Importance of making Du�a

Bismillah irahman irahim

DUA: OUR LORD AND TO YOU IS PRAISE, MANY GOOD BLESSED PRAISES TO HIM

Source of the dua: Hadith In Sahih Al-Bukhari and others Rafa`a bin Rafie` Az-Zirqi said: "One day we were praying behind the Prophet Muhammed ~ peace be upon him ~ and when he raised his head from the position of ruku` he said: 'Sami Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears whoever praises Him") A man from behind said: 'Rabbanna wa lakkal hamd -- hamdan katheeran tayyiban mubarakan fih (Our Lord, and to You is Praise -- many good blessed praises to Him'. When we finished (the salat) the Prophet Muhammed ~ peace be upon him ~ said: 'Who spoke?' The man said: 'I did'. He said, indeed I saw some 30-something Angels all scuffling to see which one of them could record it." [ You can probably find it under the Book of Knowledge or Iman. Also try Riyadh As Saaliheen - angels. Or try the sections of dua books that list the du'as that can be said during ruku and sajdah. Or the Book of Invocations in all the "Sahihs" - the kutub as sitta. In checking my favorite dua book, I find that it only says Al-Bukhari and Muslim and they translate it as "Allah hears the one who praises Him. Our Lord, all praise is due to You - praise which is abundant, excellent and blessed." This book is "The Muslim Supplication throughout the Day and Night" Collected and Arranged by Siddiqah Sharafuddeen.

SOME COMPREHENSIVE SUPPLICATIONS
Volume 4 Number 133a (Fiqh-us-Sunnah)

'Aishah says that the Prophet, peace be upon him, loved the short but comprehensive, meaningful supplications, more than others. We give below some of these supplications, which are a must for every believer.

Anas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, frequently prayed, "O Allah, give us all the good of this world, and the good of the life hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the fire."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, visited one of the Muslims who had become as feeble as a chicken, and inquired about his health. Allah's Messenger, peace be him, asked, "Did you supplicate Allah for anything or beg Him for it?" He replied, "Yes, I asked in these words, 'O, God punish me in this world with the punishment that You are going to inflict on me in the Hereafter'." Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, remarked, "Hallowed be Allah! You have neither the power nor the forbearance to take upon yourself the burden of Allah's punishment. Why did you not say this, 'O Allah, grant us all the good of the world, and all the good of the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of the fire?"' Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, made this supplication for him and he was all right. (Muslim)

Sa'd ibn Abu Waqqas heard his son praying, "O Allah, I ask You for Paradise and its blessings and its pleasure, and for such-and-such, and such-and-such. I seek refuge in You from Hell, from its chains, from its collars, and from such-and-such, and from such-and-such." At this Sa'd said, "You have asked Allah for a lot of good, and sought His refuge from a lot of evil. I heard Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, saying, 'There will be people who will exaggerate in supplication. For you it is sufficient to say, "O Allah, I seek from You all the good, whether I know it or I do not know it, and I seek Your refuge from all the evil, whether I know it or I do not know it.' (Ahmad and Nasa'i)

'Abdallah ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed to Allah, "My Lord, help me and do not turn against me. Grant me victory, and do not grant victory over me. Plan on my behalf and do not plan against me. Guide me, and make the guidance easy for me. Grant me victory over those who act wrongfully toward me. O Allah, make me grateful to You, mindful of You, in awe of You, devoted to your obedience,humble, penitent, and ever turning to You in repentance. My Lord, accept my repentance, wash away my sins, answer my supplication, clearly establish my evidence, guide my heart, make my tongue true, and draw out malice from my breast."

Zaid ibn Arqam said, "I am not going to say anything except what Allah's Messenger, may peace be upon him, used to say. He used to supplicate, 'O Allah, I seek refuge in You from incapacity, from sloth, from cowardice, from miserliness, from old age, and from the torment of the grave. O Allah, grant my soul righteousness, and purify it, for You are the Best Purifier. You are the Protecting friend, and Guardian. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that does not fear You, from a soul that is uncontented, and from supplication to which You do not respond." (Muslim)

The Prophet, peace be upon him, exclaimed to his Companions, "O people, would you like to be serious in your supplications?" They replied, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger." He said, "Then ask Him, 'O Allah, help us in remembering You, in offering thanks to You, and in worshipping You properly'.' (Al-Hakim)

Ahmad reports that the Prophet, peace be upon him, advised: "Recite frequently, "Ya dha al-jalali w al-ikram (O, Possessor of Majesty and sublimity)"'.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also used to say, "O Controller of the Hearts, make my heart firm in Your faith. The balance is in the hands of the Beneficent, the Exalted, the Mighty, and He honors some and brings others low thereby. (Ahmad)
Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to supplicate, "O Allah, I seek refuge in You against deprivation of Your bounties, against loosing Your security, against the suddenness of Your wrath, and against everything that might cause Your anger."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say, "O Allah, benefit me with what You have taught me, and teach me what is beneficial for me, and increase me in knowledge. Thanks be to Allah under all circumstances, and I seek Allah's refuge from the plight of the people of the fire.' (At-Tirmidhi)

When (his daughter) Fatimah came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, asking him to give her a servant, he said, "Say, 'O Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens, and the magnificent throne, our Lord and the Lord of all things, the Revealer of the Torah, Injil, and the Qur'an, The Splitter and Grower of the seed grain and date stone, I seek Your refuge against the evil of all things that You hold under Your control. You are the First, there is nothing before You. You are the Last, and there is nothing after You. You are the Manifest and there is nothing above You, You are Innermost and there is nothing beyond You. Remove the burden of debt from us and relieve us from want'.' (Muslim)

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also used to supplicate, "O Allah, I beseech You for guidance, virtuousness, chastity, and detachment from the world."

'Abdallah Ibn 'Umar reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, seldom left an assembly without using these supplications for his Companions: "O Allah, apportion to us the fear of You that will stand between us and acts of disobedience to You, and the obedience to You that will bring us to Your Paradise, and the certainty sufficient for You to make the calamities of this world easy for us. Grant us enjoyment of our hearing, our sight, and our power as long as You grant us life, and do the same for those who inherit from us. Grant us victory over those who have wronged us and help us against those who are hostile to us. Let no calamity befall our din, do not let worldly affairs become our greatest concern or all that we know about, and do not let those rule over us who do not show us mercy." (Reported by Tirmidhi, who considers it a sound hadith)

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "There is no-one who is afflicted by distress and grief, and says: 'Allaahumma inni 'abduka ibn 'abdika ibn amatija naasyati bi yadika, maada fiyya hukmuka, 'adlun fiyya qadaa'uka. As'aluka BI kulli ismin huwa laka sammayta bihi nafsaka aw anzaltahu fi kitaabika aw 'allamtahu ahadan min khalqika aw ista'tharta bihi fi 'ilm il-ghayb 'indaka an taj'al al-Qur'aana rabee' qalbi wa noor sadri wa jalaa' huzni wa dhihaab hammi (O Allah, I am Your slave, son of Your slave, son of Your maidservant; my forelock is in Your hand, Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree over me is just. I ask You by every name belonging to You which You have named Yourself with, or revealed in Your Book, or You taught to any of Your creation, or You have preserved in the knowledge of the Unseen with You, that You make the Qur'an the life of my heart and the light of my breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release for my anxiety),' but Allaah will take away his distress and grief, and replace it with joy." He was asked: "O Messenger of Allaah, should we learn this?" He said: "Of course; everyone who hears it should learn it."

QUNOOT-I-NAAZILAH

It is narrated by Hazrat Anas RA in the 'Sahihain': "Nabi (saws) sent 70 'Qurra' (those Ulama who are experts in the recitation of the Holy Qur'an) Sahaba-Kiram RA as teachers. On the way, two tribes of Banu Sulaim, Ra`al and Zakwan, committed treachery and martyred all of them. The Nabi (saws) was greatly grieved by this incident and he called down the wrath of Allah upon those cruel people by reciting 'Qunut-i-Nazila' for one whole month in the Fajr salat. This was the beginning of 'Qunut-i-Nazila', before this incident we didn't know it."

Due to this action of the Nabi (saws) this Sunnah has been going on and whenever Muslims are faced with a great tragedy or affliction 'Qunut-i-Nazila' is recited. 'Nazila' means 'great calamity'.

The Masa'il of Qunut-i-Nazila are as follows:

1. Qunut-i-Nazila is only recited in the Fajr salat after the 'ruku' of the second 'rakah'

2. Qunut-i-Nazila is recited loudly. Imam should recite the 'du`a' in a loud voice and 'muqtadi' should go on saying 'aameen' softly

3. While reciting Qunut-i-Nazila hands should not be raised in front of the chest like in a 'du`a', but they should be kept folded under the navel(Extracts from 'Aalaa-i-Sunan'; Appendix 'Baqiyyatul-Ahkaam-i-Qunut-i-Nazila p.114-124, v.6)

Apart from this, other such Du`a's can also be recited which does not resemble people's talk (Jali Kabir; p.398; Publishers Mujtabai, Delhi)

Nowadays, atrocities and conspiracies by the two ring-leaders of Kufr, America and Russia, against two honourable and sovereign Muslim countries, Afghanistan and Chechnya, are at their peak. Therefore, Aimma-i-Kiraam should supplicate by adding the imprecation against these two enemies and muqtadis should say 'aameen' on it. Supplications by oppressed people make even the 'Arsh' tremble.

Nabi (saws) used to imprecate the mushrikeen by taking the names of each of their tribes. If we also revive this Sunnah then its not impossible that Allah Ta`ala's 'Rahmah' will become activated and He will send His wrath upon these enemies of Islam and Muslims.

SUPPLICATION FOR BELIEVERS WHO ARE NOT PRESENT

Allah subhana wa Ta'ala says: "And as for those who came after them, they say "O Lord forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in belief, and do not put into our hearts any rancor towards those who believe. Our Lord, surely You are the All-Gentle, the All-Compassionate." [59:10]

Muslim transmitted from the Hadith of Abu Darda that Rasulullah Shallallahu alahi wa sallam said: "A supplication which a Muslim man makes secretly for his brother is answered. At his head is a guardian angel. Whenever he makes supplication for good for his brother, the angel who guards him says "Ameen, and the same for you."

THE SUPPLICATION OF THE MUSLIM

Ahul Qur'an wa Sunnah Association In a time when the turmoil in the Middle East is escalating and the number of Muslims that are dying is increasing, the Muslims who are in other lands ask themselves what they can do to help their helpless and defenseless brothers and sisters overseas. Perhaps we have heard it over and over again that we must remember them in our du'a (supplication) and we should ask Allah to give them victory over their oppressors, and we have felt that this is not sufficient. But the reality is that one should not readily dismiss the du'a as an unacceptable means for supporting the Muslim cause. Indeed the Du'a is one of the most powerful of characteristics that Allah has granted to this ummah. Did you not see the Prophet (PBUH) supplicating against His enemies, such as the time when some polytheists of Makkah put camel feces on his back while he was in sujood (prostration to Allaah? And what was the result except that the Prophet's Du'a brought fear into the hearts of the disbelieves and they met their swift demise on the battlefield in the battle of Badr. So how can we not be content with the du'a Indeed, it shows a lack of Iman on the part of the Muslim when he turns away from asking Allah and instead rallies in front of the Kuffar leaders asking them for justice! Don't you know that a Muslim's Du'a to Allah is answered? Does not Allah say: "And your Lord says: 'Call unto Me, I will respond to you. Verily those who turn in pride away from worshipping Me, they will enter the Hellfire in disgrace"? [Surah Ghaafir: 60] So He has connected His response with His being asked.

And know O Muslims, that no matter how advanced the technology and warfare of the kufaar is, there is one weapon that they can never lay their hands on. Indeed, it is the du'a Neither the M-16 rifle nor the atomic bomb will ever be a match against the Du'a Allaah says: "And the supplication of the disbelieves is nothing but in vain." [Surah Ghaafir: 50] So the du'a of the disbelieves is not accepted by Allah. But rather, it is the Du'a of the Believers that Allah listens to and responds to. So O Muslims, let us do what is in our ability to support our brothers who are being oppressed at the hands of the disbelieves And let us not neglect or underestimate the power of the Du'a, thinking that it is something trivial and ineffective. By Allah, the Du'a has effects that we cannot even begin to imagine.

The supplication is from the most beneficial of cures The supplication is from the most beneficial of cures and it is an enemy to tribulations. It suppresses and cures them. It prevents them from being caught and it removes or alleviates them, if they are caught. And it is the weapon of the believer, as Al-Haakim has reported in his Saheeh from the hadeeth of 'Alee Ibn Abee Taalib, that the Messenger of Allah SAWS said: "The supplication is the weapon of the believer, a pillar of the Religion and the light of the heavens and the earth."

The supplication has three stations in regards to tribulations (From Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah)

The supplication has three stations in regards to tribulations. The first is that it is stronger than the trial and thus suppresses it. The second is that it is weaker than the trial and therefore the trial becomes even stronger upon him. And the third is that they are both equivalent in their strength and each one of them refrains the other.

Al-Haakim reported in his Saheeh on 'Aa'ishah RAA that the Messenger of Allah SAWS said: "It is of no benefit to be cautious against what has been decreed. The supplication benefits from what was sent down and what was not sent down. And verily, the tribulation will descend and be encountered by the supplication and thus be remedied by it, up until the Day of Judgment"

From the hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar, he SAWS also said: "The supplication benefits from what was revealed and what was not revealed. So, O servants of Allaah, stick to the supplication!"

Also, from the hadeeth of Thawbaan, the Prophet SAWS said: "Nothing repels Al-Qadr (Divine preordainment) except the supplication. And nothing increases one in age, except piety. And indeed, the individual will be forbidden (his) provision due to a sin that befalls him."

The Times of Acceptance

When the presence of the heart combines with the supplication and it (heart) associates all of itself with the thing that is being sought. And it coincides with one of the six times in which the supplication is answered, and they are: The last third of the night During the Athaan Between the Athaan and the Iqaamah After each of the obligatory prayers At the time when the Imaam ascends the mimbar on Jumu'ah until the prayer is finished for that day And the final hour after the ASR prayer And it coincides with humility (khushoo') in the heart, and its (heart's) contrition in the presence of the Lord, being humbled to Him, imploring and with graciousness.

And when the one supplicating faces the Qiblah and he is in a state of purity. And he raises his hands to Allah and begins with the praising and extolling of Allah. And he repeats that along with the sending of Salaah upon Muhammad (PBUH), His slave and His Messenger. And he presents his need along with repentance and the seeking of forgiveness. And he enters into the presence of Allah and urges Him concerning his affair. And he flatters Him and invokes Him, with hope and fear. And he finds a way (of drawing close) to Him through His names, His attributes and His Oneness (Tawheed).

And he presents a charity in the presence of Allah, and then indeed, this is the type of supplication which will never be rejected. This is especially if it is in accordance with the supplications that the Prophet R has informed us are most likely to be accepted or those which contain the greatest names (of Allah).

The supplication is from the strongest means

Therefore, the supplication is from the strongest means for attaining something. Thus, since the thing that is being supplicated for is decreed in relation to the supplication, it is not correct for one to say "There is no benefit in the supplication". This is just as one saying there is no benefit in eating, drinking and all of the other actions and deeds. And there is no means, which is neither more beneficial nor more able to attain that which is sought, other than the supplication. 'Umar sought victory through the supplication Since the Sahaabah were the most knowledgeable of this nation (of Muslims) concerning Allah and His Messenger (PBUH) and the most understanding from them of His Religion, they were the most steadfast upon this means, its conditions and its manners, than anyone else.

'Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab RAA would seek victory through it against his enemies, while he possessed the greatest of armies. And he RAA would say to his companions: "You will not achieve victory from large numbers. You will only achieve victory from the heavens."

And he would say: "Indeed, I do not carry the yearning for being answered, but instead the yearning for the supplication. So when you seek the supplication, then indeed, the response is with it."

Consequently, whosoever seeks after the supplication, then he (automatically) desires by it the response, for indeed Allah says: "Call on Me, I will respond to you."

And He says: "And when My slaves ask you concerning Me, then (say), I am indeed near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls on Me." And in the Sunan of Ibn Maajah from the hadeeth of Abu Hurairah, the Messenger of Allaah R said: "Whosoever does not ask of Allaah, He becomes angry with him." This indicates that His contentment is in His being asked and His being obeyed. And when the Lord is pleased, then every good is within his pleasure, just as every trial and tribulation is within His anger.

The Supplication of the Muslim is answered [from Saleem Al-Hilaalee)

In the previously quoted saying of the Prophet SAWS, there is proof that the supplication is a request from the Divine One through which His contentment is attained. This is since the abandonment of asking Allah out of pride and self-dependence is not permissible with respect to the Self-sufficient, the Most Praiseworthy.

A poet took the meaning of this Hadith and put it into poetic form saying: "Allah becomes angry when you abandon asking him, but you see that when the Son of Adam is asked something, he gets angry."

Therefore, Allah loves from His Servants that they ask Him and that they turn towards Him and that they manifest their destitution and lowness. And He has made it a duty upon Himself to not send them back disappointed and empty-handed, as we have been informed of by his Messenger SAWS: "There is not a Muslim upon the earth that calls upon Allah with a supplication except that Allaah gives him it or He removes some evil of equal proportion from him, so long as he doesn't supplicate for something sinful or to sever family ties."

So a man amongst the people said: "So then we will ask numerous (akthar) things of Him."

He SAWS said: "Allah is akthar (Able to respond numerous requests)."

In this is a sufficient clarification of the fact that Allah guarantees the answering of the supplications. This is however, according to its conditions. Thus, we shall go into detail with the discussion concerning it, its description, condition, its time, its place and its etiquettes, as well as what is contrary to that.