Strengthening Our
Du'a
Immersed as we are in this materialistic
world, many of us forget that material causes do not produce the
desired effects independently of the Will of Allah. We forget to
achieve total reliance on Allah and we often neglect to implement
the moral causes for achieving our goals. One such moral cause that
has become forgotten today is Du’a, the humble supplication of a
believer to Allah. Even when it is remembered, it is not performed
in the correct way and comes out weak. We can strengthen our Du’a by
fulfilling the conditions for its acceptance and observing the
manners of its performance.
Many virtues of Du’a have been mentioned in the Qur’an and the
Sunnah:
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“And when My
servants ask you concerning Me, (tell them) I am indeed near. I
respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls” (Qur’an
21:187).
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“And your
Lord said, invoke Me and I will respond to your invocation” (Qur’an
40:60).
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“Invoke your
Lord with humility and in secrecy” (Qur’an 7:55).
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“So invoke
Allah making your worship pure for Him” (Qur’an 40:14)
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Nu’man bin
Bashir relates that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said, “Du’a is
Ibadah (worship)” [Tirmidhi].
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Abu
Hurairah’s narration of the Prophet (SAW): “Anyone who does not
invoke Allah, will cause Allah to be angry with him.” (Ahmad)
Acceptance of
Du‘a
For one’s Du’a to be accepted, one must:
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Direct it
solely to Allah; “Invoke Him only, making your religion sincere
to Him” (Qur’an 7:29). Also, the Prophet (SAW) said in a hadith
narrated by Ibn Abbas(RA); “If you ask, ask Allah and if you
seek help, seek help from Allah.” (Ahmad, Tirmithi)
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Perform the
Du’a in conformity with the Shari’ah: The Prophet (SAW) said:
“Whoever innovates in this matter of ours, something which is
not part of it, it will be rejected.” If a person is sincere but
is not following the Sunnah, his worship is rejected. Similarly,
if a person is following the Sunnah but his work is not
sincerely done for the sake of Allah, his worship is still
rejected.
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Trust in
Allah and certainty of reply: One must be certain that Allah
does whatever He wishes, whenever He wishes. Allah tells us in
the Qur’an: “And there is nothing, but with Us are the stores
thereof. And We do not send it down except with a known measure”
(Qur’an 15:21). In a Hadith Qudsi narrated by Abu Dharr, Allah
revealed through the Prophet (SAW), “O My servants, were the
first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn
of you to rise up in one place and make a request from Me, and
were I to give everyone what they requested, that would not
decrease what I have anymore than a needle decreases the sea if
put into it” (Muslim)
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Presence of
the heart: Always make sure that your heart is mindful when you
are supplicating because Allah does not answer a Du’a from an
inattentive heart. Abu Hurairah narrated that Allah’s Messenger
(SAW) said, “Invoke Allah while you are certain to be answered
and know that Allah does not answer a Du’a from a heart which is
inattentive and unmindful” (Tirmidhi).
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Determination
and perseverance: It is a requirement when supplicating, to
appeal to Allah with determination. We must not make any
exceptions by saying “O Allah forgive me if You wish”. Abu
Hurairah narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: “None of
you should say ‘O Allah forgive me if You wish,’ ‘O Allah Be
Merciful to me if You Wish’; but he must appeal to Allah with
determination, for nobody can force Allah to do something
against His Will.” (Tirmidhi).
Rejection
Reasons that may cause our Du’a to be rejected include the
following:
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Haraam:
Haraam eating, drinking and clothing are all strictly prohibited
and are major reasons for the rejection of Du’a. The Messenger
of Allah (SAW) said, “Allah the Almighty is good and accepts
only that which is good. Allah has commanded the faithful to do
that which He commanded the Messengers. He (SAW) then mentioned
the case of a man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and
dusty and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying: “O Lord,
O Lord” while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his
clothing is unlawful and he is nourished unlawfully, so how can
he be answered? (Muslim). Abu Bakr said that he heard the
Messenger of Allah (SAW) saying ‘Every body which is nourished
with that which is unlawful, will be first in the fire’
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Hastiness and
abandonment: One must be patient for ones Du’a to be accepted,
as hastiness is one of the causes for its rejection or
disapproval. Abu Hurairah narrated that Prophet (SAW) said, “The
invocation of any one of you is granted (by Allah) as long as he
does not show impatience by saying ‘I have invoked Allah but my
request has not been answered’” (Bukhari). In another narration
by Abu Hurairah, the Prophet (SAW) said, “A servant is granted
his request as long as he does not invoke Allah for a sin, or to
break kinship ties, and he does not make haste.”
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Committing
sins: Allah said, “Verily, Allah will not change the condition
of a people until they change what is in themselves” (Qur’an
13:11). That is to say, if a people’s condition is good, Allah
will maintain it as long as they are grateful and do not disobey
Him. Similarly, if the condition of a people is bad, Allah will
maintain it for them as long as they remain ungrateful and
insist on disobeying him.
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Abandonment
of obligatory deeds: Just as doing good deeds is a reason for
the acceptance of Du’a, similarly, abandoning good deeds is a
reason for the rejection of Du’a. Hudaifah(RA), narrated that
the Prophet (SAW) said, “By Him, in whose hand is my soul, you
should enjoin good and forbid evil or else it is likely that
Allah will send a punishment upon you and then you will invoke
Him and you will not be answered” (Tirmithi). So, for example,
how could those who have constantly neglected and abandoned Fajr
prayers in the Masjid expect that their Du’a will be answered?
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Insha Allah:
Some people, when supplicating, have a habit of saying “May
Allah forgive you Insha Allah,” “May Allah help you Insha
Allah.” The use of the word Insha Allah must be avoided in Du’a.
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Asking for a
sin, or to break the bondage of kinship: The Prophet (SAW) said,
“Any Muslim who supplicates to Allah in a Du’a which contains no
sin or breaking of kinship, Allah will give him one of three
things: either his Du’a will be immediately answered or, it will
be saved for him in the hereafter, or it will turn away an
equivalent amount of evil (from him)”. The companions said
“...so we will ask for more.” He replied, “Allah is more
(generous).” [Ahmad]
Etiquette of
Du‘a
The correct manner of invoking Allah is:
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Hamd and
Salawat: To begin with exalting Allah and sending blessings upon
the Prophet (SAW). Abdullah bin Mas’ood narrated, “I was praying
while the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Omar were together. After I sat
(in the last Tashahhud), I began with praising Allah then I said
blessings upon the Prophet and then I prayed for myself. The
Prophet, said, “Ask (and) you will be given. Ask (and) you will
be given.” (Tirmithi)
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Du’a at times
of trouble and of pleasure: One must not make it a habit to
remember Allah only at the time of trouble but he must
constantly remember Allah in all circumstances. Abu Hurairah
narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said, “(Anyone who is pleased)
that Allah responds to him at the time of trouble and distress,
(should) increase Du’a at the time of calmness.” (Tirmithi).
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Avoid Du’a
against ones family, wealth and children: Jabir narrated a
hadith about a man who cursed his animal. The Prophet (SAW)
said, “Who is this who cursed his animal?” The man replied, “It
is me O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet (SAW) said, “Get down
from it for a cursed one must not escort us. Do not pray against
yourselves, do not pray against your children and do not pray
against your wealth. It might coincide with a time when Allah
answers what you asked for.” (Muslim)
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Lower ones
voice: Invoke Allah in a low tone as it is closer to sincerity:
“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He does not like
the aggressors” (Qur’an 7:55). And He also tells us: “And
remember your Lord by your tongue and within yourself, humbly
and with fear without loudness in words, in the morning and in
the afternoon and be not of those who are neglectful.” (Qur’an
7:205).
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Perseverance:
We must attend to our Du’a with perseverance, repetition and
persistence. Ibn Rajab suggests that we invoke Allah with His
names and attributes as this is among the greatest means of
having our Du’a accepted.
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Repetition:
It is preferable to repeat you Du’a three times as it is more
likely to be answered. Prophet (SAW) cursed a few members of the
Quraish thrice when they placed the abdominal contents of a
camel on his back whilst in sajdah.
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Confession:
Confess your sins with sincere regret for your mistakes although
Allah is aware of all your actions. It is also worthwhile to
acknowledge all of Allah’s mercy bestowed upon you. The Prophet
(SAW) taught his ummah the Sayyid-ul-Istighfar which
acknowledges the favour of Allah upon oneself.
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Face the
Qiblah: One of the good manners when making Du’a is to face the
Qiblah however, this is not compulsory. Abdullah bin Zaid
narrated that Rasulullah (SAW) came to this place of worship to
pray Istisqaa for rain so he invoked Allah and prayed for rain.
Then he faced the Qiblah and overturned his gown (Bukhari).
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Raise ones
hands: It is a recommended practice to raise one’s hands in
making Du’a as it was done by the Prophet (SAW) at different
occasions. Abu Musa al-Ash’ari narrated, “The Prophet invoked
and raised his hands and I saw the whiteness of his armpits.” (Bukhari)
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Make wudhu:
Although it is not compulsory, one is recommended to supplicate
Allah while he is in a state of wudhu (ablution). When
Rasulullah (SAW) invoked Allah on behalf of Abi ’Amir he first
performed wudhu. (Muslim)
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Cry with the
fear of Allah: Abdullah bin ’Umar narrated that Rasulullah (SAW)
recited the verse in which Ibrahim alayhis-salaam is invoking
Allah: “O my Lord, they [the idols] have indeed led astray many
among mankind. But whoever follows me, he verily is of me. and
whoever disobeys me, still you are indeed Most Forgiving, Most
Merciful” (Ibrahim, 36). In another verse, Isa alayhis-salaam is
invoking Allah: “If you punish them, they are Your slaves, and
if You forgive them, verily You-only You are the Almighty, the
All-wise” (Al-Ma’idah, 118). And Rasulullah (SAW)then raised his
hands and said, “Allahumma Ummati, Ummati (O Allah, my nation,
my nation)’ and then he cried.
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Make Du’a for
oneself before making Du’a for others: It is Sunnah in Du’a to
start with yourself prior to mentioning others as was collected
by Tirmidhi in the narration of Ubay bin Ka’ab that if someone
was mentioned to the Prophet, he would invoke Allah for him but
would begin with himself. However, it was also narrated of
Allah’s Messenger that, on certain occasions, he would not begin
with himself.
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Do not
trangress in Du’a: When appealing to Allah in Du’a, we should
not get into much detail by asking for the different rewards of
Jannah. ‘Abdullah bin Mughaffal heard his son saying: “O Allah,
I ask you for the white palace on the right of the Paradise if I
were to enter it”. So he said, “Dear son, ask Allah for Paradise
and seek refuge from the [Hell) fire for I have heard the
Messenger of Allah saying, ‘there will come in this nation
people who will transgress (or exceed) in ablution and Du’a.”
(Abu Dawood).
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Make Du’a for
ones parents: It is good to mention one’s Muslim parents (dead
or alive) in invocation for the great favour they owe us, a
favour which can never be compensated. Allah said, “And lower
unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy and
say, ‘My Rab, bestow on them Your mercy as they did raise me
when I was young” (Qur’an 17:24)
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Make Du’a for
the believers: One is recommended to remember the Muslims and
the Mu’mins around the globe in his invocation. Allah said “Ask
forgiveness for your sin and also for the believing men and
women” (Qur’an 47:19)
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Ask Allah
alone: Instead of complaining to people when struck by calamity,
one must make it a habit to ask Allah alone for refuge. However,
there is no harm to mention your problem to people and share
their opinion. In the hadith narrated by Ibn ’Abbas, Rasulullah
(SAW) said to him while he was riding behind him on the same
mount, “Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be
mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you
ask, ask only Allah and if you seek help, seek help only from
Allah. And know that if all the nations were to gather together
to benefit you, they would benefit you only with something that
Allah had already prescribed for you, and if they gather
together to harm you, they would harm you only with something
that Allah had already prescribed for you. The pens have been
lifted and the pages are dry.” (Tirmidhi).
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