Dua In Native Language
Wa alaikum assalam. The Qur’an and authentic Hadith together make it clear that personal duʿā during salah is allowed without restricting the language, and this is the basis of the understanding you shared. The Qur’an presents duʿā as a direct, living call to Allah, not a fixed ritual formula: “Call upon Me; I will respond to you” (Qur’an 40:60), and “When My servants ask you about Me, I am near” (Qur’an 2:186). Nowhere does the Qur’an attach a language condition to duʿā, nor does it say that duʿā is allowed only after salah. In the Sunnah, the Prophet ﷺ explicitly encouraged personal supplication inside salah itself. He said: “The closest a servant is to his Lord is while he is in prostration, so increase duʿā in it” (Sahih Muslim). He did not prescribe specific words or a language, showing intentional flexibility. Likewise, after tashahhud (before salam), he said: “Then let him choose whatever supplication he wishes” (Bukhari & Muslim). This wording is general and unrestricted. If duʿā had to be only in Arabic, or only after prayer, the Prophet ﷺ would have stated it clearly—just as Arabic is clearly required for Qur’anic recitation, because that is revelation, not personal speech. The distinction is therefore clear and logical: the fixed structure of salah (Qur’an recitation, tashahhud, prescribed tasbih) follows a set form in Arabic to preserve unity and discipline, while duʿā is personal conversation, meant to express real needs with sincerity and presence. There is no verse or hadith stating that duʿā in another language invalidates salah. On the contrary, the Prophet ﷺ opened space for heartfelt supplication at the moments of greatest closeness to Allah. Salah is meant to be a connection between the Creator and His servant, not an emotionally empty ritual. Human beings connect most honestly in the moment and in the language of their heart, and Islam does not suppress that connection—it facilitates it.