There was a time when I felt afraid of making dua. My reasoning? I didn’t want to be angry with God. If things didn’t work out -if I prayed for something that didn’t come to pass, what was I supposed to feel? If God didn’t give me what I wanted I feared I’d be left with anger and regret, neither of which I felt would increase my nearness to God.
Acknowledgment
But I had to come to the realization that prayer was not simply about asking for things —the concrete and the abstract, but also about acknowledgment. We’re acknowledging that Allah is the Doer, that His will is eternal and proceeded above our own and that any good that happens to us, for us, is because of Him. We are acknowledging that we are not in complete control of our lives nor everything that happens therein. I had to realize prayer was not merely about me getting or not getting the thing I asked for.
Gratitude
It’s also a means of gratitude. Our gratitude deepens when we start to see the work of God unfold and manifest. When our wildest dreams come true and we remember the humble prayer of a needy servant. Some of us are more apt to turn to God in moments of gratitude, rejoicing when our dua has been fulfilled. For others, we are quicker to turn to God when we are in need, at our lowest point. How great would it then be if we turn to God both when we’re in need and when we have received our needs? To not see only our work but the work of God manifesting itself in our lives?
Connection
And whether we received the answer to our dua as requested, in some other way, or something far better in the next life, when we’re asking God we are talking to Him, connecting ourselves to Him. I was told by one of my shuyukh that the Sufis would pray for even the mildest of actions. But even the successful completion of a minor act is by the grace of God. Nothing is truly a small act, all is connected to God and when we make Dua we connect ourselves to that reality.
Prayer acknowledges God as Doer, allows us to be grateful for even the smallest of blessings and provides for us a means to be constantly connected to our Lord. That is, prayer for prayer’s sake is itself a blessing, whether or not we get what we want.
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Consider picking up a copy of my book, 40 Hadith of ‘Aisha, An English collection of 40 Hadith narrated by the beloved wife, scholar, and sage ‘Aisha bint Abu Bakr, available here. Also, consider signing up for our monthly newsletter here: bythefigandtheolive.com/newsletter. For speaking engagements visit Nuriddeenknight.com
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