Tag: Dua

Dua/Supplication

Duaa or supplication is a key part of our communication with Allah SWT but it is important to remind ourselves of this, especially in a time such as this.

First of all, it is worth reminding ourselves that there is no need for asking the pious or the imam to do dua on your behalf. Every single human being is qualified to ask Allah SWT and to do dua.

In fact, there is only one criteria for having your dua answered immediately by Allah SWT and He has told us what that criteria is. It isn’t an Islamic qualification, it isn’t a set number of prayers or recitation of Quran. It is simply translated as “The one who calls”. In other words, you just have to ask, that is the only qualification for your dua to be answered immediately by Allah SWT.

The imam reminded us of ayat 186 in Sura Baqara which is translated to say:

When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺.

Dear brothers, we can see that dua is one of the easiest things for us to perform. And our Prophet SAWS educated us on all types of different duas, from waking up to eating, to working, interacting with people, sleeping. However, as important as they are, and we should all be aiming to learn those, Allah SWT has made it so easy for dua that we can simply speak to Him at any time, in any language and it will be heard.

Of course there are etiquettes to dua, they were listed today in the reminder and so it’s worth mentioning them. For example, to do dua with good intentions and begin with thanks to Allah SWT and salaam upon the Prophet SAWS. These are important etiquettes of dua but today’s reminder is on the beauty of this simple but powerful act.

We forget sometimes that our whole lives are an interaction with Allah SWT. From our tests to our blessings, from our worship to our duas. What today’s reminder is telling us is that we have a two-way conversation with Allah SWT. He converses with us through the Quran, and this is why every week in some way, the importance of us connecting to His book is mentioned. But the flip side of that conversation is the dua we perform back to Allah SWT.

And don’t forget, dua isn’t just when the times are hard. Dua is our conversation with Allah SWT so we should be doing this all the time, when things are hard and when things are easy. We should be doing dua with sincerity, with our heart and with complete conviction that our duas are heard.

That leads onto the final point with duas and the need for the supplicant to be patient. We are asking the Master of all things, who are we in comparison? And yet, we fall into the trap of losing patience with Allah SWT when we don’t see an immediate change in our lives after doing dua. Allah SWT and his Prophet SAWS remind us of the importance of patience when seeking Allah SWT’s help. Alongside this, there are countless reminders that sometimes what we ask isn’t what is best for us and that Allah SWT will replace it with something that is better for us and so we must hold onto that fact also.

Dear brothers, dua is not to be stored in a In Case of Emergency box, it is something that should be as part of our lives as breathing and eating. And by performing our acts of worship and making duas integral to our lives, we can be of those mentioned in the ayat as being guided to the right way.

Dua or Supplication

The imam referenced ayat 186 of Sura Baqara in today’s reminder which is translated to say:

When my servants question you about Me, tell them that I am very close to them. I answer the prayer of every suppliant when he calls Me; therefore, they should respond to Me and put their trust in Me, so that they may be rightly guided.

Dear brothers and sisters, the dua or supplication as it’s called, is the weapon of the believer. It is our communication back to the Lord of the Worlds. It is with us at times of struggles and difficulty and it is with us in times of tests and oppression. It is passed down all the way from Prophet Adam (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him).

Allah SWT speaks of supplication in the Quran. The imam referenced ayat 62 of Sura An-Naml which is translated to say:

Just think who answers the oppressed person when he cries out to Him and relieves his affliction, and makes you, O mankind, inheritors of the earth? Is there another god besides Allah? How little do you reflect!

Dear brothers and sisters, the prophet SAWS reminded the companions of the weapon of dua. There is a hadith in which it is reported that the prophet SAWS said dua is a form of worship and then proceeded to read ayat 60 from Sura Ghafir which says:

And your Lord says: “Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer): But those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find themselves in Hell in humiliation!”

As Muslims then we need to understand that our interaction with our Lord needs to be through supplicating to Him. However, as Muslims we also need to be reminded that the purpose for dua is not to be served by Allah SWT but to demonstrate to our Lord that we need Him and that we recognise that nothing in our lives happens without His permission.

There is sometimes a misconception in people who don’t understand that Allah SWT is not accepting their supplication. For this it is worth reminding ourselves that one’s dua being accepted does not necessarily mean being given what was asked for.

If a duā is accepted, we could receive what was asked for, or an impending calamity can be averted, or the dua can be reserved for us in the hereafter as reward. It could be that what we were asking for wasn’t in our best interests and therefore we ought to be thankful for this as Allah SWT knows best.

With this being said, the reminder concludes with 5 tips on etiquettes and guidelines to perform supplication to Allah SWT.

Make abundant dua in sacred and special times of acceptance. For example, on the day of Arafah, Jumuaa, in the month of Ramadan and in the last third of the night.
Make abundant dua in special situations. For example, we are blessed to be living in Manchester as one of the conditions is when it rains. Other conditions are when in sujood/prostration or before and after your daily prayers or when opening the fast.
To face Qiblah and to have the hands raised and voice lowered when making the dua. The lowering of the voice is to show humility in front of your Lord and thus the dua ought to be done with the head lowered too. It is also advisable to seek forgiveness of your Lord as well as the supplication that you are making to Him. This is important as it further adds to the humility we are meant to show.
To begin the dua by sending salaam upon the Prophet SAWS and to conclude the dua by sending salaam upon the Prophet SAWS. This should never be overlooked.
We shouldn’t restrict it to once only. It is advisable to ask 3 times for something from Allah SWT and in fact, since it is a form of worship as well, it makes sense to ask abundantly from Allah SWT. The imam referenced a hadith about this point in which the prophet SAWS is reported to have said:

“Whenever a Muslim supplicates Allah, He accepts his supplication or averts any similar kind of trouble from him until he prays for something sinful or something that may break the ties of kinship.” Upon this someone of the Companions said: “Then we shall supplicate plenty.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Allah is more plentiful (in responding).”

Dear brothers and sisters, the power of dua is something that ought to be at the forefront of our thoughts on tackling the life we have all been given. It is not only a means by which we mould our lives to how we wish for it to be but it is also a form of worship that Allah SWT is asking us to perform.