وَلَكِن قَدْ يَتَخَلَّفْ أَثَرُهُ عَنْهُ But the effect of it is not always the same, so not everyone's du'a is going to be the same. إِمَّا لِضَعْفِهِ فِي نَفْسِهِ بِأَنْ يَكُونَ دُعَاءً لَا يُحِبُّهُ اللَّهُ It might be because of a weakness in the du'a itself, because perhaps you're asking Allah SWT for something that is not good. لِمَا فِيهِ مِنَ الْعُدْوَانِ Maybe because of something that is bad that you're asking Allah for. Some people make du'a for something that is haram in its nature, like Allah cut me off from this person, or Allah get rid of this, or Allah get rid of that. And it's actually contrary to what you should be seeking from Allah SWT. وَإِمَّا لِضَعْفِ الْقَلْبِ وَعَدَمِ إِقْبَالِهِ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَجَمْعِيَتِهِ عَلَيْهِ وَقْتِ الدُّعَاءِ And it could be because of the weakness of the heart itself, and the weakness of the one who's making the du'a. So he says that, he describes in a very beautiful way, فَيَكُونُ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْقَوْسِ الرِّجْوِ جِدًّا He says, الرِّخْوِ جِدًّا He said that it is like an arrow. And he kind of goes into this example, and he talks about السَّهْم, the arrow, and the way that the arrow comes out. And he says that it could be خُرُوجًا ضَعِيفًا, it could be a weak exit, and it could also be that it is going in the wrong direction. So Shaykh, how do you kind of start with this example of someone shooting an arrow? The du'a is like an arrow, and how do you reflect on this? So, subhanAllah, the first thing Shaykh, in regards to ضَعَفِ الدُّعَاءِ فِي نَفْسِهِ The du'a itself can be actually weak because you're not asking the right thing. You're not asking the right thing. People sometimes they ask for things they're not supposed to be asking for really. And that's why they always say العُدوان, the transgression of the du'a. Like for example, some people insist, Ya Allah, make me marry this person. Talk about romance, right?
Which is like rizq. Romance is like this. Ya Allah, make my rizq to marry this person, right? And they keep insisting on that particular person, even though it was never written to be that person. Instead, they're supposed to be making du'a, Ya Allah, if you know this person to be good for me in this dunya and the akhirah, facilitate that. Make this easy for me. Now given again the decision to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The second thing is that the du'af could be actually du'af al-qalb. Your heart is not there. And I see that a lot, especially after salah when people are making du'a. What do they do? It becomes mechanical. So when they raise their hand, they raise their hand like this and their eyes are all over the place. And you just find them wipe their hands with their face and they just leave. What do they say? If you ask them what kind of du'a they made, they have no clue probably. He says this is an example of the bow when the string is loose. It's not very tight. So if you try to pull the string all the way back right now when it's not that tight, how far that arrow is going to go anyway? Probably going to drop right in front of you. Same thing with the du'a. If you're trying to make a very, very powerful du'a, but with a weak heart, distracted mind, and all that kind of stuff, how far this strong du'a is going to go? Maybe you have that golden arrow in your hand. But if the string is not tight enough to push it and pull it all the way back so it can throw it far, then it's not going to happen. So that's why he says when it comes to making du'a, you're going to have to make sure that you follow basically the etiquette of the answer du'a. And that's, I believe, something that, subhanallah, we don't really pay attention to. We think du'a is just simply by speaking it out. Right. We don't realize it has a specific etiquette. Also, how you ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala what to begin with, when to start making your du'a, in which position you should put yourself. The sense of humbleness and humility, there's so much into making the du'a answered.
And again, it's so much to make that, pulling that string all the way as far as you can before it'll go out. So, subhanallah, one of the things, Shaykh, you mentioned yesterday Ibn al-Qayyim rahimallah coming down to the people, being able to speak the language of the people. One of the things that made him so successful was the amount of visuals he used to employ. And that's something that you find with Imam al-Jawzi, that's something you find with Imam al-Ghazali, that's something you find with Ibn Ata'illah. Like a lot of these scholars that were able to have these powerful sayings that penetrate, they gave you a visual. So this is, I want you to actually entertain this visual as we go through this chapter. So you have something shooting the arrow. So you've got the bow, you've got the arrow. You have the fuel, and you have the direction, the destination, and that which is shooting. So the heart is what is hosting the arrow, right? What is the quality of the heart that is shooting the arrow? The du'a will be shot, the du'a will go up to the heavens. If it's with very little certainty in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, either certainty in his existence, certainty in his plan, pleasure with his plan, then the arrow will shoot up just like, you know, when you misfire it will just shoot and fall after a few feet going up. It's not going to go up there, right? Or is it because there is something that blocks the way? Something that stops it actually from even coming out, right? So imagine if you're shooting something but there's something that's blocking it altogether. So it never even comes out. In fact, it could even harm, right? It could even hit back. Or is it that it's going in the wrong direction and you're not asking for the right thing, you're not shooting in the right place? About maybe harming yourself with that du'a, when you ask to marry that particular person, and then the du'a gets answered, and then you regret it. Some people, they insist on making du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to marry this individual. And Allah will answer their call. So they didn't give Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the decision on it, to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to choose what is best for them.
Instead, they wanted Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give them what they chose for themselves. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala might answer the call for them. And that's why I see a lot of people, they come sometimes, you know, when they complain about their marriage and their spouse, they say, well, I made istikhara. Okay, Allah chose for me. So if Allah chose this person for me, why is it going horrible right now? I said, look, you have to understand that istikhara when you make your du'a. You have to understand. You're only asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to help you make the right decision. He's not making the decision for you. No, you're asking Allah to help you make the right decision. So therefore, it's always, always delegated decision-making in this matter to Allah by saying, Ya Rabbi. And again, from the heart. If you know that this person is the right person for me and is the best person for me, then make it happen. Ya Allah, give me that opportunity somewhere else. So let's continue with the text. He says, وَإِمَّا لِحُصُولِ الْمَانِعِ مِنِ الْإِجَابَةِ So it could be that there is something that is forbidding the answer from happening. مِنْ أَكْلِ الْحَرَامِ وَالظُّلْمِ وَرَيْنِ الذُّنُوبِ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ وَاسْتِيلَاءِ الْغَفْلَةِ وَالشَّهْوَةِ وَاللَّهْوِ وَغَلَبَتِهَا عَلَيْهَا He said that it could be that something is forbidding it from even getting up there in the first place, or something is stopping the answer from happening, either because of the haram that you are consuming, or your transgression, or there could be some staining on the heart, a taint on the heart, that doesn't allow it to move forward, or it could be the prevalence of الْغَفْلَةِ وَالشَّهْوَةِ وَاللَّهْوِ So غفلة is being absent-minded, شهوة is the overbearing nature of desire, so there's a weak connection to Allah, there's a strong connection to desire, and all of that sort of taints the presence of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى in the heart, كَمَا فِي مُسْتَدْرَكِ الْحَاكِمِ مِنْ حَدِيفِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أُدْعُوا اللَّهُ وَأَنتُمُ مُوقِنُونَ بِالْإِجَابَةِ
وَأَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَقْبَلُ دُعَاءً مِنْ قَلْبٍ غَافِرٍ لَاهِلٍ And he says, as is found in the hadith of Abu Huraira رضي الله تعالى عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said, call upon Allah while you are certain in the answer and know that Allah does not accept a supplication from a heart that is absent or busy. So, it's a powerful hadith, Sheikh, and so he says, فَهَذَا دَوَاءٌ نَافِعٌ مُزِيلٌ لِلدَّائِلِ He said, so this is a beneficial cure that removes the disease. But he says, وَلَكِنْ غَفْلَةَ الْقَلْبِ عَنِ اللَّهِ تُبْطِلُ قُوَّتَهُ وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَكْلُ الْحَرَامِ يُبْطِلُ قُوَّتَهُ وَيُضْعِفُهَا This is something that will be lost in the translation. But I'll just quickly make it a point and then we can, inshaAllah, Ta'ala Sheikh, you can share your reflections here. He says that if a person's heart is in ghaflah, it's absent from Allah SWT, it's not present when you're making du'a, then that will diminish the strength. And he says, and also the consumption of haram would diminish the strength and weaken the ask altogether. So those two things are not the same, right? There's a difference between absence and sinfulness. And what Ibn Al-Qayyim is about to go into, is that some du'as are partially answered, especially when you're trying to remove a disease. Some du'as are partially answered. So what's worse, sin or absence? What's worse, ghaflah or sin? Ghaflah or ithim? Absence or sin? Sin is worse, right? Disobedience is worse than absence, but absence is also not enough to have a transformative du'a with Allah SWT. Do you have any comments, sheikh? That reminds me that part of our ibadat, there's an emphasis, sheikh, on mindfulness,
to be present at all times. You can see that in salah, when Allah SWT commands us in salah, not commands, but recommends for us, to be mindful, to be present when you're making your salah. Khutbah al-jum'ah. You're not even making salah, you're listening to the khatib. And you're still required to pay attention, be mindful of the khatib's khutbah, that the Prophet SAW even says, even if you play with the hasa, like you know when you start drawing things on the carpet because the khutbah is boring, like Sheikh Omar, for example. It's the last ten nights, I'm going to let it go. So sometimes you see yourself getting busy and start getting distracted, and your eyes start following all the patterns on the carpet. And eventually, that is now, meaning that your mind is traveling somewhere else. And the Prophet SAW said, if you just mess with the hasa, because back then the masajid were furnished with purples, obviously. So if someone's sitting there, again, absent-minded, and start playing with the hasa, or check your phone, or mess with something, he says, faqad lagha, which means you lost the reward for your khutbah. So being mindful in the moment is extremely, extremely important. So now, when you're going to be asking Allah SWT, imagine you're asking Allah SWT for something so valuable, so important for yourself, for your family, for the loved one that you're asking for, and you're not looking at Allah SWT. Not necessarily physically, but with your heart. Your heart is not looking in the right direction. So if you're going to aim, and your heart is not in the right target, eventually, no matter how strong the pull was, you're going to land in the wrong direction. So it's extremely important to be mindful and present, even if it was for a second. Which is why, subhanAllah, some of the most powerful duas is when the person is in a moment of distress. Because in that moment,
all the distractions are gone. I always tell people, if you want to see how sincere I was with the dua, imagine you've been given this last chance to make that dua. Suddenly, all the other distractions you have in your life become completely irrelevant. And you're only now focusing on this particular issue. Focus there, so you become mindful. Imagine every time you make dua, this is the moment, the golden moment for your dua to be accepted, so you stay present in that moment. So sheikh, subhanAllah, the next sort of phase here in this chapter now, and there's this statement from Abu Dharr that blew my mind, and I want to get to it after the next two narrations. But Ibn al-Qayyim is making a point here, that when you sin, you naturally forget Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on purpose. So it's not like when the consequence of your sin, or when the hardship becomes severe, you suddenly remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You had to have a level of ghaflah in order to commit that dhamm. You had to have a level of forgetfulness of Allah in order to commit that sin. So now when you kind of find yourself in this deep pit of despair, you don't suddenly get a connection to Allah. You're just overwhelmed by the consequence of that despair, and you have to get back to a place of truly remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So he has one really famous hadith here, then he has a narration from Imam Ahmad rahimallah. So the famous narration, he mentions the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ that a person is out in the desert, Ash'ath Akbar, right, who's sort of disheveled, covered in dirt. يَمُدُّ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ And he raises his hands to the sky, and he says, يَا رَبْ يَا رَبْ O my Lord, O my Lord. وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ وَغُذِيَ بِالْحَرَامُ فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُ أَوْ لِذَلِكُ So this person, his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothes are haram, he's nourished in haram. Everything about your appearance,
everything about your inside, all of it is displeasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You earn haram, you walk haram, you eat haram, you dress haram, and then you call out to Allah and you say, Oh Allah, why aren't you listening to me? فَأَنَّى يُسْتَجَابُ لَهُ Like on what basis? And this is where the scholars of Tazkiyah mention that to Allah belongs the greatest example, but do not task Allah with what you wouldn't do yourself. Meaning what? Someone insults you day and night, someone ignores your orders day and night, especially when you provide for that person. Your kid, your child does everything that you tell them not to do over and over and over again, year in, year out. And then they hit a roadblock and they come back to you and they say, come on, come on, come on. And it's like, on what basis should you be responded to? And Sheikh, if you don't mind, I'm just going to read the next narration. You want to talk about it? I want to comment on this one because this is very ironic over here, is that people who live a sinful life and then they dare even, the audacity to go and ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to answer their call. Like I said, when you make your dua, you have to be present. And you have to present your heart to Allah azza wa jal. If your heart is not even there to begin with, only know Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for your own desires. And that reminds me, which is why I was smiling actually, a famous Arab dancer, she was once asked how she became so famous, like this, like, you know, very professional, this, whatever. In her field of dancing and so on, without mentioning what type of dancing. So the funny thing, she goes, because every time before she goes on the stage, she actually has that moment in the backstage, and she connects and she makes dua and she reads the three quads and she goes up on the stage. So I'm just like, subhanallah. The inspiration, I don't know, man. The delusion,
which is something we're going to talk about tomorrow, inshallah, tabaraka wa ta'ala. Those are so deceived by this dunya, that delusion that people live, thinking that this ease in their life is because Allah's answering their call for success. Not knowing that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, inna allaha layumli lil-dhalimi hatta idha akhadahu lam yuflit. Allah will give and give for those who are transgressing because they chose this path, and if that's what decision you're making, Allah's going to facilitate that for you. But when the time to meet your Lord and the time for a swift punishment comes, it comes so quickly. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from that moment. And there's a community impact to this, too. So that's the individual. And he says, And by the way, Ibn al-Qayyim quotes a lot from Kitab al-Zuhd from Imam Ahmed rahimahullah ta'ala, the book of Asceticism. It's a powerful, long book of narrations. So he quotes here a narration. So they all went out. So they all went out to a plain. They all went outside and they all made a du'a, a collective du'a. So you think about the individual in the desert and now think about a group of people in a desert all calling out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So Allah revealed to the prophets of their time, You come out to this valley and you are with bodies covered in filth. And you raise your hands to me that you spilled blood with. And then you filled with those hands your homes with that which was forbidden. Now, after my anger became too severe for you, now you come back. Now you come and you call upon me in this situation. SubhanAllah.
The only thing you will increase with me is distance. Because you're not coming back to Allah. You're coming to get your fix. It's a difference. Some people call out to Allah in desperation, in tawbah, in repentance. Some people call out to Allah in desperation for their next fix. My drug ran out, I need more. Not because of sincerely turning back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It's a difference between the man in the story of Musa Alayhi Salaam, who repented after rain was forbidden to Bani Israel, who repented privately to Allah. He came back to Allah for Allah. Some people turn back to Allah for the next fix. Things are really going bad for me and that's why I'm turning back to you in this regard. Sheikh, do you have any comments on this narration? SubhanAllah, I mean, Nabi salallahu alayhi wa sallam, as a matter of fact, when it comes to answering the dua for these people, even sometimes Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala shows sincerity from people who are very pure. Since we talk about Bani Israel, actually, Suleiman Alayhi Salaam, in the narration, Suleiman Alayhi Salaam took the people out, Bani Israel, outside to pray and do istisqa, like asking for the rain. And the story says that on the way out there, he saw an ant on its back and raising all its legs to the sky and making dua to Allah for the rain. Even the animals were affected by our disobedience and they were deprived of the rain. So the ants were asking, Ya Rabb, what about us? So Musa Alayhi Salaam told the people, let's go back home. You're going to get the rain because someone else is making dua on your behalf. So yeah, sometimes, subhanAllah, the purity of the animals can bring much more khayr than sometimes people with so much najas, as was mentioned in this narration. JazakAllah khair. So now is the statement from Abu Dharr. I want you to memorize this statement. You don't have to memorize it in Arabic. But the lesson from this statement
is a paradigm shift in how most Muslims approach dua. Okay? So he says, وَقَالَ أَبُو ذَرَّ رضي الله تعالى عنه يَكْفِي مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ مَعَ الْبِرِّ مَا يَكْفِي الطَّعَامَ مِنَ الْمِلْحِ That there is enough of dua or it is sufficient to make enough dua with your good deeds as it is to put salt on your food. It is sufficient enough. There is enough dua. The only amount of dua that's needed for your good deeds is the amount of salt that's needed for your food. What does that statement mean? This is one of the most profound statements of the sahabah in regards to dua. And I'm telling you it's a paradigm shift. Pay attention to what he's saying, رضي الله تعالى عنه. What he's saying is, is that if you pursue righteousness, الله يتولى الصالحين Allah takes care of the righteous. And Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says about the believers, كان حقاً على الله that it is a right upon Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la نصر المؤمنين to support the believers and give them victory. And that the difference between the companions and those that came after, the companions pursued good deeds the way we pursue the magical dua. Meaning what? When you are in a state of righteousness, Allah is watching your back already. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is fulfilling your needs already. Allah Azawajal is causing the decree to be in your favor already. Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la everything as Ibn Qayyim Rahimullah said, to conspire in your favor. When you are in a state of righteousness, to where even the things you don't make dua for will be good for you. And the example, by the way, is Maryam Alayhi Salaam, right? Maryam didn't ask Allah for Isa Alayhi Salaam, she didn't ask Allah for a child. She was in Masjid Al-Aqsa, may Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la liberate it, Allahumma ameen. She was in Masjid Al-Aqsa making dua, praying to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, then went out as she usually would to remember Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la at a certain time of the month. And then Allah Azawajal sent her the bushra, the glad times of Isa Alayhi Salaam, and it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened for her. Why? Was it because of a dua that she made? No, it was because of her birr, it was because of her righteousness.
Now she thought in the moment, this is terrible, right? يَا لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَنْسِيًا مِتُ قَبْلَ هَذَا وَكُنْتُ نَسْيًا مَنْسِيًا I wish I would have died and been completely forgotten. But when you're in a state of good deeds, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is decreeing in your favor, is saying that what I see is you guys are putting too much salt and not enough food. The sahabah asked the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam for a dua here and there, give me a dua, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam gave them a few words. They said, alright. And then they lived their lives with اللَّهُ مَهْدِنِي وَسَدِّدْنِي Right? اللَّهُ مَغْفِرْ لِي Like these small duas, not these long elaborate poetic duas. Small duas, and they went out and searched for the best way to be pleasing to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, knowing that if they acted in what Allah Azawajal commanded them to act in, everything will be in their favor. And the small duas are enough. Whereas the people that came after Abu Dharr is saying, رضي الله تعالى عنه, they're always asking for, do you have like a dua that can get me out of this situation? Do you have a dua that can get me here? Do you have a dua I can make for this? That's not what this deen is. This deen is not following the duas. This deen is following the roadmap of deeds that are pleasing to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. And if you please Allah, He will please you. So it's a paradigm shift in how we approach dua altogether. We look for the exotic spices, Shaykh, like the long poetic dua, you know, like the molduat, the fabricated duas, these long duas. We look for the spices. But Abu Dharr is saying the food is the righteousness. The food is the deeds of obedience to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. JazakAllah khair, Shaykh. I have actually a few things to reflect on this one. Number one is from him saying that الدعاء يكفي من الدعاء مع البر meaning you need to be righteous so that little dua can make miracles for you. Now that's very important over here because we understand that the sahaba, they don't only make dua in time of crisis. People, they think that dua is only needed in distress. They don't realize that dua is an act of ibadah in itself. We talked about this before.
الدعاء itself is the ibadah. As the Prophet ﷺ said, قَالَ الدُّعَاءَ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةَ Why? Because the essence of worshiping Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la comes into the dua. Why? Because when you worship Allah Azza wa Jal, what exactly are you admitting over here? Your need for Him, your weakness, your dependence on Him. All these things need to be displayed in order for you to be a true believer and a true worshiper of Allah Azza wa Jal. الدعاء displays all of this because when you ask Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, you're already saying you're not independent. You still believe that you're still poor and in need of His grace and His blessing. No matter how strong, how rich, how powerful you are, when you make your dua to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, you're still telling Him, Ya Rabbi, I'm in need of You. So even if you're wealthy, you're healthy, you're strong, and there is absolutely no need for you to make dua out of distress or out of crisis. You still need to make dua to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. So that's the first thing we need to understand that dua doesn't mean you just make dua only when you are in distress or in a moment of crisis. No, not necessarily. You make dua in all your aspects of your life. That's the first thing. The second thing, in regards to birr, what kind of birr, what kind of good deeds that will make my dua mustajab? Now, there are a few things. There's this beautiful hadith when Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas came to the Prophet ﷺ, and he asked Rasulullah ﷺ, how can I make my dua being mustajab? All was answered. Qal ya Sa'd, atib mat'amak taku mustajab al-da'wah. Make sure that you eat halal, which means you consume halal, just like was mentioned by Abu Huraira earlier. You make sure that your provision is halal, your dua will be on spot. You'll be answered right away. So that's one act, to observe what you consume and so on. But more powerful than this, Shaykh, what was mentioned in Surat al-Anbiya. So Allah ﷻ, and actually we covered this in one of the khatirs after Asr, the dua of the Qur'an.
So Allah ﷻ in Surat al-Anbiya brings us the example of four prophets. Each one of them made dua, and Allah ﷻ answered by saying, fastajabna lah. The first was Nuh ﷺ. He made dua, and Allah says, fastajabna lah. And we answered his call, his prayer. The second was Ayyub. He also said the same thing. He made dua, and Allah says, fastajabna lah. We answered his call. Then was Yunus, the noon. And he also made the dua, and Allah says, fastajabna lah. We answered his call. And then Zakariya. Ask Allah for a child. And Allah says, fastajabna lah. The word fastajabna, fastajabna, which means we answered their prayers, we answered their call. The article fa at the beginning of the word fastajabna, that actually means it was swift. Meaning he barely finished his dua, the answer was already there. Allah ﷻ told us after that, he says why he answered their prayers so swiftly. He gave them three qualities. I want you guys to memorize these three qualities so you can make your dua answered swiftly. Qal innahum kani yusari'una fil khairat. Wa ad'unana raghaban warahaba. Wa kanu lana khashi'een. So three qualities. Innahum kani yusari'una fil khairat. They always rush and race to do good deeds. Like they don't wait for the season. They make all their life a season of ibadah. They're always looking for opportunities of khair. Salah, ta'a, ibadah, giving, charity, da'wah, smiling in the face of other people, helping other people. In every single opportunity, they're looking for somewhere where they can make it an act of good deeds. So yusari'una fil khairat. Always rush to do good deeds. They're not lazy. They're not always looking for excuses like nowadays Allah ﷻ. People, they come to you and they ask you, what's the ruling on this? You say it's wajib.
And they say, is it wajib wajib or is it mustahab? Or haram? Is it haram or haram haram or haram? We always try to look for an excuse, look for exit. But here now Allah ﷻ says yusari'una fil khairat. Second thing He says, wa yad'unana raghaban warahaba. They're calling Allah ﷻ out of fear and out of hope. Which means they don't have to be in a moment of distress to make du'a. Even when they're in the best way in their life, they're still making du'a to Allah ﷻ. All the time. So the du'a is part of their nature, part of their life, all the time. And it's always sincere. And the last one, qal, wakanulana khashi'een. And they do so with complete humbleness and humility. Which means when Allah described ibadur Rahman, the first quality He said about them, wa ibadur Rahman and the servant of the Most Merciful, He says what? yamshoona alal ardi hauna. When they walk on earth, they walk with humbleness and humility. So those three qualities are very important for your du'a to be answered and answered swiftly. You always look for opportunities of khair to participate in. You make du'a day and night regardless of the circumstances. Even if there is no moment of distress or there's no difficulty that you go through, you have to make du'a for, you're still making du'a to Allah ﷻ. And the third one, you're always humble. You're showing humility to Allah ﷻ and to His creation. JazakAllah khair, Sheikh. By the way, just a quick point, I think. It might get lost as we're kind of going over it. But when the ahadith mention his food is haram, his food is haram, his food is haram, sustenance is haram, they're not talking about halal, dabiha and hand slaughtered, machine slaughtered. What are they talking about? Your money. They're talking about your money. They're talking about what you feed yourself with. That's the primary implication that the ahadith will mention. And how many people enter into their money some riba, some usury,
some haram elements, or they had a dispute with someone and they took more than what they actually deserved in that dispute. They entered that haram money. So that's the idwan, that's the transgression in your wealth that Allah is mentioning, right? That there's something haram about your income. And so people don't pay attention to their haram income. But that's the number one reason that keeps on getting mentioned for why du'a is not getting answered, by the way. SubhanAllah, is the halal nature of your income. Obviously, eat halal too and all that stuff. I'm saying that the number one implication, though, is what is the income and the source of your income. May Allah Azawajal grant us halal income. Allahumma ameen. I think next, tomorrow inshaAllah as well, probably he's going to allude to the subject, which is basically one of the things that people are deceived by in their lives when it comes to why the du'a is not answered, really. They think Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala is always because He's ghafoor raheem. So it's okay if you cross the line here and there because Allah is still ghafoor raheem. JazakAllah khair, Shaykh. I want to hit just two more quick sections, inshaAllah, and have your commentary on it. He says, let's go down to ad-du'a min anfa'il adwiya. He says that du'a is from the most beneficial of medicines. And then he mentions that it is adu al-bala. So it's the enemy of trial. It does away with trial. yadfa'uhu wa yu'alijuhu wa yamna'un nuzulahu. Right? It fights it. It pushes it away. It stops it from coming in the first place sometimes. And it alleviates it from you. aw yukhaffifuhu or sometimes it lightens the burden of the trial, idha nazal. wahuwa silaahul mu'min And it is the weapon of the believer. And he mentions the hadith of the Prophet SAW in al-Hakim, ad-du'a ussilaahul mu'min wa imadu al-deen wa nuru al-samawati wal-ard. Right? So it's the weapon of the believer. It is the foundation of the religion. It is the light of the heavens and the earth. And then he says, liddu'a ma'al bala'i maqamat. But there are stations of your du'a with your trial. Now when you think about a disease and its cure,
okay, some medicines cure you altogether. Some medicines heal you partially. Some of them deal with the symptoms. Right? And some of them fail altogether. Right? And a lot of times that depends on the state of the body physically. Right? The receiver. Right? It's not necessarily the potency of the medicine. It's about the receiver. So he mentions these three stages of du'a and bala'a. He says, ahaduha, that one of the reasons, an yakuna aqwa minal bala'a. That the du'a is stronger than the trial, and so it does away with it. Then the second one he mentions, that it is weaker than the trial. The du'a is weaker than the trial. fayusabu bihi al-abd walakin qad yukhaffifuhu wa in kana da'ifa. But perhaps the du'a lightens the pain of that trial, even if it doesn't remove it altogether. And then the third one he mentions, is that the du'a and the trial basically offset one another, and nothing comes out of it. So Shaykh, what is this idea of du'a and the trial, and the levels here that he's talking about? Shaykh, just like I said, I've come to the medicine, and we mentioned last night, and even with the Quran, with the ruqya. In order for the ruqya to be effective, there are three conditions that have to be available as well too. That the place, the recipient, should be a place where that ruqya will be beneficial. So the same thing, if someone, his life is all haram and so on, so no matter how much du'a they're making, the place is not a place where the du'a will be effective on it anyway. Also, that the person who's making the du'a, you have to have the complete conviction when you make du'a, that Allah will answer the call. Instead of making the du'a once and saying, Ya Allah, if it happens, it happens. Which is another chapter that actually in the book, that says about being consistent and insisting on the du'a. Why? Because it's my need. I need Allah to fulfill this need for me,
so I keep persistent, and I keep knocking on this door as much as I can until it opens. So here, he says that in order for the du'a to be powerful, you have to also take into consideration the circumstances. The circumstances that make this du'a acceptable, and Allah will answer the call for it. So it's not just about, like you said, have mashallah poetic du'a, beautiful and long and emotional, and people cry because it sounds so amazing. But then what is really the effect of that du'a on the heart? How the mind is focusing on the need, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, not the emotional high. There is so much need to be taken into consideration for the du'a to be powerful and defeat that du'a and that trial. May Allah bless you, Sheikh. So actually, we'll go to that section just quickly, the hadith of Tawban, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet SAW said, لا يرد القدر إلا الدعاء ولا يزيد في العمر إلا البر وإن الرجل لا يحرم الرزق بالذنب يصيبه That nothing changes the decree except for du'a. ولا يزيد في العمر Nothing extends a person's life like good deeds, and a person will be forbidden from sustenance because of a sin that they commit. It's a hadith, by the way. I want to make this note because it was actually in today's episode of the Ramadan series. The hadith has a weakness in its chain, but the scholars still cite it because the meaning is an authentically established meaning. So the hadith technically is la'if, but it's an established meaning throughout many texts. I want to share, just clarify one thing about this hadith as well, too. The people say, how could al-Qadr be defeated by the du'a? Look, we're being altered and changed. Although it's already been written. Well, again, we said it in one of those discussions is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knew by his ultimate supreme knowledge that one day you will make a du'a and that du'a will have become the cause for a decree that was supposed to be written for you to be altered in your favor
because Allah knew you're going to be making that du'a. Now, I don't know those moments, but Allah knows about these moments. So therefore, I just need to do everything in my power to make sure that the qadr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will be in my favor by doing my part. And if part of altering a du'a, a qadr in the future, we make a du'a today, I'll make the du'a today. Hopefully that Allah will write that change for me from before and it's already written in my favor now. So the next chapter that we'll go to is baab al-ilhaah fi du'a. Ilhaah, by the way, is not a word you can translate in one word. So ilhaah means consistency, like you keep on repeating. So you're insisting that you keep on making the same du'a over and over again, which reflects your good opinion of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and it also talks about the earnest nature of the sincerity of that du'a. So it's a person who really exerts themselves in du'a. They believe in their du'a and so they repeat it and they don't give up on it. Of course, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mentioned and we talked about this last year in some detail in Uddatus Sabireen, by the way, that Allah will answer a du'a so long as a person does not say that I made du'a, da'utu wa da'utu, I made du'a and Allah did not answer me. So this is the opposite of that. And he cites some hadith from the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, one hadith, man nam yas'alil la yaghdalu alayh, that whoever does not ask Allah, Allah becomes angry with that person. In another hadith, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam... That's of course opposite to human beings, yeah. Right. Human beings, if you keep asking them, they get upset with you, right? Right. So when your spouse keeps telling you, did you do this? Did you go there? Did you bring this issue? And then you just get upset. And did you bring this for me? But Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, if you don't ask him, he gets upset with you. Right, subhanAllah. So as Sheikh Hatim al-Hajj, hafidhullah, put it beautifully one time, he said, Allah is always capable and willing. And you never find those two qualities in a human being,
that they're both always capable and always willing to help you. Allah is always both capable and willing. And that was his sharaf of muqtasir min hajj al-qasideen. So the hadith, whoever does not ask Allah, Allah becomes angry with them. In another hadith, the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says, لا تعجز في الدعاء فإنه لا يهلك مع الدعاء أحد. Do not become incapable with your du'a because no one becomes destroyed as a result of their making du'a. Or bad things don't come to a person as a result of their making du'a. And then he mentions another narration from al-Awza'i, al-Zuhri, al-Urwa, al-A'isha radiyallahu anha, قالت قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن الله يحب الملحين في الدعاء. That verily Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la loves those people who again insist on their du'a. And then finally, a visual. I love this visual, subhanAllah. Again, وفي كتاب الزهد للإمام أحمد رضي الله تعالى عنه عن قتادة قال مورق رضي الله تعالى عنه ما وجدت للمؤمن مثلا إلا رجل في البحر على خشبه. فهو يدعو يا رب يا رب لعل الله عز وجل أن ينجيه. He said that I have not found an example that describes the affair of the believer more than this person. So he said a person, رجل في البحر على خشبه. Imagine that you're in an ocean and you found a piece of wood and you're holding on to that wood and you're calling out يا رب يا رب my Lord my Lord knowing that it's only your Lord who can save you. So this is the constant state of the believer that this dunya is like an ocean that you can drown in and you're holding on to that piece of wood and you don't stop saying يا رب يا رب oh my Lord oh my Lord while still doing the things that are necessary to survive drowning in this dunya. Sheikh, what do you have to share with us? Allah, I'm thinking about them or they're getting scared
just thinking about it subhanAllah. And I think of myself in the middle of the ocean holding that log dearly to your life. I think that what he means by this example as well is that look, how often do you think this person will be making du'a in that moment? How regular? How consistent? Would he ever even feel bored making that du'a? He might get tired. But would he even stop? Also, when he's making du'a, is he going to be looking at the fish around him and look at all the beautiful mashaAllah sunset in that moment? Is his mind going to be to enjoy the scenery while he's actually in that moment? Of course not. Nothing will distract his heart from the crisis that he's in. And he says basically your life in this dunya should always feel like you're in constant moment of crisis. Why is that? Because I'm not maybe doing enough to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Maybe I messed up on this one. I probably need to do istighfar for this one. Like I always put myself in terms of myself with su'ud dhan. I have bad assumption about myself, but I have good assumption about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So I think somebody in this situation, Sheikh, their heart is in the right place. Their mind is so focused. The pleasure of the dunya that they had is all gone right now. So nothing really distracts him in that moment. So therefore when they make du'a, it's powerful. It's really powerful. It's coming from excessive need. And he's just basically saying that whenever you make du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, you have to express that. That you have to have that visual in your mind. Like when I make my du'a, I know no one in this situation will be able to provide help for me except Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I can't call anybody. I can't yell at anybody. Nothing. It's from Allah azza wa jal. So that's why you focus all your energy on Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when you make that du'a. JazakAllah khair, Sheikh. I know we want to go to questions. I just want to mention one more point
from the chapter of dhruf al-du'a. Dhruf al-du'a, the circumstances of the du'a, of the supplication. And he mentions, I'm just going to summarize because it's so long. But he says, وَكَثِيرًا مَا تَجِدُوا that a lot of times what you find is that a person made a du'a. فَاسْتُجِيبَ لَهُمْ And Allah azza wa jal answered that person's du'a. And that person was in deep distress. Right? But what perceived... What preceded that du'a, what preceded that circumstance of distress may have been اقبال على الله, that person coming close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. أو حسنة تقدمت منه Or a good deed that preceded that moment of distress. So like you're in a desperate situation and the hardship is really, really overwhelming. And then you call out to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala answers that du'a. So he says, فَيَظُنَّ الظَّانُ أنَّ السِّرَّ فِي لَفْذِ ذَٰلِكَ الْدُّعَاءِ And that person might think that the secret to his du'a being answered in that moment was in the wording that he used. Not recognizing that it was actually a good deed that he did a long time ago. Or some form of bir, some form of righteousness that he did years and years and years ago. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala plugged it in and then put it back in for him at that moment. But you're sitting there and you're attributing the answer of your du'a to this, I made this du'a and it was amazing, right? The wording of the du'a maybe. And he gives the example, he says that it's just like medicine. It's just like when a sick person comes to a doctor. It might be, what do they call it? Pre-existing health conditions? That there's something that preceded either in your favor or to your detriment that affects the medicine that's going to then be put into your body. And he's saying the medicine is the bir.
The medicine is the goodness that preceded that moment of du'a. And that is the true du'a, that is the true cure and medicine. Not the utterance of that du'a with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Shaykh, do you have any comments on that? SubhanAllah, I can't forget that du'a from this very simple person when he was making du'a in Mecca. That shows us that subhanAllah, the power of the du'a is not in the wording. Like I have a lot of people come to me and ask me, Shaykh, what du'a should I make in this moment? I want to make this du'a. I say, what kind of du'a should I say? I say, the one that comes from the heart. The most powerful du'a that you pronounce is the one that really comes from the heart. It doesn't matter how fancy, poetic it sounds. It actually, as long as it comes from the heart, it doesn't matter how you say it. So one of those du'as that I keep remembering, so I read about it, is one of those simple people. Usually, of course, the Egyptians, the people of Nuqta, the joker in this mind. So he was making tawaf, or he was in Arafah. And he was saying, Which means, my lord, you know. Like you know me, you know what I'm looking for, what I'm asking for. And I know that you know what I really need from you. So there's no need for me to blabber anymore. So it's like the opposite of the, it's like the opposite of like desi spices. It's like you say, Egyptian food's bland, you know, if there isn't enough salt on it. So the Egyptians basically just put a little bit of that salt on it. And the du'a is just coming from the heart. So wallahi, you know what, this is a very powerful du'a, wallahi. I mean, we laugh at it. But sincerely, if you know this person's level of education, a very simple person. He wants to make du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But what kind of du'a he's making really, it's not really about the words. It's about the yaqeen, that this person is showing so much certainty in his heart that he says, Ya Rabb, I know. I don't even have to say it, because I know that you know it.
So I don't want to waste my time mentioning it to you, because I know you can read my heart. So that's kind of the gist of the du'a. And subhanAllah, no matter how simple that du'a is, but it's one of the most powerful things. So brothers and sisters, when you make du'a, stop trying to quote and copy some of the famous du'as that you hear on the internet. Just say it in your own words. As long as it comes from the heart, that is the most powerful du'a you can pronounce. Sheikh, 30 seconds. I just have to, I'm not even going to read the Arabic. Al-Qayyim rahimahullah says, there are, he literally uses the word, he said there are dumb people with du'a, there are smart people with du'a, and there are smarter people with du'a. Qayyis wal aqis, right? A smart person and a smarter person. He said the dumb one is the one who says, there is no worship in du'a and there is no effect in my life anyway. So what's the point of making du'a? It doesn't, there's no benefit in and of itself and it doesn't have any effect on me. He said the smart person, Qayyis, is the one who says that the du'a in and of itself is ibadah, like it's worship, it's a conversation with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So even if it affects nothing in my life, if nothing's going to come out of it except that I got to talk to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and I got the reward of being in that state of conversation with Allah and that ta'alluq bi'Allah, that connection to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that was deeply missing, alhamdulillah, you know. And you know, there's the narration, you know, and I mentioned this in the series, subhanAllah, where the angels, they hear a voice that's not familiar. And you think about this in the last 10 nights, and they hear someone saying Allahumma, Allahumma, and they say, sultun ghair ma'roof, that's an unfamiliar voice. So we're not going to go intercede for that person. But if it's a person that makes du'a frequently, they'll say, sultun ma'roof, that's a familiar voice in the heavens. Let's go ask Allah on his behalf as well. Let's intercede on behalf of that person. So he says, the smart person says, even if I get nothing out of it except for the ability to talk to Allah, alhamdulillah. And he said, the smarter person or the smartest person
is someone who says the pure worship is the best part of it. And even if I cannot perceive the effect of that du'a, every du'a has a material effect as well in regards to the talab, in regards to what I'm asking. And they're content with that. So they're pleased with the conversation, they're pleased with the effect, even if they don't feel the effect or the impact at all. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us from the smartest group. Allahumma yameen. Bismillah, so we have actually, one single question just came into the system here. So I don't know if actually, if not refreshed, or if we need to put the QR code now on the screen for those who would like to ask the questions, please do so, you can scan it inshallah, send your question. If you're asking from somewhere outside of Texas, please let us know where you're calling from, where you're sending your question from, which place, which country, which state and so on. You want to ask Mufti here? Mufti Abdul Wahab, are you in the building? I see Turban somewhere. Oh, there's a Turban, Fadl Sheikh. Is it this? Chair is for you. That's not him. Is it? He's on the side. He's right there. Who is he? Oh, how did he come from here? I saw him sitting there. He came into the, he's not as high, and he just kind of floated in. Allahu Akbar. Ahlul Khatwa, mashaAllah. Hayyakumullah, wa alaikumussalam. Wa alaikumussalam. Wa alaikumussalam. Wa alaikumussalam. Wa alaikumussalam. Wa alaikumussalam. Wa alaikumussalam. Jazakallah khair, hayyakallah. So inshallah, we're talking about a du'a, in general, inshallah, wa ta'ala. So we have questions here. We would like to see your input as well to Ibn Allah Azawajal. By the way, a request from the brothers as they were sending their questions, inshallah. Please don't send me an essay. Like, literally half a page, mashaAllah. I can't read this, man. I mean, just give me just one line about your need, inshallah, make the du'a, make your question like the du'a. Powerful to the point, inshallah, Azawajal. You're not Ibn al-Khayyam, is what he's trying to say. Like, you don't get to write a book because you have a question. Shaykh, the first question.
Unlike conditions that clearly disapprove a negative supplication, does one have to worry about those same conditions even if the supplication is positive due to qadr? I'm not sure if I understand the question even, actually. Say it one more time. Unlike conditions that clearly disapprove a negative supplication, does one have to worry about those same conditions even if the supplication is positive due to a qadr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? Is it clear? Not to me. Is it clear to you? I think the questioner is far more intelligent than the ones who are answering the questions. These are high level. What is the questioner's knowledge of the question? If I may ask the person to reword your question so we can at least see, inshallah, what does it mean, biddenillah, azawajal. The questioner, he said, I think my income, someone says, I think my income might be haram. How do I know if my dua are getting rejected? And if I have only been making dua for the akhira? And if my life is going well so far, how do I know that my dua is not being actually rejected? My life is doing great? Alhamdulillah, rabbi ameen. Mufti, actually give some introductory remarks and then also answer the question, inshallah. On the subject of dua, bismillah. The floor is yours, but don't do your 10-minute bayan 20 minutes later. Keep it simple. I didn't realize the sheikh in Dallas got really humorous ever since I left. But may Allah bless you, Sheikh Omar and Sheikh Yasef. May Allah bless your community. May Allah bless the great work that you all are doing. It's always amazing to be back in your masjid and your community. That question, as an outsider, I don't know if I have the right to answer as much. But just in some introductory remarks about the beautiful topic of dua, normally in life, one of the strongest sources that we seek strength from is our affiliations. And the stronger our affiliations, the more comfortable we feel through the ups and downs of life because we have affiliations. And we rely upon them. And the stronger they are, the more honorable we feel,
the more present we feel, the more able we feel. أَنَا أَكْثَرُ مِنْ كَمَالٍ وَعَزُّ نَفَرًۭ Like I have a better affiliation than someone else. And when those affiliations are stripped away from a person, they feel somewhat limited because they relied upon them. The most powerful, enabling, honorable affiliation is to be the عَبْد or أَمَّة of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Is to be recognized as a slave of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because that allows us to have access to all the treasures of Allah. And the moment we have access to the treasures of Allah, then in any moment we can turn towards Him and feel that that nearness that He has given us as a default is readily available for us. So one could say, then why are my du'as not being answered? The words are not the focus, neither is the person the focus. Allah remains the same, the process remains the same. All that has changed is the conviction through which a person is asking. Because there was a time when the entirety of the world turned towards Zakariya a.s. And they said to him, why do you keep asking for a child? You've nearly hit the mark of a hundred. How do you even fathom the thought that you may be gifted a blessing of a child? You don't have the ability of getting a child. Many people may be sitting here hoping that Allah gifts them with a beautiful son or daughter. And people around them have said yes or no. First of all, نحن قسمنا بينهما عيشتهم في الحياة الدنيا Only we distribute the blessings of this world. Nobody else has access to the domain of Allah except for Allah Himself. إذا سألت فاسأل الله When we ask Allah as a third option, then the response is also reciprocal. And when we turn towards Allah as a primary option, then know that the response will also be the same. This is why the certain people whose du'as are always accepted,
amongst them is an oppressed person. Because they don't make du'a to Allah as a third option. They make du'a with their backs against the wall. أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُطَّرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ And when they call upon Allah since their backs are against the wall, there's an instantaneous response. Zakariya a.s. said to the people around him, I was never asking for your opinion. يَرِثُنِي وَيَرِثُ مِنْ آلِيَ عَقُوبُ I'm asking Allah. And the response came, فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ وَهَبَنَا لَهُ يَحْيَةً وَأَصْلَحْنَا لَهُ زَوْجًا He was given Yahya. The world came to Ya'qub and said to him, stop speaking about Yusuf. That is a chapter that has been closed. That ship has far sailed. Why you keep speaking about Yusuf for? تَلَّهِ تَفْتَعُ تَذْكُرُ يُسُفٍ حَتَّى تَكُونَ حَرَضًا أَوْ تَكُونَ مِنَ الْهَالِكِينَ You keep speaking about him and you'll continue talking about him until you die and perish. And he said, I was never asking you anyways. So your applause or your lack of applause does not deter me. إِنَّمَا أَشْكُوا بَثِّي وَحُزْنِي إِلَى اللَّهِ My affiliation remains with Allah SWT and Allah gave him his son back. They came to Musa A.S. and they said to him, there is an ocean in front of us ready to drown us. And there is the army of Fir'aun behind us ready to destroy us. And they all looked upon Musa and said, إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ As we say today, whenever one of us go through a difficulty, a trial, a tribulation, a loss of a loved one, that sentiment is extremely real that we're done. Like this ain't gonna work anymore. We are finished. My dear brothers and sisters, the reality is when everything is working, it's not working because of us anyways. It's working despite of us. It's not working due to our presence, it's working despite our presence. Because for Allah, our presence, being there or not being there doesn't make a difference to the domain of this world and to the realm of Allah SWT. So they said to him, إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ
We're done. And he said, well, not really because إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينَ Allah is with me and He'll guide me. And that same ocean that was supposed to drown them became a gateway of their relief and their support. Divine intervention is hidden within those moments that we speak to Allah alone. Miracles can take place because we learn how to speak to Allah SWT. We can never gauge a relationship with a friend when we're in groups with people. We can simply cultivate them but we can't really gauge them. This is why when you go for an interview, it's a one-on-one interview because it's an important moment for the person interviewing you. When you go for a rishda, you guys know what a rishda is here? You know what a rishda is, sheikh? You're a pious people here. I know what it is. You know, rishda. I won't break into any, you know, not through any poem right now about rishdas. It's too romantic, it's pious night. But rishdas are proposals. When you go for a proposal, you don't want that khala, the grandmother, the grandfather all sitting next to you while you're asking questions. Your questions remain, okay, so what's your favorite color, right? What's your favorite meal? But you really want to ask deeper questions but you can't because everyone's around. You can't really gauge a relationship when you're always with people. That same group of people that you thought you were close to, now you drive a six-hour drive with one of them, just one of them. And, hey, what's your name again? Say, hey, cool, what do you like? Okay, cool. Man, let's put the nasheeds on. I think it's a good idea because that conversation isn't really going anywhere. Now you realize, I wasn't really that close to you. The best way to gauge this relationship is to spend time with Allah alone. And then we call towards Allah alone even if we don't say a single word. Being present in that moment is enough for Allah to hear our du'as and respond to our du'as. The condition isn't our spirituality per se even. The condition is the conviction
through which we make our du'as because sinners who made du'a, their du'as were accepted. Sinners who sinned their entire life but the moment they changed their life, that conviction was such that Allah brought rain from the heavens like the story of Bani Israel and many other stories as well. So the limited remarks, they told me that I only have like two and a half minutes. So, right, three minutes because I'm from Michigan. People don't respect, these people don't respect us because we're outsiders. So it's okay. We don't mind. But I'm just looking, guys, Miller, Worthy, these amazing mashayekh. But in conclusion, the idea should always be. There was a question there too, by the way. Which one? He asked you a question, Shaykh. The question, the answer to the question is truly, just make du'a, brothers and sisters. Make du'a. Allah, give me halal rizq. Ya Allah, I think it's haram. Make me think it's halal. And just keep going at it. Subhanallah, I was going through a lot of these questions to group them into simple questions together, inshallah, ta'ala. But I just couldn't help, subhanallah, see that our audience who are watching live right now, this is from all over the world. So there's salam going to you specifically coming from Niger, Africa. Masha'Allah, from Gambia. We have people from. The Gambia, Shaykh. You can't say Gambia, you have to say The Gambia. The Gambia, radiallahu ank. Masha'Allah. We have people, masha'Allah, from Europe, from Asia, from Hyderabad, India, again, masha'Allah. From all over the place, they're saying salam to all of you. May Allah bless you, Rabb al-alameen. So I'm grouping some of the questions that came, actually, to me, inshallah, ta'ala, here. Some people, they're still asking about the whole concept of al-Qadr. Would come to al-Qadr. How come you say that if it's, like, for example, changing about the Qadr for the future, if it's already been written, such as marrying somebody. So why can't I just make that du'a, I mean, and keep doing with it?
So, subhanAllah, the Qadr is written in different ways. And actually, I'm gonna give a specific example to the last 10 nights, inshallah, ta'ala, because it's very important. There's the Qadr of al-Lawh al-Mahfuz. Allah azza wa jalla has written what is, what would have been, what would be, what will become, everything. Past, present, future, because Allah's knowledge is all-encompassing. Allah is not subjected to your past, present, future. So al-Lawh al-Mahfuz takes into consideration all the contingencies and things that happened and what would have been your Qadr, and then what ends up becoming your Qadr because of a du'a that you made or a different path that you take. Now, all of the other writings, there's the writing in the womb, before you're even born. The greatest writing of Qadr that exists after the writing in the womb is the writing on Laylat al-Qadr for the next year to come. Now, here's the thing. Of all of the writings that have happened, this is the first time that there is a connection between your du'a and the writing. Meaning, in these 10 nights, in one of these 10 nights, everything that's gonna happen in the next year is going to come down from Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and be written in your Qadr for the next year. And this is the first time that your du'a matches with this night, okay? Meaning, as you grow up, the first Laylat al-Qadr that you have, right? So, your du'a can change the direction of Qadr. It can change the writings outside of Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz. Al-Lawh Al-Mahfuz will have the change already recorded, right? So, it's still your choice, your du'a, your deed that changes the way that it goes. But at the end of the day, you're not going to be able to undo the knowledge of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and what has already been encompassed in regards to your faith. JazakAllah khair. Shaykh, a quick question here. Many people are asking about this. When is it time to realize, you know what, this is it, I need to stop making that du'a?
I could be making this du'a over and over again, over and over again, and it's not seems to be happening. So, is there any expiration moment or date, let's say, on that du'a? Go ahead. Bismillah. He has an entire series, mashaAllah, called Why Me? And mashaAllah, Shaykh, may Allah bless you for the beautiful series. But a lot of these questions of qadr are also answered there. You know, Imam Ghazali rahimullah mentions that in regards to, as we could say, as a negative connotation, being stubborn, being a positive, what Shaykh was mentioning earlier was ilha, which is to be persistent in a du'a. He says, if a du'a has to do with khilqah, meaning if it has to do with me, like, I'm like 6'6 right now, right, Shaykh? Right? If that's what you believe. But for example, if someone is 5'11, someone, and they keep asking Allah, make me 6'6, make me 6'6, make me 6'6, this is being stubborn in a du'a because that can't change. There's no way that at this age that you can grow seven, eight inches. This is something to do with your physical state. And if it has to do with something in regards to the other aspects of this world, so it could be rizq, it could be gifted with children, it could be a certain job. In those regards, we continue asking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the moment it becomes too difficult for us, we understand, kullun muyassirun lima khuliqa la this perhaps was not going to be better for me. So then I redirect my du'a towards something else. Those are a few simple remarks. I'd add to that, JazakAllah Khayr, it's a good distinction. The ulema also distinguish between du'as for things that are always good, which is like du'a for tawbah, du'a for guidance, du'a for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to open up something in regards to the hereafter, in regards to a virtue that you want to attain, a new act of worship.
Like, you can't say, Allahumma innaka athoo an tuhibbul athoo wa fa'afoo anni annaf. Right? You should be very stubborn with this du'a and keep making that du'a, right? And have husnul dhan and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala have a good assumption of Allah that He will forgive you as you continue to make that du'a, bithna. You can't ask Allah for guidance enough, you can't ask Allah for sincerity enough. These are the du'as that you never, never, that you never stop making, right? You always make these du'as. Then, one of the other distinctions that the ulema mention, which is a very good distinction that you just mentioned, which is khilqah and tadab, things that are sort of inherent versus things that are, have a variable to them, is not to get so specific and insist on the specific, right? So, the general is sometimes better than the specific in Islam, right? And the ulema do mention that, that sometimes when you get so tied to the specific thing that you're asking Allah for, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. Because if the specific doesn't happen, you're going to question the entire process in the first place, and that's not the way this is supposed to work. So, how many times do you make istikhara? The ulema do differ, by the way, about istikhara. There's plenty of discussion. Allah knows best. My opinion, Shaykh, I'm not sure if you share the same opinion on this, is that istikhara can be made over and over again for the same thing. Some ulema mention that you make it once and that's it for that particular thing, and I believe the majority of scholars say that you can make it multiple times for the same thing. The beauty of istikhara is that when it comes to a talab of this dunya, when it comes to asking Allah for something of this dunya, is that you are putting the outcome entirely in the hands of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and you are satisfied with the du'a being made from your part. And that's why the istikhara was taught like Qur'an, it was taught like the seerah, it was taught so diligently to those generations, because you're really relinquishing the specifics then to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and that way you won't be displeased.
So two things, inshallah. One, people are asking about where can we find the whole dumb, smart, unsmarter du'a. I think it's in the chapter between du'a and its connection and relation to al-qadr. So those who are listening and watching, actually, it's the chapter that speaks about al-du'a and its relationship and connection to the qadr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. You'll find it there, inshallah. Sheikh, a last question. Talk about du'a and language. Many, many people are worried about their du'a might not be as powerful because the language of the Prophet was Arabic, and therefore his words are so specific and so powerful. So does it matter if I'm making du'a in Arabic, in English, in Spanish, in whichever language that I speak well? Learning the du'as from the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is always a beautiful springboard. The du'as of the Qur'an, the du'as of the sunnah, there's nothing more beautiful than speaking to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the way that the most beloved creation of him sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ever spoke, right? So you want to use those du'as as you find them in the sunnah, but then springboard, right? So start with the du'a from the Qur'an, start from the du'a from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, then pour your heart out in your language. It is far more beloved that you pour your heart out in your language with sincerity and honouring Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with that du'a and knowing how you're calling upon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and what you're calling upon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with than you reciting a script that you don't understand, okay? So launch into your language as much as you can, especially in these nights, especially in these nights, right? So you start with the du'a, Allahumma innaka'afu wa intuhibbu ila'afu wa fa'afu anni, then go, go into your own du'a inshaAllah ta'ala in your own language. So does that mean that your du'a in Urdu is doing better, mashaAllah? I mean, I don't know if I would make du'a in Urdu. I mean, you tried that last year. I think I did pretty good. Don't try again.
I will, but I need... You did Swahili as well too, Yannis. No, sheikh. I did Somali, not Swahili. I'll still, I'll get there inshaAllah. I'm still preparing something. InshaAllah. I need to get the inspiration over the first few nights. InshaAllah. Then I'll try out. But I nailed the Bangla. Allah Allah. I nailed it. Everyone from Bangladesh told me I nailed the Bangla, like... They're just being nice to you, sheikh. That's all. They're being nice to you, that's all. They're nice people, mashaAllah. The Somalis, half of them said it was 100% and half of them said it was miserable. Sheikh, you know you have a lot of blind followers. So, those that have... Why are you pointing in this direction? Don't insult my community, sheikh. But we'll see inshaAllah. I'll pick up some languages along the way. I need to just make... I'll make du'a. InshaAllah. And I'll practice. JazakAllah, sheikh. BarakAllahu feekum. MashaAllah. MashaAllah for being here. InshaAllah wa ta'ala. Tomorrow, we're going to be discussing together calling out those who are deceived by this dunya. When you make du'a and when people make mistakes and commit sins, how foolish they are to be depending on the mercy of Allah Azza wa Jal, the Qadr of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, how we misuse that. So, it's going to be our discussion tomorrow inshaAllah wa ta'ala. Jonas, barakAllahu feekum. From the pages, those who follow the English, actually I believe it's from page 89 through 108 inshaAllah wa ta'ala, the Arabic version from 25 and moving forward. BarakAllahu feekum. Assalamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu. JazakAllah.