How to Make Dua That Gets Accepted: Sunnah Steps

Allah (SWT) promises to answer the one who calls on Him. This is the dua the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said is asked by Allah's Greatest Name, followed by the Sunnah steps that help your dua get accepted.

Quick Answer: Praise Allah, send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then ask with certainty and without saying "if You wish." Pick a time of acceptance such as prostration or the last third of the night, keep your income halal, and don't give up. Allah says: "Call on Me and I will answer you" (Surah Ghafir, 40:60).

The Dua Asked by Allah's Greatest Name

Version 1: From Sunan Abi Dawud

The Prophet ﷺ heard a man making this dua and said he had asked Allah by the Name which, "when asked with it He gives, and when called by it He answers."

Arabic:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ أَنِّي أَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ

Transliteration:

Allahumma inni as'aluka anni ashhadu annaka antallahu la ilaha illa anta, al-Ahadus-Samad, alladhi lam yalid wa lam yulad, wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad.

Translation:

"O Allah, I ask You, bearing witness that You are Allah, there is no god but You, the One, the Self-Sufficient, who does not beget and was not begotten, and to whom no one is equal."

Source: Narrated by Abu Dawud, 1493 (graded sahih by al-Albani).

Version 2: The Dua of Yunus

Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) called out with these words from inside the whale (Surah Al-Anbiya, 21:87). The Prophet ﷺ said: "No Muslim man supplicates with it for anything, ever, except Allah responds to him."

Arabic:

لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

Transliteration:

La ilaha illa anta subhanaka inni kuntu minaz-zalimin.

Translation:

"There is no god but You. Glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers."

Source: Narrated by at-Tirmidhi, 3505 (graded sahih by Darussalam).

Looking for more duas? Browse our complete Dua Collection — organized by occasion with Arabic text, transliteration, and translation.

How Do You Make Dua So It Gets Accepted?

These steps come straight from the Quran and authentic hadith. None of them is a magic formula. They are the manners the Prophet ﷺ taught.

1. Start with praise, then blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ heard a man ask without doing this and said, "This one has rushed." He then taught: begin by praising Allah, send salat on the Prophet ﷺ, then ask for whatever you wish (Tirmidhi, 3477).
2. Raise your hands. "Your Lord is generous and is too shy to turn away the hands of His servant empty when he raises them to Him" (Abu Dawud, 1488).
3. Ask with firm resolve. Don't say "O Allah, forgive me if You wish." Ask with determination, because no one can force Allah (Bukhari, 6339).
4. Be humble and quiet. "Call on your Lord humbly and privately" (Surah Al-A'raf, 7:55). You don't need to shout or use elaborate language.
5. Keep your income halal. The Prophet ﷺ described a traveler with dusty, disheveled hair raising his hands and saying "O Lord, O Lord," while his food, drink, and clothing were haram. "How can his supplication be accepted?" (Muslim, 1015).
6. Ask only for good. A dua keeps being answered as long as you don't ask for sin or for cutting family ties (Muslim, 2735).
7. Don't give up. The same hadith warns against saying, "I made dua and made dua, but I did not see it answered," and then abandoning dua.

When Is Dua Most Likely to Be Accepted?

Any time is a good time to ask Allah. But authentic hadith single out certain moments:

If you want to catch the last third of the night, our guide on how to pray Tahajjud walks you through it.

What Happens When a Dua Seems Unanswered?

Allah says: "If My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call Me" (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:186).

Arabic:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ

Transliteration:

Wa idha sa'alaka 'ibadi 'anni fa-inni qarib, ujibu da'watad-da'i idha da'an.

The response doesn't always look like what you asked for. The Prophet ﷺ said that a Muslim who makes a dua free of sin and cutting family ties is given one of three things: the dua is answered quickly, it is stored for him in the Hereafter, or an equal harm is turned away from him. When the Companions said they would then make many duas, he replied, "Allah has more still to give" (al-Bukhari in al-Adab al-Mufrad, 710).

So no sincere dua is wasted. Delay is not rejection. The hadith in Sahih Muslim, 2735 is clear that the real loss is giving up.

For a deeper read on this question, see IslamQA's answers on how to make du'a and why a dua may not be answered.

Related Duas

• Dua for forgiveness — seeking forgiveness clears the sins that can hold a dua back.
• Dua for anxiety — Prophetic supplications for worry, grief, and distress.
• Dua for Istikhara — asking Allah for guidance before a decision.

Summary

Allah has promised to answer: "Call on Me and I will answer you" (Surah Ghafir, 40:60). To give your dua its best chance:

• Open with praise of Allah and blessings on the Prophet ﷺ
• Raise your hands and ask with certainty, not "if You wish"
• Use the duas with a promised response, like the dua of Yunus
• Aim for times of acceptance: sujud, the last third of the night, Friday
• Keep your income halal and never ask for sin
• Keep asking, even when the answer seems slow

Allah knows best (والله أعلم).