In his well-known book, Al-Hikam (Words of Wisdom), sheikh Ahmad Ibn `Ataa’illah As-Sakandari says:

The best way to ask Him is through expressing your distress, and the fastest way to acquire His gifts is through expressing your humility and need.

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The word of wisdom under discussion is about du`aa’ (supplication). It is not about the etiquette of supplication, but it is about the condition of the heart during supplication.

Allah asks the disbelievers about their own experiences:

{Who is it that responds to the distressed when he calls out to Him, and who removes the ill, and has made you inherit the earth? Could there be any divine power besides Allah?} (An-Naml 27: 62)

In this verse Allah makes it clear to the disbelievers that when they sincerely asked Allah for help at times of distress, He answered them. If this is the case with disbelievers in distress, what about if a believer is in distress and asks His Lord for help!

Therefore, distress gets the supplication answered quickly. The Sheikh says: “The best way to ask Him is through your distress”.

If you are in distress and ask Allah sincerely, while feeling the need for His help after the means have failed you, then rest assured that Allah will answer your supplication.

This applies not only to asking Allah for worldly help but also for help with matters of faith as well. The best way to ask Him to guide you is also through distress, need, humility, and hope in His mercy. This is best illustrated in the Prophet’s supplications in different situations.

 

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In the battle of Badr the Prophet turned towards the qibla (prayer direction), stretched his arms out and began his supplication to his Lord:

“O Allah, accomplish for me what You have promised me.

O Allah, bring about what You have promised me.

O Allah, if this small band of Muslims is destroyed, You will never be worshipped on the earth!“

He continued his supplication to Allah for a long time, until his mantle slipped down from his shoulders. (Reported by Muslim)

This is a supplication from someone in distress, and it was a supplication that was answered swiftly.

Then the Sheikh explains other useful clues for supplication. He says: “And the fastest way to acquire good traits is through expressing your humility and need”.

Some scholars comments on the verse, {Charity is for the poor} (At-Tawbah 9: 60) saying that: If a human gives charity to a poor person in need, what about if the poor person shows his need to Allah? Surely Allah will give him out of His bounties, even more than what another human might give him.

According to the prophetic traditions we know, the person who performs supplication should face the qibla (prayer direction), stretch his hand while praying to Allah, and start the supplication with praising Allah and invoking peace and blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).

 

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It is also recommended to invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet in the middle and at the end of the supplication. This is the apparent acts of supplication. However, what is of more importance is the condition of the heart when praying to Allah, which we often ignore to follow the example of the Prophet in.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to recite certain prayers at certain situations, such as getting up in the morning, going to bed, wearing his clothes, taking off his clothes, looking at the mirror, washing himself, sleeping, seeing a new moon, in the evening, in the morning, going out, coming back home, and so on.

It is not enough that we follow the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) by memorizing and uttering these supplications. We must acquire the spirit behind them, which is to be connected with Allah at all times.

If we trace the history of supplication, we will not find any person, even previous Prophets, who had this continuous stream of supplications, as much as Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). If we survey the Psalms, the Torah, and the Gospel, we will not come across so many supplications as we come across when we survey Prophet Muhammad’s tradition, peace be upon him.

Moreover, we also learned that Prophet Muhammad’s supplications were accompanied by deep emotions. `Ataa’  asked `A’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, once about the most astonishing event she witnessed about the Messenger of Allah. She cried and said:

Whatever was not astonishing about him? One night he came and got in bed with me. My skin touched his and he said: “O Abu Bakr’s daughter, let me off! Let me worship my Lord.” I said: “I love being with you, but I prefer to do as you wish”.

I let him. He got up and took ablution without wasting water. Then he started praying and crying. He cried so much that his tears flew down through his chest.

Then he bent for ruku` and cried. After that, he prostrated for sujud and still cried. Then he raised his head and still cried. He continued to cry until morning. When it was time for the Morning Prayer (fajr), Bilal came and recited the adhan (call to prayer).

And then I said: “O the Messenger of Allah! What makes you cry? Allah has forgiven your past and future sins.” He said: “Shall I not be a thankful servant to Allah? Shall I not give Him thanks?”. (Al-Bukhari)

Prayers may be answered immediately and may be answered eventually.  When Allah does not answer your prayers immediately, be certain that Allah is choosing the best for you. Allah has always been choosing the best for you. Allah says about Himself: {In His Hand is all good.} (Aal `Imran 3: 25)

And Allah’s giving may be in this world or in the world to come, and the choice is His: {And Your Sustainer creates whatever He wills; and He chooses} (Al-Qasas 28: 68) Certainly, His choice is far better and more excellent than ours.

3 Life-Changing Supplications (Dua) and Action Points!

Isn’t it amazing you have a Lord who never gets tired of you asking and of giving you what you need? He even rewards you for asking! Supplicating to Him is the essence of worship; and in what better way can we make dua to Him than by using His Beautiful Names in the supplications He taught us from His Book?

Let’s learn three Quranic supplications covering the main areas of your daily life, while learning five of Allah’s Beautiful Attributes and their meanings along with unique, instant action points based on each supplication!

Use this step by step plan for optimal benefit; read the supplication in Arabic and the translation, ask Allah the Almighty to help you apply the action points and convey them to others.

1. Battle that Resentment


You are praying your prayers, reading Quran and doing your best to study Islamic knowledge, but there’s still something that holds you back from fully experiencing peace inside?

When you look deep in yourself, do you hold resentment or ill-feelings towards any other believers? That one thing someone said to you last month, that argument weeks or even years ago?

 It’s so hard to get rid of these feelings, we say we forgive and forget, but do we really? You know it would make you feel much better, but how can you manage this?

Rabbana ighfir lanaa wa li ikhwaani nal ladheena sabqoonaa bil eemaani wa laa taj’al fee quloobinaa ghillal-lil ladheena aamanoo rabbannaaa innaka Ra’oofur Raheem. (Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful.)

(Quran, 59:10)

Action Points

Beg Allah with this supplication to give you the peace that comes with clearing your heart from resentment. For it is only Allah who can give you this ability and the peace it brings, because He is the Kind and Merciful. Ask Allah to return to Him with qalbun saleem (a sound heart).

Allah’s Beautiful Attributes used: Ar-Ra’oof  and Ar-Raheem

Ar-Ra’oof means the Kind and Compassionate. He is the One who bestows mercy with the utmost tenderness. Ar-Ra’oof has beautiful pity (ra’fah) on us, with which He gently warns us, withholds from us and instructs us to all that is good.

Ar-Raheem means the Bestower of Mercy. He is the One who bestows continuous mercy on His creation and even more grace and greater rewards in response to the good deeds of the believers.

2. Learn to See the Blessing in the Test

Imagine the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) whom his own brothers had tried to kill out of jealousy, then far away from home as a servant, in and out of a dark prison, and now sitting on a throne. The same brothers are now standing in front of him, pleading for his help.

In this position of success and authority, what would you have done? Revenge or reminding your ‘enemies’ about all grievances they have caused you and enjoying showing them your success now?

 

Instead, Yusuf calls upon Allah in gratitude for raising him to such a position and arranging the meeting with his long-lost family.  Instead of commenting on their ill treatment, he mentions nothing, but even makes excuses for them saying: it was all due to Satan (who stirred between them.) He even goes further and deems it as a blessing in disguise! 

Here is the supplication of the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) on perhaps one of the happiest occasions of his life, which demonstrates the beautiful character of a true believer.

Faatir as-samaawaati wal ardi. Anta Waliyyee fid dunyaa wal Aakhirati tawaffanee muslimanw wa alhiqnee bissaaliheen. (O Creator of heavens and earth! You are my Guardian in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die in submission to You, and join me, in the end, with the righteous.)

(Quran 12:101)

Action Points

Firstly, remind yourself to recognize the blessing in the test. Trust it is Allah’s plan; He is the Creator and your Protector.

Secondly, whenever you are delivered to ‘safety’ after a test, turn to Allah, thank Him and never boast about your position.

Thirdly, when you have suffered injustice at the hands of others, try to make excuses for them and turn to Allah for wisdom in dealing with your pain and the perpetrators.

Finally, let this supplication inspire you to keep asking Allah to guide you in this life, make you of the saaliheen (righteous) and unite you with them after death!

Allah’s Beautiful Attributes used: Al Fatir and Al Waliy

Al-Fatir means the Originator, the Creator. He is the One who initiates and creates and who starts and finishes the complete creation to perfection.

Al-Waliy means the Protecting Friend, the Ally. He is the Lord and Protector of creation, showing the path to righteousness. The One who protects, guards, and supports the believer in this world and the next.

3. Truly Realize Your Need for Guidance and Forgiveness



Do you know thousands of years ago, a Prophet stood up and made dua for you? Reflect on the fact that this Prophet has, all his life, been performing exemplary deeds of obedience, and yet he prays to ‘be made’ obedient! It was the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and this was his supplication for all of us:

Rabbanaa waj’alnaa muslimayni laka wa min dhurriyyatinaaa ummatam muslimatal laka wa arinaa manaasikanaa wa tub ‘alaynaa innaka antat Tawwaabur Raheem. (Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.)

(Quran, 2:128)

Action Points

Firstly, reflect on how the more you grow in knowledge of Allah’s Names and Attributes, the more you come to realize that you are not as faithful and as obedient as is due and that you need His forgiveness.

Realize how blessed you are with a Lord who constantly guides you to turn to Him and accepts you, and be more accepting towards others. Use this supplication regularly and with sincerity to ask for obedience for yourself and your descendants.

Secondly, the beauty of Islam is that we don’t just care about our own (eternal) success, we should love to see others succeed. Do we feel a true concern in our heart for our descendants?

Don’t only be concerned about your children’s worldly affairs, such as education and wealth, but be concerned about their spiritual well-being too. What does it matter if they are doctors or lawyers but they have forgotten about Allah?

Finally, for those with children, make it a daily habit and assign a time slot to supplicate for your children (and for all of your offspring until the day of judgment). You can make a specific dua list for your children you can use again and again next to the Quranic supplications to do with one’s offspring.

Allah’s Beautiful Attribute used: At Tawwaab

At-Tawwaab means the Oft-Returning. He is the One who inspires mankind to turn to Him and accepts our repentance time and time again.

*Please note that the English translation of the meaning of Al-Asmaa al Husnaa (The Beautiful Names of Allah) is only approximate and doesn’t do justice to the richness of the Arabic language and its meanings.