Salat al-Hajah, the prayer of need
When you need something from Allah, or from people, purify yourself, pray two rakahs and ask. Here is how, with the evidence graded honestly.
Make wudu carefully, as the hadith of the blind man begins: "make wudu, and make it well."
Intend two rakahs of Salat al-Hajah. Pray it like any two-rakah prayer, as in how to pray: thana, Al-Fatiha and a surah, ruku, two sajdahs, then the second rakah, tashahhud, salawat, dua and salam.
اللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ
Allāhu akbar
Allah is the Greatest.
After the salam, praise Allah, then send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. Dua is held back until the salawat is said.
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلٰى اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلٰى إِبْرَاهِيْمَ وَعَلٰى اٰلِ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيْدٌ مَّجِيْدٌ، اَللّٰهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلٰى اٰلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلٰى إِبْرَاهِيْمَ وَعَلٰى اٰلِ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيْدٌ مَّجِيْدٌ
Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammadin wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad, kamā ṣallayta ʿalā Ibrāhīma wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm, innaka ḥamīdum majīd. Allāhumma bārik ʿalā Muḥammadin wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad, kamā bārakta ʿalā Ibrāhīma wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm, innaka ḥamīdum majīd
O Allah, send prayers on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers on Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3370, from Kab ibn Ujrah.
Ask for what you need, in your own words and in any language. Many people use this dua. It comes from a weak hadith, so say it as a good dua, not as a required wording:
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ الْحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ، سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ، الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، أَسْأَلُكَ مُوجِبَاتِ رَحْمَتِكَ، وَعَزَائِمَ مَغْفِرَتِكَ، وَالْغَنِيمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ بِرٍّ، وَالسَّلاَمَةَ مِنْ كُلِّ إِثْمٍ، لاَ تَدَعْ لِي ذَنْبًا إِلاَّ غَفَرْتَهُ، وَلاَ هَمًّا إِلاَّ فَرَّجْتَهُ، وَلاَ حَاجَةً هِيَ لَكَ رِضًا إِلاَّ قَضَيْتَهَا يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Lā ilāha illallāhul-ḥalīmul-karīm. Subḥānallāhi rabbil-ʿarshil-ʿaẓīm. Al-ḥamdu lillāhi rabbil-ʿālamīn. Asʾaluka mūjibāti raḥmatik, wa ʿazāʾima maghfiratik, wal-ghanīmata min kulli birr, was-salāmata min kulli ithm. Lā tadaʿ lī dhanban illā ghafartah, wa lā hamman illā farrajtah, wa lā ḥājatan hiya laka riḍan illā qaḍaytahā, yā arḥamar-rāḥimīn
There is no god but Allah, the Forbearing, the Generous. Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Mighty Throne. All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds. I ask You for what brings Your mercy, for Your firm forgiveness, for a share of every good, and for safety from every sin. Leave me no sin You have not forgiven, no worry You have not relieved, and no need that pleases You that You have not fulfilled, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
Jami at-Tirmidhi 479 and Sunan Ibn Majah 1384, from Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa. Its chain is weak: Tirmidhi said its narrator Faid ibn Abd al-Rahman is weak, and al-Albani graded it very weak.
Take the means that are open to you, and trust Allah with the result. He answers every sincere dua: with what you asked, with something better, or by keeping a harm away.
- Ruling
- Mustahabb in the Hanafi school
- Rakahs
- Two (some books say four)
- Time
- Any time outside the forbidden times
- The dua
- From a weak hadith; your own words are fine
The method shown first is the Hanafi one. Where the other madhhabs differ, the guide below explains how. Use the arrow keys to move between steps.
Guide
Salat al-Hajah, and the evidence for it
Salat al-Hajah is two rakahs you pray when you have a need, followed by praise of Allah, salawat on the Prophet ﷺ and a dua for what you need. Hudhayfah said: "When something troubled the Prophet ﷺ, he would pray."1 Allah says:
وَٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ ۚ وَإِنَّهَا لَكَبِيرَةٌ إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلْخَٰشِعِينَ ﴿٤٥﴾
Wasta'eenoo bissabri was Salaah; wa innahaa lakabeeratun illaa alal khaashi'een
And seek help through patience and prayer, and indeed, it is difficult except for the humbly submissive [to Allah]
Quran 2:45 (Surah Al-Baqarah), translation by Sahih International.
Which hadith are sound, and which are weak
Sound: the hadith of Hudhayfah, that the Prophet ﷺ prayed when a matter troubled him, in Abu Dawud and graded hasan by al-Albani; and the hadith of the blind man who asked the Prophet ﷺ to pray for his sight, and was told to make wudu, pray two rakahs and make a dua, in Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah, graded sahih by Tirmidhi and al-Albani.2 Weak: the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa that names "Salat al-Hajah" and gives the dua on this page. Tirmidhi called it gharib and said its narrator Faid is weak, and al-Albani graded it very weak.3
Salat al-Hajah is mustahabb and is listed among the recommended voluntary prayers in the Hanafi books. It is two rakahs; some books mention four. Hanafi scholars accept the weak hadith for a virtuous deed like this, because the act itself, praying and then asking Allah, is established by the sound hadith above.4
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Recommended by many Shafi'i scholars, such as al-Nawawi in al-Adhkar, who mentions the dua with a note on its weakness.
- Maliki
- Voluntary prayer and dua for a need are good; the specific wording is not established.
- Hanbali
- Many Hanbali scholars, and some contemporary scholars, say there is no specific prayer by this name, while praying and making dua for a need is good.
Tips for dua
- Ask in the last third of the night: see tahajjud time.
- Ask in the sajdah of a voluntary prayer, with duas from the Quran and Sunnah, and after the salam in your own words.
- Ask on Friday in the last hour before Maghrib.
- Be patient. The Prophet ﷺ said dua is answered as long as a person does not say "I prayed and was not answered."5
For a decision between two choices, the prayer to use is istikhara, not hajah.
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1319, graded hasan by al-Albani.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 3578; Sunan Ibn Majah 1385, from Uthman ibn Hunayf.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 479; Sunan Ibn Majah 1384.
- Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Bab al-Witr wa al-Nawafil. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard works.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 6340; Sahih Muslim 2735. Quran 2:45, translation by Sahih International.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know
How do you pray Salat al-Hajah?
Make wudu, pray two rakahs like any voluntary prayer, then praise Allah, send salawat on the Prophet ﷺ and ask Allah for your need.
What is the dua for Salat al-Hajah?
La ilaha illallahul-halimul-karim, subhanallahi rabbil-arshil-azim... from Tirmidhi 479. Its hadith is weak, so you may also ask in your own words.
Is Salat al-Hajah authentic?
Praying when in need is established by sound hadith. The hadith that names Salat al-Hajah and gives its dua is weak. The Hanafi school counts it as a recommended prayer.
How many times should I pray Salat al-Hajah?
There is no fixed number. Pray it when you have a need, and repeat it and your dua as often as you like.
Can I pray Salat al-Hajah for someone else?
Yes. Dua for another Muslim in their absence is answered, and an angel says: "And for you the same" (Sahih Muslim 2733).