Asalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. Welcome to another episode of Ramadan Strong. Alhamdulillah,
by Allah's favor, grace and mercy we have made it to Ramadan yet again. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept from us all. The Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wasalam taught us
in a beautiful hadith that du'a is the essence of worship. Meaning that through du'a we are guided to what it truly means to be a servant of Allah. That there is nothing that is more virtuous, more honorable, or more beloved to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala than to make
du'a to him with humility. We are blessed to be in a month where our deeds are constantly being multiplied and there is so much barakah in our time. That being said, what are we
doing to truly benefit from this month, strengthen our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and make this Ramadan different than those that have come before. Through du'a we are
able to fully acknowledge the relationship that we have with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and utilize all the opportunities we have during this beautiful month to nourish that
relationship. Attitude is very important. When we are calling out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, we first and foremost need to understand who we are calling out to. The Prophet Muhammad
salallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us, call out to Allah and be certain that you are going to be answered, that your du'a is going to be answered. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi
wa sallam goes on to further say that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not answer a heart that is not present, that is not fully aware and not fully conscious of who they are calling
out to. So when we are calling out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the creator of the world, we should understand that Allah is capable of all things and that there is nothing that is impossible for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Furthermore, when we are calling out to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala, we should be aware of all the opportunities that we can call out to Him where our du'as are more likely to be accepted. The Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam taught us so many different times where we can make du'a and our du'a
will be accepted. For example, making du'a in the last hour on Friday, making du'a while it's raining, making du'a while we're fasting, while we are breaking our fast and so on and
so forth. These are opportunities where our du'as are more likely to be accepted. Also, we should use the ways and the methods that we have been taught by our beloved Prophet
Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam to make du'a. So when we are opening our du'a, we should praise Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and we should send salawat upon the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and then, you know, converse with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and ask for
the things that we need. We should humble ourselves. When we look to the example of the Prophet Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam and the Prophets who came before, they would always praise Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They would humble themselves when they would ask
from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and then they would make their call. So understanding all of these things will put us in a position where our du'as are more likely to be accepted
and where we are able to further nourish this relationship that we have with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Lastly, when we are put in a position where we are now starting to see all of our
du'as being accepted or even sitting and thinking about all the times where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has accepted our du'as before, we should be pushed to be grateful to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We should show gratitude to our Creator for all the opportunities, all the
times where he has accepted our du'as. So during this beautiful month, yes we should definitely make so much du'a but we should return that du'a being accepted with gratitude
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Ibn Atta'illah rahimahullah would say that when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala inspires your tongue to ask, know that he wants to give. So have that husnul
dhanbillah, have that good thought of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that he will never return your hands empty when you sincerely call out to him. Jazakallahu khair for tuning in. May
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept from all of us during this blessed month of Ramadan and may he allow us to truly benefit from every single moment. Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullahi
