Part 23

One of the ways that a person can increase this feeling in himself is to read the Qur’anic ayahs (verses) that talk about Allah’s Power, so that he realises that Allah is indeed capable ofall things. As Allah

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Verily, His command, when He wishes to do something, is to only say, ‘Be!’ and it is.

A believer should realise that everything that he desires is with Allah.

And there is not a iat thing except that We have its treas-

Just ponder over the meanings of this one hadith in order to get a glimpse at the vast treasures of the One whom you ask, for the Prophet (#8) said that Allah said:

O My Servants! If the first of you, and the last of you; if the jinn of you, and the men of you, were to stand on one plain, and ask Me, and I gave every single person what he wanted, then all of that would not decrease anything from My kingdom, except like a needle (decreases the amount of water) when

it is placed in the ocean (and then taken out). 4

So this hadith is an indication of the completeness of His Power and Kingdom. If Allah were to give every single creation, from amongst men and jinn, all that they desired, that would not decrease anything out of His vast treasures and kingdom, just as when

292 Surah Ya Sin, 82. 3 seerah al-Hijr, 21. 24 Reported by Muslim (# 2577) and others.

a person inserts a needle in an ocean and takes it out, the needle does not take away anything from the ocean’s waters.

The Companions understood this concept of expecting the best from Allah. And hence why ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said: “I am not worried about whether my du’ @ will be responded to, but rather I am worried about whether I will be able to make dy'@ or not. So if

I have been guided (by Allah) to make du‘a, then (I know) that the

response will come with it”.

Another scholar stated: “I do not have any example to give for the believer (and his hope for response) except that of a person, stranded in the middle of the ocean, clinging on to a plank of wood, , rvingget ‘O my Lord! O my Lord!’ hoping that Allah might save

Such indeed is the hope of the believer — hope beyond hope, and

3. Doing Good Deeds The Prophet (#8) said:

Make the orphan come close to you, and be nice to him, and wipe his head, and feed him from your food. That will cause

your heart to be soft, and your needs to be fulfilled”

Once Anas ibn Malik was asked by someone to make dua for him. He replied, “Verily, dua@ is raised up (to Allah) by good deeds”,’* indicating that the questioner should strive to do good deeds if he wants his du’ as to be answered. And Wahb ibn Munabih said: “The example of the one who makes du’ @ without doing any

deeds is like the one who tries to shoot arrows without a bow”.

25 al’ Awayishah, p. 117.

296 Reported by Imam Ahmad in his a/-Zuhd; see al-Da’, p. 46.

297 Narrated by al-Tabarani in his a/-Kabir and others. See al-Sahihah, # 854. 28 Al. Awayishah, p. 55.

299 Tbn al-Mubarak, al-Zuhd, # 322.

So the person who wishes to have his dua responded to should increase the quantity and quality of the good deeds that he does.

4. Fulfilling the Rights of Parents

One of the best deeds that a person can do, in fact, the most important and greatest act of worship after worshipping Allah, is that he be dutiful to his parents. The rights of parents are indeed very great, and it is because of this that the person who fulfils these rights earns a very high status with Allah. Of the blessings that such a person has is that his du’ as are answered.

This is indicated in Uways al-Qarni’s hadith, who among the tabi i*” has the highest status of all. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab narrated, “I heard the Prophet (3%) say:

There will come to you (a man by the name of) Uways ibn ‘Amir, with some people from Yemen. He is from (the tribe of) Murad, then from Qarn. He was afflicted with leprosy (all over his body) except for one part, the size of a dirham. He has a mother to whom he is very dutiful. If he were to swear by Allah, Allah would fulfil his oath. Ifyou are able to ask him to

seek your forgiveness, then do so”.

When ‘Umar heard this, he waited until Uways came to Madinah, and then asked him to make a du‘@ for him.

This hadith shows that being dutiful to one’s parents is a cause of one’s du'@ being accepted, as the reason that Uways’s oath was _ responded to was because of the devotion that he used to display to his mother.

Also, the story of the three people that were trapped in the cave further proves this point, since one of them mentioned his good character to his parents as a means of tawassul (this story is mentioned in a subsequent chapter regarding tawassul).

300 person who met one or more of the Companions, but did not see the Prophet (3%). 301 Reported by Muslim (4/1968) and others.

“Whoever wishes that Allah responds to his da‘d at times of

hardship, then let him increase his du‘ at times of ease!”

And Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that he was once riding behind the Prophet (#%) on a mount when he (3%) said:

“O youth! Do you not wish that I should teach you some advice that Allah will benefit you with?

I responded, “Yes!” He then said:

Protect (the commandments) of Allah, and Allah will protect you, protect (the commandments) of Allah, and you will find Him ever in front of you. Know Him when you are in a state of contentment, and He will know you when you are in a state

The meaning of this hadith is that if a person worships Allah and remembers Him at times of ease, then Allah will remember and help him at times of hardship.

Constant remembrance of Allah is a sign that a person loves Allah. Imagine a son who only comes to his parents when he needs their help, and does not remember them when he is not in need of them. Is it not more likely that they will help him if he continually remembers them, and shows his care towards them?

This is why one of the signs of a disbeliever is that he only remembers Allah when he is in a state of need, as mentioned later.

303 Reported by Ahmad (1/307), al-Tirmidhi (# 2516) and others. See Sahih

6. To do Extra Voluntary Acts After the Obligatory Ones

This is one of the greatest ways that a person can increase the chances of his dua being answered. This is based on the hadith quasi that states:

Whoever shows enmity to one of My wali,” then I have declared war against him. And My servant does not cease to draw closer to Me by doing voluntary acts, until I love him. And when I love him, I become his hearing by which he hears, and his eyes by which he sees, and his hands by which he grasps, and his feet by which he walks. And if he asks Me, I will give it to him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will give him refuge.”

So when a person increases his voluntary good deeds, such as prayer, and fasting, and giving charity, then Allah loves him, and when Allah loves him, all his du‘ as are answered.

7, Repenting From Previous Sins

Sins are one of the factors that prevent a person’s du‘ a from being accepted. Therefore, one of the ways that a person can increase the chances of his dua being answered is by repenting to Allah. This must be a sincere repentance, for all of the previous sins that he has committed. This is done by having sincerity towards Allah, feeling guilty for the sins that he has performed, asking for Allah’s forgiveness, and making a sincere determination not to return to - that sin. Additionally, ifthe sin involved transgressing the rights of others, it is required to return those rights or an equivalent amount of good to the person from whom it was taken.

305 Reported by al-Bukhari, # 6502, and others.

Nah told his people:

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Itold them, “Seek Allah’s forgiveness, for verily He is the One that forgives frequently. He will then send the skies upon you (with rain) in abundance. And He will increase your wealth

and children, and bestow upon you gardens, and bestow upon

We also have, in the story of the one who prayed to Allah while he was on a long journey, but whose prayer was rejected because he had wronged others and fed himself with impure money. The only way he could correct that state was by repenting.

8. Having a Humble Appearance

One of the factors that aids a person’s du‘ a in being answered is to have a dishevelled, humbled appearance. This is referred to in the hadith of the traveller on a long journey, who raises his hands and cries out, ‘O my Lord! O my Lord!’ The Prophet (38), described him as having a dirty, dishevelled look, as this is one of the factors that aids a person’s dua@ in being accepted. This because it shows a person’s poverty and need of Allah, and proves that he is not concerned about his appearance or looks, but rather about the response to his du‘a.

In another hadith which also proves this point, the Prophet (2%) said;

It is possible that a person who is dusty and dishevelled, wear-

ing only two coarse garments, will be responded to by Allah if he swears by Allah (for a du‘ a)”

However, this does not mean that a person should purposely tear his clothes up, and throw dust on his body, before making a dua! What is meant is that when such a condition exists — the result of factors beyond the control of the person himself — then such a du'‘a is more likely to be responded to.