The Duty Of �Du�a�

Allah Ta'ala loves that we beseech Him.
And your Lord said: "Ask Me, I will respond to your (invocation). Verily, those who scorn My worship (i.e. do not invoke Me because of their disbelief) they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!" (Surah Ghafir 40:60)

Does Allah Ta'ala not know the condition of the temperament and the desires of every Muslim? Definitely, He knows! So, should one sit back with this thought, "Allah Ta'ala knows everything, so what shall I say to Him and what should I place before Him? He already knows everything!!"

However, what is the order given by Allah Ta'ala?

The order is "Ask of Me! Become beggars! Present your requests in Our Court! Disclose your desires!" And, if you were not to do so, and you do not speak, Allah Ta'ala is displeased at this. "Oho! You have become very independent! You have become very proud!" The command is that there should be no reliance on the creation, however for the mu'min's (believer's) heart to be independent of Allah Ta'ala...? This is forbidden!

Look! If it was not necessary to ask, than Rasulullah (sallal lahu alaihi wa sallam) would not have asked! Yet, he asked much more from Allah Ta'ala than we ask, even though he knew how much Allah Ta'ala loved him, such that He had given him the title of "Habib", the meaning of which is "Mahbub" - one who is greatly loved.

Rasulullah (sallal lahu alaihi wa sallam) kept on asking time and again, and asked for every type of thing, and would then add:
"O Allah! This is my supplication and it is upon You to accept it!"

Qabul e Dua - the first meaning - acceptance of the request
If the ruler of a state instructs, "Put your request in these words", then one is assured that the request will surely be accepted. So what when Allah Ta'ala, The Mighty, The Wise, has taught and commanded us in His Kalam (i.e. Al-Quran):

For forgiveness to say -

"My Lord! Forgive and have mercy, for You are the Best of all those who show mercy!" (Surah Al-Mu'minun 23: 118)

"Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us; our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us..." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 286)

For Success to say-

"Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!" (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 201)

For parents to say-

"My Lord! Bestow on both of them Your Mercy as they cared for me when I was little." (Surah Al-Isra 17: 24)

So, if the requests are made in those very words, will the requests not be granted? Definitely, they will be granted. The manifestation (zuhur) of the du'a is however a different issue.
However, beware! Should a mu'min ask for haram (forbidden) things? Impermissible things? For the mu'min, there is no question that he will ask for forbidden things, but he should keep on putting forward his legitimate needs.

Remember for always: The request has been accepted at that time when the request was presented. This is the first meaning of "qabul".

Qabul e Dua - the second meaning - manifestation of the request

When, where and how will the acceptance manifest? In the answer is the concept of tafwidh (to entrust) followed by taslim (to accept) the anjam (the result). And remember that this tafwidh and taslim are amongst the personal rights (zati haqq) of Allah Ta'ala upon the mu'min bondsman.

Thus, du'a definitely gets accepted, but when, where and in which manner, we do not know. This is the meaning of tafwidh. This is the meaning of - " I am entrusting my affair to Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Seer of (His) slaves." (Surah Ghafir 40: 44). In adopting tafwidh there is comfort and solace for the mu'min and also tranquillity (tasalli, taskin aur sukun).

Manifestation in three ways

The du'a may manifest in this dunya (world) in the following two ways:
Firstly, the results are seen according to the item that had been asked for. Secondly, it may not result in exactly the same way but it is substituted by something else in a different manner. Or it may not manifest in the world at all, not at any time and not in any way, in which case, what will happen? O mu'min, do you acknowledge the existence only of this world and not the hereafter? So, thirdly, the result of the du'a will manifest in the akhirah (hereafter).

How will it manifest? It will manifest in a manner that will be of great benefit. The mu'min humbly raises his hands in du'a to Allah Ta'ala because of being in need. So, as one is in need in this world, so, in the alame-akhirat (hereafter), one will be many, many times in greater need. Is that not so? Therefore, Allah Ta'ala, through wisdom and expediency, has taken into consideration the mu'min's utmost benefit in that world, and has accumulated for him over there, in the following manner:
Allah Ta'ala will grant him some elevated stages over there. The bandah (abd Allah) mu'min will exclaim, "What is all this for? I never did any such deeds to deserve this!" Allah Ta'ala will say, "Did you not ask for such and such a thing?" The bandah (slave of Allah) mu'min will reply, "Yes, I did." "Did you receive it?" "No, I did not." Allah Ta'ala will then say, "I have accumulated it here for you!"
In today's terminology, one would call it putting money in a bank. When money is placed in the bank, you get more than the amount you put in. Here in this world the question will arise whether the additional amount is halal or haram. However, over there Allah Ta'ala will grant him double, triple, quadruple and even more!

"...So that He may multiply it many times." (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 245).
What he will receive will be totally and completely pure (tayyib). When the bandah mu'min will witness what high stages he has attained, as a reward for the tafwidh and taslim he had adopted in the world at the time when he did not receive what he had asked for, he will exclaim,
" O! Allah! It would have been better if You had not accepted any of my requests in the world from the aspect of manifestation so that I would have reaped everything here. What I received in the dunya was fani (marked for destruction), whereas this is baqi (everlasting)."

Extracted from the Majlis of Hadhrat Maseehul Ummah held in Jalalabad on Tuesday, the 14th of Shaban 1412, corresponding to the 8th of February 1992.
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The Duty Of �Du�a�

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