Dua for Love of Allah: How to Ask for the Heart That Yearns for Him

There is a version of religious practice that is all obligation and no love. You pray because you must. You fast because it is obligatory. You avoid haram because of fear of punishment. And technically, you are fulfilling the requirements. But something is hollow. The acts are there; the longing is not.

The Companions knew this feeling. And the Prophet ﷺ gave them — and us — an exact dua for the most important thing: not just doing the right things, but wanting to do them. Not just obeying Allah, but loving Him.

The Dua for Love of Allah

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ، وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ، وَحُبَّ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُنِي إِلَى حُبِّكَ

Allahumma inni as'aluka hubbak, wa hubba man yuhibbuk, wa hubba 'amalin yuqarribuni ila hubbik

"O Allah, I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and the love of deeds that bring me closer to Your love."

— (Tirmidhi 3235)

This dua has three layers, and each one is profound:

First: Hubbak — Your love. The dua asks for Allah's love for you and your love for Allah. Both directions. The desire of the slave for the Lord, and the mercy of the Lord toward the slave.

Second: Hubba man yuhibbuk — The love of those who love Allah. Righteous companionship is not just useful — it is itself a form of loving Allah. When you love people because of Allah, for the sake of their taqwa and sincerity, that love brings you closer to Him.

Third: Hubba 'amalin yuqarribuni ila hubbik — The love of deeds that bring closeness. This is the most practically powerful layer. It asks not just that you do good deeds, but that you love doing them. That the Quran becomes sweet. That salah feels like a conversation rather than a chore. That dhikr satisfies a real thirst.

The Companion Dua for Excellent Worship

The Prophet ﷺ also taught Mu'adh ibn Jabal this shorter companion supplication, saying it after every salah:

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibadatik

"O Allah, help me to remember You, thank You, and worship You well."

— (Abu Dawud 1522)

The Prophet told Mu'adh: "By Allah, I love you, so do not forget to say after every prayer: Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibadatik." (Abu Dawud 1522). This was his personal gift to his beloved student — the dua that kept the soul of worship alive.

The Story Behind This Dua

Mu'adh ibn Jabal رضي الله عنه was one of the Prophet's most beloved Companions — described as the most knowledgeable of halal and haram among the Companions. The Prophet loved him deeply. And in that context of love, the Prophet taught him the dua for love itself.

There is something beautiful in this: the Prophet teaching about love by example. He expressed his love for Mu'adh verbally ("I love you"), then gave him a tool to seek the same quality of love with Allah. As if to say: "The love between us is real and it matters. Now use this dua to build that same depth with the One who loves you most."

The Quran itself frames love of Allah as the highest spiritual attainment. Allah says: "Say, if you love Allah, follow me — Allah will love you and forgive your sins." (Surah Aal-Imran, 3:31). The Prophet's response to that verse was to give us the dua and the practice — the Sunnah — as the path through which love is built and expressed.

How to Make This Dua Part of Your Daily Life

The challenge with love of Allah is that it is not a feeling you can manufacture on demand. But it is a state you can cultivate through consistent, small, intentional acts — and consistent asking.

Say the love dua after every salah. This was the specific instruction the Prophet ﷺ gave to Mu'adh. After the tasleem, before you fold up your prayer mat, say: Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibadatik. Then add the fuller dua for love. Five prayers a day, every day, and you have said this dua 1,825 times a year.

Study the names of Allah that express love. Al-Wadud (the Loving), Ar-Rahman (the Deeply Compassionate), Al-Karim (the Generous): these names are descriptions of a reality. Allah loves. He loves the believer more than a mother loves her child — the Prophet ﷺ made this comparison explicitly. Sitting with these names in reflection and reading about them builds real attachment.

Learn the Quran slowly enough to feel it. Reciting Quran quickly as an obligation uses one part of the heart. Reciting it slowly, understanding the meaning, noticing the words — that is how love is built. Fifteen minutes of slow, reflective Quran is worth more than two hours of fast mechanical recitation in terms of building mahabbah (love).

Seek the company of people who love Allah. The second ask in the dua — hubba man yuhibbuk — is not accidental. Love of Allah spreads through contact with people who carry it. Find the person in your community whose face lights up when they talk about the Quran. Spend time with them.

Build the Daily Practice That Grows Love of Allah

DeenBack tracks your salah, adhkar, and Quran habits — the consistent small acts that, over time, transform religious obligation into genuine love for Allah.

Free download. Premium features available in-app.

Related Duas for Spiritual Closeness

Dua for sincerity in worship:

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَمَلِي كُلَّهُ صَالِحًا، وَاجْعَلْهُ لِوَجْهِكَ خَالِصًا، وَلَا تَجْعَلْ لِأَحَدٍ فِيهِ شَيْئًا

Allahumma ij'al 'amali kullahu salihan, waj'alhu liwajhika khalisan, wa la taj'al li-ahadin fihi shay'a

"O Allah, make all my deeds righteous, make them purely for Your face, and do not let anyone have a share in them."

Dua for reconnecting when the heart feels dry:

يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ، ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ

Ya muqallibal-qulub, thabbit qalbi 'ala dinik

"O Turner of hearts, make my heart firm upon Your religion."

— (Tirmidhi 2140)

For understanding what love of Allah looks like in practice, what is ikhlas in Islam explains the concept of sincerity that underlies all genuine worship. The dua for ikhlas pairs directly with the love dua. If your prayer feels empty and you want to reconnect with Allah, dua for reconnecting with allah speaks directly to that experience. And dua for khushu in prayer gives the specific supplications for bringing presence back to salah.

Common Questions

What if I say this dua but still do not feel love for Allah?

Keep saying it. Love of Allah is not a switch — it is a state that grows through consistent irrigation. Asking sincerely is itself an act of love; it says "I want to love You, and I admit I need Your help to do it." That honesty is more spiritually advanced than feeling warm in salah while your heart is elsewhere.

Is it okay that I love some worldly things more than Allah right now?

It is honest. Many believers love the dunya more than Allah — and feel the shame of it. That shame is a good sign: it means you know what the proper order should be. The dua is for people in exactly this position — not people who already love Allah perfectly, but people who want to.

How do I know when my love of Allah is increasing?

Ibn al-Qayyim described measurable signs: the Quran becomes sweeter, salah becomes something you look forward to rather than endure, the nafs loses some of its grip, and you find yourself thinking about Allah more naturally throughout the day. These changes are gradual but real.

Love Is the Point

The Prophet ﷺ said: "A person will be with those he loves." (Bukhari 6170). On the Day of Judgment, love is what determines companionship. You will be with whom you loved.

Loving Allah is not a bonus feature of the faith. It is the whole point. The prayers, the fasting, the avoidance of haram — these are the path. Love of Allah is the destination, and it is available in this life.

Ask for it. Say the dua. Mean it. And watch — slowly, day by day — how the heart changes.

Grow Love of Allah One Day at a Time

The consistent small acts — dhikr after salah, daily Quran, evening adhkar — are what build love of Allah over time. DeenBack helps you track them so the love compounds.

Free download. Premium features available in-app.