Duas for every day
Short supplications (duas) for daily life, from the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Arabic is word for word from the sources; the transliteration and meaning are there to help.
Every day
Before eating
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ
Bismillāh
In the name of God.
If you forgot at the start:
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ
Bismillāhi awwalahu wa ākhirahu
In the name of God, at its beginning and its end.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3767ṣaḥīḥ
After eating
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَطْعَمَنِي هَذَا الطَّعَامَ وَرَزَقَنِيهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَوْلٍ مِنِّي وَلاَ قُوَّةٍ
Al-ḥamdu lillāhi lladhī aṭʿamanī hādhā ṭ-ṭaʿāma wa razaqanīhi min ghayri ḥawlin minnī wa lā quwwah
Praise be to God who fed me this food and provided it for me, without any power or strength of my own.
Sunan Abi Dawud 4023ḥasan
Before sleeping
بِاسْمِكَ اللَّهُمَّ أَمُوتُ وَأَحْيَا
Bismika llāhumma amūtu wa aḥyā
In Your name, O God, I die and I live.
On waking up
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَحْيَانَا بَعْدَ مَا أَمَاتَنَا، وَإِلَيْهِ النُّشُورُ
Al-ḥamdu lillāhi lladhī aḥyānā baʿda mā amātanā wa ilayhi n-nushūr
Praise be to God who gave us life after He caused us to die, and to Him is the resurrection.
When sneezing
- The one who sneezes
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ
Al-ḥamdu lillāh
Praise be to God.
- The one who hears it
يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ
Yarḥamuka llāh
May God have mercy on you.
- The reply
يَهْدِيكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ
Yahdīkumu llāhu wa yuṣliḥu bālakum
May God guide you and set your affairs right.
At home and on the way
Leaving home
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
Bismillāh, tawakkaltu ʿala llāh, lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā billāh
In the name of God, I put my trust in God; there is no power and no strength except with God.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5095ṣaḥīḥ
Entering the mosque
اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ
Allāhumma ftaḥ lī abwāba raḥmatik
O God, open for me the doors of Your mercy.
Leaving the mosque
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ
Allāhumma innī asʾaluka min faḍlik
O God, I ask You of Your bounty.
Before entering the toilet
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْخُبُثِ وَالْخَبَائِثِ
Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika mina l-khubuthi wa l-khabāʾith
O God, I seek refuge in You from evil and from evil beings.
Setting out on a journey
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ
Subḥāna lladhī sakhkhara lanā hādhā wa mā kunnā lahu muqrinīn, wa innā ilā rabbinā la-munqalibūn
Glory be to Him who has made this serve us, which we could not have done ourselves, and to our Lord we will return.
In worry and repentance
For worry and sadness
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ، وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ
Allāhumma innī aʿūdhu bika mina l-hammi wa l-ḥazan, wa l-ʿajzi wa l-kasal, wa l-jubni wa l-bukhl, wa ḍalaʿi d-dayni wa ghalabati r-rijāl
O God, I seek refuge in You from worry and grief, from helplessness and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from heavy debt and from being overpowered by others.
In distress
اللَّهُمَّ رَحْمَتَكَ أَرْجُو فَلاَ تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي شَأْنِي كُلَّهُ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
Allāhumma raḥmataka arjū, fa-lā takilnī ilā nafsī ṭarfata ʿayn, wa aṣliḥ lī shaʾnī kullah, lā ilāha illā ant
O God, it is Your mercy I hope for. Do not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye, and set all my affairs right. There is no god but You.
Sunan Abi Dawud 5090ḥasan
The prayer of Jonah in the whale
لَّآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبۡحَٰنَكَ إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ
Lā ilāha illā anta subḥānaka innī kuntu mina ẓ-ẓālimīn
There is no god but You, glory be to You; I have indeed been among the wrongdoers.
The best way to ask forgiveness
اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
Allāhumma anta rabbī lā ilāha illā ant, khalaqtanī wa ana ʿabduk, wa ana ʿalā ʿahdika wa waʿdika mā staṭaʿt, aʿūdhu bika min sharri mā ṣanaʿt, abūʾu laka bi-niʿmatika ʿalayya wa abūʾu laka bi-dhanbī, fa-ghfir lī fa-innahu lā yaghfiru dh-dhunūba illā ant
O God, You are my Lord; there is no god but You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I keep Your covenant and promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.
From the Qur’an
Good in both worlds
رَبَّنَآ ءَاتِنَا فِي ٱلدُّنۡيَا حَسَنَةٗ وَفِي ٱلۡأٓخِرَةِ حَسَنَةٗ وَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
Rabbanā ātinā fi d-dunyā ḥasanatan wa fi l-ākhirati ḥasanatan wa qinā ʿadhāba n-nār
Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.
Steadfast hearts
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغۡ قُلُوبَنَا بَعۡدَ إِذۡ هَدَيۡتَنَا وَهَبۡ لَنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحۡمَةًۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡوَهَّابُ
Rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā baʿda idh hadaytanā wa hab lanā min ladunka raḥmah, innaka anta l-wahhāb
Our Lord, do not let our hearts stray after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from Yourself. You are the Giver.
The prayer of Adam and Eve
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمۡنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمۡ تَغۡفِرۡ لَنَا وَتَرۡحَمۡنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡخَٰسِرِينَ
Rabbanā ẓalamnā anfusanā wa in lam taghfir lanā wa tarḥamnā la-nakūnanna mina l-khāsirīn
Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers.
For one’s parents
رَّبِّ ٱرۡحَمۡهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرٗا
Rabbi rḥamhumā kamā rabbayānī ṣaghīrā
My Lord, have mercy on them as they raised me when I was small.
For more knowledge
رَّبِّ زِدۡنِي عِلۡمٗا
Rabbi zidnī ʿilmā
My Lord, increase me in knowledge.
For spouses and children
رَبَّنَا هَبۡ لَنَا مِنۡ أَزۡوَٰجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّـٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعۡيُنٖ وَٱجۡعَلۡنَا لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا
Rabbanā hab lanā min azwājinā wa dhurriyyātinā qurrata aʿyunin wa jʿalnā li-l-muttaqīna imāmā
Our Lord, grant us from our spouses and children the joy of our eyes, and make us an example for the God-conscious.
In Ramadan
When breaking the fast
ذَهَبَ الظَّمَأُ وَابْتَلَّتِ الْعُرُوقُ وَثَبَتَ الأَجْرُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ
Dhahaba ẓ-ẓamaʾu wa btallati l-ʿurūqu wa thabata l-ajru in shāʾa llāh
The thirst is gone, the veins are moistened, and the reward is certain, if God wills.
Sunan Abi Dawud 2357ḥasan
On Laylat al-Qadr
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ كَرِيمٌ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Allāhumma innaka ʿafuwwun karīmun tuḥibbu l-ʿafwa fa-ʿfu ʿannī
O God, You are Pardoning and Generous, You love to pardon, so pardon me.
The meanings are our own translation, not word for word. The transliteration is simplified; it is best learned from someone who knows it.