Footprints in the Sand: Lessons from the Pious | Muftī Azeemuddin Ahmed | 02/27

Introduction & Opening

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Everyone is requested to please come closer inshallah.

Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah rabbil alameen, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasoolihil kareem.

Amma ba'd, faqad qalallahu ta'ala fee kalamihil majeed, a'udhu billahi minash shaitanir rajeem, bismillahir rahmanir raheem:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1479; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3247)

Sadaqa Allahul azeem.

Du'a and Ramadan

As we know that during Ramadan, or even before Ramadan starts, we start hearing about the fadail of Ramadan, fasting, wa infaq fee sabili Allah, and also the acceptance of du'as. So du'a and fasting are connected together, and we know this since our childhood. We're observing this thing, watching our parents, elders, in the masajid, in the khatm-e-Quran, how people are putting more effort in their du'as.

So today inshallah we'll try to discuss some adab and manners of du'as and some stories of our elders and the pious — how they listened to this commandment of Allah and followed the Sunnah of Nabi alayhi salatu wasalam, and how they practiced du'as in their lives.

Allah mentions in the Quran: "Call upon your Lord in humility and privately." It also means while crying. So it has been mentioned in hadith that we should try to cry in our du'as, but if it is hard — if it is not possible, or tears are not coming — we should do it with taqalluf, we should imitate those who are crying.

And Allah mentions this verse — it comes after the verses of Ramadan. After those verses where Ramadan and fasting are discussed, then Allah discusses this.

The Verse of Nearness — "Ibadi, My Servants"

So Allah is saying to Nabi alayhi salatu wasalam: "When my servants ask you about me..." The trend of the Quran is that whenever Allah talks in this way, he is referring to a question which the Sahaba asked. So Allah, after mentioning that question, says: tell them my answer. But here in this verse Allah skipped the word qul — that you tell your companions or Muslims about the answer to this question. Instead of saying that you reply, Allah straight away gives this reply himself: "Indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon me."

And subhanAllah, Allah is using here the word عِبَادِي — ibadi, my servants. This nisba, this connection itself is so amazing and ajeeb.

There was a student a few days ago who was saying that we study in the books of fiqh that Allah does not have any jisam — no body — and he is also free of emotions. Like we have emotions: we get angry, we get happy. Allah is free of these emotions. So he said that he felt an emotional gap. How should I feel that — even when I'm expecting my father to love me, I'm expecting emotional reactions from him — but when it comes to Allah, how can I feel close to him? Even if I'm making du'as, even if I'm praying, what is the response I'm getting from him?

The response is here, mentioned in this verse. Allah is calling us. Just as an emotional connection is sometimes shown verbally, sometimes physically, and sometimes people write something to express their love — previously people used to write letters, and now some people write journals expressing their connection and love — so the Quran itself is the kalam of Allah. And whenever Allah mentions his servants, the way he mentions here ibadi — my people, my servants, mere bande — this shows how Allah is relating us to himself. This itself is so deep.

This even happened — it was mentioned in Surah Bani Isra'il — that when Shaitaan was debating with Allah at the time Adam was created, and he was refusing to do sajda and claiming he was superior to Adam, and he requested Allah to give him more time so he could misguide Bani Adam — even at that time Allah mentioned: "My servants — against them you will not win."

Think deeply into this: even during that debate, Allah talked about us. If we want to be among his servants, if we want to follow Allah, then we are coming into that category of Ibadi. Allah gave reference to those servants who love him, who follow his commandments — even at the time when Adam was created. So if today, after thousands and thousands of years, I am becoming a true servant of Allah, this means I was included in that reference against Iblis in that very moment — subhanAllah.

So Allah says: "Indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon me. So they should also respond to my rulings. They should also believe in me so that they can be rightly guided."

Maqam-e-Ubudiyyah — The Station of Servitude

This du'a actually shows that a person attains the maqam-e-Ubudiyyah — which is the best maqam a human being can have. Allama Iqbal rahimullah has mentioned this so beautifully in one of his poems:

Maqam-e-bandagi dekar na loon shan-e-khudawandi — I do not want to give away this maqam of servitude. Mata-e-be-baha means it is a very precious thing — dard-e-soze arzumandi — when a person cries and asks for his wishes and desires in front of Allah, this feeling is so precious. A Muslim does not want to exchange it — not for the kingship of the world, not for the false claims of those who, like Firaun, declared:

Astaghfirullah. So to cry in front of Allah, to have this maqam-e-Ubudiyyah — that is so precious, and a Muslim would never exchange it for any such false claim.

So Rasulullah ﷺ himself was at this maqam-e-Ubudiyyah. That is why even at Badr, for hours and hours he made du'a — although Allah had confirmed that he would help in this first battle of haq and batil. Even Abu Bakr had to come and tried to provide comfort to him, saying: "Ya Rasulullah, Allah's help is coming." But the Prophet ﷺ understood this maqam-e-Ubudiyyah. That is why it is mentioned in the hadith: "Du'a is the weapon of the believer."

(Mustadrak al-Hakim, Hadith 1812)

The Adab and Manners of Du'a

So what are the manners of du'a? When we make du'a, what are the protocols, the manners?

1. The Essence of Du'a Must Be Present

The du'a we are making should have the essence of du'a in it — it should not be mere words. We might have seen many times at nikah functions, with cameras on, and the Imam sahib or the khatib is making du'a while people are holding cameras and looking here and there. That is not du'a. Du'a means the complete focus should be towards du'a and towards Allah. If I am looking here and there and just raising my hands, I am imitating those who are making du'a — I am not truly making du'a.

2. Make Du'a for Yourself First

Before making du'a for others, a person should first make du'a for himself.

3. Raise Your Hands

It is recommended to raise the hands while making du'a.

4. Begin with Hamd and Salawat, End with Ameen

We should start our du'a with hamd and salawat upon Nabi alayhi salatu wasalam, and end the du'a with ameen.

5. Request Du'a from Those Younger or Lower in Status Too

It is also among the adab of du'a that we should request those people for du'a who are lower than us in age, status, or relation. Normally in our culture we ask for du'a when we meet elders — our parents, our teachers, senior members of the community. But at the same time, if there is someone who is younger than us or lower than us in status, we should also request du'a from them. Nabi ﷺ one time mentioned to Umar radiallahu anhu: "Don't forget me in your du'a." Umar radiallahu anhu was certainly lower than him in status, so from this we understand that asking for du'a is not restricted to meeting elders or those higher in status.

6. Du'a Should Be Like a Conversation with Allah

Du'a should be like a conversation with Allah — like you are truly talking to him. Some people when they go for umrah ask: what duas should we make during tawaf? Masnoon duas have their own importance. But a lot of times we do not understand the Arabic language. We should try to memorize those duas with their translations. At the same time, we should also make duas during tawaf in our mother tongue, so that we can express our feelings fully — just like someone is talking with a close friend.

7. Complete Focus and Yaqeen Are Required

Complete focus should be there, and yaqeen — the certainty that Allah is listening. How many times are we reminded of this? In every single rakat of salah, we recite سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ — Allah is listening. If a person is praying only the fara'id and sunan — skipping nawafil — we still pray at least 32 rakats per day. So 32 times we are saying sami Allahu liman hamidah — Allah is listening. This gives us the confirmation that whatever du'a we are making, Allah is listening. Yaqeen is required.

8. Use the Sifati Names of Allah in Your Du'as

Another adab of du'a is that we should use the sifati (attribute) names of Allah while making du'as: Ya Allah, Ya Rahim, Ya Karim, Ya Jawwad, Al-Malik, Al-Quddus, As-Salam — whatever we are asking for has some connection with one of the attributes of Allah, and we should use those attributes accordingly.

One or two hours ago I received a call from a friend who said his marriage was at risk and asked me to make du'a that it does not end in divorce — his wife did not want to continue the nikah. I told him: make du'a and use this sifat of Allah:

Ya Muqallibal Qulub — O Turner of Hearts. Many times students come and say they want to do the alim course but their parents don't want them to. I tell them the same thing: make this du'a — Ya Muqallibal Qulub. You will find it very powerful, inshallah.

When Du'as Are Not Accepted

1. Breaking Ties with Family

One of the most important reasons du'as are not accepted is if someone has broken ties with close family members. This is such an important ruling of Islam — to maintain good ties with family members. The closer the family member, the more critical this is. The formula is: whoever would receive a share in inheritance is considered a close family member, and then there are extended family members too. We should never break ties with them. If this is the situation, now — in Ramadan — is the time to call them, say sorry to them, express love, share some money with them, order iftar for them. These days it is very easy.

2. Consuming Haram

Similarly, eating or using haram things also becomes a hurdle in the acceptance of du'as. If we are eating haram or using anything haram, this becomes a barrier to our du'as being accepted.

Stories from the Pious — Making Du'a a Habit

The Lesson After Fajr at Khanqah

One time we were in Khanqah Sharif in Ramadan, two or three years ago. They would follow the Sunnah of reciting Surah al-Sajdah and Surah al-Insan in Fajr salah. One of my teachers — who is amazing mashallah in his ilm and amal and is a pakka hafiz — was told by the sheikh that he had to lead Fajr the next morning. There were like thousands of people attending the last ten days; more than 10,000 people were there. Although he was a pakka hafiz, he felt the pressure: 10,000 people will be behind me, and the sheikh will also be there. He started practicing at night. The next morning when he went to the musalla to lead Fajr salah, he made some mistakes.

When salah finished, our Hazrat straight away asked him privately: "Did you make du'a before starting your salah — Ya Allah, help me in this salah, may I not make any mistake?" He said no. Then Hazrat gave his short talk after Fajr — 10 to 15 minutes — and that day the talk was dedicated entirely to this topic: how we should make small, small, small du'as in our daily life. This will make us habitual of making du'as and will connect us more closely to Allah.

Small Du'as in Everyday Life

One example: if we are coming to Masjid Darussalam from our house, make du'a — Ya Allah, may every signal on the route be green. Ya Allah, may I feel pleasure at iftar. Ya Allah, may I not see any traffic on the road. When you are going for groceries: Ya Allah, may I straight away find the items that are on sale or have better deals. Even if you have a small problem, even if you've had a bad day with your spouse: Ya Allah, I am going back home — may we spend this evening or night in peace and love. At work: Ya Allah, today give me tawfeeq to perform at my best. When you are putting gas in the car: Ya Allah, put barakah in the mileage. These small, small du'as should be asked from Allah.

Tailor-Made Du'as — The Sheikh's Style

Our sheikh rahimullah used to make du'as with juziyat — juziyat, like a tailor-made suit. He used to make tailor-made, custom-made du'as. In Khanqah, the weather was quite similar to Chicago — uncertain. The days in summer were very hot, but evenings and nights were cold. So he used to literally make this du'a — especially in Ramadan season when a large crowd was there:

Ya Allah, from Fajr to Zuhr, please lower the temperature. From Zuhr to Asr, we need some rain. Ya Allah, from Asr to Maghrib, the crowd will be sitting outside for iftar without any roof — so we don't want any rain at that time, no strong winds, just a pleasant environment. And at night we again need the temperature to be a bit lower.

This was the style of his du'a — every single hour of the day was covered. This is also a way to extend our du'as.

The Rain Stops — 27th of Ramadan

One time we were there on the 27th of Ramadan. Thousands of people were sitting outside for iftar after Asr — there was a bayan and then iftar, all without a roof — and it started raining. So everyone was told to make this du'a, which is mentioned in hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1014; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 897)

Ya Allah, may this rain shower around us, not upon us. Within five to seven minutes, the rain stopped. Everyone listened to the bayan, then iftar happened, dinner happened, then Taraweeh happened. Those who were coming from surrounding areas — about one kilometer away, five to ten minutes' drive — they told us afterwards that their streets were full of water; the rain had not stopped there. But here in the middle, where all the attendees were making this du'a, the rain stopped.

What was required? Yaqeen. Yaqeen was required. We have seen it mentioned in our hadith that du'as are accepted during the rain. Sometimes Nabi ﷺ used to go out in the rain and make du'a.

Our Principal — Du'a in the Rain and Between Asr and Maghrib

We have seen our principal of Jamia Rasheediyyah, Mufti Abdur Rahim Sahib — it is very rare that rain falls in Karachi, but whenever it rained and he was on campus, he would go to the green area and sit there for 15 to 20 minutes, constantly making du'as.

We also saw him in Haram and Masjid-e-Nabawi — I was fortunate enough to spend some time with him there. Between Asr and Maghrib — the same time we are sitting here now — he would first make long du'as while sitting, and then he would go into sajdah for the next five to seven minutes, du'a still going on. Then he would sit again, then go back into sajdah — changing positions but never stopping the du'a.

What happens with us is that we get tired. We think: 20 minutes, half an hour, one hour of du'a — how is that possible? The issue is that we are not trained in this. It requires training. We can waste hours and hours on social media, but when talking to Allah we get tired within three to four minutes and say: "What else should I ask for?"

How to Extend Your Du'as

Many times we are not happy with the situation of our surroundings — our country, other Muslim countries, the whole Ummah, the whole world. Make du'as. This is the least we can do.

One way of extending the du'a is to repeat what you are asking — three times, five times. And as I mentioned, go into juziyat. For example, du'a for parents: if someone is making du'a for their parents, they will get more barakah in their rizq. There is a very famous du'a for parents:

But we should not think this is enough. We should make more du'as — go into juziyat. If someone's father is in business, make du'a: May he get good customers today. May he get cheap supplies and the best selling rates. May his workers not give him a hard time. Ya Allah, may my father not get any traffic on the way. May he not have to wait at red lights. May he not have any problems. All these small, small du'as we should make for ourselves and for our parents. Similarly for your mother — everyone has different situations in their households, businesses, and professional lives. Try to make these duas with juziyat.

The Time Between Adhan and Iqamah

One of the best times to practice du'a is between the adhan and iqamah. It is mentioned in hadith that du'as are accepted between the adhan and iqamah.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 521; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 212)

One thing we can notice is that du'a is also accepted after salah, but after salah we are in a hurry to get back to our cars and our work. We cannot concentrate more. But when I am sitting in the masjid after adhan for five, ten, or fifteen minutes — knowing I will not leave before praying with jama'at — I can concentrate more on my du'a. Try practicing this, and you will feel the spiritual progress, inshallah.

Hazrat Thanvi rahimullah — "Even Ask for Your Jholi"

One day Hazrat Thanvi rahimullah was talking about the fadail of du'a. He said that Khwaja Majzoob rahimullah mentioned: jholi bhi Allah se mango — even ask Allah for your jholi. Today I was talking with one of our colleagues, Maulana Ihsan, and I asked him: what is the English word for jholi? He said he didn't know — and then he said that these people here don't have any jholi in their dress code, so maybe that's why there is no English translation for it. Jholi goes with kameez — with a short shirt there is no jholi. So: jholi phila phila kar Allah se mango, jholi na ho toh jholi bhi Allah se mango — everything should be asked from Allah.

Many times we depend on the Imam sahib or whoever is leading the du'a and we just say ameen. This is good mashallah — to learn how to make du'a — but at the same time we should also practice making lengthy du'as ourselves, especially when we are back home.

Suhoor — The Golden Time Not to Be Wasted

Especially in suhoor time — this is a time when du'as are accepted. There is an ajeeb trend here: many from the next generation do not eat suhoor. They eat a late-night dinner instead. Although there is barakah in suhoor, they also skip this golden time of making du'as. They are laying down on the bed. What should be done? At least wake up, pray Tahajjud, and make du'as. If you don't want to eat, fine — you can just drink one cup of water or have one date to get the barakah of suhoor. Try to share this with your family members and the young generation: don't waste these precious moments of du'a.

Closing

So inshallah the time is 5:34 — subhanAllah, we have very little time. Inshallah I'll make du'a and some of the du'as I will make together, we'll say ameen. But I will also give you all some time to make du'as — talk with Allah, just like we talk with our friends, and share your feelings. Inshallah.