Supplication in Obligatory Prayers

In the name of Allah Most Compassionate Merciful

I hope you are fine and in the best of health and iman.

Allama Hasan ibn Ammar Shurubulali mentions in Nur al-Idah:

…and it is sunnah to supplicate with words which have been mentioned in the Qur’an and sunnah, and not resemble words that are used in human speech.

One should make dua for oneself, parents and all the believers. It has been reported that when the Prophet was asked, which supplication is most heard? He replied, supplications made during the last portion of the nigh and end of the obligatory prayers’ End (dubur) can be applied to the time before when completes the prayer i.e. the time just before one ends the prayer. Also it could end (dubur) means the time after the completion of the prayer. Both meanings can be understood. (Bahr al-Ra’iq) One will also make dua in Arabic and it is forbidden to make it in another language because it negates the majesty of Allah Most High. (Nahr al-Fa’iq)

It has been reported by Abu Bakr (Allah be pleased with him) that he asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), ‘teach me a supplication which I can make in my prayer.’ The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) replied, ‘say, ‘Allahumma inni zalamtu nafsi zulman kathira(n) wa innahu la yaghfiru al-dhunuba illa anta fagfir li maghfiratan min indika warhamni innaka antal ghafurun al-rahim’

The learned author of Hidaya, Allama Burhanuddin Marghinani mentions the reason for it being forbidden in Arabic, saying…‘one should not make a supplication with words resembling speech of humans, as a precaution against invalidity. It is for this reason that one supplicates using those that are transmitted and preserved.’

(Hidaya, Allama Burhanuddin al-Farghani al-Marghinani, Vol. 1 pg 113)

In conclusion, in the HanafiSchool one can only make a dua in Arabic which is from the Qur’an and sunnah and not supplicate using words that resemble human speech. There are many duas in the Qur’an and sunnah (above was just an example) which one can memorize and read in this end part of the prayer. As mentioned, it is a moment when ones supplication is heard, so one should try one’s utmost.

And Allah alone knows best