12 Manners and Etiquettes of Dua
The Holy Prophet صلی اللہ تعالیٰ علیہ وآلہ وسلم has
referred to Dua as the weapon of the believers. Dua is a great way to convey
one’s requests to the court of Almighty Allah and it acts as a connection
between the Creator and the creation. Similarly, Dua has certain requirements for
it to be accepted that are known as the manners of Dua which must be kept in
mind when making Dua in order to have a favorable result. It does not mean that
Dua will not be answered if these conditions are not met. However, if these
conditions are present, Dua will be more perfect and the likelihood of
its acceptance will increase. On the contrary, if these conditions and manners
are not adopted, then you should not expect it to be answered. However, if
Almighty Allah shows mercy or it is the time of acceptance anyway, then the Dua
may be accepted. The Holy Prophet صلی اللہ تعالیٰ علیہ وآلہ وسلم said:
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ
اللَّهَ لاَ يَسْتَجِيبُ دُعَاءً مِنْ قَلْبٍ غَافِلٍ لاَهٍ
“And know that Allah does not respond to supplication
from a heart that is heedless and occupied by play.”
(Tirmidhi)
A
few etiquettes of Dua are listed below:
(1) The heart must be cleansed of the thoughts of all
else except Allah because the heart is a special place where the mercy and
blessings of Almighty Allah descend as it has been stated in a blessed Hadith:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ
يَنْظُرُ إِلَى أَجْسَادِكُمْ وَلاَ إِلَى صُوَرِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى
قُلُوبِكُمْ
“Verily Allah does not look to your bodies nor to your
faces but He looks to your hearts.”
(2) Make sure that your body, clothes and the spot
where you are praying are neat and clean, because Almighty Allah is Nazif
(clean) and He loves cleanliness.
(3) Perform a good deed before offering Dua. In this
way, the blessings of the Merciful Lord will be focused on you. The recommended
good deed in this regard is a hidden charity (Sadaqah), as it highly increases
the chances of the acceptance of Dua.
(4) Pay those rights of the people that are due on you
or seek their forgiveness and have them forgive you before offering Dua.
(5) Take extra precautions to refrain from Haram
(prohibited) foods, drinks, clothing and earning because the Dua of the people who
consume Haram and commit forbidden acts often go unanswered.
(6) Repent of all the previous sins before offering
Dua because asking for a favor while being adamantly disobedient is a shameless
act.
(7) While offering Dua, sit reverently on your knees in
the state of Wudu with your face towards the Qiblah or stand on your knees or
bow down in prostration with the intention of paying gratitude to Almighty
Allah for enabling you to supplicate in His court, because a person is closest
to Almighty Allah in the state of prostration, as the Holy Prophet صلی اللہ
تعالیٰ علیہ وآلہ وسلم said:
أقرب ما يكون العبد من
ربه وهو ساجد، فأكثروا الدعاء
“The bondman becomes nearest to his Rab when he is in
prostration. So increase supplications while prostrating."
(8) Humility and humbleness should be expressed
through your body and a proper presence of mind should also be there. Bani
Israel complained to their Prophet that their prayers were not being answered. It
was said in reply, “How can I accept their prayers, for their tongues pray but
their hearts remain drawn towards others.”
(9) The gaze should be kept lowered or else, it is
feared that the eyesight might go weak. Even though, this warning has been
given in a Hadith for praying during Salah, but the scholars have explained
that it is applicable to all situations.
(10) Praise Almighty Allah before and after Dua because
doing Hamd (praise) pleases Almighty Allah and He showers countless blessings
in return.
(11) Before and after Dua, send Durood upon the Noble
Prophet صلی
اللہ تعالیٰ علیہ وآلہ وسلم, his companions and his sacred offspring because
Durood is always accepted in the court of Almighty Allah and it cannot be expected
from the merciful Lord that he accepts the beginning and the end and rejects the
middle part i.e. Dua. Sayyiduna Umar رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ said:
إِنَّ الدُّعَاءَ
مَوْقُوفٌ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ لاَ يَصْعَدُ مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ حَتَّى
تُصَلِّيَ عَلَى نَبِيِّكَ صلى الله عليه وسلم
“Indeed the supplication stops between the heavens and
the earth. Nothing of it is raised up until you send Durood upon your Prophet.”
(Tirmidhi)
(12) It is also recommended to put forward the
following in the court of Almighty Allah as Wasilah (intermediary):
His blessed names and attributes, his books especially
the Quran, angels, the Noble Messengers especially the best of all creation
Sayyiduna Muhammad صلی اللہ تعالیٰ علیہ وآلہ وسلم and His Auliya (friends) and chosen ones especially
Sayyiduna Ghaus -e- Azam رضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہم, because Dua is accepted by
presenting the Wasilah of the people beloved to Almighty Allah.
Almighty Allah states in the Holy Quran:
وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ
الْوَسِيلَةَ
“And seek the means towards Him”
(Maidah
5:35)
It is imperative to remember that when the Dua does
get answered, one should pay thanks to Almighty Allah as it grants consistency
to the favors of Almighty Allah and causes an increase in them. May Allah
enable us to supplicate in His court in the manner which is the most beloved
and the most preferred to him and accept all our legal permissible
supplications by virtue of the prayers of the Noble Prophet صلی اللہ تعالیٰ
علیہ وآلہ وسلم!
