Part 22

The Qur’an itself commands this, for Allah says:

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And lower unto them the wings of humility and mercy, and

say, ‘O My Lord! Have mercy on them, even as they took care

of me while I was young’.””

So the pious son should make a point of regularly praying for his deceased parents, for this is the least that he can do to repay them for their kindness and care. Likewise, the daughter too should pray for her parents, as the hadith applies to both son and daughter.

This does not mean that a person should not pray for his parents

if they are alive, for of course this too is one of the rights that the parents have over the child.

7. The One who is Fasting The Prophet (3%) said:

Three du‘ as are never rejected: the du’ of the father, and the du’ @ of the one fasting, and the du’ a of the traveller.”

In another narration, it is reported that he (#8) said:

Three people’s du’ as are never rejected: the one who is fasting, until he breaks his fast; the just ruler; and the one who has

273 an act of charity that lasts for a period of time, such as building a masjid, or a Muslim school, etc.

274 Reported by Muslim (# 1631), Aba Dawad (# 2880) and others. Surah al-Isra, 24.

276 Reported by al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan (3/345) and others. Al-Albani declared it to be authentic in al-Sahihah, # 1797.

been wronged. Allah raises it above the clouds, and the doors

of the skies are opened for it, and the Lord says, ‘By My Hon-

our and Glory! I will help you, even if it be after some time!”

The preceding hadith shows that the one whois fasting can make du'@ throughout the day, and his dua will be responded to. In a third hadith, the time just before breaking the fast has been speci-

fied, so a person should strive even more at this particular time to be sincere in his du‘ a. The Prophet (#8) said:

Indeed, the one who is fasting has — while he is about to break his fast — a du’ a that is not rejected”.

8. The Person Reciting the Qur’an

It has been authentically narrated that peace and tranquility descend on the one who recites the Qur’an, as do the angels. Therefore, after reciting any portion of the Quran, we are encouraged to make a du‘, as it is more likely to be responded to”

Likewise, when we finish reciting the entire Qur’an, we are also encouraged to make a dy‘, just as the famous Companion Anas ibn Malik, did when he called his family, and make a du‘@ as soon as he had finished reciting the Qur’an.”

an Reported by al-Tirmidhi (# 3598), who declared it to be hasan. However, al-Albani pointed out that it has a very slight weakness in it in al-Da' ifah,

278 Reported by Ibn Majah (# 1753) and others. Al-Busayri said (2/350), “Its isnad is sahih,” and al-Hafiz Ibn Hajr declared it to be hasan (see al-Qahtani, p. 121). However, al-Albani did not agree with them, and declared it to be da’ if in his al-Jrwa, # 921. It seems that the hadith has a very slight weakness in it, and Allah knows best.

Bakr Aba Zayd, Tas-hih al-Du' a, p. 33.

9. The Person Performing Hajj, ‘Umrah or Jihad

These three types of people have all left their homes solely for the sake of performing an act of worship to please Allah, and, thus, they are like Allah’s guests. Therefore, as soon as they leave their homes, they are under the special protection and care of Allah.

The Prophet (3%) said:

“The person who is fighting in the way of Allah, and the person going for Hajj, and the person going for Umrah are (like)

Allah’s delegates. Their du'as are responded to, and their re-

In another wording of this hadith, the Prophet (3), said,

The people performing Hajj and ‘Umrah are the delegates of

Allah. He called them and they responded, and they asked

Him, so He gave them (their requests).

Such is the Mercy and Generosity of Allah, that He considers these three people to be like His delegates, and treats them with the utmost kindness, granting their every request.

10. The Dua for a Person in his Absence Abia al-Darda reported that the Prophet (3) said:

“There is no Muslim worshipper who prays for his brother (Muslim) in his absence except that an angel says, ‘And to you be the same!”

And Safwan ibn ‘Abdillah narrated: “I went to Syria, and visited Abi al-Darda in his home, but he was not present when I arrived. Umm al-Darda asked me, ‘Are you going to perform Hajj this year?’ I replied that I was, so she said, ‘In that case, do not forget to pray to

281 Reported by Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, and al-Tabarani, from Ibn ‘Umar, and authenticated in Sahih al-Jami’ # 4171.

282 Reported by al-Bazzar (# 1153). See al-Silsilah al-Sahthah, # 1820.

283 Reported by Muslim and Aba Dawid, from Abi al-Darda, as mentioned in Sahih al-Jami’ #5737.

Allah for us for good, for the Prophet (#%) used to say:

“The du’ a of a Muslim for his brother in his absence is responded to. There is an angel in front of him that has been assigned to him; every time he makes a du‘ a for his brother with good, the angel assigned to him says, ‘Amin! And to you

In this situation, the du‘ a must be purely for the sake of Allah, since a Muslim will love his brother Muslim only for the sake of Allah, and this is the only factor that will cause him to make a du‘a for his brother in his absence.

One of the scholars wrote, “In this hadith there is a point of benefit to be obtained, and that is: ifyour dua@ is responded to because your brother is absent from you, then we hope that the angel’s du‘a for you will also be responded to because you are absent from the angel!”

It is reported that the pious predecessors would make a dv'@ for their brothers when they themselves were in need of that du‘ a, since they knew that this type of dua@ was responded to.

One can imagine what effects such true brotherhood stir up in a Muslim community — where every Muslim is praying for his brother Muslim for the good in this life and in the Hereafter.

11. The One who Remembers Allah Constantly The Prophet (#%) narrated:

Three (people’s) du’ as are not rejected: the one who remembers Allah frequently, and the one who has been wronged, and a just ruler.”

74 Reported by Muslim, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad, from Aba ad-Darda, as mentioned in Sahih al-Jami’ # 3380.

285 See the quote in al-Hilali, p. 68.

*86 Reported by al-Bayhaqi in his Shu’ ab al-Iman (2/399), and it is authentic. See al-Sahihah, # 1211.

It is only befitting that the one who remembers Allah constantly be remembered by Allah at his time of need.

12. The Just Ruler

This is based on the above hadith. When a person whom Allah has placed in a position of control and power over people is able to restrain his emotions and desires, and rules them with justice and honesty, then Allah blesses him, and causes his da to be answered.

FACTORS THAT AID A PERSON’S Du’ A IN BEING ANSWERED

There are certain factors that assist a person’s du’ @ being accepted by Allah. These factors are explicitly mentioned in the texts of the Qur’an and Sunnah as being factors that guarantee, or greatly increase, the chances that one’s du’ as are accepted. Therefore, every person that makes dua@ must see whether these factors are present in him or not, and if not, he should strive until he implements all of them.

Although some of these factors have already been mentioned, they will be listed again here for the sake of benefit.

There is no doubt that the single greatest factor which aids a person’s du'@ in being answered is his sincerity. The more sincere a person is while making du’ a, the greater are his chances of response.

Ponder over the story of Yanus and the whale, the ‘Companion . of the fish’, as he is referred to in the Qur’an. He was thrown overboard, and then swallowed by a whale, only to be taken to the very depths of the ocean. Darkness covered with darkness — the darkness of the whale’s belly, along with the darkness of the sea, along with the darkness of the night! But he did not despair, and instead called out, with a pure sincerity the like of which we cannot even imagine:

287 This section is based on al-Hamad, pp. 85-90.

Then he cried out from the darkness: Verily, there is no deity worthy of worship except You, You are glorified and above all deficiencies! Verily I was of the wrongdoers. *

So what was the response from Him who heard him from the depths of the ocean, inside the whale’s stomach?

So We responded to his call, and saved him from the distress (that he was in). And likewise do We save the believers.”

So the One who responded to the Companion of the Fish is the same One that responds when we call out to Him, but where is our sincerity in comparison t0 to at of Yunus?

And make dua to Him, sincerely, for to Him is the religion.”

Ibn ‘Aqil al-Hanbali wrote: “It is said a du’ a is never responded to quickly except for a person who is sincere, or one who has been wronged”.

2. To Expect the Best from Allah

This point too has been discussed previously.

One of the strongest factors that aids a person’s du'@ in being accepted is that he expect, in fact, be certain, that Allah will of a surety respond to his dua. When he expects the best from Allah,

then Allah treats him the way that he expects, and this is from the Perfection of Allah’s Nature, and an indication of His Beautiful Names.