
Sahih Muslim 771a records different words for bowing and prostration. Keep their settings distinct instead of reading the whole narration in every posture.
Muslim 479a distinguishes glorifying Allah in bowing and earnest supplication in prostration, while addressing Qur’an recitation in those positions. The presence of a Qur’anic dua in a collection does not settle every question about using it in sujood.
Before salam
The same Muslim 771a narration includes a request for forgiveness between tashahhud and salam. Its placement matters: before completing salah and after completing it are not the same occasion.
Salawat has separately transmitted wording, including Bukhari 6357. Learn how it fits into the final sitting through a reviewed prayer lesson.
After salah
Sahih Muslim 591 supplies remembrance after prayer. It should not be moved to a different position and then cited as if that were its reported setting.
For a learning notebook, use columns for the Arabic, meaning, reference and position. This makes it easier to notice when two similar requests belong to different moments.
How to learn without confusion
Begin with your school’s complete prayer instruction. Add a sourced optional supplication only when you know its position and status. If you are praying behind an imam, ask about the congregational setting too.
Spoken personal requests and non-Arabic language inside salah are separate questions. Use the dedicated guide before copying an English personal prayer into a posture.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I make dua during salah?
The reports in Sahih Muslim 771a include supplications at the opening, in prostration and between tashahhud and salam. Learn each wording with its reported position and the prayer procedure taught in your school. This guide is a learning map, rather than a complete checklist of the required acts of salah.
Are duas before salam and remembrance after salah interchangeable?
They have different contexts. Sahih Muslim 771a records a supplication before salam; Sahih Muslim 597a records remembrance after prayer. Follow the placement associated with the wording you are learning instead of moving every text to the same part of salah.
Is making dua in sujood limited to the last prostration?
No. Sahih Muslim 482 encourages supplication in prostration without restricting it to the last one. Al-Kafi 118 also discusses supplication in any prostration. Follow your teacher’s guidance about the prayer you are offering, including praying behind an imam.
Can I say an English personal dua inside salah?
Do not assume that the freedom to make personal dua outside salah settles the rules for spoken words within it. Al-Kafi 118 acknowledges scholarly disagreement and recommends Arabic for verbal supplication in prayer. Ask a qualified teacher for the rule that applies to your school and ability.
How should I begin learning the duas used in prayer?
Start with your school’s complete prayer lesson. Then learn one sourced supplication, its meaning and its position; Sahih Muslim 771a provides examples with their contexts. Practise before adding unfamiliar wording to salah. A translated meaning helps you understand the Arabic, but is not the Arabic wording itself.