Allah has indeed blessed our sister with the taddabbur of the Qur’an. For many of us, the manners of calling upon our Lord have been taught to us by our asaatidhah and books of dua, or lectures. These days there are full-on courses teaching you how to raise your duas.
I am sure these scholars and teachers have also found what our sister has and by Allah, it is in the Qur’an too. In this chapter, Sister Saadaf shares the ways the Prophets called upon their Lord and she takes the story of Prophet Zakariya (alayhi salam)when he asks for a child as an example.
First, she mentions that one should call upon their Lord in private.
ذِكْرُرَحْمَتِرَبِّكَعَبْدَهُۥزَكَرِيَّآ
A mention of the mercy of your Lord towards His servant Zakariyyah.
إِذْنَادَىٰرَبَّهُۥنِدَآءًخَفِيًّۭا
When he called on his Lord, a call in seclusion.
A call in private. A call to a close confidant who you trust and know. Allah asks us to call upon him in the 3rd part of the night when he has descended to the lower heavens when the world is still quiet. It’s a call not witnessed by anyone except Him. Your dua is not to show-off or shout-out. No one tries to get another’s attention by honking loudly or raising his voice in a noisy area. You retreat to a time and place when you can get full attention. This is how we come to dua.
Second, state the obvious.Praise Allah with who He is, what he has given to you and thank Him for where you are.
قَالَرَبِّإِنِّىوَهَنَٱلْعَظْمُمِنِّىوَٱشْتَعَلَٱلرَّأْسُشَيْبًۭاوَلَمْأَكُنۢبِدُعَآئِكَرَبِّشَقِيًّۭا
He said, “My Lord, my bones have become feeble, and my hair is aflame with grey, and never, Lord, have I been disappointed in my prayer to you.
I am your slave who does not have any might, who is weak, who is feeble. Why is he saying what Allah already knows? It’s an admittance to his weakness. His humility and trust are on display. You praise Him by letting him know where you are right now and how, in all that time, He has never disappointed you.
And Zakariyya says, and never have I been in my supplication to you, my Lord, unhappy. Almost to say, I thank you for everything you have done for meand even when you have not given me as I have asked, I know for a fact that you’re doing even better for me. This is pleasing to our Lord. It’s your Tawakkul in him.
Now ask.
Surah 19 – Maryam : 5-6
وَإِنِّىخِفْتُٱلْمَوَٰلِىَمِنوَرَآءِىوَكَانَتِٱمْرَأَتِىعَاقِرًۭافَهَبْلِىمِنلَّدُنكَوَلِيًّۭا
“And I fear for my dependents after me, and my wife is barren. So grant me, from Yourself, an heir.
يَرِثُنِىوَيَرِثُمِنْءَالِيَعْقُوبَۖوَٱجْعَلْهُرَبِّرَضِيًّۭا
To inherit me, and inherit from the House of Jacob, and make him, my Lord, pleasing.”
Zakariyah places his fear before him, he wants to continue the work of dawah and fears he has no worthy successor and wants to continue a bloodline of dawah. He knows this is seemingly impossible; he is old and his wife is barren but he asks knowing and trusting Who he is asking.
Here are the points she pulls out here, his dua is for goodness in his hereafter. Even when you ask for that job, financial assistance, or good health, remember that your goal should be to ultimately gain His pleasure. To do right by your soul in preparation for the Hereafter. What use is a dua for might and power to oppress others or to be able to do wrong because you are helpless? Look at the quality of your dua and think of the end goal.
Then, like one of my sisters says, be audacious. Prophet Zakariyyah asks, I want a son, an heir, who will inherit from me and inherit from the family of Yaqub and make him my Lord, pleasing to you. Sister Sadaaf says reading through these verses, we should know that sometimes you ask from Allah for things that might look physically impossible, but that is how you ask. Du’a is not just a powerful way of showing your tawakkul in Allah. It is a powerful way of worship. When you come to Allah knowing for a fact that He is the only one that can give, that is how you show that you truly worship Him alone. Ask what seems impossible. Ask, for you know He is the only one that responds. In ways you cannot comprehend. He is the Lord of Mankind and Jinn. Do not be afraid.
Finally, she says, Allah is pleased with Zakariyyah’s du’a.
يَـٰزَكَرِيَّآإِنَّانُبَشِّرُكَبِغُلَـٰمٍٱسْمُهُۥيَحْيَىٰلَمْنَجْعَللَّهُۥمِنقَبْلُسَمِيًّۭا
“O Zakariyyah, We give you good news of a son, whose name is John, a name We have never given before.”
And now, human that he is, Zakariyyah is dumbfounded that Allah has responded to him and starts to question the reality, the possibility.
قَالَرَبِّأَنَّىٰيَكُونُلِىغُلَـٰمٌۭوَكَانَتِٱمْرَأَتِىعَاقِرًۭاوَقَدْبَلَغْتُمِنَٱلْكِبَرِعِتِيًّۭا
He said, “My Lord, how can I have a son, when my wife is barren, and I have become decrepit with old age?”
And the response:
قَالَكَذَٰلِكَقَالَرَبُّكَهُوَعَلَىَّهَيِّنٌۭوَقَدْخَلَقْتُكَمِنقَبْلُوَلَمْتَكُشَيْـًۭٔا
He said, “It will be so, your Lord says, ‘it is easy for me, and I created you before, when you were nothing.’”
This beautiful story and guide is one we have probably read several times within the pages of the Qur’an Ya Ikhwaan. I know I have. I have never had such clarity;subahanallah.
A quick recap. To make dua:
- Call upon Your Lord in secret.
- Praise Him, acknowledging our station in life and thanking Him for what He has done for us.
- Acknowledging our weakness.
- Acknowledging His strength.
- Asking with full knowledge that there are three ways that Our Lord responds:
– Giving you exactly what you ask.
– Taking away something harmfulfrom you.
– Keeping your du’a till the day of Qiyamah.
And whichever one He decides, is the best for us.
You know Your Lord will respond because for Him, answering our duas is as simple as saying ‘Be’ and it is.
Sister Sadaf, thank you for showing us that truly, our journey to Allah is though the Qur’an.
