Du’a (Invocation)

“And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.” ²⁷
(The Holy Qur’an)

Du’a is defined as servants’ sincerely taking refuge in Allah, confessing their weakness before the might of Allah, expressing their deep love and respect for Allah, and asking for His help and forgiveness.

Du’a includes different emotions and intentions such as showing gratitude to Allah, praising Him, expressing that He does not have an equal or a partner, asking for protection from evil and asking for forgiveness, begging for the blessings needed.

Du’a is a holistic and lifetime-long worship that does not have a specific time, place or process to be performed. Indeed, there are certain times such as sacred nights, right after fardh prayers, time of Friday prayer, the day of Arafa when du’as are accepted. Similarly, there are places integrated with du’a such as Makkah, Ka’bah, Arafat, and Madinah. Yet, it is an unquestionable fact that humans can supplicate to Allah any time and in any condition.

Du’a is the communication between Allah and his servants. Throughout their lives, humans face various problems that they cannot overcome. They experience anger, grief, distress, fear, helplessness, loneliness, despair, illness, poverty, and hopelessness. They feel the need to pray to Allah especially in difficult times. Because the hope that the Almighty Allah will help them relieves their sadness and gives them strength. But Allah does not want people to pray to him only when they are in need. He ^(swt) wants them to remember Him not only when they are in need but also when they are wealthy and in peace. In fact, He expostulates on unfaithful and ungrateful servants who beg to Him when in need and forget Him after reaching a state of comfort.

The Muslim gives meaning and value to their lives with du’a. They always pray as they know that Allah always sees and hears them. They do not rush for their prayer to be realized, nor do they lose hope. They pray for not only themselves but also for other believers, thus, keeping themselves away from selfishness. They pay close attention to begging in a sincere way and asking for the good from Allah.

²⁷ Baqarah, 2/186.