This page explains the various meanings of supplication (du'a) in the Qur'an and describes the situations and groups of people whose supplication has a greater chance of being answered by Allah.
The Answered Supplication - What Is a Supplication and How Can It Be Answered?
In the Qur'an there are a great many words for du'a used in different senses. Abu Al-Qasim Al-Naqsabandi, in his commentary on Al-Asma'u al-Husna, explains several meanings of the word du'a.
"And do not worship, besides Allah, that which can neither benefit you nor harm you." (Yunus verse 106)
The meaning of the word "praying" here is "worshipping." Du'a means not worshipping anything besides Allah, that is, something that can bring you neither benefit nor harm.
"And call upon (seek help from) those who can help you." (Al-Baqarah verse 23)
The meaning of the word "du'a" (wad'u) in this verse is "istighatsah" (seeking aid, or help). Du'a here means asking for aid or help from those who might be able to help and assist you.
"Call upon (ask) Me, and I will surely answer (your request)." (Al-Mu'minun verse 60)
The meaning of the word "du'a" (ud'uni) in this verse is "to request" or "to ask." That is, call upon (ask) Me (Allah) and I (Allah) will surely grant your request.
"Their prayer (conversation) therein (in Paradise) is Subhanakallahumma (Glory be to You, O Allah)." (Yunus verse 10)
"On the Day when He calls you." The meaning of the word "du'a" (yad'u) in this verse is "to call." That is, on a day when He (the Lord) summons (calls) you. (the Qur'an)
"Say, O Muhammad: call upon (praise) Allah, or call upon (praise) Ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful)." (Al-Isra' verse 110).
The meaning of the word "du'a" (qulid'u) in this verse is "to praise." That is, praise, O Muhammad, Allah, or praise, O Muhammad, Ar-Rahman.
So on the basis of the explanation above, it can be concluded that du'a is an utterance of petition and praise to Allah SWT, in certain ways accompanied by humility, in order to obtain benefit and good that is with Him. Or, in the terms of Al-Tibi as quoted by Hasbi Al-Shidiq, "du'a" is "to display lowliness and humility and to declare one's need and submission to Allah SWT."
we must have firm belief in Allah's help; du'a and effort are two things that cannot be separated. In every situation, however difficult, we must always think well of Allah, believing that Allah the All-Powerful will help us, that Allah alone is the source of our hope and the One on whom we depend.
This belief in Allah's help and power is then followed through with sincere devotion in supplication. Du'a is a picture of the closeness of a servant to Allah SWT, and a picture that we believe Allah alone is the One on whom we depend and the One who can resolve the difficulty we face. Never stop praying, praying, and praying.
Do not forget, a sincere prayer must be accompanied by ceaseless effort, tireless work, and hard work that never fades.
"... Work, for Allah, His Messenger, and the believers will see your work ..." (Q.S. At-Taubah 9:105)
"... Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. And when Allah intends ill for a people, there is no turning it back, and they have no protector besides Him." (Q.S. Ar-Ra'du 13: 11)
"Whoever does righteous deeds, it is for himself, and whoever does evil, it is against himself; and your Lord is not ever unjust to His servants." (Q.S. Fushshilat 41: 46).
If, after having made every effort and prayed, the result is not what we hoped for, believe that behind every failure there is surely a better wisdom. We may dislike something, yet behind it there is a wisdom of good. Conversely, we may like something, yet behind it there is ill. Therefore, we must always think well of Allah, that Allah will only give us what is best for us.
"... Perhaps you dislike a thing, and it is good for you; and perhaps you like a thing, and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you do not know." (Q.S. Al Baqarah 2: 216)
Being ready to accept whatever outcome comes after we have prayed and made every earnest effort. This is what is called believing in Allah's decree, whether good or ill. Belief in Allah's decree gives rise to a grateful spirit when we succeed and patience when we experience failure. Wallahu a'lam
Everyone certainly hopes for supplications that are answered/effective, so that the prayer offered is granted by Allah SWT. However, obtaining an answered prayer is not as easy as turning one's palm over. Even so, as Muslims we must still pray at every moment, at all times, without ever giving up hope. For more clarity, here are the answered supplications:
It is narrated from Abu Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said, "If a Muslim prays for his brother without his knowledge, then the angel assigned (to him) will surely say,
"And the same shall be for you." (HR. Muslim)
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adz to Yemen, he said to him,
"Fear the prayer of the wronged, for there is no veil between that prayer and Allah" (HR. Bukhari)
As parents we must pray often for our children and descendants, so that they become children who are devoted to their religion, their parents, and their country. Never once say anything ill of our children, for words are a prayer, and a parent's prayer is one of the answered supplications.
From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"There are three answered prayers that are beyond doubt: the prayer of the wronged, the prayer of the traveller, and the prayer of a parent for their child" (HR. Tirmidzi, etc. Graded hasan by al-Albani)
From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), marfu',
"There are three whose prayer is not rejected: one who fasts until breaking the fast, the prayer of a just leader, and the prayer of the wronged. Allah raises their prayer above the clouds, opens the gates of heaven for it, and says, 'By My glory, I will surely help you, even after some time.'" (HR. Tirmidzi, etc. Graded hasan by al-Albani)
It is stated in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him),
"When a person dies, his deeds are cut off except for three things: ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge, and a righteous child who prays for him" (HR. Muslim)
Allah SWT says:
"Or, who answers the one in distress when he calls upon Him and removes the affliction, and makes you (mankind) inheritors of the earth? Is there another god besides Allah? Little do you remember." (QS. An-Naml 27: 62)
From Mu'adz bin Jabal, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he said,
"If a Muslim goes to sleep remembering Allah and in a state of purity, then wakes in the night and prays to Allah SWT asking for good in this world and the Hereafter, Allah will surely grant it to him" (HR. Abu Dawud and Ahmad, graded sahih by al-Albani)
From Sa'ad bin Abi Waqash (may Allah be pleased with him), he said,
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'The prayer of Dzun Nun (the Prophet Yunus, peace be upon him) when he was inside the belly of the fish: "Laa ilaaha illaa anta subhaanaka innii kuntu min Azh-zhaalimiin." If a person prays with it asking for something, Allah will surely grant it to him.'" (HR. Tirmidzi etc., graded sahih by al-Albani)
From Ubadah bin Shamit (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), that he said,
"Whoever wakes in the night and says: 'Laa ilaaha illallaahu wahdahuu laa syariika lah, lahul mulku walahul hamdu, wahuwaa 'alaa kulli syai'in qadiir, Alhamdulillaah, wasubhanallaah, wa laa ilaaha illallaah, wallahu akbar, wa laa haula wa laa quwwata illaa billaah' (There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner. To Him belongs all sovereignty and to Him belongs all praise. He has power over all things. All praise is due to Allah, Glory be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest. There is no power and no strength except with Allah), then says: 'Allahummaghfir lii' (O Allah, forgive me), or any other prayer, it will surely be answered. If he then performs ablution and prays, his prayer will be accepted" (HR. Bukhari, etc.)
From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Indeed Allah will raise the rank of a righteous servant in Paradise, and he will ask, 'How did I attain this rank?' Allah SWT will say, 'Through your child's plea for forgiveness for you'" (HR. Ahmad, its chain graded sahih by Ibnu Katsir)
Based on a hadith narrated by Ibnu Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), he said,
"One who fights in the cause of Allah, one who performs Hajj, and one who performs Umrah are envoys who come before Allah. He calls them, and they answer His call, and they ask of Him, and Allah gives to them" (HR. Ibnu Majah, graded hasan by al-Albani)
From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), he said,
"There are three whose prayer will never be rejected: one who remembers Allah often, one who is wronged, and a just leader" (HR. al-Baihaqi and ath-Thabrani, graded hasan by al-Albani)
From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
"Indeed Allah SWT says, 'Whoever shows enmity to a friend of Mine, I declare war upon him. My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him. My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory deeds until I love him. And when I love him, I become his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he grasps, and his foot with which he walks. If he asks of Me, I will surely give to him. If he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely protect him. I do not hesitate in anything I do as I hesitate in taking the soul of a believer, for he dislikes death, and I dislike causing him harm.'" (HR. Bukhari)
From Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said.
"Whoever wishes for his prayer to be answered in times of sorrow and hardship, let him pray often in times of ease." (HR. Tirmidzi and al-Hakim. Graded sahih by Imam Dzahabi and hasan by Al-Albani). Shaikh Al-Mubarak Furi said that the meaning of the above hadith is that a person should pray often in times of health, sufficiency, and safety from trials, since it is characteristic of a believer to always be prepared before aiming his arrow. So it is very good if a believer always prays to Allah before calamity comes, unlike the disbeliever and the wrongdoer, as Allah SWT says: "And when adversity touches man, he calls upon his Lord, turning to Him; but then when He bestows on him a favour from Himself, he forgets that for which he called upon Him before, [and he was calling on it beforehand]". (QS. Az-Zumar: 8).
And Allah SWT says:
"And when affliction touches man, he calls upon Us, whether lying on his side, sitting, or standing; but when We remove his affliction from him, he continues [in disobedience] as if he had never called upon Us to remove an affliction that touched him". (QS. Yunus: 12)
Allah SWT says.
"Or, who answers the one in distress when he calls upon Him and removes the affliction, and makes you (mankind) inheritors of the earth? Is there another god besides Allah? Little do you remember". (QS. An-Naml: 62) Imam As-Syaukani said that the verse above explains how greatly man needs Allah in all matters, especially one who is in a state of dire necessity and has no power or means. Some scholars hold that what is meant by one in dire necessity is one who is sinful, while others hold that what is meant by dire necessity is one who lives in want, hardship, or illness, so that he must appeal to Allah. And the letter lam in the phrase Al-Mudhthar denotes a type, not istighraq (totality). So it may be that some who pray while in a state of dire necessity are not answered because of an obstacle that prevents the answering of that prayer. If there is no such obstacle, then Allah has guaranteed that the prayer of one in a state of dire necessity will surely be answered. The reason such a prayer is answered is that the state of necessity can drive a person to pray sincerely and not ask of anyone besides Him.
Read the complete collection of prayers below:
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