Ramadan Prep | Day 3 – Abdul Nasir Jangda | Du’a

Lecture by Abdul Nasir Jangda | Hosted by Br. Abdullah Syed | Transcribed by Zara T.

[The transcript includes slight modifications for the sake of readability and clarity.]
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[Shaykh Abdul Nasir]:  The session will start off by talking about a story that is mentioned in the Quran. A lot of times, people have questions about du‘ā’. How to make du‘ā’, what is the purpose of du‘ā’, how do we go about in making du‘ā’, how do we ask and beg from Allāh?

The Sūrah of Mercy

There’s a powerful passage in Sūrah 19, Sūrah Maryam. This sūrah is also referred to as the sūrah of mercy.

Āyah 1: Kaf, Ha, Ya, ‘Ayn, Ṣād.

Āyah 2: [This is] a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariyya

Āyah 3: When he called to his Lord a private supplication.

The first thing we see is that Zakariyya is making du‘ā’ to Allāh. This is a prophet of Allāh making du‘ā’ to Allāh for something that he desperately wants and he needs and he’s trying to make du‘ā’ in such a way that his du‘ā’ cannot be refused, cannot be denied

The first thing we see is: nāda rabbahu nidā’an khafiyyan. This is for emphasis. He called out to his Lord passionately, emotionally, and he did so privately. He found a moment, a time, a situation that was private, being shared solely between him and Allāh, and in that moment, he cried out to Allāh and begged before Allāh. Now what did he exactly say in his du‘ā’? how did he make du‘ā’?

Āyah 4: He said, “My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened (He states his frailty, he states his weakness before Allāh. When you talk to Allāh, you are talking to the superior one. The highest and the most noblest and the most superior one. So part of the etiquette that we are learning here from a prophet and a messenger of Allāh is to state our weakness, our desperation, to state our need before Allāh and to humble ourselves before Allāh.), and my head has filled with white (meaning “I have reached a very old age.” So I have become very humble, very frail, very weak. And he says he became old. This is Zakariyya stating his weakness before Allāh and that is a very admirable thing when making du‘ā’.) and never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy. (meaning you’ve never turned me down. I’ve never returned back from making du‘ā’ to you, Oh Allāh, empty handed. I’ve never been turned down and I’m extremely hopeful here today as well, oh Allāh. You will fulfill my supplication to You, and at the end of the day, You will take care of me.)

And then he states WHY he’s making this du‘ā’.

Āyah 5: And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir.

Meaning:  I’m not confident in the people that I’m leaving behind, but at the same time, my wife hasn’t been able to bear a child. But at the end of the day, regardless of all of these facts, I am here before You, begging You, O Allāh. O Allāh, please, from Your generosity, from Your kindness, grant me as a gift a son, a supporter, somebody who can support me and aide me in my cause, in my mission.

And he asks this as a gift. Hibah. I don’t deserve it, I’m in no position to demand it, but I beg this of You as a gift. But when he asks Allāh, he says to look how frail and weak he is. He talked about how old he is, he talked about how desperate he is, about how hopeful he is in Allāh. He stated the reason why he asked for this. All the circumstances and all the odds are stacked against him here. He begs to Allāh for a child, and look at what kind of child he asks for.

Āyah 6: Who will inherit me and inherit from the family of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You].”

Meaning he will be a prophet and a messenger of Allāh and he will be a leader of his family and of his people.

Make him someone who is very pleasing to you, someone that you are extremely pleased with and You are happy with.

Āyah 7: [He was told], “O Zakariyya, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be John. We have not assigned to any before [this] name.”

Allāh answered the du‘ā’ of Zakariyya .

Āyah 9: [An angel] said, “Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me, for I created you before, while you were nothing.’

Meaning:  We can fulfill your supplication, We can fulfill your request, Zakariyya, just like that. We can grant you what you’re asking for and even more than that.

You didn’t even exist and We gave you existence. So why would it be difficult for Us to grant a husband and a wife a child? Yes, Zakariyya and his wife were old and they weren’t able to bear any children. But Allāh says, as long as the father and mother are there, this is a lot easier than creating a human out of nothing, which Allāh has done.

A Snapshot of Du‘ā’

This is a quick snapshot of how to make du‘ā’, why we make du‘ā’, and what to keep in mind when making du‘ā’, and what is the outcome of the du‘ā’ when made properly.

We see that Zakariyya humbles himself. He is very hopeful. He has full conviction that Allāh will answer his du‘ā’. He praises Allāh and states the blessing of Allāh upon him. He gives the reason of why he is making du‘ā’. Meaning, he turns this into a conversation. Too often, our du‘ā’s to Allāh are formality. We don’t talk to Allāh.

He turns this into a conversation with Allāh – a very heartfelt, emotional conversation with Allāh.

We see that when he presents his need and his situation to Allāh in this manner, then accordingly, Allāh takes care of him. He immediately fulfills his du‘ā’ and request and gives him a son.

We’re told that Allāh made him a prophet, righteous, modest, and gave him a son. Later on in Sūrah Maryam, Allāh tells us that Allāh made him very caring. He took care of his parents. Allāh didn’t make him someone harsh/evil. He was pure on the inside and practiced charity and took care of the poor. He was constantly mindful of Allāh and had a very strong relationship with Allāh.

This is a sample from the Quran, from the life of prophet Zakariyya . What a blessing of Allāh, Allāh is giving us ac insight into how a prophet of Allāh would make du‘ā’ to Allāh. One of the greatest miracles mentioned in the Quran: Allāh granting a son to Zakariyya at a very advanced stage. Some of the books of tafsīr mention him being 70, 80, even 100+ years old. Allāh took care of him in that situation. This gives us a very good insight, understanding, of how and why we should be making du‘ā’ and what we should keep in mind when praying and supplicating to Allāh .

Now what I’d like to go ahead and do inshā’Allāh, today, is to talk about some of the more technical aspects of making du‘ā’. I would like to provide some bullet points, certain instructions we can keep in mind when making du‘ā’.

What is Du‘ā’?

Making du‘ā’ is a command of Allāh. Allāh commands us to ask of Him. A ḥadīth of the Prophet [saws] tells us that when someone doesn’t make du‘ā’ to Allāh, then Allāh is angry with that person. Allāh is pleased with the person who continues to make du‘ā’ to Him. It’s a fulfillment of the command of Allāh, a sunnah of the Prophet [saws], and it is one of the greatest manifestations of our īmān and trust in Allāh.

“Du‘ā’ is ‘ibādah.” – Prophet [saws]

“Making du‘ā’ is the core and the essence of worship and servitude and slavery to Allāh.” We have to understand that du‘ā’ is a commandment of Allāh, a sunnah of Prophet [saws], a practice of the believers, and one of the greatest manifestations of our belief, our īmān, and conviction in Allāh .

Sūrah Ghāfir, āyah 60, Allāh says, “Your Lord has said, ‘Make du‘ā’ to Me, I will answer you.’”

Sūrat’l-Baqarah āyah 186, a very powerful ayah which talks about du‘ā’, Allāh says, “And when My servants ask you, [O Muḥammad], concerning Me – indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.”

Allāh is saying that let the slaves of Allāh know that He is very close. Allāh Himself, in the first person, says,” I answer the call of the caller when he calls out to Me.” What that tells us is that the issue of our du‘ā’s being answered is not a question of “if,” rather it’s a question of “when.” Our du‘ā’s will be answered, Allāh has guaranteed that in the Quran. Allāh is on standby, waiting to answer du‘ā’s and supplications. The responsibility is on us. The only delay is on us. When we ask Allāh, He will answer our du‘ā’s and our supplications. He’s waiting. He’s on standby. That’s why He says, “I answer the call of the caller when he calls.” Allāh repeats the word “calling” to let us know that it’s all on us. He is waiting by to answer my du‘ā’, to take care of my supplication.

Another place, Allāh tells us who is the one who answers the call of the distressed when he calls out to Allāh, and He removes any type of harm or difficulty from the believer.” Of course it is Allāh.

“When you are afflicted by some harm or difficulty or adversity, no one can remove that from you except for Allāh.” That’s something very powerful to keep in mind.

Du‘ā’ – to call out.

How to Make Du‘ā’

Now, we’ll talk about the bullet points in terms of making du‘ā’.

What are the conditions of having our du‘ā’s accepted by Allāh? What is required to have our supplications and du‘ā’s answered by Allāh?

1 – Sincerity. To sincerely be asking Allāh.

In the Quran, Allāh commands us:  “Call out to your Lord with humility, make du‘ā’ to Allāh with humility, and make du‘ā’ to Allāh quietly, privately.” Sincerely make du‘ā’ to Allāh. Make du‘ā’ to Allāh with humility.

2 – To avoid asking for ḥarām things or to not be speaking inappropriately to Allāh. Meaning, to avoid any type of inappropriate behavior in the du‘ā’

The following is Mentioned in the Ṣaḥīḥ of Imam Muslim . Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet [saws] said, “The du‘ā’ of the slave is answered and is fulfilled as long as…

–  he does not ask for a sin (meaning he is not asking Allāh to facilitate the committing of a sin. Many of us might think, “Why would we do that?” We have to understand that when we ask Allāh for things that can only be achieved through impermissible means, that also falls into this category.

–  he does not seek anything in his du‘ā’ that will result in the cutting of family relations.

As long as a slave of Allāh makes du‘ā’ where he doesn’t ask for any sins to be facilitated and he doesn’t ask for any relationships to be severed…

–  as long as he doesn’t rush things, in seeking things to Allāh, in making du‘ā’ to Allāh. the prophet [saws] was asked, “How could a person rush things in making du‘ā’?” the prophet [saws] said, “He says ‘I asked and I asked, I made du‘ā’ and I made du‘ā’, I don’t think my prayers are going to be answered.’” The Prophet [saws] said, “Then he will start to lose hope in that situation and he will stop making du‘ā’.” Rather a person has to positively reinforce after making du‘ā’ to Allāh and a person has to continue to be hopeful in the mercy and blessing of Allāh knowing that Allāh hears him and will take care of him.

When we rush things: We’re disrespecting Allāh and having a negative impact on our own resolve, on our own determination. After some time, we’ll lose hope and stop making du‘ā’.

3 – Having firm conviction. Believing with your whole heart, with your entire being, having full conviction, not having a shred of a doubt that Allāh will take care of you and Allāh will fulfill your du‘ā’, your supplication. It’s very important to keep that in mind.

There is a ḥadīth of the Prophet [saws] that is mentioned in the Jāmi‘ of Imam al-Tirmidhi. Also narrated by Abu Hurayrah . The Prophet [saws] is reported to have said, “Make du‘ā’ to Allāh while you are in the condition, in the situation that you have full conviction that your du‘ā’s will be answered by Allāh. And know very well that Allāh does not answer the du‘ā’ that comes from a heart that is disconnected from Allāh, that is neglectful of Allāh, that is heedless of Allāh…”

Allāh doesn’t answer the du‘ā’ that comes from a heart which is disconnected from Allāh. The du‘ā’ comes from the heart. So our words can be as beautiful as we make them, but if the du‘ā’ is coming from a dark place in the heart, that is disconnected from Allāh, that is not hopeful in Allāh, Allāh does not answer that du‘ā’. Versus that our words could be broken, we could stutter, we could not even know what to say properly, but if that du‘ā’ comes from a heart that is hopeful, that is lit up, that is illuminated by the hope and mercy of Allāh , then know very well that that du‘ā’ is a du‘ā’ that is answered by Allāh. It comes from a place of hope; it comes from a place of conviction.

FAQ:  How do I know my prayers are being answered by Allāh?

I’m going to go ahead and address a FAQ: A lot of times, people ask the question, “I’ve been making lots  and lots of du‘ā’ to Allāh but my du‘ā’s have not been answered by Allāh. How do I know my prayers are being answered by Allāh?”

There is a ḥadīth in regards to this, from Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri . This is mentioned in the Musnad of Imam Aḥmad . Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet [saws] said, “When a person makes a du‘ā’ that is not asking for the facilitation of a sin, nor is it seeking the severing of family relations, then Allāh gives him one of three things…

1.  Allāh will fulfill his request. Meaning: whatever he is asking for will be granted to him.

2.  Allāh will store this du‘ā’ for him in the ākhirah. Meaning: it wasn’t good for him in this world so Allāh will store it for him in the ākhirah.

When a person will show up on the Day Of Judgments and sees what he will receive in exchange for his du‘ā’s being answered in the world, he will hope that none of the du‘ā’s were answered in the world and that they were reserved for him in the hereafter. That’s such a huge blessing of Allāh.

3.  or Allāh will avert some harm from him in exchange for his du‘ā’, his supplication.

When the ṣaḥābah  heard this ḥadīth from the Prophet [saws], they were like oh snap, that’s amazing. O Messenger of Allāh, we’re going to start making lots of du‘ā’. The Prophet [saws] said, “No matter how much du‘ā’ you might make, Allāh’s ability to answer your du‘ā’s is that much more greater than however much you might be able to make du‘ā’.” Meaning: no matter how much du‘ā’ you all can make, Allāh can answer more du‘ā’s than the maximum du‘ā’s than you can make. Ask Allāh and know that Allāh will continue to take care of you and continue to give one of these three answers. This is the mercy and benevolence of Allāh.

How is a du‘ā’ answered by Allāh? None of our du‘ā’s go unanswered. Allāh answers and fulfills all the du‘ā’s and supplications, requests of a believer. It’s just on us to understand that Allāh does for us what is best for us because he knows what is best for us.

What is the prophetic method of making du‘ā’?

1.  The Prophet [saws] taught us to begin and end every single du‘ā’ with the praise of Allāh and sending peace and blessings upon the Prophet [saws]. Alḥamdulillāh wa ṣalāt wa salām ‘ala Rasūlullāh.

There is an āyah in the Quran, “Oh Messenger, say to the people ‘Call out to Allāh or call out to Al-Raḥmān. However you call out, then He has the most excellent and beautiful of Names. Allāh alone has the most beautiful and excellent Names, so call out to Him using His beautiful and excellent Names..”

2.  Use the beautiful Attributes of Allāh.

The Prophet [saws] taught us: “A person cannot be grateful to Allāh who is not     grateful to the people.”

By sending peace and blessings on the Prophet [saws], 1 – the Prophet [saws] is the beloved and the ḥabīb of Allāh.  The best way to win the favor of anyone is to say something nice, to do something know for someone that they love. I have two children that mean the world to me. If someone is nice to them, I have instant love, affection, and gratitude for that person. They have such a special place in my heart that anyone who shows love and affection towards them has won my love and affection

Rasūlullāh [saws] is the ḥabīb and the beloved of Allāh. Someone who shows love and affection and appreciation for the prophet [saws] has won the love and affection and appreciation of Allāh .

We cannot be grateful to Allāh if we can’t learn to be grateful to people and no human being has done more for us than Rasūlullāh [saws].

I really encourage that everyone makes an effort to learn about the life of the Prophet [saws].

Go to qalaminstutite.com/podcasts for recordings on the life of the Prophet [saws]

Learning about the Prophet [saws] will motivate you to send ṣalawāt on him when you sit down to make du‘ā’ before Allāh .

3. Raise the hands. This is the gesture of a beggar.

The Prophet [saws] would raise his hands and spread his hands before Allāh when he would make du‘ā’. You know why? This is the gesture of a beggar.

This is really hard for a lot of people. For someone who maybe isn’t regularly making du‘ā’, it’s very difficult to spread your hands like this because you’re stepping on your ego and you beg, plead, and cry. It’s a very humbling experience.

4. Have firm conviction in the fact that Allāh takes care of us and Allāh will answer our prayers. At the same time, part of the sunnah etiquette is to not be doubtful in our words or our body language. Be very humble, be very sure, be very convinced, almost borderline insistent when making du‘ā’ before Allāh . This is something that the scholars have mentioned as part of the etiquette of making du‘ā’. We’re not bossing Allāh. When a beggar is starving, his stomach is rumbling, he doesn’t sit there and casually say, “Maybe if you might be able to spare a little food, then hook a brother up.”  A beggar who is truly desperate for food, he says please give me food. And he grabs you by your leg. If you keep walking, you’ll have to drag him by your leg. He’ll be begging and pleading and crying, tears streaming down his face. He’ll insist on receiving food, because he is desperate. When we make du‘ā’ to Allāh, express your desperation before Allāh. Beg, plead, and cry before Allāh

There is a narration in which the Prophet [saws] tells us to cry when making du‘ā’, and if you can’t cry, make an effort to cry. At least try to express your desperation before Allāh when making du‘ā’.

5. Seek out the recommended times of making du‘ā’. There are many, many different times when the prophet has told us about the significance of du‘ā’s being accepted during that time.

The last third of the night. There is a ḥadīth qudsi in which Allāh says, “Is there anyone who wants to be forgiven so that I can forgive him. Is there anyone who wants to ask something so that I can give it to him? Is there anyone who needs something so that I can alleviate his need?” Allāh Himself asks and seeks out beggars at that time to give to them, to grant to them.. Wake up a little bit before fajr. We set our alarms for suḥūr. Set your alarm a few minutes early, even 5 minutes early, and make du‘ā’ at that time.

When we break our fast. Set the alarm 5, 10, 15 minutes early and sit down and make du‘ā’ at that time. Many of the pious people of the past would write down what they wanted to make du‘ā’ for so that they’d have that consciousness. We make a “TO DO” list for anything important. Set a reminder for this and make a “TO DU‘Ā’” list. Everyone should have a TO DU‘Ā’ list that they follow up on every single time they sit down to make du‘ā’ before suḥūr and before ifṭār. Before fulfilling our spiritual needs, lets fulfill our spiritual needs by making du‘ā’ to Allāh before suḥūr and before ifṭār.

After ṣalāh, make du‘ā’. Too often, by the time we’re making the second du‘ā’, we already have our first shoe on. ‘Abdullāh b. Mas‘ūd used to teach his students and his family members, “Save your needs and your situations, your circumstances for the next obligatory prayer.” Because that’s an amazing time to make du‘ā’ and your supplications will be answered at that time.

There’s a time slot on the day of Friday when the du‘ā’ is accepted. Many scholars say it’s after ‘aṣr until maghrib when du‘ā’s are accepted.

There are a lot of occasions, but we can start of with these 3-4 that were stated here:  before ifṭār, before suḥūr, make du‘ā’ at that time and inshā’Allāh our du‘ā’s will be accepted by Allāh .

What can block our du‘ā’s?

Disobedience of Allāh in our lives, specifically the consuming of ḥarām. Ḥarām consumption renders a person’s du‘ā’ unacceptable

The Prophet [saws] talks about a person whose hair is disheveled. His clothes are dirty, he’s travelling, he’s hungry, he’s thirsty. He turns his face towards the heavens and says, “Oh Allāh please take care of me. Oh Allāh please take care of me.”  The Prophet [saws] says, “Why would his du‘ā’ be accepted?  His clothing has been bought with money that was earned through impermissible means (lying, stealing, cheating, etc). What he eats and drinks comes from ḥarām means.” His entire life is fueled and funded by things that are acquired through routes that are ḥarām, impermissible. Whether that be alcohol, pork, or even interest, riba.

This is a touchy topic. I’m not telling you what to do and what not to do. This is Allāh and His Messenger telling us what to do and what not to do. We turn this into an ego thing. Even if based on certain fatāwa, based on certain rulings by certain scholars for certain people in certain circumstances, something impermissible would be permissible. This is not a fiqh discussion. We have to understand that we have an individual responsibility to ourselves and to Allāh not to live our lives by fatwa, but to try to live our lives by taqwa. We have an individual responsibility, spiritual responsibility to ourselves and to Allāh to not solely, only, continuously, live our lives based off of fatwa, which is the bottom line.

We have to challenge ourselves, I cannot enforce taqwa upon anyone else, but I have a responsibility to myself and to Allāh that there comes a certain time and place where I have to try to live my life based off of taqwa. What would be most pleasing to Allāh in this situation? Let me think about that, let me take that into consideration. When I consume ḥarām and I try to find justifications for it, I don’t harm anyone else. I only harm myself., because as the ḥadīth of the Prophet [saws] tells us, du‘ā’ is rendered unacceptable. I only harm myself.

A Supplication in Ramadan

I will share a sample of a du‘ā’ and a supplication that is related to the month of Ramadan. Ramadan is around the corner. There is a du‘ā’ that we can all utilize during the month of Ramadan. Prophet [saws] taught this to ‘Ā’ishah . She asked him what du‘ā’ she should read during the last ten nights when seeking out laylat’l-qadr.

The du‘ā’ that the Prophet [saws] taught her was: allāhumma innaka ‘affuwun tuḥibbul ‘afwa fā‘fu ‘anni.

Allāhumma – O Allāh. Some scholars explain that it’s inclusive of all names and qualities of Allāh. This is a unique word that is used only to call out to Allāh. Many supplications that Prophet [saws] taught to us begin with the phrase allāhumma

allāhumma innaka – O Allāh most definitely You and only You
There is emphasis here. We are directly talking to Allāh.

‘affuwun – al-‘Affuw is an attribute of Allāh that comes from al-‘afw. Al-‘afw in the Arabic language means to disregard something, to not mind something, to look away from something. They’d say ‘afa fiddar (the house has been abandoned). Al-‘Affuw means to disregard, to not mind something. Al-‘Affuw is the one who excessively disregards, overlooks, and does not mind.

O Allāh, you are the one who excessively, continuously, consistently, overlooks the wrongdoings of people.

There is nothing like Allāh, but at the same time, lets see what this supplication means linguistically, language wise, meaning wise.

When you describe someone as being very generous or very hardworking, maybe that person is hardworking because of their circumstances. They don’t necessarily like to work this hard. They’re working hard because of their circumstances. Sure, it’s appreciated when you describe them as hardworking, but maybe don’t actually like to work hard they’re just having to do it because their back is up against the wall. When we say “allāhumma innaka ‘affuwun..” then we go on to say: “…and You love to overlook our shortcomings, Ya Allāh. So please overlook my shortcomings.”

Look how beautiful and elaborate this supplication is. This is a supplication that we can use during Ramadan when we pray during the night and all day when we’re fasting. Make this a habit, memorize this, understand it, learn it, teach it to others, share it with others, make it ṣadaqah  jāriyah. Continue to read this throughout Ramadan. It’ll be a very beneficial thing for all of us.

An Incident from the Sīrah

A story that will give us some perspective…

The Battle of Badr occurred during the month of Ramadan. According to the majority of the scholars of sīrah and the historians, the Battle of Badr occurred on the 17^th day of the month of Ramadan in the second year of the prophet’s residence in al Madīnat’l-Munawwarah. The second year of hijrah after migration. It’s a beautiful, wonderful story. Generally, speaking, we’re somewhat familiar with what occurred on that day, how glorious and amazing that day was. But what we don’t focus on enough is what transpired and what occurred the night before the Battle of Badr. There is aḥadīth about the Prophet [saws] which tells us, the Prophet [saws] had a tent and he was encamped along with the ṣaḥābah, but he had his own private tent the night before the Battle of Badr. Abu Bakr walked into the tent of the prophet [saws] late at night and he found the Prophet [saws] making du‘ā’ to Allāh.

The scene that’s been described is that the Prophet [saws] had his hands raised above hid head. And he was crying, tears were streaming down his face. He was insisting with Allāh. He was praying for the victory of the Muslims the next day in the battlefield, he was praying for the protection of the ṣaḥābah . He was praying for the establishment of the religion of Allāh on this earth. He was wearing a shawl – one of the ways in which the Prophet [saws] would dress is that he would cover his upper body in a wrap. The shawl became undone and fell.

Abu Bakr walked in and picked up the shawl and put it on the shoulders of the prophet [saws]. seeing the Prophet [saws] crying and making du‘ā’ like this over and over again, Abu Bakr broke out into tears and he came and covered the Prophet [saws] from behind him, and he said, “Your du‘ā’ has been accepted, Oh Messenger of Allāh, Your du‘ā’ has been accepted by Allāh. Allāh has answered your prayers, Oh Messenger of Allāh, Allāh has answered your prayers.”

That was the night before Badr. Before any great achievement, before any great accomplishment, before any significant moment in our lives, it needs to be done with first making du‘ā’ to Allāh. It needs to be preceded by du‘ā’. Every great accomplishment and achievement in our lives will follow du‘ā’, will be the outcome of our du‘ā’s. And that will also ensure that every great achievement and accomplishment in our lives will be a blessed achievement and a blessed accomplishment like the achievement and the accomplishment in the Battle of Badr, which occurred 1400+ Ramadans ago. Similarly, lets always try to make du‘ā’.

You have a big day up ahead tomorrow, you have a job interview, you have an appointment, you have a test, an exam, precede that with du‘ā’. Let du‘ā’ come before that. Make du‘ā’ before you set out. Always, before you embark on any important task in your life, start by making du‘ā’ to Allāh and try to keep in mind everything that we talked about. This will ensure that your du‘ā’ will be effective and inshā’Allāh, it will be accepted by Allāh. Believe and know that Allāh will do what is best for you at the end of the day.

Conclusion

I want to thank the Ramadan Prep team for putting this team together.  Knowing some of them personally, and some of them being students of mine as well, I know that for weeks they’ve been working diligently to make this possible.  They really did put a lot of sacrifice and effort.  Make sure to remember them in your du‘ā’s!

The du‘ā’ that you make for someone in their absence is accepted by Allāh.  The ramadanprep.com people are not at home with you.  Make du‘ā’ for them and encourage others to make du‘ā’ for them as well, privately, quietly before you go to bed.  Say a little du‘ā’ for them.  Make du‘ā’ that Allāh bless and reward them and bless and reward their families as well.  May Allāh give them the best of this life and the life of the hereafter.  I’d also like to request everyone to make du‘ā’ for me and my family who make a lot of sacrifice.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge all the different organizations that are working together to bring Ramadan Prep to you from different aspects.  We have ramadanprep.com which is bringing you the livestream audio and presentation.  We have muslimmatters.org that will be posting a transcript of today’s session.  We have Quran Weekly which will be posting the videos on their YouTube channel.  I want to give a shout out and say jazākum Allahu khayran and may Allah bless and reward all of these organizations (MuslimMatters, Quran Weekly, and Ramadan Prep) for making all of this possible.  May Allah accept from all of us and give us the guidance and tawfīq to practice everything we have said and heard.

[Br. Abdullah Syed]:  Jazākum Allahu khayr, Shaykh Abdul Nasir and jazākum Allahu khayran to everybody that is listening live and will listen in the future.  Thanks for coming out tonight and giving us a discussion on du‘ā’.  What a powerful lesson!  I also want to thank all the viewers who have been with us the past few days.