Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an as well as the month of all good
deeds. A Muslim is recommended to read the Qur'an and do good deeds in
this blessed month as much as he can. In this context, we recall the
Prophetic Hadith addressed by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) to his Companions on the last day of Sha`ban:
"O people! A great month has come; a blessed month in which is a night better than a thousand months; a month
in which Allah has made it compulsory upon you to fast by day, and
voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by
performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month), shall
receive the same reward as performing an obligatory deed at any other
time; and whoever performs an obligatory deed in (this month), shall
receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other time.
It is the month of patience, and the reward of patience is Paradise. It
is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's sustenance is
increased. Whoever gives food to a fasting person to break his fast,
shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved from the Hell-Fire,
and he shall have the same reward as the fasting person, without his
reward being diminished at all." (Reported by ibn Khuzaymah)
Shedding more light on this interesting question, we'd like to cite for
you the following fatwa issued by the late Sheikh Sayyed Ad-Darsh,
former Chairman of the UK Shari`ah Council:
Ramadan is the month in which the Qur'an was revealed. Allah says:
(The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance for
mankind, and clear proofs of the guidance, and the Criterion (of right
and wrong). And whosoever of you is present, let him fast the month.)
(Al-Baqarah 2: 185)
This verse establishes the link between
Ramadan and the Qur'an. We know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) was in the habit of retreating to Mount Hira during Ramadan
and it was during one of these periods of contemplation that the
Archangel Gabriel appeared to him with the first revelation. So Ramadan
marks the beginning of the call to Islam and the prophetic mission of
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
Secondly, when
Ramadan Fasting became obligatory, the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) used to recite the Qur'an with Gabriel. Gabriel used to
descend from the heavens every night to read everything that had so far
been revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Thirdly, when we offer our Taraweeh prayers, it is recommended that
over the course of the month the whole Qur'an be completed. This
presents a great opportunity for those who haven't read the whole Qur'an
to hear it.
Do you want to improve
your life? Do you want to be a happier person? Do you want the
satisfaction of knowing the future is going to be better than the past?
Of course you do. We all want better lives. And the great thing is, we
Muslims have a “secret” weapon to get this improved life. You know what
I’m going to say.
It’s dua. Yes, our duas (supplication) can impact our lives immediately. Why? Because it’s direct communication with our
Lord, Allah the Mighty and Majestic. So if you’re not happy with the
way things are going in your life, I encourage you to turn to dua.
However, simply begging Allah to “give me this” and “give me that” may
seem futile if not done correctly. Therefore, I’d like to list a few
tidbits and ideas that will improve the way you make dua, and bring you
closer to Allah. Your Intention Must Be Good
While this may seem obvious, it may be worth noting that for our duas
to be accepted, we should have good intentions. In other words, we
shouldn’t make dua against someone else simply because they wronged us
or have upset us.
We especially should be careful about making
dua against our family members. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has
said in an authentic hadith that Allah answers our prayers so long as
we do not seek to break family ties.
Sometimes our family
angers us and make us want to do and say evil things. When these things
happen, it is important that we have patience and not ask Allah to curse
them or bring some punishment upon them. Perhaps if we are merciful and
forgiving to our family, Allah may be merciful and forgiving to us.
We should also refrain from asking Allah for forbidden things. We
should not make dua for alcohol, or pork, or illegal sexual intercourse.
Once again, all of this may seem obvious, but I believe it’s important
enough to mention anyway.
Assuming that you’re asking for something good and halal (allowed in
Islam), the next thing to keep in mind is to make dua the way the
Prophet (peace be upon him) taught us how to make dua.
Please read this beautiful Hadith (tradition) from Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):
The supplication of every one of His slaves will be granted so long as
he does not get impatient and says “I supplicated my Lord again and
again but I do not think my prayers will be answered.” (Bukhari and
Muslim)
With this in mind, here is a short list of things you should make sure are in place when making dua:
Praise Allah –
Whatever it is you want in life, you must still be thankful and
grateful for what Allah has already given you. Allah rewards gratitude
and punishes ingratitude. So before you before you begin asking Allah
for a bunch of things, make sure you begin by thanking and praising Him.
Send Peace and Blessing upon the Messenger of Allah –
After praising Allah, the next you should do is ask Allah to bless
Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet was the best of creation. So ask Allah to
bless him and earn a little rewards before asking for things for
yourself.
Supplicate with emotion – Your duas shouldn’t be
dry, formulaic, robotic acts of worship. Instead, ask Allah for what
you want with determination, desire, and devotion. Pray to Allah with
the earnestness He deserves. It’s even better if you can cry while
making dua. And if you cannot cry, then make yourself cry.
Have patience –
One thing that makes our duas get rejected by Allah is losing
patience. A person may ask Allah for something, and they don’t get it in
the timeframe they want. So they get impatient and say things like: “I
made dua for this, and Allah did not give it to me.” This impatience
makes us lose all the blessing of our dua. Be specific – Don’t say
things like “Oh Allah, you know what I want, please give it to me.”
Allah IS all hearing and all knowing, but we should articulate the
specific things we want Him to give us. Ask for it directly and don’t
say things like “If You will” when speaking to Allah. He will do what He
wills anyway. So speak with conviction and the expectation that Allah
will answer you. Some Final Tips
There are many little things we can do to make our duas more impactful. Here are some brief pointers to keep in mind:
Pray for your parents when you make dua.
Pray for another Muslim in their absence without them knowing.
Make wudu before making dua.
Make dua when it’s raining.
Make dua in the last moments of daylight on Fridays.
Use authentic duas from the Quran and sunnah in Arabic (though it’s perfectly okay to make dua in your native tongue also).
Call upon Allah using the word “Rabbee (My Lord).”
Call upon Allah by His names (Ar-Rahman, Al-Ghafur, etc.)
Ask Allah based upon some good deed you’ve done in the past.
Inshallah, these ideas will help your duas become more meaningful and
in turn, Allah will bless you with an improved life. May Allah accept
all of your good supplications. Ameen!