In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
Our Lord, in His mercy and love for the human being, has allowed believers to ask from Him, and has promised to answer them. This is a great favor of Allah.
Allah Almighty says in the Qur'an:
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ﴿١٨٦[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:186]
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. (186)
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِى سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ ﴿٦٠[Qur'an Ghaafir 40:60].
And your Lord says: Call upon Me and I will respond to your supplication. Verily those who are too arrogant to worship Me will, enter Hell in humiliation.
إِنَّ ٱللَّـهَ لَا يُخْلِفُ ٱلْمِيعَادَ ﴿٩
Indeed, Allah does not break His Promise.
Allah is the Glorious and the Mighty, the answerer of every person in need and every person with a request. Indeed Allah is free of all wants, and He is answerable to none. We have no other god, but Him, whilst He has many servants other than us.
Allah Almighty says,
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ أَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ إِلَى ٱللَّـهِ ۖ وَٱللَّـهُ هُوَ ٱلْغَنِىُّ ٱلْحَمِيدُ ﴿١٥[Qur'an Faatir 35:15]
O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy. (15)
So to fulfill our needs and wants, we must call on Him. Making Du'a to Allah, is a recognition of our weakness and His greatness.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam had said: "Ask Allah for everything, even the lace of your shoes. If Allah does not provide, it will never be available." [Ibn al-Sunni, no. 349 - hasan. Supported by at-Tirmidhi 4/298 and others.]
And let not there be anyone who says: "... my Lord won't answer my prayer, because of this and that.. or because of so and so..". No! Indeed Allah is the Most Generous King. Is there anyone who met a king, and praised and glorified him, and then asked, yet the request was not granted? So what about Allah, the King of the Heavens and the Earth - who has total control over your life, your wealth and your future. Why would He not grant you your request? Indeed, our beloved Prophet had said: "Verily your Lord is the One modest and Generous, and when His servant raises his hands to Him in supplication, He is diffident (in some wordings, shy or hesitant) from returning them empty." [Ahmad, Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi - Hasan]
WHY DUAs ARE NOT ANSWERED?
The supplication that is offered by a person whose sustenance and livelihood are from haraam (unlawful) sources being answered will seem remote, as stated eloquently in this part of a hadeeth. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam made mention of: "a person who, travels widely, his hair is disheveled and covered with dust. "He stretches his hands up to the sky (supplicating), 'O Lord, O Lord' but his diet is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothes are unlawful, and his nourishment is unlawful. How then can his supplication be answered?" [Muslim].
Indeed Allah, the Most High, is good and accepts only that which is good. Allah has ordered the believers to do that which He commanded the Messengers.
Allah Almighty says,
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلرُّسُلُ كُلُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَٱعْمَلُوا۟ صَـٰلِحًا ۖ إِنِّى بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٥١[Qur'an al-Mu'minun 23:51]
[Allah said], "O messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness. Indeed, I, of what you do, am Knowing. (51)
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُلُوا۟ مِن طَيِّبَـٰتِ مَا رَزَقْنَـٰكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِلَّـهِ إِن كُنتُمْ إِيَّاهُ تَعْبُدُونَ ﴿١٧٢[Qur'an al-Baqarah 2:172]
O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship. (172)
How many Muslims do we know who deal with Riba (interest), who sell alcohol, who eat all types of haraam food, who care little where their money comes from? Such people, apart from incurring the wrath of Allah, would have all their supplications unanswered. What a desperate and terrible state they are in!
When a person does not enjoin the good and forbid the evil, his du'a being answered will seem distant. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said (in the meaning), "By Him in Whose hand my soul is, you must enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil, or Allah will certainly send punishment from Himself unto you. Then you will make supplication and not receive an answer." [at–Tirmidhi].
One must be sincere in his du'a (supplication), so he turns to Allah, the One free from all imperfections with an attentive heart, being truthful in his turning to Him, knowing that Allah - the Most Perfect, the Most High - is capable of answering his du'a (supplication) and hoping that the du'a will be answered.
During du'a, the caller should feel that he is in need of Allah, the Most Perfect, the Most High in fact in dire need; and that only Allah alone answers the supplication of the one in distress and the One who removes evil.
"... And know that Allah does not answer a supplication that comes from a careless and inattentive heart." [At–Tirmidhi]
Alongside with the du'a, the servant appends to this fear and reverence in the heart, beseeching his Lord in a state of humility and submissiveness. He faces the Qibla (direction towards the Ka'bah) and is in a state of purity, he raises his hands to Allah and begins by praising (with the Basmala) and extolling Him, then he invokes peace and blessings upon Muhammad, His servant and Messenger sallallahu alayhi wassallam. He precedes mentioning his need by seeking forgiveness from Allah and then he earnestly and sincerely makes his request as one who is needy and impoverished, supplicating to Him out of hope and fear. He seeks the means of getting close to Him by mentioning His Names and Attributes and making the religion sincerely for Him Alone. A soft heart and tears are the best weapons of a human being in his quest to achieve nearness to Allah. When one prays emotionally, the Du'a is very sincere and acceptance is assured. Before making supplication he gives in charity. Have confidence that Allah will answer your prayers. A Hadith says, Whenever you recite Du'a, assume that what you need is at the door.
If the conditions and certain etiquette of du'a are satisfied, then the supplication will never be rejected, especially if the servant employs the supplications that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wassallam informed us would be accepted or if his supplication includes mention of Allah’s Greatest Name.
Sometimes du'a is not answered in the way the supplicant expects. Allah is more noble than to tell His servants to ask from Him, and then reject their du`a. Many Ahadith tell us of how Allah always answers the supplicant, and is pleased with Him. A believer who prays and asks from Allah, is guaranteed one of three things: Either his du`a is answered immediately, or he is given a reward for it for the Hereafter, or a difficulty is averted from him. If the du'a is not answered in the exact manner asked, it maybe that he has been protected from an evil which is greater than what he has asked for, or Allah stores it for him until the Day of Resurrection, and he then gets a greater reward.
The one supplicating should not express dissatisfaction if his du'a is not being answered, for this action in itself is a reason for the du'a not being answered - as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam said: "A servants du'a continues to be answered as long as be does not ask for anything sinful or breaking the ties of relations, and as long as be does not become impatient. " It was said: How does one become impatient O Messenger of Allah? He said: He says: I have supplicated, I have supplicated, yet it has not been answered. He therefore becomes despondent and abandons supplicating. " So it is not befitting that the one supplicating should become impatient about being answered, then become disappointed and despondent, and thereby abandon making du'a Rather, one should call upon Allah, since every du'a you make to Allah is an act of worship, which brings you closer to Him and increases your reward.
Make du'a (supplication) in all your affairs, be it general or specific, in difficulty and in ease. Don't be impatient over the acceptance of du'a.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam warned us by saying, (in the meaning), "Your supplication is answered as long as you are not hasty, he (the supplicant) says I have supplicated but was not granted (what I asked for)." [Agreed Upon].
ٱدْعُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً ۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُعْتَدِينَ ﴿٥٥﴾ وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـٰحِهَا وَٱدْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا ۚ إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ ٱللَّـهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ ﴿٥٦[Qur'an Al-A'raf 7:55-56]
Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors. (55) And cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. And invoke Him in fear and aspiration. Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good. (56)
Du'a is the weapon of the believer, and the pillar of faith, and the light of the heavens and the earth.
Know that He who owns the treasures of the skies and the earth has permitted you to pray to Him, and has promised you acceptance of the prayer. He has commanded you to beg of Him in order that He may give you, and to seek His mercy in order that He may have mercy on you. He has opened for you the door of repentance. Therefore whenever you call Him, He hears your call, and whenever you whisper to Him, He knows the whisper. You place before him your needs, unveil before Him yourself, complain to Him for your worries, beseech Him to remove your troubles, seek His help in your affairs, and ask from the treasures of His mercy what no-one else has the power to give, namely long life, health of body, and increase of livelihood.
Allah loves the believers who ask from Him, and supplicate constantly.
قُلْ مَا يَعْبَؤُا۟ بِكُمْ رَبِّى لَوْلَا دُعَآؤُكُمْ ۖ فَقَدْ كَذَّبْتُمْ فَسَوْفَ يَكُونُ لِزَامًۢا ﴿٧٧[Qur'an Al-Furqan 25:77]
Say, "What would my Lord care for you if not for your supplication?" For you [disbelievers] have denied, so your denial is going to be adherent. (77)
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam has said that on the Day of Judgement, two men with very similar deeds will enter Heaven. One of them will see that the other is granted a rank above him. He will ask Allah: "My Lord! We have the same actions. Why have you preferred him over me"? Allah will reply, "He asked from Me, and you did not".
May Allah grant us steadfastness and tawfiq to the highest station. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakum Allahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
No comments:
Post a Comment