The Power of Dua When There Is No One Left but Allah | Jumuah Khutbah | Shaykh Fazal Bari

The Journey of Life and Its Burdens

Brothers and sisters in Islam, as we pass through the journey of life, we can't help but notice that there are moments in each and every person's life, a sunnah of Allah. There are moments in each and every one of our lives that feel unbearably heavy. There are moments in our life where our heart feels tired. There are moments in our life where the burdens or the burden that we're in feel like invisible chains.

There are moments in our life where we look around us and we can't find answers. We can't see the path. We cannot find wisdom or see wisdom in the hardship that we are going through. And we ask and we ask and there are moments like these in which Allah, He gives the servant a special gift. A gift unlike any gift. A gift that the servant connects with the Lord. The servant connects with Allah. He gives them a rope that is not broken and cannot be broken.

The Gift of Dua

That gift is one of the most powerful of gifts. That gift is an act of worship. In fact, the Prophet said, the act of worship, that gift, oh brothers and sisters, is دعاء (dua).

Allah gave us the gift of dua. And it is that direct connection between you and your Lord in which you turn to when there is no one else to turn to. In which you ask where there is no one else to ask. And you cry to when there is no one else looking at you.

The gift of dua is not just a request between a servant. It is not just a request, but rather it is a devotion. It is submission. Rather, it is the essence of worship as the Prophet said, "Dua is the essence of worship." Dua is the purest submission or expression of servitude. Dua is the clearest proof between a believer and Allah, the all-powerful. Dua is an essence in the relationship between a servant and his creator.

Allah's Command and Promise

Allah says:

"And your Lord says, call upon me. I will respond to you."

You will notice that this is not a request. Allah is not requesting. But rather Allah, He is commanding. ادْعُونِي - Allah commands us. He commands us and then with that command, He gives us a promise. Not only does He command us, but likewise He promises us that He will answer.

"If my servant asks you concerning me, then indeed I am near. I will respond to the call of the caller if they call upon me."

Allah's Closeness and Direct Connection

All the emphasis, Allah's emphasis, His closeness is close. Allah, He emphasizes His closeness. And He tells us that if you ask, I am near. If you need something, O servant of Allah, if you need something, ask. There is no barrier. Allah did not tell the Prophet, say, tell them. He said, وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ - "If my servant asks me." There is no mediator. There is no special language required, but rather that direct connection.

That heart that feels pain, Allah knows. That soul that is in need, Allah knows. أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ - Allah says, the one who created you, does He not know? Does He not know your situation? Does He not know what you're going through? But Allah, He does know.

Every Dua is Answered

And everything that is in a person's life, وَكُلُّ أَمْرٍ لِّلْمُسْلِمِ خَيْرٌ - you don't know what is good for you or bad for you. And Allah says, the Prophet said, every matter of the believer is good in it. And so you make dua. And in that dua, there is good in it. Because everyone's dua, everyone's dua is answered. Every believer that makes dua, is answered.

The Prophet said: "There is not a believer, except that when they supplicate, when they supplicate, Allah, He gives them one of three."

He either answers their dua right away. And this happens. Tell me, has there not been a time in your life in which you asked Allah, you raised your hand, and you say, O Allah, I have no one else. O Allah, I'm in need. O Allah, it is getting tough. O Allah, I need your help regarding my children. O Allah, I need your help regarding my spouse. O Allah, I need your help regarding my rizq. O Allah, I need your help regarding my health. O Allah, if you don't help me, who will help me? O Allah, I've worshipped you all my life alone. And I've never turned to anyone else except you. I've never prostrated to anyone but you. O Allah, you are only one I have, and the only one I turn to. And so when you make this dua, and you've made these duas, did Allah not answer them sometimes when there's wisdom in it? Allah answers them right away.

And the Prophet said: "Either that or Allah, He wards off any difficulty that may come to a person."

Allah's Wisdom in Answering Duas

Sometimes we feel that we know what's best for us. But we don't put into consideration everyone else in existence. When Allah decrees something, He not only puts you into consideration, but the collateral effect of everything that happens as a result of your dua. You may want something, but it's not best for your children. You may want something, but it's not best for your community. You may want something, but it's not best for your health. And so Allah replaces that dua with something that is even better in its place.

And best of all, the Prophet said, or He keeps it for you until the Day of Judgment. And on that day, when you see before you what Allah has kept for you, you would wish that none of your duas were answered because of the reward that you will see from the patience that you had.

Understanding Allah's Beautiful Names

Brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah, He is Al-Hakeem. He is Al-Aleem. He is Ar-Rahman. Allah is the All-Wise. Allah is the All-Knowing. And Allah is the All-Merciful. If we understand the names and attributes of Allah, and we are afflicted with some type of hardship, we ask ourselves, Allah is the Most Merciful. Why would Allah want anything difficult for me? He has mercy. And through His mercy, this is happening. Allah is Al-Aleem. He knows everything that will happen, everything that had happened, and our current situation. Allah is Al-Aleem. He knows. So have conviction that when you are asking, Allah knows of everything. Allah, He is Al-Hakeem. He has full wisdom.

Sometimes we see this with our children and use them as an example. How often do our children ask us for things and we say, it's not the time. Or we say, it is not good for you. Or we say, wait a minute, I will get you something better later on in life. And we teach this to our children. And we show them that not everything is good for them. Because we use wisdom and we understand. Likewise, Allah is the best of examples. Allah, He is Al-Hakeem. With what He decrees, there is full wisdom in it.

Sometimes you want something, you don't want something, and Allah says, it's good for you. Sometimes you want something, but Allah says, it's bad for you and He doesn't decree it for you. And Allah knows best and you don't know.

Our Approach to Dua

And so when we make dua, what is our approach to dua? Because we just learned that dua is not just an act of worship, but rather it is the act of worship. It is the essence of worship. The next time you raise your hand for dua, you don't say, I'm going to make dua. I'm gonna worship Allah in the best of ways. And the longer I make dua, the longer I am worshiping Allah. And Allah loves those who turn to Him when making dua.

The first thing that we have to keep in mind is that we have to have conviction. We have to have reliance. And what we find ourselves is sometimes we go all around, try all avenues, ask one person and another person, and when we realize we come to a dead end, then we say we'll make dua. Let's ask Allah. Maybe Allah will answer. And this wasn't the situation with the anbiya. Rather, when they saw difficulty and the difficulty became very difficult, they turned to Allah.

The Example of Prophet Zakariya

When we look at Zakariya, what did he say? Allah teaches us in the Quran:

Zakariya, he saw Maryam, that she got something that was deemed impossible. Where did you get this food from? She said, this is from my Lord. His conviction and reliance and trust in Allah grew. And so he said to Allah, "O Allah, when Zakariya, he cried to his Lord, and he said, O my Lord, do not leave me childless, though you are the best of successors."

What did Allah say in return?

Allah says that there and then, "So we answered his prayer and granted him Yahya. And we made fertile his wife." Why? He had conviction. He had reliance. He knew Allah, what we make seem to be impossible, for Allah, it is possible. And he continued to stay steadfast and do good.

Allah mentions it: "They used to strive to do good. And they used to call upon us in hope and in fear. And they were totally, they would totally humble themselves before us." True examples of Allah. Zakariya had a heart. He had a problem. But that wasn't the first time he made dua because he reached old age. And at that age, a person loses hope, but not the true servants of Allah for they never ever lose hope.

The Example of Prophet Yunus

We look at the situation of Yunus. Allah says:

Allah says the companion of the whale. When he left angry, he left. He was swallowed by a whale. In darkness, in the darkness of the night, in the depth of the sea, darkness upon darkness upon darkness. And he said to Allah, in these darknesses, He says: "There is no God worthy of worship except You, O Allah. Glory be to You. I have been certainly, I am certainly, I've been among the wrongdoers."

What did Allah respond?

Allah says, there and then. He didn't say, وَاسْتَجَبْنَا because if you had said, وَاسْتَجَبْنَا that means He answered, but there's no time. But Allah said, فَاسْتَجَبْنَا - the ف is an indication that there and then that happened. "We answered Him, and we took Him out of that difficulty."

Hope for All Believers

And you may say, this was Yunus. Yunus worshipped Allah in a way that we will never be able to worship Allah. Yunus, he was the Prophet of Allah. Yunus, he devoted his whole life to Allah. What about us? Isn't our situation different?

Allah says: "Likewise, likewise, do we save the believers as well and answer their prayers."

You're going through a hardship, Allah knows. You're going through a difficulty, Allah knows. There's nothing that is difficult for Allah. Maybe Allah put you through this test just so you may turn to Him. For nothing is coincidence in our life. Everything, everything is by the decree of Allah. Sometimes those who love you turn against you.

When You Feel Alone, Turn to Allah

Sometimes those who are most near to you turn against you. Sometimes those who you've helped your whole life don't appreciate it, they turn against you. You go out of your way to do as much as you can. And then one day you wake up and you feel alone. You feel that you don't have anyone. You feel that there's no answers. You've been running around for rizq and you feel that there's no way.

Remember the path to Allah is always open. The door to Allah is always open. It requires us to make du'a.

The Power and Consistency of Du'a

Brothers and sisters in Islam, continue to make du'a and never lose hope. There are some barriers that come before a person in their du'a and if you know them, you can refrain from them.

And the Prophet ﷺ said that the du'a is accepted يُسْتَجَابُ لِأَحَدِكُمْ مَا لَمْ يَسْتَعْجِلْ - that your du'a is accepted so long as you don't hasten to it.

And they said, يا رسول الله what do you mean hasten to du'a? And he said, دعوت الله - when a person says دعوت الله ودعوت الله فلم يستجب لي - a person says I've made du'a and I've made du'a and I've made du'a and I've made du'a and Allah has not answered my du'a. So the Prophet ﷺ said this type of person Allah will not answer their du'a.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6340 and Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2735)

Du'a is powerful but it needs to be consistent. Du'a is powerful and there are times that du'a is even more powerful.

Special Times for Du'a

Among those times that du'a is very powerful is a day like today where it comes in the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ where he said that the time before Maghrib on a Friday du'as are surely accepted. This is a time that is very special and every week we have an opportunity.

Today before Maghrib it is a time where we gather our families and we sit and we let everyone know that this is a time of worship. A few minutes before Maghrib a du'a that's made at that time is surely answered. Take advantage of du'a at that time. If you truly have a difficulty that you cannot or you don't have a solution that du'a is needed.

Likewise the du'a in the middle of the night hold on to it. Someone asked the Prophet ﷺ O Messenger of Allah which du'a is most likely to be answered? He said near the end of the night the last third of the night.

But then the Prophet ﷺ said one last thing. He said If you're able to remember Allah in that hour then do so because that's the hour that du'a is answered and if you're able to remember Allah in that hour the difficulties are easy for Allah. Rizq is easy for Allah. Everything in this dunya is easy for Allah.

Ask Allah Sincerely

It's just a matter of us turning to Allah and asking Allah sincerely from the bottom of our heart and if we ask from the bottom of our heart we will get the answer just like Musa عليه السلام got the answer. Zakariya عليه السلام got the answer. Yunus عليه السلام got the answer and the Prophet ﷺ got the answer. Our answer is coming. It's just a matter of consistency.