al-Dhikr wa al-Dua
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da‘wah and Guidance
al-Dhikr wa al-Dua (full title: al-Dhikr wa al-Dua fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunnah, "Remembrance and Supplication in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah") is a concise compendium of prophetic invocations and supplications compiled by the Saudi scholar Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr .
Composition and Publication
The work was published under the auspices of the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance through the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Medina, appearing within its simplified scholarly series (al-Silsilah al-Ilmiyyah al-Muyassarah), which previously issued Usul al-Iman fi Daw al-Kitab wa al-Sunnah ("Principles of Faith in the Light of the Quran and Sunnah") .
The published text opens with introductory prefaces by Salih ibn Abd al-Aziz Al al-Shaykh, the Minister of Islamic Affairs and General Supervisor of the Complex, followed by a preface from the Complex's General Secretariat—headed by its Secretary-General Muhammad Salim ibn Shadid al-Awfi and the director of its scientific affairs department, Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Nasir al-Faqihi—and concluded by the author's own introduction .
Purpose and Scope
The book aims to provide Muslims with an accessible reference gathering Quranic verses and authentic prophetic hadiths on both unrestricted and situational remembrance (dhikr) and supplication (dua) . The author underscores that adhering strictly to established prophetic wordings safeguards the believer from innovations, excess, and theological distortions found in ungrounded litanies .
The material encompasses foundational topics as well as situational formulas, covering:
- The merits of remembrance, supplication, and seeking forgiveness (istighfar) .
- The prerequisites, etiquettes, and optimal times for the acceptance of supplication .
- Daily invocations for the morning and evening, upon waking and sleeping, entering and exiting mosques and homes, eating, riding, traveling, and during times of distress, grief, fear, or calamity .
Method and Structure
In compiling the work, the author adhered to several editorial guidelines :
- Authentication: Restricting narrations to those verified as authentic (sahih) or good (hasan), drawing primarily from Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, or relying on the evaluations of leading hadith scholars for traditions found outside the two collections .
- Concise referencing: Avoiding extended chains of transmission (isnad) and lengthy source analyses, citing only one or two primary hadith works along with hadith numbers or volume and page citations .
- Topical arrangement: Organizing chapters according to traditional classifications used in classic works of adhkar and ad'iyah .
- Clarification and vocalization: Explaining obscure or difficult vocabulary (gharib), briefly elucidating key textual meanings where necessary, and fully vocalizing (tashkil) hadith texts to facilitate accurate recitation .
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