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Dua: The Weapon of a
Believer
and its Relationship with
Destiny |
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The topic
of du'â and its relationship with
destiny (qadr) is a very important one,
and one around which much confusion
exists. Many people ask: "If everything
has already been destined to occur, then
of what use is du'â, as, if Allah has
written what I want, I will get it
without making du'â, and if it is not
written for me, then I will never get it
no matter how much du'â I make?" |
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The
response to this question lies in
understanding the outcome of anything is
dependant on the performance of the
efforts that are necessary to procure
it. In other words, it has already been
decreed, for example, that a seed will
give fruit if planted, but this will not
occur unless the farmer takes the
appropriate efforts in irrigating the
crop, maintaining it, protecting the
seedling as it grows, and ensuring as
much as he can that the factors are
amenable for the plant to give fruit. |
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So even
though a person believes in the Divine
Decree, he must at the same time strive
all he can to ensure that the desired
goal occurs. So du'â is the means that
one uses to achieve the desired goal
that one has, and this means in no way
contradicts the destiny that has been
written for that person |
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This
stance is clarified by the Prophet's
hadîth reported by Thawban, that he said |
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"Nothing
increases one's life-span except good
deeds, and nothing repels Divine Decree
except du'â. And very, a person may be
deprived for sustenance due to a sin
that he does!" [Narrated by Ibn Maajah
#90 and confirmed authentic by Shaykh
al-Albaanee in as-Sahîhah #154] In other
words, the performance of good deeds is
a cause of increasing one's life span,
so if a person puts in the necessary
effort, the results will be achieved,
and this is also destined. So both the
means to achieve a goal, and the
fulfilment of the goal itself, are
already decreed. |
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If someone
were to ask: "How can du'â repel Divine
Decree?" we would respond, "The fact
that you may be ill has already been
decreed by Allah for you, as has the
fact that you will ask Allah to cure you
of this illness (i.e. both the illness
and your asking to cure the illness has
been decreed). In a similar manner, a
person may be deprived of his sustenance
that was decreed for him since Allah's
eternal knowledge encompassed the fact
that this person would perform a sinful
deed that would cause deprivation of his
sustenance. All of this, then, is from
the decree of Allah, all Glory and
Praise be to Him."
There are a number of ahadîth that
clarify this point. For example, Mu'aadh
ibn Jabal reported that the Prophet,
peace be upon him, said: "Caution will
be of no benefit against Divine Decree,
but du'â benefits all things, whether
they come down or not. I therefore
advise you to make du'â, O servants of
Allah!" [This hadîth is weak. It was
narrated by Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and at-Tabaraanee
in al-Kabîr, as has been mentioned in
Da'îf al-Jâmi' #4785] |
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So no
matter how cautious a person is, he
cannot escape what is written for him,
simply because Allah controls
everything, and nothing escapes His
Knowledge or Power. However, by turning
to Allah through du'â, it is possible to
avert something that might have been
decreed. Salmaan al-Faarsee narrated
that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
said: "Nothing repels Divine Decree
except du'â, and nothing increases one's
life-span except good deeds."
[Authentic, reported by at-Tirmidhee and
al-Haakim from Salmaan, and is in Sahîh
al-Jâmi' #7687] This hadîth informs us
in no uncertain terms that the only way
that we can repel some Divine Decree is
through the means of du'â. So it is
possible that some unpleasant matter has
been preordained for us, but only if we
do not make du'â to avert it from us. So
if a du'â is made, then this matter will
not occur or be fulfilled, whereas if
du'â is left, the misfortune will occur.
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Another
narration by at-Tirmidhee also supports
this. The Prophet, upon whom be peace,
said: |
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"There is
no Muslim on the face of the earth that
asks Allah for anything except that
Allah gives it to him, or averts from
him a similar evil, as long as he does
not ask for something evil or for
breaking the ties of kinship."
[Authentic, narrated by at-Tirmidhee
from 'Ubaadah ibn Saamit, as is
mentioned in Sahîh al-Jâmi' #5637] From
this narration, the benefits of du'â are
made clear, and its value is understood.
For not only is a person rewarded for a
making a du'â, but it is also a cause of
repelling an evil that was destined
for him, and in obtaining the good that
he was expecting. Ibn Hajr, commenting
on the benefits of du'â, said: |
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"And the
benefit of performing du'â is the
attainment of reward by obeying the
command (of Allah to make du'â), and
also by the attainment of what is asked
for, for there is a possibility that the
request is dependant on the du'â, since
Allah is the Creator of both
the effort and result of the effort!" [Fath
al-Bârî 11/95] Therefore, the proper
response to the question posed at the
beginning of the chapter is, in the
words of Ibn al-Qayyim, as follows: "The
logical consequences of such a reasoning
leads to a rejection of
all efforts. It can, therefore, be said
to a person who holds this view, 'If the
satisfaction of your hunger and thirst
has already been destined for you, then
it will be fulfilled, whether you eat or
not. On the other hand, if it has not
been destined for you, it will never
occur, whether you eat or not. And if a
son has been destined for you, then you
will be granted one, whether you have
intercourse with your wife or not. On
the other hand, if a son has not been
destined for you, then you will never be
granted one. In this case, there is no
point in getting married!' Now will any
sane person agree with all of
these conclusions?" [Al-Jawâb al-Kâfi
p.13] |
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To
summarise, then, Divine Decree (qadr)
cannot be used as an excuse not to make
du'â. For, just as one strives to ensure
that one attains worldly needs, of food,
drink and family, so too must one strive
in one's religious deeds to attain the
desired goal. Du'â is
intrinsically related to qadr; in fact,
it is part of one's qadr.
Allah has already decreed that a certain
matter will be granted to a servant, or
an evil averted from him, if he make
du'â, so if he were to leave du'â, then
the desired goal would not be reached.
Hence why it was the sunnah of the
Prophet, upon whom be peace, to make the
following du'â during the witr prayer: |
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" ...
Bless me in what You have given me. And
avert and turn away from me the evil
that has been decreed for me, for verily
You Decree (all things), and none can
decree against You ... " [Reported by
at-Tirmidhee #464, an-Nasaa'ee #1725 and
others, with an authentic chain] So the
Muslim turns to Allah and prays to Him
so that any and all evil
can be averted from him. |
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Additionally, it should be remembered
that the concept of Divine Decree is one
that a human can never fully understand,
due to his limited intellect and finite
capabilities. The true Muslim does not
delve too deeply into the philosophical
ramifications of Divine
Decree. Rather, he accepts all that has
occurred to him in the past as having
been destined for him, and he strives to
obtain what he desires in the future (as
long as it is permissible for him).
Since he does not know what has been
written for him in the future, he
expects the best from Allah, and does
everything in his power to ensure that
what
he wants is granted to him. Just like
going to work everyday will ensure, if
Allah wills, that he gets his pay-cheque
at the end of the month, so too does
making du'aa ensure, if Allah wills,
that he achieves his desired goal.
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