There are special places and times for supplication. Some of these may come once in a lifetime like the pilgrimage of Hajj or Umrah, where the pilgrim can make the most of the opportunity.
Entering Masjid al-Haram offers a blessed opportunity as one looks at the Ka‘ba, to make heartfelt du‘as. When a pilgrim is at al-Safa and al-Marwah, standing on these small hills, this is a special time for du‘a too.
In Arafah, the main day of Hajj, this is the height of blessed times to supplicate to Allah I for everything. Just like we looked at the etiquettes of du‘a above, and how to prepare ourselves mentally, so too is the preparation for the best times and places to make du‘a, and making the most of these opportunities important. It’s like the way we all look out for the retail ‘sales’ when we can make the most of the offers. So too with Allah I are these special times and places of du‘a, where He I multiplies the blessings for us.
Amongst the best times to make supplication during the year, is of course Ramadan. The Prophet said: “There are three whose supplication is not rejected: the fasting person until he breaks his fast, the just leader, and the supplication of the one who has been wronged.” Therefore, all day when you are fasting, just as you’re going about your usual routine keep asking:
Ya Allah! Please forgive me. Ya Allah! Bless my children. Ya Allah! Make my children righteous. Ya Allah! Give me health. Ya Allah! Give me more life and make my deeds good. Ya Allah! Bring Muslims back to Your beautiful religion. Ya Allah! Lift all these calamities that are surrounding us.
There is so much we need to ask Allah for. The time just before breaking fast is special too and another opportunity for du‘a.
Another specific blessed time for du‘a which is often missed is between the adhan and iqamah. For example, when you are in the masjid, after the adhan is called, and especially at Maghrib adhan, followed by roughly five minutes until the iqamah. These few minutes are a blessed time as stated by Rasul Allah sws: ‘Supplication between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejected.’
During this time, it’s better not to interact with anyone, but raise your hands in prayer. Just like this blessed time before Maghrib is important, so too is the time before Fajr which we discussed in depth in the previous chapter. Our supplication before Fajr adhan, is a huge opportunity for everyone, every dawn, right there in our homes.
When we are performing salah, we should supplicate as much as possible in sujood. The Prophet said: “The closest a servant is to his Lord is while he is in prostration, so increase in supplication therein.” So, when in sujood, we should keep asking Him I, keep begging Him I. Another time for du‘as to be granted by the permission of Allah I, is when it rains.
There is a beautiful hadith which makes an important point about our own condition when we are asking from Allah I. When Rasul Allah, said “O people, Allah is good and accepts only what is good...” Then he mentioned the man who travels a long distance, dishevelled and dusty, stretching his hands towards the sky, saying, “O Lord, my Lord”, and his food is unlawful, and his drink is unlawful, and his clothing is unlawful. He was raised on forbidden things, so how can he be answered?
Our attention in this hadith is focused on that state a person is in that he is eating, drinking, or dressed in what is unlawful – haram or the sources of all these are haram. It could be the money that he is fulfilling his needs from comes from a prohibited source. In response to this Rasul Allah asked how he will be given what he is asking for?
For us this means as we beg for our needs from Allah, let us all make sure that we live in a way pleasing to Allah I throughout the year. Often an effort to eat only halal, for example is made in Ramadan, but then forgotten afterwards. When we want our du‘as answered, we need to strive to continue to do this.
Finally, whatever we are doing, it is worthwhile to remember the noble example of Sayyidina Ibrahim, as he was building the Ka‘ba with Sayyidina Ismail u and prayed:
And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], “Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites [of worship] and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of Repentance, the Merciful. (al Baqarah 2:127-128)
Sayyidina Ibrahim and Sayyidina Ismail were building the Ka‘ba, but we are striving through our acts of ibadah; our fasting in Ramadan, our salah and our charity; plus our daily activities; our reading and understanding of the Book of Allah; our service to our family and community, everything we do should be accompanied with ‘Ya Allah! Taqabbal minnā, Accept it from us.’ And if we didn’t do things in the best way, if we have sinned, if we have disobeyed, we ask Allah to accept our repentance, Ya Rabbi Ameen.
May Allah accept our supplications.
May He give us the ability to turn to Him frequently in du‘a with a pure heart, in obedience to Him Ya Rabbi Ameen.
Excerpt is from My Dear Heart - Dr Haifaa Younis
