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Is it permissible to recite specific surahs from the Quran, such as "Maryam," with the intention of marriage, or to recite Surahs "Al-Layl" and "Ad-Duha" seven times and supplicate for insight regarding marriage or work, and to say "Ya Jami‘" 11 times before sleeping? And are these actions considered innovations (bid‘ah)?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Reading the Quran and performing dhikr are two righteous deeds that a supplicant should offer before their supplication, as a means of seeking closeness to Allah. This makes the supplication more likely to be accepted. However, specifying a particular surah with a certain number of repetitions and adhering to this as a reason for the acceptance of supplication has no basis in Islamic law; rather, it is an innovation (bid’ah). Allah may answer one who does this due to their dire need and complete reliance on Him, not out of approval for their innovated act. This also applies to specifying a particular supplication before sleep.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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