Dua for Parents — Quranic Duas with Arabic, Transliteration & Meanings

After His own right, Allah gives no one a rank higher than our parents. He joins their right to His worship in a single command: “Worship Allah, and do not associate with Him anything, and be good to parents…” (Quran 4:36)

And He reminds us why. Our mothers carried us and raised us through years of sacrifice: “His mother carried him (in her womb) despite weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years… Be grateful to Me, and to your parents.” (Quran 31:14)

One of the purest ways to repay them is dua — in their life, and even after their death. Below are the authentic Quranic duas for parents, with Arabic, transliteration and meaning, followed by what the Sunnah says about the rank of parents and how your dua reaches them after they are gone. You can also read the short version on our Dua for Parents page.

1. Rabbir Hamhuma — The Dua Allah Himself Taught Us

Allah does not only command kindness to parents; He teaches us the exact words to pray for them. He first sets the standard of behaviour — when one or both of them reach old age with you, “do not say to them: uff (a word or expression of anger or contempt) and do not scold them, and address them with respectful words” (Quran 17:23) — and then He gives the dua itself:

وَٱخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ ٱلذُّلِّ مِنَ ٱلرَّحْمَةِ وَقُل رَّبِّ ٱرْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِى صَغِيرًا

Transliteration: Rabbir-hamhuma kama rabbayani saghira. Meaning: “And submit yourself before them in humility out of compassion, and say, ‘My Lord, be merciful to them as they have brought me up in my childhood.'” (Quran 17:24)

Notice the beauty of this dua: we ask Allah to show our parents mercy in the same way they poured mercy on us when we were small and helpless. It is only a few words in Arabic — short enough to say after every prayer, every single day.

2. Rabbana-ghfir Li wa Liwalidayya — The Dua of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)

The friend of Allah, Ibrahim (peace be upon him), placed his parents inside his own plea for forgiveness on the Day of Judgement:

رَبَّنَا ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلْحِسَابُ

Transliteration: Rabbana-ghfir li wa liwalidayya wa lil-mu’minina yawma yaqumul-hisab. Meaning: “Our Lord, forgive me and my parents and all believers on the day when reckoning shall take place.” (Quran 14:41)

This is the dua to cling to for parents who have passed away: forgiveness for them on the one Day when forgiveness matters most, prayed by you in this world while your prayers can still reach them.

3. The Dua of Nuh (peace be upon him) — For Parents and Every Believer

Nuh (peace be upon him) ended his great supplication by gathering his parents, his household and all believers into one dua:

رَّبِّ ٱغْفِرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَىَّ وَلِمَن دَخَلَ بَيْتِىَ مُؤْمِنًا وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنَـٰتِ

Transliteration: Rabbi-ghfir li wa liwalidayya wa liman dakhala baytiya mu’minan wa lil-mu’minina wal-mu’minat. Meaning: “My Lord, grant pardon to me, and to my parents, and to everyone who enters my home as a believer, and to all the believing men and believing women.” (Quran 71:28)

Two prophets, two eras — and both put their parents at the front of their duas. That is the Sunnah of the prophets themselves.

4. The Dua of the Grateful Servant — Gratitude for Blessings Upon Me and My Parents

The Quran paints the portrait of a believer who reaches forty years of age, looks back at a life of blessings, and prays — and notice that even his gratitude is not for himself alone:

رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـٰلِحًا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِى فِى ذُرِّيَّتِىٓ ۖ إِنِّى تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَإِنِّى مِنَ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ

Transliteration: Rabbi awzi’ni an ashkura ni’matakal-lati an’amta ‘alayya wa ‘ala walidayya wa an a’mala salihan tardah, wa aslih li fi dhurriyyati, inni tubtu ilayka wa inni minal-muslimin. Meaning: “My Lord, grant me that I offer gratitude for the favour You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I do righteous deeds that You like. And set righteousness, for my sake, in my progeny. Of course, I repent to you, and truly I am one of those who submit to You.” (Quran 46:15)

This one dua ties three generations together: gratitude for parents above you, and righteousness for children below you.

5. Your Dua Still Reaches Them After Death

Death ends a person’s own deeds — but it does not cut them off from yours. The Prophet ﷺ said: “When a man dies, his acts come to an end, but three: recurring charity, or knowledge by which people benefit, or a pious child who prays for him.” (Sahih Muslim 1631 — Sahih)

Read that again slowly. Of the only three things that outlive a person, one of them is you — a righteous child whose dua keeps arriving in their grave like a gift that never stops. This is why making dua for deceased parents is not a formality; it is one of the greatest acts of loyalty a child can perform.

Dua is not the only door. A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said that his mother had died suddenly, without leaving a will, and that had she been able to speak she would have given charity — would she receive a reward if he gave charity on her behalf? The Prophet ﷺ said: “Yes.” (Sahih Muslim 1004a — Sahih) So charity given in their name — feeding the poor, contributing to a well or a masjid (mosque) — reaches them too.

And dutifulness after death extends to the people they loved: “The finest act of goodness is that a person should treat kindly the loved ones of his father.” (Sahih Muslim 2552b — Sahih) Visiting your late father’s old friends and honouring your mother’s relatives is counted among the finest forms of goodness.

6. The Rank of Parents While They Are Alive

Why does Islam give parents this station? When Abdullah ibn Mas’ud asked the Prophet ﷺ which deed is dearest to Allah, he ﷺ answered: “To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times.” Asked what came next, he said: “To be good and dutiful to your parents” — and only after that came jihad (striving) in Allah’s cause. (Sahih al-Bukhari 527 — Sahih) Dutifulness to parents stands second only to prayer itself.

Within that duty, the mother holds a special place. A man asked who most deserves his finest treatment, and the Prophet ﷺ said: “Your mother.” Again: “Your mother.” A third time: “Your mother.” And then: “Then it is your father.” (Sahih Muslim 2548a — Sahih)

The father, meanwhile, is described as a gate to Paradise itself: “The father is the middle gate to Paradise. So if you wish, then neglect that door, or protect it.” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 1900 — Hasan)

So high is the value of serving them that when a man came asking permission to go out for jihad, the Prophet ﷺ asked: “Are your parents alive?” When he said yes, the Prophet ﷺ told him: “Then exert yourself in their service.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3004 — Sahih) For that man, his jihad was at home.

And the warning on the other side is severe. The Prophet ﷺ repeated the words: “Let him be humbled into dust” — and explained that he meant the one who sees one or both of his parents reach old age and still does not enter Paradise (by failing to serve them). (Sahih Muslim 2551a — Sahih) Old age is when they need us most — and it is precisely then that serving them becomes a direct road to Paradise. You can explore this theme further in our guide to the etiquette of honouring parents in the Islamic Manners library.

One more reason to keep their hearts pleased with you: a parent’s dua concerning their child is never turned away. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Three supplications are accepted, there is no doubt in them: the supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveler, and the supplication of his father against his son.” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 1905 — Hasan) If a father’s dua is this powerful even when it is against a child, imagine its power when a pleased parent raises their hands for you. Win that dua — it may be the most valuable thing your parents ever give you.

7. Simple Habits That Keep This Dua Alive

Knowledge alone is not enough; these duas bear fruit when they become routine. A few simple habits:

• After every prayer: add Rabbir hamhuma (17:24) to your personal duas after salah — it takes ten seconds.
• On Fridays and in gatherings: include your parents by name in your duas, living or deceased.
• Attach charity to memory: when you give sadaqah, make the intention for your parents as well — the reward reaches them, as the hadith above shows.
• Serve before you supplicate: a phone call, a visit, help with their needs — dua paired with action is the complete picture the Quran draws.
• Teach your children: when your children see you praying for your parents, you are training the very people whose duas will one day reach you.

Common Questions

Can I still make dua for my parents after they have died? Yes — and it is one of the best things you can do for them. The Prophet ﷺ named “a pious child who prays for him” as one of only three things that continue to benefit a person after death (Sahih Muslim 1631). Pray for their forgiveness and mercy with the duas of 14:41 and 17:24 above.

Can I give charity on behalf of a deceased parent? Yes. When a man asked whether his late mother would receive a reward if he gave charity on her behalf, the Prophet ﷺ answered simply: “Yes” (Sahih Muslim 1004a).

My parents are not Muslim. Can I make dua for them? While they are alive, yes — pray for their guidance, and keep treating them with kindness even if they pressure you towards wrong: “If they force you to ascribe partners to Me… then do not obey them. Remain with them in this world with due fairness” (Quran 31:15). However, if a person dies upon clear disbelief, seeking forgiveness for them is not permitted: “It is not (permissible) for the Prophet and the believers to seek forgiveness for the Mushriks, even if they are kinsmen, after it became clear to them that they are the people of hell” (Quran 9:113).

My parents wronged me. Do I still have to honour them? There is no obedience to any parent in sin — that limit is set by the Quran itself (Quran 31:15). But the door of basic kindness and of dua is not closed by their faults; many scholars advise that praying for a parent’s guidance and softening of heart is itself part of the path to healing the relationship. Where a situation involves abuse, protect yourself and seek help from trustworthy people — kindness does not require remaining in harm’s way.

Conclusion

Your parents carried you when you could not carry yourself. The Quran hands you the words to carry them in return — Rabbir hamhuma kama rabbayani saghira: “My Lord, be merciful to them as they have brought me up in my childhood.” Say it daily, back it with service while they live, and keep it flowing with charity and dua after they are gone. It is the debt that can still be paid — in full, with love.