1. Thecontent ofthispresentationisnotprofound.

Manyofusarefamiliarwiththe
i f ( hi h ll ) i l h h i importanceofDua (whichmeanstocallorsummon)inIslam.However,Ithoughtit
mightbenicetoexamineafewdifferentbooksofDua andcompileapresentationthat
motivatesustoreinvestinthisformofworship.Thecontentisalsonot
comprehensive.MygoalinselectinginformationaboutDua wastoencourageusto
focusonthewaysinwhichourdailypracticeofdua couldbeimproved.Forthisreason,
thereadermayfindthatthereisntemphasisonacceptanceofprayerattheplacesof
theHajj.Additionally,theselectionofduas inthehandoutarenotinorderofmost
common duas I chose a sampling of duas I found beautiful commonduas.Ichoseasamplingofduas Ifoundbeautiful.
2. The readermayfindithelpfultoseethispresentationasanactionitemlisttogauge
whatoneisactuallydoingandwhereonecanimprove.
3. ThepowerofDua isoftenunderestimated.Myfriend,Sherin Ashkar Nayfeh,putitbest
whenshesaidOnefrequentlycommitstothelatesthealthguidelinesandfaddiets
butdoesntinvestthesamelevelofcommitmentinmakingdua foroneshealthand
spiritualwellbeing.IfindIammostguiltyofthistypeofneglectfulness.Iusuallyam
weak in the area of doing duas and in being creative about them. weakintheareaofdoingduas andinbeingcreativeaboutthem.
4. AccordingtotheWashingtonPost,.prayeristhemostcommoncomplementto
mainstreammedicine,faroutpacingacupuncture,herbs,vitaminsandotheralternative
remedies.fromResearchersLookatPrayerandHealingMarch2006.
5. OtherreligionslikeChristianityalsoseetheimportanceofprayerindailylife.Pope
JohnPaulIIdescribedprayereloquentlyinasermonattheVaticanwhenhesaidWe
havetolearntopray;asifwewerelearningthisarteveranew.
6. So,asyouexaminethispresentation,taketimetosmelltherosesofourdeen;The
Quran,HadithandtheoftneglectedactofmakingDua.
1
2
3
Questiontoaskyourself:HowisDua thepillar ofreligionandthelightoftheheavens
andearth?
Possibleanswer(s):Dua upholdstheotheractsofworshipwedobydrawinguscloserto
Allah.Dua bringsushopethatimprovesourlifeonearthandinheaven.Etc.
4
1.Forexample, dontaskfortheseveringofrelationshipasthisisstronglydiscouragedin
Islam.
2.Re:Besincere& humbleinyourintentionSincerityofintentioninDua.Tangent.
Shaykh HusainAbdulSattar saysinoneofhisgeneraltalksonwww.sacredlearning.orgthat
thereisaconceptintheSharia thatactionshaveeffects.IntheQuran,itisstatedthat
Salat bringsonepeace.SothatifyourSalat doesntbringyoupeacethereisaproblemin
howyouperformyoursalat.FixitandprayitwithmoreKhusho toexperiencetheeffects
of peace So taking this analogy further (I think that) If your duas dont get accepted ofpeace.So takingthisanalogyfurther(Ithinkthat), Ifyourduas don tgetaccepted
perhapsyouneedtoreevaluateyourintentionsandworkonbeingmoresincere.
3.re:ExamplesofPrayersgonewrong:ASahabi wasverysickandtheProphetquestioned
himaboutwhathehaddone.Herevealedthathehadprayedforpatience.Towhichthe
ProphetsaidthatthiswasthewrongthingtoprayforbecausePatiencecomesthrough
Calamity.
AnotherSahabi wasreprimandedbytheProphetforaskingonearthforallthepunishment
thathadbeensetasideforhiminthehereafter.
5
1.This isagraphicIvenamedThePrayerSandwich.Itwasdesignedbymy9yearold
son,Yusuf,andmyhusband,Yassir Elley.ItisaSandwichbecauseAllahstatesinthe.
Quranthat[paraphrase]IandtheangelsreciteDurood Shareef ontheProphetMuhammad
(p.b.u.h)andsoshouldyou[believers].ThisemphasizeshowpleasingtheDurood Shareef
istoAllah.Itisthusrecommendedthatoneshouldsandwhich onespersonaldua between
it.AllahinHisinfinitemercycanchoosetoacceptwhatisinthemiddleofthetwoDurood
Shareefs.SoonecanrecitetheversesfromSura Saffat attheendwhichpraiseallprophets
or recite the Durood Shareef at the end This particular order was recommended by my orrecitetheDurood Shareef attheend.Thisparticularorderwasrecommendedbymy
teacherSr.Tahira Bhatti.
2.AlFatiha istherebecausethisSura isaperfectDua inandofitself.
3.TheorderofthePersonalDua isbasedonaHadithfoundinFiqh usSunnah,vol iv,
p.113:TheQuransaysthatthebelieverspray,OurLord,forgiveusandourbrethrenin
faithwhohaveprecededusinfaith.Ubayy b.Kab reported,Whensomeonerequested
theProphet(p.b.u.h)toprayforhim,heusedtobeginbysupplicatingforhisownself.
ReportedbyTirmidhi,withasoundchainofauthorities.
6
7
ImamHamza Yusuftellsastory Apersoncomplainsthattheyhavebeenmaking
dua andtheirdua doesntgetanswered.Towhichthescholarresponds.Wasntit
giftenoughthatAllahkeptyouatHisdoorstepprayingtoHim?
8
1. Maulana Thanwi statesinhisbook,MunajateMaqbul:ACollectionofAccepted
Supplications, thatAllahprovidedvariousmeansandopenednumerousdoorsfor
goodnessandsuccessinboththeworlds.ThisHedid,sothatthosewhoareinneed
mayseekassistanceviatheseavenuesandgainsalvationfromdifficulties.Theeffects
ofallmeansapartfromdua areveryrestricted.Theaimofthenaturalmeanssuchas
[agriculture,trade,medicine]isworldlysuccess,.theShari means[suchasfasting,
salah,andhajj],theiractualpurposeisreligioussuccess.dua istheonlymethodwhich
has been stipulated equally for worldly and dini [religious] success at the same time hasbeenstipulatedequallyforworldlyanddini [religious]successatthesametime.
(p.iii).
2.TheHadithonRemembranceisagoodreminderthatDhikr isalsoanessential
partofonesrelationshipwithAllah.AndthatDua isaformof
Dhikr.
9
2.Arefuge toturnto:Whendistressseizesyouatsea,thosethatyoucalluponleaveyouin
thelurch;except,Him!ButwhenHebringsyoubacksafelytoland,youturnawayandman
wasungrateful(Sura Israt 17:67)
Onetrulybelovedandglorified:Andthereareamongpeople[those]whotake,besides
Allah,equals.TheylovethemastheyloveAllah;butthoseoffaithhavegreaterlovefor
Allah(Sura Baqarah 2:165)
Onebeyondourrealization:TheyhavenotrealizedAllah,arealizationdue.(Sura Az
Zumar 39:67) Zumar 39:67)
10
1. Abdur Razzaq reportedformAlHasan thattheCompanionsaskedtheProphet(p.b.u.h)
Where is our Lord? And it was in response to this question that the following verse of the WhereisourLord?Anditwasinresponsetothisquestionthatthefollowingverseofthe
Quranwasrevealed.
WhenMyservantsaskyou(OMuhammad)concerningMe,Iamindeedclosetothem.I
listentotheprayerofeverysupplicantwhenhecallsuponMe.Sura Baqarah 2:186
Imaginethat!AllahtoldusthatifweweretolookforhimwewouldfindTheAlmight close
tothemandlisteningtoourDuas.Whatbetterreasondoweneedtomakedua regularly
otherthanseekingclosenesstoAllah!?!
2.Thepeaceofmindthatcomesfromlettinggoisreallyessentialforthequintessential
control freak that wants to know what they can do to change a particular circumstance controlfreakthatwantstoknowwhattheycandotochangeaparticularcircumstance.
Here,dua helpsusDoSomethingandatthesametimerecognizethattheresultorfinal
outcomeisinAllahscourt.
3.Thechangingofdestiny.thisisreallypowerfulandyetnotaneasytopictounderstand.
Imaginethatduas canchangeourparticulardestiniesevenifAllahhaswrittenthemout.It
mightbehelpfultothinkofourwrittendestinyasanintricateflowchartthathasmanyif
then,thenthisclauses.SoWhile,Allahknowsallthatwedo,ourduas withAllahsinfinite
Mercycanchangethecourseofevents.Askingaknowledgeablescholarwouldbehelpful
here for more clarity on this complicated concept. hereformoreclarityonthiscomplicatedconcept.
4.Interestingly,every sooftenonecomesacrosswhatIliketocallgratituderesearch.Popular
MagazineslikeWholeLivingoftencitetheimportanceofturningyourbaddayintoagoodoneby
simplylisting10thingsyouaregratefulfor.Similarly,MartinSeligman,formerPresidentofthe
AmericanPsychologicalAssociationhaswrittenarecentbookcalledFlourish:AVisionaryNew
UnderstandingofHappinessandWellBeing.Inthisbook,hesaysthatwritingadiaryofwhatwent
welltodayandwhyforoneweekcanlowerdepressionlevelsinsomepeopleforuptosix
months.(Economist,May14
th
,2011,p.106).Soclearly,Islamoutlinesandprescribeddua 1400
years ago knowing the benefits Some of which are just being discovered now yearsagoknowingthebenefits.Someofwhicharejustbeingdiscoverednow.
11
Re:Cureforanxiety,helplessnessandhopelessness:Ifyouareaworrywartlikeme,much
f i f i h h h ofyouranxietycomesfromcircumstancesthatyoucantchange.Letssayyouhavea
terminallyillpersonthatyoucareabout.Youcantcuretheirillness,butknowingyoucan
prayforthemcanbringyoumuchsolace.Orletssaysomeoneyouloveoftenruinsthe
opportunitiestheyhaveinlifebecauseoftheirbadtemperament.Sometimes,knowthat
youcanmakedua thattheychangeorseetheerrorsoftheirwaycanbecomforting.
2.Re:TrafficCopAnalogy:Shaykh HusainAbdulSattar inoneofhisgeneraltalkson
www.sacredlearning.orgsaysthatShaykh Nuh Kelleroncetoldhimthatweneedtocontrol
our mind like a traffic cop We should let certain thoughts that are bad for our iman just ourmindlikeatrafficcop.Weshouldletcertainthoughtsthatarebadforouriman just
passthroughourmindsquicklywithoutdwellingonthem.Thisisnottosayoneshouldnt
thinkandunderstandthereligion.Instead,theanalogyisstatingthatevenwhenone
knowsandbelievesstronglyinthereligion,onemayhavethoughtsenterthemindthat
undermineonesbeliefandcreatedoubtsinonesmind.Ithoughtthethe trafficcop
analogycouldalsobeusedtodealwiththoughtsthatcreateworry,doubtand
hopelessness.Ifoneletsthosethoughtspassbyquicklywithoutpayingheedtothemone
can refocus ones attention and pray for a better outcome. canrefocusone sattentionandprayforabetteroutcome.
3.re:Linkingprayers:Shaykh HusainAbdulSattar explainsthisconceptinoneofhistalks.
HereishowIunderstoodit.Forexample,Ifsomeoneyouloveisterminallyill.Praythat
AllahgrantsthemtotalShifa (healing).ThenmakethecommitmentthatifAllahanswers
yourprayeryouwilll buildaschoolinaPakistanivillage.Now,theremaybevillagers,who
aremorepiousthanyou,prayingforaschooltobebuiltfortheirchildren.AllahinHis
Mercymightmakeyouthepersontobuildthatschoolandindoingso,grantyourdua of
healingthesickperson.
12
1. re:Hidaya: AccordingtomyteacherSr.Tahira Bhatti,IntheQuran,Allahsayspeople
willgetmaterialwealthandhealthwithoutaskingbutonewillonlybegrantedhidaya
orgiudance byprayering forit.
2. re:spiritualbarometer: TalktoAllah shareyourfaults,shortcomings,frustrations
withAllahinDua.AskAllahtorevealyourfaultstoyouinthisworldsoyoucanfix
them.
3. Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmedsaidinhistalkontazkiyayouknowyouaregettingcloser
to Allah when you begin to see your own faults In my opinion one can use dua as a toAllahwhenyoubegintoseeyourownfaults.Inmyopinion,onecanusedua asa
spiritualbarometerbyaskingAllahtorevealyourfaultstoyousothatyoucanworkon
it.
4. Re:Askingforforgiveness:Shaykh HusainAbdulSattar saysthathisShaykh Zulfiqar
Ahmadtoldhimthatifonecommitsasinandsincerelyrepentshis/hersinsare
forgiven.Hereismyunderstandingofwhathesaid.Imagineaspiritualladder
numberedfrom0to10.Aswedogooddeedswegoupthestepsoftheladderaiming
towardsstepnumber10.Oncewecommitasin,seekrepentence anditgetsaccepted.
Wedonotrestartatstep0.Instead,AllahsinfiniteMercyisthatwekeepclimbingfrom
wherewewerebeforewecommited thesin.HowBeautiful!!
5. Re:Askingforpiousspouseandchildren:Ioncereadabeautifularticleonraising
piouschildren.TheauthorsnameisnotsomethingIcanfind.Shelists10waystoraise
piouschildrenandthenumberonestrategyshehasismakingdua forthem.The
premise of her article was that she asked Muslims how they had raised their kids well premiseofherarticlewasthatsheaskedMuslimshowtheyhadraisedtheirkidswell
andthiswasthenumberonestrategylisted.
13
Re:Enemies:Living intheworldcanbehardsometimesbecauseonecangethurtby
someoneelsesunfairorunjustactions.Oftenthepersn wrongedrespondsbybackbiting
orgettingangry.MakingDua foronesenemiesisreallyessentialfor avoidingbackbiting
andgettingangry.
1. MyFriendSherin Ashkar Nayfeh toldmeaboutalecturesheattendedonBackbiting
byBr.Gaith inWorchester,Ma.Heremindedpeoplethatmanypeopleengagedin
backbiting even if they sought to avoid major sins like fornication drinking alcohol He backbitingeveniftheysoughttoavoidmajorsinslikefornication,drinkingalcohol.He
suggestedprayingforthepersonwhowrongedoneinstead.ParaphrasingtheHadith
thatwhenaMuslimpraysforanotherMuslim,Allahappointsanangeltostandbehind
him/herandgranthim/herthesamething[AbuDawud andMuslim]. Another
paraphrasedhadith:AManontheDayofjudgement hasgooddeedsthesizeofa
mountain.Standingacrossfromhiminalineareallthepeoplehewrongedgettinghis
gooddeeds.Whenherunsout,theirbaddeedsgetheapedonhim.Sr.Uzma Baig a
wonderfultalkonAngerManagementinWestborough,Maon5/18/11inwhichshe
mentionedthishadithandaskedDowehaveitinustospendtimeinhellfor
someoneelsesbaddeeds?Shethenwentontoadvisethatifonegetsangrythey
shouldhitthepausebuttonlikeonaremotecontrolandtake2minutestocalmdown
andcollectonesthoughtsbeforespeaking.Afterwhichpoint,itwouldserveonewell
tomakeadua forthepersonwhohaswrongedyou.Inmyopinion,allofthesegreat
bits of information are important because one wants to respond or do something when bitsofinformationareimportantbecauseonewantstorespondordosomethingwhen
oneiswrongedbyanother.Doingdua isanactionthatrespondstothehurtanddeals
withitpositively.
14
15
16
17