Strengthening our Du'a - Part 2

Acceptance of Du‘a

(By : Moulana Khalid Dhorat)



For one’s Du’a to be accepted, one must:



1. Direct it solely to Allah; “Invoke Him only, making your religion sincere to Him” (Qur’an 7:29). Also, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said in a hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas, radhiallahu anhu; “If you ask, ask Allah and if you seek help, seek help from Allah.” (Ahmad, Tirmithi)

2. Perform the Du’a in conformity with the Shari’ah: The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “Whoever innovates in this matter of ours, something which is not part of it, it will be rejected.” If a person is sincere but is not following the Sunnah, his worship is rejected. Similarly, if a person is following the Sunnah but his work is not sincerely done for the sake of Allah, his worship is still rejected.

3. Trust in Allah and certainty of reply: One must be certain that Allah does whatever He wishes, whenever He wishes. Allah tells us in the Qur’an: “And there is nothing, but with Us are the stores thereof. And We do not send it down except with a known measure” (Qur’an 15:21). In a Hadith Qudsi narrated by Abu Dharr, Allah revealed through the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), “O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request from Me, and were I to give everyone what they requested, that would not decrease what I have anymore than a needle decreases the sea if put into it” (Muslim)



4. Presence of the heart: Always make sure that your heart is mindful when you are supplicating because Allah does not answer a Du’a from an inattentive heart. Abu Hurairah narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said, “Invoke Allah while you are certain to be answered and know that Allah does not answer a Du’a from a heart which is inattentive and unmindful” (Tirmidhi).

5. Determination and perseverance: It is a requirement when supplicating, to appeal to Allah with determination. We must not make any exceptions by saying “O Allah forgive me if You wish”. Abu Hurairah narrated that Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “None of you should say ‘O Allah forgive me if You wish,’ ‘O Allah Be Merciful to me if You Wish’; but he must appeal to Allah with determination, for nobody can force Allah to do something against His Will.” (Tirmidhi).