Part 37

This narration is not reported in any of the famous works of hadith; it is found in al-Darimi’s Sunan (# 92), with a very weak chain. In addition, as Ibn Taymiyyah pointed out, the content of the hadith contradicts historical facts, as it is well known that the small window built in the roof of the Prophet’s (#8) house was placed there long after ‘A’ishah’s death, and not during her lifetime. So this hadith cannot be taken as evidence, especially since it is authentically narrated in al-Bukhari that when the people suffered a drought, ‘Umar asked al-‘Abbas to make a du‘ for them, and had they known that it would rain by building a window over the Prophet’s (#%) grave, they would not have done what they did. (See alTawassul of al-Albani, p. 139.)

What has preceded , dear reader, is merely a glimpse at some of the many facets of du‘ a. Du'd is a treasure that all people can possess, yet so few strive to achieve. It is a light that one can use to guide oneself out of the darkest dilemma that one may be in. It is the wind that lifts the sails of one’s hope and pushes one forth to one’s destination. It is the sword that he can use to fight any and every enemy impeding one’s path.

Du'‘a is the heart of worship, and its foundation. It is the crux of one’s relationship with Allah, for it demonstrates, in clear and certain terms, the inherent helplessness of man, and his continual, desperate need of al-Rakman.

So ask yourself: what the status is of this affair in your life? How often do you turn to Allah? And for what matters do you turn to Him? How sincere are you in your requests? And do you ask Allah properly, conforming with the pre-requisites and etiquettes of dua? Or do you ask and ask, but not care about the ways that you have blocked its response? Are you heedless of Allah, and only turn to Him at times of need, only to forget Him when your du'@ is answered? Or do you despair of His Infinite Mercy and Wisdom when your dua is not responded to, forgetting and ignoring the countless other blessings that He has given you, and presuming of Allah evil thoughts?

Ponder over the answers to these questions, and change your life accordingly to better the situation that you are in.

O you who does not turn to Allah at all, feeling himself too sinful to merit a response! Are you worse than Iblis — the accursed devil? For verily, if Allah can respond to his du‘a, then surely you have more right to be responded to. Are you not aware of the vast treasures of Allah, and that He is a/-Karim, the Ever-Generous? Did he not create you out of nothing, and guide you to Islam, and

bless you with so many blessings that you cannot even count them? And if He gave ali that to you, without you even asking Him, then how much more will He give you when you raise your hands up to Him, seeking His Pleasure, believing in Him as your Rab? So ask Him, and continue to ask Him, and the first matter that you should ask Him for is guidance, for verily it is the primary goal that you strive for.

O you who are in distress! Despair not of finding a solution to your problems. Verily, there is nothing that can overcome a sincere du’ a, for Allah is capable of all things. And know that the response to the du‘ a will be proportionate to your sincerity to Allah. If you desire your goal with such fervour and passion, then take the necessary precautions to obtain it. Make sure that you have asked Allah having fulfilled the conditions of du'a, and ensure that you have removed any obstacles and impediments in the way of the response.

O you whose du’ is yet to be answered! Do not let Shaysan come between you and the response of your du‘a. Be certain and have full faith that Allah will, of a surety, respond to you, but only if you have fulfilled the proper conditions of dw‘ @. Examine your own situation, and see if perhaps you have not blocked the response to your dua by your own sins and actions. Ponder over the goal that you desire, and see whether it is possible that what you desire is in fact harmful for you, and Allah, in His Infinite Wisdom and Mercy, is depriving you of it for your own good. Realise that AJlah’s Kingdom is so vast that if He were to give you all that you ever desired, or could possibly desire, it would not affect His Kingdom an atom’s weight, and believe fully with your heart that Allah is a/-Mannan — the One Who Gives Continuously and Generously. So when you are dealing with One whose characteristics are these, then what do you fear?

O you who has had his du’ @ answered, and has seen the effects of his plea! Beware of forgetting your state when you were calling out to Allah, hopeful of a response, fearful of rejection. Remember your sincerity to Allah at that time, and be careful not to let Shaytan

cause you to become heedless again. Now that Allah has answered your du’ @, itis incumbent on you to thank Him, by increasing your worship of Him, and leaving the sins that you are doing. And beware of acting like the kafir, who, when he needs Allah, calls out to Him in all sincerity, but when his du’ a is answered, forgets the state that he was in, and leaves his worship of Allah.

O Muslim! Realise that your honour lies in humbling yourself before al-Aziz (the One Full of Honour), and your strength and power comes from admitting your total helplessness and dependence on al-Qawi, al-Qadir (the Ever-Powerful, the All-Capable). And know that the strongest channel of communication between yourself and your Mawla (Protector) is the channel of du' a.

Verily, your journey is long, and the perils are many. Your destination is far, and the path is treacherous. So utilise your du’ a. Use it to ward off the evil of yourself, and the evil of your enemies, and the evil that is destined for you. And use it as you strive to reach your every goal, and struggle to arrive at your desired destination.

dua is your sharpest sword, and your strongest weapon.

All Praise is due to Allah, the Creator of all, the Giver of everything. And He is far Exalted above what others ascribe to Him. And May Peace and Blessing be upon the perfect worshipper of Allah, the Final Messenger, Muhammad ibn‘ Abdillah (38) and all those who follow

GLOSSARY OF ARABIC TERMS

Abii (or Abi): Literally ‘the father of . It was a custom of the Arabs to add a pre-fix (known as fvzya) to their first names consisting of the title “Aba” and then their oldest son’s name, or any of their children. Although this was the general rule, sometime they would

add this pre-fix without necessarily using the name of one of their children.

Adhan: The call to prayer, given before every single of the five prayers.

‘aqeedah: The faith, creed and beliefs of the Muslims.

Arafat: A plain outside of Makkah which the pilgrims worship in. The most important feature of the Hajj is the standing at Arafat.

‘Asr: The name given to the afternoon prayer. Ayah (pl. ayat): A verse of the Quran.

Bid‘ah: A religious innovation or practice that has no basis in the Quran or Sunnah.

Din: The religion of Islam. Dhikr: The remembrance of Allah. Zubr: The name given to the noon salah.

Dhul-Hijjah: The twelfth month of the Muslim calendar. The Hajj is performed during this month.

Dirham: A gold coin. Fasiq: An evil person. Fitnah: A trial or test.

Fitrah: The innate nature that Allaah created in all of mankind.

Hadith (pl. ahadith): The statements and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (3%). These, along with the Qur‘an, form the basis for

the religion of Islam.

Hadith Qudsi: A hadith of the Prophet (#%) in which he narrates from Allah.

Hajj: The ‘major’ pilgrimage that is obligatory for Muslims to perform at least once in their life-time. It can only be performed during the month of Dhul-Hijjah.

Haram: Any prohibited act in Islam.

Hasan: A hadith that is reliable and sound. It is one level below that of Sahih.

‘Tbadah: The Arabic word for worship.

Iblis: The name of Satan himself.

Tbn: Literally ‘the son of.

Imam: The one who leads the congregational prayer. Iman: The Arabic term for ‘Faith’.

Iqamah: This is a ‘second’ call to the prayer, given after the Adhan, and immediately before the congregation starts the prayer.

Insha-Allah: An expression used in Arabic which means, “If Allah wills”.

Isnad: The chain of narrators connected to every hadith.

Jahiliyyah: The name given to the time-period before the advent of the Prophet (#%). It signifies the ignorance and superstition that was prevalent at that time.

Jamarah (pl. Jamarat): Three pillars located inside Mina that Muslims stone during the days of Hajj.

Jihad: Literally, striving for the sake of Allah. It primarily refers to fighting an enemy for religious reasons.

Jinn: The jinn are spirit-like creatures that, in general, cannot be seen by men. Since they have free-will, like humans, there are Muslim jinn and non-Muslim jinn.

Ka‘bah: The ‘House of Allah’ located in Makkah, Arabia. It was built by Ibrahim.

Khutbah: The Friday sermon given before the Friday prayer.

Laylat al-Qadr: The ‘Night of Decree;’ a blessed night which occurs on one of the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan.

Marwa: One of two mountains located next to the Ka‘bah. Mus-

lims must walk between these mountains during the rituals of Hajj and ‘Umrah.

Masjid: The place in which Muslims offer their daily salah.

Mina: An area outside of Makkah which the pilgrims live in for a number of days during the rituals of Hajj.

Mui‘adhin: The one who says the adhap (call to prayer) Muzdalifah: A large plain located outside of Makkah, which the

pilgrims performing Hajj must camp in for one night.

Qiblah: The direction that a Muslim must face when he prays (i.e. the direction of Makkah).

Qunit: A prayer that is offered during special occasions while in salah. It is commonly offered during the wi¢r salah.

Rabb: One of the names of Allah. It signifies that Allah is the

Cherisher, Sustainer and Creator.

Rak‘ah: A ‘unit’ of prayer. Every salah is composed of a number of rak' ahs.