Is there any concept of collective or jointly offered ‘duas’ in Islam?
Answer
My understanding is that the formal prayer itself has a few components which are nothing but ‘dua’. When we say them together in a Jamaat, we are doing essentially ‘ijtima’i dua’. However, when it comes to the question of doing dua outside formal prayers, then there are only a few evidences that such an exercise was actually done by the prophet, Allah’s mercy be on him. I am, therefore, personally not very fond of the idea of doing ‘ijtima’i dua’ on a frequent basis. When it comes to the question of doing it after the formal prayers so regularly that people might start considering it as if it is a necessary part of prayer, then starts the smacking of bid’at, even though I’ll be reluctant to call it a bid’at because, after all, it has some support from ahadith at its back. One has, therefore, got to be a little careful in commenting on it.