Doa Iftitah with Arabic/English Transliteration

by Muslim.Sg 2020-11-05 • 6 min read

Muslim.Sg is a Muslim lifestyle platform that aims to deepen your understanding of faith, in collaboration with the Asatizah Youth Network (AYN). We are part of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis).

2020-11-05 • 6 min read

Doa Iftitah with rumi and meaning

Solat is a beautiful act of worship that strengthens the spiritual connection between a servant and our Lord. It is an act of submission to Allah s.w.t, where the believer puts his or her total unconditional faith in Him s.w.t.

In the Quran, Allah s.w.t. says:

إِنَّنِىٓ أَنَا ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱعْبُدْنِى وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ لِذِكْرِىٓ

“Verily I am Allah; there is no God except Me, therefore worship Me, and perform prayer to remember Me.”

(Surah Taha, verse 14)

This reminder was given to Prophet Musa a.s. by Allah s.w.t. The purpose of our creation is to know, love and ultimately worship our Lord. Through prayer, we can communicate with and remember our Creator, Allah s.w.t. We disconnect from worldly distractions to devote ourselves to answering the call of our Master.

Read: How to Pray in Islam: Step-By-Step Guide to Solat for Beginners

Every prayer starts with a Takbiratul-Ihram, after which we leave all of our worldly matters and give our undivided attention to the prayer.

Upon giving the Takbir, we make a supplication before reciting the obligatory Surah Al-Fatihah. This prayer is referred to as Dua Iftitah (the opening supplication).

What happens if we do not recite Dua Iftitah in our prayers?

Dua Iftitah is a blessed Sunnah (encouraged) that is encouraged to be recited during a prayer. As per the rulings in Mazhab As-Syafee, the acts of Sunnah during the prayers themselves can be categorised into two:

Sunnah Ab’adh: if missed, it is encouraged to perform the sujud sahwi before ending the prayer. Some examples are the Dua Qunut in the Subuh prayer.
Sunnah Hay’ah: If missed, it is not sought from the person to perform the sujud sahwi.

Dua Iftitah is an encouraged act that falls under the category of Sunnah Hay’ah. This means that if a person were to miss this supplication, it does not nullify the prayer, and he/she does not need to compensate it by performing the sujud sahwi before ending the prayer.

When do we read Dua Iftitah?

Dua Iftitah can be recited in any prayer, obligatory (fardhu) or non-obligatory (sunnah), whether we are praying individually or in a congregation. The only exception is in the Jenazah prayer, where the Dua Iftitah is not sought to be read.

Dua Iftitiah is recited after the Takbiratul-Ihram during the first rakaat.

However, if a person (ma’mum) enters a congregational prayer after the Imam has already proceeded to the Ruku’ position or beyond, the Dua Iftitah is no longer sought to be recited.

Similarly, if a person enters the congregational prayer while the Imam is still standing, but fears leaving the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah before the Imam proceeds to the Ruku’ position, then the person should instead focus on reciting Surah Al-Fatihah. Therefore, the Dua Iftitah, in this case is no longer an encouraged act of worship.

The other case would be if a person starts the prayer and immediately recites the Ta’awwuz (seeking refuge in Allah s.w.t) ;

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Shaytan

In this scenario, the person does not recite the Dua Iftitah after the Takbir. Instead, he/she can proceed to recite the Ta’awwuz or Surah Al-Fatihah immediately. According to the popular view in Mazhab As-Syafiee, the person does not need to retract and recite the missed Dua Iftitah, but it suffices for him/her to continue with the prayer.