27 Mar Raise your du’a to the next level
When the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ experienced anything that appeared out of the ordinary, they turned to Allah.
As we face extraordinary times, this is the time to turn to Allah and ask Him with all of our hearts.
Du’a is an expression of need and trust. We are told:
“And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’” [Surat Ghafir, 40:60]
This Ramadan elevate your duas to the next level.
Ask Using Allah’s names.
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing. (7:180)
There will always be a name most apt for whatever it is we are asking from Allah. We can amplify our duas by using the appropriate name and truly understand what it means.
Al-Mujeeb is the Answerer of prayers. According to al-Ghazali, this means that it is He who responds to the requests of those who ask by assisting them, to the call of those who call upon Him by answering them, and responds to the plight of the poor with all they need.
When you ask Allah (swt), it means you know Him. Knowing He responds means knowing that He is All-Seeing (As-Baseer), All-Knowing (Al-`Aleem), All-Hearing (Al-Samee`), that He is the Most-Affectionate (al-Wadud), that He gives us even if we don’t deserve it (al-Wahhab), that He is not in need of anyone or anything but we are in need of Him (al-Ghaniyy). If we don’t ask, then we truly do not know Him, and we are missing out on an amazing act of worship.
With Ramadan around the corner, make a conscious effort to learn and understand some of the beautiful names of Allah.
Word them in such a way that your connection with Allah is greatly strengthened.
Ask for the impossible
Sheikh Ali Hammuda asks us to consider the prophets before us. They asked Allah for what many would describe as an utter impossibility.
Consider the Dua of Sulayman, when he set his ambitions loose, saying:
رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ
“My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom that will not belong to *anyone* after me, certainly, You are the Bestower.” (Al-Qur’an, 38:35)
As you just read, his request wasn’t for any average kingdom, but one that would be crammed with “impossibilities”. His confidence in his Lord was enormous and his expectation of Him was beautiful, and so Allah did not let him down.
As you just read, his request wasn’t for any average kingdom, but one that would be crammed with “impossibilities”. His confidence in his Lord was enormous and his expectation of Him was beautiful, and so Allah did not let him down.
What happened?
Sulayman was gifted with (1) Prophethood, (2) knowledge, (3) sound judgement, (4) control of the wind, animal world, mankind and Jinnkind, (5) and a kingdom that shall never be replicated on planet earth ever again.
Righteousness isn’t about making humble requests in Dua.
Raise your hands in Ramadan, and as you do so, raise the ceiling of your ambitions to a brand new height as well.
Don’t just ask for ease on the day of Judgement, but beg for entry to Paradise without *any* prior accountability, even if you feel that you don’t deserve it.
Don’t limit your requests for paradise, but beg Him for the very highest of its stations – Al-Firdows – even if you feel that you don’t qualify.
Don’t limit your Dua for “the guidance of friends and relatives”, but also beg to turn them into revivalists, even if you really can’t see it happening at present.
This month, every one of us is bowing, prostrating, fasting and reciting. This Ramadan however, we want to exercise another act of worship that Allah loves so much, but is missed all too often;
Displaying the best of expectations from Allah. Allah hasn’t capped you, and so
“call upon Allah whilst you are certain of the response” (Prophet Mohammad PBUH) and realise that “I (Allah) will be to my servant just as he expects of Me.”
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The Prophet (Pbuh) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small.