Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu Alaikum,

12.     I have read on a site that the Imam should only do collective Du'aa after Fard salat and du'ua after Sunnah prayers is bidda. But if you are praying by yourself, is it OK to do du'ua after sunnah prayers? Can you do du'ua after all prayers (fard, sunna, nafl) or should we only do this after Fard?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Collective dua supplications

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: I have read on a site that the Imam should only do collective Du'aa after Fard salat and du'ua after Sunnah prayers is bidda.

There is absolutely no evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) whereby he as the ‘imam’ would ever make a collective supplication after the fard prayers, or any other prayers for that matter.

It would be best for the ‘imaams’ who lead the prayers and the believers at large to abstain from doing something in the deen which was neither practiced nor endorsed by the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Your Question: But if you are praying by yourself, is it OK to do du'ua after sunnah prayers? Can you do du'ua after all prayers (fard, sunna, nafl) or should we only do this after Fard?

Nu'man b. Bashir reported that the Prophet (saws), said, "Verily supplication is worship."

Narrated by Ahmad and Sunan.

Except for when one is in the state of actual ‘ruku’ or bowing in prayer, where the Messenger of Allah (saws) guided the believers to only Praise and Glorify the Lord Most Exalted and abstain from making supplications…..a believer, in his individual capacity can make as many supplications as he wills or is easy for him….in the state of any prayer and after any prayer.

A believer, in his individual capacity, can make as many supplications as his heart desires before, during (except in ‘ruku’), or after any prayer, regardless of whether the prayer being offerred is Fard, Sunnah, or Nafl.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan