2 Major Crisis When it Comes to Duaa | Imam Nadim Bashir | Jumuah Khutbah

Du'a Requests from Our Community

After she gave birth, there were many critical complications regarding her health, and she's been in the ICU since yesterday. And since yesterday, mom and baby have not seen each other yet. So we ask Allah to grant her shifa and make everything easy for the mom and the child. And may Allah give them both a long life that they are able to spend time with each other.

Another request for du'a is from the family of sister Asma Pulawala. She's requesting du'a for her. She is going through surgery today, so we ask Allah to grant her shifa and make the surgery a successful one.

Brother Imran Nayyar, another member of our community, requesting du'a for his uncle, Iqbal Azam, who passed away. Family of brother Imad, Mahmood is requesting du'a for him because he's hospitalized and he's in ICU. We ask Allah to grant him shifa.

Sister Rahid is requesting du'a for her mother, Irshad Begum, who is bedridden after she suffered a stroke. We ask Allah to grant her shifa. And everyone else who may be sick, there are so many other announcements, requests that have come throughout the entire week. We ask Allah that all those who are sick, may Allah grant them all shifa. And all those who may have passed away, may Allah have mercy upon them.

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

The Importance of Du'a in Ramadan

One of the most important things that is emphasized in the month of Ramadan is du'a. Ramadan is not only a month of Quran, Ramadan is also a month of du'a. Because of the fact that we have long qiyams, we pray witr, we have du'a in the witr, we wake up for tahajjud qiyam, we wake up at suhoor time, there are so many opportunities for du'a.

In the one passage in the Quran where Allah talks about Ramadan, there is only one passage in the Quran where He talks about Ramadan, He begins the passage with the concept of taqwa, He finishes that passage with the concept of taqwa. At the end of the passage, Allah says:

Allah says that these are all signs so that you can have taqwa and awareness of God in your life. But in this passage, again Allah talks about du'a. So we understand that du'a is important, it is not only just important in Ramadan, it's important throughout our entire life.

Two Major Crises in Du'a

There are two things I want to address today in my khutbah related to the subject of du'a. Of course, books and books have been written on the subject of du'a. But in this khutbah, for the sake of understanding these two matters, and not only that, but I have seen that people are struggling with these two matters when it comes to du'a.

First Crisis: Losing Faith in Du'a

The very first crisis I have seen when I talk to people or hear their concerns is that people are losing faith in du'a. People are saying, I've been making du'a for a long time and nothing has changed in my life. In fact, there's been more problems than before. Some people will say that I've heard so many hadith that if you recite this and you make this du'a, Allah will accept it. I did exactly that and there's been no change in my life. So does Allah, I mean I've heard people even say this, that does Allah not even exist? Or people will say that, doesn't Allah hear?

Second Crisis: Why Du'as Are "Rejected"

The second one really is an extension of the very first crisis which is that even if you say that my du'as are not being accepted, then why aren't they being accepted? Why are my du'as being rejected? So I want to address both of these issues in today's khutbah.

Allah's Closeness to Us

The very first thing that we need to understand is that Allah in the Quran, in the same passage regarding Ramadan, He says:

You see, Allah could have told Rasulullah ﷺ that tell the believers that I am close to them. But in order to depict, in order for us to understand how close Allah is to us, Allah did not tell Rasulullah ﷺ to tell us that he is close, Allah is addressing us directly, removing the Prophet ﷺ out of the picture for a moment and telling us, I am close. Which tells us that in surah Qaf, like Allah says:

He is closer to us than our jugular veins. So the very first thing we need to understand is that Allah is indeed very very close to us. And when He is close to us, He is always listening to our du'as. In fact, in that same ayah, Allah says:

And the literal translation of this ayah is, I accept the du'a of the du'a maker when they make du'a. It's a very interesting ayah. Three times, three similar words are coming. Why? Because Allah is emphasizing that do not ever stop making du'a to Allah. So the very first thing that we need to understand that Allah is close.

No Du'a Goes to Waste

The second thing that we need to understand regarding this idea or this concept that people have is that Allah is not answering my du'as, is that Rasulullah ﷺ says that every single time a believer makes du'a, as long as they're not making du'a to commit a sin. Like if a person said to Allah that, Ya Allah, I want to commit a sin, I want you to facilitate this sin for me. The Prophet ﷺ is saying is that as long as a person is making du'a and they're not asking Allah to make a sin easy for them, or they're not asking Allah for a division in the family or a separation between people, then when this person makes du'a, three things are gonna happen to this du'a.

And I want you to listen very carefully because whenever I share this hadith with other people, it really helps them to get over this notion that Allah is not there or Allah is not listening to my du'as. Remember brothers and sisters, for the rest of your life when I say this, never will your du'a go to waste. Wallahi, never will any du'a of yours go to waste. These are not my words, these are the words of the Prophet ﷺ because he says that three things can happen to your du'a.

Either number one, Allah will grant you exactly what you're asking for or number two is Allah will store it for you in the hereafter. Meaning that when we will stand before Allah on the Day of Judgment and Allah will present to us all the du'as that you and I we made in this dunya and they were not, there was no compensation given to us for that or they were not exactly accepted the way we wanted it to be, then what happens is that Allah will give us something in the hereafter for that. And to such an extent that at that time a person will say that I wish none of my du'as were accepted in this dunya. Subhanallah, think about that for a moment. How much a reward Allah will give you in the hereafter? If you don't see the results of your du'a in this dunya, you will get something in the hereafter for sure.

But the point I said, going back to what I said earlier, never will any of your du'as go to waste. And this is one of the biggest problems that today we think that our du'as are going to waste. Just because you and I, we don't see the result of our du'as.

Allah's Timing vs. Our Expectations

Or today when we make du'a, we want Allah to answer our du'as based on our expectation, based on our time. A person could be in a crisis today, yesterday he was not or she was not in a crisis, today they're in a crisis and now they're making du'a and they want Allah's results immediately. That's not how Allah works. That's not the way Allah functions.

Allah told us in the Quran:

I will answer you. But is there any place in the Quran where Allah said or He guaranteed us that He will answer our du'as based on our clock, on our time, on our schedule? No, there is no place in the Quran. But Allah will answer it.

And that's why Rasulullah ﷺ says that either Allah will give you exactly what you want, or Allah will store in the hereafter for you, or perhaps Allah will give you something else in return. And it could be anything. You're driving on the road, you're one second away from a collision. That is a result of probably some du'a that you made.

The Hidden Blessings from Our Du'as

How many times you hear news that some kind of food has been recalled, and you ate that food, and now you are in the state of anxiety and panic, that I ate something that has been recalled. But Alhamdulillah, through the Fadl of Allah, nothing has not affected your health. That could be a result of your du'a. Your child could get easily sick, but Alhamdulillah they are protected. Everyone else got sick. Your child did not get sick. That's probably a result of your du'a.

There's so many things that are happening in our life that we don't realize that this is probably the barakah or the result of some du'a that we made. So always remember that something is going to happen with your du'a.

And if you know this, imagine someone said that any penny that you invest, you will get something in return. People invest and a lot of times their money goes to waste. But if you invest into this cause, you will never ever suffer. I guarantee you that everyone here will buy into that immediately. Likewise, Allah, the Prophet ﷺ is telling us that your du'a, our du'a will never ever go to waste. If that is what now we know, and now next time I make du'a, I know that something is going to come as a result of this du'a. So that is why we don't ever stop making du'a.

The Example of Prophet Zakariya

Another thing that we find in the Quran is Allah will accept the du'a, and I just referred to this a little earlier, but Allah will accept it based on the time that he thinks is right. For example, one of the things that we find in the story of the Quran regarding Zakariya ﷺ, is that he made a lot of du'a. When he came and he saw Maryam ﷺ, and he saw that she is sitting around and she is eating fruit, off season fruit. And he asked her that where did this come from? And she says that this is from Allah, it is from Allah. At that time the Quran says that Ya Allah, I want a child that is also close to Allah.

The Story of Zakariya and Continuous Du'a

I want a child that is close to you and devout to you. Just like this young girl Maryam is. And he kept on making du'a. He never stopped making du'a. In fact in Surah Anbiya, Allah highlights his story and says that that right before this he says He made du'a. And Allah highlights also in Surah Maryam that Zakariya made so much du'a until he got to a point in his life where he was very frail. He was weak. And he is making du'a to Allah.

Like my hair has become grey, I become old, I become frail and weak. And now I am still asking you Ya Allah. And Allah granted him Zakariya. The point of the story is that our job is Allah is telling us that I am close. I know what you need. Make du'a. The Prophet is telling us your du'as will not go to waste. And not only that but Allah is telling us that even if you go into your seniority, even if you go into your senior part or portion of your life and you want something, do not stop making du'a. Just like Zakariya did not stop making du'a, you don't stop making du'a. So this is the very first thing that we need to understand that do not ever lose your faith in Allah.

Crisis Number Two: Why Aren't Our Du'as Being Accepted?

But then let's get to crisis number two. Which is that why aren't our du'as being accepted? And why is it that people are not making du'a? First thing is that Rasulullah says that, O people:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1015)

That Allah is pure. He is the source of all pure. And what He likes is purity. That's why any deed that is not pure, it is not accepted in the eyes of Allah. Any deed that is done, it could be 99% for the sake of Allah, but 1% to show off to someone else, Allah will not accept that. That's no different than for example, imagine you have a clean tub of water, and you drop one drop of urine in there. It ruins everything else. Likewise, insincerity in an action, it may be even 1%. It is not accepted in the eyes of Allah. Because Allah is pure. He is a source of pure, and whatever He likes, whatever He accepts is that which is pure.

The Problem of Haram Income

But then the Prophet also says that, a person he will make du'a to Allah, but the reason why his du'as are not accepted is because his money is coming from unlawful sources. Now, I don't want to go into this subject matter, but there are a lot of Muslim brothers and sisters of our community, and I will not say sisters, but brothers, who are owners of like gas stations. I go to so many gas stations at times just to like fill up gas or to get water or something, and it kills my heart when I go inside and I see Muslims. They are the ones who own these kind of places, with nudity on their walls, selling alcohol, and their answer or their explanation is that we cannot find anything else.

I can tell you right now, this excuse is unacceptable before Allah and His judgment. If this is your mindset, and you're thinking that, I can do this haram, I know it's haram, and it's haram to sell alcohol, and it's haram to sell all these magazines and so forth, but this is the only thing I can find. I'm telling you right now, this is not going to be an excuse that is acceptable in the eyes of Allah. Yet you find so many of our brothers who have gas station businesses, and they may not be working there, but they are the ones who own this place. And that is where the money is coming from. It is from a haram source. It is purely haram.

Or when people cheat each other. How many times in our Muslim community people would cheat each other in business? That is considered as a haram source. If you're going to take money from someone else that is unlawful for you, how do you expect that I have haram sources of income, and I'm asking Allah that, ya Allah, you accept my du'a. There is no way that Allah will accept our du'a. So why, how do we have this idea that I can do wrong? And I'll do wrong, and as long as I keep on making du'a, Allah will accept it. That's not the way Allah works. Allah wants to see from us that we're trying our level best to stay away from all this, then Allah will accept.

Breaking Families and Severing Relationships

Or there are people, unfortunately, who are so involved in breaking families apart. You know how many families I come across where people are trying to work it out. But sometimes it is the father who is so filled with ego. Or sometimes it is the mother. It could be the mother or the father of the groom or the bride. And they're always interfering into the marriage of their children that sometimes even the children want to work it out. Between the husband and wife, they want to work it out. But the parents have ulterior motives. And they're the ones who are causing the problem.

Now imagine if you are actively engaged in doing dhulm in your family. Or you are actively engaged in breaking up the family. And then you're sitting there making du'a to Allah. There's no way Allah is going to accept your du'a. Because you're trying to sever relationships. And guess what? You may not realize, we may not realize, that we have severed our relationship with Allah in doing this. So that is why you cannot be actively engaged in haram. And then turn around and say, Ya Allah, please help me.

Now, don't take this in a general way. For example, if a person is involved in committing zina. They're committing zina often. And now they want to come back to Allah. That requires a sincere tawbah. That requires a sincere tawbah. And if they're truly honest with Allah, Allah is going to be honest with them too. Allah will allow them to come back to Him. But there has to be a certain level of sincerity. That's one of the first reasons why du'as are not accepted.

Lack of Certainty in Allah's Response

The second reason why du'as are not accepted is because as the Prophet says:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3479)

When you make du'a, you have to have a certain level of certainty that Allah will accept our du'as. Unfortunately, we are making du'a. But in the back of our mind, we're like, I'm making this du'a because I'm supposed to make this du'a. The Quran says to make du'a. My parents have told me to make du'a. The Prophet has told me to make du'a. But I don't think this is going to really work out. I really don't think this is going to be accepted in the eyes of Allah. And that is a problem. Again, you have to have faith that Allah is going to accept it.

Giving Up Too Quickly: The Story of Umm Salama

The third reason why du'as are also that they remain or they go unanswered is because we give up too quickly. We give up too quickly. So there is a story from the time of the Prophet, and this is regarding one of the wives of the Prophet, Umm Salama. This is prior to her getting married to the Prophet. This is when she was migrating from Mecca to Medina. And because she came from a certain tribe, Abu Salama came from another tribe, and they had a child together. And what happened was that in the process of making hijrah, the tribes intervened, and they separated all three of them. They separated the husband from the wife. They separated the wife from the baby and the husband. They separated the baby from the parents.

Can you imagine that kind of situation? I mean, imagine the emotional turmoil that this woman is going through as a mother, as a father, that they have no idea where their child is. How is their child okay? Is their child not okay? And there's no text messages. There's no WhatsApp. There's nothing at that time to give them that assurance that, okay, my child, my family is okay.

Umm Salama, she says, I made du'a not one time, not one day, not one week, and not one month. She says, every single day, there was a small mountain there, next to where the tribe was residing. I would go to the top of the mountain or that hill. I would sit there every single day, and I cried, and I cried, and I cried until I had no more tears left, and I kept on making du'a to Allah. When did Allah accept her du'a? Allah accepted her du'a after one year. Allah accepted her du'a after one year.

Again, you could be knocking on the door of Allah, and you're so close to Allah accepting that, and you feel like that Allah is not listening, and you stop knocking on Allah's door. And guess what? You're deprived. Do not. You don't know how close you are for that door to open. Because see, Allah, what He wants to see from us is how consistent we are. If Allah gave us everything, whatever we wanted, and whenever we wanted, we would never have any appreciation for Allah, and we would never have any appreciation for du'a. So that is why, this is why du'as are not accepted, because we back out, and we give up too quickly.

Preparing for Ramadan: Self-Reflection and Continuous Du'a

So with this in mind, now that Ramadan is coming, first of all is, as I said in the first part of the khutbah, do not stop making du'a. And number two is, if my du'as are not being accepted, sometimes we need to take a step back. Instead of blaming Allah, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves that, am I doing something that is not right? Am I actively engaged in some haram that is so upsetting Allah, to the point that He's not accepting my du'as? Don't put on Allah, we need to look at ourselves in the mirror.

I ask Allah that He makes us from among those who will continuously make du'a, and may Allah reaffirm and strengthen our faith in Him. Ameen ya Rabb al-alameen.

Second Khutbah

When we're making du'a, there are certain conditions and requirements, as long as we fulfill them, insha'Allah Allah will understand our situation, Allah will accept our du'as. And even if my du'as are not accepted, then remember and have faith in Allah, that Allah will give me something else in return, or Allah has stored this for me in the akhirah.

I ask Allah to make us from among those who will continuously make du'a. May Allah reaffirm our faith, may Allah keep us steadfast on the deen of Rasulullah, and may Allah never make us from among those who lose hope in Allah. Ameen ya Rabb al-alameen.

آمِينَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ

فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ

أَقِيمِ الصَّلَاةَ

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ