Dua is Worship

The Prophet (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: Nothing turns back the Decree except supplication, and nothing increases the life-span except righteousness. [al-Silsilah as-Sahihah, 2992, Hasan, Tabrani, 26-Hasan]

Du’a when Someone Unjustly Oppresses You, Harms You, Causes Pain or Difficulty for You al-Hasan al-Basri (rahimahullah) commented: One should not invoke Allah (with curses) against whoever wronged him. Rather, he should supplicate, اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِ وَاسْتَخْرِجْ حَقِّي مِنْهُ Allahumma Aa-‘Inni Alayh wa Astakhrij Haqqa Minh O Allah! Help me against him and take my right from him In another narration, al-Hasan (rahimahullah) said: Allah has allowed one to invoke Him against whoever wronged him without transgressing the limits. [Tafseer Ibn Kathir (rahimahullah), Surah an-Nisa, Ayah 148]

Anas ibn Malik (RaḍiyAllāhu ‘anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah, (ṣall Allahu ʿalayhi wa-’ālihi wa-sallam), said: Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, even if he is an unbeliever, for there is no barrier between it and Allah. [Musnad Aḥmad, 12140]

Du’a in Prostration The Messenger of Allah (salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: The closest a servant is to his Lord is when he is in prostration. So increase your supplications therein! (Muslim, 482) Shaikh Ibn al-'Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) stated: This is because he has placed his forehead (face) — the highest and most honourable part of his body — down on the ground where people tread upon with their feet. In doing so he demonstrates the perfection of his subservience to Allah. The one standing up is actually higher up physically than the one down in prostration, however since the prostrating one humbled himself to Allah, consequently Allah raised him and so he is in reality closer to Allah (in this position). So it is appropriate you make plentiful supplication in these prostrations — whether obligatory or voluntary (nafl/sunnah) prayers — and you supplicate for whatever you wish (after completing the prescribed supplications) as long as it not sin or cutting the ties of kinship. So a student of knowledge may ask "O Allah increase me in knowledge and grant me understanding and memorisation", the one building a house may ask "O Allah aid me in the completion of the house", the youth may ask "O Allah grant me a (righteous) spouse"… and so on [Sifaatus Salaah by Shaykh Ibn al-Uthaymeen (rahimahullah), pg. 124]

ad-Du’a (Supplication) is the Highest form of Tawheed (Pure Monotheism) and Ikhlaas (Sincerity) Supplication (ad-Du’a) is the “brain” of worship… The meaning (of that) is that: ad-Du’a (supplication) is the ‘core’ of worship and its ‘essence’, because the supplicant only supplicates to Allah when he has lost hope in anything (and everything) other than Him, and—that—is the reality of Tawheed and Ikhlaas, and there is no worship above (better than) them. [al-Mubarakfuri (rahimahullah) said in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 8/374] Intent is Tawheed It has been narrated from the scholar of Tafseer ‘Abdullaah bin Abbas (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) that he said: Everywhere in the Quran where the command of ‘worship’ is mentioned — the intent is ‘Tawheed.’ [Mentioned by Baghawi (rahimahullah) in Tafseer, 1/55]

Du’a to Ask Allah for Anything Samurah Ibn Jundab (radiAllahu ‘anh) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) said, Whoever says in the morning and evening, seven times (with a present heart) اَللّٰھُمَّ اَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِیْ…

Be it the Size of Mountain ‘Uhud or Mount Sabr in Yemen🏔️ The Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to Mu'adh (ibn Jabal - radiyAllahu ‘anhu): "Shall I not teach you a dua that you may call upon (Allah) with, and if you owed a debt the size of Mount 'Uhud (or Mount Sabr of Yemen) Allah would pay it off for you... Say, O Mu'adh: اللَّهمَّ مالِكَ الملْكِ تُؤتي الملكَ من تشاءُ وتنزِعُ الملكَ ممَّن تشاءُ وتُعِزُّ من تشاءُ وتُذِلُّ من تشاءُ بيدِك الخيرُ إنَّك على كلِّ شيءٍ قديرٌ رَحْمٰنَ الدُّنْيَا والآخِرَةِ ورَحيمَهُمَا تُعْطِيهُما مَنْ تَشَاءُ وتَمْنَعُ مِنهُما مَنْ تَشاءُ اِرْحَمْنِي رَحْمَةً تُغْنِيْنِي بِهَا عَنْ رَحْمَةِ مَنْ سِوَاك "O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty (Kingdom), You give sovereignty (Kingdom) to whom You will and You take (snatch) sovereignty away from whom You will. You (alone) grant honour to whomever You wish and You (alone) disgrace (humble, humiliate) whomever You wish and only in Your Hands is all goodness. Verily, You have power over everything. O’ One who shows a lot of mercy in the world and the hereafter! (or The Most Merciful One of both worlds, the here and the hereafter) You (alone) grant both (the bounties of the dunya and the hereafter) to whomever You wish and You (alone) prevent both (the bounties of the world and hereafter) from whomever You wish. Shower Your Special Mercy upon me a mercy which enriches me (from poverty) and frees me (makes me independent) of (ever) needing the mercy (or help) of anyone else but You (alone). [Taken from al-Tabarani (rahimahullah) in Mu’jam as-Sagheer 558, and ad-Deeya (rahimahullah) in al-Ahadith al-Mukhtaarah, 2633, and Sahih at-Targheeb, 1821 and 3/55 and a slightly different version in Jami’ as-Sunan al-Masaaneed of Ibn Kathir (rahimahullah), 7/469, no. 9545, Maktabah Shamela version of Dar al-Khidr Publishing (narrated below)] - The version from Jami’ as-Sunan of Ibn al-Kathir (rahimahullah): اللَّهمَّ مالِكَ الملْكِ تُؤتي الملكَ من تشاءُ وتنزِعُ الملكَ ممَّن تشاءُ وتُعِزُّ من تشاءُ وتُذِلُّ من تشاءُ بيدِك الخيرُ إنَّك على كلِّ شيءٍ قديرٌ تُولِجُ اللَّيْلَ فِي النَّهَارِ وَتُولِجُ النَّهَارَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَتَرْزُقُ مَن تَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ اِرْحَمْنِي رَحْمَةً تُغْنِيْنِي بِهَا عَنْ رَحْمَةِ مَنْ سِوَاك "O Allah, Owner of Sovereignty (Kingdom), You give sovereignty (Kingdom) to whom You will and You take (snatch) sovereignty away from whom You will. You (alone) grant honour to whomever You wish and You (alone) disgrace (humble, humiliate) whomever You wish and only in Your Hands is all goodness. Verily, You have power over everything. You cause the night to enter the day, and You cause the day to enter the night; and You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living. And You give provision to whom You will without account. Shower Your Special Mercy upon me a mercy which enriches me (from poverty) and frees me (makes me independent) of (ever) needing the mercy (or help) of anyone else but You (alone). [Jami’ as-Sunan al-Masaaneed of Ibn Kathir (rahimahullah), 7/469, no. 9545, Maktabah Shamela version of Dar al-Khidr Publishing]

Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said: ‎Du'aa is one of the most beneficial cures and it is the enemy of fitnah (evils, calamities and trials), it wards it off and treats it, prevents it to happen and cures it if it happens. Du'aa is the weapon of the believer. [Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah), ad-Da' wad Dawaa, Pg. 11]

One of the most useful medicines (for every worry, every problem, no matter how big or small) is: persistence in supplication (du’a). [Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah), al-Jawab al-Kaafi, 1/11 in version al-Maktabah al-Islamiyyah, and pg. 25]

A Supplication to Remove Poverty and All Harms Mak-hool (rahimahullah) said: Whoever says — لاَ حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللهِ ،وَلا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ اللهِ إِلاَّ إلَيْهِ laa hawlaa wa-laa quwwata illa bilLaah, wa-laa mal-ja’a min-Allahi illa ilayH There is no power nor strength except with Allah, and there is no refuge from Allah except unto Him — Allah will remove from him seventy types of harm, the least of which is poverty. [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (rahimahullah), 20447] From the Treasures of Jannah Abu Musa (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said to me, "Shall I not guide you to a treasure from the treasures of Jannah?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" Thereupon he (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, لاَ حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللهِ "(Recite) 'laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa bilLaah' (there is no change of a condition nor power except by Allah)." [aI-Bukhari 6384, and Muslim 2704, an-Nasa’i in ‘Amal al-Yawm wal-Laylah’ 356, Riyad as-Salihin, 1443, In-Book Reference: Book 15, Hadith 36, Buloogh al-Mar’am, Book 16, Hadith no. 111] an-Nasa’i added (rahimahullah) in his version, {وَلَا مَلْجَأَ مِنَ اللَّهِ إِلَّا إِلَيْهِ} “there is no refuge from Allah except by turning to Him.” [Buloogh al-Mar’am, Book 16, Hadith no. 112, an-Nasa’i in ‘Amal al-Yawm wal-Laylah’ 358]

Those Who Make a Lot of Du’a and Insist Upon It Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) said: Allah (subhaanak)—the more you ask Him (in du’a), the closer you get to Him—and the more beloved you become to Him. And the more you insist in supplication (du’a), the more He loves you. [Jalaa’ al-Afhaam, 1/344, Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah)]

Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah) said: If Allah wills goodness for a servant, He inspires him to pray to Him (make du’a) and seek His help/aid; making it (his du’a and reliance upon Him) the means/way through which the good He has decreed for him (to come to pass). [Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah), Iqtida al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, 2/229, Maktabah Shamela Version]

The Messenger of Allah (Salalahu alayhi wasalam) said: Supplicate to Allah while you are certain that He will answer you, and know that Allah does not answer supplication from a heart that is heedless of Him. [Sahih al-Jami, no. 245]

Abu Hurairah narrated that: The Prophet said: “There is nothing more honorable with Allah [Most High] than supplication.” Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3370 daif - An-Nu`man bin Bashir narrated that: The Prophet said: “The supplication, is worship.” Then he recited: And Your Lord said: “Call upon me, I will respond to you. Verily, those who scorn My worship, they will surely enter Hell humiliated." Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3372

Shaykh Ibn as-Sa’dee, may Allaah have mercy upon him, says: One of the causes that procures eemaan is to increase in the remembrance (dhikr) of Allaah at all times and to also supplicate much (make du’a in abundance), which is the core of worship. [Causes Behind the Increase and Decrease of Eemaan, by Shaykh ‘Abdur-Razzaak al-‘Abbaad (Hafidhahullah), al-Hidaayah Publications]

Against Backbiting

an-Nu’man bin al-Bashir (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: {إِنَّ اَلدُّعَاءَ هُوَ اَلْعِبَادَةُ} “Verily supplication is worship.” [Related by the four Imams and at-Tirmidhi graded it as Hasan Sahih, 3247, an-Nasa’i in al-Kubraa 6/450, Abu Dawud 1479, Ibn Majah 3828, Buloogh al-Mar’am, Book 16, Hadith no. 113] Anas (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: {اَلدُّعَاءُ مُخُّ اَلْعِبَادَةِ} “Supplication is the pith of worship.” [Related by at-Tirmidhi with a full chain of narrators, 3271, Graded: Weak, Buloogh al-Mar’am, Book 16, Hadith no. 114]

Being Elaborate in Supplications (Du’a) Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saleh al-Uthaymin (rahimahullah) said: If someone asks: Why do we have to elongate and elaborate in our supplications? We say that the affair of supplication requires elaboration. And the Sunnah regarding elaboration and elongation in supplication are for six reasons: [1] Elongating the supplications shows the love of the one supplicating. This is because if an individual loves someone, he loves to prolong his intimate conversation with him. For indeed you are connecting with Allah when you supplicate. So your elongating and elaborating in your supplication is proof of your love of intimately conversing with Allah. [2] Elongation of the supplication manifests elaboration which shows the tremendous need of the individual for his Lord in every circumstance. [3] It causes the heart to be more present. [4] An increase in rewards and acts of worship to Allah. Verily supplication is an act of worship that one is rewarded for. [5] It is from the affairs of insistency in supplication and Allah answers those that are insistent in supplication. [6] With elongation in supplication one might remember a matter that he may forget when supplicating. [ash-Sharh al-Mumti’ ‘ala Zaad al-Mustaqna’, 5/319-320]

A Mother’s Du’a Muhammad bin Ismail (al-Bukhari) — rahimahullah — lost his vision (went blind) when he was a little boy. And his mother saw (the prophet) Ibrahim al-Khalil (alayhi salam) in a dream, and he said to her: “Oh you! Allah has restored the eyesight of your son due to your excessive crying and (making) abundant du’aa (for him)”. Then in the morning they woke up and Allah had restored his eyesight to him. [adh-Dhahabi (rahimahullah), Siyar A’laam an-Nubalaa’ (Biographies of the Noble Ones), 12/393]