The Acceptance of Du‘ā
The Conditions of the Acceptance of Du‘ā
Sometimes we find ourselves asking why our du‘ās are not accepted. There could be a number of reasons for this. The Prophet ﷺ has mentioned in his aḥādīth the following reasons:
Not paying attention whilst making du‘ā
Consuming ḥarām
Asking for impermissible things
Being impatient by saying, “I made du‘ā but it wasn’t accepted.”
How Du‘ās are Accepted
If we find that the conditions mentioned above are not found in us, yet still our du‘ā has not been accepted, then we should ponder over the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, in which he reports that the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
“No-one makes du‘ā to Allāh for anything except that it is accepted; either he gets what he wants in this world, or either it is treasured for him in the Hereafter, or either his sins are forgiven in return for whatever he asked for. [He will get all this] as long as he does not ask for anything impermissible, or to break ties of kinship, or becomes impatient…” (At-Tirmidhī)[1]
We see from this ḥadīth that if we find that we are not getting whatever we asked for, it does not necessarily mean that our du‘ās are not being accepted. Rather, through His infinite Wisdom, Allāh knows what is best for us, and instead of granting us what we wish, He gives us something that is of greater benefit to us. This could be in the form of us being saved from a calamity we were to be afflicted by, or it could just be that we do not get anything in this world, but gain the reward in the Hereafter. If we understand this concept, we will never give up making du‘ā, and we will always be pleased with the outcome of everything. After all, Allāh knows what is best for us at every given moment.
[1] حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ مُوسَى قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا اللَّيْثُ هُوَ ابْنُ أَبِي سُلَيْمٍ، عَنْ زِيَادٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ يَدْعُو اللَّهَ بِدُعَاءٍ إِلَّا اسْتُجِيبَ لَهُ، فَإِمَّا أَنْ يُعَجَّلَ فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَإِمَّا أَنْ يُدَّخَرَ لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ يُكَفَّرَ عَنْهُ مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِ بِقَدْرِ مَا دَعَا، مَا لَمْ يَدْعُ بِإِثْمٍ أَوْ قَطِيعَةِ رَحِمٍ أَوْ يَسْتَعْجِلْ». قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَكَيْفَ يَسْتَعْجِلُ؟ قَالَ: " يَقُولُ: دَعَوْتُ رَبِّي فَمَا اسْتَجَابَ لِي ": «هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الوَجْهِ» (رواه الترمذي)
#dua #acceptedprayer #accepteddua #answereddua #answeredprayer #conditionsforansweredprayer #waysduasareaccepted #waysprayersareanswered