Dua is the most powerful means of direct communication between a believer and the Creator. In the Holy Quran, Allah, Lord of the worlds, clearly declares: “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” (Surah Al-Mu’min: 60)
Yet many people, after praying sincerely, lose heart when they do not get the result they want straight away, or think their prayers are not being accepted. In a recent talk published on YouTube, the Islamic scholar Shaikh Ahmadullah said that when a dua is made according to the correct rules of the Quran and Sunnah, Allah never sends the believer away empty-handed. The way a dua is answered, and how the answer shows itself, can differ, but it is always for the believer’s good. Based on Shaikh Ahmadullah’s talk, the ways a dua is answered are set out below.
1. Three forms of an answered dua
Many people think the only way a dua is answered is by receiving exactly what was asked of Allah. According to Shaikh Ahmadullah, however, a dua can be answered in three different ways:
- Receiving exactly what was asked: Allah grants the believer exactly what they asked for.
- Receiving something more needed and more beneficial: The believer may have forgotten to ask for, or not known about, something more necessary than what they asked for, and Allah grants that better thing instead. In the same way, when a child asks parents for something harmful, the parents do not give it but buy something more beneficial, which is itself a way of meeting the child’s wish.
- A reward stored up for the hereafter: Instead of granting the exact request in this world, Allah gives a great reward and recompense in the hereafter after death.
So there is no reason to think a dua “was not accepted” just because what was asked for did not come at once. Hadith narrations, including in Mustadrak al-Hakim, clearly mention these different ways of answering a dua.
2. Halal earnings, the main precondition
The most basic and important condition for a dua to be accepted is to live on halal earnings and eat halal food. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: how can the dua of a person whose body and wealth are built and nourished by what is haram be accepted? To benefit from dua, a person’s earnings and food must therefore be entirely halal.
3. The manners and rules of dua according to the Sunnah
According to Shaikh Ahmadullah’s advice, the main manners of making dua are as follows:
- Facing the qibla: Although it is permitted to make dua facing any direction, facing the qibla greatly increases the chance of it being accepted.
- Praying with firm conviction: During dua there should be no doubt in the mind, only full conviction that Allah will surely accept it. One should not pray with a hesitant mind, thinking “it may or may not be accepted”.
- Praising Allah and sending blessings on the Prophet: It is Sunnah to praise Allah and send blessings and peace on the Prophet (peace be upon him) before making one’s own request.
- Raising both hands: Although dua can be made without raising the hands, raising both hands is one of its most important manners. A hadith says Allah is most modest and generous, and when a believer raises both hands in dua, He is too modest to send them back empty.
- Using the beautiful names of Allah (Asma ul-Husna): In dua, one should call on Allah by His beautiful names, such as “Ya Allah”, “Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum”, “Ya Rahman” and “Ya Rahim”.
4. Not hurrying, and being patient
After making dua, one should not be hasty or restless for the result. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said a believer’s dua continues to be answered as long as they do not hurry or say, “I prayed so much, but it was not accepted.” Having made dua with its conditions met, one should leave the outcome to Allah with full trust.
5. Special times and places for dua
Allah answers dua more quickly when it is made at certain times, and believers should make a point of seeking out these times to pray.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report