What Is The Nature Of Verses Of Dua That Take Place In The Qur’an?

What is the nature of verses of dua that take place in the Qur’an?

There are a lot of verses related to dua in the Holy Qur’an. Around two hundred verses are directly about dua. Moreover, there are a great number of verses which express a servant’s turning to Allah and his demands from Him and are related to dua in broad sense. People are commanded to make dua to Allah in some of the verses related to this subject and the procedure, custom, and effects of dua are explained (Baqarah 2/186; Nisa 4/32; A’raf, 7/29, 55, 180; Yusuf, 12/86; Mu’min, 40/60). It is stated in some verses that duas made without complying with its conditions will not be accepted (Baqarah, 2/200; Yunus, 10/12, 22, 106; Isra, 17/11; Mu’minun, 23/ 99-100; Qasas, 28/88; Fussilat, 41/51). Majority of the verses in this group tell about beggings of those who avoid from recognizing Allah and His judgments when they are alive on earth but will be sorry when they face with their bitter fate in the Hereafter and wish to be sent to the world again. More than 100 verses include the duas of prophets and other faithful people or communities.

Some surahs and verses are in the nature of sample dua texts. Surah al-Fatiha is a good example of this. The dua in the 201th verse of Surah al-Baqarah, which means, “O our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and defend us from the torment of the fire!” is the dua recited most after Fatiha.

Anas ibn Malik said that Prophet Muhammad (saw) recited this dua most while making dua (Bukhari, Da’awat, 55) and advised people to recite it (Muslim, Dhikr, 23). It is seen in verses 8-9, 16, 53, 191-194 of Surah Al-i ‘Imran and in verse 74 of Surah al-Furqan that it is recited with intention of dua. Verses 35-41 that include the dua of Prophet Ibrahim in Surah Ibrahim, and especially verse 41, which means, “O Lord! Cover (us) with thy forgiveness - me, my parents, and (all) believers on the day that the reckoning will be established!” are the verses of dua that are recited often. Dua of the Prophet Musa in Surah Ta-Ha (Ta-Ha, 20/25-35) is one of the examples of dua in the Holy Qur’an, especially with its short, vivid, harmonious, and effective sentences. In these verses, the dua is made with expressions of, “O My Lord! Expand me my breast; ease my task for me; and remove the impediment from my speech so they may understand what i say.” In the Holy Qur’an, the sentences of dua have a different tone. In these verses, it is seen that Prophet Ayyub did not ask anything in his duas from Allah but only presented his situation to Allah although he had a fatal disease and faced with calamities (Anbiya, 21/83-84; Sad, 38/41). Muslim scholars evaluate his attitude as the most beautiful example of the virtue of patience and manner of servitude (“Dua”, DİA, II, 536).

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA