(8) Du’a – Prayer of supplication
If you ask a Muslim to speak about prayer he or she would be unlikely to say that “prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God” (Catechism of the Catholic Church no.2559). They would
probably refer to ṣalât, which is ritual prayer (AR question 3), and to the five prayers that Muslims perform daily.
Yet other forms of prayer do exist within the Islamic tradition. One of these is du’a, or supplicatory prayer. Here is an example of a prayer for forgiveness attributed to Muhammad:
O God, you are my Lord. There is no god other than You. You have created me and I am Your servant and I abide in Your covenant and promise as best as I can. I take refuge in you from the evil I might have committed. I acknowledge Your favour upon me and I acknowledge my sin. Forgive me. Surely none can forgive sin except You (quoted by Zeki SARITOPRAK, Islamic Spirituality, London, Bloomsbury 2016, p.59).
Du’a, in the form of supplication for the faithful, forms part of the Friday khuṭba (sermon) (See post 7) – somewhat similar to the Catholic practice of Bidding Prayers during the Sunday Mass.
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