The Power of Du'a (with British Sign Language) - Shaykh Mohammed Ali
By Shaykh Mohammed Ali | 2026-07-06T18:58:16.855936+00:00 | Topic: Trials
Khutbah al-Ula — Opening
Praise be to God. We praise Him, ask for His help, and ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in God from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our actions.
Whomsoever God guides, no one can misguide, and whomsoever He misguides, no one can guide. And I bear witness that there is no god but God, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
He conveyed the message, fulfilled the trust, and advised the Ummah. And he left us on the white path — its night is like its day. No one turns away from it except the one who has perished. May God's peace and blessings be upon him and his family and companions, and whoever follows them with goodness until the Day of Judgment.
As for what follows — the most truthful of speech is the words of God, and the best guide is the guide of Muhammad, may God's peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are innovations, and every innovation is a newly-invented matter, and every newly-invented matter is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire. May God protect us from it.
We Are All Being Tested
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah has said at the beginning of Surah al-'Ankabut:
Do people think that after they say "we believe," that Allah is not going to test them? And then Allah has said: Indeed, We have tested those who came before them.
Each and every one of us right now who is sitting in this masjid — all of our brothers and our sisters, those of us who are present right now, those of us who are about to come — each and every one of us is going through some sort of difficulties. We are all going through trials and tribulations. No one is saved from this, and no one is entitled to a life where they do not have any problems or issues at all.
If I was to ask each and every one of you right now this question: "What are the problems that you are going through right now, brothers and sisters in Islam?" — each and every one of you would come out with a long, long list. "I'm going through this trial, I'm going through that trial, I just came out of another trial, I am expecting to get into another difficulty and trial and tribulations ahead of me." All of us are in that state. No one is able to raise his hand and say, "I am entitled to a life where I'm not going to be tested" — especially if you are a believer.
And also Allah told us — Allah is the One who has created death and life. For what purpose? In order to test us. Whatever difficulties that we are going through right now, remember — this difficulty is written by Allah, and each and every one of us will not be tested more than they can bear. Allah will never burden anyone more than that person can bear.
Allah Is Near — The Power of Du'a
My dear brothers and sisters, our topic today is not about the trials and tribulations that we will be going through. But I want to remind you that Allah is there for you. Allah has said in Surah al-Baqarah:
If my servants ask you about me — Allah is saying this to the Prophet, peace be upon him — "Indeed I am near. I am not far away from them. I am the One who is going to respond to the du'a, to the supplication of the one who asks. Let them obey me and also believe in me, so that they may be guided."
Imagine if Allah is telling us: "My doors are open for you all the time. You can call me anytime. There is no time that you are not able to call me. You are free to call me at any time, and I am close to you."
Whatever difficulty that you are going through right now — whether it is a personal test, whether it is a familial matter that you are dealing with — how many of our brothers are going through so much difficulty right now? How many of our sisters? How many of our families? Many of our fathers who are sitting right here right now — if we were to ask them as a father, "What are you going through?" Many of our mothers who are sitting here today — if we ask them, "What are you going through right now?" — what would they say to you?
But Allah tells us: there is hope for you. I am there. You can call me. You can ask for my help and I will help you.
My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah has given us an amazing tool — the tool of du'a. The Prophet, peace be upon him, has said: "Du'a is the essence of worship."
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3372; also recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1479)
And that is why Allah has said:
Your Lord has said: "Supplicate to me so I can respond to you." Just imagine that.
The Prophets Turned to Du'a in Times of Difficulty
Also, my dear brothers, I want to remind myself and you — the great prophets of Allah, the great messengers of Allah — who did they used to turn to? Who did they used to go back to when they faced difficulties?
Look at Prophet Nuh, peace be upon him — Allah saved him after he made du'a to Allah. Also, Allah responded to the du'a of Prophet Musa, peace be upon him, and saved him from the tyrant Pharaoh. Also, Prophet Salih, peace be upon him — Allah saved him and destroyed the people of Thamud. Allah also humiliated the people of 'Ad and gave victory to Hud, peace be upon him. And also our Prophet, peace be upon him — Allah gave him so many victories after he made du'a to Allah.
The Etiquettes of Du'a
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, one may ask: when I am about to make du'a, are there certain etiquettes that I have to adhere to in order for Allah to accept my du'a? So how can I make my du'a one that Allah responds to?
Yes. Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, there are a number of things — if we were to do them, Allah will accept our du'a. These are the etiquettes. I am going to mention some of them.
1. Choose the Right Time
The first one is: choose the right time. Timing is very important. For example, one of the best days to make du'a is the day of Arafah. One of the best months to make du'a is the month of Ramadan. One of the best times to make du'a during the week is the day of Friday — like this day — especially the last hour of the day. Also, one of the best times to make du'a is the last third of the night. And we are in the month of Ramadan, we are praying Salatul Layl at night — this is the time to make du'a as well.
Also, one of the best times to make du'a is between the Adhan and the Iqamah. And the Prophet, peace be upon him, has said:
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 521; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 212)
The du'a will not be rejected if the person makes du'a between the time of Adhan and the time of Iqamah. These are special times.
2. Choose the Right Situation
The second point is: choose certain situations — such as the time when you are traveling, the time when you are fasting, when you are in the state of sujood.
Especially when he was in the state of sujood, the Prophet, peace be upon him, had a particular du'a that he used to repeat so often:
"O Allah, the Turner of the hearts, keep my heart steadfast upon Your religion." And how much do we need this du'a! Imagine — if the Prophet of Allah, the most guided human being that has ever been created, used to ask Allah all the time while he was in the state of sujood: "O Allah, the Turner of the hearts, keep my heart steadfast upon the truth" — if the Prophet, peace be upon him, needed this du'a so often, what about us?
Those of us who are living today in the 21st century, subhanAllah, here in the UK — where we have so much fitnah around us. Our youngsters are going through so much fitnah. Our elders, even right now, subhanAllah — all of us, no one is exempted from the fitnah. So we must make this du'a: اللَّهُمَّ يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى دِينِكَ.
3. Face the Qiblah
Another etiquette of making du'a is: face towards the qiblah when you are making du'a.
4. Al-Ikhlas — Sincerity
Another etiquette is al-ikhlas — you have to be very sincere when you are making du'a. Imagine when you are making du'a and your heart is not in it. You are saying, "O Allah, forgive me," but you are thinking about the food you are going to have next. You are saying, "O Allah, forgive me, O Allah, accept my tawbah," but your heart is not in it. Think about that.
5. Al-Ilhah — Persistence
Also, when you are making du'a, another important etiquette is al-ilhah — you should be persistent in the du'a. Repeat the du'a over and over again. SubhanAllah, the salaf — sometimes they would make one single du'a throughout the whole night, subhanAllah, just repeating the same du'a and internalizing it and paying attention to every single word that they said.
So al-ikhlas is so important, and al-ilhah — repeating and being persistent — never get tired of making du'a. SubhanAllah, don't get tired of making du'a. Remember, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would make du'a sometimes throughout the night, or the majority of the night. The salaf used to do that as well.
6. Begin with the Praise of Allah and His Beautiful Names
Also, another important etiquette: when you are about to make du'a, first of all praise Allah and mention His beautiful names and attributes. For example, you say:
When you mention the beautiful names and attributes of Allah, then make your du'a. And then also conclude your du'a by sending blessings upon the Prophet, peace be upon him. When you follow those etiquettes, Allah will most likely accept your du'a.
7. Make Tawbah and Return What Is Owed
Furthermore, my brothers, when you want to make du'a, make tawbah to Allah. And if you have wronged someone, if you have taken things that belong to other people — give it back to them. Radd al-mazalim is very important. Give it back, and inshallah Allah will accept your du'a.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Khutbah al-Thaniyah — Second Sermon
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى إِحْسَانِهِ وَالشُّكْرُ لَهُ عَلَى تَوْفِيقِهِ وَامْتِنَانِهِ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ.
Ibrahim ibn Adham: Ten Reasons Why Du'a Is Not Accepted
My dear brothers, one of the salaf — who was born in the year 100 Hijrah and passed away in the year 162 Hijrah — a great tabi' al-tabi'in, whose name is Ibrahim ibn Adham, a great worshipper of Allah, someone who was devout to Allah — this great Imam was in Basra when the people of Basra asked him a question.
They said to him:
"Has not Allah said in the Quran: 'Make du'a to me and I will respond to your du'a'?" And Ibrahim ibn Adham said, "Yes, Allah said that in the Quran." And then they said, "Why is it that Allah doesn't respond to our du'a? We make du'a to Allah, but it seems like Allah doesn't respond to our du'a."
And look at what he said to them. He said:
"I can tell you why Allah doesn't accept your du'a — because your hearts are dead because of ten things." And what are these ten reasons? Pay attention to these ten reasons and see how many of them apply to you.
Reason 1: You Know Allah but Don't Fulfil His Rights
"You came to realize who Allah is, but you have never fulfilled the rights of Allah." This is the first problem.
Reason 2: You Recite the Qur'an but Don't Act Upon It
"You have recited the Qur'an — and you do recite the Qur'an — but you don't act upon the Qur'an." How often do we recite the Qur'an but we do not act upon the ayat?
Reason 3: You Claim to Love the Prophet but Don't Follow His Sunnah
"You guys claim that you have love for the Prophet, peace be upon him, but you don't follow his sunnah." How is Allah going to accept your du'a?
Reason 4: You Say Shaytan Is Your Enemy but You Follow Him
"You claim that Shaytan is your enemy, yet you follow him and agree with him all the time."
Reason 5: You Say You Love Jannah but Don't Do Its Actions
"You guys say that you have love for jannah, you have so much love for jannah and you are looking forward to going to jannah, but you never do the actions of the people of jannah."
Reason 6: You Claim to Fear the Hellfire but Don't Flee from It
"You guys claim that you are fearful of the hellfire, but you are not running away from the hellfire."
Reason 7: You Know Death Is Inevitable but You Are Not Prepared for It
"You guys claim that death is inevitable, but you are not ready for it. You are not prepared for death." How many of us can raise their hands and say, "I am ready to meet my Lord today. I am ready to meet the angel of death"? How many of us can say that today? I am sure I can't say that today, subhanAllah.
Reason 8: You Are Busy with the Faults of Others and Neglect Your Own
"You guys are busy with the faults of other people. You are always talking about other people, always criticizing other people, always backbiting — and you have forgotten your own faults."
Reason 9: You Enjoy Allah's Blessings but Are Not Grateful for Them
"You are enjoying the blessings of Allah, you are eating from the blessings of Allah — look at the variety of food that we eat every single day — and yet you are never grateful to Allah for these things."
Reason 10: You Bury Your Dead but Take No Heed
SubhanAllah — "You guys are burying your dead all the time, but you are not taking heed from them." SubhanAllah.
These are the reasons he said — maybe Allah is not answering your call.
A Call to Change and Make Tawbah
So dear brothers and sisters in Islam — today, inshallah, each and every one of us has to make a sincere intention to make tawbah to Allah, and to leave the masjid after this khutbah, by the permission of Allah, while having made that firm intention: "I am going to make tawbah to Allah. I am going to rectify myself. I am going to look at what is wrong with me. I am going to look at the list of the ten things that have been mentioned and see if I am guilty of all of them or some of them."
Imagine if you are someone who reads the Qur'an but never acts upon the Qur'an — you need to rectify that. If you are someone who claims to love the Prophet, peace be upon him, but never follows his sunnah — say, "I want to follow the sunnah of the Prophet." If you are someone who says, "I love jannah," but you don't do the actions of the people of jannah — say, "I want to increase the actions of the people of jannah." And so forth.
If you are someone who talks about other people, you need to stop doing that and concentrate on your own faults and say, "I have my own faults and shortcomings."
Make Du'a for the Ummah
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, I just want to conclude and remind you of this: remember — when you are making du'a, don't just make du'a for yourself. Make du'a for your family, make du'a for the people that you love. And not only that — make du'a for the Ummah, for the Ummah of Muhammad, peace be upon him. As an Ummah, we are going through difficulties, subhanAllah. It gives you so much pain. Some of us don't even go to sleep at night very well because they know what the Ummah is going through.
And as an Ummah right now we have to make du'a — because this is the month of du'a. Allah will accept our du'a if we supplicate to Him with sincerity and the etiquettes that we have mentioned.
Will You Leave as a Changed Person?
I also want to finish with this: remember what Ibn Hajar al-Hanbali said. He said: when you come to the places of the gatherings where Allah is remembered, the qarin that was with you — the Shaytan that came with you — he will wait for you outside. He won't come into the gathering where Allah is remembered.
But if you leave the gathering as a changed person — someone who has transformed, someone who has made the intention to change — the Shaytan who was waiting for you outside is going to be very disappointed, and you are going to make Allah happy.
But if you leave the gathering of the khutbah right now and you are just the same person that you were the moment that you walked in — you haven't changed at all, or you haven't made the intention to change — Shaytan is going to welcome you back. But you are going to upset Allah.
So you have those two choices today. Make the right choice.
Closing Du'as
وَأَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ