Dua/Supplication
Duaa or supplication is a key part of our communication with Allah SWT but it is important to remind ourselves of this, especially in a time such as this.
First of all, it is worth reminding ourselves that there is no need for asking the pious or the imam to do dua on your behalf. Every single human being is qualified to ask Allah SWT and to do dua.
In fact, there is only one criteria for having your dua answered immediately by Allah SWT and He has told us what that criteria is. It isn’t an Islamic qualification, it isn’t a set number of prayers or recitation of Quran. It is simply translated as “The one who calls”. In other words, you just have to ask, that is the only qualification for your dua to be answered immediately by Allah SWT.
The imam reminded us of ayat 186 in Sura Baqara which is translated to say:
When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺.
Dear brothers, we can see that dua is one of the easiest things for us to perform. And our Prophet SAWS educated us on all types of different duas, from waking up to eating, to working, interacting with people, sleeping. However, as important as they are, and we should all be aiming to learn those, Allah SWT has made it so easy for dua that we can simply speak to Him at any time, in any language and it will be heard.
Of course there are etiquettes to dua, they were listed today in the reminder and so it’s worth mentioning them. For example, to do dua with good intentions and begin with thanks to Allah SWT and salaam upon the Prophet SAWS. These are important etiquettes of dua but today’s reminder is on the beauty of this simple but powerful act.
We forget sometimes that our whole lives are an interaction with Allah SWT. From our tests to our blessings, from our worship to our duas. What today’s reminder is telling us is that we have a two-way conversation with Allah SWT. He converses with us through the Quran, and this is why every week in some way, the importance of us connecting to His book is mentioned. But the flip side of that conversation is the dua we perform back to Allah SWT.
And don’t forget, dua isn’t just when the times are hard. Dua is our conversation with Allah SWT so we should be doing this all the time, when things are hard and when things are easy. We should be doing dua with sincerity, with our heart and with complete conviction that our duas are heard.
That leads onto the final point with duas and the need for the supplicant to be patient. We are asking the Master of all things, who are we in comparison? And yet, we fall into the trap of losing patience with Allah SWT when we don’t see an immediate change in our lives after doing dua. Allah SWT and his Prophet SAWS remind us of the importance of patience when seeking Allah SWT’s help. Alongside this, there are countless reminders that sometimes what we ask isn’t what is best for us and that Allah SWT will replace it with something that is better for us and so we must hold onto that fact also.
Dear brothers, dua is not to be stored in a In Case of Emergency box, it is something that should be as part of our lives as breathing and eating. And by performing our acts of worship and making duas integral to our lives, we can be of those mentioned in the ayat as being guided to the right way.
