Thankfulness Prayer: Difference between revisions

Shukr Prayer is a recommended prayer performed to thank and express gratitude to God. Shukr prayer does not have a special form, time or conditions and is performed as a normal two-rak’a prayer. Like other recommended prayers, it can be performed sitting, standing, walking, inside a vehicle, etc. But, it is better to be performed standing.  

However, a Shukr prayer is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a) with a special instruction as below:

“When you are blessed by a blessing of God, perform two rak’as of prayer. In the first rak’a, recite sura al-Fatiha and then sura al-Ikhlas and in the second rak’a, recite sura al-Fatiha first and then recite sura al-Kafirun. In ruku’ and sajda of the first rak’a say, ‘al-hamd-u lillah shukr-an shukr-an wa hamd-an’ [“praise belongs to God, such a praise and gratitude”]; and, in ruku’ and sajda of the second rak’a, say, ‘al-hamd-u lillah al-ladhi-stajab-a du’a-’i wa a’tani mas’alati’ (“praise belongs to God who fulfilled my du’a and granted me my request”)”.

In some sources, it is instructed to recite the du’a of ‘al-hamd-u lillah shukr-an shukr-an lillah wa hamd-an’ in ruku’ and sajda of both rak’as and to recite the du’a of “al-hamdu lillah al-ladhi qada hajati wa a’tani mas’alati” after the end of prayer.

Also, it is recommended to recite du’a of Imam al-Sajjad (a) which is mentioned in Sahifat al-Sajjadiyya after shukr prayer.

In addition to this prayer mentioned in Shi’a sources, Sunnis too have transmitted a prayer from the Prophet (a), reporting that after the conquest of Mecca and to thank God for it, the Prophet (a) performed four two-rak’a prayers as a shukr prayer. Thus, some of the companions followed him and performed this prayer after their victories.