We all have those days when sometimes we just aren’t feeling the words come naturally to us, where we feel distracted in salah, where we do our dhikr and du’as but just can’t quite feel that beautiful closeness and connection to Allah through our worship.

There are so many times during the day where we can make du’a - during prostration in salah, after salah, when dealing with a difficulty, when happy or grateful, in idle moments in the waiting room, and the list goes on.

But how can we take advantage of all of these opportunities and the immense rewards of du’a when we just don’t feel like we have anything to say?

Of course we can always turn to sunnah and prescribed du’as, but sometimes, especially for those of us who don’t fluently understand Arabic, even those can fall flat. Alhamdulillah there is reward for just using the words that the blessed Prophet used, but in order to really connect with our supplications, and through our du’a connect with Allah, we need to be making our du’as resonant with our experiences and sincere from our hearts.

Below is a list of 15 prompts that you can use to help you work past that block and begin making sincere du’a to Allah in your own words, from your heart. You can use whichever prompts feel most resonant with you at the moment; begin your supplication with this prompt, and then let you words and emotions flow from there.

• Ya Rabb, I know I made a mistake. I'm sorry for/I ask your forgiveness for...
• Oh Allah, I need your help with...
• Oh Allah, I'm feeling anxious about... I release this burden to You, the All Powerful.
• Oh Allah, what has been weighing on my heart and mind is...
• Oh Allah, thank you for...
• Oh Allah, for my sisters/friends/relatives I ask for...
• Oh Allah, for the Muslim ummah I ask for...
• Oh Allah, please guide me to the right decision concerning...
• Oh Allah, I seek refuge in You from...
• Ya Rabb, please accept...
• Ya Rabb, please give me the ability to...
• Oh Allah, I am feeling adrift/overwhelmed. Please give me clarity in...
• Ya Rabb, please grant me opportunities to...
• Oh Allah, grant me understanding of...
• Ya Rabb, increase me in...

Another beautiful way to connect our prayers to our experiences is to call on Allah using His beautiful names. For example, if you feel that sin is weighing heavily on you, call out to al-Ghafoor. If you are stuck in scarcity mindset or feeling strain in your finances, you can call on Allah as al-Razaq. A great resource to help you learn the 99 names of Allah and their significance can be found here: http://understandquran.com/category/99-names-of-allah-asma-ul-husna

Would you like to have these fifteen prompts in one easy to access place? We've created a beautiful editable PDF just for you! It includes all fifteen prompts; you can print it out and write in it by hand or fill it in by typing directly into the boxes. For more information and to get yours,