IOK Ramadan 2025: The Power of Du’a (Supplication) | Sh Furhan Zubairi

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4

Transcript

All thanks and praise are due to Allah subḥānahu wa-ta’ālā, and may His peace and blessings be upon His last and final Messenger, his family, his companions, and those who follow them until the end of times. Insha’Allah everyone’s fasts are going well. May Allah subḥānahu wa-ta’ālā accept all of our prayers and all of our supplications.

The month of Ramadan is a time when our supplications are accepted. And du’a is a very, very powerful tool. Du’a can make the seemingly impossible, possible. Abu Hurayrah narrates that he would speak to his mother about Islam. He would encourage her to accept and affirm the truth. And he had this desire for his mother to embrace Islam.

But one day, when he was discussing Islam with her, she became upset, she became angry, she became frustrated, she used some very harsh words against Abu Hurayrah, and she insulted the Prophet ﷺ. And this caused a lot of pain to Abu Hurayrah, he was hurt by this and started to cry. And with tears in his eyes, he came to the Messenger ﷺ and explained what happened. “Ya Rasulallah, I was inviting my mother to the truth. I was discussing Islam with her. She became upset, she became angry, she insulted me, and she insulted you. Ya Rasulallah, ask Allah ﷻ to guide her heart.” The Prophet ﷺ raised his hands and said, اللهم هدي أم أبي هريرة اللهم هدي أم أبي هريرة اللهم هدي أم أبي هريرة Oh Allah, guide Abu Hurayrah’s mother. Oh Allah, guide Abu Hurayrah’s mother. Oh Allah, guide Abu Hurayrah’s mother. And this brought a level of comfort to Abu Hurayrah. So he went back to his mother’s home. As he approached his mother’s home, he could hear the sound of water. Meaning his mother was purifying herself. And he knocked on the door. And she said, wait. And he waited. And when she came out, she said, أَشْهَدُ أَن لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَاصُولُ I bear witness, I testify, there’s nobody, there’s nothing, there’s no deity worthy of worship except Allah.

And I bear witness, I testify, that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah. And this brought immense joy to the heart of Abu Hurayrah. And this time, he started to cry, tears of happiness. And he went with these tears of joy to the Prophet ﷺ and shared what just happened. Now pause for a moment. This is an individual, this is a woman, who just a few moments ago was upset, was angry, and was cursing and insulting the Prophet ﷺ. And then after du’a, her heart completely changed. Her heart was flipped. That is the power of du’a. Du’a can make the seemingly impossible possible. It is the most powerful tool we have access to.

The Prophet ﷺ said, الدُّعَى صِلَاحُ الْمُؤْمِنِ

Du’a, supplication, is the weapon of the believer. It’s one of the most effective weapons we have. Because it’s a direct line of communication between us and Allah ﷻ. I can access my Lord and Creator 24×7, 365, night, day, public and private. I don’t have to call upon Him at a specific time or specific place. I can call upon Allah whenever. I have a direct line of communication with Allah ﷻ. And du’a, مُخْلِ عِبَادًا supplication is the essence, it’s the core of worship. Because when I raise my hands to make du’a, I realize and I acknowledge that I am a weak human being.

I do not have the ability, I don’t have the capability to do anything without the help, assistance, support of my Lord and Creator. And I acknowledge, I recognize that Allah ﷻ is the Almighty, the All-Powerful. The most beautiful thing about du’a is that Allah hears and responds. وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمْ وَدْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ And your Lord says, call upon Me and I will respond to you. Allah ﷻ gives us this guarantee that call upon Me and I will respond. In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah ﷻ mentions a very beautiful verse about du’a.

And this verse about du’a, it’s in between verses that speak about fasting. Highlighting that there’s a deep connection between supplication and fasting.

Allah ﷻ says, وَإِذَا سَأَنَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانُ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُونِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

In this verse, Allah ﷻ speaks to the Prophet ﷺ.

وَإِذَا سَأَنَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي

When My slaves, when My servants ask you about Me, فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ Tell them, certainly, I am near. This is very important in terms of our relationship with Allah ﷻ. Often, we think about Allah ﷻ being very distant. But Allah ﷻ tells us, no, He is very near. Part of His proximity is that Allah ﷻ is السَّمِيع Allah is the All-Hearing. Everything I say in public and in private, everything I say in whatever language or tone of voice is heard by Allah ﷻ.

Part of His proximity is that Allah ﷻ is المُجِيب He is the One who responds. And that’s why it says, أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانُ I respond to the call of the caller when and if he calls. Again, Allah ﷻ gives us this guarantee that if we call upon Him, if we supplicate to Him, He will definitely respond. But then Allah ﷻ gives us a condition. فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ So let them respond to Me and believe in Me so that they can be guided.

Allah ﷻ wants us to respond to His call. And His call is found in the Qur’an. We respond to the call of Allah ﷻ by reciting the Qur’an understanding it, reflecting on its meanings, and implementing its guidance into our daily lives following the practical example of the Prophet ﷺ. If we want Allah to respond to our call, we first have to respond to His. There’s a famous narration from the Prophet ﷺ where he mentions a man. أَشْعَثْ أَغْبَرْ Disheveled, dusty. يَمُدُّ يَدَيْن Stretching his hands to the sky. Saying, رَبِّي رَبِّي My Lord, My Lord. وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ But his food is unlawful. وَمَشْرَبُهُ حَرَامٌ His drink is unlawful. وَمَطْعَمُهُ حَرَامٌ وَمَلْبَسُهُ حَرَامٌ His clothing is unlawful. فَأَنَّا يُسْتَجَابُلَ How is that person’s dua going to be accepted? 

If we want our supplications to be accepted, then we have to respond to the call of Allah. And if we do so, then we should have yaqeen, we should have certainty, we should have full confidence that our supplications are not only heard by Allah, but that He responds to them, and He answers them. But it’s very, very important to remember that Allah answers our supplications in one of three ways:

1. He either gives us exactly what we asked for, but on His divine timeline. It could be immediate, it could be after some time, but He will give us exactly what we’re asking for.
2. Instead of giving us what we’re asking for, He will remove some sort of calamity, some sort of difficulty from my life that I didn’t know about. 
3. He will reserve the response in Jannah, in Paradise, by giving us more blessing. 

So when we make du’a, we should make du’a with confidence, make du’a with certainty, and have confidence that what I’m saying is definitely heard by Allah, and He definitely responds. May Allah accept all of our supplications that we make throughout this blessed month. May Allah accept our supplications for our Master, our Prophet, our Master Muhammad, and for his family and companions. May Allah reward you with goodness. May Allah’s peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.