Ramadan Reflections 2019: Asking Allah (SWT)

By Haniya Hasan.

As of tonight, the first 10 days of Ramadan have passed already and this kind of makes me wish that time stood still in Ramadan. I love this time of the year when everyone is engrossed in prayer and reflection; when the air is thick with the remembrance of Allah. In Ramadan, I get to grow closer to Allah (SWT) thanks to the outpouring of opportunities to learn and discover more and more about our deen, especially the Qu’ran.

This Ramadan, I have started listening to Sister Mahnoor Arif’s daily online interactive Quran discussions on the Youth Club Sisters group. Plus, possibly my favourite scholar, Sheikh Abu Eesa is also posting daily Tadabbur points on the Quran on his Facebook page. One of the major discussion points that they both discussed was du’a (asking Allah), in the context of Ayah 186 of Surah al-Baqarah:

“I am near. I respond to those who make du’a to Me.”

[Surah Baqarah; 186]

A major part of Ramadan is making du’a, supplicating to Allah (SWT), and asking for His mercy and forgiveness. And this part of Ramadan is also sometimes taken as granted, as just a routine.

Through my study of the commentary on this verse, and through what I read and listened, I have noted down some of my thoughts and lessons that I learnt this week about du’a:

1. Du’a is central to all acts of worship. Allah SWT is pleased when human asks Him again and again. It is a sign of tawqa (Trust in Allah) and your faith in tawheed (Oneness of Allah) as you are acknowledging that Allah is the only one to ask from.

• Shaitaan tricks us into getting demotivated by delays in dua acceptance/or other things that don’t go as planned by us. But we have to remind ourselves that what Allah can grant is unlimited. And He is the Best of Planners and the All-Wise.

• Du’a should be made in the best possible way, with concentration and complete trust in Allah. We should be asking for both good in this world and in the Hereafter. Ayaat 200-201 of Surah al-Baqarah state: 

And when you have completed your rites, remember Allah like your [previous] remembrance of your fathers or with [much] greater remembrance. And among the people is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world,” and he will have in the Hereafter no share. But among them is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”

[Surah al-Baqarah, 200-201]

• The ability to make dua is also a blessing from Allah (SWT) in itself.  He wants you to ask Him about the things you want. Remember that Allah (SWT) already knows what you desire and He can give you what you want without you asking for it. But through the blessing of Du’a, He wants you to ask Him because in Ayah 186, He has made us a promise: ‘I respond to those who make du’a to me’. So isn’t it amazing that when you make even the tiniest of du’as, Allah (SWT) actually is allowing you to make that du’a just so that He can respond to it?

Discovering this in this Ramadan has made my du’as mean even more. When I pray, I know that Allah (SWT) is near and He is listening, and that He will respond in the best possible way for me. May Allah (SWT) allow each one of us to the ability to make du’a that benefits us and may He fulfill those du’as better than how we can imagine.