Class 8 – Duaa
‘Duaa’
(MENTIONED 100+ TIMES IN THE QURAN)
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
And your Lord said: Call upon Me; I will respond to you (40:60)
Dua is Worship
Verily, man has been created for a noble and great purpose — in fact, the most noble and dignified goal that can exist — and that is that he may worship Allah alone, without any partners. Allah has said in the Qur’an: And I have only created jinn and mankind to worship Me.
And amongst the most noble form of worship is dua. It is a plea from the very heart of a believer directed towards Allah — the Hearer of all things, the Knower of all secrets. It is a confession that emanates from the heart of a believer that he is weak and help- less, that he cannot achieve anything without Allah’s help and aid. It is an implicit affirmation of every single Name and Attribute of Allah, for it affirms that Allah is the Creator, the Sustainer, the Controller of all Affairs, the Hearer, the Seer, the Merciful, the Great, the All-Powerful, the Ever-Capable. The concept of du’ a entails complete submission to Allah, and perfect recognition of His right to be worshipped. It also consigns man to his proper status — a poor, created being, who has no control of any matter by himself, but rather he is the one that is controlled. It is a confirmation and attestation from the worshiper that he is in need of his Creator at every instance, and that Allah is independent of any need from him. It shows that man is in a dire state of poverty towards his Lord, and that he cannot live without Him in any circumstance. In fact, his need for his Lord is more than his need for food, drink and air, for it is his Lord that provides him with all this and more. In particular, he is in need of continual guidance from His Lord, and this is, the most important of all his needs, and the most noble of all his wants.
In a way, Dua is the essence of worship. This can be seen by imagining the condition of one making dua – a worshiper repenting from his sins, humiliated in front of His Lord, in a state of fear, submitting himself to the will of Allah, earnestly desiring Allah’s rewards, raising his hands, turning to Allah with the best of hopes from Him, exemplifying the statement of Allah. “Verily, they used to hasten to do good deeds, and they used to make du a to Us with hope and fear, and used to humble them-selves before Us.” (Surah al-Anbiya, 90)
Such a person makes du a, keeping in mind the promise that Allah has given him, hopeful of achieving that promise: And your Lord has said: “Call upon me, and I will answer you! Verily, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell in humiliation.” “ (Surah Ghafir, 60)
The Prophet ﷺ said: “The supplication, is worship.” Then he ﷺ recited: (the above Ayah).” (Tirmidhi, classed as Sahih).
In this verse, Allah has equated du’a with worship, for He commanded His servants to make du’a to Him, and then stated that whoever is too arrogant to worship Him will enter the Fire of Hell So from this it is understood that the worship referred to in this verse actually means dua.
One of the benefits that are obtained by realising that dua is a form of worship is that the manner and procedure of du a must only be taken from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Just as a person cannot use his mind or whims to decide how to pray or fast, so too must he restrain himself to the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah when it comes to the manner and etiquette of dua.
To make dua to other than Allah is pure Shirk (associating partners with Allah), which is the one sin that Allah will not forgive. Allah says in the Quran,
“Say (O Muhammad): “I make du a only to my Lord (Allah alone), and I associate none as partners along with Him.” (Surah Al Jinn 20)
MAKE DUA – HE LOVES BEING ASKED
Allah has named Himself Al-Mujeeb, which means the One who responds. Allaah loves to be asked, and He encourages that in all things. He is angry with the one who does not ask of Him and He encourages His slaves to ask of Him. Throughout the Quran, Our Lord encourages the believers to call on Him, He asks us to lay our dreams, hopes, fears, and uncertainties before Him and to be sure that He hears every word. Islam encourages us to make a lot of du’aa’, and not to be hasty in seeking a response. That is because du’aa’ is a great act of worship which is beloved to Allaah.
CONDITIONS FOR DUAS BEING ACCEPTED
There are many conditions of du’aa’, including the following:
1. You should call upon no one except Allaah.
وَأَنَّ ٱلۡمَسَـٰجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدۡعُواْ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ أَحَدً۬ا
“And the mosques are for Allaah (Alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allaah” [al-Jinn 72:18]
The Prophet ﷺ said: “If you ask, then ask of Allaah, and if you seek help, then seek the help of Allaah.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2516; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’.
This is the most important condition of du’aa’, without which no du’aa’ will be accepted and no good deed taken up. There are some people who make du’aa’ to the dead and regard them as intermediaries between them and Allaah. They claim that these righteous people will bring them closer to Allaah and intercede for them with Him, and they claim that their sins are so great that they have no status before Allaah, and that is why they set up these intermediaries and pray to them instead of Allaah. But Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor)” [al-Baqarah 2:186]
2. The Realisation that Only Allah Responds to Dua
This is the essence of one’s faith. A person must believe fully that only Allah is capable of hearing his prayer, and only Allah has the power to grant him what he desires. This is the essence of one’s belief. The Quran mentions this fact in many verses, Allah specifically states:
“Who (else is there) that responds to the call of the one in distress when he calls out, and He removes evil (from him), and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is there any other god besides Allah? Little is it that you remember!” (Surah Naml 62)
This is why dua is amongst the greatest form of worship, and, if directed to other than Allah, amongst the greatest form of shirks as well.
3. You should think positively of Allaah.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allaah, may He be exalted, says: ‘I am as My slave thinks I am.’” (Bukhaari & Muslim). According to the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah: “Make du’aa’ to Allaah when you are certain of a response.” (Tirmidhi; classed as hasan by al-Albaani).
Whoever thinks well of his Lord, Allaah will bestow His bounty upon him and give him in abundance.
4. Connect and be focused.
Be aware of the greatness of the One upon Whom you are calling. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Know that Allaah does not answer a du’aa from a distracted heart.” (al-Tirmidhi, classed as hasan by al-Albaani).
5. Ensuring Halal Sustenance
We need to ensure that our food comes from good (halaal) sources. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, Allaah accepts only from those who are Al-Muttaqoon (the pious)” [al-Maa’idah 5:27]
The Prophet ﷺ mentioned the man who undertakes a lengthy journey and is disheveled and covered with dust, and he stretches his hands towards heaven saying, ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ when his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, his clothes are haraam. He is nourished with haraam, so how can he be granted a response? Narrated by (Sahih Muslim).
6. You should avoid aggression in du’aa’
For Allaah does not like aggression in du’aa’. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors” [al-A’raaf 7:55]
- Dua for Things that are Halal
- The Du’aa’ should not distract you from an obligatory duty
Note:
However, it is possible that a person’s dua is accepted if some of these conditions are not met. The response of a dua depends on the Will of Allah, and He responds to whom He pleases. Therefore, it is possible that the dua of a disbeliever who does not meet any of these condition is responded to, and it is possible that a Muslim who fulfils all of these conditions is not responded to. However, without a doubt, the person who strives to fulfil and put into practice all of these factors will have a much greater chance of having his dua answered.
May Allah give us the Hidayah to be amongst those who are able to fulfil these conditions, and make us amongst those who are pleased with Him and He S.W.T. is pleased with.
SUNNAHS OF DUA
1. Having good Expectations and certain faith that Allaah will respond
Having certain faith that Allaah will respond, and focusing with proper presence of mind, because the Prophet ﷺ said:
- “Call upon Allaah when you are certain of a response, and remember that Allaah will not answer a du’aa’ that comes from a negligent and heedless heart.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3479.
- “Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him, has said, ‘Whatever My servant assumes of Me, that is how I will treat him, and I am with him when he remembers Me“. (Ahmad, Abu Dawood)
2. Praising Allah before the Dua, and Praying upon the Prophet ﷺ
The Prophet ﷺ said,
- “When one of you prays, let him start with praise of Allaah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, then let him ask whatever he likes after that.” (Tirmidhi)
- “Every du’aa’ is kept back until you send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” (Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat)
3. We should ask of Allaah by His most beautiful names
One of the best ways to praise Allah is by using His Greatest Name. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names” [al-A’raaf 7:180]
The above two points/pattern are seen in Surah Fatiha,, where we praise Him, Glorify Him, Call on Allah by His names and attributes first, then we affirm that it is Only Him who can benefit us by saying “You we Worship and You we ask for Help” and then we ask for the most important Dua – “To guide us to the straight path” – and then we ask Him to keep us away from ways that He dislikes. So this is something we should follow in all our Duas.
4. Raising the hands
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: “Your Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, is Kind and Most Generous, and He is too kind to let His slave, if he raises his hands to Him, bring them back empty.” (Abu Dawood & Ibn Majah, classed as Sahih by Albani).
SubhaanAllah! The Lord of the Creation feels Shy when one of His servants lifts his hands up to Him to make dua. Verily, hearts are filled with love and awe at the Generosity and Beneficence of Allah.
The palm of the hand should be raised heavenwards, in the manner of a humble beggar who hopes to be given something. The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: “When you ask of Allaah, ask of Him with the palms of your hands, not with the backs of them.” (Abu Dawood, classed as Sahih by Albani)
5. Beseeching, humility, and not out loud
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
- “Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret” [al-A’raaf 7:55]
- “And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons” [al-A’raaf 7:20]
- Likewise, Allah has described the Prophet Zakariyya A.S. and his wife as: “Verily, they used to hasten to do good deeds, and they used to make dua & to Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us”.
6. Doing good deeds and asking Allah by one’s good deeds
Bukhari and Muslim relate the hadîth of the Prophet ﷺ of the story of three men, who each supplicated to Allah by (mentioning) a good deed they had done earlier in their lives. “Three persons of a people before you were on a journey when they were overtaken by a storm; therefore, they took shelter in a cave. A rock slipped down from the mountain and blocked the exit of the cave. One of them said, ‘The only way for deliverance is to beseech Allah and (to mention) some virtuous deed (he did purely for His sake).’”
One of the men mentioned a good deed which they had done for Allah, and supplicated, “O Lord, if I did this thing seeking only Thy pleasure, then do Thou relieve us of the distress wrought upon us by this rock.”
The rock moved, but not enough to free the men. So, the other two made similar supplications while mentioning their good deeds until the rock moved enough to free them.
7. Making du’a for others
The Prophet, ﷺ said: “Whenever you make a supplication for another believer and he is not present, an angel will say ‘and same to you.’” (Bukhari in Adab Al Mufrad)
8. Asking Allah in times of ease
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever is pleased that Allah answers his prayers during hardships and difficulties let him make much supplication during times of ease.” (at‐Tirmidhi, classed as Hasan)
Some other etiquette
9. Acknowledging One’s Sins (Many authentic narrations indicate this to be part of the Sunnah. (we will study about them in the upcoming class of Forgiveness & Repentance).
10. Facing the Qiblah (Bukhari)
11. Performing Wudu (Bukhari)
12. Saying du’aa’s three times (Bukhari & Muslim)
13. To Cry & to plead in Dua
14. Asking frequently
15. To Make Du a for all Matters
16. To Make Dua Plentifully
17. Memorizing the Authentic Supplications and du’as of the Prophet ﷺ
May Allah make us amongst those who make a lot of Dua and implement the Sunnahs in it. May Allah accept the Duas of all Muslims.
THE MOST IMPORTANT MATTERS TO ASK FOR
1. Guidance
2. Forgiveness
3. Paradise
4. Protection from Afflictions
5. To keep us steadfast
6. Praying for the Ummah
7. A Good End
RECOMMENDED (SUNNAH) TIMES & PLACES TO MAKE DUA
To ensure that the class is not too long but also we are able to cover the main points we will only enlish these without detailed references. Please join our course DUA – Connect Better, to learn all these in detail and more.
1. Du’aa’ in the depths of the night, the time before dawn
The Prophet ﷺ said,
- “Our Lord descends every night, during the last third of it, to the skies of this world, and asks: Who will call upon Me, that I may answer Him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?” (Sahih Bukhaari).
- There is at night an hour, no Muslim happens to be asking Allah any matter of this world or the Hereafter, except that he will be given it, and this (occurs) every night. (Sahih Muslim)
2. When hearing the crowing of a rooster
The Prophet ﷺ said, “When you hear the crowing of a rooster, ask Allaah of His bounty, for he has seen an angel, and when you hear a donkey braying, then seek refuge in Allah from Shay fan, for it has seen a Shaytan.” (Bukhaari & Muslim).
3. When saying the du’aa’ of Yunus A.S.
The Prophet ﷺsaid: “The prayer of Dhu’l-Noon (Yoonus) which he said when he was in the belly of the whale: (the below Dua); No Muslim recites this du’aa’ concerning any matter but Allaah will answer him.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ
“Laa ilaaha illa anta, subhaanaka, inni kuntu min al-zaalimeen”
There is none worthy of worship except You, Glory to You, Indeed, I have been of the transgressors
4. If a calamity befalls him and he says this dua
The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ say: “There is no calamity that befalls one of the Muslims and he responds by saying ‘(The below Dua) but Allaah will compensate him with something better than it“. (Muslim 918).
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي وَأَعْقِبْنِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا
Inna Lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon, Allaahumma ujurni fi museebati w’ukhluf li khayran minha
‘Truly, to Allaah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return; O Allaah, reward me in this calamity and compensate me with something better than it’
5. The du’aa’ of a father for his child, the du’aa’ of a fasting person and the prayer of the traveller
Prophet ﷺ said: “There are three prayers that are not rejected: the prayer of a father for his child, the prayer of the fasting person and the prayer of the traveller.” Narrated by al-Bayhaqi
More recommended times
6. Laylat al-Qadar
7. On the day of Arafah (Tirmidhi)
8. Between the adhaan and the iqaamah. (Abu Dawood & Tirmidhi)
9. During Salat.
10. When Waking up at Night and reciting a Dua mentioned in the Sunnah. (Bukhari)
11. A certain time on Friday. (Between Asr & Maghrib) [Bukhari & Muslim]
12. When drinking Zamzam water. (Ahmad)
13. When rain falls. (Abu Dawood)
14. The First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah.
RECOMMENDED PLACES
1. Du a at Safa and Marwa (Sahih Muslim)
2. Dua after Stoning the Jamarat (Sahih Bukhari)
3. When you Visit the Sick (Sahih Muslim)
May Allah make us remember these make us amongst those who are indulged in making Dua during these times. May Allah accept the Duas of all Muslims – Please do remember us and the whole Ummah in your Prayers
DISLIKED/FORBIDDEN ACTS IN DUA
1. Asking for prohibited things
2. Exaggerating in Dua
3. To Pray for Matters of this World Only
4. Improper Names and Attributes of Allah
5. Dua to Expedite Punishment
6. Dua Against Oneself and Family
7. To Curse Someone
8. To Limit Mercy
9. To Pray for Death
10. To Imply that One will not Ask Anything Else
11. Excessive Poetry in Dua
12. To Have Evil Intentions
REASONS WHY DUAS ARE NOT ANSWERED
1. Not Expecting a Response
2. When the du’aa’ is weak in itself
3. When the person who is making du’aa’ is weak in his Imaan
4. Committing Sins
5. Consuming haraam wealth
6. Trying to hasten the response.
7. Making the du’aa’ conditional
8. Abandoning to “Enjoin good & Forbid Evil”
Every Dua of a believer is Responded
The response to the du’aa’ may take different forms:
- either Allaah will respond and fulfil the desire of the person who made the du’aa’,
- or He will ward off some evil from him because of the du’aa’, or He will make something good easy for him to attain because of it,
- or He will save it with Him for him on the Day of Resurrection when he will be most in need of it.
Please join our free Certificate course “DUA’A’ – Connect Better” , to learn details and references of what is mentioned in this class along with Duas of the Prophets and the issue of Intercession. : https://learn-islam.org/dua (available online now, register and learn).
May Allah give us all the Hidayah to get better in our prayers, to make us strong us so we can dispel the shaytaan in our prayers and give us the heart where we can pray in a way where we can taste the sweetness of faith.
TIPS FOR THE TEST
- Do not have to memorize the Ayahs or Hadeeths word for word but remember the the message being given in it.
- Remember the Times & places Duas are accepted.
- Remember the the Forbidden and disliked acts in Dua.
- Memorise the Dua of Yunus A..S or the one to be recited in Calamity.