Answer
Short Answer:
- There are special times to make du’a where it is more likely to be accepted, so try not to miss them.
- Supplication should be treated seriously and performed with the proper manners so that Allah accepts it as being sincere and therefore responds to our requests. Please check the times and the manners below.
- As for Allah’s Greatest Name, there is no clear evidence indicating which of the names mentioned in the Hadiths is the greatest name (check the details below for more info).
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Salam Dear Ake,
Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.
I hope that the response is beneficial to you and to all those who wish to take full advantage of special times for making du’a (supplication).
There are many times and situations that we may find ourselves in, that du’a can be offered and have the best chances of being answered.
We must be clear in our understanding, however, that having our needs met by Allah through making du’a is not merely a matter of being lucky or repeating a secret magical set of words.
Special Times for Du’a
It is essential to remember, as Muslims, that we should try to be in as high a level of God-consciousness (in Arabic, taqwa) as possible so that all of our supplications will be answered regardless of the time of day it is made or the situation we are in.
However, there are special times to make du’a where it is more likely to be accepted.
There are many hadiths mentioning excellent times to make supplications.
The following are just a few times and perhaps the most well-known:
- Upon waking from sleep,
- Between the time of Adhan and Iqamah,
- After making wudu’,
- After saying “Allahu akbar” to start the Prayer (Takbirat Al-Ihram),
- In prostration (sujud),
- Before finishing the Prayer (after conveying blessings on the Prophet),
- After the Prayer (especially the compulsory Prayers),
- Fridays, especially between Asr and Maghrib Prayers,
- The last third of the night before Fajr Prayer,
- Ramadan: Before breaking the fasting, the last ten days, and the “Night of Power” (Laylat Al-Qadr),
- The first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah,
- While drinking the water from the well of Zamzam,
- And at times of adversity.
Etiquettes of Supplication
Supplication should be treated seriously and performed with the proper etiquette or manners so that Allah can accept it as being sincere and therefore respond to our requests.
When we make du’a, we should:
- Make sure to be spiritually and physically clean (perform ablution) and face Makkah,
- Raise both hands up to the shoulder with palms open facing up,
- Begin the supplication by sending peace and blessings on the Prophet,
- Use the exact words of Allah and Prophet Muhammad using du’a found in Quran and Hadith,
- Ask using Allah’s most beautiful names,
- Ask Allah by mentioning past good deeds we performed sincerely for Him,
- Repeat the du’a several times,
- Show humility and proper manners (after all, you are talking to your Creator),
- Confess mistakes, shortcomings, and sins by repenting and trying to make amends for mistakes one made.
- Avoid rhymed prose that might spoil your concentration
Allah’s Greatest Name
End with “Alhamdulillahi rabbil `alameen;” meaning: “All Praise belongs to Allah, Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.”
With respect to Allah’s greatest name, it was narrated by Anas ibn Malik that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) heard a man saying:
“O Allah, I ask You by virtue of the fact that praise is due to You, there is no god but You, Who shows favor and beneficence, the Originator of the heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendor, O Living One, O Eternal One.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said, “He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name; when supplicated by this name, Allah answers, and when asked by this name, He gives” (Abu Dawud).
Although it is true that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informed us that when we call upon Allah using His greatest name our supplications will be answered, there is no clear evidence indicating which of those names mentioned is the greatest name.
{Say: Call upon Allah, or call upon the Most Compassionate. With whatever name you call upon Him, to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names. Neither speak your prayer aloud, nor speak it in a low tone, but seek a middle course between.} (Al- Israa 17:110)
More answers in the following hadith
The supplications found in the following hadith may take care of the problem for us.
The Messenger of Allah said,
There is nobody who is afflicted with distress or grief and who says, ‘O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your maidservant, my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is ever executed, and Your decree over me is just.
I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or which you revealed in Your Book, or which You taught to any of Your creation, or which You have preserved in the knowledge of the unseen with You, that You make the Quran the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety,’ but Allah will take away his distress and grief, and replace it with ease.”
He was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, should we not learn it?” He said, “Of course, whoever hears it should learn it.” (Musnad Ahmad)
Allah also commands us in His noble Book to call upon Him using whichever of His beautiful names we please.
{And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names. For what they do, they will soon be requited.} (Al-Aaraf 7:180)
{And when My servants ask you concerning Me, surely I am very near; I answer the prayer (supplication) of the suppliant when he calls on Me. Let them also, with a will, listen to My call and believe in Me That they may walk in the right way.} (Al- Baqarah 2:186)
Conclusion
In conclusion, it cannot be overstated that the most important way we can have the best of this life and achieve Allah’s Mercy on the Day of Judgment is to follow what He has commanded and avoid what He has warned us about.
Above that, we must encourage what is good and discourage what is evil in the world around us. This is how we stay in a close personal relationship with our Creator.
{He is the Living, there is no god but He; therefore, call on Him, being sincere to Him in obedience.} (Ghafir 40:65)
Six Rakaah Sunnah Prayer After Maghrib?
Dr. Mohsen Haredy, Ask About Islam Consultant, added the following:
With regard to the issue of praying six rakaahs after the Maghrib Prayer, the confirmed Sunnah Prayers are:
1- two rakaahs before the Fajr Prayer,
2- two rakaahs before and after the Zhuhr Prayer,
3- two rakaahs after the Maghrib Prayer, and
4- two rakaahs after the Isha Prayer.
Therefore, the hadith that recommends offering six rakaahs of Sunnah 
Payer after the Maghrib Prayer has been classified by Imam An-Nawawi (famous Muslim scholar of Hadith) as weak because it goes against the authentic hadiths in this regard.
Other scholars like Ibn Al-Qayyim said it is a fabricated hadith.
For more on Sunnah Prayer, you can read Sunnah (Optional) Prayers.
The other hadith, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not teach Aishah the greatest name of Allah, has been classified by scholars as a weak hadith.
And Allah knows best.
I hope this helps. Salam and please keep in touch.
(From Ask About Islam archives)
Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links:
The Best Way to Get Your Prayer Answered… Ibn `Atta’ Explains
Using the 99 Names of Allah in Certain Numbers & Combinations: OK?