Have you had some du’as that you have been making for years and years but it never got answered? To a point where you feel like what’s the point of making them? And then you start doubting yourself, and saying to yourself “Maybe I’m not meant to get it. Maybe Allah didn’t decree it for me.” Or you may even say that “It’s the same every year. My du’as will never be answered! ”

So first of all, let’s just breathe and pause right there, brothers and sisters, and retract those very words. Because that is the very reason why it hasn't been answered yet. We learn from a hadith that Prophet (ﷺ) said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), "The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient and say (for example): 'I supplicated my Rubb but my prayer has not been granted'." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Let me invite you to explore what takes place in these delayed du’as. 

A positive attitude

Yes, this is a reminder to myself first and then to you, dearest brothers and sisters, that our attitude towards the du’a is just as important! We need to be positive and hopeful and expect that Allah will answer our du’as. 

We know of the hadith that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: When half of the night or two-third of it is over, Allah, the Blessed and the Exalted, descends to the lowest heaven and says: “Is there any beggar, so that he be given? Is there any supplicator so that he be answered? Is there any beggar of forgiveness so that he be forgiven?” (Sahih Muslim 758c)

The Love of Allah 

Another form of beauty that one develops in waiting for their answered du’as is in adopting the virtue of having beautiful patience. And the most excellent reward of patience is Allah’s Love! SubhanAllah. وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الصَّابِرِينَ - “And Allah loves the patient” (Surah Ale Imran: 146). When you have Allah’s Love, you have everything! 

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When Allah loves a slave, calls out Jibril and says: 'I love so-and-so; so love him'. Then Jibril loves him. After that he (Jibril) announces to the inhabitants of heavens that Allah loves so-and-so; so love him; and the inhabitants of the heavens (the angels) also love him and then make people on earth love him". (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

Everlasting bliss and protection from harm

In another hadith, we learn that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “There is no Muslim who calls upon Allah, without sin or cutting family ties, but that Allah will give him one of three answers: He will quickly fulfill his supplication, He will store it for him in the Hereafter, or He will divert an evil from him similar to it.” They said, “In that case we will ask for more.” The Prophet said, “Allah has even more.” (Musnad Aḥmad 11133)

In all of these situations, we should acknowledge that Allah has not made any of our du’as in vain and that is out of His Mercy and Fadhl (favour).

Getting real with Allah

Brothers and sisters, sometimes Allah will test the believer (Surah al-Ankabut, verse 2) to a point where we may feel very low in our life, where you feel like you had no one to turn to, and nowhere to run, but then you choose to turn towards your Rabb. And you start making real honest and raw du’as to Allah. Perhaps Allah is wanting us to humble ourselves and really call out from our hearts,

SubhanAllah the du’a of Nabi Musa alayhissalam comes to mind now, as Allah says in Surah Al Qasas verse 24 "My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need." رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

The sweetness of du’a

Brothers and sisters, the fact that Allah was the one who gave you the Tawfeeq to make that du’a, and therefore He will answer it. Perhaps you have been waiting to get married, or even wanting children, perhaps Allah is testing you with your health, or your wealth. Whatever the case may be, Allah loves that you are making du’a to Him, as stated in a hadith that "Nothing is dearer to Allah than supplication." (Al-Albani). 

So Allah wants you to make du’a to Him. In fact, He gets angry when we don’t! Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله ‎said: Allah becomes angry if you abandon asking Him whereas the sons of Adam become angry when asked. ‎[Mudarij Al Salikeen, 2/98]

Allah is indeed near

SubhanAllah, Allah so eloquently and intimately tells us in the Qur’an in Surah Al Baqarah, verse 128, “And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.”

Even the Sahabah, who were the best of people asked Rasululah SAW  “مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلَا إِنَّ نَصْرَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ ‎- "When is the help of Allah?" Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near.-(Surah Al Baqarah, 214.)  Allahu Akbar, Allah immediately answers it in the very same verse! 

The Tawakkul of the Prophets a.s.

One of the main lessons that all the Prophets a.s. taught us, was their level of yaqeen and tawakkul in Allah. For instance, when Musa a.s. was trying to save Bani Israel from the tyrant Fir’aun and his army, Bani Israel said, complaining to Musa a.s. and despairing “"Indeed, we are to be overtaken!" “Musa a.s. said”, "No! Indeed, my Lord is with me and He will guide me." Surah Al Qasas: 61-62. And Allah saved Musa a.s. and Bani Israel.

So, what shall we do now? Here are some tips:

1. Husnudzon Billah - Have good thoughts of Allah SWT

Brothers and Sisters, I cannot express how important it is to have good thoughts of Allah. We need to remember that Allah is with the believers always. And in a Hadith Qudsi we learn that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah the Almighty said: “I am as My servant thinks I am..” (Hadith 15)

2. Be sincere in your du’as

In Surah Al Ghafiir, Allah tell us to do so in verse 14, “So invoke Allah, [being] sincere to Him in religion,..”

3. Seek Forgiveness from Allah 

As humans, we know that we are not free from sins, and as a believer, we know that we need to constantly take ourselves into account. Have we wronged a loved one? Did we shortchange anyone, knowingly or perhaps even unknowingly. Perhaps it’s our source of income. So we need to be more aware of this virtuous deed of doing istighfar. Why? Because there’s so many blessings that come from doing so. In the Qur’an, Allah says, “And said, 'Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers. And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers.’” (Surah Nuh verses 10-12)

4. Have yaqeen in Allah’s Promise

Know that you are calling the King of Kings, so never doubt that He will not answer you. “Call upon Allah when you are certain of a response, and remember that Allaah will not answer a du’aa’ that comes from a negligent and heedless heart.” (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3479)

5. Tie your camel & have tawakkul in Allah

For example if we are asking for rain, we must be sure that we have those basins and buckets ready, because when it rains, it pours! This is based on the hadith we learn that a man said "O Messenger of Allah! Shall I tie it and rely (upon Allah), or leave it loose and rely (upon Allah)?" He said: "Tie it and rely (upon Allah)." (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2517)

So let’s press reset and renew our hearts’ intention in making those du’aa for His sake alone! 

With sincere du’as, your sister,

Tisha Zarina