The Means for a Dua to be Answered
By
Shaykh
Muhammad bin Hadi Al-Madkhali
Translated by Abbas Abu Yahya
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The Question:
What are the means for a Dua to be answered? What should a Muslim do if
trials and tribulations become severe?
The Answer:
As for the means for Dua to be answered then they are many, however, the
most important of them is to make sure his food / provision is Halal, like the
Prophet - sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam - said:
‫أ َ ِط ْب ﻣ ْطﻌَ َﻣك ﺗﻛن ُﻣﺟﺎب اﻟدﱠﻋوة‬
'Make your food Halal so that your Dua is answered.'
And the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam - mentioned:
َ َ‫ﺷﻌ‬
ْ َ ‫ﺳﻔَ َر أ‬
،‫ب‬
‫ ﯾَ ُﻣ ﱡد ﯾَ َد ْﯾ ِﮫ ِإﻟَﻰ اﻟ ﱠ‬،‫ث أ َ ْﻏﺑَ َر‬
‫اﻟر ُﺟ َل ﯾُ ِط ْﯾ ُل اﻟ ﱠ‬
‫" ﱠ‬
ِ ّ ‫ِ ﯾَﺎ َر‬،‫ﺳ َﻣﺎء‬
ِ ّ ‫ب ﯾَﺎ َر‬
ُ ‫ َو‬،‫ َو َﻣﺷ َْرﺑُﮫُ َﺣ َرا ٌم‬،‫َو َﻣ ْط َﻌ ُﻣﮫُ َﺣ َرا ٌم‬
"‫ﺎب ﻟذﻟك‬
ْ ُ‫ِي ِﺑﺎﻟ َﺣ َر ِام ﻓَﺄَﻧﱠﻰ ﯾ‬
ُ ‫ﺳﺗ َ َﺟ‬
َ ‫ﻏذ‬
'A man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty and who spreads
out his hands to the sky [saying]: ‘O my Lord! O my Lord!’ - while his food
is unlawful, his drink unlawful, and he is nourished unlawfully, so how can
he be answered!’
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Meaning how can his Dua be answered?!
The Messenger - sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam - mentioned in this Hadeeth a number of
means for Dua to be answered, but along with this his Dua was prevented
from being answered, due to obstacles.
Travel was mentioned in the Hadeeth, travel is a means for a Dua to be
answered. The Dua of a traveller is answered, also being disheveled and
dusty then this is a characteristic of those who humble themselves for Allaah
- Jala wa Ula - it is not from the characteristics of the people who are proud
and arrogant.
Then the hadeeth says 'and who spreads out his hands to the sky' he raises
his hands, and Allaah - Subhanahu wa Ta'ala - is 'Hayyun Siteer' (Shy and
Covers up) He is Shy of His slave if the slave of Allaah raises his hands to
Allaah that He would reject them empty, meaning without answering him.
Along with this the slave of Allaah raises his hands, and raising the hands in
Dua is a means for Dua to be answered.
Then he beseeches his Lord -Jala wa Aala-: 'Ya Rubbee Ya Rubbee' (my
Lord, my Lord). This is an amazing way for a Dua to be answered, which is
manifesting neediness and want and in a state of brokenness in front of
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Allaah - Jala wa Aala - along with that his Dua was not answered even
though these means were present Which the Messenger of Allaah
alayhi wa sallam -
- sallAllaahu
mentioned, why? Because his food was Haraam, his clothing
was Haraam he fed Haraam and was also fed with Haraam, so how can his
Dua be answered?!
Therefore, this hadeeth indicates that having Halal food and clothing is from
the means of Dua being answered, And food and clothing attained by evil
means it is from the ways that prevents a Dua being answered -may Allaah
pardon us and yourselves- there are many means for a Dua to be answered
However, this is from the most apparent and perhaps my son the questioner
refers to the books which deal with this issue.'
[Taken from http://ar.miraath.net/fatwah/11195]
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