Supplications by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Anas (RA) reported: The supplication most often recited by the Prophet (PBUH) was: "Allahumma atina fid-dunya hasanatan, wa fil-akhirati hasanatan, wa qina 'adhab-annar (O our Rubb! give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the punishment of the Fire)."' 

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Abdullah bin Mas'ud (RA) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) used to supplicate: "Allahumma inni as'alukal-huda, wat-tuqa, wal-'afafa, wal-ghina (O Allah! I beseech You for guidance, piety, chastity and contentment)." 

[Muslim]

Tariq bin Ashyam (RA) reported: Whenever a man entered the fold of Islam, the Prophet (PBUH) would show him how to perform Salat and then direct him to supplicate: "Allahumm-aghfir li, warhamni, wa-hdini, wa 'afini, warzuqni (O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, guard me against harm and provide me with sustenance and salvation)." 

[Muslim]

'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) supplicated: "Allahumma musarrifal-qulubi, sarrif qulubana 'ala ta'atika (O Allah! Controller of the hearts, direct our hearts to Your obedience)." 

[Muslim]

Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (RA) reported: I requested the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to teach me a supplication which I could recite in my Salat (prayer). Thereupon he said, "Recite: 'Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathiran, wa la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa Anta, faghfir li maghfiratan min 'indika, warhamni, innaka Antal-Ghafur-ur-Rahim (O Allah! I have considerably wronged myself. There is none to forgive the sins but You. So grant me pardon and have mercy on me. You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Compassionate)."' 
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

We supplicate day and night for our dua’s to come true. How about if we know about a certain moment in which we make dua and it comes true? Yes there is a moment and it occurs on the day of Friday. A hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah indicates about it:

"There is a time on Friday at which a Muslim, while he (or she) is performing Salat and is supplicating, will be granted whatever he (or she) is supplicating for." And he (PBUH) pointed with his hand to indicate that this period of time is very short. [Al-Bukari and Muslim]

The above hadith mentions about a specific moment (that occurs on Friday) in which every prayer that a person makes is granted with the condition that what one is asking for is good and lawful. It is a very short lived moment i.e. it’s equal to the distance between index and middle finger. The specific time when it occurs has also not been revealed. For this reason one should remember Allah frequently and pray to Him on Jumu'ah so that one attains that moment when prayers are answered. Prayers can also be answered outside Salat if one happens to be supplicating at the specified moment.

Last ten days of Ramadan

The last ten days of Ramadan are very special. These last days should be spended with as much worship as possible. The first of these nights occurs on the eve of 21st day of Ramadan. Our Holy Prophet used to dedicate himself entirely to worship in these ten nights as compared to any other night of the year. Among the last ten days the holy night of Layla tul Qadr (the night of Power) occurs. It is a night more blessed than a thousand months.

Aisha (RA) tells us: "During the last ten nights of Ramadan, the Prophet (PBUH) would tighten his waist belt and spend the night in worship. He would also wake up his family." (Al Bukhari)
Aisha also says: "I had never known Allah's Messenger to read the entire Quran in a single night, or to spend the whole night in prayer up until the morning, or to spend a whole month in fasting - except in Ramadan."

Spending the whole night in prayer means he would spend some time in eating dinner, pre-dawn meal , doing the regular chores along with spending most of the night in worship and supplication. He would not worship alone but also wake up his wives to pray for much longer portion of the night in these ten days.

Umm Salamah, the Prophet's wife, relates that the Prophet  woke her up one night and said: "Glory be to Allah. What has been sent down of trials during this night? What has been sent down of treasures, so that the denizens of the bedchambers will be awakened? O Lord! To be clothed in this world by naked in the Hereafter." (Al Bukhari)

The great jurist, Al-Shafi'i, declares: "It is Sunnah for one to exert greater efforts in worship during the last ten nights of Ramadan."

One of the greatness of these nights is that in these special nights one of them is Laylat-al-Qadr. The rewards of worship earned in this night are more than any if a Muslim spends worshipping whole life.

Imam Ibrahim Al-Nakha`i says: "Good works performed on this night are better than those performed consistently for a thousand months."

Abu Hurayrah relates that the Prophet said:

"Whoever spends Laylat al-Qadr in prayer, believing in Allah and seeking His reward, will be forgiven all of his past sins." (Al Bukhari& Muslim)

"Believing in Allah", in this hadith, means not only to believe in Allah, but to believe in the reward that we are promised for observing prayer on this night.

Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power) is on one of the odd nights. Aisha relates that Prophet Muhammad  said: - "Seek out Laylat al-Qadr in the odd nights during the last ten nights of Ramadan." (Al Bukhari & Muslim) -