Dua library

Dua for tahajjud, what the Prophet ﷺ said at night

When the Prophet ﷺ got up at night for tahajjud, he said Allahumma lakal-hamd, anta qayyimus-samawati wal-ard, a long dua of praise reported by Ibn Abbas in Sahih al-Bukhari 1120. Aishah reported a second dua he opened the night prayer with, in Sahih Muslim. Both are below, with the words for waking in the night and the best time to ask.

Dua 1: When you stand for tahajjud

اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ قَيِّمُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، لَكَ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ، أَنْتَ الْحَقُّ، وَوَعْدُكَ الْحَقُّ، وَلِقَاؤُكَ حَقٌّ، وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ، وَالْجَنَّةُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّارُ حَقٌّ، وَالنَّبِيُّونَ حَقٌّ، وَمُحَمَّدٌ ﷺ حَقٌّ، وَالسَّاعَةُ حَقٌّ، اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ، وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ، وَعَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْتُ، وَبِكَ خَاصَمْتُ، وَإِلَيْكَ حَاكَمْتُ، فَاغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ، وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ، أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَأَنْتَ الْمُؤَخِّرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ

Allāhumma lakal-ḥamd, anta qayyimus-samāwāti wal-arḍi wa man fīhinn. Wa lakal-ḥamd, laka mulkus-samāwāti wal-arḍi wa man fīhinn. Wa lakal-ḥamd, anta nūrus-samāwāti wal-arḍ. Wa lakal-ḥamd, antal-ḥaqq, wa waʿdukal-ḥaqq, wa liqāʾuka ḥaqq, wa qawluka ḥaqq, wal-jannatu ḥaqq, wan-nāru ḥaqq, wan-nabiyyūna ḥaqq, wa Muḥammadun ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa sallama ḥaqq, was-sāʿatu ḥaqq. Allāhumma laka aslamt, wa bika āmant, wa ʿalayka tawakkalt, wa ilayka anabt, wa bika khāṣamt, wa ilayka ḥākamt, faghfir lī mā qaddamtu wa mā akhkhart, wa mā asrartu wa mā aʿlant, antal-muqaddimu wa antal-muʾakhkhir, lā ilāha illā ant.

O Allah, to You belongs all praise. You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all within them. To You belongs all praise: Yours is the dominion of the heavens and the earth and all within them. To You belongs all praise: You are the Light of the heavens and the earth. To You belongs all praise: You are the Truth, Your promise is true, the meeting with You is true, Your word is true, Paradise is true, the Fire is true, the prophets are true, Muhammad ﷺ is true, and the Hour is true. O Allah, to You I submit, in You I believe, on You I rely, to You I turn, by You I argue and to You I bring my case. So forgive me what I have done before and what I have left, what I have hidden and what I have done openly. You are the One who brings forward and the One who holds back. There is no god but You.

Sahih al-Bukhari 1120

Dua 2: Opening the night prayer

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ جِبْرَائِيلَ وَمِيكَائِيلَ وَإِسْرَافِيلَ، فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ، عَالِمَ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ، أَنْتَ تَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ عِبَادِكَ فِيمَا كَانُوا فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ، اهْدِنِي لِمَا اخْتُلِفَ فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِكَ، إِنَّكَ تَهْدِي مَنْ تَشَاءُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

Allāhumma rabba Jibrāʾīla wa Mīkāʾīla wa Isrāfīl, fāṭiras-samāwāti wal-arḍ, ʿālimal-ghaybi wash-shahādah, anta taḥkumu bayna ʿibādika fīmā kānū fīhi yakhtalifūn. Ihdinī limakh-tulifa fīhi minal-ḥaqqi bi-idhnik, innaka tahdī man tashāʾu ilā ṣirāṭim-mustaqīm.

O Allah, Lord of Jibril, Mika'il and Israfil, Creator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your servants in what they used to differ over. Guide me, by Your permission, to the truth in what has been disputed. You guide whom You will to a straight path.

Sahih Muslim 770

Dua 3: If you wake in the night

لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ، وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي

Lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr. Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa subḥānallāh, wa lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu akbar, wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh. Allāhummagh-fir lī.

There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things. All praise is for Allah, glory be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah. O Allah, forgive me. (Whoever wakes in the night and says this, then asks forgiveness or makes dua, is answered.)

Sahih al-Bukhari 1154

Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.

Guide

When and how to say it

When the Prophet ﷺ got up at night for tahajjud, he said Allahumma lakal-hamd, anta qayyimus-samawati wal-ard, a long dua of praise reported by Ibn Abbas in Sahih al-Bukhari 1120. Aishah reported a second dua he opened the night prayer with, in Sahih Muslim. Both are below, with the words for waking in the night and the best time to ask.

When to say the tahajjud dua

Ibn Abbas said the Prophet ﷺ said Dua 1 when he got up at night to pray tahajjud.1 Aishah said he opened his night prayer with Dua 2.2 So say one of them as you stand to begin, then pray your rakahs. If you woke without planning to pray, Dua 3 is for that moment: the Prophet ﷺ said whoever says it and then asks forgiveness or makes dua is answered, and if he makes wudu and prays, his prayer is accepted.3

Hanafi position

In fard prayers, open with Thana (Subhanakallahumma) only. In nafl prayers such as tahajjud, the longer opening duas reported in the hadith may also be said, together with Thana. Personal dua inside the prayer should be in Arabic; make your own requests in any language after the salam.

Other madhhabs
Shafi'i
Any of the reported opening duas may be said in any prayer. Wajjahtu wajhiya is the one most often preferred.
Hanbali
Subhanakallahumma is preferred, and the other reported openings are allowed, especially at night.
Maliki
No opening dua is said in fard prayers. In nafl prayers, reported duas are allowed.

The best time to ask

The Prophet ﷺ said that Allah descends to the nearest heaven every night in the last third of the night and says: "Who is calling on Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking of Me, so that I may give him? Who is asking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?"4 That is the time of tahajjud. Make long dua in sujood and after the salam, for this life and the next.

Praying tahajjud

Tahajjud is prayed after Isha and after some sleep, in sets of two rakahs, ending with witr if you have not prayed it. For the steps, see how to pray tahajjud, and for when the last third of the night begins where you live, the tahajjud time calculator.

  1. Sahih al-Bukhari 1120.
  2. Sahih Muslim 770.
  3. Sahih al-Bukhari 1154.
  4. Sahih al-Bukhari 1145.
  5. Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, on the opening dua (thana) in nafl prayers. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
  6. Sahih al-Bukhari 1120
  7. Sahih Muslim 770
  8. Sahih al-Bukhari 1154

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Questions

Good to know

What dua is read in tahajjud?

The Prophet ﷺ said Allahumma lakal-hamd, anta qayyimus-samawati wal-ard... when he got up for tahajjud (Bukhari 1120), and opened his night prayer with Allahumma rabba Jibra'ila wa Mika'ila wa Israfil... (Muslim 770).

Is there a special tahajjud dua for a wish?

No special wording is reported for wishes. Ask for what you need in sujood and after the prayer, in the last third of the night, when Allah asks who is calling on Him (Bukhari 1145).

Can I make dua in my own language in tahajjud?

In the Hanafi school, dua inside the prayer is made in Arabic. After the salam, make dua in any language for as long as you like.

When is the best time for tahajjud dua?

The last third of the night, before Fajr. Use the tahajjud time calculator to find it for your city.