Part 2

This book is not the result of any unique research on my part; rather, it is compiled from a number of sources that I felt were excellent references in this field. Therefore, the treatise in the reader’s hand is merely a compilation, translation, and arrangement of material found primarily in the following works:

1. Al-dua: Mafhamuh, Ahkamuh, Akhta’ taqau' fihi, by Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Hamad (with comments and editing by Imam ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Baz — rahimahu Allah).

3. Al-dua@ wa Manzilatahu min al-' Agidah al-Islamiyah, by Dr. Jilan al-Arasi.”

4. Shuriit al-Du' a4 wa Mawani' al-Ijabah, by Shaykh Sa‘id alQahtani.

AI-Du' a, by ‘Abd Allah al-Khudayri. 6. Kitab al-Du' a, by Husayn al-‘Awayishah.

Al-Nubadh al-Mustatabah fi al-Da‘ wat al-Mustajabah, by Salim al-Hilali.

Some sections of this book are paraphrased from the above works, and since I have mentioned this in the Introduction, I have not referenced this every time it occurs. Details of these works and others can be found in the Select Bibliography at the end of this book. Other works were also used, in particular the works of Ibn al-Qayyim, the doctor of the soul and the master of spiritual diseases and their cures. Where this was done, the relevant work was referenced in the footnotes.

directly to the author at: [email protected]). In the end, perfection is only with Allah!

On a personal note: this book was written at a time when I myself was undergoing a great personal crisis. It was a time when I myself was turning to Allah, making du‘a constantly and earnestly for a miracle to occur to save me from the situation that I was in. And it was while I was writing the final pages of this book, sitting in front of my computer, that a phone call from an absolutely unexpected source came, informing me that, indeed, a miracle had occurred; and for Allah all matters are easy, for He only has to say, ‘Kun,’ and it is! Verily, all praise is due to Allah, Who Hears the

' plea of the one in distress, Who is fully Aware of the situation of the one who has been wronged, and Who grants justice to all.

So I hope that the following pages do not contain mere facts; dry quotes that do not stir sentiment and feeling. Rather, I pray that some of the emotion and spirit that was present while this book was being written can be felt by the reader as he turns its pages, and that he can feel the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah speak directly to his heart as he reads its lines. I pray that this work will help the reader come closer to Allah, by realising his own great poverty and helplessness, and by appreciating the Beneficence and Power of the Rahman, the Rahim.

Abu Ammaar Yasir Qadhi

Al-Madinah al-Nabawiyyah - The City of the Prophet (3) 1" Dhul-Qa'dah 1421 AH.

1. The Meaning of dua

The word ‘dua’ is the verbal noun (masdar) of the verb ‘da‘a’, which signifies ‘to call out, to summon.’

The word ‘dua’ is mentioned in the Quran to signify a number of meanings, as the following verses show:

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“And do not call besides Allah that which will not harm you or

2. The seeking of aid.

“And call upon Me, for I will answer your prayers...”

8 Ibn Manzur, Lisan al-Arab , 14/258. Also see Hans-Wher, p. 282.

Sarah Yanus, 106. 10 Surah al-Bagarah, 23. "Surah Ghafir, 60.

ok ore SAO “The day that you will be called...”"” 5. Praise. Sages poet cae poet “Say, ‘Call upon Allah, or call upon al-Rahman...””* 6. Speech.

“Their speech therein will be: ‘Glory be to you, O Allah!”"*

“Call on your Lord so that He can clarify to us what it is...”

And other meanings besides these.

As for its Islamic meaning, various scholars have defined it in similar terms.

12 Sarah al-Isra’, 52.

Surah al-Isra’, 110. Strah Yanus, 10. Surah al-Bagarah, 68. Sha'n ad-Du' a, p. 4.

Ibn al-Qayyim defined it as, “Asking what is of benefit to the person, and asking the removal of what is harming him, or (ask-

ing) the repelling of it (before it afflicts him)”."”

Another scholar wrote: “The appeal to Allah, all Glory be to Him, of a request, by asking Him with desire for all good that is with Hin, and to be submissive to Him in asking what is desired and in

obtaining what is hoped for.” 8

2. Du‘a is a Form of Worship Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him, has said:

Verily, your Lord has said: “Call upon Me, and I will answer you!” Those who are arrogant to worship Allah will enter Hell, humifiated!””

In this verse, Allah has commanded us to ask Him and petition Him, and counted those who do not ask Him among those who are too arrogant to worship Allah. From this, it is understood that du’ a is among the acts of worship, and this meaning was explicitly stated by the Prophet (#). Nu‘man ibn Bashir reports that the Prophet . (38) said:

“Du' a is worship”.

He (#8) then recited the verse:

'8 This definition is taken from Kitab al-Du' a by Dr. Muhammad al-Sayed Tantawi.

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“Verily, your Lord has said: “Call upon Me, and I will answer you!” Those who are (too) arrogant to worship Allah will enter Hell, humiliated!”

Therefore, dua is a type of worship; rather, it is amongst the greatest acts of worship, and one of the best ways to bring a worshipper closer to Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him. In this verse, . Allah has equated du‘ a with worship, for He commanded His servants to make du’ a to Him, and then stated that whoever is too arrogant to worship Him will enter the Fire of Hell. So from this it is understood that the worship referred to in this verse actually means du'a,

In another verse, Allah calls du‘ a the ‘din’ or the entire religion, for He says:

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MNS PIG RY alia He is the Hayy (Ever-Living), there is no deity except Him. So make dua to Him, to Him is the din.”

And there is no other act that has been equated or paralleled with the entire din, or connected to the entire concept of worship (‘ibadah).

One of the benefits that are obtained by realising that du‘a is a form of worship is that the manner and procedure of dua must only be taken from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Just as a person cannot use his mind or whims to decide how to pray or fast, so too must he restrain himself to the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah when it comes to the manner and etiquette of dua.

0 This hadith is authentic, and is reported by Ahmad and the four Sunans, and others, from Nu'man ibn Bashir, as reported in Sahih al-Jami # 3407.

2! Sarah Ghafir, 65.

3. Du'@ and its Relationship to ‘Agidah

dua has a very strong relationship with one’s ‘aqeedah (creed) and tawhid.” Du‘ is also one of the best ways that a person can increase his ima@n (faith), and appreciate Allah’s Names and Attributes. It is a powerful reminder of man’s inherent incapability, and Allah’s unlimited powers.

Dua increases a person's iman (faith) due to many factors. It makes evident the fact that a person has absolutely no control over his destiny, nor does he have the power to benefit himself or avert any evil from him. It shows the neediness that a Muslim feels towards his Lord. It proves that the one making du’ @ sincerely believes that Allah hears his du’ a, and will respond to it. Such a person must also affirm Allah’s Infinite Mercy, Beneficence and Generosity. And the more a person increases in the realisation of his poverty towards the Mercy of his Lord, the more he will increase in his iman as well. Likewise, the more a person appreciates and realizes the perfection of Allah’s Names and Attributes, so too will he increase in his iman. These two factors — knowing one’s need of Allah in every matter, and knowing Allah’s Perfect Nature ~ are the essence of iman and servitude to Allah.

The one making dua@ openly affirms his iman for Allah, for it shows that he believes in Allah, and that Allah, and only Allah, can listen and answer his prayers.