Can I Make Dua in My Own Language?
Yes, outside of the prayer without any dispute, and inside the prayer according to many scholars — though several schools restrict supplication within the prayer to Arabic.
This comes up often enough that it is worth setting out the evidence rather than only the conclusion.
The evidence
The obligatory recitations of the prayer — al-Fatihah, the tashahhud — are in Arabic by agreement.
For personal supplication in sujud and before the salam, the Hanbalis and many contemporary scholars permit one’s own language; the Hanafis and Shafi‘is restricted it.
Outside the prayer there is no disagreement at all: supplicate in whatever language you think in.
In practice
- Learn the prophetic supplications in Arabic and add your own requests in your own language.
- Understanding what you say matters more than the sound of it.
- Do not let unfamiliarity with Arabic keep you from asking.
Take one item from the list above and hold it for a week before adding anything else. Consistency is the part the Sunnah emphasises.
Go deeper. Thousands of answers, searchable by topic and reviewed before publication, are at Islamic Q&A — qa.hisnulmuslimapp.com.
Hisnul Muslim
The Fortress of the Muslim — authentic supplications for every moment of the day and night, with Arabic, transliteration, translation and references.
More in Prayers/Salaat
View all →
Do I Have to Repeat a Prayer I Prayed Without Wudu by Mistake?
Yes. Purity is a condition for the validity of the prayer, so a prayer performed without wudu is repeated once you realise — but there is no sin for the honest mistake.
Is It Permissible to Combine Prayers While Travelling?
Yes — the majority of scholars permit combining Dhuhr with ‘Asr and Maghrib with ‘Isha while travelling, and it is authentically established from the Sunnah.
What Is the Ruling on Missed Prayers From Years of Not Praying?
Scholars differ. The majority hold that missed prayers are made up; a significant group holds that prayers abandoned deliberately cannot be made up and require sincere repentance and abundant voluntary prayer instead.
Can I Pray in Shoes?
Yes, provided they are clean. The Prophet ﷺ prayed in his sandals and instructed his Companions to differ from those who did not — but mosque carpets and modern footwear make it impractical in most masjids today.