بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Between the two prostrations of each rak'ah is a brief sitting position (jalsah) that, like i'tidal, is easy to pass through without deliberate words. Two narrations are preserved for it. Separately, the Sunnah also preserves what to say during sujood at-tilawah — the prostration of recitation, performed upon reciting or hearing one of the fourteen verses of sajdah in the Qur'an, entirely outside the context of formal prayer.
Between the Two Prostrations
1. "My Lord, Forgive Me" (Repeated)
Arabic: رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لي، رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لي
Transliteration: Rabbi-ghfir lī, Rabbi-ghfir lī
Translation: "Lord, forgive me. My Lord, forgive me."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 48; Sunan Abu Dawud 1/231; graded authentic by Al-Albani, Sahih Ibn Majah 1/148.
The shortest and most commonly taught dua for this position, its repetition itself is part of the narration — said twice in succession, not once.
2. The Sevenfold Comprehensive Request
Arabic: اللّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لي وَارْحَمْني وَاهْدِني وَاجْبُرْني وَعافِني وَارْزُقْني وَارْفَعْني
Transliteration: Allāhumma-ghfir lī, war-ḥamnī, wahdinī, wajburnī, wa 'āfinī, warzuqnī, warfa'nī
Translation: "O Allah forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, support me, protect me, provide for me, and elevate me."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 49; Sunan Abu Dawud; Sunan Ibn Majah; Jami' at-Tirmidhi; graded authentic by Al-Albani, Sahih at-Tirmidhi 1/90.
Seven distinct requests packed into a single breath — forgiveness, mercy, guidance, support (jabr, sometimes rendered as "compensating what is lacking"), well-being, provision, and elevation of rank — this narration is often recommended to those newer to memorizing extended prayer adhkar, since its structure (seven short verbs) makes it easier to retain than longer prose-style duas.
Sujood at-Tilawah: The Prostration of Recitation
This is a distinct act of worship entirely outside the five daily prayers — performed whenever a Muslim recites or attentively hears one of the fourteen verses across the Qur'an that call for prostration, at the moment that verse is reached. Two narrations are preserved for what to say in it, and scholars differ on whether they are used together or the second alone, since the second is more specific to the occasion of recitation itself.
1. Prostrating the Face by His Might
Arabic: سَجَدَ وَجْهِي لِلَّذي خَلَقَهُ وَشَقَّ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ بِحَوْلِهِ وَقُوَّتِهِ فَتَبارَكَ اللهُ أَحْسَنُ الخالِقين
Translation: "I have prostrated my face to the One Who created it, and gave it hearing and sight by His might and His power. Glory is to Allah, the Best of creators."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 50; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2/474; Musnad Ahmad 6/30; Al-Hakim.
Nearly identical to one of the sujood narrations from formal prayer, this confirms the two contexts of prostration — within salah and outside it upon reciting a verse of sajdah — share overlapping vocabulary of submission, even though they are legally distinct acts.
2. Seeking Reward as Dawud (AS) Was Rewarded
Arabic: اللّهُمَّ اكْتُبْ لي بِها عِنْدَكَ أَجْراً، وَضَعْ عَنِّي بِها وِزْراً، وَاجْعَلها لي عِنْدَكَ ذُخْراً، وَتَقَبَّلها مِنِّي كَما تَقَبَّلْتَها مِنْ عَبْدِكَ دَاوُدَ
Translation: "O Allah, write it as a reward for me, and release me from a burden for it, and make it a treasure for me with You. Accept it from me as You accepted it from Your servant Dawud."
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 51; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2/473; Al-Hakim 1/219.
The reference to Dawud (AS) connects this dua directly to the account in Surah Sad (38:24), where Dawud (AS) is described as falling into prostration upon recognizing his error and turning to Allah ﷻ in repentance — a moment classical exegetes read as establishing the precedent for prostration upon reciting or hearing a verse tied to submission and repentance, which several sajdah verses in the Qur'an address.
A Small but Distinct Category
Sujood at-tilawah is frequently overlooked by Muslims who have memorized portions of the Qur'an containing sajdah verses but were never taught the accompanying etiquette. Reviving both the act and its accompanying words restores a Sunnah that connects the private, unstructured moments of Qur'an recitation to the same posture of submission used in formal prayer.
Reflection: Whether seated briefly between two prostrations in salah, or prostrating spontaneously upon reaching a verse of sajdah outside it, the Sunnah frames both moments the same way — as occasions for a direct, specific request rather than silence.
References cited: Hisn al-Muslim 48, 49, 50, 51; Sunan Abu Dawud 1/231; Sunan Ibn Majah; Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2/473, 2/474; Musnad Ahmad 6/30; Al-Hakim 1/219; Al-Albani, Sahih Ibn Majah, Sahih at-Tirmidhi.
Written by Fahmina Jawed (Aafiya).
📌 You might also like:
– Duas in Prostration (Sujood)
– Dua After Rising from Ruku
– The Tashahhud and Salawat Ibrahimiyyah