Should I wipe my face after making dua?
It depends on which scholars you follow, but you don't have to. Wiping your face with your hands after dua is a common habit, but the hadith reports about it are weak, so scholars disagree. Some say it's fine because the reports support each other, others say it's better to leave it. Either way, your dua is complete without it.
Where the practice comes from
Several narrations say the Prophet ﷺ wiped his face after raising his hands in dua, for example:
- From 'Umar: "Whenever the Messenger of Allah would raise his hands in supplication, he would not lower them until he had wiped his face with them" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3386).
- From Yazid al-Kindi: a similar report (Sunan Abi Dawud 1492).
- From Ibn 'Abbas: "When you finish supplication, wipe your faces with them" (Sunan Abi Dawud 1485). Abu Dawud himself noted that all its chains are weak.
All three are graded weak (da'if) by hadith scholars such as al-Albani and the Darussalam editors.
What scholars say
- It's fine or recommended: some scholars, such as Ibn Hajar, held that the weak reports strengthen each other enough to act on. The practice is widespread in many Muslim communities.
- It's better to leave it: other scholars, including many hadith specialists past and present, say there's no authentic basis, so it shouldn't be treated as sunnah.
This is a minor difference. Don't argue with family or friends over it, and don't judge people who do it or don't. See Do I have to follow a madhab after becoming Muslim?
What is authentic about dua and hands
Raising your hands in dua is well established. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him" (Sunan Abi Dawud 1488). See Do I have to raise my hands when making dua?
There's also an authentic practice of wiping, but it's at bedtime: the Prophet ﷺ would cup his hands, blow over them after reciting al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas, and then wipe over his head, face and body, three times (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017). Don't confuse the two.
So what should I do?
- If you're unsure: simply lower your hands after dua. No one can say that's wrong.
- If your teacher or community does it: you can follow them, knowing it rests on weak reports.
- Focus on the dua itself: sincerity, humility and asking with confidence matter far more than what your hands do afterward.
- The face-wiping reports are graded weak.
- Some scholars allow it; others prefer leaving it.
- Raising hands in dua is authentic.
- Wiping after the three Quls at bedtime is authentic.
People also ask
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