Part 19

in prostration, so increase your du @s in it”.

For this reason, the Prophet (#%) was prohibited by Allah from reciting the Quran while in a state of rvka@ or sujutd, and he (38), in turn, prohibited the Muslims from this also. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that once the Prophet (3%) lifted the curtain from his house and looked into the mosque, and the people were lined in rows behind Abt Bakr (and this was during the illness from which he (3%) died). He then said:

“O people! There is nothing left of prophethood except a true dream, a Muslim sees it himself or someone else sees it for him (ie. he sees the other person in a dream). And I have been prohibited from reciting the Quran while in ruka@’ or sujitd, so

29Narrated by Muslim and al-Nasa’i, from Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman.

30 Reported by Muslim, Aba Dawid, al-Nasa’i and others, from Aba Hurayrah, as mentioned in Sahih al-Jamt' #1175.

during ruku', glorify your Lord, and during sujad, exert yourself in making du'd, for it is very likely that you will be re-

Therefore,recitation of the Qur’an during these two postures is discouraged, and instead the worshipper should praise and glorify Allah. During sujéd he should increase his du‘ as to his Creator, as they are likely to be responded to.

7. While Reciting al-Fazihah

There are many blessings contained within Sarah a/-Fatihah, and of these is the fact that Allah accepts the du‘a that is present in the Sarah. The person recites it sincerely, fully aware of its meanings. Aba Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (8) said:

Allah has said: I have divided the salah between My servant and Me in two halves, and My servant will have what he asks for. So when the servant says, ‘AJhamdu lillahi Rabb il-' Alamin’, Allah responds, ‘My servant has praised Me!’ And when he says, ‘Al-Rahman al-Rahim’ Allah responds, ‘My servant has glorified Me’. And when he says, ‘Malik yawm al-Din’, Allah responds, ‘My servant has exalted Me’. And when he says, ‘Iyyaka na‘ budu wa iyyaka nasta'in’, Allah says, “This is between My servant and I, and My servant shall! have what he desires’. And when he says, ‘Ihdina al-Sirat al-Mustaqgim...’ Allah says, ‘This is for My servant, and he will get what he

So in this hadith, there is a great incentive for us to recite seerah al-Fatihah in every prayer with great humility and reflection, so that it is possible that we are given what we ask.

231 Narrated by Muslim, Aba Dawad, and Ahmad as mentioned in Sahih al-

232 Reported by Muslim (# 395) and others.

Likewise, after finishing the recitation of Sarah al-Fatihah in salah, one is encouraged to say, ‘Amin’ out loud, for the Prophet (#8) said:

When the Imam says ‘Amin’ then recite it behind him (as well),

because whoever’s Amin coincides with the Amin of the angels

will have all of his sins forgiven.?

9. dua Before the End of salah

After a person has finished his zashahhud, and before he actually says salam, he should supplicate with any du‘a that he likes, as this . is one of the times of response.

Ibn Mas'id narrates: I was once praying, and the Prophet (3%), Abt Bakr, and ‘Umar (were all present). When I sat down (in the final tashahhud), | praised Allah, then sent salams on the Prophet (#8), then started praying for myself. At this, the Prophet (38), said:

10. Du‘ a After the salah

In the last part of the night, and after the obligatory prayers”.

In fact, the Prophet (3) stressed this time period to those whom he loved, for he said to Mu‘adh ibn Jabal:

33 Reported by al-Bukhari (# 780), Muslim (# 410) and others.

234 Reported by al-Tirmidhi (# 593) who said that it is hasan sahih, and it is as he said. Also see al-Mishkat, # 931.

O Mu'adh! I swear by Allah, I love you. Therefore, do not forget to say after each prayer, ‘O Allah help me to remember

You, and to thank You, and to perfect my worship for You’.”**

It should be mentioned that there is a difference of opinion amongst scholars over the exact meaning of ‘..after the obligatory prayers’, and this stems from the Arabic word that is used to convey the meaning of ‘after’, for the word used is dubur. Some scholars, such as Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, considered the meaning of this hadith to apply to the time period defore one says the final salam of the prayer, and after one has finished reciting the tashahhud. So, according to those that follow this opinion, the word dubur would translate as ‘at the end’, and not, ‘after’,. According to this opinion, the time period would be the same as that mentioned in the previous section.

However, other scholars understand this hadith to mean the time period after the prayer finishes, and the word carries both meanings, as Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned.”

11. dua when the Armies Meet

During this critical period, when the Muslim is facing the enemy in battle, at a place where life and death meet, the dua of a worshipper is accepted by Allah. Proof for this has already been given, and that is the narration of Sahl ibn Sa’d, who confirmed

that the Prophet (3) said:

“Two (du'ds) are never rejected, or rarely rejected: the dua during the call for prayer, and the du’ a during the calamity,

when the two armies attack each other”.

236 Authentic, narrated by Aba Dawid, Ahmad and al-Nasa’i, from Mu‘adh ibn Jabal, and authenticated by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami' # 7969.

237 See Zad al-Ma' ad, 1/305.

38 Reported by Aba Dawad (# 2540), Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim, from Sah! ibn Sa‘d, and authenticated by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami’ # 3079.

“Seek the response to your du’ as when the armies mect, and

when the prayer is called, and when rain falls”??

12. An Hour on Friday

There is a special hour on Friday, during which all prayers are accepted and answered by Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him. This is part of the blessings that Allah has blessed this day with, over all the other days of the week.

Abi Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (3) said:

“On Friday, there is an hour during which, if any Muslim is standing in front of Allah in salah, and asking Allah for something good, he will be granted his request.”

Then he made a sign with his hands, showing that it was a very short period of time.“

There are numerous opinions as to the exact hour of Friday during which this occurs, but two opinions are the strongest: when the Imam sits down between the two khutbahs until the end of the khutbah, and after the ‘Asr prayer until the Maghrib prayer. Ibn alQayyim preferred the second over the first one.”' This because of the following hadith:

Friday has twelve hours (or parts to it). There is one hour during which ifa Muslim asks Allah anything, Allah will give it to him, so find it during the last hour after “Agro”

This is also the opinion of the vast majority of early scholars as also of the Prophet’s (3%) Companions — that this hour occurs after ‘ Agr prayer, right before sunset.”

239 Reported by al-Shafi'i in his al-Umm (1/223); authenticated in al-Sahihah,

*40 Narrated by al-Bukhari (935) from Aba Hurayrah.

ald Reported by Abu Dawid (# 926 of Sahih al-Sunan) and al-Nasa’i (# 1316 of Sahih al-Sunan).

243 See al-Hilali’s discussion of this point in his book, pp. 50-55.

13. When Waking up at Night

When a person wakes up in the middie of the night, only to go back to sleep again, if he remembers Allah at this time, his du’ a will be accepted.

The Prophet (3%) stated:

Whoever wakes up at night, and says, ‘La ilaha illa Allah Wahdahu la sharika lah, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-hamd wa huwa ala kulli shay’in Qadir. Alhamdu lillah, wa Subhan Allah, wa la ilaha illa Allah, wa Allahu akbar, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa bi Allah’, and then says, ‘O Allah, forgive me!’ or makes a du'a, then he will be responded to. And if he performs wuda

and prays, then his prayer will be accepted.”**

14. After Performing Wuda The Prophet (3) said:

There is no one amongst you that makes wud#, and does so perfectly, and then says, ‘I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. He is alone, having no partners. And I bear witness and testify that Muhammad is His slave and messenger’, except that all eight doors of Paradise are opened for him, and he can enter into it through whichever one he pleases.”

In this hadith, there is an indication that du‘ a at this time has a greater chance of being responded to, as all the doors of Paradise are opened to the beleiver.

15. Before Drinking Zam Zam

Before drinking Zam Zam, one is encouraged to make dw'4, as

the Prophet (#8) said:

The water of Zam Zam is for whatever it has been drunk for.

24 Reported by al-Bukhari (# 1154) and others. 245 Reported by Muslim (# 234) and others.

46 Narrated by Ahmad (3/357) and Ibn Majah (# 3062). AL-Ajlani considered it to be a good isnad and al-Albani considred it sahih (Sahih al-Jami' ,

The meaning of this hadith is that whatever du @ you make before drinking Zam Zam, it will be given you.

16. dua@ During Ramadan

The month of Ramadan is a blessed month, during which the Qur’an was revealed, and the process of inspiration started upon the Prophet (#8). Therefore, the du’ a of Ramadan isa blessed du’ a, and this can be inferred from the Prophet's (3) hadith:

When Ramadan comes, the Doors of Mercy (in one narration: of Paradise) are opened, and the Doors of Hell are closed, and the Shayatin are chained up.”

So it can be inferred from this hadith that du‘ a during Ramadan has a greater chance of being accepted, as the Gates of Paradise and Mercy are opened.