We should be conscious of how we conduct ourselves when we ask of Allah. There are a number of manners and etiquettes we should take heed of.

1. We should only beseech Allah for that which is lawful and good.

We should also avoid beseeching Allah with anything that transgresses against other people. It is Allah who enjoined upon us to beseech Him in prayer, and it is Allah who says: “Do not transgress; for Allah does not love transgressors.” [Sūrah al-Baqarah: 190]

2. The best supplications are those which are found in the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) instructed us to offer personal supplications while sitting after tashahhud at the end of our formal prayers, saying: “Then he should choose from the supplications what seem appropriate and offer those supplications.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (835) and Sahīh Muslim (402)]

Here the Prophet (peace be upon him) is advising us to select certain supplications and offer them while seated at the end of our prayers. These are supplications from Sunnah like: “O Allah! Give us the good of this world and the good of the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of Hell.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (4522) and Sahīh Muslim (2688, 2690)]

Another is: “O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave. I seek refuge with You from the Antichrist. I seek refuge with You from the trials of life and death. O Allah! I seek Your refuge from sin and from debt.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (833) and Sahīh Muslim (589)]

Still another is: “My Lord! I have greatly wronged my soul, and none forgives sins but You, so forgive me with Your clemency, and have mercy on me. Indeed, You are Oft-Forgiving, Merciful.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (834) and Sahīh Muslim (2705)]

We should make an effort to offer the supplications which are given to us in the Qur’ān and those which Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to recommend. These are certainly the best supplications. They guarantee us that our supplications will be correct in their meaning and lofty in purpose.

It is not necessary to recite these supplications verbatim in Arabic, especially for those who have difficulty doing so. However, it is good to offer supplications that convey the same meanings as those found in the Qur’an and Sunnah. The proof for this comes from the Prophet’s example. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once asked a man about what he said in prayer. The man replied that he bears witness to his faith, then asks Allah for Paradise and seeks Allah’s refuge from Hell. He then added: “By Allah! I am not good at following all those murmurings of yours, nor those of Mu`adh.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) then gently reassured him: “What we murmur is similar to what you are saying.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd (792) and Sunan Ibn Mājah (910)] The Prophet did not take the man to task for supplicating in his own words, since what the man was saying carried the same meaning as what is found in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s supplications, like asking for Paradise, seeking refuge from the punishment of Hell, asking for the good of this life and the Hereafter, and seeking to be spared the evils of this world and the next.

3. We should beseech Allah in full confidence.

We should never offer a supplication as a “test” to see if it will be answered. When we ask of Allah, call upon Allah, we are calling upon our Almighty Lord: “Verily, when He intends a thing, His Command is, ‘be’, and it is!” [Sūrah YāSīn: 82]

Allah loves it when we ask of Him and open ourselves up to His mercy and benevolence. It angers him when someone turns away from Him and disdains to ask of Him. Allah is Most-Generous, Most-Bounteous. His bounty knows no limit. Therefore, when we ask of Him, we should do so with full trust and certitude.

The more certain we are that Allah will answer us, the swifter and more certain will be the answer. It is related that prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Ask Allah being certain that He will answer, and know that Allah will not answer the supplications of a heart which is distracted and not serious.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī (3479)]

4. We should endeavor to derive our sustenance only from lawful means.

Sa`d b. Abī Waqqās once asked the Prophet: “O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah to make me someone whose prayers are always answered.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied to Sa`d: “Make sure that what you eat is pure and lawful. Then your prayers will be answered.” [Musnad al-Tabarānī al-Awsat (6495)]

Likewise the Prophet (peace be upon him) tells us about a man on an arduous journey, covered in dust, his hair disheveled. He stretches his hands to the heavens, crying out to his Lord. But his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful. He is a man whose whole sustenance is sinful. How then does he hope to be answered? [Sahīh Muslim (1015)]

Since we wish for Allah to answer our prayers and to be with us in times of hardship and sorrow, we should show concern for how we acquire the means for the food, drink, and clothing that we provide for ourselves and our families. We should make sure that it is lawfully earned, free form fraud, bribery, usurious dealings, and injustice. Those who earn their wealth unjustly are deserving of having their supplications ignored.

5. We should not be impatient for the answer.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) assured us: “Your supplications will be answered except for one who gets impatient and says: ‘I asked Allah but he did not answer me’.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī (6340) and Sahīh Muslim (2735)]

If Allah wished, He could answer all of humanity’s supplications at the very moment that each supplication is uttered. However, Allah’s wisdom is infinite. He knows what we do not know. Therefore, He will surely answer us as long as we do not hasten on the answer. Instead, we should offer our supplications all the more, never despair, and never tire of doing so. We should know that we are upon what is good in our doing so, and that Allah knows all about our needs. He sees and hears all things, but He wants us to turn to Him in humility and devotion.

6. We should seek out the special times when our prayers are most likely to be answered.

These times include the hours of dawn before sunrise, the last daylight hour on Friday afternoon, the time when the preacher ascends the pulpit to deliver the Friday sermon, and the time at the end of each formal prayer before the taslīm when we are still sitting after the tashahhud.

Another important time during our prayers for offering personal supplications is while we are in prostration. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The nearest a worshipper comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating. So offer supplications at this time, for you are more certain to be answered.” [Sahih Muslim]

Here we see Allah’s nearness being mentioned along with His being the Answerer of Prayers. It is due to the nearness of the worshipper to the Lord at these times that they are the best times to offer supplication.