Muslim Pregnancy Prayers

Islamic Prayers During Pregnancy

Compiled by Dilshad Ali

Pregnancy for a Muslim woman is one of the holiest times of her life--a time when the Qur’an says that all angels will make repentance on her for behalf, when Allah will, for each day of her pregnancy, write for her 1,000 good deeds and erase from her 1,000 bad deeds. The virtues of pregnancy abound throughout Islamic scripture, with specific prayers designated from the time of conception through delivery as well as prayers to help a woman conceive and ones for having a healthy, beautiful, and God-fearing child.

Having successfully delivered three children through difficult pregnancies and having endured a few miscarriages, I often turned to Muslim prayers (or du’as) and read specific passages from the Qur’an to help ensure the best pregnancy and delivery possible. Click through the following collection of prayers to see just a taste of all the comfort and support Islam offers a pregnant woman.

Read the first Islamic prayer for expectant mothers...

Prayer for Wanting a Child

The urge to have a child can be very deep for couples. Muslims are advised, when they wish to have a child, to just pray to Allah. There are certain recommended prayers as well. Reading the following passage from the Qur’an is advised to help a couple conceive a child.

“It is He Who has created you from a single person (Adam), and (then) He has created from him his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], in order that he might enjoy the pleasure of living with her. When he had sexual relation with her, she became pregnant and she carried it about lightly. Then when it became heavy, they both invoked Allah, their Lord (saying): ‘If You give us a Salih (good in every aspect) child, we shall indeed be among the grateful.’"

From The Noble Qur’an, Al-A’raf, 7:189

Prayer for the Infertile Couple

Infertility can be the most frustrating thing for a couple. Islam offers numerous prayers and passages from the Qur’an to help overcome this problem. The following du’a (prayers) was made by the Prophet Zakariah in his old age for his barren wife. According to the Qur’an, Allah answered his call and gave him a son, Yahyah (John the Baptist). Infertile Muslim couples are often advised to recite this passage to help them conceive a child.

"Rabbi hab li min ladunka dhurriyyatan tayyibatan innaka samee' al-du'aa'"

" … O my Lord! Grant me from You, a good offspring. You are indeed the All-Hearer of invocation."

From The Noble Quran, Al-‘Imran, 3:38

Prayer to Prevent a Miscarriage or Early Delivery

In Islam, Allah, or God, has 99 names, each of which has special virtues prescribed to it. One of those names, “Al-Mubdi,” or “The Originator,” can be helpful to a pregnant woman when recited multiple times over her:

“Anyone, who while placing his hand on the stomach of his pregnant wife, says this beautiful name of Allah 99 times at Sehri (the pre-dawn time when a Muslim wakes to eat before fasting), neither will she have a miscarriage nor will she deliver prematurely, inshallah (God willing)."

Note: One does not have to fast, and it does not have to be during Ramadan when this name is recited. A husband should just be up at that time when he recites this name for his pregnant wife.

From Al-Hisnul Haseen, by Allamah Muhammad Al-Jazri

Prayer for Alleviating a Difficult Pregnancy

When the nine months of pregnancy becomes difficult, a number of prayers can help make things easier. Recite the following verse from the Qur’an to help ease the pains and stresses of a difficult pregnancy. It is advised that anyone can recite this verse then blow on the stomach or back of the pregnant woman:

“Awa lam yara allatheena kafaroo anna alssamawati waalarda kanata ratqan fafataqnahuma wajaAAalna mina almai kulla shayin hayyin afala yuminoona.”

“Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and We made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe?”

From The Noble Qur’an, Al A’mbiyaa’, 21

For the Safe Delivery of a Baby

Perhaps the most crucial time in a pregnancy comes during the birth process. Muslim women recite a number of prayers to help make for a safe delivery. An oft-quoted hadith from Imam Mohammed Baqir states that a person approached him and told the imam that his wife was in dire health due to the delivery of her child. The imam advised reciting the following prayer:

“And the throes (of child birth) forced her to betake herself unto the trunk of a palm tree. She said, ‘Oh! Had I died ere this, and had been lost in oblivion totally forgotten!’ Then (a voice) called out unto her from beneath her; ‘Grieve not thou, verily Thy Lord hath caused from beneath thee, (to flow) a stream!’ And shale towards thee the trunk of the palm tree it will drop on the dates fresh (and) ripe; And say loudly: Allah has taken you out from your mother’s womb when you were quite ignorant and he endowed you with the sense of hearing, sight and determined for you the ways of thinking so that you should bow in thanks to Him. Let the pains of birth be removed in the similar way: Be removed by permission of Allah"

From the book Tibbul Aaimma’, which paraphrases the birth story of Isa (Jesus) from Surah Maryam

Recommended Qur’an Verses for a Happy Pregnancy

The Qur’an is filled with pages upon pages of verses whose virtues are so powerful that reading them is recommended for a variety of situations, including pregnancy. From the time we learn to read the Qur’an, Muslims are taught that reading these verses on a regular basis will ensure them a good life in the present and in the hereafter. Read the following passages for a worry-free pregnancy:

Recite the Surah Ya-Sin for an easy pregnancy and for the spiritual benefit of the unborn child. Recite Surah e-Qadr seven times daily for an easy delivery. And try to read the Qur’an in its entirety once during the pregnancy. Many hadiths say that the sawab, or positive points a Muslim woman gains by whatever good deed she does-- like reading the Qur’an--will be increased 70-fold during her pregnancy.

From www.dua.org

More Rewards for Pregnant Women

Through pregnancy to birth to breastfeeding the baby, the religious rewards are fruitful for women. In another hadith, the Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said, " … When her labor pains commence, the inhabitants of the earth and the sky are unaware of the stores of comfort that are prepared for her. When she delivers and breastfeeds her child, then she will be granted a reward for every gulp of milk. If she had to remain awake during the night for the sake of the child, she will receive the reward of emancipating seventy slaves in the path of Allah Ta'ala. O Salaamat! Do you know who these women are? They are pious, upright, with a delicate nature yet obedient to their husbands and not ungrateful to them"

From Madrasa In’aamiyyah