Ubayy b. Ka'b reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Ubayy, I was asked to recite the Qur'an and I was asked: 'In one mode or two modes?' The angel that accompanied me said: 'Say, in two modes', I said: 'In two modes', I was asked again: 'In two or three modes'. The matter reached up to seven modes. He then said: 'Each mode is sufficiently health-giving, whether you utter 'all-hearing and all-knowing' or instead 'all-powerful and all-wise'. This is valid until you finish the verse indicating punishment on mercy and finish the verse indicating mercy on punishment."
Ubayy b. Ka'b said: The Prophet (ﷺ) was present at the pool of Banu Ghifar, Gabriel came to him and said: "Allah has commanded you to make your community read (the Qur'an) in one harf. He (the Prophet) said: 'I beg Allah His pardon and forgiveness; my community has not strength to do so'. He then came for the second time and told him the same thing till he reached up to seven harfs. Finally, he said: 'Allah has commanded you to make your community read (the Qur'an) in seven harfs; in whichever mode they read, that will be correct.
Hadiths 1479https://sunnah.com/abudawud:1479
حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصُ بْنُ عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، عَنْ ذَرٍّ، عَنْ يُسَيْعٍ الْحَضْرَمِيِّ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " الدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ { قَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ } " .
Narrated An-Nu'man ibn Bashir: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Supplication (du'a') is itself the worship. (He then recited:) "And your Lord said: Call on Me, I will answer you" (xI.60).
Narrated Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas: Ibn Sa'd said: My father (Sa'd ibn AbuWaqqas) heard me say: O Allah, I ask Thee for Paradise, its blessings, its pleasure and such-and-such, and such-and-such; I seek refuge in Thee from Hell, from its chains, from its collars, and from such-and-such, and from such-and-such. He said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: There will be people who will exaggerate in supplication. You should not be one of them. If you are granted Paradise, you will be granted all what is good therein; if you are protected from Hell, you will be protected from what is evil therein.
Hadiths 1481https://sunnah.com/abudawud:1481
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يَزِيدَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَيْوَةُ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو هَانِئٍ، حُمَيْدُ بْنُ هَانِئٍ أَنَّ أَبَا عَلِيٍّ، عَمْرَو بْنَ مَالِكٍ حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَمِعَ فَضَالَةَ بْنَ عُبَيْدٍ، صَاحِبَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ سَمِعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلاً يَدْعُو فِي صَلاَتِهِ لَمْ يُمَجِّدِ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى وَلَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " عَجِلَ هَذَا " . ثُمَّ دَعَاهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَوْ لِغَيْرِهِ " إِذَا صَلَّى أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَبْدَأْ بِتَحْمِيدِ رَبِّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ وَالثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ يُصَلِّي عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ يَدْعُو بَعْدُ بِمَا شَاءَ " .
Narrated Fudalah ibn Ubayd,: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a person supplicating during prayer. He did not mention the greatness of Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He made haste. He then called him and said either to him or to any other person: If any of you prays, he should mention the exaltation of his Lord in the beginning and praise Him; he should then invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ); thereafter he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes.
Hadiths 1482https://sunnah.com/abudawud:1482
حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، عَنِ الأَسْوَدِ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ، عَنْ أَبِي نَوْفَلٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، رضى الله عنها قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَسْتَحِبُّ الْجَوَامِعَ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ وَيَدَعُ مَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ .
'Aishah said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) liked comprehensive supplication and abandoned other kinds.
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "One of you should not say (in his supplication): O Allah, forgive me if You please, show mercy to me if You please.' Rather, be firm in your asking, for no one can force Him."
Hadiths 1484https://sunnah.com/abudawud:1484
حَدَّثَنَا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " يُسْتَجَابُ لأَحَدِكُمْ مَا لَمْ يَعْجَلْ فَيَقُولُ قَدْ دَعَوْتُ فَلَمْ يُسْتَجَبْ لِي " .
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: "One of you is granted an answer (to his supplication) provided he does not say: 'I prayed but I was not granted an answer.'"
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not cover the walls. He who sees the letter of his brother without his permission, sees Hell-fire. Supplicate Allah with the palms of your hands; do not supplicate Him with their backs upwards. When you finish supplication, wipe your faces with them. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been transmitted through a different chains by Muhammad b. Ka'b; all of them are weak. The chain I have narrated is best of them; but it is also weak.
Narrated Malik ibn Yasar as-Sakuni, al-Awfi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When you make requests to Allah, do so with the palms of your hands, and not backs, upwards. Abu Dawud said: The narrator Sulaiman b. 'Abd al-Hamid said: according to us Malik b. Yasar was a Companion of the Prophet (ﷺ).
Hadiths 1487https://sunnah.com/abudawud:1487
حَدَّثَنَا عُقْبَةُ بْنُ مُكْرَمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سَلْمُ بْنُ قُتَيْبَةَ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ نَبْهَانَ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدْعُو هَكَذَا بِبَاطِنِ كَفَّيْهِ وَظَاهِرِهِمَا .
Narrated Anas ibn Malik: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) supplicating Allah in this manner with the palms of his hands and also with their backs upwards.
Narrated Salman al-Farsi: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him.
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas: Ikrimah quoted Ibn Abbas as saying: When asking for something you should raise your hands opposite to your shoulders; when asking for forgiveness you should point with one finger; and when making an earnest supplication you should spread out both your hands.
Narrated Buraydah ibn al-Hasib: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man saying: O Allah, I ask Thee, I bear witness that there is no god but Thou, the One, He to Whom men repair, Who has not begotten, and has not been begotten, and to Whom no one is equal, and he said: You have supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when asked with this name He gives, and when supplicated by this name he answers.
The aforesaid tradition has been transmitted through a different chain of narrators by Malik b. Mighwal. This verso adds: "He has asked Allah using His Greatest Name."
Narrated Anas ibn Malik: I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives.