قال الله عز وجل: { وَقَالَ رَبُّكُـمْ ادْعُونِى أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ} سورة غافر 60. ـ
God the Exalted- says: { And your Lord said: “Call upon Me, I will answer you“}.
Chapter 40, verse 60.
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وعن سلمان الفارسي رضي الله عنه أن النبي صَلّى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّم قال: « إِنَّ اللَّهَ حَيِيٌّ كَرِيمٌ يَسْتَحْيِي إِذَا رَفَعَ الرَّجُلُ إِلَيْهِ يَدَيْهِ أَنْ يَرُدَّهُمَا صِفْرًا خَائِبَتَيْنِ» . رواه أبو داود و الترمذي وابن ماجه وابن حبان والحاكم.
Narrated Salman Al-Farisi -may God be pleased with him- that the Prophet -prayer and peace be upon him- said: “God feels shy and is Bountiful, and feels shy when the man raises his hands to Him (in supplication) to refuse them empty and futile.” Related by Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, and Al-Hakim.
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‘Aishah -may God be pleased with her- said: “No believer makes Du’a and it is lost. Either it is granted here in this world or stored for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated.”
One of the great divine supports and gifts that God -the Exalted- has bestowed upon us is: Du’a or supplication to God (الدعاء). Indeed, Du’a has both worldly as well as religious benefits.
As for the religious benefits of du’a, suffices it that the Prophet -prayer and peace be upon him- said that Du’a is the essence of worship (الدعاء مخ العبادة).[1] How is that?
Du’a or supplication to God -the Exalted- shows full submission to God when the slave admits his weakness and need before the Mighty One, God. And second, Du’a shows full surrender to God when the slave trusts God and relies on Him to fulfil his need. Thus, Du’a or supplication is a sign of obedience, full submission and surrender to God. Therefore, Du’a is the essence and central part of worship.
With du’a, God raises people’s levels and darajat. With Du’a, God forgives people’s misdeeds and sins. With du’a, God accepts repentance and replaces bad deeds with good deeds. With du’a, God multiplies the reward. With Du’a, God lets people enter Jannah or Paradise by His Will.
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Du’a or Supplication to God has worldly benefits too. Whenever we feel depressed and despair, we immediately raise our hands and make du’a or supplication to God. When we are in need of something of this world, we ask God. So God accepts our du’a and grants us our wish. So du’a or supplication to God is the first divine support and moral resort that the we use in our daily life.
With Du’a, God -the Most Generous- fulfills people’s needs. With Du’a, God grants people health and well-being (‘Afiyah). With Du’a, God grants people money and food. With Du’a, God grants people knowledge and education. With Du’a, God grants people security and peace. With Du’a, God grants people spouses, children and grand-children. With Du’a, God grants people solutions for every trouble and problem. With Du’a, God grants people success in their endeavors. With Du’a, God grants people many wishes that seemed out of reach previously. With Du’a, God grants the son of Adam numerous bounties and many blessings.
So the worldly and religious benefits of du’a or supplication to God are endless, limitless, infinite, just like the Generosity of God, the Most Generous. The Prophet -prayer and peace be upon him- said that all the blessings that God has granted since He created the earth are no more than the water that sticks to the head of a needle put into the sea and then taken out!
Besides, as mentioned in the verse above, God -the Exalted- commands us to make du’a to Him. So the Muslim should answer this call, and ask God for everything. Indeed, the sign for the acceptance of the du’a is how urgently and repeatedly it is made.
Making Du’a doesn’t require going out or making much effort. All it requires is raising one’s hands and making du’a with concentration and sincerity. Then how simple is it, and how full of benefits is du’a!
Know that du’a has certain ‘adab or rules:
One should start the du’a with praising God. Like: bismil-lah, wal-hamdu lil-lah. Also calling God with His Best Names, like Ya Ghaffar, Ya Razaaq, Ya Rahman, Ya Raheem, and so forth.
Then, the prayer on the Prophet -prayer and peace be upon him.
Then, making istighfar and tobeh or asking God for forgiveness and repentance.
Then, praying for parents: Rabbi Irhamhuma kama rabbayani sagheera.
Then making du’a with concentration and devotion, fully believing that God will accept the du’a.
Then, the prayer on the Prophet -prayer and peace be upon him, and finally saying ‘Ameen.
Also du’a at certain times is accepted faster. Those times include: After the five daily prayers, in tahajjud (last third of the night), on Friday, before maghrib on Friday, between ‘athan and iqamah, during the rain, before iftar in fasting or Ramadan. During Leilatul-Qadr, during Yome Arafah, during sujood, du’a for an absent brother, the du’a of the father, and others.
Last but not least, a Muslim should never despair of du’a not being accepted. It is mentioned in the hadith, that the du’a or supplication of the Muslim is accepted as long as he isn’t hasty about it (or get frustrated); he says I prayed but my du’a wasn’t accepted.
A Muslim should continue to make du’a even if it isn’t accepted immediately, it will be accepted later, but he should not stop making du’a and should have full belief that God, Al-Samee’ Al-Baseer (the All-Hearer, All-Seer), will accept his du’a if it is valid and halal, and will grant him his wish and fulfill his need.
One of the tabi’een said: ‘I have been asking God for something, and now I got it after 20 years!’ So he never stopped praying.
So the Muslim should make du’a or supplication with full conviction that it will be accepted one way or another, and sooner or later. And in the meantime, he can improve his condition and get closer to God by doing good deeds and repenting of sins. For God always accepts the prayer of His righteous slaves.
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Then, know that du’a is the essence of worship and a great good deed. Know that du’a is the first divine support and moral resort for the Muslim both during times of ease and hardships. Know that a Muslim should always make du’a and ask God for all of his needs, both worldly and religious. Know that God feels displeasure when the slave doesn’t make du’a. Know that du’a is a sign of closeness and full submission and surrender to God. Then, how good it is to seek God’s pleasure and get your own need at the same time!
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[1] Related by A-Tirmidhi from Anas Ibn Malik.
Prophetic Profit 