Dua the Weapon of the Believer
The most important point to remember is that the response to the Dua may take different forms:
Either Allah will respond and fulfil the desire of the person who made the Dua,
Or He will ward off some evil from him because of the Dua,
Or He will make something good easy for him to attain because of it,
Or He will save it with Him for him on the Day of Resurrection when he will be most in need of it.
Pre-requisites of Dua
Supplicating to Allah Alone.
“And the Masajid are for Allah (Alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allah.” (Surah Al-Jinn 72: 18)
Ibn Abbas (Radhi Allahu Anhu) said, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said to him while he was riding behind him on the same mount. “Be mindful of Allah and Allah will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him in front of you. If you ask, ask only from Allah, if you seek help, seek help only from Allah. And know that if all the nations were to gather together to benefit you, they will benefit you only with something that Allah has already prescribed for you and if they gather together to harm you, they will harm you only with something that Allah has already prescribed for you. The pens have been lifted and the pages are dry.” (At-Tirmidhi)
Sincerity in making Dua. This is the one of the most important conditions according to the majority of the scholars:
“So, call you upon Allah making religion sincerely for Him, however much the disbelievers may hate.” (Surah Ghafir 40: 14)
Sincerity in Dua means having the firm belief that the One upon Whom you are calling – Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala – is alone Able to meet your need. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala also says:
“And your Lord said: "Call upon Me, I will answer you. Verily, those who scorn My worship they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!'' (Surah Ghafir 40: 60)
Proper Tawassul –the means of getting closer to all through something beloved to Him; like calling upon Him by His Most Beautiful Names and Sublime Attributes at the beginning of the Dua and/or at the end. Allah states:
“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them” (Surah Al-A’raf 7: 180)
Buraidah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) reported that the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) heard a man saying, “O Allah! I ask you, I bear witness that there is no god but You, the One, As-Samad, He begets not nor was He begotten and there is none like unto Him.” The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “You have asked Allah by His Greatest Name. When one asks Him by this name, He gives what one desires, and when one supplicates by this name He answers.” (Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi)
Repentance and turning back to Allah. Sin is one of the main reasons why Duas are not answered, so the person who is making Dua should admit his sins, hasten to repent and seek forgiveness before he makes Dua.
“I said (to them): ‘Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, And give you increase in wealth and children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers.’ ” (Surah Nuh 71: 10-12)
“And Dhun-Nun (Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him. But he cried through the darkness (saying): La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshiped but You) Glorified be You, Truly, I have been of the wrongdoers” (Surah Al-Anbiya’ 21:87).
Narrated Anas bin Malik (Radhi Allahu Anhu) the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “Allah is more pleased with the repentance of His slave than anyone of you is pleased with finding his camel which he lost in the desert. (Al-Bukhari)
Humbling oneself, hoping for Allah’s reward and fearing His punishment. This is the spirit, essence and purpose of Dua:
“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors” (Surah Al-A’raf 7: 55)
“So We answered his call an We bestowed upon him Yahya and cured his wife (to bear a child) for him. Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before us.”(Surah Al-Anbiya’ 21: 90).
To make Dua for the needs of this world and the next
“And of them there are some who say: “Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire! For them there will be allotted a share for what they have earned and Allah is swift at reckoning.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 201-202)
To Cry with the Fear of Allah
“Their sides forsake their beds, to invoke their Lord in fear and hope and they spend out of what We have bestowed on them.” (Surah As-Sajdah 32: 16)
“And they fall down on their faces weeping and it increases their humility.” (Surah Al-Isra’ 17: 109)
Don’t be Hasty and Impatient.
“And were Allah to hasten for mankind the evil as He hastens for them the good then they would have being ruined.” (Surah Yunus 10: 11)
Abu Hurayrah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) said: the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “The Dua of any one of you will be answered so long as he is not impatient and says, ‘I made Dua but it was not answered.’” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Urgently pleading and repeating the Dua, without getting exasperated or bored; this is achieved by repeating the Dua two or three times. Restricting it to three times is preferable, in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam),
Ibn Mas’ood (Radhi Allahu Anhu) narrated that the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) liked to say a Dua three times and ask for forgiveness three times. (Abu Dawud and Al-Nasa’i).
Making Dua at times of ease, and at times of plenty. The Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said:
“Remember Allah during times of ease and He will remember you during times of hardship.” (Narrated by Ahmad).
Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) said that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said: (anyone who is pleased) that Allah responds to him at the time of trouble and distress (should) increase Dua at the time of calmness” (At-Tirmidhi)
Choosing the clearest and most concise words and the best of Duas. The best of Duas are the Duas from the Glorious Qur'an and the Duas of the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) but it is permissible to say other words according to the specific needs of a person.
Having complete Trust (Tawakkal) in Allah and having Patience (Sabr).
The Believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Ayat are recited unto them, they increase their faith, and they put their trust in their Lord (Surah Al-Anfal 8: 2)
Seek help in patience and As-Salat (prayer); and truly it is hard save for Al-Khashi’in (the humble-minded) (Surah Al-Baqarah 2: 45)
Narrated Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “Supplicate Allah with confidence He will answer you and know that Allah will not accept the supplication from an absent heart.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi).
Presence of the heart. The person supplicating must understand what he says, and contemplate on Allah’s Greatness.
And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words, in the mornings and in the afternoons, and be not of those who are neglectful. (Surah Al-A’raf 7: 205)
Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu Anhu) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) said: “Make Dua to Allah in a state that you are certain that your Dua will be responded to, and know that Allah does not respond to a Dua that originates from a negligent inattentive heart.” (At-Tirmidhi, al-Hakim)
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (Radhi Allahu Anhu): Allah's Apostle (Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said, "None of you should say: 'O Allah, forgive me if You wish; O Allah, be merciful to me if You wish,' but he should always appeal to Allah with determination, for nobody can force Allah to do something against His Will." (Al-Bukhari and Muslim
When our Dua is answered we need to show Gratitude and give thanks to Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala:
“And when harm touches man, he invokes Us, lying on his side and sitting or standing. But when We have removed his harm from him, he passes on as if he had never invoked Us for a harm that touched him! Thus it is made fair seeming to the wasteful that which they used to do. ( Surah Yunus 10: 12)