This post was originally written on November 9, 2017 and was reposted on December 26, 2023.
Here we are on the next part of the topic of Tawakkul. I will talk about action and duas, and how having reliance on Allah SWT is really, what the ultimate goal is.
Is it true that we have to take action in order for our dua to be manifested?
There is a hadith that a Bedouin was going inside the mosque without tying his camel. One day, the Prophet (SAW) noticed this and asked the Bedouin why didn’t he tie the camel. The Bedouin responded to the Prophet (SAW) saying that he left the camel because he put his complete trust in Allah SWT. The Prophet (SAW) then responded that what the Bedouin should do first is to tie his camel, and then put his trust in Allah SWT that the camel will be there and taken care of. This hadith was related by Tirmidhi and is an authentic hadith.
There is another version of the hadith where the Bedouin asked the Prophet (SAW) whether he should leave the camel and rely on Allah SWT, or whether he should tie the camel and then have tawakkul on Allah SWT. The Prophet (SAW) answered that the Bedouin should tie the camel and then have tawakkul upon Allah SWT.
Either way, you do have to take some action. And you know, dua is a huge action on its own!
Tawakkul is the means to the end result. What this means is having full complete trust in Allah SWT with regards to your duas and the answer to the duas. You are not putting the trust on the action step itself, but rather, in Allah SWT Himself.
You’re ultimately saying “Allah SWT, if this is good for me, then I trust You in providing this for me.” You build your patience through tawakkul.
You don’t need to take big action steps or even small ones. You simply take a step, and trust that as you take that step, Allah SWT will help you with each milestone you achieve toward your goal. It is Allah SWT who guides your action steps, if you really think about it. And it is Allah SWT who brings miracles into existence when things are going to happen for you as it is meant to be.
So, is it true that you absolutely need to take an action step in order for your duas to be manifested? Not all the time. Sometimes, we don’t even know where to begin!
When we don’t know where to begin, what do we do? We make dua to ask Allah SWT for guidance on what to do next. Then Allah SWT guides us through putting the ideas and thoughts in our intuition (this is another blog post for another time about intuition). The next thing you know, action begins to happen.
How do you think the street lights were built? When cars were first being built, no one thought about potential accidents that could happen without street lights, and stop signs. But then Allah SWT provided guidance to someone by giving them the idea, and then the street lights, and stop signs came about. There is rich history behind the creation of the first street light, but that’s again, a topic for another blog.
Who do you think came up with the idea of technology and computers? Again, Allah SWT guides people towards the ideas and thoughts that bring about what we use today.
Let’s go back eons ago to Prophet Nuh (A.S.) Before the flood, no one had a clue what a ship was. Hadrat Jibreel (A.S.), upon Allah SWT’s command, came down to Prophet Nuh (A.S.) and taught him how to build an ark that would guide him, his family and believers along with animals in pairs to safety while the disbelievers would not survive the huge flood as punishment for not believing in the Oneness of Allah SWT and not heeding the message Prophet Nuh (A.S.) was spreading. From that moment on, we had ships that were built to help us travel, trade with other countries, and so much more.
This is Tawakkul. Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, everything happens in Allah SWT’s will. Not in ours. So, when we do not know of what action step to take, Allah SWT guides us – even when we aren’t aware about what we want, or how to obtain our needs and wants.
Let me talk about tawakkul from what I have personally experienced.
I didn’t actually think about becoming a professional speaker, or even to go down the path of becoming a certified life and leadership coach/consultant at all. Ten years ago, I had finished my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BSBA) and I went to law school full time for a year and a half. Halfway into law school, I decided to quit. I had a nervous breakdown and I couldn’t handle all the stress that I had collected over the years I was in college, then law school (studying for exams, LSATs, finals, etc.). When I left law school, and took time off (two years), I was trying hard to find a stable job but we were going through a recession in the United States. It was hard to find anything, and although I took action with sending out resumes, I couldn’t find any jobs I was qualified for no matter my educational background. I was not called into interviews or anything of the sort. I lost hope.
I was upset, depressed and didn’t know what to do.
Reality was that I wanted to be a professor and teach college ever since I started my bachelors, but to be able to do that, you need to have a Master’s degree or a Doctorate. Both of which I didn’t have at the time (and my main reason for going to law school).
Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen at that moment.
What was I supposed to do? I had no clue what action to take. This is where Allah SWT steps in and says, “I will provide guidance to you because I know what you do not know.”
This is so true! Allah SWT knows what we do not know about our lives, our future, and we are unaware. We follow the guidance set forth, and make the choice of taking the path He provides for us, or to follow a different path that may or may not be good for us (this is the concept of free will, which I will get into another time).
Side note: I have this personal belief that no matter what path you take, Allah SWT will always guide you to your destiny because it is already preordained for us. Always choose that which Allah SWT guides you to, for it is the best path, and one that will lead you to where you need to be in the right time.
Back to what I was talking about…..
I spent two years looking for work, sitting at home trying to find ways to keep busy and do what I could. In 2010, I fell sick for a year with panic attacks that were coming from out of nowhere, and other health issues due to the chronic stress I had built up from many years of schooling. After speaking to my doctor, I was guided to go back to college again. I had wanted to get my Masters, and at that time, I decided to become a certified coach. I figured that since my friends and others come to me for advice about anything ranging from academics, to relationship issues, to life problems that I could become a coach and help people out with credentials behind me.
I became a certified life coach, and a certified health coach in 2012. In 2014, I became a certified clinical hypnotherapist as well. I decided to open up my own business in coaching and therapy, and started getting a few clients. Things were slow at first, and I was learning more about how to run a business than I was doing the coaching or therapy sessions.
Gradually, I started learning more about the coaching industry, and what my purpose was in the world. I realized I had a strong passion about speaking, personal development, and leadership. In 2012, I heard about Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org) from a friend of mine (who wasn’t even in Toastmasters and really didn’t have a clue about it at the time). Allah SWT guided me to finding a really amazing Toastmasters club, and I started giving speeches, while taking on various leadership roles that really built my skills up more. This gave me the credibility and the confidence I needed, and helped me grow as a coach, speaker, leader and as a better person.
I started working on my own personal development, and found the passion I had lost when I took that two year hiatus from life, pretty much.
A few weeks ago, I had an epiphany. All along, Allah SWT had already chosen my path for me. Everything I’ve been doing in the last 10-12 years of my life has brought me to where I am today. When I didn’t know what to do, Allah SWT guided me because He knew I was ready. He taught me what I needed to understand and still to this day, Allah SWT is guiding me to inspire others through this blog, and through other ways. He has helped me to work on being a better version of myself each day. Honestly, I do all of this for Allah SWT. Not for anyone else. The action steps I took were guidance from Allah SWT.
When you are ready to follow your path, Allah SWT shows you where to go. This is Tawakkul. Without reliance on Allah SWT, and on Him alone, we will never be able to find our way.
My story is just an example of how Allah SWT guides us – this is why we should have tawakkul. It is through our trust in Allah SWT that we know our lives are worth living and being. It is our trust in our Lord that we are able to survive the pain and the problems life brings us. Everything that happens in our lives, the good and the bad, are all life lessons for us coming from Allah SWT. He wants us to continue having trust in His plans for us. We may feel that our life is so hard, or we have hardships going on when bad things happen more than the good things we want. But that does not mean that Allah SWT has left us. No. It means that there is a greater purpose behind why we go through what we do, and we have to trust that Allah SWT will protect us, guide us and bring us the salvation we are looking for both in this world, and rewards in the Hereafter.
Without tawakkul in Allah SWT, we will be completely lost, misguided and our lives will never be good in this world or in the afterlife. Therefore, with ALL your heart, put your trust in Allah SWT, and only pray to Him for ALL of your needs. Why do you need to ask anyone when the Lord of the Worlds is the One to pray to and Who gives us freely of His bounties? When we take action, and Allah SWT guides us to where we need to go. So amp up your tawakkul, and your yaqeen, and keep making those duas in the sincerest way possible.
Take the risk by tying your camel, and trust in Allah SWT.
This post was originally written on November 21, 2017.
Recently, a few of my friends and I were talking about Islam, and about duas. They were asking me how they could create a close relationship with Allah SWT because they find it hard to do. They were asking how I have created my relationship with Allah SWT and that inspired me to write a blog to talk about why it’s so important for us to have a close connection with Allah SWT and how to do that.
99 names of Allah with Meaning and Explanation
Having a relationship with someone builds connection with them in one way or the other, right? We can build connections in many ways with people we meet. We also have more than one type of relationship with a person. For example, my mother is my best friend, as well as my mother. I don’t have any siblings, but if I did, my sister would be my best friend too. There is a relationship we have created there from birth, and developed overtime.
Relationship dynamics are different for each family and each individual.
When it comes to creating a connection with people outside of our family, we make friends. Our friends can be more than just “friends” – we can treat them as if they are family and call them sisters, or brothers. In fact, in Islam, we are all each other’s brothers and sisters. We are all related to one another and have a connection on a soul level, as well as on an Islamic level. Our friends can also become our significant others, and vice versa. You see the dynamics, right?
But what about our relationship and connection with Allah SWT? The MOST IMPORTANTrelationship we need to have is with our Lord, with Allah SWT. He is our Creator. He made us, and we would not be in this world without His Will. Allah SWT created us so that we can earn His Love, and attain Jannah – the ultimate place we all must strive to achieve in the Hereafter.
Our relationship with Allah SWT is the most dynamic of it all because He is first and foremost, our Lord to whom we pray to. He is the One Who created us. He is our Creator. He is our Best Friend. He loves us and protects us. He knows more about who we are, and our lives more than we even know ourselves. He is Our Provider.
The most beautiful connection we can create with Allah SWT is through doing the following things:
Doing continuous dhikr of Allah SWT and His Prophet (SAW);
Doing as many good deeds as we can each and every day that will bring us closer to Allah SWT;
Speaking with kindness to others remembering that Allah SWT is watching us;
Spreading unlimited true love, and sharing more of our faith with others who want to learn about Islam;
Following the obligatory pillars of Islam the best way possible – Shahadah, Salaat, Zakaat, Fasting and Hajj;
Having tawakkul on Allah SWT, and yaqeen that our duas are answered; that we are taken care of and loved by Allah SWT;
Making dua in abundance to our Lord after each salaah, and during other times duas are answered, in times of distress and in times of happiness;
Reading the Qur’an everyday or at least a few times a week if one is not able to read everyday;
Having and showing gratitude toward Allah SWT;
Taking care of and respecting our parents, and siblings – also, we have to take care of and show love to ourselves because by doing that, we are also showing our respect to our Creator who created us the way we are;
Showing respect to others, especially to our elderly;
Being honest with ourselves and others;
Giving to others who are going through a need (such as money, even sadaqah jariyah)
This list can go on, but there are countless ways, as you can see, for us to work on creating a close connection with Allah SWT. We have to be mindful of what we are doing and how we are treating Allah SWT. He is the One we must respect and please, and He wants us to connect with him through the ways He has taught us through the Qur’an and the sayings of our Prophet (SAW). Allah SWT loves us so much, how can we not love Him and give our Lord the respect that He asks from us by following His commands and living in His way.
Following the Sunnah of our Prophet (SAW), reading Qur’an and following the way of life as prescribed to us through the Qur’an and Sunnah is one of the biggest ways we can be close to Allah SWT in all proximity.
Just as it takes time to cultivate our relationships with our families and friends, it takes time to cultivate a deep and meaningful relationship with Allah SWT. Sometimes, it takes years! However, we must continue each and every day to improve our relationship and connection with Allah SWT until all we see is His Divine Light (Noor) around us.
While we develop our relationship and connection with our Lord, we must also create our relationship and connection with our Prophet (SAW). The best way to do this is countless dhikr by reading durood (salawat) in abundance. The best durood to read is Durood Ibrahimi. You want to make sure you read durood before and after you make dua so that your duas are accepted by Allah SWT himself, for Allah SWT reads durood on His Nabi (SAW). By loving our Prophet (SAW) and showing respect to the hadith and the teachings, we develop the closeness with Allah SWT.
Creating our relationship with Allah SWT does not happen overnight. It will take time. And you have to start off slowly. When we jump in too quickly into any task, we end up not completing it and become overwhelmed. It is the same with relationships.
We take our time to get to know our friends, and our significant others. It takes us years, as we grow up, to learn, understand and create a bond with our family members. If you think about that, our relationship with Allah SWT will take time, especially if it is one where you didn’t have any connection ever, and are beginning now. This is especially good for our new Muslims who have converted because they probably want to know what to do to connect and build that bond with Allah SWT and with our beloved Prophet (SAW).
When I was much younger, my mother taught me about how to connect with Allah SWT. I learned to read the Qur’an at the age of 4, and by the time I was about 6 or 7 years old, I completed the full Qur’an. I learned how to pray my five prayers. I read stories about our prophets (may Allah’s peace and mercy be upon them all), and I read stories about our Prophet (SAW).
I understood everything about Islam – I would watch my mom doing dhikr all the time, praying, making dua, and living her life in full connection with Allah SWT.
However, I was the one who rebelled and refused to make any connection with Allah SWT because I felt as if my life was one big hell. Why? I was constantly made fun of from a young age. I had no friends, I didn’t have a father in my life, my uncle was at times, mentally and verbally abusive toward me. I saw my mom suffer so much financial abuse at his hands, and lose friends because of him and his antics. I saw that my mom didn’t have the happily married life I felt she should have had and thought, why Allah? Why?? I felt as if the duas I made were not answered (they were but not in the way I wanted them to be and I never understood the miracles behind that until later on in life), so why should I bother with praying my five prayers, or doing anything else. That was my mindset at the time when I was younger and most naïve.
My mom of course kept getting me to get up and pray. She would tell me all the time to create a connection with Allah SWT. I didn’t want it. Astaghfarullah, how naïve was I? Why did I not want that relationship? Just because a few of my duas weren’t manifested the way I wanted it to be?
I didn’t realize the immense blessings Allah SWT had showered me with as I was growing up. I was so ungrateful at the time. I wouldn’t fast during Ramadan, or do any dhikr. I was always upset and depressed. I felt alone because of the way I was treated by people in my own Muslim community, by my peers, and teachers. I literally had no self-confidence.
Once in a while when I felt like I wanted to connect, I would get up and pray salaah. Once in a while, I would try to attempt reading Qur’an. It wasn’t something that I was doing on a regular basis. Just when I tried to make a relationship with Allah SWT. But I wasn’t understanding how to connect, so I would give up after a few attempts.
This was the glimmer of hope! The fact that I did TRY to connect when I felt it in my heart to do so. I know this was a part of my mother’s duas for me. She would constantly make dua that I would start connecting with Allah SWT and create a relationship with Him as she had done so with our Lord of the Worlds. Her dua was answered.
That was all I did, daily. I would make time in the day, do Wudu (ablution) and sit down with my tasbeeh so I could do dhikr. I did this every day. I would cry and make dua and then I’d feel contentment in my heart. Reading durood everyday helped me to not only connect with Allah SWT, but also with our Prophet (SAW) by sending blessings upon him.
I did this for a couple months, and then I started to add in the five daily salaah. It took me a while there too.
I had a hard time waking up for Fajr, and I didn’t get all my five prayers in during the day. My mom said it was okay for me to start slowly since I wasn’t used to praying all five prayers. If I even did just one or two in the day, that was success for me. And that helped me build my relationship with Allah SWT.
Eventually, I was able to get at least four prayers in out of my five – this took me a couple of months to get into the habit of doing because it wasn’t something I had been doing all the time in the past. I would always have to make up Fajr because I had the habit of falling asleep at 2am – I’m a night owl and love working at night more than during the day. Obviously, that had to change.
One day, I decided that I was going to start waking up for Fajr and Tahajjud. So I did.
Let me tell you about creating a habit – you don’t need to follow the rule of doing something repetitively for 21 or 30 days. I get that many experts say habits take that much time to build. However, intentions are what builds habits, and when you intend to do something and dedicate yourself to it more than anything else, you will begin doing it from day one, until infinity. There will not be a need to do something for 21 or 30 days to make it a habit. Dedication, commitment, and intention is all it takes to make the changes you TRULY want to make from the heart.
With that said, I decided one night that I would wake up for Tahajjud, and Fajr no matter what. From that moment on, I have always woken up for Tahajjud and Fajr every morning, even if I only have four hours of sleep. I know I can make up the sleep later on in the day. My relationship with Allah SWT, and the connection that I have worked to build is far more important than anything else. I make sure to be on time for all of my prayers. I read Qur’an, and I spread knowledge about Islam as I learn and apply the concepts in my life.
As I learn more and more dhikrs, recite them, share them, and speak to our scholars about the concepts of Islam as I study it, I continue to be in awe of the beauty, and of the mercy of Allah SWT. How He blesses us and brings us what we need at the right time, listens to our duas, and is always there for us. No human is able to do this for us. Only Allah SWT. And He is the one who gives us the love of 70 mothers. Imagine that love! We have one mother who loves us, and here, our Lord gives us the love of 70 mothers! Subhanallah!
Alhamdulillah for my building my connection and bond with Allah SWT. I pray that I continue to build this relationship for the rest of my life and beyond. Ameen.
It is through this beautiful relationship with Allah SWT that I have learned tawakkul, and yaqeen. I know that all I have to do is make dua, and simply have the certainty what I am asking for will be given to me in the best ways and the best of times by Allah SWT.
I remember I was talking to someone who told me that he was sad he didn’t have many friends who liked him because he was a Muslim. He was told not to worry because Allah SWT is the One he should make as his Friend and Confidant.
When I heard that story, I was so moved. While you are connected with Allah SWT, you truly feel it, and you know that Allah SWT will always have your back. He will never leave you alone. Other people will – when we need them the most during our difficult times, our friends, and our family are not always there for us. People leave us, and take our friendships for granted. I’ve been there so many times that my heart has been broken from most human relationships. Allah SWT is the one we should be focusing on creating our relationship with. Through this, Allah SWT will send us the right people who will inspire us, and be there for us during our good and bad times because our Lord blesses us with the right people, and is the turner of hearts.
Creating a truly loving, and blessed relationship with Allah SWT however, will take away any feeling of loneliness and despair. In turn, Allah SWT will bring you the right people, and provide you with fulfillment of your needs through blessings.
Making Allah SWT your Wali (custodian, protector, friend) should be the focus of the rest of your life.
Start today. Begin with doing dhikr. Slowly, add in other forms of prayer, dhikr, Qur’an, duas, and live in the way of Allah SWT. Bring kindness to others, do good, and do the things that I have listed in bullet points above. You will slowly find yourself building your relationship, and trust me, your life will NEVER be the same.
This hadith completely relates to me:
“When Allah wills good for a person, He grants him understanding of the religion.”
May we all be granted with the knowledge, understanding and the wisdom of our beautiful religion. May our understanding of Islam, and of Allah SWT bring us closer and closer to Him so that we may be united with Allah SWT in Jannah. Ameen.
This post was originally written on December 2, 2017. I am reposting all of my old blog posts because I had lost this site and hosting for a while and due to an overwhelming response from those who really loved this blog, I have brought it back. Thank you for the love and the inspiration to continue writing. New posts will be posted in January 2024.
If you haven’t read Tahajjud, ever, or if you are someone who reads Tahajjud on or off, then you must absolutely read this post. Even if you are one who reads a few times a week, this blog post is for you.
The word PRAYER written in vintage wooden letterpress type in a wooden type drawer.
There is something so magical, miraculous and beautiful about reading Tahajjud in the last portion of the night that it is not easy to explain that feeling. It’s as if one feels euphoric when waking up from such a comfortable sleep, to go and remember Allah SWT and pray to Him for our most cherished duas. Our sleep doesn’t seem important when it comes to praying Tahajjud salaah.
In fact, there are many hadith which mention the virtues and enormous benefits of reading Tahajjud. Here are some:
“Two rakaat in the late hours of the night are more valuable than all of the riches of the world…but for fear of hardship on my followers, I would have made these fardh (obligatory).”
“It is related by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘When the last of the night remains, our Rabb, the Glorious One, descends towards the heavens of the world (His special Mercy) and Proclaims: ‘Who is there who supplicates Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is there who begs Me for (anything), and I grant it to him? Who is there who seeks my forgiveness, and I forgive him?’”
And lastly…
“Make a habit to observe Tahajjud salaat. It used to be the custom of the pious people before you (Hazrat Dawood (A.S.) used to read Tahajjud in the third portion of the night and then sleep in the last part of the night). Tahajjud salaat leads you to be near your Rabb and keeps you away from sins.”
There are many beautiful reasons for us to read Tahajjud during the third portion of the night. It leads us to be near Allah SWT, we stay away or are more cautious not to commit sinful acts, our needs are fulfilled, our duas are answered, and we are given forgiveness if we ask for it during Tahajjud.
I had started getting into the habit of praying my five obligatory prayers and wanted to read Tahajjud. My mother always told me that it is important to observe what is obligated to us from Allah SWT – that means, reading our five prayers. She always told me, if you read the five prayers and are consistent with them, then you will be invited to pray Tahajjud.
When she said “invited,” my curiosity peaked. What did she mean by that?
What she meant by that was that once I was a “namaazi” meaning, once I was fulfilling my obligations toward reading my five mandatory prayers, then Allah SWT would put it in my heart to begin waking up for Tahajjud. This, He did, alhamdulillah.
One evening, I made a commitment and the decision that I would begin waking up in the last one third portion of the night and start reading Tahajjud, every night. That evening, I read Isha, did not read my Witr prayer because I wanted to read that after Tahajjud, set my alarm, and went to bed, albeit, I went to bed at 1am, because I have a bad habit of sleeping late.
Despite going to bed late, I woke up at 4:30am (thanks to my alarm on my iPhone), made my wudu and begin praying Tahajjud. It felt soooo good as I read my first two rakaats. I wanted to keep reading more and more, but I ended up reading up to six rakaats since I had to read Witr and make my dua before the time for Fajr would begin.
I did this every night and stayed committed – even today, I still wake up for Tahajjud and read – some nights, however, I wake up only 20 minutes before, and it takes me a good 10 minutes to open my eyes and do wudu so I get 10 minutes to read before Fajr begins. This means I only end up reading two rakaats, but that’s okay. Even two rakaats of Tahajjud is good and Allah SWT fulfills your duas while bringing you close to Allah SWT, and makes things easier for you for the day.
It’s the sweetest feeling in the world to wake up and read this most special nawafl prayer.
The beautiful thing is that you don’t even have to sleep too long. Say you fell asleep at midnight, and then happened to wake up at 1am. You can take that moment to get up, do wudu and pray Tahajjud, then sleep until Fajr. It’s not obligatory that you have to wake up 20 minutes before Fajr to pray Tahajjud. It can be at anytime during the night.
You can also read Tahajjud right after you finish reading Isha, as the time for Qiyam begins after Isha ends. Mufti Menk and other scholars have said that sleep is not an obligatory condition, although it is sunnah since the Prophet (peace be upon him) would sleep and then awaken in the last third portion of the night to observe Tahajjud.
The way Tahajjud is read, one can read up to 12-16 rakaats – if you read two rakaats six times each, you read 12 rakaats total or eight times to get 16 rakaats. The minimum one can read is two (2) rakaats, and the most is 12-16 rakaats.
Once you finish reading Tahajjud, then you can read Witr. Make sure you read Witr – I read three rakaats. Some places say you can read one rakaat, but it is best to perform it as a three rakaat, odd numbered salaat.
While you are reading Tahajjud, it is encouraged to read any surahs or verses from the Qur’an you have memorized as our Prophet (SAW) would read verses of surahs during Tahajjud. Reading it is just like reading a nawafl prayer – Tahajjud is not an obligatory prayer, it is a nawafl. So, you read it like you would read any nawafl prayer, but with the intention of how many rakaats, and that you are reading Tahajjud as there are many different nawafl prayers. Thus, make sure you do your niyyah that you are reading two rakaat nafl salaat-ul-Tahajjud, facing the Ka’aba, and then begin your prayer.
Just as you read any other salaat (namaaz), it is the same way – read Surah Fatiha, and then read any other surah you know. I usually read Surah Falaq, Surah Nas, parts of surahs that I remember, Ayat-ul-Kursi, Surah Kafiroon, Surah Ikhlas, Surah Kauser, Surah Quraysh – so you can choose to read whichever surah you remember.
Make sure you have ample time to read Tahajjud, especially if you like to read more than two rakaats. Some nights, you may only be able to read two rakaats and that’s okay because that’s the minimum.
After reading your Tahajjud nawafl, read Durood Ibhahimi three times or more, and make dua. The best way to make dua is in sujood. Whenever you do sujood, make sure you say Allahu Akbar, and then read Subhana Rabbiyal Ala three times or more, then read durood during sujood (sajdah) and make ample dua for your needs and hajaat (desires).
Allah SWT is the closest to the heavens on Earth during the last third portion of the night so this is the best time to read Tahajjud and make as much dua as you can for yourselves and others.
Of course, if you work, or unable to get up in the last third portion of the night, but you don’t want to miss Tahajjud, you can always read this beautiful nawafl right after you complete Isha, and before you pray Witr.
I’ve done this before. I had to be up early for a personal training session at the gym, and then we had to drive down to San Diego to spend the day with my mom’s best friend, my aunty, during the Thanksgiving holiday we just had. I knew that I was not going to be able to get up earlier to read Tahajjud, so I decided to read four rakaats right after Isha, and before my Witr prayer.
I had to do this again a few days before too because I had to wake up earlier and needed the extra half hour of sleep; so that I wouldn’t miss Tahajjud, I read it after Isha.
I remember telling my mom that although we could read Tahajjud after Isha, I felt the sweetness of reading Tahajjud after waking up in the middle of the night – the last third portion of the night. The connection with Allah SWT and my duas made during that time was just so much more special for me and I love it. My mom agreed with me and said that’s why it’s such a special time and why Allah SWT wants to hear our duas and answer them even more. Waking up from a comfortable sleep and remembering Allah SWT brings us closer to Him, and that’s ultimately what we are doing. We are creating our relationship and connection with Allah SWT (click here to read my previous post about ways to create connection with Allah SWT). We are also striving to attain Jannah through this beautiful act of praying Tahajjud.
I look forward to waking up and reading Tahajjud no matter how tired I may be. I still have to adjust my sleeping schedule however, but I make sure to wake up no matter how tired I am. I try to make up my sleep after I read Fajr.
Usually after Fajr, I read Surah Yaseen daily. This is another blog post for another time where I will tell you why I read Surah Yaseen every morning and how this happened (through a miracle, nonetheless!).
It is my hope that this post convinces you to read Tahajjud. If you have never read it before, begin today, as soon as you read my blog. Make it a point to find out what time Fajr is and then set your alarm to wake up at least 30 minutes before to give yourself time to do your wudu and read Tahajjud, and make dua.
Duas that are made during Tahajjud, (and in sujood) are answered more – duas are answered all the time, but this is the time that duas are answered more because Allah SWT descends to the heavens of the Earth to hear our supplications. How many people are actually waking up and reading Tahajjud? It is that much more special because not everyone takes advantage of this time to wake up and remember Allah SWT.
Also, let me give you all a piece of advice. If you can’t go all gung ho like I did – meaning, you can’t wake up every night to pray Tahajjud and feel it’s going to be too much for you, start slowly. I just started waking up every night and made it a part of my life. But this is not the same for everyone because we all have different situations. Some people cannot wake up in the last third portion of the night due to sickness, or because they are elderly – some people have to work so waking up early may hinder their productivity for the day, some people have to take care of their children in the middle of the night – babies cry and then there is no time left for Tahajjud once the baby is calm. Things happen.
If you are unable to read in the last third portion of the night, then make it a habit to read at least four rakaats of Tahajjud right after Isha, before Witr, and then sleep. That option is there since there is no pre-condition to having to sleep before praying Tahajjud. However, sleeping, and then waking up to read is much more beneficial of course. But if not, Allah SWT loves whatever it is you can do to remember Him. If that means reading it after Isha, do it.
If you feel that you wake up late (which happens to me) and you may not have the time to read Witr after Tahajjud, or fear that you will miss it completely, please at least read Witr after Isha. You do not have to repeat it and must not repeat it again. You can still wake up to read Tahajjud in the third portion of the night even if you have already read Witr, so don’t complicate yourself by listening to someone who says you can’t. You can. This is confirmed through various Islamic books, shaikhs, and muftis.
Lastly, start off slowly by incorporating Tahajjud once or twice per week. Slowly as you are able to, add in another day, and another until you are able to get up and read all seven days of the week.
Don’t feel bad if you are unable to wake up for Tahajjud. Like I stated before, you can read Tahajjud prayers right after Isha and before Witr so you don’t miss it if you love reading it. Last night, I was unable to wake up for Tahajjud, but had planned that I would wake up for it or, at least try, and I missed it completely because I didn’t read after Isha. Since Tahajjud is not obligatory it was okay, but I felt like I lost out on something beautiful, so inshallah, I will be up and reading it in the last third portion of the night, tonight.
You may have to adjust your sleeping schedule – do it. It’s worth it. And I will tell you, even if you don’t adjust your schedule and still sleep by midnight (which I still do no matter how early I try to sleep), it will still be worth SO much to wake up in the last third portion of the night and pray. You will never want to stop.
Please, make this a habit for the rest of your life. Try your level best to get up and read Tahajjud, then Fajr, and stay up if you can to do dhikr. You will find your duas manifesting, life being easier, problems being solved, ease during the day – and more importantly, your connection with your Lord becoming stronger and stronger even more, inshallah.
This post was originally written on December 25, 2017. I hope you enjoy this post and other posts that I am bringing back to life on this blog. Please share this with your friends, family members and the community at large.
I was sitting at the library a few days ago, working on my upcoming goals for 2018 when I looked up. The table where I was sitting at was right by a large shelf of books.
There were different genres of books with the names of various authors who had written and published their writings within the last 100 years, or so.
Holy Quran with beads over wooden background closeup. Small shallow DOF.
Each book, when opened, had a story. There were main characters, and supporting individuals. Every person in the story had its own personality, its own destiny written in the pages of the book. Descriptions were vivid. And while reading any book, one could get the picture in their mind of how the lives of these characters were being lived – whether the book was fiction, or non-fiction.
Now, I love books. I’m a bookaholic, although I do not have a big enough library of books in my house at the moment. One day, I’m sure it will get there.
But seeing all these books in the library that day made me think about an important concept in Islam. This concept is one of the six articles of faith that we, as Muslims must believe in.
Pre-destination – which we call in Arabic, taqdeer.
Taqdeer is an interesting concept, and it is one that many people argue about due to confusion regarding what has been willed by Allah SWT, and what is considered our free will. I’ve been studying, and researching about taqdeer, and listening to many scholars’ lectures on this topic, so I will do my best to explain taqdeer as best as possible.
Take a moment to imagine that Allah SWT has a huge library, bigger than any library we could ever envision here on Earth. This library contains books with our names, our characteristics, our personalities, or individual selves, our stories in every chapter of our lives and more. Our books are also intertwined with one another’s stories added in (our parents, families, relatives, friends, etc.). There must be 7 billion or more books out there just on each one of us in this world!
So, what is taqdeer?
Taqdeer is the concept that Allah SWT has written out what is going to happen in the universe, and to every soul in this world, and only He has knowledge of all that is to happen to us. Allah SWT knows what has happened, is occurring now, and what will be in the future because He has written it down in the Al-Lawh Al Mahfooz – the Mother of the Book.
The pens have dried, and all has been written. In one hadith, Rasoolullah (SAW) stated, “There is no person from amongst you, except that Allah SWT had written his abode in Jahannam or his abode in Jannah. ‘The Sahaaba (RA) asked, “Rasoolullah (SAW), should we not then put our trust in our books for what has been written for us and leave out doing our actions?’ Rasoolullah (SAW) stated, ‘No, keep performing good deeds for everyone is facilitated for that which he has been created and it will be made easy for him for what it has been created for…” (Sahih Muslim – authentic)
In another hadith, Hadrat Mu’awiyah (RA) narrated that Rasoolullah (SAW) stated, “Do not advance to acquire something thinking that you can acquire it by your efforts even though Allah SWT has not predestined it for you, nor, retreat from something thinking that you will be able to obviate (remove) it by your efforts even though Allah SWT has predestined it for you.” (Kabir and Awsat).
According to another hadith reported by Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (RA) that Rasoolullah (SAW) stated, “Allah wrote down the decrees of creation 50,000 years before He created the heavens and the earth” (Saheeh Muslim, 2653 – authentic).
One of the best hadith is where Ubadah ibn As-Samit (RA) said he heard Rasoolullah (SAW) state “Verily, the first to be created by Allah was the pen. Allah told it to write, so it wrote what will exist until forever” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi 3319 – authentic).
In another hadith, narrated by Abu Dawood, 4700, it is said, “The first thing Allah created was the Pen, and He said to it, ‘Write!’ It said, ‘O Lord, what should I write?’ He said, ‘Write down the decrees of all things until the hour begins’” (Saheeh Abi Dawood – authentic/saheeh).
Even the Qur’an talks about the Al-Lawh Al Mahfooz with a few ayats:
“Do you know not that Allah knows what is in the heavens and the earth? Indeed, that is a Record (in the Al-Lawh Al Mahfooz); verily, it is undeniably easy for Allah” (Surah Al-Hajj, 22:70).
In part of another ayat from Surah Al-Nisa, the following states:
“…and if Allah had willed, He could have given them power over you, and they would have fought you…” (Surah Al-Nisa, 4:90). This ayat clearly shows that Allah SWT wills the actions that are to happen for each creation – nothing we do is without His will. Allah SWT has power over actions and events that occur in our lives. The reality is, even a leaf does not drop without permission from Allah SWT.
One last ayat that states the concept of predestination is as follows:
“Allah blots out what He wills and confirms what He wills, and with Him is the Mother of the Book (Al-Lawh Al Mahfooz)” (Surah Al Ra’d, 13:39). This ayat means that Allah SWT can Will for something to happen to us, good or bad, and only He can make this happen. No one else can. If a person makes dua for Allah SWT to change a condition or him, or provide him with something he needs, Allah SWT tells the angels to change it in their scribes, but it is really not changed because it was already written in the Mother of the Book that this person would make dua in this time, and the answer to that dua. The angels even do not know what is to happen to an individual as Allah SWT has limited His Knowledge even to his angels – only Allah SWT knows all.
Some people may ask, “What is Laylat-ul-Qadr then?”
Laylat-ul-Qadr is the night when decrees of the coming year will be written down for each person. What this means, according to Tafseer Ibn Katheer is that what was already written down in the Al-Lawh Al Mahfooz (Mother of the Book), is now being transferred to the scribes of the angels, who then write down all that will happen (life span, provision, marriage, sickness, health, etc.) for the year for each person in the world. Essentially, this means that the timing of those decrees already written in the Mother of the Book is going to come to pass in that year for every individual soul on this earth.
There are many more hadith and Quraani ayaats that relate to the concept of taqdeer – predestination – in Islam. It is inherent that we believe in predestination, and that truly, Allah SWT has the knowledge of the entire universe, and every creature created to be on this earth and beyond.
Think about it for a moment…did we decide to whom we were going to be born to, or the day of our birth? No. Did we decide how long we would live for, and when and where we will die?
No. We could never do that no matter what people from the New Thought Age say (this is another topic for another blog post).
Allah SWT wrote out our destinies from the moment we were given life in the womb of our mothers. In the fourth month of the mother’s pregnancy, an angel is sent down to give the fetus life, and writes in its scroll, what will become of this baby who will be born by writing out its life span, provisions to be received, time of birth, time of death, and whether he or she will be going to Jannah or Jahannam based off of the actions known only to Allah SWT, and not even to us.
The date, location and time we would be born, who our parents will be, our lifespan, our date, location and time of death, our provision (rizq), who we will marry, and whether we are doomed or we are the lucky ones – this has already been written for us.
This does not mean, however, that now we just sit back and do nothing, and then blame Allah SWT for our circumstances. Absolutely not. We have a certain amount of free will. You see, we don’t know what is going to happen next. We don’t know about our future. Only Allah SWT does, and He is the one guiding us toward it.
We have to do our part as we have no knowledge, so action will lead us to where we are meant to be. Allah SWT provides for us paths to take. We choose whether we want to go on the straight path, or the path that will lead us to hell. The decisions are ours. Just because what we do and don’t do is written for us does not mean we are compelled to follow it. Allah SWT does not compel us. This is where we have free will. We choose to decide – Allah SWT knows about it, but it is not His decision. It is ours, and ours alone, but that is something that is also a part of our taqdeer, so it all comes together. I hope what I say makes sense because this is a heavy topic, but one that I really wanted to discuss.
To continue on, we have free will in certain things. We did not have the free will to decide our birth, our death, our provision, our family, our status at birth (wealthy, poor, in the middle, etc.) or how long we will live our lives. This was already preordained for us. We have the free will to decide our path (even though it is already in Allah SWT’s knowledge) and we have the free will to decide our actions. What will happen ultimately is in the Will of Allah SWT and it is already inscribed in our book.
This means that if something is to befall on someone, good or bad, it is going to happen no matter what, and nothing or no one can stop that from happening.
For instance, if a meteor came through earth and struck a parked car, that was going to happen no matter what, and nothing could have stopped the meteor from hitting the parked car. However, the person owning the car would be really upset about his car being hit by the meteor (because for all intents and purposes in this example, the person is not in their car as it is parked) yet, this was in the Will of Allah SWT.
Dua can change taqdeer – however, what this means is that the dua was already written down before it was made, and the answer was written down with it as well, so it was already made a part of the individual’s destiny. So, if this person whose car was struck with a meteor was in the car, but before the meteor struck, they had made dua that they would be safe and sound, or someone made dua for them to be safe and sound, that dua would be answered. The individual already got out of the car, and went inside to his house or the building where she works, and would be safe from the meteor which crashed on the parked car. Why? Because of the dua that was made.
Allah SWT already answered the dua of the individual or the person who made dua for them before this event ever happened. The angels don’t know this – they are given 3 or 4 different conclusions for the individual and then Allah SWT instructs them to write out the conclusion that was already destined for the person to be protected by His Will.
Does this make sense?
Dua changes taqdeer because it was already known that it will happen and is a part of the plan that Allah SWT has for us.
Here’s another example.
I had to remove my tonsils when I was seven years old. I was constantly sick with painful strep throats that would occur just by eating ice cream. When the doctor saw that I needed to get my tonsils removed as soon as possible, I was scheduled for surgery and two nights hospital stay.
My mom stayed with me all day and all night in the hospital. They even got her a hospital bed so she could be able to sleep at night with me in the room because she couldn’t leave me alone for one minute. She made constant dua for my surgery to be successful and for me to heal completely. Allah SWT listens to the duas of the parents for their child.
Of course, it was in my taqdeer to have my tonsils removed. This was not something that could be avoided. And my surgery was successful, alhamdulillah, and my healing was also very quick – I couldn’t eat anything but cold ice, ice filled cokes, ice creams and cold food – a child’s dream come true. I couldn’t talk or swallow real food for a few weeks. But I healed beautifully because my mom made dua for me and her dua was already written in my taqdeer as having a successful surgery and healing.
Could things have been different? Perhaps. My surgery could have been unsuccessful, and I could have had more problems later on in my life because of it. Perhaps that was what could have been written to have happened, but because my mom made dua for me, then my surgery was successful. And her dua was already a part of my taqdeer, written down and ready to be answered in its allotted time.
I hope you see my point. For us as humans, anything can happen. When we surrender ourselves to knowing we are doing our best actions, and intentions and leave it to Allah SWT’s plans for us, then what will happen, will, and it is the best of plans for us, for Allah SWT is the best of planners.
Tadbeer is another concept that goes along with taqdeer. Tadbeer means to plan, to create initiative and intent. When we plan something, it either goes exactly as it was planned, or it doesn’t happen in the way we plan at all.
How many times have we planned our day out, only to see things happen completely out of the context of our plans? This is taqdeer. No matter what you intended, Allah SWT had different plans for you that day. However, to plan, and to create intent and action is what Allah SWT wants from us. He wants us to make efforts. He doesn’t want us to sit there and twiddle our fingers and thumbs waiting for things to come to us. This is the part of free will. Scholars of Islam discuss this all the time.
I do want to note this – we are absolutely responsible for the actions and decisions we make because Allah SWT gave us knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. We decide the path to take and go from there. Do not blame your taqdeer for any wrongdoing. Instead, you must continue to make dua for good and to do good, and always keep doing good deeds for this will bring you closer to Allah SWT, and to being in Jannah.
If something is meant to be, it will happen no matter what, and nothing can stop it from happening – taqdeer is bigger than tadbeer. But we must have tadbeer – we must plan, and strive to live our lives according to the teachings of Islam as best as possible. We do this so that we can receive Jannah.
Now, think about our duas. They have been written out for us before we have made them, and their answers were already written before we knew of the answer. The time of when the dua will be answered, in what way, how, this is all written down and is in the ilm (knowledge) of Allah SWT.
If you had the sudden feeling to make dua for something, such as dua for a child, or dua to go to Hajj, and it was something that did not come in your head before, it is because it is written in your taqdeer to make dua and to receive the answer for it as well.
I believe that we receive guidance toward the types of duas to make. If we make dua for something that cannot be changed, Allah SWT will divert us toward making dua for that which is better for us and is already predestined for us.
There are many instances in my life where I was reminded about how taqdeer played out and what it meant to me. I take notice first hand of what happens when something is meant to be in our lives and how the events all play out so beautifully.
When I was young, my mom desperately wanted to learn how to drive and get her driver’s license. She hired a very nice Muslim driving instructor (she was referred to him by another friend of hers who passed her driver’s test due to his teaching) and my mom started learning to drive.
My mom was scared at first, but she learned how to drive so wonderfully. I remember being in the car a few times while she was learning to drive and she went from pumping the gas pedal and the brake pedal at the same time to actually driving smoothly and easily. We thought she would be a cinch to pass her driver’s test!
Unfortunately, she failed her driver’s test 5 times before she gave up and I became of age to learn how to drive. At 15, we can start learning and by 16, we can get our driver’s permit, and then take the license exam.
My mom did her part – she had the intent to learn to drive, took lessons and did learn and drive, but she was not meant to pass.
It was not in my mom’s taqdeer to drive. She tried and no matter what she did, it did not happen for her. Allah SWT has stated that whatever is meant to be will happen and nothing can change what is to happen no matter how much one tries to change things (scroll back up to the beginning where I mention this in one of the hadith). It wasn’t meant to be for her.
At 17, after failing 3 times on my own driver’s exam (first time, I was too nervous and my stomach hurt so bad I couldn’t drive; second time, I failed at parallel parking and a couple of other things, and third time, I don’t even remember what happened), I passed on the fourth try.
I was so sure I wasn’t going to get the driver’s license because I was about to turn left on a yellow light while traffic was still incoming (thinking they would stop), and then the next thing I knew, my tester had to hit the brakes! I thought “Oh no! I’m going to fail!!”
Surprisingly, when we got back to the test site at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), my tester told me I had passed! She said because I had a very high percentage (an A basically), she was going to pass me with a lesson not to turn left on the yellow light, but wait until it was red. Usually, she would have failed a person who turned left the way I did, but not me.
This was taqdeer – I was meant to get the license no matter what had happened. I had wanted it so badly and Allah SWT delivered it to me because I was meant to get it for the reasons I see why today.
Subhanallah!
Our marriages are also written in our taqdeer. We take action to find our better half, and then we find him or her, get married and live our lives with them for however long we are meant to. Sometimes, it takes a few people to come into our lives before we find the one we are meant to be with.
A couple of years ago, I was talking to someone for purposes of marriage. It was a bit long distant – he was living in Texas, and I’m here, in California. We would talk on the phone every other day, and text each other daily. We were in the process of knowing one another and getting our families involved. My mom knew about him and he, in turn, told his family.
However, things took a turn in such an unexpected way that made this known he wasn’t meant to be for me although we had wanted things to work out at the time.
When he told his mom about getting married to me – coming out here to see me, to meet my mom, and finalize things between us, his mom said she wouldn’t let him get married to anyone. Why? I don’t know. We can speculate many theories, but this is something unknown to me because he didn’t tell me all the details, nor did I ask. Only Allah SWT knows why she did not want her son to get married to anyone at all.
He tried for the next ten months to work things out with his mom, and still continued speaking to me. However, he got depressed each time he would see his mom’s distance from him, and in general, his family’s behavior toward him. At the end, things did not work out and we parted ways.
It was for the best – for Allah SWT knows who is meant to be for him and who is meant to be for me. Clearly, we weren’t meant to be together and it took me a while to realize this.
Whoever it is I am meant to be with, he will be found, and Allah SWT will bring him to me in the appointed time that is destined. In the meantime, I keep on creating action steps toward finding who it is I will marry, and it will happen. I don’t give up on the action part – this is Sunnah. We must carry on with our actions, and our deeds and our intentions and never give up hope.
Taqdeer and tawakkul come together here magically. Whatever hardship comes over us, it comes from the will of Allah. But when we understand that what is happening is a part of our destiny – perhaps to help us learn a lesson, we can take heart that Allah SWT will also take us out of the situation, and not lose hope.
When we understand this concept of taqdeer with tawakkul, it becomes easier for us to stay patient and not be frustrated. This helps us with making dua to Allah SWT with full trust in Him that He will take away the hardship, or the ordeal, and thus, create a connection with Allah SWT. Dua is a means to connect and love our Lord even more. It also helps us see that we cannot overcome the Will of Allah SWT and when the time is right, things will be sorted out and taken care of, so long as we continue to make dua, supplicate from our hearts and take the action steps we are able to take. It’s not to get out of the situation per se as it has been willed, but to learn from it, and make use of it to make us better people in this life.
If someone is going through financial distress, for example, Allah SWT has willed that person to go through it for a period of time. But this is also to help that individual learn how to better manage their money, and take action on taking care of their finances rather than taking the action to waste money.
Everything that happens to us, I believe, happens for a greater purpose and helps us to mold into the person we are to become.
We should never say “Gosh, if I had done this, things would have worked out differently” or “I shouldn’t have taken this action, I should have done another action so that I would have gotten what I wanted.” We shouldn’t question or say things like this because what happened was destined by Allah SWT, and that was that.
Questioning ourselves and wondering “what if we had done something differently” will only bring us more frustration, and the Shaitaan gets involved, making us lose our hope, our tawakkul and our yaqeen – and we start to think otherwise about taqdeer. Instead, we should just say, “alhamdulillah ala kulli haal” and keep on going.
Don’t think about how different actions could have created a different outcome. It was supposed to happen how it did, and only Allah SWT knows why.
If what is willed will happen, then another question people ask is, “Why should we make dua when everything is already preordained for us?”
First, we make dua because dua is ibadah. It is a beautiful form of ibdadah that Allah SWT loves. Second, our making dua helps us build a connection with Allah SWT. And third, dua helps us avert a thing to protect us, which was already decided by Allah SWT but unknown to us until it happens.
Just because things are written out for us, and our actions are in the knowledge of Allah SWT, it doesn’t mean we give up hope and not make duas. Make duas. Make dua EVERY single moment of every single day. Inshallah, Allah SWT has already answered our duas, which shall be revealed in His time.
Taqdeer, dua, tawakkul – they all come together. What is meant to be will always happen, and what is not meant for us will not reach us no matter what we do. Have faith, trust in Allah SWT’s plans for you, continue making dua, and keep taking action. Make plans knowing that your plans are yours, and Allah SWT has His plans for you…..
This blog post was originally written on February 6, 2018. I am bringing all of my posts back that were lost. I hope you enjoy this read and please, share this blog with others you know who may need some inspiration and hope in their duas (prayers). Thank you!
I’m sure many of you have heard of, or seen the movie called The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne. She also has a book by the same name, and has several other books written around the same topic of the Law of Attraction (LOA).
Mosque silhouette at sunset, with mountains on background, Turkey, Kemer
The LOA has become extremely popular since The Secretcame out, and people still talk about it to this day. More books have been written on it by various authors, and many blogs and articles have been written about the different concepts of the LOA and such. It has become a global phenomenon.
I remember there was a time, about 7 years ago when I was really into the LOA and wanted to learn more about this “law”. Someone mentioned The Secret to me, so I bought the movie, watched it, and read the book too. I thought about the message of both the book and the movie (which was essentially the same) quite a bit. The concept of the LOA did have an impact on me regarding positive thinking. That was for sure, since I used to be a somewhat cynical person in the past. The other LOA concepts the movie and the book discussed….well, I wasn’t quite sure about those.
Since I was unsure, I started studying books written by authors who were (and still are) considered experts in the LOA, such as the very well-known Abraham Hicks of Esther and Jerry Hicks, Joe Vitale, Michael J. Losier, Deepak Chopra, and Wayne Dyer among many others. All of their books discuss different concepts of LOA in various ways.
I always found it hard to believe in the way the authors talked about the universe (with a capital U). It was strange to me that one would ask the “Universe” for what they wanted but at the same time, make it seem that the “Universe” didn’t know what we needed until we put it out there in the form of thought. The LOA says our own negative and positive thoughts are what brings us the negative or positive experiences, more than anything else, and whatever we think about, will end up happening.
I always questioned how the “Universe” according to the LOA experts, wouldn’t know what we wanted unless we thought about it and asked?
I also questioned how “like attracts like” when there were many things I wasn’t attracting that I thought about constantly.
In Islam, we are taught from the beginning that Allah SWT knows what we need and want, as well as what is best for us BEFORE we even know about it ourselves. Hence, that is why I believe that Allah SWT has written down our duas and their answers to those duas before we make them, in our taqdeer. This makes sense, since Allah SWT guides us at times to make dua for certain things, and we don’t understand where those thoughts came from. But we make dua, and those duas are accepted and fulfilled for us.
Anyhow, going back to the LOA, I tried the concepts I studied just to see if they would work for me. After all, what do I have to lose, right? All I had to do was think positively every day. I would have to imagine and visualize getting the perfect job, checks coming into the mail from places I couldn’t imagine, finding and marrying the love of my life, and owning a house by the beach. All I would need to do is to is create vision boards for the “universe” to know what I wanted, and never to think negative thoughts. Positive thoughts and inspired action would help me manifest what I wanted….
Because, how dare you think negative thoughts? Those could come true since the “Universe” brings you what you think about because like attracts like. Right?
Wrong.
As I said earlier, the concept of LOA is that “like attracts like.” This means what we think about, is what we will receive whether it is from our good thoughts or undesirable thoughts.
For example, if you believe strongly that you will get the car of your dreams, and you think about it daily, picture it, speak positive affirmations (which also doesn’t work in this concept – more on this later) about how you’re always receiving what you wish for, and so forth, you will attract the car of your dreams in the time you hope to obtain it.
Don’t you think that if we were THAT powerful, EVERY thought of ours would have manifested in the exact time we wanted it to be?
If we were that powerful, then wouldn’t our every wish we had, come true upon our whims?
If that were the case, the world would be in chaos. Honestly, I am so glad that we don’t have every thought or wish of ours manifested. There are so many thoughts we have daily, we know we absolutely don’t want coming true. They are thoughts, after all.
This is why Allah SWT says when we talk about dua, that either it’s a “yes,” a “yes but give it time,” or “I have something better for you in mind.” Our duas are answered but not in the way we ask, or think about. There are so many duas that in hindsight, I am glad never actually came to me the way I asked. Instead, I was protected from calamities, and I was given better than what I asked in unexpected, and yet, beautiful ways.
I remember one day, I was reading this book by Esther and Abraham Hicks called The Law of Attraction – The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham. If you’re wondering who Abraham Hicks is, it is the collective name Esther Hicks gave some cosmic channeled spirits (100 otherworldly beings) who continuously come to visit her and teach her about the concept of the LOA (and she talks as if she is Abraham in the third party during her seminars). In the book, there was a chapter where Esther was addressing questions, and there was one answer I read on one of the questions that really concerned me:
“What causes worldwide waves of unwanted events?”
To which the answer in the book was (and I’m doing a quick paraphrase of it), all worldly events occur due to our collective thoughts. Earthquakes, fires, and these other natural events happen due to our vibrational thoughts that are then received by the “Universe.” If we are thinking about something like this on a shared basis, it will happen because the universe answers from our vibrational feelings and emotions that come from our thoughts.
Umm, that’s not true. Not in the least.
Sure, we can think about the possibility of quakes happening where we live, or fires that can destroy homes, and ruin the lives of those who worked hard to build their homes. But do our collective, vibrational thoughts really cause all of these issues?
It’s like saying that someone asked for something bad to happen due to simply their thoughts (mixed with emotions and feelings, because that is what the Abraham Hicks book talks about the majority of the time), and then something bad happened to them. Or you think something good, and then you end up manifesting that. Basically, they say, the LOA helps you to attract and manifest what you want through your feelings and thoughts, whether they are negative or positive.
I highly doubt that my friends and the people who were caught in the devastating wildfires here in Southern California, and the mudslides that occurred after from the rain we received were due to collective vibrational thoughts. I doubt that they thought about their houses being destroyed the way were either by the fires, or the mudslides that killed 13 people.
Another concept in the LOA, which is a major flaw and completely unaligned with Islamic concepts, is the idea of us as being co-creators with God. This means WE have the power to change the course of our destinies and can create our future however way we want. What is written is fluid, it is not set in stone, according to this New Age thought.
We can manifest our destiny the way we want, so long as we believe we can because we are powerful. We have God consciousness within us because we are infinite souls, so we are part God. This is the belief of those who practice the LOA.
I do believe that our souls are infinite – our souls were made when Allah SWT breathed life to Prophet Adam (A.S) and to all of us, respectively through him and Hawwa (A.S.). Therefore, our souls will not die. Only our physical selves will. However, we are not co-creators with Allah SWT, and we are not Godly. Astaghfarullah, we could never be. We are human beings. That’s it. Whatever is meant to be is already written in our taqdeer, and nothing can change it. Dua changes taqdeer ONLY if Allah SWT wills, and even then, He has already written down those changes before we make dua for them to happen.
The proponents of the LOA also talk about, in some cases, reincarnation. That we are all souls who live many lives and have past lives (this is found in the Abraham Hicks books, as well as other books, such as Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss).
In all of these teachings, it is apparent they have forgotten about Allah SWT, and have created shirk. Shirk in the sense that we should believe in something other than Allah SWT, that we have a piece of God inside of us and we can completely do whatever we want to fulfill our desires.
Something always felt off anytime I read these concepts; I am sure many people who are believers of the LOA would tell me that it was because I wasn’t certain enough that what I wanted would happen, or that I wasn’t clear enough with the “Universe” so that is why what I wanted did not manifest. Or I was holding on too much with thoughts on what and how I wanted, that it delayed the timing, or things changed because of my thoughts changing, etc.
Oh and this is another concept of the LOA that if we think too much about something and we stay too attached, we actually delay the timing of what we want to happen. We have to let go in order for the time to come faster (I do believe in letting go part and not being attached to any outcome and have talked about this before, but not this silly stuff about timing).
How can our thoughts delay timing? I would think about things I wanted to fulfill obsessively sometimes and they happened in their timing, such as getting into my Master’s program. All in Allah SWT’s timing. Not mine, and not due to my thoughts.
There is no delay in timing. Allah SWT creates the perfect timing for everything to occur. Our duas have a time for their answer. Nothing can happen to alter that timing either, and we cannot get in the way of that time.
As you can see from just the basics I studied about the LOA (and there is a LOT more deeper information on the LOA concepts), much of this does not align with Islam.
This is why I say, be careful with the LOA – when people talk about it, don’t try to do it and believe in it. We are creating shirk with Allah SWT if we follow the guidance of the LOA.
These concepts and teachings are misaligned with Allah SWT’s guidance written for us in the Qur’an and in the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). I have read blogs written by other Muslims about how the LOA is aligned with Islamic teachings and dua, and I have to disagree with them.
The teachings of the LOA are not found anywhere in Islam – or really, in any religion. It is a way to take us away from Allah SWT. Studying the concepts of LOA never aligned to my soul because I innately knew the truth about the Oneness of Allah SWT, taqdeer, timing, and that like does not always attract like no matter what one thinks.
The LOA is just a collection of things coming from various religions, both monotheistic and polytheistic. From there, it was put together without Allah SWT in the picture. Instead, they call divine, Source. They believe the universe provides for us, and at the same time they believe the universe doesn’t even know what we want and only gives us what our vibrational thoughts are – basically saying that there is no such thing as taqdeer/qadr because we can control and change our destiny.
And it makes it seem as if humans are all co-creators with “Source” and that we are endowed with God consciousness.
Astaghfarullah, there is no God except Allah SWT – la ilaha illallah. That is the first concept of Islam. Our shahada reminds us of the Oneness of Allah. Allah SWT is the one who made this entire universe. So how can the universe be the one providing for us? How come we are supposed to ask the universe for things when we should be asking the Lord of the Worlds?
When some of my friends say, “oh the universe is listening and you will get it, just allow the universe to give it to you” I think, “who is the One who made the universe?”
Was it not Allah SWT? He is the One who made us, the entire universe, this earth, the milky way, and all things in between that we are not aware of.
This is the truth.
Allah SWT created us. We are not co-creators with Him. If we were co-creators, then wouldn’t we have had the hand in writing out our own destinies, and changing it as we pleased?
If we were co-creators with Allah SWT, then He would have given us the Pen to write out how we wanted to live our lives while being on this earth. Undoubtedly, I am sure if that were the case, we would have written for our abode to be in Jannah, and for our lives here on earth to be one full of ease, without any problems. Then if that were the case, we would not have the ability to worry about sins, and do good deeds to attain Jannah because we already had written that down for ourselves. I mean, think about this. How does this sound to you?
How is it possible for us to change our destinies and be co-creators when Allah SWT created us, and has already written our taqdeer for us that cannot change because Allah SWT has ALL knowledge of His creation, and of all the secrets of His universe that even we do not know? It isn’t possible. Allah SWT has said in the Qur’an that He has knowledge of the Unseen, and everything that has happened, is happening and will happen in the future is written in the Al-Lawh-al-Mahfooz.
Some of the concepts of LOA talk about how we chose our parents, we chose where and when to be born, what our soul lessons will be in this lifetime, etc. There are people who say they have access to what is called the “Akashic Records” and can read about the events that will happen in our lives, and that of the universe.
This Akashic Records is known as the energetic records of all souls who will be born on this earth – those who have already passed on before us, and those who will come in the future. It is also a record of all the happenings of the universe. Every soul has their own Akashic Record.
Does this sound familiar to you?
The Akashic Records seems to be the Al-Lawh-al-Mahfooz – the Mother of the Book that is with Allah SWT only. And the fact that everyone has their own Akashic Record seems to be the same concept that we have about Allah SWT having our individual taqdeers (destinies) written in our own books for us that comes from the Al-Lawh-al-Mahfooz. No one in this world has access to their own records or that of the Al-Lawh-al-Mahfooz, and no one knows what will happen in this world, or to us except for what Allah SWT has already told us, and what has already been decreed. Therefore, do not believe the person who says they have access to these Akashic Records, because it is not true.
Even we do not know what is in our taqdeer. Our day starts off with us planning out what we will be doing, and then things don’t go as planned. I’m not sure about you, but that’s usually how my days end up being. I plan to go someplace, or do some tasks, and instead, other things come up that I have no control over because perhaps, it wasn’t written for me to go where I wanted to go, or to do the tasks as I had planned.
It doesn’t mean I won’t try and keep planning my days in my planner. I always do. But I also keep the thought in the back of my head to be flexible with my day because I don’t know what will end up happening as the day moves forward.
While I studied the LOA, the concepts that I did like and that aligned with what Islam teaches us (because it does come from Islamic concepts) are the following:
Always having strong certainty (yaqeen) and belief that our duas will come true
Staying unattached to the outcome because we have to trust Allah SWT through tawakkul (although LOA doesn’t talk about it that way, it is the background of what they mean when they talked about being detached).
Having positive thoughts, and staying positive as much as possible because negativity comes from Shaitaan. However, negative thoughts are not always bad. It helps us to know what we do want, and we can deal with what is called “contrast.”
Feelings and emotions are important – having a good feeling or positive emotion about our duas helps us to stay positive to know our prayers will come true in the best way possible.
Taking inspired action steps that help us with fulfilling our goals, and duas (with the guidance of Allah SWT in each step).
Always make dua for what you want, but also ask for khair if what you want may not be the best for you in the eyes of Allah SWT (this is a concept in the LOA that when you ask, you say, “This, or something better” which makes sense).
Again, be careful with the concepts of the Law of Attraction. Take the good from it that I’ve listed, and leave the rest of it alone. The good that I listed is founded in Islam (way before the New Age people came in and took those concepts to add to the LOA), so that’s the only reason why I listed things.
Stay positive about your duas, have yaqeen (certainty/belief) and tawakkul (complete trust) in Allah SWT, while staying unattached to the outcome, taking action wherever and whenever possible, and asking for the best to happen for you.
Don’t ask anyone other than Allah SWT for all your needs. He will fulfill what your needs are for you.
This post was originally written on December 31, 2017. I am bringing all of my posts back on the website after losing my site and hosting for a period of time. Please enjoy reading and share it with your family and friends.
It took six days for Allah SWT to create the heavens and the earth, as stated in the Holy Qur’an; Surah Fussilat, “Say (O Muhammad): Do you verily disbelieve in Him Who created the earth in two Days? And you set up rivals (in worship) with Him? That is the Lord of the ‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists). He placed therein (i.e. the earth) firm mountains from above it, and He blessed it, and measured therein its sustenance (for its dwellers) in four Days equal (i.e. all these four ‘days’ were equal in the length of time) for all those who ask (about its creation). Then He rose over (Istawa) towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: ‘Come both of you willingly or unwillingly.’ They both said: ‘We come willingly.’ Then He completed and finished from their creation (as) seven heavens in two Days and He made in each heaven its affair. And We adorned the nearest (lowest) heaven with lamps (stars) to be an adornment as well as to guard (from the devils by using them as missiles against the devils). Such is the Decree of Him, the All-Mighty, the All-Knower” (Fussilat 41:9-12).
Young Muslim woman praying with Tasbeeh. The Holy Quran is the background, Indoors. Focus on hands.
From this interpretation, we see it was six days – four of those days were dedicated to creating the earth and all that was to be in it (mountains, ocean, etc.), and the other two days were to create the heavens (including the stars, moon and other planets that would support the earth in the universe).
The reason why I talk about this beautiful phenomenon is because I was reading this verse’s meaning and I thought about the duas I’ve been making.
As humans, and I do this as well so you are not alone, we tend to get frustrated at why certain duas take longer to manifest and other duas happen quickly. We forget that timing is in the hands of Allah SWT. We have no control over the timing of when things are supposed to happen. They just do in their own time period and there is a wisdom behind it that we are unaware of, if only we could think about it more and reflect upon this.
If it took Allah SWT six days to create the entire universe (which includes the heavens, earth, sun, moon, stars, planets, etc.) and everything within this space, our duas will take their time to manifest as well. We cannot expect that everything we make dua for will come to us with a snap of our fingers. It doesn’t work that way.
Even Allah SWT took His time to create everything.
Therefore, our duas will have their own time to come. A dua can be manifested in a few hours, in a day, a week, a month, or in a year, or over several years.
When they come to fruition, we must be in gratitude and remember that the dua was fulfilled because it was a part of our taqdeer as well. If it is meant for you, it will come to you in such a way you probably won’t even realize it. The wait will be so worth it.
I have to remind myself of this very fact during the days I become frustrated or wonder when in the world my dua will come true. The fact that it took Allah SWT six days to create the entire universe, and this is mentioned so clearly in the Qur’an shows us that things take their amount of time to be done and there is a wisdom behind the why.
In between this time of wait, we have to be patient. Trust me, this can be hard to do. I’ve been praying for two important things to happen in my life – while I know in my heart they will happen in its timing, the waiting period can be brutal. But the more I pray, the more I grow my connection with Allah SWT, the waiting period starts to be easy to tolerate and no longer feels brutal.
A few lessons I’ve learned lately are listed as follows:
Make dua to Allah SWT sincerely at all times, both in the times of acceptance and during times that we are working, driving, or even watching TV. Make dua while you’re in the shower (in your mind of course, don’t speak out loud while you’re in your birthday suit). Continuously make dua day and night.
Each time you make dua, ask Allah SWT to make it khair for you and then let it go with the knowledge that if it is meant for you, it will come to you no matter what and nothing will stop that from happening because it is already destined. If it is not, know that you will get something better in its place and that is good for you.
Lastly, keep building your trust (tawakkul) in Allah SWT, and have certainty (yaqeen) in your duas. The time will come when it will come – don’t get too frustrated (it’s normal and it’s okay if you have done this in the past…like I said, I’ve done this too). Frustration is the shaitaan trying to shake your yaqeen and tawakkul in Allah SWT. Don’t let this sneaky little devil get to you. Prayers are always answered in their time and place they are meant to.
Keep praying. Keep making dua and keep practicing non attachment to the outcome. Let it go and let Allah SWT handle it for you. Remember, it took Allah SWT six days to build this universe, so even our duas will take their time to manifest. For Allah SWT, this is nothing. He can Will for anything to happen at anytime.
Another thing that comes to mind when reading this verse in the Qur’an about the heavens and earth being created in six days is this – that NOTHING is impossible for Allah SWT.
He created the heavens and the earth – as humans, we cannot do that. We do not have that ability because we are not God. We were created by Allah SWT. For Him, ANYTHING is possible. For us, things may seem impossible and we don’t know what to do.
There is this one dua I’ve been making – I won’t get into the nitty gritty details because it’s very personal for me, but the situation at this time looks so impossible to my human eyes. From the human point of view, I have thought many times, “How will Allah SWT make this possible for me?? It looks so impossible due to the situation that is happening right now that I hesitate on the thought it could happen!”
But if I look at this situation from Allah SWT’s point of view, oh, NOTHING is impossible for our Lord! He can do what He wishes at any time. He makes (mo’ajeza) miracles happen! With this point of view, I can relieve myself of the thoughts of impossibility. I have done what I needed to do in this situation – taken the actions that I could be able to take, and now, it’s up to Allah SWT to fulfill this dua of mine, which will happen at its appointed time. Allah SWT will decide how this dua will be answered and will create circumstances to occur in such a way that everything will just take place. When it does, I will let you know what exactly my dua was and how it unfolds, inshallah.
Think about the many times things happened in your life – it seemed impossible at first, right? The situation was such that nothing could be resolved, or that only a miracle can make this dua happen. And then, voila! Your dua was fulfilled. Miracles do happen and what you thought was impossible happened right before your eyes!
That’s Allah SWT. This is Him saying, “I got you. Nothing is impossible for me.”
If you are in a circumstance right now that just seems so impossible to resolve, or get out of, don’t worry about how it is unachievable. Perhaps you have taken all the action steps you could take and yet, you see nothing happening. Don’t think about it. Allah SWT is so much bigger than what we think! He is the Creator of the Worlds!
He will resolve it for you and you won’t even believe how things will have happened so miraculously.
With this said, we are now about to ring in the New Year – it’s still 2017 here, and in other parts of the world, it is 2018 (how is this possible that we are in last year, and others are in the new year?? You can absolutely see how Allah SWT created this to happen, subhanallah). I wish you ALL the most wonderful year with Allah SWT’s blessings upon you. May the year 2018 serve to be a year full of happiness, and blessings and lots of duas manifested for each and every one of you. Ameen.
This was originally written in December 2018, but I am reposting this and all of my other blogs again due to losing my hosting and site for a period of 3 years. I’m finally back with blogging for Duas Manifested. Thank you so much for reading and please, if you like my blog, share it with others you know. May it inspire you.
This is going to probably the shortest post, but one to end the year with the remembrance of Allah SWT.
Although our Islamic New Year started toward the end of September 2018, the world will celebrate the upcoming 2019 year based off of the Gregorian calendar.
As the new year comes in, we will start making resolutions, and new goals such as losing weight, working out more in 2019, getting a new job, higher pay, etc.
I want us to think about another goal that we should make for the new year. The goal of creating more closeness to Allah SWT. Our relationship with Allah SWT should be the first, and most important relationship in the world. How do you start that? Through dhikr, salaah, Qur’an, and duas. As you build your relationship with Allah SWT, and your yaqeen and tawakkul is only in Him, and Him alone, then no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, you will always have Allah SWT with you. So build your relationship with your Rabb. Love Him first, and then work on your relationship with others. Trust in Him, rely only on Him, and always ask Him for your needs. No one will fulfill it for you but Allah SWT will put it in the hearts of those who will always help you when you need it because it is coming from Allah SWT Himself.
So what are you making dua for right now that you would like to see in 2019?
Marriage? Family and kids?
A good high paying job or a new career path?
Financial freedom and abundance? Asking for a way out of debt that you may be in?
Better health and well being? The ability to exercise and take care of yourself better in every way possible?
To be able to travel more and spend time with family and friends?
Perhaps you may be making dua for having a better year altogether because of all that you’ve gone through this year? You may be making dua for peace and happiness to come into your life after seeing all the struggles and hardship (I raise my hand here for this dua since this is what I make dua for).
Whatever it is you are making dua for, be sure to add in the most important dua of all – the dua of growing closer to Allah SWT throughout the year.
May Allah SWT bring you, me, and everyone reading this blog close to Him. May Allah SWT show us His right path, His mercy on us and forgive us for our sins and any wrongdoing we may do unintentionally. May Allah SWT continue to guide us and provide for us in ways we could not imagine so that we can give to others in Zakat (Charity) and Sadaqat. May He provide for us so that we can also provide for others while we are still in this world. May Allah SWT bring us closer to Him so that we can Love Him and feel His Love for us – the Love of 70 mothers. May Allah SWT answer our duas in such ways that our yaqeen and tawakkul in Him grows and we grow closer because of our increased love for Allah SWT. May Allah SWT make our hearts beautiful and pure for Him so that we can have a beautiful relationship with Him each and every day of our lives. May Allah SWT make us the people who will be with Him and our Prophet (SAW) and our families in Jannah. Ameen Thumma Ameen.
The more your remember Allah SWT, and do dhikr, read salawat/durood upon our Prophet (SAW) with love and humbleness, the more you will be blessed with your duas manifesting – but know that we may want something and if we do not receive it, we should not give up. Allah SWT always has something better in store for us and He has everything in His plans for us and in His perfect timing.
Today in the mail, I received this quote – What’s meant to be will find a way.
Whatever is meant for you and is in your kismet, you will receive it and nothing can stop it from happening. If you are making duas for your goals to be manifested in 2019, it will be yours if Allah SWT has willed it to be.
May Allah SWT bless all of you in the 2019 year, answer your duas and give you all so much barakat, and also during our month of Rabi al-Thani as we go into the new month of the Islamic year.
This post was originally written in January 2018. Please enjoy!
One of my best friends and I were talking on the phone today and she happened to mention the “universe” as showing her the path. I had to stop her for the moment while we were on the phone, and I asked, “well, who do you think created the universe?” She said, “Of course, God did!” And I said, then why say “universe” when it is God (Allah SWT) who manifests what will and what is happening in our lives right now.
Muslim families make iftar dua to break fasting during Ramadan.
Whenever I talk to my friends, both Muslim and non-Muslim alike, they end up saying things, such as, “I manifested my job into being” or “I manifested my spouse to me through thinking in a specific manner,” and what not. They forget that in the middle of what they think they are manifesting, Allah SWT is the one who is doing it for them. They aren’t.
The evidence that we are not the ones manifesting anything is around us. Think about something that you’ve been asking for years and years. You want it so badly, and you have taken many action steps toward it, but it hasn’t come through yet. For example, I’m still looking for a good paying job, and because of my financial situation, I need to get a job as soon as possible to help care for my mom.
I send out resumes (1 click apply on job apps I’ve downloaded to my phone) every day, go to job fairs and do my part along with making lots of dua that Allah SWT helps me to find a job. My mom makes dua for me to be able to find the job of my dreams. My friends pray for me, and even send me job referrals whenever they get them to me. If they find something they think is a good fit for me, they text me with it and give me info they receive, or refer me to their managers.
When I do get the job, I know it’s not because I manifested it. Yes, I’m taking my part in doing action (tadbeer) but I also know that the job that is written in my taqdeer will come to me at the right timing Allah SWT has set for me.
One of my friends and fellow classmates, is also looking for work. We’ve been working together with finding jobs in our respective fields. She’s gone with me to job fairs and I send her job postings that are aligned with her background, and her degree. I’ve suggested some staffing places for her too. She’s already got an interview set up for next week with one of the agencies and hopefully she will go for a second round, if they like her before they offer the position. If this job is meant to be for her, she will get it. But she’s not getting this job because she’s the one manifesting it all by herself. She has help. She has Allah SWT helping her, and providing her the direction she needs to get the job she wants. Ultimately, she wants to be a director of a hospital and that will happen too, in the right timing as she works hard, takes action and ensures she’s praying to Allah SWT.
It’s the same for me. Praying, making dua, doing my tadbeer (action steps) and relying on the right timing Allah SWT has for me to get the job I desire will happen because it is all happening through Allah SWT.
If we are manifesting what we want on our own, then we are ignoring the very fact that Allah SWT is the one who is doing the manifesting. This is how we become ungrateful and think we are the ones in charge of our lives and creating things to be how we want it to be.
That couldn’t be far from the truth.
Think about it – did any of our prophets manifest their prophecy on their own? Did they appoint themselves as prophets to preach Islam and lead people down the right path? No, they were chosen by Allah SWT. It was Allah SWT who gave our prophets the prophethood and ability to become leaders of Islam, and preach to us while living their lives as examples of good Muslims. They didn’t decide it on their own and them become it.
This is why we should refrain from saying that we manifested what we wanted into our reality. There are people who make dua for something they deeply desire for twenty, thirty years and still do not see what they are asking for to happen. Are they then manifesting their own misery and ability to not receive what they’re asking for? Absolutely not. Allah SWT has already willed whether our duas will be answered in this world, in this moment and the specific timing – of if it will be answered in our akhirah. So we can ask for something until we’re blue in our face. If it’s not going to be for us, it won’t be. We aren’t manifesting the positive or the negative of the situation. We have to have tawakkul that Allah SWT knows best why we are or aren’t receiving what we’re asking for.
There’s this Islamic song I was listening to (in Urdu – you can listen to it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivc8iVACT4g) where the singer asks Allah SWT to fill our laps with His blessings. He talks about the state of human beings – that we are all the same. We are no different even if we are rich, or poor. We all ask for the same things, such as shade and rain from the sun. He talks about how man thinks that he is all that, he does big things, but he walks in the world with this arrogant attitude that he is the biggest person in this world. He’s forgotten that it is Allah SWT who has given him the position he is in today. Man thinks he is the one who gives to others, but the reality is that it is Allah SWT who manifests our needs and brings it to us, so may Allah SWT fill our laps with His blessings. It is Allah SWT who is for there for us.
So the moment we forget that it is Allah SWT and we begin to think, “Oh look at what I’ve done! I’ve done magic and brought to me what I’ve been wanting on my own” we better kick ourselves and come back to the right path. Allah SWT brings us what we desire, and He can also take it away in a second, leaving us trying to figure things out. We shouldn’t say, “We didn’t ask anyone for anything and we did everything ourselves” because it’s not true. Allah SWT hears our heart’s desires whether we have made dua or not, and nothing happens without His will.
Duas are manifested because it is to Allah SWT we make dua, and it is He who decides to answer our duas to make us who we are, provides for us and gives us sustenance. We do not do anything on our own. We should never be arrogant and we should never think we are the ones who are manifesting our lifestyle, or our jobs, or our friends and family. Allah SWT is the true manifestor.
Surah Al-Fatiha is the beginning of the Qur’an. This short surah is how we start the Qur’an, and it is a part of every obligatory and supererogatory salaah (non-obligatory prayers) that we have to perform every day.
The meaning of Surah Al-Fatiha is beautiful. Here is the English translation of it:
Islamic calligraphic verses from the Koran Al Fatih 1: for the design of Muslim holidays means “Opener”
“In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and Most Merciful.
All Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
The Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful.
Sovereign of the Day of Judgment.
It is You alone, we worship, and to You only, we seek Your help.
Guide us to the straight path;
The path of those who with whom You have bestowed grace upon, not those who have gone astray.”
– Ameen
Why do we say “Ameen” after we read Surah Al-Fatiha?
The reason we say Ameen is because this is a dua. We are asking Allah SWT to guide us to His Path, which is Islam. The path on which He wants us to be that will please our Lord, and eventually will lead us to Jannah if we stay on the path to goodness.
In fact, anytime you read Surah Al-Fatiha at any time, always say Ameen. It is an indirect part of the surah.
The virtues of Surah Al-Fatiha are so many. First of all, Surah Al-Fatiha is the Mother of the Book – Umm al Kitab. If you look carefully at the verses, the entire surah summarizes the basic tenets of Islam – the Oneness of Allah SWT, and His Glory. It also tells us, in fact, reminds us to have tawakkul in Him, and ask of Him for any help we need and to worship Him. We are reminded here that we don’t ask anyone else, nor any human being for help. Allah SWT is Who we need to go to for everything.
Look even more carefully at this surah. Allah SWT says that He is the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent. Our Lord tells us that He is Forgiving. He is Loving. He is Giving and Generous. How could we not ask from the King of the Worlds.
Allah SWT also says He is the Lord of the Worlds. It is obvious from this that there is more than just our Earth – there may be other planets just like ours with people living or creatures inhabiting those worlds. We don’t know but Allah SWT is the creator of the heavens – the entire universe only bends upon His Whim. When He says “kun fayakun” which means “Be, and it is” that is when things happen. A leaf doesn’t fall without Allah SWT’s permission.
We must Praise our Lord daily, each and every day through doing dhikr, whether that is of Allah SWT’s names, of this Surah or other verses of the Qur’an or through other beautiful ways that we have been taught by our Prophet (SAW).
Finally, we ask Allah SWT through this surah, to guide us because we will constantly need Allah SWT’s guidance in every aspect of our lives. When we choose to take a path in our lives, we should ask Allah SWT’s guidance on whether we are on the right path or not. We ask Allah SWT to counsel us, and advise us, and provide khair (goodness) in whatever tasks we take on.
Because of the deeper meaning of this Surah, it is beneficial for us to recite Surah Al-Fatiha as a dhikr every day. This surah is so important that we must recite it in every salaat – if we don’t our prayer will become invalid – this is a hadith by our Prophet (SAW) who said “Whoever does not recite Surah Al-Fatiha in his prayer, then his prayer is invalid.” This hadith was related by Ubadah bin As-Samit and related as sahih (correct) by Bukhari.
Through the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha, our duas are answered and manifested. There is a hadith, narrated by Abu Hurairah (RA) who reported that the Prophet (SAW) once said:
“Allah, the Glorious and Exalted said, ‘I have divided the prayer between Myself and my servant equally and My servant shall be granted what he asked for. Therefore, when the servant says, ‘All praises and thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds’, Allah says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says, ’The All-Merciful, the Most Merciful, ‘Allah says, ‘My servant has extolled Me.’ When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgment,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has glorified Me.’ When he says, ‘You Alone we worship and Your aid Alone do we seek,’ Allah says, ‘this is between Me and My servant and My servant shall have what he requested.’ When he says, ‘Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favored, not [the path] of those who have earned [Your] anger, nor of those who have gone astray,’ Allah says, ‘this is for My servant and My servant shall have what he asked for.’” – Muslim
In this hadith, we can see that Allah SWT says “My servant shall have what he asked for” which means that Allah SWT answers our duas through our reading of Surah Al-Fatiha. Just as we read salawat/durood on our Prophet (SAW) as the doorway toward our duas being heard, and accepted by Allah SWT, Surah Al-Fatiha is the same way.
In fact, I have a habit that right after I finish my salaah, I read Surah Al-Fatiha and then I make dua in sujood, repeating salawat/durood on the Prophet (SAW) three, five or eleven times then making dua for my wordly, and akhirah needs.
Surah Al-Fatiha is also a cure (shifaa) for all sicknesses and ailments, and helps to ward off the evil eye (nazar). It is also a ruqyah (spiritual cure) from the issues that affect us on a soul level. So read Surah Al-Fatiha as part of the other surahs in the Qur’an that help to ward of the evil eye (with Surah Nas, Surah Falaq, Surah Ikhlaas, Ayat ul-Kursi, and Surah Kauser, all read together and blown on the person afflicted by the evil eye). My mom and I do this all the time to help us ward off any nazar, and I get afflicted by it often so we have to read this everyday.
The other day, my mom and I were listening to our Mufti who was talking about the virtues of reading Surah Al-Fatiha. He said to make it a part of your spiritual life. That means, do dhikr of Surah Al-Fatiha as much as you can.
You can read a tasbeeh of it daily, and make dua knowing Allah SWT has heard it, and will accept and grant you what you’re asking for.
One thing our Mufti said was that if we choose to, we can read Surah Al-Fatiha in between the Sunnat and Fard of Fajr salaah. So, for example, when you wake up to read Fajr, and you read your two rakaat of Sunnah prayer, then before reading the Fard salah, read Surah Al-Fatiha 41 times and incorporate Bismillah in it each time. It would be read as such:
“Bismillah Ar-Rahman-Nir-Raheem-mil hamdulillah hi rabbil ‘Alameen….” and you continue reading the entire surah.
Note: Our Islamic scholars have studied for years and years, really digging deep into the meaning of each verse, and ayah of the Qur’an and studied with intensity the Sunnah and the hadith of our Prophet (SAW) and that of the companions. They take what they learn, and use it to gain experience they then share with us in light of the Qur’an and Sunnah. If you ever have any questions, or need to understand something from the Qur’an, the Sunnah and the hadith, I always urge you to go to your Muftis, Sheikhs, Aalims, etc. to ask questions. They are a wealth of information and guidance that we do not have, and they are the ones who write and publish books for us to read, as well as speak on topics people have questions about.
Anything I write here is from what I hear from our Mufti, and that which others have discussed. I believe in spreading what I hear to all of you, so that you may benefit and be guided by it. And Allah SWT knows best. He knows we try our best to please Him, and with that, He will always be pleased. So, do your best to do good with others, and to guide yourself, your family and others around you.
As you can see, Surah Al-Fatiha has many blessings, virtues, and is the main tenet of Islam. Read this daily as a dhikr, and watch how your life will be full of ease, and your duas answered. Read it to help cure your mind, body and spirit, and inshallah, reap the benefits of this in your life.
I was reading about Surah Waqiah as the surah to read every night. By reading this surah, one will never fall into poverty, and all the needs of the person will be fulfilled.
Every Surah in the Qur’an has many healing benefits. Surah Waqiah is one that has this amazing benefit of reading it. There are hadith that pertain to reading Surah Waqiah.
Our Prophet (SAW), said in a hadith, “Whoever recites Surah Waqiah at night will never encounter poverty” (Ibn Sunni 620).
Another hadith from our Prophet (SAW) says, “Surah Waqiah is the Surah of Wealth, so recite it and teach it to your children” (Ibn Asakir).
Many of the Islamic Scholars and Shaikh Ul Hadith discuss this and state that we should all make it a habit to read Surah Waqiah every night after Isha. Some say to read after Maghreb, but after Isha is the best.
I have started reading it. Below is an excerpt from a brother who emailed me his dua manifestation of how reading Surah Waqiah gave him a wonderful job opportunity that he was able to take. Please read his story below. I have made his name and city anonymous as per his request.
“I had lost my job last year in December. I had been working for a major corporation in the oil and gas industry at pretty decent post with a great life until oil prices started to dip.
All of a sudden, things started changing. Colleagues were getting laid off. Benefits were getting cut. I’ve always had pretty strong tawakkul, but even this was about to be tested. I had been fairly confident that I would be able to keep my job.
I decided to take a nice, long three-week vacation to visit my parents in Pakistan. When I got back, my first day back at work was pretty normal.
On the second day, I came back to my cubicle after having prayed Dhuhr. The Acting VP – HR called me to his office. I was told that my position had been made redundant. And this would be my last working day. I’d have my notice period of two months during which I’d be getting paid. And if I were to find alternate employment during this time, my company would issue a no-objection certificate. But after that two-month period I’d be on my own.
This was taking place in a Gulf country that I won’t name. I love this country, and I was born and raised here. It has always felt like my home, but to live here as an expat, you needed to have a job. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be issued a visa.
I had two months to land a job. Or else I would have to leave this land that I am so attached. Plus, my wife and I were expecting our first child. So I have no job plus a baby on the way, and the next couple of months were so difficult.
I applied for so many jobs. I only ended up called for a handful of interviews. And even then, there was so sign of any job offer. I still had my tawakkul and just knew that, whatever happened, it would be for the best. I just hoped and wished that the “best” would be for me to get a job fast and not have to leave.
Eventually, the two months were drawing to a close. And I had nothing to show for it in terms of finding a job. Then my wife told me about a friend of hers who had recommended reciting Surat-al-Waqiah every night.
I was aware of the hadith that mentioned something about the recitation of Surat-al-Waqiah preventing poverty, but I had also read that the hadith had a weak chain of narration. I had nothing to lose.
So I started reciting it at night. Every night. By the way, I didn’t really have a daily Qur’an recitation practice until then. So my recitation initially was a little slow. It would take me 11 minutes to recite it (with some difficulty) and then — with time — it would take me just 4 minutes.
But what I really want to tell you is that the first night I recited Surat-al-Waqiah, that very first night, my recitation was heard in the heavens. Because that very night, the wheels were set on motion towards me getting my new job.
After completing my recitation that first night, I Whatsapped a friend of mine that I was preparing to depart from the country as I had been terminated and had not been able to secure new employment.
The next morning, he called a friend of his (who happened to be a recruiter). And she called me on the same day. Apparently, there was a vacancy at a really great company that I just happened to be right for. I began communicating with this company, and they hired me soon after.
Since then, I have not stopped reciting Surat-al-Waqiah every single night. Whether or not the isnaad of the hadith is weak, I do not know. But from my personal experience, I can tell you that what happened in my life after I made it a nightly practice to recite it was something that applying for jobs to over 200 companies did not do.
Please make it a daily habit to recite this surah. And advise those who are in financial difficulty to do the same. May Allah reward you.”
As you can see from the above dua manifestation that reading Surah Waqiah places the reader of this beautiful Surah in a beneficial position where they are receiving rizq from wherever Allah SWT provides for them. And Allah SWT provides for us from places we could never imagine. I have also begun personally reading Surah Waqiah, and I love it!
Inshallah, if you are going through a time of financial need, please start reading Surah Waqiah. Make sure that you read Durood/Salawat Ibrahimi (3 times, or 11 times) before reading Surah Waqiah, and then after you finish, and make dua, read Durood/Salawat Ibrahimi again (3 times or 11 times). Reading Salawat will make it easy for you to read, and will bring your dua straight to the throne of Allah SWT. And you get barakah for sending blessings to our Prophet (SAW).
Remember, Allah SWT is always there for us and will NEVER leave us in any condition He knows we cannot handle. He will always provide for us in ways we don’t know and couldn’t imagine. I have personally been a witness to this myself and will share some stories of my own personal dua manifestations in later blog posts.
