Part 20

17. Du‘a on “The Night of Decree’

During this blessed night,’ when the angels descend down to earth with the angel Jibril, and when the earth is overwhelmed with peace and serenity until the break of dawn, and when the doors of Paradise are opened, the worshipper is encouraged to turn to Allah, and to ask of his needs for this world and the Hereafter.

247 Reported by al-Bukhari (# 1899), Muslim (# 1079) and others.

248-The Night of Decree is one of the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.

The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months, The angels come down, and the Holy Spirit, in it, with the Permission of their Lord, with all decrees. Peace! (It lasts) Until the break of dawn.”

‘A’ishah narrated that she asked the Prophet (3%): “O Messenger of Allah! What dua should I make on Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Decree)?” He (#%) answered:

“Say, ‘O Allah! You are Forgiving, and love to forgive, so forgive mel”?

18. dua@ Inside the Ka‘bah

The Ka'bah is the holiest of all places, and the first mosque to be built for mankind. It is a sanctuary that has no comparison in the entire world. Therefore, it is no surprise that dua@ at this blessed place has greater chances of being answered.

Of course, the obvious question that everyone will ask in our times is: “But it is not possible to go inside the Ka‘bah except with great difficulty!” Know then that the 4zr (the semi-circular attachment that is opposite the Yemeni-corner and Black-stone wall) is actually a part of the Ka‘bah, and prayer inside the Air is exactly the same as praying inside the physical structure of the Ka‘bah. This because of the fact that the original Ka'bah built by Ibrahim was a rectangle, and its foundations included the area that is now the Ayr. The only reason that the Ar is not included in the present structure is because the Quraysh, when they re-built the Ka‘bah, ran out of materials to complete its original structure. Therefore, they were forced to leave out the portion that is known today as the Ayr. When

20 Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Hakim and authenticated in Sahih al-Jami’ # 4423.

*! Reported by Muslim (2/968) and others.

the Prophet (3%) re-conquered Makkah, he expressed his desire to ‘A’ishah that he wanted to rebuild the Ka'bah upon the original foundations of Ibrahim, but he feared that the new Muslims would not be able to handle such a dramatic change, so he left it on its present foundations.

Therefore, one should be eager to pray in the Ayr, and make du‘ a in it as well, for it is equivalent to praying in the actual Ka'bah.

19. Du‘a at Safa and Marwa

It is narrated in the authentic Sunnah that the Prophet (3%) would make long du' as at Safa and Marwa,’” so the Muslim who is eager

to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (3%) should do likewise.

20. dua After Stoning the Jamarat

Likewise, it is narrated that the Prophet (#8) would stone the small Jamarah (one of the three pillars that is stoned in the last three days of Hajj), then face the qiblah, raise his hands, and make du’ a for a long time. He would then stone the middle Jamarah and do the same. When he stoned the large Jamarah, he would depart without making any du’ a.”

21. Du‘ on the Day of ‘Arafah

Although dua during the entire Hajj is a great act of worship, du‘ a on this particular day is of even greater importance. The Day of ‘Arafah is the essence and pinnacle of Hajj. On this great and momentous day, when millions of worshippers gather together at one plain, from every single corner of the globe, with only one purpose in mind — to respond to the call of their Creator — during this auspicious day, Allah does not refuse the requests of His worshippers.

a2 Reported by Muslim (# 1218) and others. 3 Reported by al-Bukhari (#1753) and others.

‘Amr ibn al-‘As narrated that the Prophet (#8) said:

“The best of all du‘ as is the one given on the Day of ‘Arafah, and the best statement that I or any of the prophets before me have said, is, ‘There is no deity worthy of worship, He is One,

and He has no Partners. To Him belongs the Dominion, to

Him is given all Praise, and He is aware of all things”.

22. The First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah The Prophet (3%) stated:

There are no days during which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than during these ten days.””

This hadith shows the general superiority of this time, and as du’ @ is one of the most beloved acts of worship, we are encouraged to make du‘ a during these ten days.

23. While Visiting the Sick

Umm Salamah narrated that the Prophet (3%) said:

“When you visit the sick, or the dead (body before its burial)

then say good, because the angels say, Amin to whatever you 99256

24. When the Soul of a Person is Taken

Umm Salamah narrated that the Prophet (#%) entered upon Abi

254Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-'As, and authenticated by al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami’ # 3274.

255 Reported by al-Bukhari (# 969) and others. 56 Reported by Muslim (# 2126) and others.

Salamah (while he was on his death bed), and his eyes had fixed into a stare (i.e. he had died), so the Prophet (#%) closed his eyelids, and said:

“When the soul leaves the body, the eyes follow it”.

At this, the people of Abt. Salamah’s house began crying, and the Prophet (#8) further said:

“Do not ask for yourselves anything but good, for the angels

will say Amin to all that you ask for. O Allah, forgive Aba

Salamah, and raise his ranks among those who are guided...”

Therefore, whenever a person is in the presence of one who is about to die, he should pray to Allah for all that is good, for the ' dying person, his family, and for himself.

This hadith also explains why the eyes of those who are dead are always found to be in a stare, looking upwards, since the eyes follow the soul as it leaves upwards in the hands of the angels of death.

25. When Rain Falls

This is a time when the blessings of Allah descend from the Heavens, and so it is also one of the times when the du’ @ of a worshipper is accepted.

Sahl ibn Sa‘d narrated that the Prophet (#8) said:

“Two are the du’ as that are never returned: the du’a@ made when the prayer is being called, and at the time of rainfall”.

Plus there is the hadith that has already been given, namely:

“Seek the response to your du’ das when the armies meet, and

the prayer is called, and when rain falls”?

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

258 Narrated by Aba Dawud (# 3540) and al-Hakim (2/114), who considered it to be sahih, al-Dhahabi agrees with him, as did al-Albani in Sahih al-

259 Reported by al-Shafi'i in his a/-Umm (1/223); authenticated in al-Sahthah,

The Prophet (3%), would pray four rak’ahs after the sun had reached its zenith (but before Zuhr), and he said,

This is an hour during which the gates of the skies are opened, and I like that some of my good acts are raised up (at this

In this hadith is an indication that a dy’ @ at this time (after the sun reaches its zenith but before the time of Zuhr) has more chances of being responded to, as the gates of the Heavens are opened.

27. At the Crowing of a Rooster Aba Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (3%) said:

“When you hear a rooster crowing, then ask Allah for His Bounties, for it has seen an angel, and when you hear a donkey braying, then seek refuge in Allah from Shayfan, for it has

261 seen a Shaytan.”

Qadi ‘Iyad said, in reference to this hadith:

“It is as if (the reason that one is asked to make du’ a@ when he hears the rooster crow) is that it is likely that the angel will say Amin to the person’s du'@, and ask for his forgiveness, and testify to his sincerity and humbleness. And when (he hears a donkey braying), he should seek refuge from Allah for the evil that the Shaytan can cause him, and the evil thoughts that he can whisper to him, so at this occasion the worshipper is told to turn to Allah for protection...”

260 Reported by Ahmad (3/411), al-Tirmidhi (# 478) and others. Al-Tirmidhi considered it hasan gharib, and Ahmad Shakir considered it sahih (2/343).

261 Narrated by al-Bukhari, Muslim and Ahmad, as mentioned in Sahih al-

CONDITIONS DURING WHICH Du’ 4 1s ANSWERED

After a discussion of the times during which the dw '‘@ is likely to be answered, it is relevant to discuss the conditions during which a - worshipper’s dua is likely to be responded to.

1. The Person who has been Wronged

Ifa person has been wronged by someone, Allah accepts the du’ a of that person against the person that wronged him. This ‘wrong’ could be that he was cheated of his rights, oppressed, persecuted, slandered, or any other form of wrong that a person may be inflicted with.

The Prophet (#%) mentioned in numerous ahadith that a Muslim should fear the du'@ of he who has been wronged, for he (3) said:

“Fear the du’ a@ of he who has been wronged, for verily it as-

cends to the skies faster than sparks (of light)”.””