Making Du’a in the Month of Ramadan
الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين
One of the most generous blessings of the month of Ramadan is the opportunity of having our du’as accepted. The topic of tonight’s reflection is: “Making Du’a in the Month of Ramadan.” A believer wants nothing more than his or her du’a to be accepted. Du’a is the weapon of the believer; there is nothing else like du’a that can directly and regularly shield, protect and arm us against the trials and tribulations of this life.
The Prophet (SAW) said, “Nothing is dearer to Allah than one’s supplication to Him.” He also said, “Your Lord, the Blessed and the Exalted One, is modest and generous, and He is shy to turn away His servant empty-handed when he raises his hands to Him in supplication.” In one narration he said, “Indeed du’a is worship.” In another narration, he said, “Du’a is the essence of worship.”
During these blessed days of Ramadan, we should be making as much du’as as we can. Generally, people seem to have forgotten the power of du’a or supplication. Overwhelmed by the advances made in science and technology, people begin to believe that they have become masters of their own destinies, and start to feel independent of their Creator–Allah (SWT).
Once the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) passed by a community that was going through a distressful condition. He advised, “Why don’t they make du’a to Allah for assistance?” With all the suffering and disasters Muslims are facing in various parts of the world, this question can be directed to all of us today.
It is not that we have forgotten du’a completely, but our attitude, and practices regarding du’a have become somewhat distorted. The problem is that du’a for many people has become a ritual and a final option after all options and means have been exhausted. In the proper scheme of things, du’a should be the first and last course of the believer, with all his plans and actions coming in between. A verse in Surat al-Ghafir tells us:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
“And your Lord said: Call on me. I will respond to you”(al-Ghafir, 40:60)
While there are certain opportune times, places and circumstances when du’as are accepted, there are hardly any restrictions or specifications on the act of du’a itself. It can be made at any time, in any place, in any language, and in any condition one may be.
Du’a is conversation with Allah (SWT). We turn to Allah because we know that He alone can lift our sufferings and solve our problems. We feel relieved after describing our difficulties to our Creator. We sense His Mercy all around us after talking to the Most Merciful.
As human beings, our life in this world is characterized by fluctuating conditions making us happy and sad. Our conditions of health and sickness, our affluence and poverty, our joys and sorrows, our apparent successes and failures, our gains and losses; all of them are just a test. Our faith and belief are tested when we undergo difficulties. These difficulties may be physical, emotional, financial, psychological or otherwise. Allah says in the Qur’an:
“We shall certainly test you with fear and hunger, and loss of property, lives, and crops. But, give good news to those who are patient” (al-Baqarah, 2:155).
Pleasant and favorable conditions demand us to be grateful and humble. Adverse conditions require us to be patient and to seek Allah’s help. Our ultimate success or failure in the hereafter will depend on how we acted in the different circumstances that Allah chose for us.
Du’a can change our life, our outlook, and even our fate. It is the most potent weapon of a believer. The Qur’an and hadith literature tell us about the extraordinary importance of praying to Allah for all our needs.
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
“When My servants ask you about Me, say that I am near. I respond to the call of one who calls, whenever he calls to Me: let them, then, respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided. (al-Baqarah, 2:186)
We learn from a hadith that the Prophet (SAW) said, “Anyone of you for whom the door to du’a has been opened, the door to mercy has been opened for him. And the thing that Allah likes most to be asked for is ‘afiyah” (i.e., health, security, protection, wellbeing…etc). Our attitude to du’a should be in line with what is taught to us in the Qur’an and various Prophetic traditions.
ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ
“Call on your Lord humbly and secretly. Surely He does not love those who exceed the limits. (al-A’raf, 7:55)
We should make du’a with great hope and conviction. A hadith tells us: “Pray to Allah with the conviction that you will be answered and know that Allah does not answer a supplication that comes from a careless and inattentive heart.”
Another hadith tells us: “Any Muslim who makes a du’a, provided the du’a contains nothing which is sinful or which involves breaking family ties, Allah will give one of three things: He will quickly grant him what he asked for, or save the reward for him for the hereafter, or turn away from him a similar hardship.” This means that the hardship would have hit him in the absence of that du’a.
So we must make du’a to Allah, then be patient, have faith in His decision, and trust His absolute wisdom. Never have this impression that Allah Almighty has opened the door of making du’a but has closed the door of answering it. Sometimes, Allah delays answering the du’a to give a better reward and a better blessing than that asked for.
May Allah help us remember Him, thank Him, and worship Him in the best of manners; ameen.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ وَلِسَائِرِ المُسْلِمينَ وَالمُسْلِمَاتْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
وَصَلَّ اللهُ عَلَى خيرِ خَلقِهِ مُحمَّدٍ وعَلَى آلِه وأصْحَابِه أجْمَعِين- بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِين
————————————————————————–
Some passages have been excerpted and paraphrased from the book “Thirty Lessons for Those Who Fast” by Aa’id Abdullah al-Qarni.
