The Relationship Between Supplication and Ramadhan

Making dua is a part of the month of Ramadhan. The connection between
the noble practice of supplicating to Allah and the honored month of
Ramadhan is shown in the following ways.
The ayah of supplication is preceded and followedby ayaat of fasting
(2:183-187).
183. O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was
prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-
184. (Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill,
or on a journey, the prescribed number (Should be madeup) from days
later. For those who can do it (With hardship), is a ransom, the
feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more, of his
own free will,- it is better for him. And it is better for you that ye
fast, if ye only knew.
185. Ramadhan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur'an, as a
guide to mankind, also clear (Signs) for guidanceand judgment (Between
right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home)
during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill,
or on a journey, the prescribed period (Should be made up) by days
later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put
to difficulties. (He wants you) to complete the prescribed period, and
toglorify Him in that He has guided you; and perchance ye shall be
grateful.
186. When My servants ask thee concerning Me, Iam indeed close (to
them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on
Me: Let them also, with a will,Listen to My call, and believe in Me:
That they may walk in the right way.
187. Permitted to you, onthe night of the fasts, is the approach to
your wives. They are your garments and ye are their garments. Allah
knoweth what ye used todo secretly among yourselves; but He turnedto
you and forgave you; so now associate with them, and seek what Allah
Hath ordained for you, and eat and drink, until the white thread of
dawn appear to you distinct from its black thread; then complete your
fast Till the night appears; but do not associate with your wiveswhile
ye are in retreat in the mosques. Those are Limits (set by) Allah.
Approach not nigh thereto. Thus doth Allah make clear His Signs to
men: that they may learn self-restraint.
The Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said that the du'a of the fasting one is accepted.
"Indeed for the fasting person, when he brakes his fast, is a
supplication that will never be rejected."
"Three people's supplication will not be rejected: a just ruler, a
fasting person until he brakes his fast, and an oppressed person."
It is encouraged to make du'a in laylat'ul-qadr.
Aisha asked the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) "What should Isay on
Laylat'il-qadr?" And he replied,"O Allah, indeed you are a Pardoner,
and you love pardon; so pardon me."
The Prophet (s.A.w.s.) supplicated all night before the battle of
badr,which occurred during Ramadhan.
Manners of Supplication
Asking Allah alone
Do not make dua to anyone alongside Allah. (70:18)
Say (O Muhammad): I make dua unto Allah only, and I ascribe unto Him
no partner.(70:20)
The Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said,"Dua is worship."Making dua is an act of
worship; and directing one's worship to other than Allah alone is
major shirk, a sin which nullifies the person's islam altogether.
Praising Allah at the beginning of the dua
The primary example of praising Allah before beseeching Him-subhanahu
wa ta'ala- is in Surah al-Fatiha,
All praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds
The Beneficent, The Merciful,
Owner of the Day of Judgement
You alone we worship
And You alone we ask forhelp
Guide us on the straight path,
The path of those You favored,
Not of the on whom is wrath, nor the astray.
The Prophet was sitting in a masjid and a man came, and prayed, "O
Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me." So the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.)
told him,"You were hasty. When you pray, praise Allah and send the
salah on me, then ask Allah."Another man cameand he praised Allah and
he sent the salah on the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.); so he(s.A..a.w.s.)
said,"O suppliant, ask Allah and your prayer will be
answered."(Narrated by at-Tirmidhi)
Sending the salah on the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.)
"Every supplication will be denied until the suppliant prays upon the
Prophet." (hasan) NB. Notevery dua should containthe salah upon the
Prophet. In fact, he (s.A.a.w.s.) instructed his companions with
several dua without the salah upon him (such as the dua of istikhara).
Repenting to Allah
Telling Allah about your situation
A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zakhariyyah—when
he cried unto hisLord a cry in secret, saying,"My Lord! Lo! The bones
of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have
never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord. Lo! I fear my kinsfolk
after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a
successor whoshall inherit of me and inhereit of the house of Jacob.
And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee)."(Maryam:2-6)
Al-Yaqeen and full awareness ("presence of the heart")
The Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said,"Ask Allah with certainty that He will
answer your prayers, andknow that Allah will not accept the
supplication from an absent heart."(hasan, at-Tirmidhi)
Asking Allah three times
"If you ask Allah for the jannah three times, the jannah will say, 'O
Allah, make him enter jannah.' And if you ask Allah to protect you
from hellfire three times, hellfire will say, 'O Allah, protect him
from the hellfire.'"
NB. Not every supplication should be performed thrice.
Having patience
Man prayeth for evil as he prayeth for good.[Isra:11]
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (s.A.w.s.)said,"The person's
supplication will be answered unless he asks for sin or severing the
ties of kinship, except if the person is hasty."Thenthe Prophet
(s.A.a.w.s.) was asked about hastiness. So the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.)
described it as,"The person says, 'I asked, and I have not seen the
answer.' Then he leaves dua."(Sahih Muslim)
NB. It is not considered haste in dua to ask for a speedy answer.
Asking with persistence (Al-Ilhah ala Allah)
The Prophet (s.A.w.s.) said,"When you ask Allah, ask with confidence."
Some of the early Muslims used to say that the suppliant should be
like a child when you ask Allah, crying until you areanswered.
Asking in secret
An example of this lies in the dua of Zakariyyah,
"A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zakhariyyah—when
he cried unto hisLord a cry in secret."(19:2)
Benefits of this secrecy include sincerity and belief in Allah's
attributes(Hearing, Seeing, Closeness).
Mentioning the result you expect from the fulfillment of the du'a
As in the surah,
"(Moses) said: My Lord! Relieve my mind and ease my task for me; and
loose a knot from my tongue, that they may understand my saying.
Appoint for me a henchman from my folk, Aaron, my brother. Confirm my
strength withhim. And let him share my task, that we may glorify Thee
much, and much remember Thee. Lo! Thou art ever Seeing us."[Ta
Ha:29-34]
Omitting details in the actual request
Such as in the ayah,
"Our Lord, give us good in this world, good in thehereafter, and save
us from the punishment of the fire."(2:201)
Aisha narrated that the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) used to like
comprehensive supplications, and he would leave others. (Sahih, Abu
Dawud)
One of the Sahaba saw his child asking, "O Allah, give me the right
palace on the right side of jannah." So he told his child, "Do not do
that. Rather, ask Allah to enter you into jannah and to protect you
from the fire."
Tahaarah
It is better to have wudu when making dua.
Facing the qiblah
The Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.), when he climbed the Saffa and the Marwa, he
would face the qiblah and make du'a.
To ask Allah by His names and attributes
Allah's are the fairest names. Invoke Him by them.(7:180)
Raising the hands
Salman narrated from the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.),"Surely Allah is Hayyee,
and He loves to conceal the shortcomings of His servants. If His
servant raises his hands, He does not let him go empty handed."
NB. It is inappropriate to raise the hands in certainoccasions of dua
(i.e. during Friday khutbas) and sunnah upon other occasions (i.e. the
dua forrain).
Not consuming Haram
On the authority of Abu Hurairah, The Messenger of Allah said,
"Allah the Almighty is good and accepts only that which is good. Allah
has commanded the faithful to do that which he commanded the
messengers, and the Almighty has said: 'O ye messengers! Eat of the
good things and do right.' And Allah the Almighty has said, 'O ye who
believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you.'"
Then he (s.A.a.w.s.) mentioned [the case of] aman who, having
journeyed far, is disheveled and dusty andwho spreads out his hands to
the sky [saying]: "O Lord! O Lord!" Meanwhile, his (the traveler's)
food is unlawful, his drink unlawful, his clothing unlawful, and he is
nourished unlawfully; so how can he be answered!
(Related by Muslim)
Thinking well of Allah (Husnu thun bi'llah)
When the wife of Imran said, "My Lord! I have vowed unto Thee that
which is in my belly as a consecrated (offering). Accept it from me,
Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower!"(3:38)
And your Lord hath said: Pray unto Me and I will hear your prayer. Lo!
Those who scorn My service, they will enter hell, disgraced.(40:60)
An unto Thamud their brother Salih. He said, "O my people! Serve
Allah, ye have no other God save Him. He brought youforth from the
earth and hath made you husband it. So ask forgiveness of Him and turn
unto Him repentant. Lo, my Lord is Nigh, Responsive.(11:61)
Hadith Qudsi:"I am as my servants thinks of me, and I am with him
whenever he mentions me."
Asking Allah by one's good deeds
Bukhari and Muslim relate the hadith of the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) of
thestory of three men, who each supplicated to Allah by a good deed
they had done earlier in their lives.As the story goes,"Three persons
of a people before you were on a journey when they were overtaken by a
storm andtherefore they took shelter in a cave. A rock slipped down
from the mountain and blocked the exit from the cave. One of them
said, 'The only way for deliverance left is to beseech Allah in the
name of some virtuous deed.'" One of the men mentioned a good deed
which they had done for Allah, and supplicated, "O Lord, if I did this
thing seeking only Thy pleasure, then do Thou relieve us of the
distress wrought upon usby this rock." The rock moved, but not enough
to free the men. So, the other two made similar supplications by their
good deeds until the rockmoved enough to free them.
Asking Allah in times of ease
The Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said,"Whoever is pleasedthat Allah answers
his prayers during hardships and difficulties, let him make much
supplication in times of ease."(Hasan, at-Tirmidhi)
Choosing favored places.
For example, the Saffa and Marwa in Mecca are favored places, since
the Prophet (sA.a.w.s.) made dua there.
Choosing favored times
The last third of the nightis a favored time becauseAllah descends to
the lowest heaven in that time and says, "Is there anyone asking for
something so that I may grant him."
Another favored time is between the adhan and iqamah, as the Prophet
(sA.a.w.s.) told Anas,"Supplication between adhan and iqamah will
never be rejected. So call upon Allah at that time."(Authentic, Ibn
Khuzaimah).
Another favored time is in sujud, as the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.)
said,"The servant is closest to his Lord while in sujud, so ask Allah
in that time."
Friday is also a preferred,especially in the last hourbefore maghrib.
Also, while the roosters crow, since the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.)
said,"When you hear the crowing of the rooster ask Allah fromHis
favors because it saw an angel. And if you hear the braying of a
donkey, seek refuge with Allah because it saw a devil."
Since the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) said,"Two supplications will not be
rejected: the supplicationduring adhan and under rain,"(hasan) then
these two times are preferred for dua.
Supplication on Laylat'ul-Qadr, since it is a blessed and honored
time. Aisha asked the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) "What should Isay on
Laylat'il-qadr?" And he replied,"O Allah, indeed you are a Pardoner,
and you love pardon; so pardon me."
Umm Salamah said, the Prophet (s.A.a.w.s.) entered when Abu Salamah
was dying and he was looking at the heaven. So the Prophet
(s.A.a.w.s.) closed his eyesand said,"When the soul is being seized,
the eyes follow it."Then some people from his relatives panicked. The
Prophet (s.A.a.w.s) said,"Do not make du'a except for good. Indeed the
angels will say, 'Ameen' for whatever you say. O Allah, fogive Abu
Salamah, and raise his rank, and forgive us and forgive him, O Lord of
theUniverse, and expand his grave and illuminate it."
Always remembering whom you are asking
You are asking Allah, Who loves to be asked, Who does not tire of
suppliants, and He is Closest to you.
Miscellaneous Issues Related to Dua
Making dua for others
You can make dua for Others. The Prophet, sala Allahu alaihi wa salam,
said"Whenever you make a supplication for another believer and he is
not present, an angel will say 'and same to you.'"One of the ethics
when making dua to others is that, if you are going to make dua to
yourself and others, start with yourself first, then you make dua to
others. But if you are going to make dua for others only,then you
don't have to mention yourself first. An example of starting with
one's self is seen is the verse,"And those who came after them say,
'OurLord! Forgive us and our brethren who were before us in the
faith…'"(59:10)
Wiping the face after making dua
It was never narrated that the Messanger of Allah, sala Allahu alaihi
wa salam, wiped his honorable face during Salah, such as in Witr.If
itis after Salah, the scholars of Hadith have differed in the
Authenticity of the Hadiths regarding this issue, the correct opinion,
inshallah, is thatthey are allinauthentic.Therefore it is betternotto
wipe the face after making dua. (There is a detailed research by the
Muhaddith Sheikh Bakr Abu Zaid about this issue). And Allah knows
best.
Making dua against oneself
Don't make Dua'a againstyourself or against your children.
The Prophet, sala Allahu alaihi wa salam, said,"Don't make dua against
yourselves. Don't make dua against your children. Don't make dua
against your maids. And don't make dua against your wealth. It might
be in a time in which Allah answers the prayers."(Authentic, Abu
Dauood)
Dua for victory
When ye sought help of your Lord and He answered you (saying): I will
help you with a thousand of the angels, rank on rank. Allah appointed
it only as goodtidings, and that your hearts thereby might be at rest.
Victory cometh only by the help of Allah. Lo! Allah is Mighty,
Wise.(8:9-10)
It's from the Sunnah to make dua for the Muslimsall over the world,
especially in the month of victory, the month of Ramadhan. The
Prophet, sala Allahu alaihi wa salam, made dua at the night before the
Battle ofBadr, which took place inthe month of Ramadhan, until his
upper garment fell. By dawn, he came with the glad tiding fromAllah,
tala, to the believers, concerning their enemies,"Their multitude will
be put to flight, and they will showtheir backs. Nay but the Hour is
their appointed time, and the Hour will be more grievous and more
bitter."(54:45-46)
Supplication of the Prophet, sala Allahu alaihi wa salam
The prophet, sala Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said that:"Every messenger
has a Supplication that will be accepted, and I have saved my
Supplication as a Shafaa Intersession for my Nation on the Day of
Judgment."
May Allah make us amongthose who follow and emulate His Prophet, sala
Allahu alaihi wa salam, till they receive his intersession on the Day
of Judgment. We beg Allah, tala, that He forgives the ones who wrote
this article, and forgives the Muslims among their parents. MayHe
benefit the readers, and guide them to the path of His beloved. We ask
Allah by His most beautiful names to show mercy to those who spread
guidance and stand together upon the truth. Ameen.
Subhanaka Allahumma wa behamdik. Ash'hadu a'laa ilaha illa Annt.
Astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk.

The Month of Mercy

"Ramadan is a month whose beginning is Mercy, whose middle is
Forgiveness and whose end is freedom from the fire."
-Hadith of the Prophet (pbuh)
Mercy > Forgiveness > Freedom from Fire
Ponder on the inherent logical sequence ( subhanAllah ) of the above!
We cannot be exempt from fire withoutfirst being forgiven. And to be
forgiven, we must be graced by Allah's mercy.
The first one third of Ramadan (10days ) is MERCY from Allah
1. Can we expect to receive mercy if we only deprive our bodies of
food and drink? Of course not. Because Ramadan is meant for SPIRITUAL
development through fasting. Physiologically, by fastingthe body
eliminates toxins efficiently and the mind becomes clear for"power
thinking" so that one may ponder on the meaning of the Qur'an, Hadith
and the necessity of Zhikr. One must also do some self-analysis to
monitor and correct one's behaviour if necessary. With meditation the
mind becomes quiet and so should our tongues!
2. Allah is looking for a sincere commitment fromus and not just
physical starvation till sunset and then returning to the status quo.
Ramadan does not end at every iftar. It ends only on sighting the
hilal of Shawwal. So the hard spiritual work must carry on for the
whole of the month.
3. One must plead for mercy and sincerely cry to receive it because
without it, we are stuck at stage one and our prospects of "freedom
from fire" will be bleak.
4. Therefore this stage one is for sincere confession to Allah that we
are weak and sinful and that we desperately need His mercy. We have
only about 10 days to qualify to stage two.
The second one third of Ramadan is ----- FORGIVENESS
1. We must now beg for Allah's forgiveness because we have broken so
many of His rules and covenants and disobeyedHis commands during
theyear, both knowingly and unknowingly. We must say istighfaar day
and night and ask in every sajda for forgiveness. We must be afraid
that if Allah does not forgive, we will surely be among the losers.
Here again, Allah will be assessing the degree of sincerity in
ourrepentance. He looks not for lip service but for soulservice!
2. We must also be forgiving to other people's mistakes and tempers.
The last one third of Ramadan is ......... FREEDOM FROM FIRE
These are our last ten days or so. Instead of justfocusing on Laylat
Al-Qadar (the night of power) one should intensify supplications for
the whole last third ofRamadan. If possible and affordable then do go
forUmrah ... it will be probably the most spiritually fulfilling
experience you will have,aside from Hajj. And Umrah in Ramadan is
equivalent to having done a Hajj with our Rasool pbuh! At the
completion of the last fast, be optimistically hopeful that you will
be alive to give similar piousworship during the forthcoming Ramadans.
And if you remain guidedin your life then you'll be will be admitted
to Paradise, insha'Allah, by the Ryan gate of Paradise! Indeed Allah
swt does not break His promise to his slaves.
NOTE:
The month after Ramadan isShaw'wal.
Those who fast just 6 days of this month, get the reward of fasting
the WHOLE of the year! So if one has missed fasting for 12 yrs of
his/her life, just 6 days ( in any order)of Shaw'wal fasting givesone
an opportunity to make up for our past deficiency of fasting days.
SubhanAllah , isn't Allah swt indeedSUPER-MERCIFUL?

Ramadan: the Way to Attainment

"Fasting during Ramadanis a unique opportunity to attain both peace of
mind and heart," says Imam Gayth Nur Kashif, Director of Washington,
DC's inner city Masjid ash-Shura.
Imam Kashif, who came to Islam by way of the Black Muslim movement and
was an editor of the movement's Muhammad Speaks newspaper and a
contemporary of MalcolmX, explains: "During Ramadan one concentrates
on rendering good and abstaining from the wrong. Such a pursuit
creates peaceful serenity in the hearts of men and women. Ramadan
fastingcannot be complete and in fact, the fast can be invalidated if
one fails to control his or her temper.The fasting persons are advised
to refrain from argument and to inform the other party that they
cannot continue the troublesome dialogue because they are engaged in
the sublime obligation of fasting. Without doubt a full month of such
restraint isdestined to leave its markupon our bodies and souls."
The fasting during Ramadan that requires certain restraints from dawn
to dusk, the hours when the human interaction is the greatest, is
designed to mould the lives of its practitioners.
Dr. Molook Roghanizad, amember of the Curriculum Advisory Committee of
the Fairfax County School Board in Virginia and an educational
consultant, says, "Ramadan fasting offers an opportunity forTazkiyah,
- the cleansing of the self - through its disciplinary regimen. Andon
another level, Ramadan offers a unique opportunity for synthesizing
with the lessfortunate."
She points out that the tazkiyah aspect is clearly emphasized by
Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam) who, according to
Ka'b ibn Malik, said:
"Two hungry wolves sentagainst a herd of sheep will not do more
damageto it than a man's eagerness for wealth andprestige does to his
religion."[Cited in Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi and Abu Yahya]
"The Quran," she adds, "started to be revealed during Ramadan and it
is recommended that during this month we concentrate on the reading of
the Quran. Why? This is because during this month, we are less
involved with physical needs and have a better opportunity of
understanding the Message – the Quran, thatis. Therefore there is a
better chance of understanding the truth and reaching that spiritual
elevation that we all desire." This state of 'special elevation', she
is says comes when we elevate ourselves through understanding the true
message. "The moment you have reached the absolute truth is your
Lailut ul Qadr, the Night of Power," she stresses.
She says that the real attainment of Qadr for ordinary beings is not a
physical act, nothing sort of pulling a spiritual rabbit out of a hat,
but inreality that indescribable moment when all things become clear
to you and this moment of truth is worth one thousand months, more
than a lifetime. Considering the ambience of spirituality, there is a
chance that is other worldly experienceof a person, the Qadr, may
occur in Ramadan. The Qur'an says:"But those will prosper who purify
themselves and glorify of their Guardian-Lord and (lift their hearts)
in Prayer."(87:14-15)
Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah, 95, the eminent scholar and translator of the
Quran into French, in his monograph Why Fast? (Centre Culturale
Islamique, Wilkes Barre, PA) discusses the physical aspect of fasting.
He likens fasting to the break from the ordinary to sleeping and to
the weekend breaks in work and school. He points out that just as
sleep renovates the body, the fast rejuvenates and invigorates the
body, noting that Prophet Muhammad said, "There is a tax on
everything, the tax of the body beingthe fast."
What is fasting does to a Muslim is perhaps best explained by Jim
Quraishi, who wrote in an internet religion forum, "I am much more
forgiving and accepting of my coworkers. I am more liable to overlook
their frailties and petty jealousies. I'm like a man who knows that at
the end of the day there is a pot of gold that awaits him."
Islam does order withdrawal nor asceticism, however those who desire
can undertake itikaf, that is to confine oneself to a secluded corner
of a mosque – women can select a corner at home - during the last ten
days of Ramadan to devote their full-time to prayer and remembrance of
God. The itikaf experience can be likened to a retreat in a secluded
camp. Ibn `Umarsaid, "The Messenger of Allah [Prophet Muhammad] used
to seclude himself for the last ten days of the month of Ramadan."
Dr. Alija Izetbekovic, former President of Bosnia, (Islam Between East
& West, American Trust Publications, p. 210)says: "The Islamic fast
which is the union of asceticism and joy – and even pleasure in
certain cases – is the most natural and most radical educational
measure thathas ever been put into practice. It is equally present in
the king's palace and the peasant's hut, in a philosopher's home and a
worker's home. Its greatest advantage is that it is really practiced."
The fasting during Ramadan has been ordained for Muslims as fasting
had been ordained for people that preceded them. Prophet Muhammad,
addressing his companions on the last day of Sha`ban, the preceding
month, said:"Opeople! A great month has come over you; a blessed
month; a month in which is a night better than a thousand months;
month in which Allah has made it compulsory uponyou to fast by day,
and voluntary to pray by night. Whoever draws nearer (to Allah) by
performing any of the (optional) good deeds in (this month) shall
receive the same reward as performing an obligatorydeed at any other
time, and whoever discharges an obligatory deed in (this month) shall
receive the reward of performing seventy obligations at any other
time. It is the month of patience, and the rewardof patience is
Heaven. It is the month of charity, and a month in which a believer's
sustenance is increased. Whoever givesfood to a fasting person to
break his fast, shall have his sins forgiven, and he will be saved
from the Fire of Hell, and he shall have the same reward as the
fasting person, without his reward being diminishedat all."[Narrated
by Ibn Khuzaymah]

Fathwa - Should I Pray 20 Rak'ahs With The Imaam Or 8?

Question:
If I pray in the masjid and the Imaam prays twenty rak'ahs, should I
complete twenty along with him or should I prayeight rak'ahs along
with him and then pray witr alone and leave?
Answer:
I advise that you pray 20 rak'ahs and you pray the witr alone.
Following the Sunnah is more deserving, for indeed the Prophet,
salallaahu 'alaihi wasallam, said:Pray like you have seen me pray.