Tawheed (Divine Unity) - The difference between du’aa’ for asking and du’aa’ for woership.

What is the difference between du'aa' for asking and du'aa' for worship?.
Praise be to Allaah.
We use the word du'aa' (invocation) to refer to two things:
1-
Du'aa' for asking, which means seeking that which will benefit, or
asking to ward off that which will cause harm, by asking Allaah for
that which will benefit in thisworld and in the Hereafter, and to ward
off that which will cause harm in this world and in the Hereafter,
Such as du'aa' for forgiveness, mercy, guidance, help, to attain
Paradise, to be saved from Hell, for Allaah to grant good things in
thisworld and in the Hereafter and so on.
2-
Du'aa' for worship, which means that the person is worshipping Allaah
by any of the types of worship, in the heart or physically or
financially, such as fearing Allaah, loving Him, hoping for His mercy,
putting one's trust in Him, praying, fasting, doing Hajj, reading
Qur'aan, reciting tasbeeh and dhikr, giving zakaah andcharity, jihad
for the sake of Allaah, calling people to Allaah, enjoining what is
good and forbidding what is evil, and so on.
Everyone who does any of these acts of worship is calling upon Allaah.
See: al-Qawl al-Mufeed (1/264) and Tasheeh al-Du'aa' (p. 15-21).
Usually when the word du'aa' appears in verses of the Qur'aan, it
refers to both meanings, because they are interconnected. So everyone
who asks of Allaah verbally is worshipping Him, because du'aa' is
worship, and every worshipper who prays to Allaah, fasts or does Hajj
is doing that hopingfor reward from Allaah and to attain Paradise and
to be saved from punishment.
Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaanal-Sa'di (may Allaah havemercy on him) said:
Everything in the Qur'aan that enjoins du'aa' and forbids du'aa'to or
calling upon anyone other than Allaah, and praises thosewho say du'aa'
or call upon Him, includes the du'aa' of asking and the du'aa' of
worship. End quote.
Al-Qawaa'id al-Hisaan (no. 51).
One of the two types of du'aa' may be more apparent than the other in
some verses.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said
concerning the verse (interpretation of the meaning): "Invoke your
Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not theaggressors. 56. And
do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order, and
invoke Him with fear and hope. Surely, Allaah's Mercy is (ever) near
unto the good‑doers" [al-A'raaf 7:55-56]:
These two verses includethe etiquette of two types of du'aa': the
du'aa' of worship and the du'aa' of asking. Du'aa' in the Qur'aan may
refer to either of these types, or it may refer to both, because they
are interconnected.Du'aa' of asking means seeking that which will
benefit the supplicant, and asking to be spared that which will harm
him, and for it to be warded off. So he asks for benefit and for harm
to be warded off, and that is du'aa' of asking. And the du'aa' that is
offered with hope and fear is the du'aa' of worship. Therefore it is
known that both types are interconnected. Every du'aa' of worship
implies du'aa' of asking, and every du'aa' of asking implies du'aa' of
worship.
Based on this, the words (interpretation of the meaning): "And when My
slaves ask you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) 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)" [al-Baqarah2:186] include both types of
du'aa', and it is in terms of both that the verse is to be understood.
It was said: Iwill give to him when heasks of Me, and it was said: I
will reward him if he worships Me. Both are interconnected.
This does not come under the heading of using a common word inboth of
its meanings, or of using a word in a real and metaphorical sense,
rather it is using it in its real sense which includes both things.
Think about it, because it is a matter that is of great benefit, but
it is rarely paid attention to. Most verses of the Qur'aan point to
both meanings and more, andit is of this type.
For example, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to the disbelievers): My Lord pays
attention to you only because of yourinvocation to Him"
[al-Furqaan 25:77].
i.e., because of your du'aa' to Him. And it wassaid: (it means)
because of His call to you to worship Him.
Based on that, what is meant is both types of du'aa', of which is the
du'aa' of worship is more apparent, i.e., He would not have paid
attention to you were it not that you put your hope in Him. Worship of
Him implies asking of Him, so both types are included.
And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And your Lord said: Invoke Me [i.e. believe inMy Oneness (Islamic
Monotheism) and ask Mefor anything] I will respond to your
(invocation)"
[Ghaafir 40:60].
The word du'aa' here includes both types, although du'aa' of worship
is more apparent, hence it is followed by the words (interpretation of
the meaning): "Verily, those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke
Me, and do not believe in MyOneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will
surely enter Hell in humiliation!". So the word du'aa' in this
versemay be interpreted in both senses.
Al-Tirmidhi narrated thatal-Nu'maan ibn Basheer (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) say on the minbar: "Du'aa' isworship." Then he
recited the verse (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)…". Al-Tirmidhi
said: a saheeh hasan hadeeth.
With regard to the verses (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, those on whom you call besides Allaah, cannot create (even) a
fly, even though they combine together for the purpose…"
[al-Hajj 22:73]
"They (all those who worship others than Allaah) invoke nothing but
female deities besides Him (Allaah) …"
[al-Nisa' 4:117]
"And those whom they used to invoke before (in this world) shall
disappear from them…"
[Fussilat 41:48]
everything that is mentioned in them is the du'aa' or invocation of
the mushrikeen to their idols. What is meant is the du'aa' of worship
which includes the du'aa' of asking, although the meaning ofdu'aa' of
worship is more apparent.
The words (interpretation of the meaning): "so invoke Him making your
worship pure for Him Alone (by worshipping Him Alone, and none else"
[Ghaafir 40:65] refer to the du'aa' of worship. What is meant is:
Worship Him alone and make your worship sincerely for Him alone, and
do not worship anyone else along with Him.
With regard to the words of Ibraaheem (peace be upon him) in the verse
(interpretationof the meaning): " 'Verily, my Lord is indeedthe
All‑Hearer of invocations'" [Ibraaheem 14:39], whatis meant by hearing
hereis hearing in a specific sense, which is the hearing of response
and acceptance, not hearing in the general sense, because Allaah hears
all that can be heard. As that is the case, du'aa' here means the
du'aa' ofworship and the du'aa' of requesting, and the Lord's hearing
of it means that He rewards the praise and answers the request, so He
hears both.
With regard to the words of Zakariya (peace be upon him) in the verse
(interpretationof the meaning): " 'and Ihave never been unblestin my
invocation to You, O my Lord'" [Maryam 19:4], it was said that what is
meant is the du'aa' of asking, meaning: You always answered me and
never rejected me or deprived me. So he is seeking to draw closer to
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, by means of His previous
answers and kindness. This is clear in this case.
With regard to the words of Allaah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): Invoke Allaah or invoke the Most Gracious
(Allaah)…" [al-Isra' 17:110],
The well known view is that this is the du'aa' of asking, and this is
the reason for revelation. They said: The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) used to call upon his Lord, sometimes saying Ya
Allaah and sometimes saying Ya Rahmaan, so the mushrikeen thought that
he was calling upontwo gods, so Allaah revealed this verse.
With regard to the verse (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, We
used to invoke Him (Alone and none else) before. Verily, He is Al‑Barr
(the Most Subtle, Kind, Courteous, and Generous), the Most Merciful"
[al-Toor 52:28],this is the du'aa' of worship which includes asking
with hope and fear. What it means is: we used to devote our worship
sincerely to Himalone, and thus they deserved that Allaah should save
them from the punishment of Hell, not just because of asking, which is
something that is sharedin common between those who are saved andthose
who are not, because everyone who is in heaven and on earth asks for
that. "never shall we call uponany ilaah (god) other than Him"
[al-Kahf 18:14]i.e., we will never worship anyone other than Him.
Similarly Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Will you call
upon Ba'l (a well-known idol of his nation whom they used to worship)
and forsake the Best of creators?" [al-Saffaat 37:125].
With regard to the words (interpretation of the meaning): "And it will
be said (to them): 'Call upon your (so‑called) partners (of Allaah)',
and they will call upon them…" [al-Qasas 28:64], this is du'aa' of
asking. Allaah will rebuke and humiliate them on the Day of
Resurrection, by showing them that their partners (whom they ascribed
to Allaah) will not answer their du'aa's or supplications. But it does
not mean worship them. It is similar to the verse in which Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "And (remember) the Day He will say:
'Call those (so‑called) partners of Mine whom you pretended.' Then
they will cry unto them, but they will not answer them" [al-Kahf
18:52]. End quote.
Majmoo' Fataawa Ibn Taymiyah (15/10-14).
See other examples in Badaa'i' al-Fawaa'id by Ibn al-Qayyim (3/513-527).
And Allaah knows best.

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