The Power of Dua (Supplication)
By Navaid Aziz | 2026-01-16T17:18:23.60642+00:00 | Topic: Allah
The Power of Dua (Supplication)
By Navaid Aziz
Opening
(bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim)
(la ilaha illallah, Muhammad rasul Allah)
My dear brothers and sisters, (السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته - assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh)
A Story of Hope
I want to start off with a short story. This is the story of a husband and wife. They're out on a January night having dinner. And the wife is 5 months pregnant. And as they finish eating dinner, the wife starts to feel some pain inside of her stomach. She thinks maybe it's indigestion. You know, maybe the baby is a bit gassy. Or maybe it's just normal cramps. She doesn't think of it as something too serious. So she goes home and she lays down.
And she starts to notice that the pain becomes more frequent. Every 5 minutes the pain is coming and going. Then it comes down to 4 minutes, to 3 minutes, to 2 minutes. And the husband is witnessing all of this. And at 2 minutes he says, honey, you know what? We need to take you to the hospital.
They go to the hospital, the doctors check her out. And they tell her that you're 23 weeks pregnant and you're about to go into labor. And she starts panicking, she starts freaking out. And to add to that panic, they ask her: More than likely, your baby is going to be born dead. Do you want us to resuscitate your baby? Should we try to bring it back to life? And you think to yourself at that time, subhanallah, why would a doctor even bother asking this question?
So at that time, there's some more complications in the birth. And they actually end up delaying the labor for 4 days. For 4 days she's feeling contractions. They try to delay the labor as much as they can. The 4th day comes, and they're unable to delay it anymore. And then this baby, literally no larger than my hand, is born at the weight of 1 pound.
The doctors tell the husband and wife: There's less than a 2% chance that this baby will survive. Less than a 2% chance. So the husband and wife, they start making dua. Oh Allah, please cure our baby. Oh Allah, please make it healthy. And they stay with the baby in intensive care unit for 3 consecutive nights.
On the 3rd consecutive night:
- One doctor comes in and says: Your baby, it has 3 bleeds in the brain. Meaning it's bleeding from 3 different parts of the brain.
- Another doctor comes and tells them: That your baby is going to be in a stage of vegetation. Meaning it's not going to be able to move.
- A 3rd doctor comes in and says: Your baby is going to be mentally slow and physically disabled.
This is the worst possible scenario for your baby. You might as well pull it off of life support. Now you can imagine all of this discouragement from the doctors. Again the husband and wife, they make dua to Allah SWT. Oh Allah, please protect our baby. Oh Allah, please take care of our baby. And each time a visitor would come, all they would tell the visitors is: make dua for our baby.
Now after:
- 3 bleeds
- 3 surgeries
- Multiple blood transfusions
- And an uncountable number of infections
One year later, Baby Maria, as is her name, she's crawling, she's walking, she's laughing, she's giggling, she's smiling. And subhanallah, had they put their trust in the doctors, the baby would have been dead. But they put their trust in Allah SWT, making dua to Allah. And Allah SWT took care of that baby. Allahu Akbar!
Allah's Infinite Blessings
Allah SWT tells us in the Quran:
"And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them"
That Allah will give you each and every single thing that you desire. And if you were to enumerate the blessings of Allah SWT, you would never be able to do so.
Now look at the many blessings that Allah SWT has bestowed upon each and every one of us. From our eyesight, our ability to breathe, our ability to see, our ability to appreciate, our friends, our family, the food that we have, the perfumes that we enjoy. All of those things, my dear brothers and sisters, how many of those things did you make dua to Allah SWT for? And then He granted them to you? More than likely none of them. Allah was so generous and so kind that you didn't have to ask and He still gave.
And Allah SWT tells us that even if you were to ask, Allah SWT would still continue to give more than He has already given you.
The Purpose of Creation
So now what is the biggest blessing that Allah SWT has bestowed upon us? The biggest blessing that Allah SWT has bestowed upon us is that He has given to us an explicit language, our purpose of creation. That unlike
the rest of the human beings that are wandering on this earth, we know why Allah created us. Allah created us to worship Him.
And this is a big blessing within of itself. Because not only do we know our objective in life, but we know our way of salvation. We know our means of tranquility. We know our code of conduct. All through this Islam. All through this worship.
Now this worship that Allah SWT has commanded us with, the most noblest act of worship is Dua. And this is why Allah SWT tells us:
"And your Lord has told you: Call upon Me and I will answer you. Those people who turn away from My worship (i.e. making Dua to Me) shall enter the Hellfire in a state of humiliation and disgrace" (Ghafir 40:60)
Meaning that the noblest act of worship that we can do to Allah is making Dua to Allah SWT. And you will see this is what defines our relationship with Allah SWT. This very act of Dua.
And that is why there is not a single act that we do except that there is some form of Dua related to it:
- In Salah you are making Dua
- When you fast there is a Dua for opening and a Dua for closing
- In Hajj multiple Duas you learn
- And each and every other act has a Dua
- Going to the bathroom, going to the market place
Multiple Duas that you can learn. All to build a relationship between us and Allah SWT.
The Significance of Dua
Now one of the biggest lessons you learn from this verse that I just mentioned is that Allah SWT tells us over here that Dua is a sign of humility. That people who humble themselves to Allah SWT are the ones that make Dua to Allah SWT. And the ones who are arrogant, they are the ones who desist in making Dua to Allah SWT.
And this is a point of reflection to think about: Where do we fall in the spectrum? Are we from those people who are humble and constantly make Dua to Allah SWT? Or have we become arrogant and proud and think we are self-sufficient and have desisted in making Dua to Allah SWT?
Dua is Ibadah
How big of a part does Dua play in Ibadah? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ tells us in the authentic Hadith:
"Dua is Ibadah"
That this act of Dua is Ibadah within of itself. Now you see the Prophet used another example like this. When he was talking about Hajj, you know that pilgrimage that we are required to perform. And in this pilgrimage,
there is one day that sticks above, beyond the rest of them. And that is the day of Arafah. And that is why the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Al-Hajju Arafah" (Hajj, its primary pillar is Arafah(
And using the same syntax, He describes Dua by saying "Al-Dua huwa al-Ibadah" - That just like Arafah is to Hajj, Dua is to Ibadah. Its primary focus. So when Allah SWT tells us that you were created and I was created to worship Him, we were created to call out to Allah, we were created to make Dua to Allah SWT.
Virtues of Dua
So let us start off with some of the virtues of Dua. Let us start off with some of the virtues of Dua.
Virtue #1: Nothing is More Noble in Allah's Sight
There is nothing nobler in the sight of Allah SWT than Dua. A Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ narrated in Sunan At-Tirmidhi.
Now why would Allah SWT call Dua the most noblest thing? Why is it the most noblest thing?
Reason number one: Is that through Dua Allah SWT proves how self-sufficient and rich Allah SWT is and how incapable and dependent we are.
Number two: It is the act of worship that is done the most. From all of the other acts of worship that are done, the Salah, the Zakah, the Dhikr, anything it may be, the act of Dua is the one that is done the most. And thus Allah SWT calls it the most noble.
Virtue #2: Sign of Allah's Generosity
A second virtue of Dua is that it is an indication of Allah SWT's generosity for us. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ tells us that when you make Dua to Allah SWT, ask for the most abundant of things. And when you ask for Paradise, ask for Al-Firdous. Meaning that have high aspirations in your Dua.
So the companions رضي الله عنهم said: Ya Rasulullah, if that is truly the case, then we're going to make multiple Duas to Allah. We're going to ask for plenty of things. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ responded: And Allah SWT still has more to give you.
Allah SWT is the creator, owner and sustainer of the heavens and the earth. And all of it was created to be in your service. So when you ask the creator, owner and sustainer from anything of this world, do you not think He will give it to you? He created this world to serve you so that you may serve Allah SWT. So that you may call Allah SWT. He created desire inside of you for this world so that you would call upon Allah SWT so that He could give it to you.
And this is the generosity of Allah SWT. That no matter whatever it is that you ask for, Allah SWT will give it to you. You ask for health, He'll give it to you. You ask for money, He gives it to you. You ask for family, He
gives it to you. You ask for nice weather, He gives it to you. You ask for a conference, and Allah SWT gave it to you. This is the generosity of Allah SWT.
Virtue #3: It Repels Allah's Anger
And this is the second virtue of dua that it shows and manifests Allah's generosity. Number three: It repels Allah's anger. The third virtue of dua. The Prophet said that Allah SWT becomes angry at the people who do not make dua to Him. He becomes angry at the people that do not make dua to Him.
Now why would Allah SWT become angry at these people? Because Allah SWT created us to worship Him. And this act of worship that He's referring to is dua. So when you stop making dua to Allah, it is as if you have become self-sufficient. And you actually think you can survive without Allah. Secondly, it is an act of ingratitude towards Allah SWT. That you know how much dua pleases Allah SWT yet you abstain from it. And this is a cause of angering Allah SWT.
Virtue #4: It Strengthens Your Relationship with Allah
The fourth and last virtue that I will mention of the infinite number of virtues is that dua shows how strong your relationship is with Allah. And actually builds upon that. So we know that it builds your relationship because you're constantly calling upon Allah SWT. But how does it strengthen your relationship with Allah SWT?
The way that it strengthens your relationship with Allah SWT is that each time you make dua to Allah SWT for a different thing, a different name of Allah becomes manifest. A different attribute of Allah becomes manifest.
So one time you're asking for Allah's forgiveness - He shows you that He is Al-Ghafoor. And He shows you that He is Al-Tawwab. Someone has harmed you and you need protection - Then Allah shows you that He is Al-Jabbar. And He shows you that He is Al-Qahhar. Then you need money and you need sustenance. Perhaps you cannot have children. So you ask Allah SWT for children and for sustenance. And then He shows you how He is Al-Razzaq. And He shows you how He is Al-Wahhab.
So throughout all of these different duas that you make, Allah shows you a different aspect of His names. And that increases and strengthens your relationship with Allah SWT.
Lessons from Adam and Iblis
Now this whole topic of dua, when Allah SWT teaches it to us in the Quran, He actually teaches it through us from the very first story. In fact this whole concept of dua is spoken about over 500 times in the Quran. And the very first time that it is mentioned in the Quran in detail is through the story of Adam عليه السلام . Through the story of Adam عليه السلام
So what we are going to do right now is do an analysis of the story of Adam عليه السلام with Iblis and derive some of the lessons pertaining to dua that we can find.
Lesson 1: Two Types of Dua
So the very first lesson that we learn from the story of Adam and Iblis is that dua is of two types. Dua is of two
types.
The first type of dua is a spiritual dua. It is a dua for your iman. It is a dua for your akhira. And this is the dua that Adam (عليه السلام - 'alayhis-salaam) made when he said:
"Our Lord, we have oppressed ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy upon us, we will surely be among the losers"
So this is the first type of dua, a spiritual dua. A dua for iman, a dua for forgiveness. A dua pertaining to the akhira.
A second type of dua was the dua of Iblis when Iblis called out to Allah SWT and he said:
"My Lord, then reprieve me until the Day they are resurrected" (Al-Hijr 15:36)
That oh Allah grant me life. Grant me life till the day of judgment. Grant me life till the day of judgment. So you learn a very important lesson over here that the prophetic example of making dua to Allah is to have dua and make dua for the akhira, for your iman, for your spirituality. And then the satanic methodology of making dua is to only make dua for your dunya.
So if you're only making dua "Oh Allah grant me sustenance, Oh Allah grant me a big house, Oh Allah grant me a nice car, Oh Allah grant me a nice looking spouse" - if that's all you're asking for, then that's very problematic. Because you're following in the footsteps of shaitan.
And this is why Allah SWT gives us an example in the Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqara. He tells us that the people who said:
"Our Lord, give us good in this life"
And they stopped over here -
"Then they will have no share of the hereafter"
But Allah SWT teaches us the best way of making dua. And that is to combine your deen and your dunya. But your primary focus is on your deen. It is on your iman, your spirituality, on your akhira. So the best and most complete dua that you can make is as Allah SWT teaches us:
"Our Lord give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and protect us from the punishment of the Fire" (Al-Baqara 2:201)
Lesson 2: Consistency of Worship
Number two: We learn about the consistency of worship. What does this mean? What this means is that if you look at Adam (عليه السلام - 'alayhis-salaam), he calls upon Allah SWT in his time of need. But he continues to
worship Allah SWT even after his time of need is over. So Allah has forgiven him yet Adam (عليه السلام - 'alayhis-salaam) continues to worship Allah. And he continues to call upon Allah SWT.
Whereas Iblis on the other hand, what does Iblis do? Iblis only called upon Allah SWT when he needed Allah SWT. So when he needed something from Allah, he called upon Him. But when he was no longer in need of Allah SWT, he forgot about Allah, disobeyed Allah, and neglected the worship of Allah SWT.
And this is one of the worst things that you can do - that only call upon Allah SWT when you have a need. So you have an exam that you need to pass, or you're having an operation, or you're suffering from poverty or from some pain. So you call upon Allah and Allah gives it to you. And then you forget about Allah SWT. This was the way of Iblis. But the way of Adam (عليه السلام - 'alayhis-salaam) was that he remembered Allah in his time of need and he remembered Allah outside of his time of need. And this was from his noble qualities.
And this actually becomes a paradox for the believer, or something contradictory for the believer. That the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ - sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) taught us and told us that if you want Allah SWT to answer your du'as in times of desperation, then make du'as to Allah SWT in times of prosperity. If you want Allah SWT to answer your du'as in desperation, then make du'as to Allah SWT in times of prosperity.
Lesson 3: Call Upon Allah Alone
And I'll give you an example that you can relate to. وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى - And Allah has the most highest example. I want you to think about a friend. Think about a friend of yours that one day randomly out of the blue, he calls you up and he's like: Hey, salamu alaikum, akhi Abdullah, ukhti Fatima, how are you doing? Alhamdulillah, I'm doing fine. You know, long time no see, how have you been? Alhamdulillah, I've been okay. By the way, can you lend me $3000? Who are you again?
Now imagine if you do that with Allah SWT. How humiliating and disgraceful that is. And just imagine how angry you get when people do that with you. You're like, I haven't seen you for a year. Why would I come to you in your time of need? Or be there for you in your time of need?
Now think about someone else. Think about a close friend of yours. Someone that calls you up: salamu alaikum, how are you doing? How was your day? You know, how's the family doing? How are the kids? And they do this regularly. And they come and visit you regularly. When you're sick, they bring you things. Now when this person comes and says: You know, I need an amount of money. You will willingly give it to them.
And for Allah SWT is an even higher example. So call Allah SWT in times of prosperity. And He will be there for you in your times of desperation. And your times of adversity.
Number three: Is that both Adam (عليه السلام - 'alayhis-salaam) and Iblis, they realized that it was only Allah SWT that could answer their du'as. It was only Allah. So Adam and Iblis, they only called upon Allah SWT. They didn't call upon any of the prophets. They didn't call upon any of the awliya. They didn't call upon any saints. None of the sahaba. None of these individuals. They called purely upon Allah SWT.
And how sad it is that in our day and age, people who claim to have iman have the audacity to call out on other than Allah SWT. So they'll call out to Abul Qadir Jilani or Al-Ghawth Al-Azam or Al-Badawi. Or even Ali and Hussain (رضي الله عنهما - radiyallahu 'anhuma) Whereas Adam knew that you can only call upon Allah. And the most astray individual that Allah has ever created - Iblis - even he too knew that it was only logical to call upon Allah SWT.
And this makes us wonder that we all say the statement of La ilaha illallah. Ash hadu an la ilaha illallah. That I testify that there is nothing and no one worthy of worship except Allah. If you truly understand this statement, then how can you direct an act of worship to other than Allah SWT? And this is the third lesson we learn from the story of Adam. That dua should only be directed to Allah SWT and no one other than that.
Lesson 4: Allah's Modesty
And this is why Allah SWT tells us in the Quran: And who is more astray than the one who calls out other than Allah SWT, who will not be able to answer him until the day of judgment? Meaning that these people are dead. They have passed away. They cannot benefit themselves. Let alone you. So how can you call upon them?
This is what Allah SWT proposes as a rhetorical question. That where has your logic and intellect gone? That Allah, is he not the one who created both of you? Is he not the one that sustained both of you? Is he not the one that provided for both of you? So why would you go and call upon other than Allah SWT?
The fourth lesson that we learn is that Allah SWT is shy. Allah SWT is modest. And that Allah SWT is shy to turn away the hands that ask Him. And that is why Allah SWT responded to the dua of Adam, the noble prophet. And that is why he also answered the dua of Iblis, the most wicked of creation. Because when Allah SWT is asked, He hates to turn people away.
And there are two important lessons over here:
Lesson number one: Is that Allah SWT will answer each and every single one of your duas. Except that the way it is answered may differ and may vary. So for some people Allah SWT will give them the answer of their duas very close to the time that they make dua, or at that time. A second group of people, Allah SWT will delay answering their duas till the hereafter. So their duas will not be answered until the hereafter. And the third and last category is that Allah SWT will not answer their duas the way they want it to be answered. But rather He will answer their dua by averting and diverting an equal amount of evil from them. An equal amount of evil from them.
And subhanallah, how amazing that is. Is that even when you make dua to Allah SWT and you think you know what is best for you, if Allah deems that it is not best for you, He will grant you something else that is better for you. And how many times have we had things happen to us that we thought were terrible for us, that we couldn't find the wisdom behind it. But as time went on, we realized subhanallah, how wise Allah was to cause this incident to happen. And how much benefit there was in it for us.
The second benefit: that we derive from Allah answering the dua of Iblis is a sign of hope and inspiration. That no matter how sinful of an individual you may be, you could be Fir'aun. But even then if Allah SWT through his
mercy and his compassion and his love will answer the dua of Iblis, the father of evil, you know the godfather of all evil, He can answer your duas as well. Just call upon him. And you will find him loving, compassionate and merciful. Just give it a try.
Conclusion
I want to conclude my talk with a few last points. Allah SWT reminds us of something very important in Surah Al-Baqarah. He says:
"And when My servants ask you about Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me" (Al-Baqara 2:186)
That if my slaves ask you about me, tell them that I am near. That I answer the call of every supplicator.
In this life, we are always in need of Allah SWT. There is not a moment that we are not dependent upon Allah SWT. So seek reward from Allah SWT and seek closeness to Allah SWT by making dua to him. Please your Lord by such a simple act.
I ask my dear brothers and sisters: How much effort does it take to raise your hands and say "O Allah, help me in my deen. O Allah, forgive me for my sins. O Allah, grant me the best of this life and the hereafter"? You don't need to make wudu. You don't necessarily need to face the qibla. You don't need to pray two rakahs. All you need to do is divert your heart and attention to Allah SWT and make use of some simple words.
Allah SWT has made Ibadah so easy. He has made this relationship so facilitated that you don't even need to use a text message. You don't need to go online. You don't need to use a phone. Literally you raise your hands and you say "O Allah have mercy upon us" and Allah is there listening to us. How much more easier of a relationship could you ask for?
A Final Story
Now I want to conclude with one last story to show the power of Allah SWT. Two days ago I posted on my Facebook. I asked the brothers and sisters that I want you to share your most powerful moment with dua. And about a hundred people responded subhanallah with some amazing stories.
There was a story about a woman who lost her eyesight for thirteen years and the doctors could not explain it. Then she went to the Kaaba to make umrah. And as she's looking at the Kaaba, making dua to Allah, Allah SWT returned her eyesight. And the first thing she saw was the Kaaba. Allahu Akbar! And you can read this story live on the Facebook page.
But I want to share a second story with you. A story that subhanallah touched me very very personally. It's a story of a sister. She says that on the first day of Ramadan in 2010, her father went to the masjid. And in Taraweeh, on that very first night, her father had a heart attack. When he went down to sajdah, he couldn't get up. But he was still alive.
The brothers had to drag him back into his house. And they didn't know what was wrong. They took him to the hospital. And they realized that he had had a severe heart attack. He was unconscious for the next 48 hours. As his heart was in very critical condition.
And the sister, she sat next to her father. And she just looked at him. And she thought: What a beautiful man. But he's tied up to all of these machines. He provided for me and took care of me when I was young. What a terrible daughter I've been to him all these years. Not being there for him. Not taking care of him.
So she raised her hands to Allah. And she said, "Oh Allah, please grant him life so that it could be a good daughter to him." And for four months Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala granted him more life. And she would take care of him. She would provide for him his meals. Grant him his medicine. Anytime he needed to go out, she would take him. Anytime he had an appointment, she would be the one to take him.
But as these four months went by, she realized that her father was struggling. He was in a lot of pain. He was in a lot of anxiety. He didn't know when he was going to die. So at that time, she changed her dua. She said, "Oh Allah, do not let my father die except with a good and befitting ending. Oh Allah, do not let my father die except with a good and befitting ending."
Subhanallah. So in the fifth month, the father comes back from praying Jummah. And he's having a wonderful day. His family is there. His friends are there. Everyone's come to visit him. And he spends the whole day like this. Cheerful, no anxiety. No problems. And then as the night time comes, he tells his wife that he's having some pain. And he needs to go and rest. So his youngest daughter takes him upstairs.
And as they go upstairs, not five minutes pass except that the young daughter shouts out: Come upstairs, come upstairs. So the whole family rushes upstairs. And they huddle around the father. Huddle around him. And as both daughters are holding him in their arms, he says: "لا إله إلا الله، محمد رسول الله" - And he dies with those words on his mouth. In the arms of the daughter that made dua for him. That oh Allah do not let him die except in a state that is pleasing to you.
That is the power of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
My dear brothers and sisters, we make dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that he forgives us for our sins. And that he grants us good endings to our lives. And that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes this gathering a gathering of mercy. A gathering of forgiveness. And that he reunites us in a better state in Al-Firdaws with the Prophet (ﷺ - sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam).
And I want to conclude with one last point. As Allah knows best. If I'll ever see you again. But I attended a business course last year. I was in the city of Toronto. And in this business course, the teacher said: I want you to imagine milestones in your life for the next five years. So for each year, draw out a milestone. And for my fifth year milestone, I had that I would love to come to Australia and give dawah to the people there. But this is just something that I drew. And it was out of my negligence. Out of my heedlessness. That I didn't make dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for this. Yet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave it to me anyways.
So I beseech you, my dear brothers and sisters. Anything you may want to achieve in your life. Call out to Allah. He's going to give it to you anyways. But incur the reward of making dua to Allah. And you will get much much more than you expect. Much much more than you can imagine.
May Allah be kind and merciful to all of us. May Allah be kind and merciful to all of us. May Allah reward you well. May Allah reward you well.