If you've searched for this, you've probably found instructions like these: recite a name of Allah a thousand times and blow on something sweet for your spouse to eat. Read Bismillah 786 times over water. Repeat a verse for exactly 21 days.
And you've probably wondered, quietly, whether any of it is real.
Here is the honest answer — what's authentic, what isn't, and what will actually help.
The Short Answer
There is no fixed du'a in the authentic Sunnah given specifically for increasing love between husband and wife.
The formulas circulating online that are attributed to the Prophet ﷺ for this purpose are ungrounded or fabricated.
But making du'a for love, mercy and harmony in your marriage — in your own words — is fully encouraged and valid. You don't need a formula. You need sincerity.
And the Qur'an does give you one du'a about spouses — just not the one most people think it is.
What's actually authentic
The Qur'anic du'a for spouses — 25:74
Rabbana hab lana min azwajina wa dhurriyyatina qurrata a'yunin waj'alna lil-muttaqina imama.
"Our Lord, grant us from among our spouses and offspring comfort to our eyes, and make us an example for the righteous." — al-Furqan 25:74
It is often presented as a "du'a for love." Read what it actually asks.
The Companions and early scholars — al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad, Ibn 'Abbas and al-Hasan al-Basri — explained qurrat a'yun, "comfort of the eyes," as seeing your spouse and children upright and obedient to Allah. Nothing, they said, brings a believer greater joy in a spouse than seeing them steady upon the deen.
So it isn't a request for romantic feeling. It's a request that the person you married be someone whose goodness delights you — and that you be the same for them. That's a deeper thing to ask for, and it's the one the Qur'an gives.
The du'a for the beginning of a marriage
Allahumma inni as'aluka khayraha wa khayra ma jabaltaha 'alayh, wa a'udhu bika min sharriha wa sharri ma jabaltaha 'alayh.
"O Allah, I ask You for her goodness and the good of the nature You created her with, and I seek refuge in You from her harm and the harm of the nature You created her with." — Sunan Abi Dawud 2160; Sunan Ibn Majah 1918; al-Nasa'i, 'Amal al-Yawm wal-Laylah 240 — graded hasan
Said by the husband at the start of the marriage, with his hand on his wife's forehead. It asks for the good in a person and protection from any harm — an honest du'a, because every person carries both.
The verse about love itself
The Qur'an doesn't give a du'a for love between spouses. It does something more striking — it tells you where that love comes from:
"And of His signs is that He created for you, from yourselves, spouses so that you may find tranquillity in them, and He placed between you affection and mercy." — ar-Rum 30:21
Affection (mawaddah) and mercy (rahmah) are placed by Allah. That's why asking Him for them, in any words, is the right instinct.
What isn't authentic
Be wary of anything with these features:
A specific number of repetitions — 786, 1,000, 313 — presented as the key to it working.
A fixed number of days — "read for 21 days," "for 40 days" — with a promised result.
Rituals involving objects — blowing on water, sweets, roses or food for a spouse to consume.
A du'a attributed to the Prophet ﷺ with no source. For example, "When a husband and wife look at each other with love, Allah looks at them with mercy" is widely shared as a hadith. Formulas like this, attributed to the Prophet ﷺ for this purpose, have no authentic grounding.
Wazifas promising to make a spouse "only listen to you" or "love only you." Beyond being ungrounded, du'a that aims to override another person's will isn't a request for mercy — it's an attempt at control.
Why this matters: when a fabricated ritual "fails," people often conclude their du'a was rejected, or that something is spiritually wrong with them. Neither is true. They were given something that was never from the Sunnah. If you feel your du'a hasn't been answered, that's a different question, with a different answer.
How to make du'a for your marriage
Use your own words. In your own language, about your actual marriage. "O Allah, put mercy back between us. Soften my heart towards him. Help me be someone he's glad to come home to." That's valid, encouraged, and more honest than any formula.
Ask for the right things. Not that your spouse becomes who you want — that you both become who Allah wants. That's what 25:74 models.
Make du'a for them, not only about them. Ask for their wellbeing, their faith, their ease. It changes how you see them before it changes anything else.
And pair it with action. Du'a for love alongside the same cold silence at home is asking Allah to do what you're refusing to. How to apologise to your spouse and how to talk without it becoming a fight are where that starts.
When love has genuinely faded
Du'a is not a substitute for repair, and the deen doesn't treat it as one. Where a marriage has gone cold, the Qur'an prescribes a process — talking honestly, then bringing in someone who can help both of you. How to save your marriage in Islam sets it out, and Islamic marriage counselling is that process with a trained person in the room.
If you're still looking for a spouse rather than trying to restore love with one, du'as for marriage is the page for you.
A note on this article
The du'as here are authentic, with sources listed. If you've been given a wazifa or ritual by someone and want to know whether it's genuine, ask a scholar — free and private on Khidma.live. That's a better use of the question than another 21 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the dua for love between husband and wife? There's no fixed authentic du'a for this in the Sunnah. Making du'a in your own words for love, mercy and harmony is fully encouraged and valid.
Is "Rabbana hab lana min azwajina" a dua for love? It's a du'a for spouses and children to be "comfort to the eyes" — which the early scholars explained as seeing them upright upon the deen. It's deeper than a request for romantic feeling.
Are wazifas for husband and wife love authentic? Formulas with fixed counts, fixed days, or rituals on water or food — attributed to the Prophet ﷺ for this purpose — are ungrounded or fabricated.
Is "when husband and wife look at each other with love, Allah looks at them with mercy" a hadith? It's widely shared as one, but it has no authentic grounding.
What dua does a husband say on the wedding night? Allahumma inni as'aluka khayraha wa khayra ma jabaltaha 'alayh... with his hand on her forehead — Abu Dawud 2160, graded hasan.
Which surah increases love between husband and wife? No surah is designated for this in the authentic Sunnah. Ar-Rum 30:21 describes affection and mercy between spouses as placed by Allah — which is why asking Him for it is right.
Can I make dua for my husband to love me? Yes — in your own words, asking Allah to place affection and mercy between you. What isn't from the deen is a ritual promising to override his will.
What should I do if love in my marriage has faded? Make du'a, and act. The Qur'an prescribes repair: honest conversation, then a qualified third party if needed.
Ask a scholar your question — free → About a du'a or wazifa you've been given, or about your marriage. A verified scholar records a private audio answer — no payment, nobody told.
Read: How to save your marriage in Islam → What repair looks like when du'a alone isn't enough.
Take the free Nafs Assessment → A private few minutes to work out what kind of help you need.