Part 5

Allah combined these two types of du’ as in numerous verses in the Quran, the simplest of them being the oft-recited verse:

So this verse clearly shows the important relationship between du'‘a al-‘ibadah, and dua al-mas’alah, and the wise person is he , who understands and acts upon both of these types of du‘a in his life.

The second category of people are those that have left both types of du‘, so they neither worship Allah, nor seek His help or aid in any matter. So in this category fall the people that worship false deities, believing these deities to be worthy of their du’ a al-' ibadah and du‘ a al-mas’alah. They never turn to Allah, and thus have lost this world and the Hereafter.

38 seerah al-Fatihah, 5.

Also, those that have rejected religion entirely, such as the communists, atheists and agnostics, fall into this category as well. To such people, the only way to achieve any goal is through physical means, for in their rejection of a god they have implicitly worshipped creation. And these are the worst of mankind.

The third category are those people that practice du’ a al-' ibadah, but ignore du’ a al-mas’alah. Such thinking can only come from an ignorant person, or one who is deviated in his beliefs.

As for the ignorant Muslim — and unfortunately how common they are in our times — then he forgets that the real way and sure path to achieve his goal is by making dz’ a to Allah. He becomes so ‘ caught up in this world that, although he might pray and fast and give zakah, he forgets the spiritual aspect of Islam, and the beauty of the Names and Attributes of Allah. To such a person, Islam becomes a series of mundane acts, devoid of any meaning, performed at regular intervals. Such a person needs to re-evaluate his concept of Islam, and even of life, in order that he can correct his misunderstanding. He must ponder over the meanings of the Names and Attributes of Allah, and realise the ultimate Power and Knowledge of the Creator, and only then will he be able to see the error of his ways. He must realise that every act he does, whether it is related to this world or the Hereafter, must be done with the help and aid of Allah, for if Allah does not help him in achieving what he desires, he will never be able to achieve it.

As for the person who actually believes that it is incorrect to use du‘ a al-mas’alah, and instead restricts himself to du’ a al-' ibadah, then such a person without a doubt has committed a grave mistake. These people are only found in deviated sects — sects that have perverted the meanings of the Qur’an and Sunnah in order to justify their positions. Examples of this are the extreme Safis, for many of them believe that it is actually a sin to ask Allah for anything! Basing this beliefon a few fabricated ahadith,” they claim that a person

must always be content with what Allah decrees for him, and therefore should not pray for a change in his situation! The falseness of this logic is in their understanding of ‘contentment,’ for to be content with Allah means that one should not curse the Divine Decree, or be angry at Allah for what has occurred. It does not mean that one must be happy and satisfied at every incident that occurs to one, particularly if it is related to a sin or an evil pertaining to one’s religion. In addition, we find that all Allah’s prophets, without exception, made dua to Allah for all matters. Therefore, this understanding of the extreme Sifis is not in accordance with the understanding of the prophets.

The fourth, and final, category are those people that ignore du’ a al-' ibadah, and only practice du‘ a al-mas’alah. Such people believe in Allah, but follow their own selfish desires, and strive in order to satisfy their every whim. So they leave worship of Allah, but they realise that Allah is the Controller of all affairs, and, therefore, ask Him for their selfish needs.

The primary example of this is Iblis, Satan himself, may Allah’s eternal curse be upon him. For when he was expelled from Paradise due to his arrogance, he actually made a dw‘ a to Allah, du’ a almas'alah — to allow him to live until the Day of Judgement. And Allah responded to his du’ @ and granted him his wish, even though Iblis knew full well that this time that he was granted would only be used to mislead others, out of his spite and jealousy. So Iblis left du‘a alibadah out of arrogance, but was forced to use du'aal- . mas‘alah out of greed.

Likewise, all those who have preferred the life of this world over the Hereafter have fallen into the same mistake as Iblis.

Allah states in the Quran:

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And there are those amongst mankind who say, ‘O Allah! Give us in this life,’ and they will have no share of the Hereafter. And there are those who say, ‘O Allah! Give us good in this

life, and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the Fire of Hell!’ These shall have a share of what they earned, and Allah is swift in Reckoning.”

So these are the four categories of people when it comes to practicing both categories of dua.

4. With Respect to What is Asked

The actual dw‘ @ itself can be categorised in many different ways, depending on which perspective one looks from.

So, it is possible to divide what is asked for into two categories: matters pertaining to religion, and matters pertaining to the world. Examples of the first type are to ask for increased faith, or an increase in good deeds, or forgiveness for one’s sins. Examples of the second category are to ask for an increase in money, or to be cured from a disease, or to be granted more children.

The true Muslim asks Ailah from both of these categories, realising that the good pertaining to this world is in reality a means of attaining the good in the Hereafter. So, an increase in wealth, children, and health is in fact a means of coming closer to Allah by obeying His commandments and sacrificing in His way. On the other hand, ignorant and deviated Muslims will only ask Allah for one of these two categories, ignoring the other.

Another way to categorise what is asked for is by examining the benefit or harm it causes. So, it is possible to state that the entire du'@ of all of creation centres around four pillars:

Firstly: good that exists. For example, one might be in a state of good health, or have great wealth. So dua is made that this state lasts, and is not taken away.

Secondly: good that is desired. For example, a person does not have good health, but wishes for it. This is asked for by means of du ‘a.

Thirdly: evil that exists. For example, a person might be sick, or suffer from poverty. So dua is made that this situation be changed.

Fourthly: evil that does not exist. For example, a person might fear a certain disease, or another trial. So du‘ @ is made that this evil never occurs, and is averted.

All of these four types of du‘ @ are combined in the comprehensive du ‘a that is found in the last verses of seerah Al-" Imran:

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Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, and remit us from our evil deeds, and cause us to dic in a state of righteousness. Our Lord! Grant us what you promised us through Your messengers, and do

not disgrace us on the Day of Judgement, for You never break Your promise.

So the phrase, ‘Forgive us our sins, and remit us from our evil deeds’ is a du‘ a that an existing evil be removed. And the phrase, ‘and cause us to die in a state of righteousness’, is a du‘ @ asking that an existing good, that of the presence of iman, continue and not be taken away until death. And the phrase, ‘Grant us what you promised us through Your messengers’, is a dua for a good that does not yet exist to be given. Lastly, the phrase, ‘do not disgrace us on the Day of Judgement’ ,is a du‘ @ to avert an evil that does not exist.

4! Sarah AL‘ Imran, 193-194.

THE EXCELLENCE AND BENEFITS OF Du A

This is due to the fact that du'@ is a means of showing one’s poverty and incapability to Allah. It is a manner of humiliating one’s self to Allah and acknowledging the power and capabilities of Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him. This has already been mentioned in the hadith we quoted wherein du‘ is a part of worship.

Some of the benefits of du’ @ are as follows:

1. Du‘a is the Most Noble of all Acts in the Sight of Allah

This is based on the above hadith: “There is nothing that is more noble in the sight of Allah than du’ a”."* Al-Shawkani’’ commented

” Authentic, narrated by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim, and others, all of

them from Abt Hurayrah, as has been mentioned in Sahih al-Jami # 5392.

See: al-Du' a, al-Hamad, pp. 16-19.

Authentic, narrated by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim, and others, all of them from Abt Hurayrah, as has been mentioned in Sahih al-Jami # 5392.

Tuhfat al-Dhakirin, p. 30.

on this hadith by stating: “It has been said that this is the case because of the fact that it shows the Power of Allah, and the incapability of the one making dw‘ a. But it is more correct to say that since du ais worship, and, as confirmed in another hadith, the essence of worship, it is the most noble act because of this position. This because mankind has only been created to worship Allah, as Allah states,