By Huma Rasuly
Du’aa, we’re told, is the weapon of a believer. And from a young age we’re taught to make du’aa for the things we want in life, whether that’s good grades, Jannah, or those pair of shoes mum said she wasn’t going to buy us. We grew up believing that if we asked God for it long and hard enough, that eventually it’ll be given to us on a silver platter. And when things didn’t end up going according to our plan, we would sulk because we couldn’t see the wisdom behind it, or what was given to us *instead* of what we were asking for.
Something changed within us. The point of du’aa shifted. We no longer yearned for the conversation we got out of supplicating to our Lord. We no longer craved the connection we got out of knowing we had the BEST of listeners, listening to US. Hearing us. Supporting us. Carrying us through our tough times. We no longer found a friend in the Almighty, even though He loves us more than a mother loves her child, and has more mercy on us than the mercy a mother has towards her baby. We became unsure of whether He wanted what was best for us, and thought we knew better.
Du’aa became less of a supplication, and more of a demand.
“Ask, and you will be given” [Tirmidhi], got taken out of context and we attributed our Lord, *the Creator of the heavens and the earth* into a mere genie, who would apparently grant us much more than just 3 wishes. And we taught our kids to do the same, who taught their kids to do it too. And for generations this continued, until eventually all Islam became was an inheritance. We stopped learning, we stopped yearning. We settled for what we were taught and stopped asking questions. We stopped reaching for the stars, we stopped reaching out to other people. We stopped thirsting for knowledge. We settled. We settled for this life and all the nonsense it bought with it. We settled for impatience and greed. We settled for just the compulsory acts of worship. We lost touch with ourselves. We lost touch with our Lord.
I think it’s time we retrace our steps, and find that connection again. Du’aa is your greatest weapon, and always will be because there’s nothing like having God on your side. Find the meaning of supplication within your own soul. Converse with your Lord, find a friend in Him. Know that the point of du’aa was always the conversation and connection. Seek it, find it, and your outcome will be served to you on a silver platter. It may not be the outcome you prayed for, but it’s the outcome that’s best for you, and you need to trust that Allah know’s what He’s doing. He’s your greatest friend after all ?
“And when my servants ask you concerning me, [tell them] I am indeed near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls.” [2:186]
