Value and Importance of Dua in Islam

Value and Importance of Dua Dua means supplication, which means communicating with a deity, comes closer than invocation. It is an important part of our faith and belief. We ask from Almighty Allah for everything that we want in our life no matter its how big or small. Dua is a means of keeping in touch with Allah and due to Dua, we get closer to our Lord. So, Dua is a source of keeping the supplicant closer to the Almighty Allah. Dua is a form of prayer and it could be made at any time anywhere there is no fixed time and place of making Dua. It is considered as a weapon with the help of which we can change our situation by asking help from Almighty Allah. Dua can change the destiny so try to make Dua in every situation because with Dua you will always get closer to Almighty Allah. It maintained a person’s belief in One Lord and it rejects all forms of idolatry. Dua is essentially a submission to the Creator and a demonstration of a person’s need for Allah. Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:"When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on me." (Quran, 2:186). So with this verse, we can say that Allah Almighty listens to us when we make Dua.  We should always seek help from Allah. Dua is a form of Worship Our beloved Prophet (SAW) said: "The most excellent worship is Dua." (Sahih Al-Jami) Dua is a form of worship, in fact, our Holy Prophet (PBUH) said it as the best form of worship. When we make Dua in front of Almighty ALLAH for our needs and wants not only our Dua is being answered but we will be rewarded for worshiping also. While making Dua we accept the power and authority of ALLAH and our weakness in front of HIM. With Dua we can never fail; without it, we can never succeed. A person can never become arrogant or proud when he makes Dua; it is a logical result of true worship. Strength and Power of Dua in Islam Dua is the conversation with Allah, our Creator, the All-Knowing, and the All-Powerful. This act of making Dua in itself is of exceptional significance. It is the most, liberating, empowering, and transforming conversation a person can ever have with his Lord. We raise our hands in front of Allah and asked Him everything His help, mercy, and forgiveness and He surely listens to us and fulfills our desires. Prophet (SAW) said: “A slave becomes nearest to his Lord when he is in prostration. So increase supplications in prostrations.” (Sahih Muslim).When making the Dua it is acceptable to ask for good in this worldly life and in the hereafter. Throughout the Quran, Our Lord encourages the believers to call on Him, He asks us to lay our dreams, hopes, fears, and uncertainties before Him and to be sure that He hears every word. Allah says in Quran: “And your Lord says, Call on Me; I will answer your (prayer). But those who are too arrogant to worship Me will surely find themselves in Hell, in humiliation.” (Quran, 40:60). Dua must be addressed to Almighty Allah Alone, who has no partner. Our intention when making the Dua must be to please Allah, obey and trust Him completely. When we make Dua we feel relieved after describing our difficulties to our Creator. In every difficulty, our first action is Dua, as is our last. We ask Allah to show us the way to handle that difficulty; we seek His help in following the path He shows to us; we seek His aid in making our efforts successful. By making Dua we get through the difficult situation that is the power of Dua. We ask guidance from ALLAH at the time of difficulty to show us the way to face this hurdle. Dua is considered very powerful in Islam as it can change our fate and it can be the most powerful weapon for a Muslim at the time of grief and sorrows. Dua is the belief of all Muslims that ALLAH is the sole provider and creator of everything on earth. So through Dua, we also thank ALLAH for whatever HE has given to us whether it is our heartbeat, our breath, our health or our wealth, all of these things are provided us by ALLAH. Allah is listening to each and every Dua made in front of HIM and answers all the Duas. We should make Dua at all times, not only during times of distress. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: "Whosoever desires that Allah answers his Duas in unfavorable and difficult conditions, he should make plentiful Dua in days of ease and comfort." We should make Dua not only for ourselves but also for our parents, brothers and sisters, spouses and children, relatives and friends, and most importantly struggling Muslims everywhere. We should pray for them for the good in this world as well as in the Hereafter. Holy Prophet (SAW) said: "The Dua of a Muslim for his brother (in Islam) in his absence is readily accepted. An angel is appointed to his side. Whenever he makes a beneficial Dua for his brother the appointed angel says, 'Ameen. And may you also be blessed with the same.'" (Sahih Muslim) Benefits of Making Dua There are many benefits of making Dua from Almighty Allah some of them we have listed below:

• The loss of arrogance- When we make Dua we submit that Allah alone is the creator and He is The Powerful one and everything is under control Him. We are nothing in front of Him we have to ask from Him.
• The fulfillment of Dua- For the people that sometimes see that their Duas are not being accepted, there is either the option that the Dua will be accepted later on in this life or in the Hereafter or the option that the Dua will be accepted by other means. Holy Prophet (SAW) said about it: “Whoever does Dua to Allah, Allah fulfills his seeking or in exchange averts misfortune until the Dua is not related to sin or breaking some relation.” (Tirmidhi). So, if we do not see our Dua being accepted immediately, we should not despair because either it will help us against some misfortune, or it might be accepted later.
• Dua has the power to change the destiny- Prophet (SAW) said, “Dua turns away destiny and good deeds lengthen age.” (Tirmidhi)
• Dua opened the doors of Mercy- Holy Prophet (SAW) said, “For whoever the door of Dua opened, for him the doors of mercy are opened.” (Tirmidhi)

Dua can change our life and our fate. It is the strongest weapon. But it works only for those who try sincerely and seriously to use it. As a Muslim, we should never give up, because we have the ultimate weapon to counter our fears, depression, oppression, and adversity in the shape of Dua.