Sitting in the mosque after Jumu’ah prayers, I looked around. Most people were either praying their Sunnah, getting up to leave, or chatting in the corners. However, in the corner of my eye, I spotted an elderly man sitting down with his hands raised, making du’a. I couldn’t see anyone else asking Allah for help except this man.
I started to think about this on the way home. Why do people, including myself, not make du’a more often? Why is it only something that we do when we are in desperate need of Allah’s help? Why is it not something we practice regularly? I know that I would only make a heartfelt du’a when I was suffering or I needed Allah’s help in something, and all other times it was just a short du’a asking for forgiveness and guidance. I can’t remember the last time I would regularly make long heartfelt du’as to eradicate the poverty and suffering in this world, for the health and glad tidings of my family and friends, for help in every action that I do, to make my intentions as pure as possible and ask Allah to help me and others spread the beautiful word of Islam.
Why was this? Had du’a just become an ordinary action after Salah? We have started to belittle the power and our need of du’a and consider it as our last resort so much that the mention of du’a is now only coupled with a calamity and not with general help in all that we do. Have we forgotten how much we rely on Allah and how much He has given us, so much that we are nothing without Al-Razzaq (The Sustainer, The Provider).
Allah says in the Quran, “And your lord said pray to me, I will respond to your invocations.” (90:60).
Du’a is such a wonderful gift bestowed upon us by Allah. Rasullullah (salAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is reported to have said, “Du’a is the weapon of a Muslim”. It can change our destiny and can help to soothe and relieve our pain. Without it we are lost and with it we can never fail. It is our dialogue with our Creator, our form of direct contact that is spiritually extremely empowering and liberating to our souls. We turn to Him because we know it is only He that has the ability to help us and to do what is best for us.
Throughout the day we regularly pray to Allah and praise our Lord but why can’t we take time out to beseech upon him for help in everything related to our lives as well as the lives of others? It is our first action in times of difficulty but not our first action in times of ease.
The Prophet (salAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “The person who does not ask from Allah, Allah becomes angry with him.”
The Prophet used to turn to Allah for everything and we should do the same. He would pray all night crying and pleading to Allah for His help. We should make du’a at all times and for everything we do, whether it be big or small, for nothing is too big or too small for Allah. Whether it be a simple du’a in the morning to give us a pleasant day or to ask for help every time we sit down to do some work or even when we sit in a car to ask for a safe journey, every action should be coupled with a du’a. We cannot do anything without the help of Allah so we should ask Him for this help as it is only Him that can give us this help.
Don’t fall into the trap of taking everything for granted such as your health, your provisions and your intelligence. Everything we have is a blessing from Allah, a blessing that can be taken away from us at any point.
The Prophet said: “There is nothing more dear to Allah than a servant making du’a to Him.”
Making du’a at all times not only pleases Allah and displays our subservience to Allah but it also enhances our Iman in two ways. Firstly, by truly believing that Allah is in control of everything and understanding how much we need Him, we can become closer to Islam and Allah and secondly, by talking to Allah regularly and opening up our hearts to Allah and asking for every little thing we can build up a deep connection with our Lord.
Could there be an easier way to become closer to Allah? I pray that Allah will allow me and all of you to make heartfelt du’as more often and to ask Allah so that we can please Allah, become closer to our Lord as well as gain help in everything that we do inshAllah.
11 Comments
Mashā’Allāh, really gets you to think. I myself was thinking recently, “When was the last time I put my two hands together in Dua?” It’s truly something that needs to be done on a more regular basis.
so true , thank you for making it so simple !!
the reason noone uses it is that it is far more effective to solve the problem yourself as opposed to something that doesn’t exist, for which there is no proof of existence and which in modern times has had no supernatural influence on human society.
Flash.
Taken for granted again, pragmatist!
I’m surprised, after all these years, witnessing these all changes around the world, how can one possibly have no faith or so? SubhanAllah, I’d have to be really thick to believe that “you” and “your” personal self can solve your problems, and then coming down to believe there’s no so-called proof? Want proof? Wait, go no where. Just look at your very self, yea there right on your wrist…did you see some veins? No? Okay, only if, and that you are a pragmatist, you might as well know that there’s alot going on inside your body…pumping heart, blood coursing through capillaries, actions and responses send by your brains..you are doing it yourself,eh? What about your death? You give it a call? think think.
SubhanAllah.
“O mankind! You are the poor in your relation to Allah. And Allah! he is Absolutely Free of Need, the Owner of Praise.” (Qur’an, 35:15)
JZK for writing this article- I really needed it!
Thank you for that. Dua for the sake of dua is not enough, we need to ensure that our duas are sincere.
SubhanAllah… the Power of duas is great…
salam alaik..just want to ask
Allah says in the Quran, “And your lord said pray to me, I will respond to your invocations.”
is it correct comes from 90:60?
i think it shoul be 40:60
surah al-Mu’min: 60
Alhamdulillah…this is so helpful, I’ve also heard this which I’d like to add here since this whole topic is based on dua. That at times our prayers are delayed and we get worried with regard to them, so it is, that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala sometimes likes to delay the response when his servant is asking Him and calling out to Him becoz He loves His slave so much that He loves His name to be mentioned on His slave’s tongue more and more. And also because He knows that through delaying and at times not granting His slave is rising in his levels in the hereafter, then Allah wants him to come closer to Him.That is, The higher he is the closer he is to Allah, in jannah.So if he likes? And there isnt a single dua of a mo’min except that it will always be responded:)
SubhanAllah. Keep nagging Him, henceforth.
P.S people hate it when we nag at them but Allah doesn’t…