By:Zafar Ahmad Khan
At :Chhibra, P. O. Dharmsinghwa Bazar , District :Sant Kabir Nagar
Dua is a form of worship, in fact our holy Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam regarded it as the best form of worship. The Prophet(pbuh) said, “Supplication is the essence of worship.” Then, the Prophet recited the verse, “Your Lord says: Call upon Me and I will respond to you. Verily, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell in humiliation.” (Almomin:60).
When we make dua in front of Almighty Allah for our needs and wants our dua is being answered, Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:“When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me.” (Albaqarah:186), and we will be rewarded for worshiping also. Through dua we accept the power and authority of Allah and our weakness in front of him.
Dua is considered very power full in Islam, as it can change our fate and it can be the most powerful weapon for a Muslim at the time of grief and sorrows. Dua is not just asking about our needs from Allah, as it is the belief of all Muslims that Allah is the sole provider and creator of everything. So through dua we also thank Allah for whatever he has given to us, weather it is our heartbeat, our breath, our health or our wealth, all of these are provided us by Allah. We also ask guidance from Allah at the time of difficulty to show us the way to face this hurdle. Allah is listening to each and every dua made in front of him and answers all the duas .
Etiquettes of Dua:
1. Faithfulness to Allah.
2. Avoiding from haraam food, clothing and earnings.
3. Making Dua with sincerity,(means that nobody but Allah Ta’ala will fulfill his objectives).
4. Performing a good deed prior to making the Dua.
5. Making Dua whilst one is pure & clean.
6. Making wudhu before Dua.
7. Facing the Qiblah direction.
8. Praising Allah at the beginning as well as at the end of Dua.
9. Reciting Durood & salam upon Prophet(pboh)at the beginning and the end.
10. Asking Allah by his name and Attributes.
11. Trusting in Allah and having certainty that it will be answered.
12. Raising both the hands up to the shoulders.
13. Presencing of the heart in dua.
14. Sitting with humility and respect.
15. Avoiding from raising the eyes towards the sky whilst making Duaa.
16. Crying with the fear of Allah while making Dua.
17. Avoiding from ceremonies rhyming of the Duaa phrases.
18. Avoiding from saying the Dua in a singing tone.
19. Making dua in a moderately low voice.
20. Making Dua in a soft voice.
21. Uttering Dua phrases transcribed from the Prophet (pbuh).
22. Not making Dua against oneself, or his family, wealth and children.
23. Making a Dua that encompasses most of the needs of Deen and the dunya.
24. Making dua for all matters.
25. Making Dua in favour of oneself first, thereafter ones parents and to include the other Muslims in Dua as well.
26. Not making dua for forbidden, prohibited and impossible things.
27. An Imam not make Dua for himself only but he should Include all the congregation in the Dua.
28. Making Dua with enthusiasm & yearning.
29. Making Dua repeatedly, (repetition should be at least thrice).
30. Avoiding from making Dua of severing family ties or other sins.
31. Avoid making Duas of pre-determined and fixed things.
32. Not making a Dua in which the person ask Allah Ta’ala to confine His mercy to himself only.
33. Asking only Allah Ta’ala alone for all needs.
34.The person making Dua and the person listening to it, both should say ‘Aameen’ at the end.
35. Rubbing both hands over the face at the termination of Dua.
36. Not being impatient over the acceptance of Duas.
37. Beseeching, humility, hope and fear.
38. Focusing with proper presence of mind.
39. Saying dua silently and not out loud.
40. Asking Allah by mentioning past good deeds we performed sincerely for him.
May Allah enable to make dua at all times, not just during times of distress, and not only for ourselves but also for our parents, brothers, sisters, spouses, children, relatives and friends, specially muslims who are struggling everywhere, Aameen.