So when we ask Allah, let us come with the following etiquettes. We should try our best to be in ṭahārah, the state of wudu. It’s not a requirement, but it’s better to be in a state of wudu if we can be. Also, if we can face the qibla it is good, and saying the du‘a at least three times is best.
Ibn Masʿūd said: “When the Prophet made duʿa, he would supplicate three times, and when he asked (Allah for something), he would ask three times.”
Allah loves those who are consistent and persistent in a state of du‘a.
When making du‘a, we start with praising Allah such as: “Glory is to You, O Allah, and praise and blessed is Your Name, and exalted is Your Majesty.” The Prophet heard a man making duʿa without praising Allah or sending blessings on the Prophet. He said: “When one of you prays, let him begin by praising and glorifying his Lord, then send blessings upon the Prophet, then let him supplicate for whatever he wishes.”
Second, one of the keys for my du‘a to be answered. Ask Allah for forgiveness. And then ask Allah anything you want. Nothing is small for Allah. Don’t say I’m shy to ask Allah. Who else is going to give you?
Preparing our mindset is just as important as the outward preparation. Firstly, we are beggars, and Allah is the One Who has everything. He says in Surah Fatir:
O mankind, you are those in need of Allah, while Allah is Free of need, the Praiseworthy. (Fatir 35:15)
The words in this ayah: Fuqarāʾ ilā Allāh, means those totally dependent on Allah as beggars, in need. It comes from the noun al-faqīr (singular) which is used for someone with little to sustain themselves – this is not just in the material sense, but its our human weakness and need for Allah in every moment.
Secondly, I need to ask Allah knowing with certainty that He is listening to me. Part of a beautiful du‘a by the companion Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud includes the following:
“Ya Allah! Indeed You see my place, You hear my speech, and You know my hidden and my open state.”
We need this closeness to Allah in our heart when we supplicate. In another hadith, reported by Abu Hurayrah, Rasul Allah said: “None of you should say, ‘O Allah, forgive me if You wish, O Allah, have mercy on me if You wish,’ but rather be decisive in your request, for there is no reproach for that.” (Bukhari)
Thirdly, I need to supplicate with proper manners. As Sayyidina Omar always used to say, ‘I’m not worried that Allah will answer my du‘a, I am worried that I do not fulfil the requirement of the du‘a, or ‘I carry the concern about [how to make] du‘a.’
If we imagine the situation where you are talking to someone and that person is looking at their phone, their thoughts are somewhere else, their mind is not taking in what you’re saying. You’re going to feel like neither you or what you’re saying is important to this person.
Imagine this with Allah. We’re raising our hands, our brain is somewhere else, we might even be distracted by something else nearby that catches our eyes or ears, all while we’re making du‘a. We don’t want to find ourselves asking Rabb al-'ālameen like this.
Instead, make du‘a in the best way possible so that it is answered, which in summary, is keeping three things in mind:
One: Remember the three ways that du‘as are certainly answered, which includes answers which come in a way we were not expecting.
Two: Be sure within yourself that Allah will respond.
Three: Choose the best times to make du‘a.
So, as we said, for the du‘a and the supplication to be granted, choose the right time, choose the right place, be in the right state, be sure and have certainty Allah is listening and Allah will respond.
As a reminder
Either He is going to give you what you asked for, and every one of us has had this experience. We have had this where you asked Allah and He gave you what you asked for.
He’s not going to give it to you now, He’s going to give it to you on the Day of Judgement, and at that point you will be extremely happy. This is because, when He grants me there, where my needs will be way more than here in this life, it will be even more valuable.
Instead He is going to remove a harm from our life. How many times did you say, "I almost was in an accident." This almost happened to me and it didn’t happen, why? It’s the du‘a that you asked for, and the answer came in the form of a removal of something harmful.
*Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "There is no Muslim who calls upon Allah with a supplication that contains no sin or breaking of family ties, except that Allah will give him one of three things: either He will hasten his response, or He will store it for him in the Hereafter, or He will divert an equivalent evil away from him." They said: "Then we will supplicate much." He replied: "Allah is more [abundant]." Al-Adab al-Mufrad (Bukhari), Hadith 710.
Graded Sahih (Authentic) by Al-Albani and others.
Excerpt is from My Dear Heart by Dr Haifaa Younis
9781847742919 - Hardback
