Ramadan: Supplications to Allah
Du’a is an act of worship which also acts as one of the
most important and powerful weapons of a believer in this world. Du’a can help a person defend himself
from any type of evil, be humble knowing that he is weak and vulnerable without
Allah’s help and thus get closer to Allah (swt). A believer knows that without
Allah he is nothing, and to accede to peace from every and any direction, he
needs to equip himself with such spiritual weapon which shall grant him access
to the Lord of the Worlds, and Ultimate Protector of mankind, so that this
weapon, i.e. Du’a becomes effective
as and when he uses it in his everyday life. As we are living the blessed days
of the Holy month of Ramadhan, it is good to know that du’a can be of a great avail to us, and we Muslims should make use
of this spiritual weapon and means for peace to accede to the stages of honour
and pleasure which Allah grants to those who seek him through prayer and
supplications.
Allah (swt) says in the Holy Quran, right after the
verse of the prescription of fasting in Ramadhan:
“And when My servants ask you, (Oh Prophet), concerning Me - indeed I am near.
I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let
them obey Me and believe in Me that they may be (rightly) guided.” (2:
187)
When we take into account the place this verse
occupies in the Holy Quran, we will find that it is between the verses
concerning fasting. This alone brings on the importance of Du’a when fasting, as fasting holds a very great importance and
significance in Islam.
Abu Said narrates from the prophet (pbuh) that: “No Muslim supplicates to Allah with a Du’a
that does not involve sin or cutting the relations of the womb (i.e. the
blood/family relations), but Allah will
grant him one of the three things. He will either hasten the response to his supplication,
save it for him until the Hereafter, or would turn an equivalent amount of evil
away from him.”
They (the companions) said, “What if we were to recite more (Du’a).”
He said, “There is more with Allah.” (Ahmad)
This Hadith tells us that the believer who asks Allah (swt), his Du’a is definitely answered, either immediately, in the Hereafter or by keeping him away from evil. And with the arrival of Ramadhan, we know that it is in our own interest that we should keep on asking/supplicating Allah (swt) because Du’a is a protection from evil, it adds to our good deeds and is an investment for us in the Hereafter.
In this light, we should seize the opportunity to
devote a good amount of time making Du’a.
There are numerous Hadith that support this fact. Among which, Abu Huraira
narrates that:
“The Du’a of three persons
are not rejected; they are (those of) the person fasting, the just ruler and
the oppressed.” (Tirmidhi)
The auspicious times for asking Du’a are numerous: Between the Iqaamah
and the Azaan, in prostration (Sajda) when we are showing ourselves
completely submissive to Allah, at the end of the obligatory prayers (optional
for those who want to do this, being immersed in the remembrance of Allah and
adding to their acts of worship), the last part of the night (i.e., the
Tahajjud prayers and other Zikrullah
and Du’a), on Fridays and before a
person breaks his fast in the evening (just before the Maghrib prayer) after
having fasted for Allah during the whole day either in Ramadhan or any other
fasting day which the believers observe to get receive Allah as reward.
Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Aas narrated that the Prophet
of Allah Muhammad (pbuh) said that: “The
one fasting has a supplication (Du’a) at the time of breaking fast that will
not be rejected.” (Ibn Majah)
As we are nearing the last ten days of Ramadhan, it is
necessary for us all Muslims and all those who have made the intention of ITIKAAF to immerse themselves in Du’a, be it in their obligatory (Farz) prayers, Sunnah prayers (prayers regularly performed by our beloved prophet
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh)) or other voluntary (Nafl)
prayers.
ITIKAAF
Ramadhan is indeed a unique month wherein Allah (swt)
multiplies our rewards and opens the doors of goodness. It is a month
surrounded by mercy, forgiveness and salvation from the fire of hell. A unique act
of worship which is associated with this month is that of Itikaaf.
WHAT IS ITIKAAF?
Itikaaf means to remain confined in one place by closing off all relations to the outside world and remaining completely engaged in the remembrance of Allah (swt). Hazrat Aisha (ra) reported that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) used to sit in Itikaaf in the last ten days of Ramadhan and after the death of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) his wives used to sit in Itikaaf. Itikaaf is a very virtuous deed and Muslims are encouraged whenever possible to perform Itikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadhan.
TYPES OF ITIKAAF
Itikaaf is of 3 types:
1) Waajib:
This type of Itikaaf becomes
obligatory on a person when for example a person took a vow to sit in Itikaaf if a certain need was fulfilled.
When this need is fulfilled, Itikaaf
now becomes Waajib (compulsory).
2) Sunnah:
This refers to the Itikaaf performed
during the last 10 days of Ramadhan as observed by our beloved prophet Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh).
3) Nafl:
There is no special time or specific number of days for this Itikaaf. A person may perform Nafl (voluntary) Itikaaf at any time, even if it may be the period of performing the
Farz Salaah (Obligatory prayers).
IS THE PERMISSION OF A GUARDIAN (QAWAAM) NECESSARY?
It is necessary for a woman to seek the permission of
her husband prior to sitting for Itikaaf
as Itikaaf performed without the
permission of her husband is incorrect.
WHEN DOES ITIKAAF BEGINS AND IS AN INTENTION NECESSARY?
Itikaaf commences from sunset on the 20th of Ramadhan
and terminates when the moon is sighted for Eid. It is necessary to make an
intention for Itikaaf prior to
seclusion.
WHAT MUST BE DONE IN ITIKAAF?
Whilst in Itikaaf,
one should engage in reading of the Quran, Zikr,
Nafl Salaat and any other Ibaadah for the pleasure of Allah and
for the good of our own soul.
OBJECT OF ITIKAAF
The object of Itikaaf
may be understood from this similitude: when someone comes begging to our door
and refuses to leave until his request is fulfilled, by the will of Allah the
hardest hearted will even succumb to his request. Similarly a person sitting in
Itikaaf is begging for Allah’s mercy
and there can be no doubts that his plea will be accepted provided that all
conditions of his Itikaaf as well as
his intention are respected and done with a sincere heart; not for the eyes of people
and for grandeur.
The benefits of remaining in Itikaaf during Ramadhan are numerous; the main benefit of Itikaaf being the seeking of the blessed
night of “Laila-tul-Qadr” (Night of
Decree), which is worth a thousand months of divine blessings.
So, Ramadhan is the right time to make a list of all the
things we wish to ask Allah (swt). We have to jump on this opportunity to ask
for the things we have never asked for, be it for ourselves, our family, our
friends, our community or the world, and even for the believers who have left
this world. So, let us resolve to make Du’a
as much as we can during this blessed month and make the most of it, and to
continue with this good practice even after the Ramadhan.
May Allah (swt)
accept our Du’a and our good deeds,
and may He give us the blessings of all the months of Ramadhan and Laila-tul-Qadr of our lifetime and
enrich us with His infinite blessings, especially in this era of great divine
grandeur when Allah has sent down His Messenger with the Ruh-il-Quddus to bring the people of the world, in particular the
Muslims from darkness into light. Insha-Allah.
Ameen.
- Friday Sermon of 03 July 2015 (16
Ramadan 1436 Hijri) delivered by Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (aba) of Mauritius.