Is it okay to make dua in my own language instead of Arabic?
Answer
Yes. Outside the fixed words of the prayer, you may make dua in whatever language you speak, and it is often better because you mean what you are saying.
Allah says: "And your Lord says: Call upon Me; I will respond to you" (Qur'an 40:60), without restricting the tongue used. He is described as near: "And when My servants ask you about Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the caller when he calls upon Me" (Qur'an 2:186).
Two practical notes. Inside the obligatory prayer, keep the recitation and the prescribed remembrances in Arabic; the personal asking in sujud is where scholars differ, and the safest widely-held practice is to use transmitted Arabic supplications there and pour out your own words after the prayer or in the night. Second, learning a few prophetic duas in Arabic is still worth it — they carry meanings you would not have thought to ask for.
So: memorise what you can, and speak to Allah in the language your heart actually cries in.
References
- Qur'an 40:60
- Qur'an 2:186
Answered by Tahajjud editorial team
This answer is educational and referenced — it is not a fatwa, and no ruling here is AI-generated. For a ruling on your personal situation, ask a qualified scholar you can speak to directly. Sources & accuracy policy
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