Times when du'aa are accepted during Ramdaan.

Question: What are the  times when du'aa are accepted during Ramdaan? What specific du'aa should you say during the different parts of Ramadaan and on Laylatul-Qadr or the last 10 days of Ramadaan?

Answer: Wallaahi, the first issue: the times of du'aa are mentioned, they are:

between the Adhaan and the Iqaamah, in Ramadaan or other than Ramadaan between the Adhaan and Iqaamah there is du'aa mustajaab.

On Friday when the Imaam climbs the minbar – at the time he climbs the Minbar, that is the time for du'aa mustajaab.
In the last third of the night there is du'aa mustajaab.
For the person who is fasting, his whole day is a time of du'aa mustajaab.
The time of breaking the fast is a time of du'aa mustajaab.
When the rain is falling it is a time of du'aa mustajaab.

And du'aa is good at any time and that's why Allaah تعالى said:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي
{And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me…} [Al-Baqarah 2:186]

So Allaah تعالى is telling us that He is closer to us and He wants us to make much du'aa, supplicating to Him. So du'aa is at any time, but there are times which are better than the others and which I mentioned, but this doesn't mean that we don't make du'aa at other times. No! We have to do it all the time; we have to keep in contact with Allaah all the time.

What is the best du'aa? The best du'aa is what has been mentioned in the Qur'aan and what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to say. There is a book called Ar-Ruqaa ad-Du'aa or Ar-Ruqaa fil Kitaabi was-Sunnah by Shaykh Sa'eed ibn Wahf al-Qahtaanee. He gathered all the du'aa from the Qur'aan and from the authentic Sunnah, so I advise brothers and sisters to get that if it is translated, or they can read it directly from the text (Arabic).

And the best du'aa is what Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to say between the Rukn Yamaani and Hajr Aswad (i.e. between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone during tawaaf of the Ka'bah) :

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
{…Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!}
[Surah al-Baqarah 2:201]

And what he صلى الله عليه وسلم taught 'Aishah to say in Laylatul-Qadr :

اللَّهُمَّ إنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ العَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
"O Allaah You are One who forgives and You love forgiveness so forgive me."[6]

And what he taught her to say on 'Arafah [37]:

لاَ إلَهَ إلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ, لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ, يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ, وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِير
And the du'aa for your parents:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ
{My Lord! Forgive me, and my parents…} [Nooh 71:28]

This is if they die as Muslims, but if they died as kuffar (disbelievers), you don't seek forgiveness for them but you seek (forgiveness) for yourself and for your children as Allaah تعالى said in Surah al-Furqaan:

رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا
{…Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders of the Muttaqûn} [al-Furqaan 25:74]

It is better to ask Allaah تعالى what Allaah commanded his Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to ask Him as Allaah تعالى said to him:

وَقُلْ رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
{… and say: "My Lord! Increase me in knowledge." } [Taa-Haa 20:114]

This is the only place where Allaah commanded the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to ask Him for something, and He told Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to ask Him for more Knowledge. So ask Allaah for more knowledge and Allaah تعالى will guide you. The best is also what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم used to do in the night prayer:

[38] اللهم رب جبرائيل وميكائيل...

Also:

[39] يا مقلب القلوب ثبت قلبي على دينك

And the like. Wallaahu A'lam.

Question: Could you give the children any gifts for 'Eed, or does it have to be clothes or money?

Answer: Wallaahi, anything that can bring pleasure to the children and even to the adult is good, as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

تهادوا تحابوا
Give gifts and you'll love each other.[40] The hadiyyah i.e. gift, opens the heart. This is well known, even to the kuffar. It is something that Allaah تعالى put in the hearts of mankind, even the kuffar; gifts opens the heart, that is well known. So give gifts to the children, give them clothes – new clothes, give them sweets, give them money, all of this is good. Even those who are very poor and cannot give anything, their smile is a big gift. As the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

تبسمك في وجه أخيك صدقة
Your smile for your brother is a sadaqah. [41]That is the best gift. Wallaahu A'lam.