2015-03-06 - Friday Prayer - Imam Ghyasi McKenzie

Khutbah: The Power of Du'a — Growing Closer to Allah

Verily, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in ourselves and from our sinful deeds. Whosoever Allah guides, no one can mislead. And whosoever Allah allows to stray, no one can guide. And I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. He is One, having no partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

To proceed: verily, the truest speech is the Book of Allah. And the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ. And the worst of affairs are the newly invented matters in religion. And every newly invented matter in religion is a heresy. And every heresy leads us astray. And everything that leads us astray leads to the Hellfire.

How Do I Grow Closer to Allah?

With the few minutes that we have today, I would like to talk about one of the most important questions that we can ask. About one of the most frequently asked questions. A question that I'm sure all of us have asked ourselves multiple times. And that question is: How do I grow closer to Allah? How do I better my relationship and connect with Allah?

This is a question that burns inside of us. And I'm sure it is asked — or we're more likely to ask this question — when experiencing a loss, when going through a divorce, or at the beginning of the year. Or perhaps even in the month of Ramadan, which is only a few months away. And these are the times you really hear these questions being asked, as people are seeking the answer.

But I want us to not wait until Ramadan. Not wait at all. But to ask ourselves and reflect upon this question today. How can I grow closer to Allah? How can I better my relationship with Allah?

Surprisingly — and I always mention this about Islam — these heavy, profound, difficult questions often have very simple answers. And this is no different. This heavy and important question has an easy answer, relatively speaking. And though it is simple, I will only be able to touch upon one aspect since we only have a few minutes. And it is one of the most effective answers to this question.

Du'a: The Essence of Worship

We can connect to Allah, grow closer to Allah, and prove our relationship by simply doing something that every one of us can do, at any time. And that is making du'a. Something simple that we belittle and really think: how will this connect me with Allah? But the Prophet ﷺ said:

"Du'a is worship." (Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3372; Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Hadith 1479)

And in another hadith: مُخُّ الْعِبَادَةِ — it is the very essence of worship. The best form of worship. This is how we establish our relationship with Allah.

Likewise, the Prophet ﷺ says:

"There is nothing more noble to Allah than supplication." (Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3370; Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 3829)

Something very simple. Again, something that each and every one of us can do. And for this reason, we see du'a in almost every act of worship. Du'a is a part of our prayer. Du'a is a part of our Hajj. Du'a is a part of our Ramadan, our fasting. Du'a is even in Sūrat al-Fātiḥah — the best surah in the Qur'an. It is simply a du'a. This is the potency and this is the beauty of du'a.

Additionally, through du'a, our relationship with Allah becomes manifest. And this is what we're trying to work on, repair, and improve. We're trying to grow closer to Allah. Du'a is ibādah, as the Prophet ﷺ says in so many different authentic hadith. This is how we connect.

Because it is through du'a that our relationship with Allah is made manifest. When making du'a, we understand that Allah is عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ — able to do everything. And when we raise our hands and make du'a, we understand that لِلَّهِ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ — to Allah belongs everything in the heavens and the earth. And when we make du'a, we understand that Allah is love, we establish hope, and we understand that Allah is أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ.

Allah Hears and Responds to Every Du'a

So this du'a is something that we cannot belittle. Not only is du'a so potent because through it we learn who we are and who Allah is — we learn that Allah has all of those attributes. We also learn who we are: that no matter how much technology, how much power, how much money we have, we are needy. We are in need of Allah. We are incomplete without Allah.

And not only this, but our du'a — our supplication, our connection with Allah — is unlike any other connection, any other relationship. And that is: every time we make du'a, Allah hears us. No matter how many people are making du'a, no matter what time of day, no matter where you are — Allah hears every single du'a that you make. And moreover, Allah responds and replies to every single du'a that we make.

In so many places in the Qur'an and in the ahadith, this message is repeated: that not only does Allah hear and understand, but Allah responds to the one who makes du'a. As Allah says — a verse that we're all familiar with, a verse that shakes us all up — a verse that addresses the Prophet ﷺ and says that when His servant asks about Him, tell him that Allah is near, and that He responds to the supplication of those who call upon Him:

Likewise, there is a very beautiful verse in which Allah says about Himself:

"And your Lord says: Call upon Me, and I will answer you." So Allah promises — and these are just two of the many examples — that if you make du'a, if you initiate that contact and that relationship, if you're trying to improve it, Allah will hear you and respond to you.

A No-Lose Situation

And we know that when we make du'a, Allah will answer it — either by giving us what we want, and many times more than what we ask for, or Allah will answer it in another way. And Allah is wise and knows better than we do: by removing some impending harm from us. So instead of granting the apparent request, Allah will answer it because of that connection. That du'a will not be lost. No du'a goes unheard, wasted, or lost. You are always in a win-win situation when you try to connect to Allah and make du'a.

Interestingly, we are told that nothing can override the qadr — the divine decree — except for du'a. It is that potent, it is that important. Even though what is written will happen no matter how cautious we are, if we make du'a then Allah can change this qadr. And obviously this was decreed, and Allah knew that you were going to make du'a as well. So this is something that we should keep in mind.

And there is another hadith that says Allah does not answer the du'a of the one whose heart is غَافِل — not paying attention. And this is the problem that we have today. We make du'a and we don't know what we're saying, literally. We raise our hands and we're thinking about this and that. But when we make du'a, we should be making du'a while we are مُوقِنُونَ بِالإِجَابَةِ — confident that Allah will respond. We are turning to Allah and establishing this relationship.

So many ahadith tell us over and over again: as long as we're not trying to break family ties and asking for something evil, we will be responded to. As long as we don't give up hope and say, "I made du'a and Allah has not answered me," we will be responded to.

It is a no-lose situation. Either Allah will give you what you want, or He will remove some impending harm. And there is yet another hadith which mentions a third option: that an unanswered du'a will be found on the Day of Judgment, and it will carry such abundant reward that a man will say, "I wish none of my du'as had been answered in this world," because of the abundance of that reward. And of course, on that Day, we will need as much reward as possible.

And this is amazing, because when we make du'a, we want it answered immediately — like yesterday. We ask everyone to make du'a for us. We want these things. But when you make this connection, when you engage in du'a and understand all of this, it has a powerful effect. It puts us in a no-lose situation.

Allah Waits for Us to Ask

Not only should we make du'a and know that we're in this win-win situation, but Allah is simply waiting for us to make this connection. Allah is literally waiting on us to ask. As we are told, every night Allah descends to the lowest heaven and calls out:

"Who will call upon Me so that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me so that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?" (Sahih al-Bukhārī, Hadith 1145; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 758)

Allah is looking for us to connect. And unfortunately, I think many of us are guilty of not making enough du'a — of those questions going unanswered by us.

Amazingly, also, when we don't make du'a, Allah actually gets upset with us. There is an authentic hadith that says:

"Whoever does not ask Allah, Allah becomes angry with him." (Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3373; Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 3827)

This is amazing, also, because we know that when we ask people — even if we're asking for something good — eventually they will get tired and get angry with you for asking so much. But with Allah, it is totally different. Because Allah has everything, He can do everything, and to Him belongs everything.

As we are told in an authentic hadith: if the very first human and the last human — all of humanity, all of jinn — were to come together and one by one ask Allah for every single thing that they want, it would not decrease Allah's dominion except for what a needle decreases from the ocean. Basically, it is negligible. It doesn't exist. It wouldn't do anything. And we know how vast the ocean is. Many of you fly over it all the time. We know about the airliner lost in the sea — even with all our technology, we cannot find it because the ocean is so vast. Allah is trying to make us understand that even all of creation asking and asking and asking will have no impact, because this is who Allah is.

"O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans and the jinn, were all to stand in one place and ask of Me, and I were to give everyone what they requested, that would not decrease what I have any more than a needle decreases the sea if put into it." (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2577)

And this is why du'a is so powerful. Allah is waiting on us to establish this connection. Allah is waiting on us to come to Him and to ask Him.

Know Allah in Times of Prosperity

Lastly, I want to recap all of this by saying: life is all about relationships. Our relationship with our parents, our relationship with our spouses, our children, with our neighbors, our colleagues, our guests, our society, and even the creation. And of course, the most important relationship that we should be concerned with is our relationship with Allah.

One of the best ways to answer the question that is asked all the time — How do I grow closer to Allah? How do I improve my relationship? How can I connect? — especially in hard times, and especially in the month of Ramadan, is through du'a.

How many of us — I think all of us have experienced this — during a time of need, we made du'a and really connected with Allah and noticed that this dialogue, this intimacy, was something truly pleasurable. To the point where it wasn't anymore about the du'a. It wasn't anymore about our need, but it was about the relationship that we established with Allah.

Ibn al-Qayyim rahimahullah mentioned this hundreds of years ago, and many scholars have spoken about this: that sometimes when we engage in du'a, we forget about what we really wanted, and we come to truly understand that Allah is أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ. We really understand what Allah will do. We truly understand the great Lord that we have. And all we have to do, if we want to connect, is to simply ask — to simply raise our hands, focus, concentrate and ask — and it's a no-lose situation. No du'a goes unwasted. No du'a goes unanswered.

May Allah make us of those who make much du'a and make us of those who understand the potency and the effectiveness of du'a.

Just to close, I want to remind you of a hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ tells us that we should not turn to Allah only in times of need. We should not make du'a and establish this relationship only when things are hard and difficult. But we should make this relationship and enjoy this relationship all the time. As the Prophet ﷺ said:

"Get to know Allah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will know you in times of hardship." (Musnad Aḥmad, Hadith 2803; also attributed in various collections of Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī)

Get to know Allah in times of good, in times of prosperity — when things are going well, when you have a child, when you get a raise, when things are good. تَعَرَّفْ إِلَى اللَّهِ فِي الرَّخَاءِ يَعْرِفْكَ فِي الشِّدَّةِ — and once you establish this relationship with Allah during times of prosperity, then Allah will know you and will answer you in times of hardship.

And what I mean by this is: I know that I feel shy when I only call somebody when I need him. For example, I have a friend who is a mechanic. When I call his number, he knows the imam is calling because something is wrong with his car. It's the only time I call him. Or you call a parent when you need some money. Or you call someone only when you need something. We feel shy about that. Even if it's something honorable or noble. So we don't want this connection with Allah to be like that.

We don't want to have that kind of relationship with Allah where we only know Him after something tragic has happened. So we should remember this very potent, powerful hadith. Meanwhile, during times of prosperity — and that is the wonderful thing about life, there are ups and downs, and both the good and the bad are ultimately good for the believer — this is something that we should remember.

A Closing Verse on Du'a

And lastly, I'll leave you with one ayah. There are so many ayahs — I should have even counted the number of times you see the word du'a in the Qur'an, or you see ادْعُونِي or ادْعُوا. But just to leave you with one of these beautiful, many ayahs in which Allah tells us to establish this connection, and tells us to truly understand that du'a is a way of worship — as the Prophet says, الدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ — and understanding that to Allah belongs everything. One of those many verses reads:

"Call on your Lord with humility and in private. For Allah loves not those who transgress beyond the bounds. Do not make mischief on the earth after it has been set in order. But call on Him with fear and with longing in your heart. For the mercy of Allah is always near to those who do good."

So in conclusion, we ask Allah to really make us not trivialize this topic, and to make us of those people who are always trying to connect and improve their relationship with Allah.