Cling to Supplication, for it is your only tool and weapon to face life challenges, to achieve your aspired success, let alone to crown your pursuit for Paradise. “And your Lord says, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” Allah SWT says; “And your Lord says, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” – – Quran (40:60) I have already alluded to the merits of Dua and supplication in previous Recipes for Success, some times referring to a particular Dua that is credited to certain merits, and at some other times encouraging fellow Muslims to refer to Almighty Allah for support. He Almighty also says in the Quran; “And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.” – – Quran (2:186) Almighty Allah also says, “Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is there a deity with Allah ? Little do you remember.” – – Quran (27:62) Whether sustenance and fulfillment in this life or salvation and eternal paradise in the Hereafter, your only gateway, besides the mercy and will of Allah, is to make Dua, always and forever. Need further assertion? Read on… Advising one of his students, in a set of universal advices regarding human salvation in this world and the other, Imam Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on his soul) told his student in the Twenty Fourth Counsel of his masterpiece “Dear Beloved Son … “My dear son… I have written in this chapter the answer to your request, so you should act accordingly and do not forget [to mention] me in your most righteous dua (supplications).” “As for the dua which you asked me to teach you, you will find it among the supplications of the Sahih (authentic collections of Hadith). Read this dua at different times and especially after your prayer: “O Allah (SWT), I ask of You complete blessings, lasting protection from sin, comprehensive mercy, acquisition of well-being [in this world and in the next], the best provision, the happiest life, the most complete favor, the most generous blessing, the sweetest grace and the closest gentleness.” “O Allah (SWT), be for us and not against us. O Allah (SWT), seal our lives with happiness and good fortune, realize our aspirations accompanied with further increase. Combine our mornings and evenings with safety and make Your compassion our return and our last resort and pour the best of Your forgiveness over our sins and favor us with the reform of our defects. Make piety our provision and grant us interpretative judgment in Your religion, and make us depend on You and have confidence only in You.” So dear readers, you have to place your ultimate trust only with Allah and have the confidence that he shall never fail you, regardless of your need, request, or predicament. Imam Ghazali continues … “O Allah, make us firm on the path of steadfastness, and safeguard us in this world from matters that will bring shame on the Day of Judgment, and lighten for us the burden of our sins, and grant us lives of the righteous and protect us from the evil of the evil ones. Save our necks and the necks of our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters from the fire of Hell by Your compassion, O Most Powerful, Most Forgiving, Most Generous, Concealing of our faults; O You Most Knowledgeable, Most Overwhelming, O Allah (SWT)! O Allah (SWT)! O Allah (SWT)! By Your Mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful, O You are the First before the firsts, Last after the lasts, O Possessor of Strength, Everlasting, Compassionate to the destitute, Most Compassionate of those who are compassionate. There is no god but You, glory be to You, verily I am of the wrongdoers. And may Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad and all his followers and Companions. All praise belongs to Allah, the Lord and Cherishes of all the worlds.” Still reluctant to stick to Dua in fulfilling in your worldly and otherwise matters? Don’t, for this is your only tool and weapon to face life challenges, to achieve your aspired success, let alone to crown your pursuit for paradise. And always remember success in this life and success in the hereafter are related, strictly related. According to Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, “A frequent supplication of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was, ‘O Allah! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire.’” – – [Agreed upon] So when is dua best accepted? In so many timings we’re guided to follow in the Quran and the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Imam Malik narrated: “The supplication made between the Adhan (call to prayer) and the Iqamah (announcing the commencement of prayer) is not rejected.” – – Sunan Abu Dawood Chapter No: 2, Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)
Hadith no: 521
Narrated: Anas bin Malik Supplicate and cling to the mercy and forgiveness of Almighty Allah, He is your only Supporter, Sustainer and Patron. May Allah accept your duas and ours- Amen. By: Maha Youssuf maha@muslimtribune.org Posted on: April 20, 2012