Making Du'a to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى - Ustadh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

Khutbah: Making Du'a to Allah

We praise Him, we ask for His help and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the evils of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whosoever He misguides, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.

And He is pure of His creation and His friend. Allah has sent him to all people as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner. And he conveyed the message and fulfilled the trust. And he advised the ummah and removed the darkness. And he left us on the white pilgrimage — its night is like its day. Nothing escapes it except destruction. And peace be upon him and his family and his wives and his followers, and those who are guided by his guidance, and wait for his sunnah, and call for his call until the Day of Recompense.

My brothers and sisters, I start by praising Allah and sending blessings and salutations upon our beloved Messenger Muhammad ﷺ. Today, what I want to discuss is something that we ourselves are in great need of, and is also at the same time commanded by Allah. And this is to supplicate to Allah constantly — what is known as du'a, the prayer or supplication.

We Are All in Need

There is no doubt — all of us here and every single person on this globe has a need. Right now, if you were to think about something that you need, you could list many. You have financial problems, you have perhaps health issues, something you want, something you need, a debt you have to pay off. Maybe you have a spiritual need, maybe there is a sin that you are struggling to get rid of, or a bad habit that you want to get rid of. All of us are in need constantly. And Allah is always there for us. All we have to do is ask.

Allah has commanded us to ask Him, to supplicate to Him, to make du'a to Him. And the messengers before us — you will never read a story in the Qur'an of a messenger except that he made du'a to Allah. And they would ask Allah different things — sometimes relating to akhira, sometimes relating to dunya; sometimes relating to something personal, sometimes making du'a for the masses and the ummah.

No doubt there is something that you need right now. No doubt there was something that you needed yesterday. And you will always be in need. And as human beings, we always look for solutions. You will go to your friend and ask him for advice. You will talk to your wife and discuss what to do about a certain problem. You will go online and look for solutions. You will go to your doctor and your GP. Whatever the case may be. But the first thing a Muslim does is supplicate to Allah. Because Allah is the one that relieves all difficulties. It is Allah that heals. It is Allah that provides.

And the more you ask Allah, the more Allah will love you. Whereas the more you ask the people, the more they will dislike you — "Oh, it's him again asking me for something or a favour." We need our hearts to be connected to Allah.

The Command to Make Du'a

And your Lord has said:

"Supplicate to Me and I will respond." And then Allah said, "Those who are too arrogant to worship Me" — because du'a is a form of worship. In fact, it is the essence of worship. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 1479; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2969 — graded Sahih)

"To supplicate to Allah and to make du'a is the essence of worship. It is worship."

What we need to understand is: if you are someone that lives on this earth, that is struggling with life, that has issues that need to be resolved, and you believe in Allah — yet you never ask — and Allah is telling you, "Ask Me and I will respond, ask Me and I will give" — and you never wake up towards the last part of the night to supplicate to Allah, and in the morning you are still suffering and struggling with your problems, and it never crosses your mind to stop for a second and say, "Let me make du'a to Allah" — Allah says those people that never make du'a have arrogance within them, because they cannot even recognise that they are in need and that there is One who relieves all problems.

Supplicate to Allah, make du'a. If you're struggling with the prayer, make du'a. If you have children and you want them to be rectified, make du'a. If you are ill, make du'a. If you want wealth, make du'a. If you are in times of ease, make du'a. If you are in times of difficulties, make du'a. Be someone that is constantly connected to his Creator. Because this is how we should be. And Allah loves those who make du'a, those who go back to Allah.

The Prophets and Du'a

Look at the Prophets. Let's start with Adam عليه السلام. When Allah talks about Adam, he made a mistake — he ate from the fruit. What did he do? He supplicated to Allah after one mistake. How many mistakes are we doing?

Musa عليه السلام was in need:

Zakariya عليه السلام wanted a son:

They were people that would make du'a to Allah, and they would ask Allah to bless them in dunya and to bless them in akhira. The first one they went back to was Allah. And this is the character of the believer — he goes back to Allah. And Allah constantly reminds us that it is He we should go back to.

"And if My servant asks of Me, indeed I am near — I will respond to the one who calls upon Me when they call." Call upon Allah.

Three Categories of People Regarding Du'a

There are many benefits from making du'a to Allah. The first being: you will be someone who obeyed Allah, because Allah commanded you to call upon Him. With regard to people and their relationship with du'a, there are three categories.

First, you have people that never make du'a. They live their life and they never stop to ask Allah for anything because they are not mindful of Allah. They just live like that. And they are the worst, of course.

Then you have people who only go back to Allah when they are in need — عند الضرر. Only when you become ill do you ask Allah to heal you. That's when you remember Allah. And the Prophet ﷺ said to us: if you want Allah to help you when you are in need, remember Him when you are at ease. In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3382 — graded Hasan)

"If you want Allah to accept your du'a in times of difficulties, make du'a to Him in times of ease." Which means: be someone that constantly makes du'a, because you always need Allah anyway. If you have a steady job, you still need to ask Allah to bless it for you, to give you halal income. If you have khayr, say, "O Allah, give me more."

And that's another thing, ahibbati fillah — we should be asking Allah more and more and more. You should actually never stop asking Allah. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri mentions that the Prophet ﷺ said that the du'a of the believer is always accepted, as long as he doesn't ask for something that is sinful or involves cutting the ties of kinship and the aqarib. Allah always accepts your du'a — either Allah will give what you wanted immediately, or Allah will keep it for you the day you need it the most, which is Yawm al-Qiyamah, or this du'a that you made, Allah will utilise it to stop something bad from happening to you. So you are always winning — there is no lose-lose. You are always winning with your du'a.

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 11133; also reported in al-Adab al-Mufrad — graded Sahih)

And when the Prophet ﷺ told this, the Sahaba said: إِذاً نُكْثِرُ — "If that is the case, then we are going to ask so much and so much." And the Prophet ﷺ said: اللَّهُ أَكْثَرُ — "You can ask as much as you want, but that which Allah has is always more." So the character and the way of the Muslim should be to ask Allah all the time, every time, never tire — make du'a to Allah.

And the Sahaba would say: اسْأَلُوا اللَّهَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ — "Ask Allah everything — everything that you are in need of, ask Allah." Even if you are struggling with your shoelaces, ask Allah — to that extent. Because Allah is the one who, if He doesn't want to rectify your shoelaces, then it won't happen. So you need Allah in every single scenario.

What to Ask Allah — Balancing Dunya and Akhira

Of course you are allowed to ask Allah everything that you need, as long as it is halal. "O Allah, grant me children. O Allah, I want to marry this person. O Allah, grant me wealth. Bless this job for me." Everything that you need dunya-wise. But you should never prioritise your dunya over your akhira. And Allah speaks about this in the Qur'an:

Among the people are some who only ask Allah for worldly things, and they have nothing in akhira — because that is all they are busy with and all they think of.

"And among them is those who say: O Allah, grant us good in this world and grant us good in the world to come, the akhira, and save us from the hellfire." Of course, this is how we should be. So you should always prioritise your akhira, because that is more important. And you should be in the mindset that whatever happens in this world, you are more focused on being saved in the hereafter — not just saved, but to be in the highest places in Jannah. The Prophet ﷺ used to say: if you are going to ask Allah for Jannah, ask Him for al-Firdaws al-A'la.

Becoming Among the Awliya of Allah

When you want your du'a to be accepted, there are certain people whose du'a is always accepted — and they are what is known as the awliya of Allah, those who are near to Allah. How do you become among those people? Allah says in the Qur'an:

"Indeed, those who are near to Allah — the awliya of Allah — they will have no fear, and no sadness will be upon them. Who are they? Those who have iman and taqwa." They have belief in Allah and His messenger and the unseen and everything they should believe in. And they also have taqwa — to live your life according to Islam.

In an amazing hadith qudsi, Allah speaks about those who are the awliya and tells us how you can become among those people. What do they do? First, they do all the wajibat — everything that is obligatory upon them. Because there is nothing that Allah loves more for you to do than that which is obligatory:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6502)

"There is nothing more beloved to Me," Allah says, "that My slave does to come near to Me than that which I have made obligatory upon him." And then Allah says in the same hadith: "And My slave does not stop coming near to Me with those things that are recommended — the supplementary, the sunan — until I love him." Can you imagine — Allah loves you? And then the benefits come. Once Allah loves you, what happens? The hadith towards the end says: "When he asks Me, I give him. And when he asks Me for protection, I protect him."

So if you want your du'a to be accepted, work on yourself to be among the awliya. How do you become among the awliya? First, do the obligations — then add the sunan and the recommendations.

The Prophets in Surah al-Anbiya

And that is why you see, when you look at the prophets and the salihin, their du'a used to be accepted because of this. In Surah al-Anbiya, which is known as the chapter of the prophets, Allah speaks about many prophets who had different hajat — different things they needed. Zakariya wanted a son, and Allah gave him a son who was a prophet, Yahya. Ayyub was ill and he needed health, and Allah healed him. Yunus was stuck in the belly of the whale, and Allah got him out. Each one made du'a to Allah, and each one was given what he wanted. Towards the end, Allah explains why:

"Indeed, they were people that would hasten and hurry towards good. And they would make du'a to Us in hope and in fear. And they were humble towards Us." This is why Allah accepted their du'a.

So if you want Allah to accept your du'a, be someone that rushes towards everything that is good. Be the first one to come to the masjid, and try to pray in the first row. Don't just wake up for Fajr — try to perhaps pray the two rak'ah before it. Be someone that constantly gives charity. Be someone that in everything that you can do that is khayr, you are the first one doing it.

The Story of Ayyub عليه السلام

If you read these stories, it is amazing how Allah accepted their du'a. If you look at Ayyub عليه السلام — who was sick for many years, to the point that nobody was with him anymore except for his wife and two brothers — people would say about Ayyub: "He has committed a huge sin that no one has ever committed. That is why he is suffering so much." They were talking about a prophet. But that wasn't the case — it was an ibtila and imtihan from Allah. But then one day, his wife takes him out, and instantly he makes du'a to Allah, and Allah removes all illness. His wife sees him and says, "You really look like Ayyub." And he says, "It is me."

Allah says: "We have answered this prayer and removed the illness that was upon him."

The Story of Yunus عليه السلام

Look at Yunus عليه السلام. We hear these stories, but sometimes try to immerse yourself and see the situation they are in. Yunus عليه السلام is in the middle of the ocean, in the belly of a whale. And he makes du'a to Allah. What is amazing about what he said is this:

He didn't even say: "O Allah, take me out of this problem, or help me." He said: "O Allah, there is none worthy of worship except You. Glory be to You. Indeed, I was among those who oppress." And then Allah immediately, immediately answered this prayer.

"And if he was not among those who were the Musabihin — those who make tasbih." Scholars of tafsir, like Ibn Abbas, they say it means: if he wasn't, prior to this whole event and prior to being swallowed by the whale, someone who prayed, he would have stayed in the belly of the whale إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ — till the Day of Judgment.

So why was Yunus saved? Because of his prayer before. The reason why Yunus عليه السلام was saved was because, before all of this happened, he was someone that was connected to Allah. And this translates to the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ where he said: if you want Allah to help you in times of difficulty, be someone that is righteous and connected to Allah in times of ease. Your righteousness right now, your prayer, you reading the Qur'an, you making dhikr — will benefit you down the line if you are in times of difficulty.

Similarly, like we mentioned earlier:

"The reason why We accepted their du'a was because they were people that rushed towards good."

So now you have to ask yourself: when I make du'a, why isn't it being accepted, or why am I not seeing the benefits? Perhaps you need to look towards yourself and say: "Am I among the awliya? And what can I do to get nearer to Allah so that I can be among those whose du'a is accepted?"

Second Khutbah — Times and Etiquettes of Du'a

My brothers, we were speaking about the importance of being people that supplicate to Allah and pray to Him. First and foremost, we need to understand this: being someone that prays to Allah is an obligation upon you, so you should be doing this. Not just that — Allah is indeed the one who helps, the one who relieves difficulties, the one who gives, the one who gives without count:

So be someone that always asks Allah. There is no better time to start than today. Because there are times that our du'as are accepted. Among those times is the day of Jumu'ah. The Prophet ﷺ said in an authentic hadith that there is an hour or a time on Friday where your du'a will not be rejected. And most scholars say this is towards the end of the day — right before Maghrib, an hour before Maghrib, that time after Asr and before Maghrib. Some scholars say it is when the imam starts the khutbah up towards the end of the salah. And others say it has been hidden, the same way Laylat al-Qadr is hidden — and the reason is because we should be making du'a during the whole day.

Special Times for Du'a

Among the times when du'a has more chance of being accepted:

The day of Friday, as mentioned. Similarly, between the adhan and the iqamah — the Prophet ﷺ said there is a du'a that is not rejected during this time. The problem is: how many of us are actually in the masjid by then? If you are busy and you are not even there to hear the adhan, then of course you cannot benefit from that great reward.

We mentioned earlier in the khutbah that towards the last part of the night is also when Allah accepts your du'a. When most people are sleeping, you need to wake up and supplicate to Allah and make du'a.

Another time is, of course, when you are making sujood. This is when you are nearest to Allah. And the Prophet ﷺ advised: "Indeed, increase your du'a during this time."

Etiquettes of Du'a

Making du'a to Allah has certain etiquettes — adab — and ways to go about it. Among them: when you supplicate to Allah, call upon Him and Him alone. Also, call upon His beautiful and excellent names and attributes.

If you look at the prophets themselves, or even the salihin — for example, Maryam would be a good example. When Jibreel approached her in the form of a man and she got worried, what did she say?

"I seek protection from the Rahman." And Allah has told us in the Qur'an:

"Indeed, Allah has excellent names and attributes, so call upon Him using these names and attributes." So depending on your situation, you should call upon Allah accordingly. When the Prophet ﷺ would make du'a for the sick:

"O Allah, You are the healer. There is no healing except Your healing." He would call upon Allah's name, al-Shafi. And if someone wants provision, he should call upon Allah's name, al-Razzaq. And from that, you understand the importance of knowing Allah's names and attributes — knowing them in order to supplicate to Allah using them at the correct time.

Similarly, there are certain things you have to bear in mind to make sure your du'a is accepted. Among them: you should not hurry and say, "Why is Allah not accepting my du'a?" The Prophet ﷺ said in a hadith that your du'a will be answered as long as you do not become hasty and say: دَعَوْتُ دَعَوْتُ فَلَمْ يُسْتَجَبْ لِي — "I made du'a, I made du'a, but it was not answered for me." So you need to just wait. Allah is the Most Wise, Allah is the Most Merciful, Allah is your Rabb, your caretaker. Allah is al-Wadud, al-Rahman. He knows what is best for you.

So among the three options we mentioned: when you make a du'a, if you don't get what you needed — perhaps it wasn't good for you; perhaps you will need it more on the Day of Judgment and Allah keeps it for you. So you need to always be in a positive mindset and you should always make du'a.

And also, if you are going to make du'a, then the best du'a to make is the one that the Prophet ﷺ made himself. So try and actually learn about the ad'iyah al-ma'thurah — the du'as that are narrated from the Prophet ﷺ and the ones that are mentioned in the Qur'an by the people before him. If you read these ad'iyah, of course they are the best. And there is nothing wrong with you asking Allah something personal in any language or in any form — there is nothing wrong with that, of course. But the more you try and do that which the Prophet ﷺ did, the more barakah and khayr there is.

Upon that I conclude. I ask Allah to accept all of our du'as. I ask Allah to make us of those that constantly pray to Him and ask Him. I ask Allah to take us all to Jannah and forgive us.

Closing Du'as