Keeping your du’a alive:
An-Nu’man bin Bashir (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Du’a (supplication) is worship.”
— Riyad As Salihin Book 1, Hadith 513
Du’a – The weapon of the believer:
Supplicating to Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) is among the greatest acts of worship.
For all our needs, be they spiritual, physical, or material, the source is Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ. Every time you make du’a, it is an act of worship as we recognize Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) as being the only one who can fulfill our needs. To make du’a is an act that requires one to submit, to be vulnerable, and show humility by looking outwards for help — a quality in a believer that will be rewarded on the day of judgment.
At some low point in our lives, we may have questioned whether Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ has listened to our prayers. In a moment of weakness, the shaitan whispers in our ears, tricking us into thinking our supplication went “unheard.” This is faulty thinking. Just because we immediately didn’t get what we wanted doesn’t mean Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) hasn’t heard our prayer.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said:
Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is shy to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him.
Sahih (Al-Albani)
(Sunan Abi Dawud 1488 & Jami at-Tirmidhi 3556)
In studying the stories of the Prophets (may peace be upon them), we learn that they had gone decades before some of their du’as were fulfilled. These are people most beloved to Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ), and they were tested but showed patience (sabr) and believed in Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) and His plan. Prophet Ibrahim (as) frequently prayed for children, but only in his old age was his du’a fulfilled.
Don’t put limits on your du’a:
We should never feel as though we are asking for too much or too frequently and limit our asking. This would be an insult to Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ who is Ar-Razzaq (The Provider). Any restriction you put in your du’a reflects a self-imposed limitation of what you believe is possible. Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) can make anything happen for any of us. The first step is to ask.
Thabit narrated from Anas, who said, “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Let one of you ask his Lord for his every need, even until he asks Him for the strap of his sandal when it breaks.'” (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3604)
In another version of the hadith, it says we should make du’a for “every need, until he asks Him for salt.” This hadith teaches us that we should make du’a for every little thing because it is a constant remembrance of the one who has made it all possible. It’s a different perspective which believes in the abundance of Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ).
In another hadith:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) Said: “[…] If the first of you and the last of you, the living among you and the dead among you, the fresh among you and the dry among you were to gather together upon one plateau, and each person among them were to ask for his utmost desire, and I were to give each what he asked for, that would not diminish from My sovereignty, except as if one of you were to pass by an ocean and dip a needle into it and then remove it.”
— Jami at-Tirmidhi 2495
It is in Allah’s control what he gives and to whom. If He does not give you what you ask for right when you ask for it, should we take it as a sign of Him not loving us? No, of course not!
Two people can make du’a. Person #1 gets a thing right away, and person #2 is delayed. Does that mean person #1 is more beloved? No. The “reward” could be a test for that person, and delaying is a sign of Allah’s mercy.
So, we shouldn’t concern ourselves with how our duas will be answered. Only concern yourself with the ability to make dua which in itself is a gift from Allah سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ.
It is a difficult task, but it’s possible to want things without expecting to have them as long as we can maintain a state of detachment and acceptance. Make du’a to Allah (سُبْحَٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَٰلَىٰ) for everything as only He can provide it and understand ultimately, it is in His hands.
أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوۡاْ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَأۡسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلۡزِلُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصۡرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٞ
Am hasibtum an tadkhulul jannata wa lammaa yaa-tikum masalul lazeena khalaw min qablikum massathumul baasaaa’u waddarraaaa’u wa zulziloo hattaa yaqoolar Rasoolu wallazeena aamanoo ma’ahoo mataa nasrul laah; alaaa inna nasral laahi qareeb
Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were touched by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, “When is the help of Allah?” Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near.
