Du'a: The Essence of Worship, Our Divine Purpose

The Essence of Ibadah: Making Du'a to Allah

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His chosen servants. Allah, the Exalted, said in the book of His revelation, after we seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan:

Your Lord said: Call upon Me, and I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are arrogant about My worship will enter Hell.

And when My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to the supplication of the supplicant when he supplicates. Let them respond to Me and believe in Me, that they may be guided.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3371)

And he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Al-du'a'u mukhkhul ibadah — supplication is the very essence of worship. Allah, the Exalted, has spoken the truth. And His Messenger, the Noble Prophet, has spoken the truth. And we are among the witnesses and thankful. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

My dear respected brothers and sisters, respected elders and youngsters, peace and blessings be upon you.

Created for Worship Alone

Allah, the Exalted, has created us for His worship. As Allah, the Exalted, very explicitly states:

I have not created the jinn nor the human beings, but for My worship.

If Allah, the Exalted, said that He has created human beings and jinn for His worship, there would always remain a possibility that yes, we have been created for the worship of Allah, the Exalted — but along with the worship of Allah, we have other purposes. Because the room for other purposes exists in that type of statement. If Allah, the Exalted, said, "I have created human beings for My ibadah," that does not necessarily negate other purposes.

But Allah, the Exalted, instead of just saying He has created us for His ibadah, He starts off with a negative statement. And He says: I have not created the human beings for any other purpose — any purpose — except that they worship Me.

It's just like if you say, "Allah is my God." Well, the mushrikun of Mecca, they used to also say, "Allah is our God." Allah, the Exalted, says that Himself in the Quran. If you ask them, "Who created the heavens and the earth?" they will say, "Allah did." So they believe in Allah, and Allah is their God — they believe and they proclaim, "Allah is our God." However, they also believe in Allah, and also in Al-Uzza, and also in Hubal, and Manat.

Whereas the Kalimah of Tawheed starts off with a negative statement:

There is no one worthy of worship — there are no other gods — except for the one Allah. So that is a similar construction of this sentence here, where Allah says: I have not created human beings except for My worship.

Du'a: The Essence of All Ibadah

And amongst all the different forms of ibadah, Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam has identified that al-du'a'u mukhkhul ibadah — making du'a to Allah, seeking from Allah help — in all affairs, no matter how minute they may seem, and how major, whether in the akhirah or in the dunya, whether pertaining to deen or dunya, whether pertaining to our physical needs, emotional needs, psychological needs, spiritual needs — with respect to ourselves, our loved ones, our family, the entire ummah — seeking help from Allah, invoking Him. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: al-du'a'u mukhkhul ibadah. It is the actual essence of all ibadah. The essence of ibadah is seeking help from Allah.

Du'a in Surah Al-Fatiha

And the essence of the Quran, which has been sent for our guidance — Surah Al-Fatiha, which is known as Surah Ummul Kitab, the mother of the book — the essence of the entire Surah Al-Fatiha is again du'a. We begin off by praising Allah and we say:

All praises belong to Allah, who is the Lord of the worlds. His rahmah is tam and a'am — it's all inclusive. Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim is perfect. And then Maliki yawm al-deen — He is the Master of the Day of Judgment. So after praising Allah, then we present our servitude to Him. That we are your slaves. Iyyaka na'budu — only You do we worship. Wa iyyaka nastaeen — and only from You we seek help. And what is it that we seek? Ihdina al-sirat al-mustaqeem — O Allah, guide us to the straight path. Which path? The path of those You have favored. Sirat al-ladheena anamta alayhim — not the path of those who have earned Your anger — ghayril maghdoobi alayhim wa la al-dallin — nor those who have gone astray.

So seeking help from Allah — this is what Allah loves.

The Definition of Ibadah

What is the definition of Ibadah? Ghayat al-tazallul amam al-ma'bud ma'a aqidat al-tasarruf al-ghaybi lahoo. The definition of Ibadah in all of its forms — the correct form directed to Allah, as well as the incorrect form of those who worship besides Allah, those who commit shirk — when they are doing ibadah, what are they doing? Some way or the other, depending on the specific form: ghayat al-tazallul — it is the extreme, ghaya means extreme form of humbling oneself. That extreme form of humbling oneself can take the form of ruku', of sujood. Prostration is when a person now literally is placing his forehead on the ground completely. If you know, everyone is doing so many sajdas, but just examine it once again, think about it — what is happening is literally you're putting your head all the way down onto the ground. Ruku' is also tazallul — adopting dhillah, meaning humbleness — amam al-ma'bud, in front of the object of your worship, ma'a aqidat al-tasarruf al-ghaybi lahoo, while believing that the object that you are venerating, respecting, and humbling yourself in front of has tasarruf al-ghaybi — supernatural powers. He is a supernatural being that can come to your aid.

This ties in with the concept of seeking help and du'a. So for example, this becomes an issue: is it shirk or not? Is it kufr or not? When this type of humbleness a person demonstrates to other than Allah. So this is a frequently asked question. People are engaged in, for example, the youth in karate or in some type of martial arts. Before they start the act, they are doing ruku' to each other, or to their master when they are training. Now this ruku' — they're not prostrating, but they're bowing down. So there are two things here.

If this is ibadah, then that's a very, very major problem. What would have happened now is that a person committed shirk. And if a person committed shirk — if something is established and all the things associated with that would be established — then na'udhu billah, if a person committed shirk, he's out of Islam. He became a murtad, he became apostate. In an Islamic government, there would be sentencing for that — which does not apply here. We do not take the law into our own hands. There is no vigilante justice in Islam. And his nikah would break. And all his good deeds of his life would be cancelled out. And if he had performed Hajj, it would not count anymore. He would have to repeat it. A lot of problems.

So is that the situation? No, it is not. Why? It is not because he does not believe the one he is bowing down to is a supernatural being that can come to his aid. He does not have that aqeedah. So therefore, none of the above happens. He is not out of Islam, nor has he committed shirk. Nor does he have to repeat his nikah if he is married. Nor does he have to repeat his Hajj if he performed it. And all this — by the way — is called habtu al-a'mal. All his actions are not cancelled out. Not cancelled out. Why? Because it is not shirk.

The Distinction: Act of Shirk vs. Actual Shirk

But does it mean it's okay? It is still not okay. This is an a'mal of shirk, but it is not actual shirk. Why is it an a'mal of shirk? It is because it is adopting the similitude of one who is worshipping, and it is prohibited to go into a state of sujood for anyone besides Allah. So there is a distinction between an act of shirk and actual shirk. An act of kufr and actual kufr.

Otherwise — missing a fard salah, if you say, well, that's extreme — missing a fard salah, what is that?

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2622; also reported in Musnad Ahmad)

Intentionally missing a fard salah is, in the hadith, an act of kufr. But it does not mean the person became a kafir. So just like if a person was a Muslim — if you ask him, obviously la ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah, I am a Muslim — but he missed a fard salah, intentionally missed a fard salah through negligence. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said faqad kafara — he has committed an act of kufr. But are you a kafir? No, astaghfirullah, I am not a kafir, I am a Muslim. So likewise, this person committed an act of shirk but is not a mushrik, because he does not have that particular aqeedah — the belief that the one he is bowing down to has supernatural powers that can come to his aid.

Iyyaka Nastaeen: Seeking Help from Allah Alone

So when we ask from Allah, when we humble ourselves in front of Allah, that is a distinction. We believe that He is that supernatural being. He has the ultimate power. We have to remind ourselves — that is what makes it a unique ibadah. And that is the interpretation and the answer to the question and objection that could come under the tarzumah and tafsir of this ayah:

Only You do we worship, and only from You we seek help. Nastaeenuka would mean "we seek help from you." But iyyaka nastaeen — by bringing the object before the verb — gives the meaning of exclusivity. Iyyaka nastaeen means: only from You we seek help. So when you open a translation of the Quran and they say "only You we worship and only from You we seek aid" — the translator didn't write it like that just because it sounds more fancy or more powerful. That is an actual translation based on the position of the words in the ayah. So iyyaka nastaeen — we only seek help from You.

Two Types of Seeking Help

Now only seeking help from Allah — does it mean we don't seek help from anyone else? So if I ask somebody, can you get a bottle of water, or can you turn the light on, or turn the fan on — I am asking for help. But Allah says iyyaka nastaeen, only from You we seek help. What happened here?

So this isti'anah, this seeking of help from Allah when we make du'a, is reserved for Allah. How is that different from seeking help from one another? This is defined as two types of seeking help. One is isti'anah fawq al-asbab, and one is isti'anah taht al-asbab. One is seeking help within normal worldly means. And one is seeking help beyond the normal means of the world.

So Allah has granted human beings the ability to go and turn the light on and to go and bring the water. So when we ask each other for help like this, this is permissible — and in fact we are supposed to help one another. But asking for help beyond human means — that Allah grant me a daughter, or grant me a son, or give shifa — even shifa, which is a tricky one. There is something called ilaj and dawa, and there is something called shifa. So giving the medication, this is a human action — examining the patient, diagnosing the disease, prescribing the prescription. These are human actions. But actually giving the cure — this is definitely only in the hands of Allah.

And the ones who have the most yaqeen about this are the doctors themselves, as they know what happens. It is the people who do not know medicine who get confused — they think the doctor has shifa. The doctor himself knows more than anyone that shifa is in the hands of Allah. The Muslim physician, when he would write his prescription — you know, like you have to write your number, your office, your address, and your license on the prescription pad — the Muslim physician would write: bismillahi huwa al-shafi. I begin this prescription in the name of Allah, who will give shifa in this.

And the same exclusive sentence construction we have been talking about — like la ilaha illallah, and wama khalaqtul jinna wal insa illa liya'budoon — we have the same in the du'a of the Prophet:

O Allah, grant shifa. You are the one who grants shifa. There is no shifa except Your shifa — a shifa that will not leave behind any trace of the sickness.

This is the du'a of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam for the sick patient. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5743; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2191)

Allah Controls the Hearts

So when we seek help from Allah, we are seeking help with the aqeedah that there is no other authority and there is no other power who can answer our du'a besides Allah. Who controls the hearts? Whatever the du'a is for — O Allah, I want to get this job, or I want this marriage proposal, or whatever the need we have, even in the dunya. Because for the akhirah you will say, okay, no one else controls Jannah, no one else controls Jahannam. No one can protect me from the fire of Jahannam except Allah. No one can grant me admittance into Jannah except Allah. And no one can forgive the sins except You, O Allah. But what about worldly things? Like you applied for a job — who controls the heart of the manager there, in the employment, recruitment center, who is reviewing your application? It is Allah who controls the hearts. So the hearts are between the fingers of Al-Rahman.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2654)

He turns the hearts whichever way He wants.

O Turner of the hearts, keep my heart firm upon Your deen.

So Allah is in control of all of our hearts, and all of our minds, and all of our bodies for that matter — everything is under the control of Allah. And this is the ultimate gift possible — you have a direct line with Him. You have a direct line with Allah. And are you exploiting that, benefiting from that or not? That is the question.

A Wake-Up Call in Ramadan

Especially in this month of Ramadan, we have, subhanAllah, the time of Iftar, the time of Suhoor, the time of Tahajjud, the time of Qiyam, Tarawih, the time of Jumu'ah — today. These are all opportunities where we can ask from Allah every single need. And Allah is saying:

When My slaves ask you about Me — I am near. I am ready to respond. I have the power, the ultimate power, and I am ready to respond to you. The only thing lacking is you are not asking from Me. So whose fault is that?

May Allah protect us. So this is a wake-up call for us, insha'Allah, with the remaining days and nights of Ramadan, and the remaining days and nights of our life itself — as who knows when we are going to return back to Allah. Let us make consistent, long du'a a part of our daily routine. And we ask from Allah, knowing fully well that He is the one who has the ultimate power and ability, and His desire and wish is for us to beg from Him and ask from Him.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ. And all praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Announcements

A few important announcements, insha'Allah. Please pass the donation boxes from left to right. Donate generously in the month of Ramadan and the day of Jumu'ah — it draws the mercy of Allah. No car parking as has been reminded — please do not park on the curbs behind the seminary building.

For the first 20 days of Ramadan, before the I'tikaf begins, there are four important programs daily. You should benefit from as many as possible, if not all:

Number one is the post-Fajr Khatira — a few minutes of morning du'as and Khatira, wrapped up in 10 minutes. Number two is Reviving the Heart — tazkiyah talk, dhikr, and du'a from Asr to Maghrib. Number three is, of course, the community Iftar itself in the Masjid before Maghrib Salah — the Maghrib salah is delayed 10 minutes so we can participate in that. And number four is the Tafsir, Gems from the Quran, after the Tarawih in the main Musallah.

The I'tikaf program will have additional programs throughout the day and night. The orientation for the I'tikaf — for those who have registered — is mandatory. Please do attend on Sunday, April 9th, following Dhuhr Salah. Sunday, April 9th, after Dhuhr, is the mandatory I'tikaf orientation program. If you do not attend, you will be very much confused about the different ahkam and restrictions of I'tikaf. So it is a must-attend session for those who have registered.

There are two programs this week for the youth. The weekly Brothers' Youth Qiyam is this week — it will take place on Saturday night instead of the usual Friday night. On Saturday, April 8th, there is a special talk by guest speakers Shehzad Qadri and others for our youth, followed by a Q&A session. The program will be from 10:45pm to 12:30am. Kindly ensure that pickup and transportation for the youth is arranged, as the Masjid will close at 12:30am. Registration is required — visit masjidds.org.

And then there is a spiritual gathering for sisters — a women's-only program by our Alimat every Friday. So today as well, starting at 5:30pm till Maghrib, focusing on one's inner self and building a strong connection with Allah. This includes Iftar and full dinner too. There are parallel programs on the sisters' side for older sisters as well as girls, young girls, and kids ages 5 to 8, including boys from age 5 to 7. So there is bubble tea and other arrangements made for the girls. Definitely it is a good opportunity to bring our daughters to the Masjid, to the house of Allah, considering how many different attractive things there are out there in the dunya.

We have a special du'a request for one of our high school teachers at Dar-ul-Salam — our English teacher, brother Sultan. His elder sister is in ICU in a Toronto hospital with a high-risk surgery scheduled for today. May Allah grant her complete shifa. Ameen.