The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to take every opportunity to educate and inform his companions, trying to teach them the ways to be happy and peaceful both in this world and in the Hereafter. He would sometimes ask them questions and answer them himself in order to draw their attention, to point out the seriousness of the matter, and to make sure that the subject was understood.
One day he (saw) was sitting with his companions and asked them, “Should I not inform you of the best of your deed, and the purest of them with your Lord, and the highest of them in your ranks, and what is better for you than spending gold and silver, and better for you than fighting with your enemy?” When the companions said “Of course, tell us, O Messenger of Allah!” the Prophet (saw) said: “It is the constant remembrance of Allah at all times and in all places.” (Tirmidhi, Da‘awat, 7)
It is extremely important to take every step for the sake of Allah, to observe Allah’s right in every breath, to love and to be angry for the sake of Allah, or, in short, to remember Allah at all times and in all places, for this is the proper fulfillment of the duty of servitude. For this reason, the obligatory ritual prayers that we perform regularly every day are not performed in one go but in five separate times. This is for the purpose of not forgetting our main duty of servitude during our worldly rush. Since du‘a (supplication) is an act of worship that enables the servants to establish a connection with Allah the Almighty at all times and in all places and reminds them of Him, it has been described as the most precious deed in the sight of Allah, as stated in the aforementioned hadith.
Du‘a is the most active and continuous form of communication between the servants and the Lord of the Worlds. In this active and continuous state of communication, the servants realize their helplessness and weakness and experience the peace and happiness of taking refuge in a safe haven. They open their hands to Allah the Almighty, who is omnipotent (al-Qadir) and in need of nothing (al-Samad); they express their heartfelt desires and wishes; they beg, plead, and ask for forgiveness, mercy, and help; they ask for goodness and beauty in this world and the Hereafter.
Du‘a is a declaration that the servants know their limits and responsibilities. Du‘a is the banner of tawhid in the sense that it declares that Allah the Almighty is the only authority to obey and supplicate, and it is the essence of worship in terms of being a state of turning to Allah without being limited by time and space (Tirmidhi, Da‘awat, 1). Du‘a is the awareness that we are not alone, that Allah, the Lord of the worlds, is right beside us, and that He hears us and answers our supplications. This truth is expressed in the Holy Qur’an as follows: “When My servants ask you (O Prophet) about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond (with obedience) to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided (to the Right Way).” (Baqarah, 2:186)
The “response to prayer” expressed in this verse is often understood incompletely or incorrectly. Many people who say, “I made a du‘a, but my du‘a was not accepted,” referring to the above verse, understand the response of du‘a as the realization of their du‘a as it is. However, the response to a du‘a can be in different ways. The response to a du‘a may be the bestowal of the desired thing itself, or it may be the bestowal of something else (more auspicious) in place of the desired thing. It may even be that nothing in this world is given in return for the du‘a. Can we talk about a response in this case? Our answer is definitely “yes”. This is because the fulfillment of du‘as is not only limited to the world but can also be left for the Hereafter. For example, removing the sins of the servant and raising his rank in heaven for the sake of the du‘a is one of the forms of response to the du‘a. Moreover, since the servants remember and mention Allah by making du‘a, they will have the honor of being mentioned in the sight of Allah, as stated in the verse, “Remember Me; I will remember you” (Baqarah, 2:152). And this honor is far more valuable than many worldly privileges. Again, the response to du‘a can be in the form of removing or alleviating possible accidents and calamities that may occur. In this regard, the Prophet (saw) said: “The supplication benefits against that which strikes and that which does not strike, so hold fast, O worshippers of Allah, to supplication.” (Tirmidhi, Da‘awat, 101) Therefore, it is not right to say, “I made du‘a, but my du‘a was not answered.” In fact, our Prophet (saw) said the following: “The supplication of every one of you is granted if he does not grow impatient and says: I supplicated but it was not granted.” (Muslim, Dhikr and Du‘a, 91)
In order for the du‘a to be answered, some issues that are described as the etiquette of du‘a must also be taken into consideration. For example, one should pray sincerely, believing that one’s prayers will be answered. The Prophet (saw) expressed this truth as follows: “Call upon Allah while being certain of being answered, and know that Allah does not respond to a supplication from the heart of one heedless and occupied by play.” (Tirmidhi, Da‘awat, 65)
With this awareness, turning to Allah the Almighty with prayers in wealth and poverty, sickness and health, going to bed in the evening and getting up in the morning, on foot and in a vehicle, going to work and returning home, receiving a blessing, and facing a calamity; in short, turning to Allah the Almighty with du‘as to be made at all times and under all circumstances and always keeping Him in mind will both increase our value in the sight of Allah and ensure that our most basic duty of servitude remains alive.
