Part 17

Indeed, you have confined something very vast (meaning the Mercy of Ajlah) a

It is not a part of faith to try to stop Allah’s Mercy from descending upon others, and neither is a person capable of doing this, for Allah says:

$St Pon 9 So 9 And My Mercy prevails over all things?”

10. To Pray for Death

The life of a true believer is a blessing from Allah that can never be substituted. No matter what situation a person is in, he will always be in a blessed situation. The Prophet (38) said:

204 Reported by Muslim.

205 Reported by al-Bukhari, Abu Dawid and Ahmad, as mentioned in Sahih al-Jami’ #5129.

206 Sarah al-A' raf, 156.

Wonderous indeed are the affairs of a believer, for every affair of his is good! If some good befalls him, he thanks Allah, and that is good for him. And if some evil befalls him, he is patient, and that is good for him?”

Therefore, a believer should be patient when a misfortune befalls him, and not wish for death, unless he fears for his religion, or a severe trial and tribulation.

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet (3%) said:

None of you should wish for death due to any calamity that has befallen him. If he has no choice but to wish for death, then fet him say, ‘O Allah! Grant me life as long as life is better for me, and take me away (in death) whenever death is better for me!”

And Qays ibn Abi Hazim reported that he visited Khabbab ibn al-Arath after he had been cauterised seven times, and he said, “Were it not for the fact that the Prophet (#%) forbade us to make

dua for death, I would have made such a du‘a”.”

deeds are cut off, and the extension of a life of a believer can only be for the better!”

This hadith also shows the mercy that the Prophet (#8) had for his nation, and his desire that they receive the most blessings and the utmost good.

207 Reported by Muslim, and Ahmad.

208 Reported by al-Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad, as mentioned in Sahih al-

208 Reported by al-Bukhari (6349). *1Reported by Muslim and Ahmad, as mentioned in Sahih al-Jami’ # 7612.

Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan al-Sa‘di commented on this hadith as follows:

This is a clear prohibition for wishing for death due to any problem that has fallen on an individual, whether it is a sickness, or poverty, or fear, or any other matter. Wishing for death has many evil consequences, some of which are:

1) It shows that the person is angry and dissatisfied with the condition that he is in, even though he has been commanded to be patient (at all times), and to be conscious of his obligations.

2) It makes the person very weak, and brings about laziness and indolence, and causes despair. And the servant is obligated to fight these characteristics, and to lessen (their effects) as much as he can. So he should be of strong heart and character, and optimistic so that whatever has occurred to him can be removed, This (attitude) brings about two benefits. Firstly, the Divine Kindness for he who strived to implement what he was commanded to. Secondly, a blessed and fruitful effort (to alleviate his circumstances), and this is based on the strength of his character, and his optimism.

3) To wish for death is sheer ignorance and cowardice, since the person is not aware of what his fate will be after death. So it is possible that he will try to get out of his present situation only to be faced with one worse than it, of the punishment of the grave and its evil.

4) It cuts off all of the good deeds a person can do, and in fact is doing at the present time. So the rest of his life will have no value. Then how is it that he can wish for cutting off all of his good deeds, the smallest amount of which is better for him that the entire world and all that it contains? And of special mention out of these good deeds, is his being patient at the misfortune that has befallen him, for Allah rewards those who

are patient without measure.

“1! al Hamad, p. 71.

11. Du'@ for Evil, and Hastiness in Du‘a

The hadith to this effect was quoted earlier, in which Aba Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (38) said:

“The du‘ @ of any worshipper will continue to be responded to, as long as he does not ask for a sin or breaking the ties of kinship, and as long as he is not hasty”.

It was asked, “O Messenger of Allah? And what does it mean to be hasty?” He (3%) responded:

“A worshipper says, ‘I have prayed and prayed, and I don’t see

that it will be accepted,’ so he gives up hope of being answered,

and leaves du‘ a”.

It is not proper for a Muslim to pray to Allah for something that is evil. Neither is it proper to ask Allah to cause some problem between family members or friends.

So, a person should not ask, “O Allah! Increase the spread of fornication and interest!” or, “O Allah! Cause so-and-so to mistreat his mother, and cut off relations with his brothers and sisters!”, as

this is asking Allah for something that is evil, and evil is not attributed to Allah.

Likewise, it is not proper for a Muslim to become hasty and im-

patient in waiting for a response, as this goes against the etiquette of du‘a.

12. To Look Upwards During the Prayer

The Prophet (3%) prohibited a person from raising his eyes towards the skies while making a du‘a in salah, for he said:

Surely, the people will stop raising their eyes towards the skies

while they make dua@ during salah, or their sight will be

snatched away from them!

2. Narrated by Muslim from Aba Hurayrah, as mentioned in Sahih al-Jami’

713 Reported by Muslim (1/321) and others.

The desired humility of du’ a will not be achieved when one raises one’s head arrogantly towards the skies, rather, one should have a humble and lowly appearance.

13. To Imply that One will not Ask Anything Else

It is all too common to hear a person say, “O Allah! Please grant me such-and-such, and I will not ask you anything else after this!” Such thinking has two major problems with it. Firstly, it implies that Allah is not Generous, as such a condition is usually put to a person who is miserly: “I only ask this of you, and I will not ask you anything else!” Secondly, it implies that a person is self-sufficient

_and not in need of Allah’s response to his du’ as. This because he says, “I will not ask you anything else after this,” as if he can live without Allah’s blessings! Verily, every breath that we take is because of Allah’s blessings, and no one can be free of Allah’s help even for the twinkling of an eye!

So make du‘ a, and make plenty of du’ a, for Allah’s Generosity is more than all that you can possibly ask for.

14. To Experiment in One’s dua

This occurs when a person thinks to himself, ‘Let me make a du‘a and sce if Allah responds to me or not’. Such thinking conflicts with the sincerity and humility that is needed for a du‘ a to be answered.

15. To Have Evil Intentions

It is necessary that a person make a du '‘@ in order for some noble or permissible goal. If someone makes a du’ a@ with evil intentions, such as one who prays for money so that he can use it for evil purposes, such a dua is not allowed.

16. To Make Frequent Mistakes

It is all too common to hear people that do not speak Arabic properly making du'as with grammatical errors in them. Such a

person might even change the whole meaning of the du‘ a@ without realising, or he might make dw‘ a against himself and the congregation! This is why it is preferable for a person of knowledge — one who speaks Arabic — to Jead the congregation and give the khuthah.

17. To Rely on Others to Make Du‘a

There is a certain segment of society that never makes du ‘a. If you were to ask one of them what his excuse is, he would respond that he is too sinful to have his du’ as accepted by Allah, and that he makes sure that other people ask on his behalf. He might even ask you to make du‘a for him that he be guided!

This constitutes a very big mistake. While it is permissible to ask another person to make du‘ @ for one’s self (as shall be discussed in a later section), it is improper to rely on that person totally, to the extent that one fails to perform du’ a oneself.

Instead, one should make dz‘ a to Allah, and expect the best from Him, and hope for Allah’s Mercy. If Allah responds to the dua of the dafir, then surely the du‘ a of a sinful Muslim has more right to be responded to!

18. To Cry Out Loud in Public

19. To Make Excessively Long Du' as in Congregation

Another common mistake that occurs in congregation is that the Imam prolongs the dvd to an unnatural extent. He might stand up to an hour, invoking Allah, while the people behind him become impatient and annoyed. The Imam must take into account that there are women and children, the sick and the weak, all behind him. He must be concerned for their needs as well. Hence why the Prophet (#%) prohibited Mu‘adh from reciting a long sarah while he was Imam, and he stated that this would cause hardship upon the Muslims. Likewise, the du‘ that is done in congregation should be of a moderate length, and cater to the needs of the whole community.