Want Allah to answer your Dua/plea??

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Asalaam Wa Alykum Wa Rahmat Allah Hi Wa Barakat

Many of us pray in haste, wrap up the prayer mat without even making dua’a and get busy with our worldly life. And even when some do pray slowly, they neglect to make Dua’a. Indeed there are texts which warn us against neglecting dua’a, because neglecting it is a sign of arrogance. Allah says: 

“And your Lord said: ‘Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation). Verily, those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!’” [Ghaafir 40:60---interpretation of the meaning]

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrates from the Prophet (PBUH), "Allah is extremely displeased with the person who doesn't do dua’a to Allah". [Tirmizi]

We use the word dua’a’ (invocation) to refer to two things: 

1} Dua’a’ for asking, which means seeking that which will benefit, or asking Allah for that which will benefit us in this world and in the Hereafter, and to ward off that which will cause harm in this world and in the Hereafter. Such as dua’a’ for forgiveness, mercy, guidance, help, to attain Paradise, to be saved from Hell, for Allah to grant good things in this world and in the Hereafter and so on. 

2} Dua’a’ for worship, which means that the person is worshipping Allah by any of the types of worship, in the heart or physically or financially, such as fearing Allah, loving Him, hoping for His mercy, putting one’s trust in Him, praying, fasting, doing Hajj, reading Qur’an, reciting tasbeeh and dhikr, giving zakaah and charity, jihad for the sake of Allah, calling people to Allah, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and so on. 

Everyone who does any of these acts of worship is calling upon Allah.

Enough with the definition, why is Dua’a important???

Making Dua’a is an act of worship. It is so powerful that it can even change the divine decree. There are numerous Hadiths that can be found which highlights the importance of dua’a. For illustration, I’ve quoted a few below.

Numan bin Basheer (RAA) narrates from the Prophet (PBUH), "Dua’a is ibadat." Then he read this ayat . (Tirmizi, Abu Dawod, and Ibn-e-Majah)

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrates from the Prophet (PBUH), "In the court of Allah, there is no greater thing than dua’a" (Ibn-e-Majah)

Abdullah bin Umar (RAA) narrates from the Prophet (PBUH), " Among whatever has been descended and whatever has not been descended Dua’a is beneficial of all. Oh people of Allah! Assume Dua’a a must for yourselves. (Tirmizi)

Abdullah bin Umar (RAA) from the Prophet (PBUH), "For whoever the door of dua’a opened, for him the doors of mercy are opened. Whatever dua’a is asked from Allah the best dua’a is for well-being and safety among them." (Tirmizi)

Whose Dua’a is accepted almost instantaneously??

There are certain people whose dua’a is answered by Allah very soon. The Prophet (PBUH) has mentioned about such people in his Hadiths   (quoted below)

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrates from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), "Three dua’as are such in which there is no doubt of their acceptance: 1) Father's dua’a 2) Traveler's dua’a 3) Dua’a of the oppressed". [Timizi, Ibne Majah]

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrates from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), "Three types of people's dua’as are not rejected: 1) At the time of iftar the person who has fasted 2) Adil ruler's dua’a 3) The dua’a of the oppressed. Allah raises the dua'a of the oppressed on the clouds and the doors of heaven are opened for it and Allah says, "Oath of MY Majesty and Honour! I will help and aid you. Even though if the help is after few days." [Tirmizi]

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrates from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), "Every Prophet had a special dua’a which is accepted in the court of Allah. All Prophets were in quick in their dua’as. On the Day of Judgment, for the intercession of my Ummah, I have saved my dua’a. My dua’a will reach to every person in my Ummah, who did not make any partners with Allah. [Muslim]

The last Hadith is not exactly related to the topic, but it helped in increasing my love for the Prophet (PBUH). Maybe it will increase your love for him too :).

But I have been making some dua’a for ages and it is still on the waiting list of Allah :(

If your dua’a hasn’t been granted yet then either you are doing some mistake and should really read the etiquettes of making dua’a (written ahead) or maybe it’s a test from Allah.

It was said to Ibraaheem ibn Adham: Why is it that we supplicate and receive no response? 

“He said because you know Allah but you do not obey Him, and you know the Messenger but you do not follow his Sunnah, and you know the Qur’an but you do not act in accordance with it, and you eat from the blessings of Allah but you do not give thanks for them, and you know Paradise but you do not seek it, and you know Hell but you do not flee from it, and you know the shaytaan but you do not fight him rather you agree with him, and you know death but you do not prepare  for it, and you have buried the dead but you do not learn a lesson from that, and you ignore your own faults and are preoccupied with other people’s faults.” So do not expect a response when you have blocked the way with sins.

Whenever a Muslim raises his/her hands to ask Allah for something, He feels shy to return that believer empty handed. So rest assure, whenever you make a dua’a (in accordance with the proper etiquettes), you ALWAYS get something.

Salman (RAA) narrates from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), "Your Rab is modest and kind. A person raises his hands in HIS court and HE leave them empty, Allah shies from it." [Tirmizi & Abu Dawood]

It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (PBUH) said:  “There is no Muslim who calls upon Allah with words in which there is no sin or severing of family ties but Allah will give him one of three things: either He will answer his prayer soon, or He will store it up for him in the Hereafter, or He will remove something bad from him that is equivalent to what he is asking for.” They said, “Then we should make a great amount of dua’a’.” He said, “Allah is greater.” [Al-Tirmidhi, 3573; classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi and others]

Many think that the response can only be of one kind, which is getting what you asked for in dua’a’ such as wealth, children, a job and so on. This is wrong, because the response may take different forms:

1)      You are granted what you asked for. (do not forget to thank Allah afterwards)

2)      Allah delays it and grants your dua’a when you are ready for it. (Surely, the creator knows better than the creation)

3)      Instead of granting the dua’a, Allah removes an obstacle or misfortune from your life and grants that dua’a in the Hereafter.

So in any case you are not loosing anything. Its a win-win situation always :D. I’d say a good investment of time.

However, be sure not to do the following mistakes as they are the reasons why a person’s dua’as may not be accepted:

1) Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrates from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH), "Do dua’a to Allah with this confidence that HE will accept it and know this well that Allah doesn't accept the dua’a done with a negligent and careless heart. [Tirmizi]

2) It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: “(The dua’a’) of any one of you will be answered so long as he is not hasty in seeking a response and does not say, ‘I prayed but I have not had a response.’” [Al-Bukhaari, 5981; Muslim, 2735]. When the people asked him what does ‘being hasty’ mean, the Messenger (PBUH) replied "That the person say "I did dua’a again and again but my dua’a wasn't accepted and afterwards he becomes hopeless and leaves the dua’a. This is called haste." [Muslim]

3) When the dua’a’ is weak in itself, because it involves something inappropriate, or involves bad manners towards Allah or it is inappropriate, which means asking Allah for something which it is not permitted to ask, e.g. when a man asks to live forever in this world, or he asks for a sin or something haraam, or he prays that he will die, and so on.

4) When the person who is making dua’a’ is weak in her/himself, because s/he is faint-hearted in her/his turning towards Allah. This may be either because of bad manners towards Allah – such as raising her/his voice in dua’a’ or making dua’a’ in the manner of one who thinks s/he has no need of Allah; or because s/he pays too much attention to the wording and tries to come up with unnecessarily ornate phrases, without paying attention to the meaning; or because s/he tries too hard to weep or shout without really feeling it, or he goes to extremes in that.

5) The reason why his dua’a’ is not answered may also be because he has done something that Allah has forbidden, such as having haraam wealth – whether it be food or drink or clothing or accommodation or transportation, or he has taken a haraam job, or the stain of sin is still in his heart, or he is following bid’ah (innovation) in religion, or his heart has been overtaken by negligence.

6) Making the dua’a’ conditional, such as saying, “O Allah, forgive me if You will” or “O Allah, have mercy upon me if You will.” The person who makes dua’a has to be resolute in his supplication, striving hard and earnestly repeating his dua’a’.

Abu Hurairah (RAA) narrates from the Prophet (PBUH), "When anyone of you does dua’a then don't say "Oh Allah! Forgive me if you want", "Have mercy on me if you want", "Give me subsistence if you wish" rather believe completely that HE will do whatever HE wishes. Nobody can force HIM." [Bukhari & Muslim].

In order for dua’as to be answered, it is not essential to adhere to all of these points and be free of all that could prevent one’s dua’as from being answered. That is something which happens very rarely. But one has to try hard and strive towards achieving this.

So can I ask of ANYTHING in my Dua’a since it is promised I will get something in return?

Nope. You cannot make a dua’a asking Allah for things that might distract you from your obedience to Allah. For instance, asking for a TV or for you to become a fashion icon etc. This means you are over stepping the mark.  Remember, you cross the borders if you do these two things:

1-     Being too detailed in one's dua’a (“O Allah, give me a BMW with 4 rims made of stainless steel (by the way, stainless steel does not rust so its actually good for the rims lol) and a big house with 11 rooms etc”). Rather what is prescribed is to make dua’a’ in concise words as the Prophet (PBUH) used to do. He used to ask Allah for the best in this world and in the Hereafter.

2-     Calling upon Allah in ways that Allah has forbidden or that are means that lead to something forbidden. Does ‘Dargahs’ ring any bell? Going to pious people’s grave and asking the dead to intervene and make Allah grant your dua’a is all SHIRK! Its not allowed at all. If one goes to dargah, the most s/he can do is make dua’a to Allah that He grants that religious person a place in Jannah. Its according to the Sha’riah of Muhammad (PBUH) that a Muslim cannot bow down to anyone except Allah. Dargahs are common in Indo-Pak region and one who goes there, makes sajdah to the grave etc is committing a grave mistake and should repent immediately, unless he wants to die a kaffir!

How about if I make dua’a in a language other than Arabic?

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

It is permissible to make dua’a’ in Arabic and in languages other than Arabic. Allah knows the intention of the supplicant and what he wants, no matter what language he speaks, because He hears all the voices in all different languages, asking for all kinds of needs. {Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/488-489}. 

Making dua’a’ in English or in any other language is permissible outside of salaah (prayer). But it is not permissible to say any part of the salaah in any language other than Arabic, according to the majority of scholars. 

One of the things that help to bring a response to dua’a’ is to seek the best times and places.

NOTE: These times and places have been told by the Prophet (PBUH). Due to the ‘already lengthy’ mail, I won’t mention the Hadith. If you are really interested in knowing the Hadiths, then mail me and I’ll send it. The Hadiths illustrates these points more beautifully.

1 – Laylat al-Qadar.

2 – Dua’a’ in the depths of the night, the time before dawn, the time when Allah descends to bestow His bounty upon His slaves, to meet their needs and to relieve their distress. 

3 – Following the prescribed prayers.

4 – Between the adhaan and the iqaamah. 

5 – When the call for the prescribed prayers is given and when the ranks are drawn up for battle.

 6 – When rain falls. 

7 – A certain time on Friday.  

8 – When drinking Zamzam water. 

9 – When prostrating.

11 – When hearing the crowing of a rooster.

12 – When saying the dua’a’, “Laa ilaaha illa anta, subhaanaka, inni kuntu min al-zaalimeen

13 – The prayer of people after the soul of the deceased has been taken.

14 – Dua’a’ for one who is sick.

15 – The prayer of the one who has been wronged.

16 – The dua’a’ of a father for his child – i.e., for his benefit – and the dua’a’ of a fasting person during the day of his fast, and the prayer of the traveller. 

17 – The prayer of a father against his child – i.e., to harm him.

18 – The dua’a’ of a righteous person for his parents.

19 – Dua’a’ after the sun has passed its zenith and before Zuhr.

20 – Dua’a’ when going to bed at night, and saying the du’aa’ that was narrated for that time.

Among the best places are mosques in general and al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah] in particular.

Lets get to the main point then. Ways to get your dua’a accepted by Allah. (I always keep best for the last :D)

Dua’as and ta’awwudhaat (prayers seeking refuge with Allah) are like a weapon, and a weapon is only as good as the person who is using it; it is not merely the matter of how sharp it is. If the weapon is perfect and free of faults, and the arm of the person using it is strong, and there is nothing stopping him, then he can lay waste the enemy. But if any of these three features is lacking, then the effect will be lacking accordingly.

To make your dua’a strong, keep the following points in mind:

NOTE: These points have been derived in the light of the Quran & Hadith. Again due to the length, I will not be writing any verses/Hadith. If you want, mail me and I’ll send you the ‘detailed’ version.

1. Sincerity in making dua’a’. This is the most important condition. Allah has commanded us to be sincere when making dua’a’. Sincerity in dua’a’ means having the firm belief that the One upon Whom you are calling – Allah, may He be glorified and exalted – is alone Able to meet your need, and it also means avoiding any kind of showing off in your dua’a’.

2. Repentance and turning back to Allah. Sin is one of the main reasons why dua’as are not answered, so the person who is making dua’a’ should hasten to repent and seek forgiveness before he makes dua’a’.

3. Beseeching, humbling oneself, hoping for Allah’s reward and fearing His punishment. This is the spirit, essence and purpose of dua’a’.

4. Urgently beseeching and repeating the dua’a’, without getting exasperated or bored; this is achieved by repeating the dua’a’ two or three times. Restricting it to three times is preferable, in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

5. Making dua’a’ at times of ease, and saying more dua’as at times of plenty.

6. Seeking to draw closer to Allah by calling upon Him by His Most Beautiful Names and Sublime Attributes at the beginning of the dua’a’ or at the end.

7. Choosing the clearest and most concise words and the best of dua’as. The best of dua’as are the dua’as of the Prophet (PBUH), but it is permissible to say other words according to the specific needs of a person.

8. You should think positively of Allah.

The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Allah, may He be exalted, says: ‘I am as My slave thinks I am.’” [Al-Bukhaari, 7405; Muslim, 4675]

According to the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah: “Make du’aa’ to Allaah when you are certain of a response.” [Al-Tirmidhi; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 245]

Other aspects of the etiquette of making dua’a’, although they are not waajib (obligatory), are: to face the Qiblah; to make dua’a’ in a state of tahaarah (purity); to start the dua’a’ with praise of Allah and blessings upon the Prophet (PBUH). It is also prescribed to raise the hands when making dua’a’.

Sometimes Allah delays a person’s dua’a because He loves to listen to that person make dua’a, and sometimes Allah tells the angel to hasten to a person’s plea because Allah hates to listen to that person again.

 





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References:
Muhammad Omair Abdul Jabbar Qaderi, Islamic Academy,
USA
http://islamicacademy.org/html/Articles/Anwar-ul-Hadees/English/Benefits_of_Dua.htm
Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him), Al-Daa’ wa’l-Dawaa’, p. 35
www.islamqa.com


Wa-alykum Assalaam Wa Rahmat Allah Hi Wa Barakat!