1) Du'a and Its Relationship with Destiny.2) Not losing hope in the Dua's that we make
- Hits: 5594
In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate
"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaykum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakaatuh
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Du'a and Its Relationship with Destiny
The topic of du'a and its relationship to destiny ( qadr) is a very important one, and one around which much confusion exists. Many people ask: "If everything has already been destined to occur, then of what use is du'a, as, if Allah has written what I want, I will get it without making du'a and if it is not written for me, then I will never get it no matter how much du'a I make?"
The response to this question lies in understanding that the outcome of anything is dependent on the performance of the efforts that are necessary to procure it. In other words, it has already been decreed, for example, that a seed will give fruit if planted, but this will not occur unless the farmer takes the appropriate efforts in irrigating the crop, maintaining it, protecting the seedling as it grows, and ensuring as much as he can that the factors are amenable for the plant to give fruit.
So even though a person believes in the Divine Decree, he must at the same time strive all he can to ensure that the desired goal occurs. So du'a is the means that one uses to achieve the desired goal that one has, and this means in no way contradicts the destiny that has been written for that person.
This stance is clarified by the Prophet's (SAWS) hadith reported by Thawban, that he (SAWS) said:
|
|
"Nothing increases one's life-span except good deeds, and nothing repels Divine Decree except dua. And verily, a person may be deprived of sustenance due to a sin that he does!"[1] |
In other words, the performance of good deeds is a cause of increasing one's life span, so if a person puts in the necessary effort, the results will be achieved, and this is also destined. So both the means to achieve a goal, and the fulfilment of the goal itself, are already decreed.
If someone were to ask: "How can du'a repel Divine Decree?" we would respond, "The fact that you may be ill has already been decreed by Allah for you, as has the fact that you will ask Allah to cure you of this illness (i.e. both the illness and your asking to cure the illness has been decreed). In a similar manner, a person maybe deprived of his sustenance that was decreed for him, since Allah's eternal knowledge encompassed the fact that this person would perform a sinful deed that would cause the deprivation of his sustenance. All of this, then, is from the decree of Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him". There are a number of ahadith that clarify this point. For example, Mu'adh ibn Jabal reported that the Prophet (SAWS) said:
|
|
"Caution will be of no benefit against Divine Decree, but du' a benefits all things, whether they come down or not. I therefore advise you to make du'a, O servants of Allah!" [2] |
So no matter how cautious a person is, he cannot escape what is written for him, simply because Allah controls everything, and nothing escapes His Knowledge or Power. However, by turning to Allah through du'a, it is possible to avert something that might have been decreed. Salman al-Farsi narrated that the Prophet (SAWS) said:
|
|
"Nothing repels Divine Decree except du'a, and nothing increases one's life-span except good deeds" [3] |
This hadith informs us in no uncertain terms that the only way that we can repel some Divine Decree is through the means of du'a. So it is possible that some unpleasant matter has been preordained for us, but only if we do not make du'a to avert it from us. So if du'a is made, then this matter will not occur or be fulfilled, whereas if du'a is left, the misfortune will occur.
Another narration in al-Tirmidhi also supports this. The Prophet (SAWS) said:
|
|
"There is no Muslim on the face of the earth that asks Allah for anything except that Allah gives it to him, or averts from him a similar evil, as long as he does not ask for something evil or for breaking the ties of kinship". [4] |
From this narration, the benefits of du'a are made clear, and its value is understood. For not only is a person rewarded for making a du'a, but it is also a cause of repelling an evil that was destined for him, and in obtaining the good that he was expecting.
Ibn Hajr, commenting on the benefits of du'a, said:
|
|
"And the benefit of performing du'a is the attainment of reward by obeying the command (of Allah to make du'a), and also by the attainment of what is asked for, for there is a possibility that the request is dependent on the du'a, since Allah is the Creator of both the effort and result of the effort!" [5] |
Therefore, the proper response to the question posed at the beginning of the chapter is, in the words of Ibn al-Qayyim, as follows:
|
|
"The logical consequences of such a reasoning leads to a rejection of all efforts. It can, therefore, be said to a person who holds this view, 'If the satisfaction of your hunger and thirst has already been destined for you, then it will be fulfilled, whether you eat or not. On the other hand, if it has not been destined for you, it will never occur, whether you eat or not. And, if a son has been destined for you, then you will be granted one, whether you have intercourse with your wife or not. On the other hand, if a son has not been destined for you, then you will never be granted one. In this case, there is no point in you getting married...!' |
To summarise, then, Divine Decree ( qadr) cannot be used as an excuse not to make du'a. For, just as one strives to ensure that one attains worldly needs, of food, drink and family, so too must one strive in ones religious deeds to attain the desired goal. Du'a is intrinsically related to qadr; in fact, it is a part of one's qadr. Allah has already decreed that a certain matter will be granted to a servant, or an evil averted from him, if he makes du'a, so if he were to leave du'a, then the desired goal would not be reached.
Hence why it was the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAWS) to make the following du'a during the witr prayer:
|
|
"...Bless me in what You have given me. And avert and turn away from me the evil that has been decreed for me, for verily You Decree (all things), and none can decree against You..." [7] |
So the Muslim turns to Allah and prays to Him so that any and all evil can be averted from him.
Additionally, it should be remembered that the concept of Divine Decree is one that a human can never fully understand, due to his limited intellect and finite capabilities. The true Muslim does not delve too deeply into the philosophical ramifications of Divine Decree. Rather, he accepts all that has occurred to him in the past as having been destined for him, and he strives to obtain what he desires in the future (as long as it is permissible for him). Since he does not know what has been written for him in the future, he expects the best from Allah, and does everything in his power to ensure that what he wants is granted him. Just like going to work every day will ensure, if Allah wills, that he gets his pay-cheque at the end of the month, so too does making du'a ensure, if Allah wills, that he achieves his desired goal.
2) Not losing hope in the Dua's that we make
One of the common complaints of many of us Muslims is that when we make Dua, we don't see its immediate effects. As a result, we get disheartened and lose hope in the effectiveness and powers of our Dua. The post below highlights a passage written by Ibn Al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) where he discusses this topic.
For those of us who don't know, Abu?l-Faraj ibn al-Jawzi (508 AH ? 597 AH) is known to be one of the most prolific authors in Islamic history. According to a research conducted on the extent of his research works, the number of Ibn al-Jawzi?s books is more than 376 texts. Some even say that he is the author of more than 700 works.
About the matter of Dua's not being answered. Ibn al-Jawzi in one of his books commented the following:
I think part of the test is when a believer supplicates and receives no response, and he repeats the dua for a long time and sees no sign of a response. He should realize that this is a test and needs patience.
What a person experiences of waswaas (whispers from shaytan) when the response is delayed is a sickness which needs medicine ? I have experienced this myself. A calamity befell me and I supplicated and did not see any response, and Iblees started to lay his traps. Sometimes he said: The generosity (of Allah) is abundant and He is not miserly, so why is there a delay?
I said to him: Be gone, O cursed one, for I have no need of anyone to argue my case and I do not want you as a supporter!
Then I told myself: Beware of going along with his whispers, for if there was no other reason for the delay except that Allah is testing you to see whether you will fight the enemy, that is sufficient wisdom.
My soul (nafs) said: How could you explain the delay in the response of Allah to your prayers for relief from this calamity?
I said: It is proven with evidence that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the Sovereign, and the Sovereign may withhold or give, so there is no point in objecting to Him.
The wisdom behind that is proven in definitive evidence. I may think that something is good, but wisdom does not dictate it, but the reason for that may be hidden, just as a doctor may do things that appear outwardly to be harmful, intending some good purpose thereby. Perhaps this is something of that nature.
There may be an interest to be served by delay, and haste may be harmful. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ?A person will be fine so long as he does not become impatient and says, ?I prayed but I did not receive any answer.??
The response may be withheld because of some fault in you. Perhaps there was something dubious in what you ate or your heart was heedless at the time when you said the dua, or your punishment is being increased by means of your need being withheld, because of some sin from which you have not repented sincerely. So look for some of these reasons, so that you might achieve your aim.
You should examine the intention behind this request, because attaining it may lead to more sin, or prevent you from doing some good, so withholding it is better.
Perhaps losing what you have missed out on will cause you to turn to Allah and getting it will distract you from Him. This is obvious, based on the fact that were it not for this calamity you would not have turned to Him, because the real calamity is what distracts you from Him, but what makes you stand before Him is good for you and is in your best interests.
If you ponder these things you will focus on what is more beneficial for you, such as correcting a mistake or seeking forgiveness or standing before Allah and beseeching Him, and forget about what you have missed out on.
End quote. Source: Sayd al-Khaatir (59-60). (This publication is in three volumes containing aphorisms and wise counsels)
About the issue of Duas being accepted, the following two sayings by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are also very noteworthy:
It was narrated that Faddalah ibn?Ubayd said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard a man making dua after his prayer, but he did not send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ?This man is in a hurry.? Then he called him and said to him or to someone else: ?When any one of you has finished praying (and makes dua), let him start by praising Allah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), then after that let him ask for whatever he wants.? Al-Albani said: it is a Saheeh hadeeth. (Saheeh Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2765.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ?The slave will receive a response so long as his dua does not involve sin or severing of family ties, and so long as he is not hasty.? It was said, ?What does being hasty mean?? He said: ?When he says, ?I made dua and I made dua, and I have not seen any response,? and he gets frustrated and stops making dua.? Narrated by al-Bukahari, 6340; Muslim, 2735.
? Finally, for those of us who have abandoned the practice of Dua, we may be missing something quite important. Wishing is not the same thing as making a Dua. We may keep wishing our wishes but we have a better chance of seeing them materialized when we actually make the effort to enter the state of Dua.,___