What Is Dua, and How Do You Make Dua?

Dua is asking Allah directly: for help, for forgiveness, for something you need, or simply to thank Him. It can be made in any language, in any place, at any time, with or without wudu, out loud or silently. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called dua the essence of worship (Tirmidhi), and the Qur'an records Allah's own invitation: "Call upon Me; I will respond to you" (Surah Ghafir 40:60). There are beautiful duas from the Qur'an and Sunnah to learn, but the door is open before you have memorised a single one.

What dua means

The Arabic word dua means a call. In the Qur'an, Allah describes Himself as near, answering the call of the one who calls (Surah al-Baqarah 2:186). That is the whole idea: there is no queue, no gatekeeper, and no wrong words. Prayer (salah) has set times and set movements; dua has none. A child whispering "Ya Allah, help me be brave" before a spelling test is making dua exactly as it was meant to be made.

How to make dua, step by step

• Face the qibla and raise your hands if you can. Both are from the Sunnah and neither is required; dua made walking down the street counts.
• Begin by praising Allah (Alhamdulillah, or one of His names that fits what you are asking: Ya Rahman, Ya Ghaffar) and sending salawat on the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ taught that dua begins this way.
• Ask plainly, and ask for what you actually want. Big things and small things, for yourself and for others. The Prophet ﷺ taught to ask with certainty that Allah answers, never half-heartedly.
• Ask more than once. Repeating a dua three times is from the Sunnah; persistence is loved, not rude.
• End with ameen, and with salawat again, then trust the answer to Allah.

The times when dua is most loved

• In sujood, the closest a servant is to Allah (Muslim).
• The last third of the night, when Allah asks who is calling on Him so He may answer (Bukhari, Muslim).
• Between the adhan and the iqamah (Tirmidhi).
• While fasting and at the moment of breaking the fast.
• On Friday, in the hour the Prophet ﷺ described (Bukhari, Muslim).
• When it rains, when travelling, and before sleep. The last one is the easiest to build into a child's day: see the dua before sleeping.

The duas the prophets made in the Qur'an

The Qur'an keeps the exact words of prophets calling on Allah, and each one is a story a child can stand inside:

• Yunus, from inside the fish: La ilaha illa anta, subhanaka, inni kuntu min az-zalimin. "There is no god but You; glory be to You; I have been of the wrongdoers" (Surah al-Anbiya 21:87). His story →
• Ayyub, after years of illness: "Hardship has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful" (Surah al-Anbiya 21:83). His story →
• Musa, alone and hungry in Madyan: "My Lord, I am in need of whatever good You send down to me" (Surah al-Qasas 28:24). His story →
• Zakariya, old and childless: a quiet call that Allah answered with Yahya (Surah Maryam 19:4-7). The story of his son →
• Ibrahim, for his family and every believer: "My Lord, make me an establisher of prayer, and my descendants too" (Surah Ibrahim 14:40). His story →

Teaching a child to make dua

• Let them hear yours. Make dua out loud, in your own words, in front of your child: for their day, for Grandma, for the neighbour's cat. Children copy what they hear far more than what they are told.
• Give them a slot. After the bedtime story, before lights-out: "Your turn. What do you want to ask Allah?" Accept every answer, including the bicycle.
• Attach the prophets' duas to their stories. A child who knows Yunus in the dark will reach for his words the first time they are scared. That is the point of the bedtime duas: not memorising lines, but owning them.

The stories in Sukun Kids carry the prophets' duas inside them, in the moment each was made, so a child meets the words where they were first spoken.