Why our Duas are not Answered
Many Muslims make Dua but they do not know how to properly make dua nor understand how that dua will be answered so they get disheartened and say why does Allah not answer my dua. I have made dua so many times but it is not being answered.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A person's du’aa’s
will continue to be answered so long as he does not pray for something
sinful or for the breaking of family ties.” Narrated by Muslim.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, Allaah is Good
and only accepts that which is good. Allaah commanded the pious to follow
the same commandments as He gave to the Messengers. He says
‘O (you)
Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods which
Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products,
fats, vegetables, fruits)] and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am
Well-Acquainted with what you do’ [al-Mu’minoon 23:51]
‘O you who believe
(in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things
that We have provided you with’ [al-Baqarah 2:172]
Then he mentioned a
man who has travelled on a long journey and is dishevelled and covered with
dust; he stretches forth his hands to the heaven, (saying) “O Lord, O Lord”,
but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, all his nourishment is haraam,
so how can he du’aa’ be accepted?” Narrated by Muslim.
Abu Hurayrah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The du’aa’ of any one of you will be
answered so long as he is not impatient and says, ‘I made du’aa’ but it was
not answered.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Let not any one of you
say, ‘O Allaah, forgive me if You will, O Allaah, have mercy on me if You
will.’ Let him be resolute in the matter, whilst knowing that no one can
compel Allaah to do anything.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
tafsir says
Question:
Why doesn't aAllah
answer our duas ?
Answer:
Praise
be to Allaah.
Imaam
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Du’aa’s
and ta’awwudhaat [prayers seeking refuge with Allaah] are like a weapon, and a
weapon is only as good as the person who is using it; it is not merely the
matter of how sharp it is. If the weapon is perfect and free of faults, and the
arm of the person using it is strong, and there is nothing stopping him, then
he can lay waste the enemy. But if any of these three features is lacking, then
the effect will be lacking accordingly.”
(al-Daa’ wa’l-Dawaa’,
p. 35).
From
this it will be clear that there is an etiquette and rulings which must be
fulfilled, in the du’aa’ and in the person making the du’aa’. There are also
things that may prevent the du’aa’ reaching Allaah or being answered – these
things must be removed from the person making the du’aa’ and from the du’aa’.
When all of these conditions are fulfilled, then the du’aa’ may be answered.
1.
Sincerity in making du’aa’. This is the most important condition. Allaah has
commanded us to be sincere when making du’aa’, as He says (interpretation of
the meaning):
“So, call you (O Muhammad and the believers) upon (or invoke) Allaah
making (your) worship pure for Him (Alone) (by worshipping none but Him and by
doing religious deeds sincerely for Allaah’s sake only and not to show off and
not to set up rivals with Him in worship)” [Ghaafir 40:14].
Sincerity
in du’aa’ means having the firm belief that the One upon Whom you are calling –
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted – is alone Able to meet your need, and
it also means avoiding any kind of showing off in your du’aa’.
2.
Repentance and turning back to Allaah. Sin is one of the main reasons why
du’aa’s are not answered, so the person who is making du’aa’ should hasten to
repent and seek forgiveness before he makes du’aa’. Allaah tells us that Nooh
(peace be upon him) said:
“I said (to them): ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is
Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, And give you increase in
wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.’ ”
[Nooh 71:10-12]
3.
Beseeching, humbling oneself, hoping for Allaah’s reward and fearing His
punishment. This is the spirit, essence and purpose of du’aa’. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): “Invoke your Lord with humility and in
secret. He likes not the aggressors” [al-A’raaf 7:55].
4.
Urgently beseeching and repeating the du’aa’, without getting exasperated or
bored; this is achieved by repeating the du’aa’ two or three times. Restricting
it to three times is preferable, in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with
him) narrated that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) liked to say a du’aa’ three times and ask
for forgiveness three times. This was narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Nasaa’i.
5.
Making du’aa’ at times of ease, and saying more du’aa’s at times of plenty. The
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Remember Allaah during times of
ease and He will remember you during times of hardship.” Narrated by Ahmad.
6.
Seeking to draw closer to Allaah by calling upon Him by His Most Beautiful
Names and Sublime Attributes at the beginning of the du’aa’ or at the end.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And (all) the Most Beautiful
Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them” [al-A’raaf 7:180].
7.
Choosing the clearest and most concise words and the best of du’aa’s. The best
of du’aa’s are the du’aa’s of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but it is permissible to say other words
according to the specific needs of a person.
Other
aspects of the etiquette of making du’aa’, although they are not waajib
(obligatory), are: to face the Qiblah; to make du’aa’ in a state of tahaarah
(purity); to start the du’aa’ with praise of Allaah and blessings upon the
Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is also prescribed to raise the hands
when making du’aa’.
One
of the things that helps to bring a response to du’aa’ is to seek the best
times and places.
Among
the best times is the time just before Fajr (dawn), the last third of the
night, the last hour of Jumu’ah (Friday), when rain is falling, and between the
Adhaan and iqaamah.
Among
the best places are mosques in general, and al-Masjid al-Haraam [in Makkah] in
particular.
Among
the situations in which du’aa’ is more likely to be answered are: when one is
mistreated or oppressed, when one is travelling, when one is fasting, when one
is in desperate need, and when a Muslim makes du’aa’ for his brother in his
absence.
Things
which may prevent du’aa’ from being answered include:
1.
When the du’aa’ is weak in itself, because it involves something inappropriate,
or involves bad manners towards Allaah, may He be exalted, or it is
inappropriate, which means asking Allaah for something which it is not
permitted to ask, e.g. when a man asks to live forever in this world, or he
asks for a sin or something haraam, or he prays that he will die, and so on.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A person's du’aa’s will continue to
be answered so long as he does not pray for something sinful or for the
breaking of family ties.” Narrated by Muslim.
2.
When the person who is making du’aa’ is weak in himself, because he is
faint-hearted in his turning towards Allaah. This may be either because of bad
manners towards Allaah, may He be exalted – such as raising his voice in du’aa’
or making du’aa’ in the manner of one who thinks he has no need of Allaah; or
because he pays too much attention to the wording and tries to come up with
unnecessarily ornate phrases, without paying attention to the meaning; or
because he tries too hard to weep or shout without really feeling it, or he
goes to extremes in that.
3.
The reason why his du’aa’ is not answered may be because he has done something
that Allaah has forbidden, such as having haraam wealth – whether it be food or
drink or clothing or accommodation or transportation, or he has taken a haraam
job, or the stain of sin is still in his heart, or he is following bid’ah
(innovation) in religion, or his heart has been overtaken by negligence.
4.
Consuming haraam wealth. This is one of the major reasons why du’aa’s are not
answered. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of
Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, Allaah is Good and only
accepts that which is good. Allaah commanded the pious to follow the same
commandments as He gave to the Messengers. He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
‘O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful)
foods which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk
products, fats, vegetables, fruits)] and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am
Well-Acquainted with what you do’ [al-Mu’minoon 23:51]
‘O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism)! Eat
of the lawful things that We have provided you with’ [al-Baqarah 2:172]
Then
he mentioned a man who has travelled on a long journey and is dishevelled and
covered with dust; he stretches forth his hands to the heaven, (saying) “O
Lord, O Lord”, but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, all his nourishment
is haraam, so how can he du’aa’ be accepted?” Narrated by Muslim.
The
man described by the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had some of the characteristics which help
du’aa’s to be answered – he was travelling and he was in need of Allaah, may He
be exalted and glorified – but the fact that he consumed haraam wealth prevented
his du’aa’ from being answered. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
5.
Trying to hasten the response. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The du’aa’ of any one of you will
be answered so long as he is not impatient and says, ‘I made du’aa’ but it was
not answered.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
6.
Making the du’aa’ conditional, such as saying, “O Allaah, forgive me if You
will” or “O Allaah, have mercy upon me if You will.” The person who makes
du’aa’ has to be resolute in his supplication, striving hard and earnestly
repeating his du’aa’. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Let not any one of you say, ‘O
Allaah, forgive me if You will, O Allaah, have mercy on me if You will.’ Let
him be resolute in the matter, whilst knowing that no one can compel Allaah to
do anything.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
In
order for du’aa’s to be answered, it is not essential to adhere to all of these
points and be free of all that could prevent one’s du’aa’s from being answered.
That is something which happens very rarely. But one has to try hard and strive
towards achieving this.
Another
important point is to realize that the response to the du’aa’ may take
different forms: either Allaah will respond and fulfil the desire of the person
who made the du’aa’, or He will ward off some evil from him because of the
du’aa’, or He will make something good easy for him to attain because of it, or
He will save it with Him for him on the Day of Resurrection when he will be
most in need of it. And Allaah knows best.
Sheikh Muhammed
Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Firstly:
Allaah loves to be asked, and He encourages that in all things. He is angry with the one who does not ask of Him and He encourages His slaves to ask of Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And your Lord said: “Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation)”
[Ghaafir 40:60]
Du’aa’ is very important in Islam, so much so that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Du’aa’ is worship.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3372; Abu Dawood, 1479; Ibn Maajah, 3828; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2590.
Secondly:
The etiquette of du’aa’:
1 – The one who is making du’aa’ should believe in Tawheed with regard to the divinity, Lordship, names and attributes of Allaah. His heart should be filled with Tawheed. In order for Allaah to respond to the du’aa’, it is essential that the person should be responding to his Lord by obeying Him and not disobeying Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“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 invocations 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 aright”
[al-Baqarah 2:186]
2 – Sincerity towards Allaah alone in making du’aa’. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allaah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him)”
[al-Bayyinah 98:5]
Du’aa’ is worship, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, so sincerity (ikhlaas) is a condition of its being accepted.
3 – We should ask of Allaah by His most beautiful names. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names”
[al-A’raaf 7:180]
4 – We should praise Allaah as He deserves before we call upon Him. Al-Tirmidhi (3476) narrated that Fadaalah ibn ‘Ubayd (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Whilst the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting, a man came in and prayed and said, “O Allaah, forgive me and have mercy on me.” The Messenger of Allaah (S) said, “You have been too hasty, O worshipper. When you have prayed and are sitting, praise Allaah as He deserves to be praised, and send blessings upon me, then call upon Him.” According to another version (3477): “When one of you prays, let him start with praise of Allaah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then let him ask whatever he likes after that.” Then another man prayed after that, and he praised Allaah and sent blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O worshipper, ask and you will be answered.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2765, 2767.
5 – Sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every du’aa’ is kept back until you send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat, 1/220; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4399.
6 – Facing towards the qiblah. Muslim (1763) narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: On the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) looked at the mushrikeen, who were one thousand strong, and his companions numbered three hundred and nineteen. Then the Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned to face the qiblah, then he stretched forth his hands and started to cry out to his Lord: “O Allaah, grant me what You have promised me, O Allaah, give me what You have promised me. O Allaah, if this small band of Muslims perishes, You will not be worshipped on earth.” He kept on crying out to his Lord, stretching forth his hands, facing towards the qiblah, until his cloak fell from his shoulders…
al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: This shows that it is mustahabb to face towards the qiblah when making du’aa’, and to raise the hands.
7 – Raising the hands. Abu Dawood (1488) narrated that Salmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Your Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, is Kind and Most Generous, and He is too kind to let His slave, if he raises his hands to Him, bring them back empty.” Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1320.
The palm of the hand should be raised heavenwards, in the manner of a humble beggar who hopes to be given something. Abu Dawood (1486) narrated from Maalik ibn Yasaar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you ask of Allaah, ask of Him with the palms of your hands, not with the backs of them.” Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1318.
Should the hands be held together when raising them or should there be a gap between them?
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (4/25) that they should be held together. What he said is: “As for separating them and holding them far apart from one another, there is no basis for that in the Sunnah or in the words of the scholars.” End quote.
8 – Having certain faith that Allaah will respond, and focusing with proper presence of mind, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Call upon Allaah when you are certain of a response, and remember that Allaah will not answer a du’aa’ that comes from a negligent and heedless heart.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3479; classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2766.
9 – Asking frequently. A person should ask his Lord for whatever he wants of the good things in this world and the Hereafter, and he should beseech Allaah in du’aa’, and not seek a hasty response, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The slave will receive a response so long as his du’aa’ does not involve sin or severing of family ties, and so long as he is not hasty.” It was said, “What does being hasty mean?” He said: “When he says, ‘I made du’aa’ and I made du’aa’, and I have not seen any response,’ and he gets frustrated and stops making du’aa’.” Narrated by al-Bukahari, 6340; Muslim, 2735.
10. He should be firm in his du’aa’, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you should say, ‘O Allaah, forgive me if You wish, O Allaah, have mercy on me if You wish’; he should be firm in his asking, for Allaah cannot be compelled.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6339; Muslim, 2679.
11 – Beseeching, humility, hope and fear. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret”
[al-A’raaf 7:55]
“Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us”
[al-Anbiya’ 21:90]
“And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons”
[al-A’raaf 7:205]
12 – Saying du’aa’s three times. Al-Bukhaari (240) and Muslim (1794) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Whilst the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was praying at the Ka’bah, Abu Jahl and his companions were sitting nearby. They had slaughtered a camel the previous day, and Abu Jahl said: “Which of you will go and get the abdominal contents of the camel of Banu So and so and put it on the back of Muhammad when he prostrates?” The worst of the people went and got it, and when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prostrated, he placed it between his shoulders. They started laughing, leaning against one another. I was standing there watching, and if I had had any power, I would have lifted it from the back of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) remained in prostration, not lifting his head, until someone went and told Faatimah. She came with Juwayriyah, and lifted it from him, then she turned to them and rebuked them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had finished his prayer, he raised his voice and prayed against them – and when he made du’aa’ or asked of Allaah he would repeat it three times – and he said: “O Allaah, punish Quraysh” three times. When they heard his voice, they stopped laughing and were afraid because of his du’aa’. Then he said, “O Allaah, punish Abu Jahl ibn Hishaam, ‘Utbah ibn Rabee’ah, Shaybah ibn Rabee’ah, al-Waleed ibn ‘Uqbah, Umayyah ibn Khalaf and ‘Uqbah ibn Abu Mu’ayt,” and he mentioned the seventh but I cannot remember who it was. By the One Who sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with the truth, I saw those whom he had named slain on the day of Badr, then they were dragged and thrown into the well, the well of Badr.
13 – Ensuring that one’s food and clothing are good (i.e., halaal). Muslim (1015) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, Allaah is Good and does not accept anything but that which is good. Allaah enjoins upon the believers the same as He enjoined upon the Messengers. He says (interpretation of the meaning):
‘O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits)] and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am Well‑Acquainted with what you do’
[al-Mu’minoon 23:51]
‘O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided youwith’
[al-Baqarah 2:172]
Then he mentioned a man who travels for a long distance and is disheveled and dusty, and he stretches forth his hands towards heaven saying, ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, his clothing is haraam, he has been nourished with haraam, so how can he be responded to?
Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Ensuring that one’s food, drink and clothing are halaal, and that one is nourished with halaal, is a means of having one’s du’aa’ answered. End quote.
14 – Saying du’aa’ silently and not out loud. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret”
[al-A’raaf 7:55]
And Allaah praised His slave Zakariyyah (peace be upon him) by saying (interpretation of the meaning):
“When he called to his Lord (Allaah) a call in secret”
[Maryam 19:3]
We have also discussed du’aa’ and specific means by which a person may receive a response, as well as the etiquette of du’aa’ and the times and places when a response may be hoped for, the state in which a person should be when making du’aa’, impediments to a response to du’aa’ and the types of response. All of that may be found in the answer to question no. 5113.