Du'a

Du'a for granting children: the prophets' own supplications

Children are a gift from Allah. The Qur'an records that even prophets - Zakariyya, Ibrahim, and the righteous of every generation - turned to Allah with these exact words. Recite them with hope; the One who answered Zakariyya hears you too.

Notice:Editorial team review only - scholar review pending

1. Zakariyya's du'a (Surah Aal-Imran 3:38)

هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُۥ ۖ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً ۖ إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ ٱلدُّعَآءِ ٣٨

Hunalika da'a Zakariyya Rabbahu, qala Rabbi hab li min ladunka dhurriyyatan tayyibah, innaka samee'u-d-du'a.

There Zakariyya called upon his Lord. He said: 'My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication.'

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Qur'an 3:38Verified

2. The du'a of righteous spouses (Surah Al-Furqan 25:74)

وَٱلَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَٰجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّـٰتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَٱجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا ٧٤

Wal-ladhina yaquluna Rabbana hab lana min azwajina wa dhurriyyatina qurrata a'yunin waj'alna li-l-muttaqina imama.

And those who say: 'Our Lord, grant us from among our spouses and offspring comfort to our eyes, and make us a leader for the righteous.'

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Qur'an 25:74Verified

3. Ibrahim's du'a for a righteous child (Surah As-Saffat 37:100)

رَبِّ هَبْ لِى مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ١٠٠

Rabbi hab li mina-s-saliheen.

My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous.

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Qur'an 37:100Verified

4. Ibrahim's du'a for prayer-keeping descendants (Surah Ibrahim 14:40)

رَبِّ ٱجْعَلْنِى مُقِيمَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِى ۚ رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَآءِ ٤٠

Rabbi-j'alni muqima-s-salati wa min dhurriyyati, Rabbana wa taqabbal du'a.

My Lord, make me a keeper of the prayer, and from my descendants. Our Lord, and accept my supplication.

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Qur'an 14:40Verified

5. Zakariyya's deeper du'a (Surah Maryam 19:5-6)

وَإِنِّى خِفْتُ ٱلْمَوَٰلِىَ مِن وَرَآءِى وَكَانَتِ ٱمْرَأَتِى عَاقِرًا فَهَبْ لِى مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا ٥

Wa inni khiftu-l-mawaliya min wara'i, wa kanati-mra'ati aqiran, fa-hab li min ladunka waliyya.

And indeed I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren. So grant me from Yourself an heir.

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Qur'an 19:5Verified
يَرِثُنِى وَيَرِثُ مِنْ ءَالِ يَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَٱجْعَلْهُ رَبِّ رَضِيًّا ٦

Yarithuni wa yarithu min ali Ya'qoob, waj'alhu Rabbi radiyya.

Who will inherit me and inherit from the family of Ya'qub. And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You].

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Qur'an 19:6Verified

Protecting the child once granted

The Prophet()sought refuge for Hasan and Husayn using the same words their father Ibrahim used for Isma'il and Ishaq. This is the prophetic du'a of refuge:

Narrated by Ibn Abbas (radiy-Allahu anhu)

أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍ

I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from every devil, every harmful creature, and every envious eye.

Sahih al-Bukhari 3371 · Sahih (al-Bukhari)Verified
?How often should I recite these du'as?
There is no fixed count. Make them part of your night prayer, your sujud, the last third of the night, the moment between adhan and iqamah, the time of breaking fast. These are the times the Prophet (peace be upon him) said du'a is most accepted.
?Should we abandon medical means and only make du'a?
No. Zakariyya()made du'a and his case was outside ordinary means; that did not abolish ordinary means for the rest of us. Continue qualified fertility care if you choose it, and continue du'a with full trust. Both are means from Allah.
?What if I have made these du'as for years with no answer?
Zakariyya was elderly and his wife barren when his du'a was answered. Allah's answer comes in His timing and His best form: sometimes the same gift, sometimes a different gift, sometimes the protection from a harm you did not know was coming. The reward of every sincere du'a is recorded; nothing is wasted in the sight of the One who hears.
?Can these du'as be made by anyone, in any language?
Reciting them in Arabic carries the merit of the Qur'anic words themselves. Asking Allah for the same meaning in your mother tongue, with feeling and presence, is also du'a and is accepted. Where possible, recite the Arabic; for the meaning, use the language your heart speaks.