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Is it permissible to pray two Rak'ahs with the intention of seeking success and facilitating matters, such as studies, for example, and does this prayer bring about success?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

"Salat al-Hajah (Prayer of Need) has weak hadiths associated with it that are not suitable for use as evidence. However, the majority of jurists have recommended Salat al-Hajah based on these weak hadiths.

It is supported by the general meaning of Allah Almighty's saying: ﴿And seek help through patience and prayer﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 45], and by the action of the Prophet, peace be upon him, who "whenever a matter grieved him, he would pray." This is what Al-Nawawi and Ibn Baz preferred, that there is no harm for a person to pray two rak'ahs and then supplicate with whatever he wishes; because prayer is a means of seeking Allah's help in times of distress, while emphasizing that acts of worship are prescriptive and not based on experience.

Supplication in general is a great means to attain what is sought, for Allah answers supplications, especially if there is no sin or severing of kinship ties involved, and if it is done in prostration; for that is the closest position a servant can be to his Lord. One should strive in supplication during times of answering, such as the last third of the night, the last hour of Friday, and between the adhan and the iqamah."

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

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