Is It Obligatory to Recite a Du’a Between the Two Prostrations?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

Is it obligatory to recite the following du’a between the two prostrations?

اَللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْلِيْ وَ ارْحَمْنِيْ وَ عَافِنِيْ وَ اجْبُرْنِيْ وَ ارْزُقْنِيْ

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

No, it is not necessary, nor a sunna, to recite any supplication between the two prostrations. But it would be praiseworthy to recite something brief during your obligatory prayers in order to avoid the difference of opinion on the matter. As for supererogatory (nafila) prayers, the matter is more expansive.

One of the reported supplications of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) at this point in the prayer is, “My Lord, forgive me (rabbi ighfirli)“ [Nasa’i]. This, and other narrations, are, however, understood to have been recited during his supererogatory prayers.

[Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.