Gratitude for supplicating to Allah

Human beings cannot remain happy forever. There are certain times when nature decides to test our patience and leaves us bewildered and perplexed. This is the time when Muslims take advantage of their faith and seek the help of Almighty Allah.
In the Holy Quraan, Allah says:
“He is the One that has created Life and Death in order to test who amongst you is best in conduct.” (Verses: 67:2)

Du`a’ or supplication is an incredible power that we sometimes don’t fully comprehend. The importance of dua in Islam stands close to having faith and belief in the existence of Allah. Dua means communicating with Allah and because of this communication source, we get close to our Lord.

Du’a’ is a form of prayer that is not restricted to time or place. In literal terms, dua is the weapon with the help of which one can change almost any situation by asking for help from Almighty Allah. Dua is strongly believed to change destiny. Dua is essentially submission to the Creator and a demonstration of a person’s need for Allah.

Allah, the Almighty says in the Holy Quraan,
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ
“When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me, therefore, they should respond to Me and put their trust in Me, so that they may be rightly guided. ” (Quran, 2:186)

Our beloved Prophet (SAW) said:
وعن النعمان بن بشير رضي الله عنهما عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال‏:‏ ‏ “‏الدعاء هو العبادة‏”
An-Nu’man bin Bashir (RA) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Du’a (supplication) is worship.” [Abu Dawud].

Dua is a form of worship, in fact, our Holy Prophet (PBUH) said it is the best form of worship. When we make Dua in front of ALLAH for our needs and wants, not only does He answer but Allah also rewards us. With Dua we never fail; without it, we may never succeed.

Dua is a way to communicate with Allah, our Creator, the All-Knowing, and the All-Powerful. This act of making Dua in itself is of exceptional significance. It is the most, liberating, empowering, and transforming conversation a person can ever have with his Lord.

Throughout the Quran, Allah has encouraged us to call upon Him. He asks us to lay our dreams, hopes, fears, and uncertainties before Him and to be sure that He hears every word.
Allah (SWT) says in Quran:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِى سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
“And your Lord says, Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer). But those who are too arrogant to worship Me will surely find themselves in Hell, in humiliation.” (Quran, 40:60).

Our intention while making Dua must be to please Allah, to obey and trust Him completely. In every difficulty, our first action is Dua, as is our last. We ask Allah to show us the way to handle the difficulty; we seek His help in following the path He shows to us; we seek His aid in making our efforts successful.

We should make Dua at all times, not only during times of distress. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Whosoever desires that Allah answers his Duas in unfavourable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful Dua in days of ease and comfort.”
So whatever we have, it has been granted to us by Allah, and further Allah is still willing to give us even more and to remove our difficulties.

We should take benefit of this bounty and instil within ourselves and our children the habit of regularly turning to Allah in Dua and supplication.