What are the types of dua? What are verbal and active dua?
Verbal dua is the supplication made with words and the heart. This type of dua consists of remembering Allah (God) with the heart and tongue, reciting phrases that express reverence for Him, making requests concerning this world and the hereafter, and asking for forgiveness and mercy.
Active dua means preparing the ground for what a person verbally asks from Allah and complying with the laws set by Allah (the religion and the sunnatullāh [divine custom]).
Dua (supplication) can be performed with words and the heart, as well as through actions and states (ḥāl). Dua may take the form of "good dua" (prayer for good) or "bad dua" (imprecation). Dua can be directed toward oneself or toward others. In terms of content, dua may be for material or spiritual requests, for worldly or otherworldly needs.
1. VERBAL DUA
Verbal dua is the supplication made with words and the heart. This type of dua consists of remembering Allah with the heart and tongue, reciting phrases that express reverence for Him, making requests concerning this world and the hereafter, and asking for forgiveness and mercy. Verbal dua generally begins with address phrases such as "O my Lord", "O our Lord", "O Allah", and similar expressions.
For example, the prayer of Prophet Ādam and his wife Ḥawwa (Eve):
"Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers" (al-Aʿrāf, 7:23).
The prayer of Prophet Zakariyyā:
"And mention Zakariyyā, when he called to his Lord, 'My Lord, do not leave me alone [childless], though You are the best of inheritors.'" (al-Anbiyāʾ, 21:89).
The prayer of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
"O Allah! I seek refuge in You from a heart that does not have reverence, from a supplication that is not accepted, from a nafs (the lower self) that is never satisfied, and from knowledge that does not benefit" (Tirmidhī, Daʿawāt, 69).
"O Allah! Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire" (Bukhārī, Daʿawāt, 55). These are examples of supplications made with words and the heart.
Verbal duas are divided into two categories: good dua (prayer for good) and bad dua (imprecation).
a) Good Dua (Prayer for Good)
The concept of "good dua" is mentioned in the Qur'an:
"Man does not tire of praying for good (khayr)" (Fussilat, 41:49).
Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged "good dua" by always asking for the best in everything:
"O Allah! I ask You for the best of what is asked, the best of supplication, the best of salvation, the best of deeds, the best of reward, the best of life, and the best of death" (al-Ḥākim, Daʿawāt, No: 1911).
Supplications in which a person asks Allah for goodness and blessings, or seeks deliverance from calamity and distress, are good duas. These are divided into two types:
aa) Good Dua Made by a Person for Himself/Herself
The most virtuous dua is the one a person makes for himself or herself. According to what our mother ʿĀʾisha reported, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked,
"Which dua is the most virtuous?" and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied:
"The dua a person makes for his own nafs (the lower self)" (al-Ḥākim, Daʿawāt, I, 543).
ab) Good Dua Made by a Person for Others
b) Bad Dua (Imprecation)
Sometimes people supplicate against themselves, their children, relatives, or other people. In Turkish, this is called "beddua" (imprecation).
2. ACTIVE DUA
Active dua means preparing the ground for what a person verbally asks from Allah and complying with the laws set by Allah (the religion and the sunnatullāh [divine custom]).
Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), during the Battle of the Trench, not only verbally asked Allah for help but also dug a trench around the city. This is an example of active dua.