Morning Dua for Refuge Upon Waking Up

What Is Asked in This Dua

The dua begins by calling upon Allah, the Master of all the worlds, and contains the dua that Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) made in the belly of the fish: There is no god but You, glory be to You; indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers. As the day begins, the servant first affirms Allah’s oneness and perfection, and then confesses his own shortcomings. This order shows that seeking refuge begins with tawhid and repentance.

Then come three requests: that the Lord reach him with His mercy, that he be saved from sorrow, and that his grief be turned into relief. The servant ties each request to a name: the Most Merciful of the merciful, the Savior of the believers, the Reliever of the distressed. The essence of this dua is that a person who has just woken up leans on Allah in the face of the day’s unknowns and asks for relief instead of worry and grief.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the morning dua for refuge recited?

It is recited every morning upon getting up from sleep; the source book states that sleep is regarded as a half-death and that it is fitting to recite this dua regularly upon waking.

How many times is the morning dua for refuge recited?

The source book gives no exact number; it states that it is fitting to recite it several times or to keep reciting it every morning.

Can the morning dua for refuge be recited without wudu?

Wudu is not a condition for dua, though being in a state of wudu is virtuous. Since it contains a verse from Surah al-Anbiya, the ruling on touching the Mushaf is separate; reciting it from memory does not require wudu.