In The Name Of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon whom Allah sent as a mercy to the Worlds, Muhammad, upon his Family, his Companions and his Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.
My respected brothers and sisters! What a tragedy, for Du’a is the most potent weapon of a believer. It can change fate, while no action of ours ever can. It is the essence of Ibadah or worship. With it we can never fail; without it we can never succeed. In the proper scheme of things, Du’a should be the first and the last resort of the believer, with all his plans and actions coming in between.
Dear brothers and sisters! Du’a is conversation with Allah, our Creator, our Lord and Master, the All Knowing, the All Powerful. This act in itself is of extraordinary significance. It is the most uplifting, liberating, empowering, and transforming conversation a person can ever have. We turn to Him 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 feel empowered after having communicated with the All Mighty. We sense His mercy all around us after talking to the Most Merciful. We get a new commitment to follow His path for that is the only path for success. We feel blessed with each such commitment.
My beloved people! In every difficulty our first action is Du’a, as is our last. We ask Allah to show us the way to handle that difficulty; we seek His help in following the path He shows to us; we seek His aid in making our efforts successful. When we fall sick, we know that we cannot find the right doctor without His Will; that the best doctor may not be able to diagnose our condition without His Command; that the best treatment plan will not succeed without His Permission. We make Du’a for all of these. We make Du’a before we seek medical help, while we are receiving it and after it has been delivered. The same is true of all other difficulties we may encounter.
Respected servants of Allah! Du’a is the essence of Ibadah. A person engaged in Du’a affirms his belief in Tawhid (monotheism) and shuns belief in shirk and all other false gods. With each Du’a his belief in Allah grows. He beseeches Him, affirming his own powerlessness. A person seriously and sincerely engaged in Du’a understands exactly the relationship between himself and the Creator and affirms it through his actions. That is the essence of worship! Additionally, such a person can never become arrogant or proud, a logical result of true worship.
Du’a is conversation with Allah. It is the most uplifting, liberating, empowering, and transforming conversation a person can ever have.
Du’a is our most potent weapon in all struggles of life as well as in jihad in the battlefield. During the battle of Badr, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) stood up all night in prayer seeking Allah’s help in the battle between unequal armies that would follow the next day. In the decisive battles against the crusaders, Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi was busy day and night. His days were devoted to Jihad. His nights were spent making Du’a, crying, seeking Allah’s help. This has been the practice of all true mujahideen.
We should make it a point to make Du’a for all things big and small. It is the beginning of wisdom to realise that big and small are arbitrary labels that are totally irrelevant in this context. Nothing is too big for Whom we are asking from; nothing is too small for the one who is asking. That is why we have been taught to ask Allah when we need something as small as shoelaces. We should ask as a beggar, as a destitute person, for that is what we in reality are in relationship to Allah. At the same time we should ask with great hope and conviction that we shall be granted our prayers. We should remember the following Hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him):
“There is nothing more dear to Allah than a servant making Du’a to Him.”
On the other hand, a prayer lacking concentration and conviction is no prayer at all.
We should make Du’a at all times, not only during times of distress. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:
“Whosoever desires that Allah answers his Du’as in unfavourable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful Du’a in days of ease and comfort.”
Also he said:
“The person who does not ask from Allah, Allah becomes angry with him.”
Dear brothers and sisters! We should ask for all of our needs: those related to this world as well as those related to the Hereafter. Those who only concentrate on the former are, in effect, announcing that they don’t care for their life in the permanent abode. They should blame no body but themselves for the total ruin in that world that Qur’an assures us awaits them. Those who only concentrate on the later are also showing lack of balance, for we need Allah’s help to lead a good life here as well.
We should make Du’a not only for ourselves but also for our parents, brothers and sisters, spouses and children, relatives and friends, teachers and other benefactors, and destitute and struggling Muslims everywhere. We should pray for them for the good in this world as well as in the Hereafter. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“The Du’a of a Muslim for his brother (in Islam) in his absence is readily accepted. An angel is appointed to his side. Whenever he makes a beneficial Du’a for his brother the appointed angel says, Aamin. And may you also be blessed with the same.” [Sahih Muslim]
My people! In the dark ages that we are living in today, everyday brings fresh news about atrocities committed against our brothers in Nigeria, Palestine, Kashmir, India, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya, and the list goes on. And what do we do? We can continue to just feel frustrated and depressed. We can petition the determined perpetrators or a fictional “International Community.” We can just forget all this and move on to some other subject. Or we can stand up before Allah and pray for His help, who alone can help. The Du’a can change our life, our outlook, and our fate. It is the most potent weapon. But it works only for those who try sincerely and seriously to use it.
The perfect knowledge belongs to Allah the Almighty. Our last prayer is all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Peace and blessing be upon our beloved Prophet, his Family, his Companions and his Brothers till the Day of Resurrection.
Wassalamu Alaikum,
Imam Murtadha Muhammad Gusau, wrote this piece from Makkah, Saudi Arabia. He can be reached via: gusaumurtada@gmail.com or +2348038289761.
