Perfect Duaa For Our Situation

A Perfect Du'a for Our Time and Situation

Today I would like to invite all of us to reflect on one of the supplications of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that he regularly used to recite, and I hope that we all will maintain it as well. It's a perfect du'a for our time and situation in my opinion. It is a very important prayer.

It is a very important prayer for our time as it relates to three serious issues that unfortunately us as individuals, our nation, our community, our ummah are experiencing. The first one and the first point in this du'a is in relation to being overwhelmed by debt. The second is being overpowered by the enemy. And the third is the gloating of enemies when they rejoice over your misfortune. Today we suffer from a weak economy, a widespread debt. We face the domination of injustice and the weakness of the righteous. And we endure the gloating of enemies, their empowerment, their sense of strength.

My brothers and sisters, supplication is one of the greatest weapons of the believers and one of the strongest means of protection and salvation in this life and the next. But we have to always remember that a prayer should not be merely wishes or words that we just recite. It must be a driving force for change and a source of trust in Allah, a motivation to action.

It leads us to act to improve our reality, the experience that we have as individuals or as a society. And let's hear what the Prophet ﷺ used to say.

Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the burden of debt, and from being overpowered by the enemy, and from the gloating of enemies at an evil I am afflicted with."

(Sunan al-Nasa'i, Hadith 5474; also reported by al-Hakim)

This is a very well-known hadith reported by al-Nasa'i and al-Hakim and others. Some of these words actually came in another hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari. And another narration in al-Bukhari and Muslim has the Prophet ﷺ ordering us to seek refuge in Allah from these things and others.

The Prophet ﷺ used to seek refuge in Allah from the harmful outcome of His decree, from being overtaken by misery, from the gloating of enemies, and from a severe affliction. And al-Bukhari narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said — ordering us — to seek refuge in Allah from severe affliction and from being overtaken by misery.

And let's have some moments of reflection and contemplation with this hadith.

The Power of "Allahumma"

One of the ways for your supplications to be accepted is to use the phrase Allahumma. The phrase Allahumma is one of the most powerful ways of calling upon your Lord. It was said that when you say Allahumma, it means: O Allah, I have asked You by all of Your names.

The point is, it is one of the most powerful ways of calling upon your Lord — Allahumma. And Ibn Rajab said: the person who insists in his du'a and keeps repeating the phrase Allahumma will most likely be answered.

The phrase Allahumma even appears in the Quran in five different places:

It is also noted by many scholars that this phrase is linked to the same phrase that came in the Torah — Allahim — which also carries the same meaning of Allahumma.

The Meaning of Isti'adhah — Seeking Refuge in Allah

Another point I want you to reflect upon in this hadith: the Prophet ﷺ said أَعُوذُ بِكَ. The word أعوذ, which is known by the phrase referred to as al-isti'adhah — seeking refuge — is to turn to Allah, to fortify oneself, to climb upon Him, to rely on Him, and to adhere to His protection against the evil of every being who possesses evil.

That's what al-isti'adhah means. When you say أعوذ بالله, it means: I seek refuge in Allah from anything that I think will be harmful to me, from anything that might bring harm to me, from anything evil out there. That's why it is a very powerful way of also asking Allah.

When you say أعوذ بالله, it actually means: Ya Allah, protect me. Ya Allah, save me. You are asking Allah, I am seeking refuge — meaning, O Allah, grant me refuge.

This phrase — O Allah, protect me, I seek refuge in Allah — is very common in the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. It is one of the great acts of worship. If you look in the Quran and in the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, I can tell you there are about a hundred instances where Allah and His Messenger ﷺ mentioned the phrase: O Allah, I seek refuge in You from such and such. I could count over 60 or 70 things that the Prophet ﷺ asked protection from — enough for a whole khutbah or lecture on its own.

One of the most famous instances is where Allah says:

When you read the Quran, seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan the accursed.

That is one of the most common references to isti'adhah — seeking refuge in Allah from the Shaytan. Because simply, Shaytan is the source of all evil and the utmost evil. When you are protected from Shaytan, you are protected from everything else.

And one of the most famous surahs that we all recite:

You seek refuge in Allah in these two surahs. The Prophet ﷺ said to Uqbah ibn Amir:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 1463)

"Seek refuge with them — these two surahs — for no one seeking refuge has ever done so like these two." Nothing will protect you like these two surahs will do.

Allah also told us something interesting in Surah Yusuf. When Yusuf was seduced by the wife of that powerful man in Egypt, what did he say? He sought refuge in Allah from falling into the haram — something that we should all learn to say and to do:

And the Prophet ﷺ, in one of his du'as that he used to say at night and whenever he travelled, would say:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2708)

"I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He has created." The Prophet ﷺ said nothing could harm him until he departed from his place.

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 486)

Aisha said: "I looked for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ one night in bed and could not find him. I felt for him and my hand fell upon the soles of his feet while he was in sujood, and I heard him saying: O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, and in Your pardon from Your punishment. I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot enumerate praise upon You; You are as You have praised Yourself."

I just want to compare our situation with all that is going wrong in our lives as individuals and as our ummah. How many of us go in the middle of the night to ask Allah for protection? How many of us will sincerely go out of our way, stand up in the middle of the night, and beg Allah and pray to Him and seek refuge in Him? That is Rasulullah ﷺ — in the middle of the night — and Aisha said she heard him saying: O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, in Your protection from Your punishment. I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot enumerate praise upon You as You have praised Yourself.

The Benefits of Seeking Refuge in Allah

The benefits of seeking refuge in Allah are so many:

• It is an expression of servitude and tawheed.
• It shows a Muslim's weakness, reliance on Allah, and devotion to Him.
• It is a spiritual and physical protection, as we heard the Prophet ﷺ say.
• It is a protection from hardship.
• It guards against painful decrees, misfortunes, and the consequences of your sins.
• It brings peace and safety — when you say "I seek refuge in Allah," you know that you are protected by the greatest Protector.
• It brings inner calm.
• It removes anger — as the Prophet ﷺ said, when someone is very angry, say: "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the Shaytan al-Rajim."
• It safeguards oneself, one's family, and one's community.

The First: Overwhelming Debt — غَلَبَةُ الدَّيْن

What is the first thing the Prophet ﷺ asked protection from? غَلَبَةُ الدَّيْن — overwhelming debt. It refers to a situation where you are unable to pay your debt, nor is there anyone else who can help you pay it. You are in a situation where you cannot do it yourself, nor is there anyone willing or able to pay your debt. That is a great burden causing poverty, worry, and preoccupation with settling the debt.

Be aware of the dangers of debt. Debt is heavy, my brothers and sisters. It is enough that I tell you what was reported from our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ was told — when Jibril came to him — about the one who dies as a martyr on the battlefield, that all his sins are forgiven. Then the Prophet ﷺ asked again. Jibril gave the same answer, but he said: except for the debt. Debt will not be overlooked. It will not simply be dismissed on the Day of Judgment. That is how serious it is.

And the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 832)

"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from sin and from debt." They said: "Ya Rasulullah, we see you always say this a lot." He said: "When a man is in debt, he exaggerates and lies. And he makes promises, but fails to fulfill them."

That's what happens when you are in debt. When you are in debt, you are preoccupied. You have no mental space. You are spiritually weakened. You have no inner calmness to focus on ibadah. You are always focused on how you are going to pay your debt, how you are going to pay your bills, how you are going to pay your credit card. When you are in debt, you don't have time for your family because you have to work and work and overwork. When you are overwhelmed with debt, it just makes you worried, tired, and always running.

When you are overwhelmed with debt, as the Prophet ﷺ said: be aware of debt — it is worry by night and humiliation by day. Overwhelming debt can even lead to legal consequences, being exposed, and humiliation. It can bring weakness to a person. That's why the Prophet ﷺ asked protection from it. Overwhelming debts cause fights between brothers and between family members. Debts cause ties to be cut.

The Second: Being Overpowered by the Enemy — غَلَبَةُ الْعَدُوّ

The other thing the Prophet ﷺ asked protection from is being overwhelmed by the enemy — meaning their domination and control over a person, which constitutes both physical and psychological oppression. It is very hard to be overwhelmed and controlled by your enemy, by people who hate you, by people who don't like you, by people who discriminate against you, by people who look down upon you.

The scholars speak about why one becomes overwhelmed by the enemy. One reason is that it could be a test from Allah. But it also occurs because of one's sins — sins weaken you. Also because of the weakness of your iman, your faith, and your tawheed. Also when you are attached to the dunya and no longer attached to the akhira.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 4297)

"The nations are about to gather against you just as diners gather around a dish." Someone asked: will we be few in number that day? He replied ﷺ: "No. You will be many on that day — many, as we see our ummah today. But you will be like the scum carried by a flood. Allah will cast weakness into your hearts." Someone asked: "Ya Rasulullah, what is this weakness?" He said: "Love of the world and dislike of death."

In other words: you will love this life so much that you are willing to live any type of life — even one of humiliation, even without principles. That is why the enemy overwhelms you. You will also be overwhelmed by your enemy and controlled when we are divided, when we are not united. And that is something so important for us to remember as we deal with many of the challenges facing our community today. It is important to be unified. It is important to recognize that we all have to stand together — upon what is correct.

May Allah protect all of us from the overburdening of debt and from being overpowered by enemies.

The Third: The Gloating of Enemies — شَمَاتَةُ الْأَعْدَاء

As for the third, the Prophet ﷺ said: شَمَاتَةُ الْأَعْدَاءِ. Shamata — gloating — is showing joy at someone's misfortune. This is a bad character trait. A person should seek refuge from having it themselves — meaning doing it to someone else — or from experiencing it from others, such that they are afflicted by what would make their enemies rejoice.

It is natural to feel psychologically harmed when somebody makes fun of you, mocks you, or is happy at your misfortune. But what I want you to know — and this is so important — is that when this happens, don't occupy yourself with the gloating. Occupy yourself with worshiping Allah, coming back to Allah. Move on in your life.

We know that you are overwhelmed and hurt by what they say. So what is the solution?

Glorify your Lord and be among the Sajideen. And worship your Lord until death comes to you.

And the Prophet ﷺ used to say:

"O Allah, let no enemy or envier gloat over me." And Musa prayed for that as well.

Ayyub — the Prophet who was afflicted with so many diseases and hardships, as you know from his story — was once asked: Which of your trials was the most severe for you? He replied:

The gloating of enemies. When people looked at his disease, his skin falling apart, and made fun of him — that was the hardest thing of all.

Be careful to keep your matters and circumstances private from people, so they will not mock you or take it as an opportunity to harm you. Don't follow the words or remarks of the malicious, the envious, and the spiteful, or those whose hearts are filled with hatred for you and for good.

Sometimes when you look at comments — and this is so common today — you know, just reading the news or a post or a tweet about something that happened to a Muslim brother. Like what happened in D.C. — that happened to be an Afghani Muslim man, even though he was a recruiter for the CIA. As if we never had a soldier or someone affiliated with law enforcement turn and go nuts and hate. Who knows what caused that person to reach that level. Definitely, it's a bad thing what happened. But people were just happy: "Oh, he's a Muslim. Oh, he's a migrant." Or when a member of a community is deported, people start posting and celebrating: "Kick them out."

You know what you need to learn to do? Not to read these hateful comments. Because they just make you hate everybody. They make you hurt. And that's what they want. Don't give them the opportunity. Don't let them into your heart. Don't let them even reach your ears or be seen by your eyes.

And gloating over others is itself forbidden — it is a sin and a bad character trait.

Ibn Sirin, one of the great Tabi'een, said: "I mocked a man once for being bankrupt — and I went bankrupt." Another person said: "I made fun of somebody's teeth — and I lost all my front teeth in an accident." A man made fun of someone who was afflicted by something, and his Sheikh told him: "You will see the result of your mocking." He said: "Forty years later, I lost my memorization of the Quran. I used to have the whole Quran memorized, and I lost it all. And I said, that is because of that day forty years ago when I made fun of that man."

You know what the worst type of gloating is? It is on the Day of Judgment when Shaytan mocks you and makes fun of you. That is the one you never want to face. That is the one when you say: O Allah, protect me from my enemy mocking me. You want Shaytan to never mock you on the Day of Judgment.

A Final Reminder

Finally — be aware of being the cause of the enemies of Islam rejoicing or mocking over Muslims and Islam. Don't let them gloat because of you — due to your bad deeds, poor character, or behavior. Can those who fight one another within our ummah, those who trash each other online, those who undermine each other's work — can they not see that they are giving the enemy the opportunity to make fun of us, to be happy over our disasters? Be aware of being the cause of the enemy's gloating over your nation or your religion.

"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the burden of debt, from being overpowered by the enemy, and from the gloating of enemies at an evil I am afflicted with."