Tag: supplication

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.

Supplication in the life of Muslims

Dear brothers and sisters, there is no doubt everyone will go through difficulties and obstacles in their lives, and everyone would have their own method of trying to resolve the issue, some using their senses while others using superstition, and none of this will help when its mostly needed

However, the weapon that we as Muslims, have been given by Allah SWT, is a spiritual weapon, the Duaa or Supplication as it’s called, and being truthful with ourselves when asking Him for his help.

The dua is a successful weapon that no one can take away from you, and have been told to use it often as Allah SWT loves those who ask of Him.

The imam referenced Sura Al-Ghafir ayat 60 regarding today’s point. It is translated to say:

And your Lord says, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.

And Sura Baqarah, ayat 186 which is translated to say:

And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.

Dear brothers and sisters, there is nothing more noble to Allah SWT than supplication. This is advice given to us by the Prophet SAWS and so we ought to make the most of this in our interaction with our Lord.

And alongside that we have been taught that there are times in our lives where the supplication is more potent than others. Some of these were mentioned in the reminder such as during the last third of the night, during the rainfall, when in prostration in prayer to name just a few.

We also need to address the point that is sometimes made of Divine Decree. Some might say that our lives are already pre-planned and that there is little point in supplication for change as the future is already written. This is not the case and this belief is a misconception.

The imam mentioned the following hadith in relation to this point in which the Prophet SAWS said:

Nothing extends one’s life span but righteousness, nothing averts the Divine Decree but supplication, and nothing deprives a man of provision but the sin that he commits.

Dear brothers and sisters, we need to understand that we have a key to success at our disposal and that we are ultimately in control of our own destiny by the power of supplication to Allah SWT.

However, we also need to know that with everything in our deen, there is a method and an etiquette to asking of our Lord and that is the conclusion of today’s reminder.

What concludes then are steps we ought to take to ensure that we supplicate to Allah SWT in the correct manner.

We start with a pure intention, by this we aim to ask for good and not bad towards ourselves or anyone else.
We begin through humility, we face the Qibla, raise our hands and ask of Allah SWT with full conviction and belief that only He is the one who can answer our supplications.
We begin by thanking Allah SWT and for sending salaam upon the Prophet SAWS. There is no more beautiful way than by being grateful for what we have before asking Allah SWT for more.
We ask Allah SWT for forgiveness for our shortcomings when asking Him for help and assistance. This only makes sense as we must show we are worthy of what we are asking Him for.
We be specific in the duas we ask, not generic duas, speak in the language we are comfortable with and invoke Allah SWT through his 99 names if we know them, in context of what we are asking such as Al-Razzaq for prosperity.

Dear brothers and sisters, this is the manner in which we ought to be seeking help from our Lord. It needs to be given time, attention, care and consideration. After all, this is the direct communication we are having with Allah SWT.

Ask yourself, next time you are doing a supplication. Are you simply running through the motions of doing the act of supplication or are you really feeling like you are stood, as a humble slave, in front of Allah SWT and asking him for His help? This is the level we need to reach if we are to perform this act to the best of our ability.

Alongside that, the act of supplication ought to be backed up by our actions outside of it. Things such as doing good deeds, repeating the supplication often, asking for others as well as for yourself, doing extra acts of worship, acquiring a halal income. All these things have an effect on how our supplications are answered by Allah SWT.

Lastly, we need to be mindful of the fact that our duas are answered. They are answered in one of two ways:

Yes, but not yet. This is then an act of practicing patience and trusting in Allah SWT.

Or no, but something better will be given instead. This is then an act of humility and knowing Allah SWT knows what is better for us than we know ourselves.

We know this because as the imam reminded us, the Prophet SAWS said:

“The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient and say (for example): ‘I supplicated my Rubb but my prayer has not been granted’.”

Dear brothers and sisters, supplication is the biggest blessing we have in this life. Lets perfect its method so that we can take full advantage of it as well as pleasing Allah SWT in being grateful and reliant slaves of His.

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.