WHAT IS DUA?

      

Dua– an Arabic word written here in English letters. Three small letters that make up a word and a subject that is large and breathtaking.  This word ‘dua’ could be roughly translated to mean supplication or invocation.  Although neither word adequately define dua.  Supplication, which means communicating with a deity, comes closer than invocation which is known to sometimes imply summoning spirits or devils.

In Islamic terminology dua is the act of supplication.  It is calling out to God; it is a conversation with God, our Creator, our Lord, the All Knowing, and the All Powerful. In fact the word is derived from the Arabic root meaning to call out or to summon. Dua is uplifting, empowering, liberating and transforming and it is one of the most powerful and effective act of worship a human being can engage in.  Dua has been called the weapon of the believer. It affirms a person’s belief in One God and it shuns all forms of idolatry or polytheism. Dua is essentially submission to God and a manifestation of a person’s need for Allah.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, 

“A slave becomes nearest to his Lord when he is in prostration. So increase supplications in prostrations.’’ [Saheeh Muslim]

 “The supplication of every one of you will be granted if he does not get impatient and say, `I supplicated my Lord but my prayer has not been granted’.’’ [Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim]

At this point in understanding exactly what dua is, it would be easy for someone from a Christian background to think that dua is prayer. Dua certainly holds certain similarities to the prayer of Christians, however it should not be confused with what Muslims call prayer. Prayer or in Arabic-Salat, is one of the pillars of Islam, and in performing the five daily prayers a Muslim actually engages in a physical form of dua asking Allah to grant them Heaven through their actions. Throughout the prayer one also supplicates to God directly.

For Muslims prayer is a set of ritual movements and words performed at fixed times, five times per day.  God says in Quran, 

“Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours”.  (Quran 4:103)  

Muslims pray in the early morning before sunrise, in the middle of the day, in the afternoon, at sunset and at night. Prayer is an act of worship, in which a Muslim reaffirms his belief in One God and demonstrates his gratefulness. It is a direct connection between God and the believer and it is an obligation.

Dua on the other hand is a Muslims way of feeling that connection to God at anytime, in any place. Muslims call on God frequently throughout the day and night.  They raise their hands in supplication and ask for His help, mercy, and forgiveness. Dua incorporates praise, thanksgiving, hope, and calling on God to assist the one in need and grant his or her requests.

Dua can be made for the individual, their family, friends, strangers, those in dire circumstances, for the believers, and even for the whole of humanity. When making the dua it is acceptable to ask for good in this worldly life and in the hereafter. A person making dua should not hold back, but ask Allah to grant both the largest and smallest requests.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encouraged the believers to make dua.  He said, 

“The dua of a Muslim for his brother in his absence is readily accepted. An angel is appointed to his side. Whenever he makes a beneficial dua for his brother the appointed angel says, Ameen. And may you also be blessed with the same’”. [Saheeh Muslim]

Although making dua is not an obligation, there are many benefits to making dua to God frequently and with full submission. Feeling the closeness to God that comes with sincere dua, it increases faith, gives hope and relief to the distressed and saves the supplicant from the despair and isolation. Throughout the Quran, God encourages the believer to call on Him, He asks us to lay our dreams, hopes, fears and uncertainties before Him and to be sure that He hears every word.

“You Alone do we worship and You Alone do we ask for help.”(Quran 1:5)

“And your Lord says, Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer). But those who are too arrogant to worship Me will surely find themselves in Hell, in humiliation.”(Quran 40:60)

“Say, O My slaves who have transgressed against their souls; despair not of the Mercy of Allah: For Allah forgives all sins; for He is oft Forgiving, most Merciful.”(Quran 39:53)

“Say, Call upon Allah, or call upon ArRahman (The Most Beneficient): By whatever name you call upon Him, (it is well): For to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.”(Quran 17:110)

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the supplications of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led a right.”(Quran 2:186)

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called dua the essence of worship. [At Tirmidhi]  He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also  suggested that the believer  be humble, yet firm when making dua and said,

 “When one of you supplicates, he should not say, ‘O Allah, forgive me if You will,’ but be firm in asking and make the desire great, for what Allah gives is nothing great for Him.”

When we make dua, when we call upon Allah in our hour of need, or express our gratefulness, or for any other reason including simply to feel the comfort of being close to Allah, we must remember to examine our sincerity and to check our intention. Dua must be addressed to Allah Alone, who has no partners, sons, daughters or intermediaries. Our intention when making the dua must be to please God, obey Him and trust Him completely.

When a person makes dua Allah may give him what he asked for or He may divert a harm that is greater than the thing he asked for, or He may store up what he has asked for, for the Hereafter. Allah has commanded us to call upon Him and He has promised to respond to our call. In the next article we will examine the etiquette of making dua and discuss why some duas seemingly go unanswered.

Dua in Islamic Teachings

Dua is one of the very important notions in the Quran, which is very difficult to translate. Equivalents like praying, calling, or supplicating do not precisely convey the profound meaning of this word, so in this article we will just use the term dua and will gradually explain its meaning. We will also discuss the different types of dua and how we can improve our duas to increase the possibility of their being answered by God.

Let us first discuss the significance of dua according to the Quran and hadith and then analyze its concept. The Quran 40:60 reads,

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ                              

In this famous verse, the Quran has a message for us from the One who is your Lord, the One who knows what you need, what suits you, and what can develop you, says:

For us as the servants of God, the most important thing is to be able to communicate and be connected to our Lord. Not only can we not survive without God, but we cannot survive without being connected to Him.

Suppose God is there, but He says, "I don't want to talk or listen to you or have anything to do with you." As God's servants, we cannot survive without His mercy and grace. Think about a little child, for whom it would be a great punishment, if his father or mother said, "I won't speak to you anymore." In their early years, children have no sense of independence. This is why it is mentioned in hadiths that whenever you promise your children, keep your promise, because they look at you as their lords who give them their sustenance.1 You are their only hope, so never disappoint your children.

So, just as it is a great punishment for a small child to hear from his parents that they do not want to talk to him, for a person who realizes his total dependence on God, it would be a severe punishment if God did not pay attention to Him. This is why Imam Ali (a) in Dua Kumayl says,

هَبْنِي صَبَرْتُ عَلَىٰ عَذَابِكَ، فَكَيْفَ أَصْبِرُ عَنِ النَّظَرِ إِلَىٰ كَرَامَتِكَ        

The Imam (a) is saying, "Suppose that I can be patient, that I can tolerate your punishment, how can I be patient with being deprived of beholding your magnanimity?" If supposedly I can endure remaining in Hellfire, how can I stand being far from you and your love and attention? For the person who understands that he is totally dependent on God, the main thing is to keep the line of communication with Him open. So the fact that God says,   

 means "You can call Me during the day or night, on weekdays or weekend; any time you call Me, I am available." Although, as the Lord, He can set different conditions and say, "If you want to call Me, you must call Me in such a time or place, with such and such conditions," He is so kind that He just says, "Call me! No matter when or where, I will answer to you." Of course, He also expects us to answer Him whenever He calls us.

There is a similar hadith which says: "Be kind to your children and do good to them, because they think that you are their sustainers."

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ ۖ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَحُولُ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَقَلْبِهِ وَأَنَّهُ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ

O you who have faith! Answer Allah and the Apostle when he summons you to that which will give you life. Know that Allah intervenes between a man and his heart and that toward Him you will be mustered. (Quran 8:24)

Unfortunately, we set different conditions for our response to God's call; we say, "I will become a practicing Muslim after I finish my university, after I marry, after I have children, or after I get a stable job. Let me now enjoy myself a little bit and then later when I get old, I'll accept."

God says,

After inviting us to call Him, God says, 

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ                  

Truly those who refuse to worship me they will enter hell while they are humiliated. (Quran 40:60)


One may ask, "What is the relation between worshipping God and calling Him?" The answer is that, according to above-mentioned verse, calling God is worshiping him. This idea has been stated in Islamic traditions as well:


Dua is 'ibadah.
Dua is the core of 'ibadah.

When we realize what is the meaning of dua, we see that worshipping God is not possible without dua.

The above verse tells us also about the fate of those who refuse to worship God out of arrogance:

..سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ                                    

"they will enter hell while they are humiliated" (Quran 40:60).

Their arrogance in the Hereafter manifests itself in humiliation. This is very beautiful point, because the Hereafter is where the hidden realities become manifest and the reality of arrogance before God is nothing but meanness and dishonor.

Hence the verse shows the significance of dua: the dua of those who really call God is answered, dua is 'ibadah, and we should not feel arrogant with respect to calling God, because it will lead to our dishonor and make us lose our eternal happiness.


Another verse is Quran 25:77, which is very moving:

قُلْ مَا يَعْبَأُ بِكُمْ رَبِّي لَوْلَا دُعَاؤُكُمْ                            

Say, My Lord would not care for you were it not for your prayer.

.

Had it not been for our dua, God would not pay attention to us. True that God is so kind and merciful, but this is a law, which no one can change. Two plus two equals four; Just as it is impossible to ask God to make it equal to five by his mercy, it's impossible to grow spiritually without dua. Although God pays attention in this world to everyone, believers and non-believers, regarding their physical needs, if one seeks the attention, support, care, and guidance of God for his spiritual growth, he has no way other than resorting to dua.

We have many hadiths about dua, its conditions, and etiquettes. Also, the Ahl al-Bayt (a) have taught us several duas to recite in different occasions. Below, we will briefly discuss these hadiths.

It is reported that Imam Baqir (a), commenting on Quran 40:60, said: "This [i.e. the worshiping mentioned in the verse] is dua, and the best type of worship is Dua.

This is a weapon which is easy to get and use. One just needs to appreciate that God has given him the ability to do dua any time, free of charge. Do not say, "I did dua last year!" You need a weapon today, a modern weapon. Always keep it fresh and updated! Dua is the pillar of faith. Even salat is a kind of dua. Dua is to reflect the light of God. Dua is not only related to human beings; everything in this world is doing dua. Birds are doing dua; they are performing salat:

In another hadith the Imam (a) was asked, "What type of worship is the best?" The Imam said, "There is no worshipping like asking and requesting God what He has"5. Sometimes people ask if it is good to ask God for worldly things. The answer is yes! We should ask Him for anything we need. Of course, it is not good to ask Him only for worldly things; it is not good either to ask for worldly things more than the Hereafter; we have to maintain balance, but we should never be shy to ask God what we need. It is reported that God said to Prophet Moses (a) to ask Him even for the salt of his food, and along the same lines Imam Baqir (a) says that there is nothing better in the sight of God than asking Him for what He has.

In another hadith, Imam Sadiq (p) says to Muyassar, “O Muyassar! Pray to God, and do not say things are already decided. Verily, there is a station with God Almighty that cannot be reached except by asking. If a servant shut his mouth and did not ask, he would not be given anything. Ask so that you will be given. O Muyassar! There is no door that is knocked on except that its owner will likely open it”

We should never think that it is too late to ask God and that He must have already decided things, but always take the opportunity to pray and ask. There is a station with God that one cannot reach except by dua, except by asking. Even if what one asks for was not given to him for some reason, what he achieves through asking is more important. Asking is not merely a means to achieving things; it is itself an end.

There is another chapter in the same section of al-Kafi entitled "Dua is the Weapon of the Believer"7 . But why do we need a weapon? Because we are all involved in a battle with Satan and the carnal soul, which is our worst enemy;

Your most hostile enemy is your [carnal] soul, which is between your two sides

This is because without the help of our carnal souls, Satan cannot do anything. Now, since we are in a battle, we need to be equipped with weapons. According to the hadiths, our main weapon is dua; dua is the weapon of the believer and the mosque is the best place to fight Satan, because he is very weak in the mosques; this is why we have the mehrab in the mosque; the mehrab is the place of harb (fight), harb against Satan, ignorance, and bad habits. And the imam of the mosque is the leader and commander in this battle. In that chapter of al-Kafi, there are several hadiths; one from Imam Sadiq (a) reads,

The Messenger of God (s) said, "Dua is the weapon of the believer, the pillar of faith, and the light of the heavens and the earth.

أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالطَّيْرُ صَافَّاتٍ ۖ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَ

Have you not regarded that Allah is glorified by everyone in the heavens and the earth, and the birds spreading their wings. Each knows his prayer and glorification, and Allah knows best what they do. (Quran 24:41)

                              اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ                                   

God is "the light of the heavens and the earth" (Quran 24:35)

and, according to the above hadith, dua is also "the light of the heavens and the earth". This is because, as was already mentioned, God is the source of light, and dua is like a mirror that reflects.

In another hadith, Imam Ali (a) says,

Dua provides the keys to success and the keys to happiness (salvation). The best dua is that which comes from a clean and pure heart

According to this hadith, dua is not just a key (singular) to success, but provides the "keys" to success. This means that there is more than one key to success. If one wants to be more successful, he has to increase his prayers to God. Dua is also the key to happiness. The best dua is the dua which comes from a clean and pure heart, because it is through the heart that one connects to God. The mind is just for theoretical knowledge. Perhaps someone knows in his mind that God exists, but he is still not a believer. The place of belief and disbelief is the heart, and for dua we need to have a pure heart.

In another hadith we read, the Prophet (s) said, "Shall I guide you to a weapon that saves you from your enemies and increases your sustenance?" They replied, "Yes." The Prophet (s) said, "Pray to your Lord day and night; indeed, the weapon of the believer is praying."

Note that the Prophet (s) does not say, "Shall I guide you to a weapon that destroys your enemies"; He says "a weapon that saves you from your enemies." We need a weapon to save ourselves. We do not want to harm anyone; what we want is to be protected. If you would like to receive your sustenance, if you seek protection, you need a weapon. The Prophet (s) teaches that this weapon is praying to our Lord day and night.

In another hadith, it is mentioned that Imam Ridha (a) used to say to his companions, "Make use of the weapon of the Prophets." Someone asked, "What is the weapon of the Prophets?" The Imam replied, "Dua.

Imam Sadiq (a) is also reported to have said, Dua is more effective than a steel-tipped spear.

Another chapter in al-Kafi is about the power of dua to change the qada' (divine decree). We know that when something is going to happen, certain conditions must already have been met. For instance, if we want to heat a room, we should have fire, dry wood, and oxygen. Otherwise, we cannot have fire.

Sometimes everything is ready for a tragedy to happen, but dua comes in the last moment and prevents that tragedy. In the beautiful story of Prophet Yunus, we read that he left his people when he was disappointed at them and saw the signs of the coming of the divine punishment:

وَذَا النُّونِ إِذْ ذَهَبَ مُغَاضِبًا فَظَنَّ أَنْ لَنْ نَقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ إِنِّي كُنْتُ مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ

And the Man of the Fish, when he left in a rage, thinking that We would not put him to hardship. Then he cried out in the darkness, "There is no god except You! You are immaculate! I have indeed been among the wrongdoers." (Quran 21:87)

The divine punishment was coming, and he saw its signs and thus left the people. When he left, one learned person from those people said, "I am sure that the chastisement is coming. We have only one way to save ourselves, and that is doing dua, and asking God for forgiveness." The people listened to him and thus the punishment was prevented. About this, the Quran says,

فَلَوْلَا كَانَتْ قَرْيَةٌ آمَنَتْ فَنَفَعَهَا إِيمَانُهَا إِلَّا قَوْمَ يُونُسَ لَمَّا آمَنُوا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمْ عَذَابَ الْخِزْيِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَتَّعْنَاهُمْ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ

Why has there not been any town that might believe, so that its belief might benefit it, except the people of Jonah? When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the life of this world, and We provided for them for a while. (Quran 10:98)

Although the punishment was about to take place and its signs had appeared, they were saved from it because of their duas to God. So dua is so powerful that it can change the divine decree; it is so effective that, according to some hadiths, it can change what is decided in the Laylat al- Qadr. So we should never lose hope; it is never too late for doing dua.

The following hadith from Imam Sadiq (a) reads, Dua stops the divine decree (qada') after it comes down from heaven and is firmly determined

In a similar hadith, Imam Sajjad (a) said, Indeed, the dua prevents a calamity after it is firmly determined.

Prophet Ibrahim (a) very much wanted to have children; he prayed for many years and finally his dua was fulfilled. He was not only given two noble sons, Isaac and Ishmael, but also it was from among his descendants that the later Prophets were chosen. All of our Imams are also the progeny of Ibrahim (a).

This is the power of dua. If Ibrahim (a) had stopped doing dua, if he had lost his hope, he would have been deprived of this honor.

Prophet Zachariah (a) did not have a child either, but he kept praying and God gave him Yahya (John) (a). Zachariah himself was surprised by this:

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي وَهَنَ الْعَظْمُ مِنِّي وَاشْتَعَلَ الرَّأْسُ شَيْبًا وَلَمْ أَكُنْ بِدُعَائِكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّا

He said, 'My Lord! Indeed my bones have become feeble, and my head has turned white with age, yet never have I, my Lord, been disappointed in supplicating You! (Quran 19:4).

This is the power of dua, which makes such miracles possible.

There is another hadith in which Zurarah, a close companion of Imam Baqir (a) and Imam Sadiq (a), says,

Imam Baqir (a) told me, "Shall I guide you to something to which the Prophet (s) did not make any exception?"17 I said,

 "Yes!" The Imam said, "Dua can push back the divine decree (qada') after it is finally determined."Therefore, dua should not be something marginal in our lives; rather, it should be one of our main deeds, as it is the source of our power, the core of our worship, and the way that we can connect to our Lord.