How To Make Du'a - Portal Gems #32

Est. Read time: 5 min
Edition Number: 32
Adapted from: Conversations With Allah: Cultivating Dua
Instructor: Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Assalamu Alaykum,

Today’s gem is from Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed’s course, Conversations with Allah: Cultivating Dua. In this gem, Mufti saab walks us through step by step how to make dua.

Hope you enjoy!

We begin in the Name of Allah ﷻ, the Most Merciful and Compassionate,
We ask that He ﷻ sends Peace and Blessings upon our noble and beloved
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Step 1: Praise Allah ﷻ

When you start your du'a, the first words that you have to say—it doesn't matter which language you say it in, but these are the first words that should emit from our tongues: some form of praise of Allah ﷻ.

The greatest du’a in the Quran is Surah Fatiha, where Allah ﷻ starts off the Quran with a du'a: Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'alamin.

So start with any words that praise Allah ﷻ. If you're in a rush or if you don't have as much time you can start your du'a with "Alhamdulillahi Rabbil 'alamin." If you don't know Arabic, say it in English - or whatever language comes you know. 

Step 2: Send Salutations Upon the Prophet ﷺ

The next step after praising Allah ﷻ is sending durood and salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ.

Step 3: Say Something You’re Grateful For

The third step is to actually say something that you're grateful for. Thank Allah for something. So for example, "Alhamdulillah, I thank you for the fact that I'm able to make du'a."

Step 4: Ask

And then the fourth step is to go ahead and ask for whatever you want to ask for.

Step 5: The Conclusion

In the conclusion, just as in essay writing, the ending should mirror the beginning. The conclusion should always reflect how the introduction was. We should also end with salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ and the praise of Allah ﷻ.

To summarize one more time, continuing this essay writing analogy, here’s what the structure of your dua should look like:

• Intro

  • Praise Allah ﷻ

  • Send salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ

  • Express gratitude

• Body

  • Ask for whatever you want

• Conclusion

  • Send salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ

  • Praise Allah ﷻ

All of this can be in any language - it doesn’t have to be in Arabic.

But What Should I Ask For?

Now, the question often arises:

"Can I make du'a for dunya?”

“Can I make du'a for wealth?”

“Can I make du'a for things that are not per se Islamic but they're permissible?"

Yes, of course you are allowed to make du’a for those things. You should make du'a for whatever you want in your heart. But Allah ﷻ illustrates for us how our du'as should be compartmentalized in the Quran:

"Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil akhirati hasanah" Oh Allah, bless us with goodness in this world (hasanah) and in the hereafter.

"Hasanah" means something that brings a smile to your face. It means something beautiful. It means something which you strive hard for. Oh Allah, give us ease and blessings in our dunya. And more importantly, give us ease and comfort in the akhirah.

Lastly, "Waqina 'adhaban-nar," save us from the fire of Jahannam. So these are three different du'as. If we look at these three du'as, two of them are for the akhirah, and one portion of that is being made for the dunya. In our general du'as, we should try to see whether we are also able to strike that balance in our du'as. It's perfectly okay to make du'a for the dunya, and actually, it's encouraged. We're supposed to ask Allah ﷻ for goodness in the dunya, but we also should set our hopes and aspirations for Akhira.

May Allah ﷻ grant us tawfiq to turn to Him.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم، فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرحيم

Free Courses Available Until 12/31/23

• Quran Through the Lens of Iqbal - Taught by Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed

• Prophetic Pleas: Exploring the duas of the Prophets in the Quran - Taught by Ustadh Ubaydullah Evans

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