Part 25

318 Reported by al-Tirmidhi (# 2169) who said that it was hasan sahih, as did al-Albani in Sahih al-Jami' , # 7070.

319 Narrated by Muslim from Abu Hurayrah, as mentioned in Sahih al-Jami’

In other words, a person makes du '‘@ for so long that he becomes tired and gives up, due to lack of enthusiasm and energy.

In one wording of the above hadith, the Prophet (#$) said at the end,

“A worshipper says, ‘I have prayed, but no response came!’ At

3 320 that, he becomes tired and leaves du‘ 2”

And that is why the angels have been praised in the Qur’an that they never tire of Allah’s worship.

or or Zz, Pas ae ore

rey) Oye Ys. {yea slcde Ef SEN eA “9

And those that are with Him (i.e. the angels in the Heavens) are not arrogant to worship Him, nor do they get tired”!

6. Asking for Something Prohibited

The above hadith also mentions that asking for something haram, or asking for breaking the ties of kinship, is a factor that causes the du a to be rejected.

7. A Man Married to an Evil Woman, One who Gave a Loan but Did not Take Precautions, and a Man who Gave his Money to a Fool

These three categories of people are mentioned in the following hadith, narrated by Aba Misa al-Ash‘ari:

Three people make du’ as, but they will not be answered! (The first is) a man who had under him (in marriage) a woman who had an evil character, yet he did not divorce her. (The second is) a man who gave some money as a debt to another man, yet he did not use any witnesses. (The third is) a man who gave his money to a fool, even though Allah says,

30 Reported by Muslim (# 2735) and others. 321 Sarah al-Anbiya, 19.

And do not give fools your money.”

So in this narration, we are informed of three categories of people whose dw’ a is not responded to.

The first is a man who is married to a woman who has very lax morals. Such a woman might flirt with other men, and not guard her husband’s honour and property in his absence. If this is the case, and the man cannot correct her, then she should be divorced, for it is possible that she might bring great shame to him and his household. If he does not divorce her, then he exposes himself to Allah’s anger, and his du’ as are not responded to.

The second is a person who is not wise in giving loans. He gives loans to people that are not trustworthy, and on top of that, he does not take the necessary precautions, for it is advised that a person giving a loan ensures there are two witnesses to the transaction. This ensures that no dispute arises if the two parties disagree about the amount of the loan. So, if a person does not take these necessary precautions, then he only has himself to blame, and his du‘ a will not be responded to.

The third is a person who is not responsible with his money, and gives it to people who are not intelligent or wise in business dealings. He might enter into a contract with a business partner, or engage in buying and selling, with one who is foolish in these af- . fairs. So once again, he only has himself to blame if his money is lost, and his du‘ a are not answered.

8. Abandoning the Etiquette of Du‘

If a person opposes the proper etiquette of du‘ a, then this is a very obvious cause of his du'@ not being responded to. So it is im-

322 Sarah al-Nisa, 5.

#3 Reported by al-Hakim (2/302) who declared it authentic, and al-Dhahabi agreed with him, as did al-Albani (see al-Sahihah, # 1805).

portant that a person check his du'@ with all of its attendant preconditions and etiquettes, and be thorough in conforming to the manners of a proper du’ a.

In conclusion, we quote Ibn al-Qayyim: “And such is dw 4, for it is one of the strongest factors that repels evil, and brings about desired good. However, it is possible that its effects are not seen, either because of a weakness in the dw‘ a — for example, the du’ a is not beloved to Allah, since it contains in it transgression, or because of a weakness in the heart of the one making du’ a. So the heart does not turn to Allah, and unify its energy in asking for it while it makes the dz'd, so it is like a very weak bow, from which the arrow leaves

- with weakness. Another cause for which the du' a is not answered is the presence of a preventing factor, such as eating haram sustenance, or being unjust, or there being a layer of filth due to sins over the

Furthermorethe famous ascetic and worshipper, [brahim ibn Adham was once asked, “Why is it that we make dw’ 4, yet they are not responded to?” He replied:

“Because you know Allah, yet do not obey Him.

And you know the Prophet (3%), but do not follow his Sunnah. And you know the Quran, but you do not act upon it.

And you eat from the blessings of Allah, but you do not express gratitude for it.

And you know Paradise, yet do not strive for it.

And you know the Fire of Hell, yet do not run away from it. And you know Shaytan, but you do not fight him, and instead obey him.

And you know death, but you do not prepare yourselves for it. And you bury the dead, but do not learn a lesson from it. And you have left your own faults, and instead busy yourself with the faults of others.”

THE WISDOM BEHIND A DELAYED RESPONSE

It is indeed a great trial for a Muslim to make du’ 4, sincerely and properly, continually, for a long period of time, and yet see no sign of response. Here, a person’s iman in Allah is truly tested. And here is the opportunity that Shayfan uses to try to sow his whispers, and plant his doubts in a believer’s heart. In this way a person might start thinking evil thoughts about his Creator, or start doubting the wisdom of the Divine Decree.

So whoever falls into this, should immediately seek Allah’s refuge from Shaytan, and turn to Allah sincerely, making yet another du’ a: that he be saved from Shaytan’s evil plots, and that he be granted patience to withstand the test that he is undergoing. He should also ponder over his own limited knowledge and intelligence, and realise the infinite Knowledge of Allah, and the extreme wisdom behind any Divine act.

At the same time, he should realise the great blessings that Allah has given to mankind when He guaranteed a response to all du‘ as, as long as the du‘ 4 conforms to all the necessary etiquette, and there are no prohibiting factors found in the one making it. So every du’ a@ al-‘ibadah is responded to by giving the doer rewards in this life and the Hereafter, and every dua al-mas’alah is responded to by giving what was asked, or something equivalent to it, or by averting some evil that was to befall the one making du’ a, or by giving him reward equivalent to his dua on the Day of Judgement. So even when one’s dua is apparently not responded to, he should realise that the actual response might not be what he presumes, and it is,

in fact, possible that his dua has already been answered, without his even knowing it!

A Muslim should understand that there are many wisdoms behind the delayed response of a du‘ a, whether he realises it or not. All of Allah’s decrees are wise, and, although it is not possible that we fully and truly comprehend all the Divine Wisdom behind an act, it is possible that we can glean some of the benefits of a Decree. The following points have been mentioned by some scholars:

1. Allah is the Malik Allah is the true King, the Owner of All Kingdoms. No one can

interfere in His Decisions, and no one can question His resolu-

tions. As Allah says in the Quran, OD 58s RECA

He is not questioned regarding what He does, but rather they will be questioned (regarding what they do).””

And Allah Judges, and there is none that can change His Judgement. And He is the Ever-Swift in Reckoning”*

So the Muslim does not question the Will of Allah, rather he accepts it, and is pleased with it.

One of the scholars wrote: “So there is none of us who can escape from the Will of Allah and His Decree. And no one can avert His Judgement or His trials (upon us). Verily, we all belong to Allah, we are His slaves and (part of His) possessions. He does with us as

He pleases, and what He wills”.

326 Daraphrased from al-Hamad, pp. 93-107 and al-Khudari, pp. 87-91. 327 Sarah al-Anbiya, 23.

328 Surah al-Ra'd, 41.

2. Man does not have a Right Over his Creator

The one making dua should realise his lowly status, and know that he does not have a right over his Creator that his du‘ a be responded to. He should be wise enough to contemplate his own many faults and shortcomings with regards to the rights that Allah has over him. This will make him appreciate that he does not have any rights over Allah!

So one of the greatest matters of benefit to the heart is that it looks into the rights that Allah has over His slaves, because this will cause him to look at his own self in a despicable and lowly manner. It will make him avoid self-conceit and vanity concerning his actions, and instead open for him the door to humility and meekness. He will be submissive before his Lord, and give up hope of his own self, for he will realise that success will only come about through the Mercy of Allah and His Blessings. For His right (upon the soul) is that He be obeyed, and not disobeyed, and remembered, and not forgotten, and thanked, and not rejected. So whoever looks into this right that his Lord has upon him, then he will know — a most certain knowledge — that he is not fulfilling the rights of his Lord in a way that he should, and that nothing can save him except divine aid and forgiveness. So if he were to rely upon his own actions, he would be destroyed! So this is what those who have knowledge of Allah look upon, and this is what has caused them to give up hope of attaining any good from themselves, and made them put all of their hope in the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah.