I was inspired to write this piece after listening to a khutbah by Imam Safi Khan, when he shared the hadith: “Verily your Lord is Generous and Shy. If His servant raises his hands to Him (in supplication) He becomes shy to return them empty (Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi)”.
Imagine your next door neighbor has a personal servant. You find out that the servant is asking for a house, a fancy car, and a large screen TV. Personally speaking, what do you think you would have done in this situation? The most probable thing that would happen is that you would just stare at him blankly. Most likely, the only thing on your mind would be, “His job is to work and just get paid – not to start asking for gifts and free handouts”. Let’s take the scene even further and imagine that not only did the neighbor say yes, but he is encouraging him to ask for more items.
If this was really to happen, any ordinary bystander would have been visibly puzzled at the peculiarity of this scene. However, if we were to look at the scene from a different angle, we might look at it differently. In reality, that scene is very much alike with the connection between Allah and his servants, with the mere exception that Allah’s kingdom would not decrease at all when He gives.
It’s amazing to see how great Dua really is. In a Hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “In the court of Allah, there is no greater thing than Duaa” (Ibn Majah)
There are benefits of making Dua including:
1. The loss of arrogance – For someone that makes constant Dua, arrogance is something that is not among their characteristics because when one beseeches Allah, he is affirming his own powerlessness.
2. The fulfillment of the Dua – You get what you wanted. For the people that sometimes see that their Duas are not being accepted, there is either the option that the Dua will be accepted later on in this life or in the Hereafter or the option that the Dua will accepted by other means as one Hadith said, Jabir narrates from the Prophet, “Whoever does duaa to Allah, Allah fulfills his seeking or in exchange averts misfortune until the duaa is not related to sin or breaking some relation.” (Tirmidhi)
One personal example that I can share is that when I was younger, I had wanted to win first place in a Quran competiton and so, I made Dua to Allah (exalted be He) to help me win. Unfortunately, when the day for the competition came, there was another event that was taking place somewhere else and I had to go with my parents to that event instead of the competition. I felt sad because I had really wanted to win that competition and I wondered what happened to my Dua.
Two weeks later, my parents take me to a speech competition and there, I found out that the organizers will also be holding a Quran competition. I signed up for the competition and after participating in it, the awards ceremony started. Before starting, the organizers made a statement that made me awestruck; they said they would like to thank the organizers of a Quran competition that was held two weeks ago because the format of the whole competition was exactly the same as the one held two weeks back. I only became even more awestruck when I found out that I won first place.
Looking back, I realized that if we make a Dua, Allah (glorified and exalted be He) will answer it in the best possible way for us. Therefore, if we do not see our Dua being accepted immediately, we should not despair because either it will help us against some misfortune, or it might be accepted later…
3. The doors of mercy are opened – Abdullah bin Umar narrated that the Prophet said, “For whoever the door of Dua opened, for him the doors of mercy are opened...” (Tirmidhi)-
4. It has the power to change destiny (only the minor Qadr – not major ones such as the signs of the Day of Judgment) – Salman Farsi narrated that the Prophet said, “Dua turns away destiny and good deeds lengthen age (Tirmidhi).
There are certain things that one should keep in mind concerning the Dua:
1. The Prophet once said, “Dua is Ibadah” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Abu Dawud). Since it is a type of worship, it is something that we must always do. This is even to the extent that the Prophet said, “Allah is extremely displeased with the person who doesn’t do duaa to Allah” (Tirmidhi).
2. As mentioned before, the Dua must always be done. Nowadays, we only say our Duas when hardship befalls us and is the last resort, when all else has failed. However, this should not be the case as the Prophet (saw) said, Whosoever desires that Allah answers his Duas in unfavorable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful dua in days of ease and comfort.”
3. Try making Dua for others because if you do so, the same thing may also occur to you too. There are certain ayahs in the Quran such as the last Ayah in Surah Nuh, the meaning of which is, “O my Lord! Forgive me, my parents, all who enter my house in Faith, and (all) believing men and believing women: and to the wrong-doers grant Thou no increase but in perdition!” If you are to recite this verse, then you get a sin erased for every Muslim living in this world. Also, the Prophet said, ”Duaa for a person not present is accepted quickly by Allah”.
4. Have complete conviction that Allah will accept the Dua, because if you don’t, then there is a high chance it won’t be accepted. The Prophet said, “When anyone of you does Dua 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)
5. The best times to make Dua is when one is in Sujood, the times between Adhan and Iqamah, as well as at other times as indicated by the following Hadith in which the Prophet said, “The dua of three types of people are not rejected: 1) The dua at the time of iftar for the person who has fasted 2) The dua of a a just ruler 3) The Dua of the oppressed. Allah raises the Dua of the oppressed on the clouds and the doors of heaven are opened for it and Allah says, “Oath of My Majesty and Honor! I will help and aid you. Even though if the help is after few days.” (Tirmidhi) Another Hadith listed another three in which the Prophet said, Three Duas are such in which there is no doubt of their acceptance: 1) Dua of a Father 2) Dua of a Traveler 3) Dua of the oppressed”. (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
May the above information strengthen your resolve to make more Duas and may it benefit you in many ways. Ameen…
66 Comments
This was so superb. Allaahu Akbar. Truly enlightening on the subject of du’aa’, which is the greatest possible subject there can be. For du’aa’ is the core and essence of Ibaadah (as the Prophet said). And Ibaadah is the purpose for which mankind was created.
Those were some great benefits of du’aa’. This will be really useful, bi idhnilaah! :) :) :)
reminds me of the hadith:
الدعا هو العبادة
something cool i learned at Light Upon Light Lite is that Du’aa is the only form of worship that encompasses all of the aspects of Tauhid.
cool stuff!
Yea, the “Light upon Light II” seminar with Sh. Yasir Qadhi was out of this world. I wish I could take that same class again. Yasir Qadhi — the vast knowledge he has of every area and science (Aqeedah, History, Quran, Hadeeth, Arabic grammer, Fiqh ~ every field) plus the great style of explaining — is nothing short of amazing, so wonderful.
And that hadeeth: الدعاء هو العبادة (Duaa is [the essence of] Worship) ~ it really shows that the purpose of creation, can be summarized in “duaa”. Subhana Allaah!
The Taabi’ee’, Tawoos said to ‘Ataa’: “Do not seek the response to your needs from one who closes the door in front of you, and puts a barrier between you and him. Instead, you must turn to the One whose door is open until the Day of Judgment, and who has ordered you to ask Him, and who has promised to respond to you.”
One day, Maymoon Ibn Mahraan saw some people outside the door of one of the princes. He remarked: “The one who has a need from the ruler has a barrier in front of him. But the houses of the Most Merciful are always open. So one of you should go to the Mosque and pray 2 Rak’ahs and ask of Him his needs.”
[Both quotes are from Ibn Rajab, Noor al-Iqtibaas, p. 72]
How do you convince someone to make du’a with full hope when they don’t believe their du’as will be fulfilled? I mean, if they say that Allah (SWT) is not answering their dua’s at all, what are you supposed to tell them?
Tell him/her to look at the second benefit mentioned above; there are three ways that the Dua’ can be accepted and immediately is only one of the options :)
How do you convince someone to make du'a with full hope when they don't believe their du'as will be fulfilled? I mean, if they say that Allah (SWT) is not answering their dua's at all, what are you supposed to tell them?
Tell him/her to look at the second benefit mentioned above; there are three ways that the Dua' can be accepted and immediately is only one of the options :)
reminds me of the hadith:
الدعا هو العبادة
something cool i learned at Light Upon Light Lite is that Du’aa is the only form of worship that encompasses all of the aspects of Tauhid.
cool stuff!
jazak Allah khairan :D
This was so superb. Allaahu Akbar. Truly enlightening on the subject of du’aa’, which is the greatest possible subject there can be. For du’aa’ is the core and essence of Ibaadah (as the Prophet said). And Ibaadah is the purpose for which mankind was created.
Those were some great benefits of du’aa’. This will be really useful, bi idhnilaah! :) :) :)
I am hoping to inshallah go to pakistan and is there a dua t help my dua stronger?
Yea, the “Light upon Light II” seminar with Sh. Yasir Qadhi was out of this world. I wish I could take that same class again. Yasir Qadhi — the vast knowledge he has of every area and science (Aqeedah, History, Quran, Hadeeth, Arabic grammer, Fiqh ~ every field) plus the great style of explaining — is nothing short of amazing, so wonderful.
And that hadeeth: الدعاء هو العبادة (Duaa is [the essence of] Worship) ~ it really shows that the purpose of creation, can be summarized in “duaa”. Subhana Allaah!
Very beneficial, JazakAllah Khair for sharing. I was totally unaware of the benefits of reading the last ayah of Surah Nuh and that is like my favorite dua! =)
O Allah subhana wa tala because all muslims in gauntanamo bay cuban prision are so oppressed and persecuted please free all of them as quickly as possible, O Allah subhana wa tala because all of Afghanistan, and all of Iraq are so oppressed and persecuted please defeat all afghan oppressers and please defeat all iraqi oppressers fully, completely and quickly ameen.
O Allah Subhana wa tala because all of Afghanistan and all of Iraq are so oppressd and persecuted please always defeat all who oppress afghan and iraqi people on earth fully, completely and always till the day of Ressurection ameen, ameen, ameen
Bismullah,ir-Rahman,ir-Rahim, Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammad Rasulu Allah” “I bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah(SWT)
and that Muhammad(SAW) is his servant and Messenger.”
As-Salaam Alaikum. my Brothers and Sisters, My Name is Khalid U. Ibrahim. Iam in need of your Prayers To ALLAH for Help and Protection.(Ya ALLAH!) O ALLAH! I Beg of you to bestow,on us a Home of Safety,Security and Peace in this World Life Out of the Reach of the Dajjal and his army,and Grant us a Home of Safety, Security and Peace in the Life Hereafter, out of the Reach of the Fire of Hell!. (Ya ALLAH!) OALLAH! I Beg of you to Increase our Faith and Devotion, and to Bless us with Peace in our Hearts and Souls.(Ya ALLAH!) OALLAH! I beg of you for your Protection against the Evil Influence of these Magicians and Sorcerers in this City of Houston,Tx.
I love your articles Alif, have you considered writing a book?
The name’s Arif lol :)
Thank you for your kind words. Yes, it is a plan of mine to write one via MYM Press in the next year Inshā’Allāh.
jajakallah, thanks for this kind of article from Bangladesh.
So we always depend on allah always ,not any super power or god father.
thanks…. it help me to solve my confusion…may Allah bless you.. Ameen.
Mashallah, this was so great. May Allah be with you in all of your affairs. Ameen.
I want to really go on a trip with school to Alton Towers and a teacher will not let me go!
I can not afford to stay in school, people are going to think that I am poor and can not afford to go on the trip when I can! How can i convince my teacher to let me go?
Don’t worry about your social stature; there will be plenty of more opportunities in the future Insha’Allah. Make dua that you can attend, but even if it happens that you can’t, understand that Allah (subhānahu wa ta‘āla) picked this for the best for you. It could be that your iman is weakened on such a trip, or He is saving you from a dreadful accident.
mashallah and jazak allah khair and may allah enlight us all
I had goosebumps during the whole reading of your article.
BarakAllahoufik!
Jazakallahu khair :)
wtf plz tell me the duaa
I do believe it means any dua.
what a great article, i found it very useful, so informative and encouraging. JazakAllah
Assalamu Alaikum Brothers and sisters please do remember me and my family in your prayers please please please……. Jazakallah
Asalaam alaikhum! I am in a very serious situation and I feel as if I have no way out except through Dua, I wish to marry a brother and I have been making dua for a while now, and it seems that he might be marrying someone else. If you could all please keep me in your duas and pray that the one that I desire would be the best for me, for this duniya, for my Iman, and for my Akhirah, and if there is another person for the one I desire to marry then if Allah (swt) could grant her an even better spouse than him in the form of another person and make this person the best for me and make me the best for him (the one I desire)! If you could all please make this dua for me I am very sad however I haven’t lost faith because I know that I have Allah (swt) and He (swt) is enough for me!!!! I have firm belief that Allah (swt) will grant me this man as my husband and he will be the best for me in this world, my Iman, and the Akhirah!
Wa alaikumus salam,
May Allah grant you the best spouse for you, and grant you patience and tranquility in your heart. Ameen.
Alhamdulillah…
Thank you for this article. You don’t know just how much this article means to me..May Allah swt grant my dua to be in Mecca this Ramadhan..ameen!
i love this place
To be honest, I admire the title and content. I am so going to spread this! ^_^
Assalamu alaikum
Lots of thanks for uploading such excellent collections of ahadiths.
Allah favour you and the all muslims with his mercy & Guidence.
Jazak Allah for this great article….
jazak Allah khairan :)
Assalamu’alaikum ,please pray for my family and friends and so that i achieve a remarkable result in my O level examination :)
mashallah nice1
i am requesting to my all muslim brother sister, please do dua for me. that Allah will fulfill my hajat.
Ae Allah please protect the muslim of the world, give them Halal risk. and also listen my Hajat.
After the five obligatory prayers there is no other prayer which is better than Qiyamul-layl (the night prayer before Fajr) This is when Allah comes down to the last heaven and accepts our Dua’s. This is such an opportunity but sadly we’re often too lazy or sleepy to get up. so we miss this chance.
ALHUMDULILLAH :) ALLAH LOVES US MORE THAN 70% AS OUR MOTHER LOVES US WE SHOULD MAK EVERY DUA FOR US AND FOR OTHERS OUR PARENTS , SISTERS , TEACHERS ETC :)
Salam,
I would like to ask you a question. I asked for something from Allah, although it seems highly improbable to me, (but for the first time in my life I want something truly so I decided to believe in God’s mercy fully) for my life would have to change greatly for it to happen.
I saw a dream where I saw exactly what I was asking for in my dua, I received it. The thing is that I was asking for a dream to know whether I would receive it. And now it just seems to be too good to be true – do u think my dua will be answered or is it just wishful thinking?
Reading this beautifull article makes you realise something
Please my lord help me to protect my baby and her feature.give me streanth and show me the right way.
May Allah Aza Wa Jal help your baby dear sister. Allahumma Aameen.
Assalamu alaikum
Brothers and sister , I m a daughter , I would request u all with all my heart to please include my mother in your dua’s , my mother is suffering from glaucoma , its a disease wich slowly causes permanent blindness , I dnt understand why did this happen to my mom , she is the purest person in this world for me who can do anything to keep us happy , she has never harmed anyone , I cannot stand to c my mom in this condition , I cant bear to c my mom blind my whole , it will kill me , her treatment is on so I please request u all ti ask dua to allah , I no in sha allah nothong will happen to my mom , I trust almighty allah in sha allah
insha allah u r mother recuperate. allah help u
inshaallah…u r Mom be ok soon……Aameen
Wa ralaikum salaam wa rahmatullah wa baraka, Ya uhkti fil Islam, I would like you to consider reading the following paragraphs:
Bismillah, All praise to Allah, the most gracious , the most merciful.
There is nothing left to coincidence in this Dunya. If you are touched by “misfortune”, this is because Allah has decided so and in all Allah’s decision, may it be good or bad for you, you must know that Allah did what is best for you.
‘…and it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know.’ (Surah Baqarah: 216)
You may see what happens to you as a means to question your lord about the reason of such situation coming on you and why you etc… But that is a trick of shaytan, a continuous waswassa(evil whisper) which puts doubts in your heart about ALLAH but indeed difficulties are given only to ALLAH’s servants he likes the most.
‘As recorded in Buhari and Muslim: The Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said :
“Whoever Allah wants good for him, he puts them to test. He puts them through difficulties. Like a diamond or some metal that has to be burnt and then that which is bad from it is removed so that you have that which is the pure diamond or the pure gold or whatever. Put them to tests, trials and difficulties.”
That is, KNOW THAT WHEN ALLAH LOVES SOMEONE, HE GIVES THEM TESTS.
“We will test you with something of fear, and hunger and loss of wealth, and souls and vegetation. And give glad tidings to those who have patience. Those who if in any difficulty or trial, or tribulation occurs to them or happens to them, they say: ‘Verily We are from Allah and to Allah we return.’ They are those who will receive prayers from their Lord and Mercy and it is those who are guided.” [Surah Baqarah:155]
And do not think for one second that anything that may happen to you will become so unbearable that you will die or attempt to die. Allah has blessed you with Islam because he chose you to be part of it and he will never give you a burden which you will not be able to resist. If he gave you such a pain, he has his reasons (And Allah is Knowing and Wise.[9:97]) and would not give you if he knew you couldn’t bear it.
لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond that it can bear…” (Qur’an, 2:286).
All you have to do is keep faith in Allah in times of difficulty, do not despair or lose hope, control your mouth and words of fear of saying things that displeases your lord, bow to him night and day, think of your day and see what you may have missed or sinned to displease Allah… Think Think Think only of your Lord, Turn back to him and then , if you truly love him, whatever may happen you will always remain a faithful and sincere servant because you will know, my goal is Jannah and to get it, I must obey my lord.
A Sahih hadith reported by At-Tirmidhi (A.R.) narrates on the authority of Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When Allah ‘azza wa jal created Paradise, He sent Jibreel (A.S.) to it and said, ‘Look at it and the pleasures I have prepared for its inhabitants.’ So Jibreel came to Paradise and looked at what Allah had prepared for its inhabitants. He then returned to Allah and said, ‘I swear by Your Grandeur that not a single person will hear of it except that he will enter it (i.e he will do anything to enter it).’ Then Allah ordered Paradise to be surrounded by adversities, calamities and detestable things and He said to Jibreel, ‘Go back and look at it and what I have prepared for its inhabitants.’ Jibreel went back to Paradise and found that it had been surrounded by adversities, calamities and detestable things, so he returned to Allah and said, ‘I swear by Your Grandeur that I fear that no one will enter it (i.e he will do anything to avoid it).’
Then Allah said to Jibreel, ‘Go to Hell and look at it and the punishments that I have prepared for its inhabitants.’ Jibreel looked at Hell and found it extremely horrible, so he said to Allah, ‘I swear by Your Grandeur that not a single person will hear of it except that he will avoid entering it.’ Then Allah ordered Hell to be surrounded by desires and luxuries and said to Jibreel, ‘Go back to it.’ Jibreel returned to Hell and then said, ‘I swear by Your Grandeur that no one will be able to escape from it.'”
YAAA UHKTI FIL ISLAM, KNOW THAT IF YOU ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES IN YOUR LIFE, YOU ARE TAKING THE ROAD TO JANNAH, SUBHANNALLAH…
In the Quran, Allah repeat a verse to deliver emphasis, or he says the word [inna-Indeed]. What if in a particular place in the quran, ALLAH USED BOTH? What could Allah, in his eternal wisdom be making emphasis on? Let’s see:
SURAH ASH_SHARH (No 94)
For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Verse 5
Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Verse 6
So ya uhkti fil Islam, for the above ayat to be true, there is only one condition: Do not deviate from your lord when being tested, then and only then that the ease will come. And that is an ayat of the quran, beware, if you do not believe, it means you do not believe in the words of ALLAH and consequently ALLAH and you will fall among the disbelievers and followers of shaytan. Do not let him affect you. Repel him. He is an enemy for you. He is the one giving you all these ill thoughts, be aware of them.
‘Surely, Satan is an enemy to you, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his “hizb” (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the Blazing Fire.’ Qur’an 35:6
When being tested, read
“Innalilahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon” To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.” (Quran Surat Al Baqarah 2:156)
Muslim narrated in his Sahih that Umm Salamah said:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “There is no person who is afflicted with a calamity and says, “Verily to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allah, reward me for my affliction and compensate me with something better” – but Allah will reward him for his affliction and compensate him with something better.”
She said: When Abu Salamah died, I said: Who is better than Abu Salamah, the companion of the Messenger of Allah? Then Allah caused me to say it and I said it. She said: Then I married the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah), who could be a better husband than the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
Yaa uhkti fil Islam, allah is with us, do not despair
“Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.” [9:40]
May Allah ease your days and grant you and your family the highest darajah in jannah, aaaameen.
Assalamuralaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakah
P.S , if anything I said is not what it actually is, may allah forgive me and may someone correct me as soon as possible.
Please ya muslimeen,
I’m your sister in Islam and i’m VERY desperate situation… I NEED YOUR DUAS for my HEALTH. I’m extremely worried and I don’t want to lose hope and I have 110% trust in Allah. I want to increase my chances of getting my health restored by making duas for myself and asking all my brothers and sisters in Islam to give me a hand… Please i’m soooooooooooooooooooo desperate and i’m NOT a bad person I just made mistakes and i’m 110% regretful. PLEASE BROTHERS AND SISTERS help your sister in NEED. May Allah reward you all and grand all your duas, In sha Allah Ta’alaa.
i was looking for a small story but this story was really nice
WOW i love the Articles simple and understandable :)
I was suggested this blog by my cousin. I’m now not positive whether this publish is
written by means of him as nobody else recognise
such special about my problem. You are amazing! Thanks!
Assalamu alaikum
I am going through many difficulties and emotional stress. Please remember me your duas. I am trying to be positive. Please please remember me in your duas.
Jazakallah kheir
Every dua and recitation has its own significance and they make you feel neared to Allah. However, there are some that appeal you the most and you love saying them again and again.
salaam .
this is a very nice piece of work but I would like to have proper references for those ahadith. just saying tirmizi that is not a reference .u need to put the page number volume number n ahadit h number and then the book name
Wsalam, just saying Tirmidhi is a reference. There are multiple editions of Tirmidhi where the ahadith are organized according to the publisher. Even in APA Citations, you only need to post the author name and year published. If you want to look it up further, then please do so.
This is really nice. Can I ask a quick question. I am having a really hard time and always make dua. I know that when the gate of heaven open, dua is more likely to get accepted. What time of hour does this happen? Also I thought it was a mother dua to child that god accepts dua not father. Lastly is it guaranteed that when a mother makes a dua for her child its accepted.
Whosoever desires that Allah answers his duas in unfavorable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful dua in days of ease and comfort.
The Messenger of Allah (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “When one of you makes a supplication, he should not say, ‘If you wish.’ He should be firm in asking and he should have great hope. Allah Almighty does not think that anything that He gives is too great.‘” [Bukhari – Adab Al-Mufrad]
I am about crossing the Mediterranean sea what dua can I make please assist me if you can translated the dua to English
Assalamu alaikum Ibrahim,
I’m not aware of any specific dua for crossing the Mediterranean sea. Here is the dua for travel if that helps you: http://www.islamawareness.net/Dua/Fortress/096.html.