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Dua Is Powerful, But Why Not Answered Sometimes?

15 April, 2023
Q Asalam aleikumWe have been promised that whoever wakes up in the middle of the night and make dua (tahajjud time) will be accepted and whoever catch that one hour on friday the dua will be accepted. Then why is it, that some dua doesn't get accepted even if one have made a lot of dua at tahajjud time, the whole friday, before breaking the fast, when its raining, after the azan and after every obligatory salah? I mean if we are promised that making dua at that time will be accepted by Allah, but then not get what we asked for because it was not good for us?? Should we then say in our dua, oh Allah the things I wish for make it good for my dunya and akhirat? and then we maybe will get it? I hope my question makes sense. JazakAllah khair for the help.

Answer

Short Answer:  

  • We should show patience and know for sure that our supplications will be answered. Not answering our supplications should not stop us from making supplications to God day and night.
  • There are two cases in which our supplications will not be answered. When we make a supplication for something sinful, it will not be accepted. If we make a supplication for breaking our family ties, it will not be answered. Severing family ties is a grave sin in Islam. So we do not expect from God that He will answer our supplication to break our family times.

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Salam Sister Mariam,

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

Thank you for your care to get your dua answered.

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Let me first confirm what you mentioned in your question.

There are certain times and places where dua can be made and there is a hope that it will be accepted. It is a promise from Allah that if we make dua, He will answer it. We read in the Quran what means:

{And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], 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.} (Quran 2:186)

In another verse, we read what gives the meaning of:

{And your Lord says, “Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.} (Quran 40:60)

After reading these divine promises from God, we have to rest assured that our supplications will be answered anyway.

Dua Is Powerful, but Why Not Answered Sometimes?

On the other hand, the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave us general guidelines concerning the issue of supplication.

First, the Prophet is reported to have said:

“The invocation of anyone of you is granted (by Allah) if he does not show impatience (by saying, “I invoked Allah but my request has not been granted.”) (Al-Bukhari)

Therefore, we should not complain about not answering our supplications. We should show patience and know for sure that our supplications will be answered. Not answering our supplications should not stop us from making supplications to God day and night.

The Prophet is reported to have said:

A person’s supplication will be answered so long as he does not pray for something sinful or for the breaking of family ties.” (Muslim)

There are two cases in which our supplications will not be answered. When we make supplication for something sinful, it will not be accepted. If we make supplication for breaking our family ties, it will not be answered. Severing family ties is a grave sin in Islam. So we do not expect from God that He will answer our supplication to break our family times.

The Prophet drew our attention to a very important factor for answering our supplication. Ibn ‘Abbas reported, “Once, when I recited the verses of the Quran, ‘O you people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good’ (Quran 2:168) in the presence of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Saad ibn Abi Waqqas got up and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah to make me one whose supplication is heard.’ At this the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“O Saad, consume lawful things and your supplications will be heard, and by Him in Whose hands is the soul of Muhammad, when a man puts into his stomach a morsel of what is forbidden his prayers are not accepted for forty days, and a servant of Allah whose body is nourished by usury or by what is forbidden becomes more deserving of the Hell fire.”

In another hadith, we read:

“A man who had traveled on a long journey, he was disheveled and covered in dust and stretched his hands towards heaven “O Lord, O Lord”, but his food was unlawful and his drink was unlawful so how was his dua to be accepted?” (Muslim)

This means that if we eat unlawful food, our supplications will be responded to.

While offering supplication, we have to focus on what we ask from God. The Prophet is reported to have said:

“Call upon Allah with certainty that he will answer you. Know that Allah will not answer the supplication of a heart that is heedless and careless.” (At-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet said:

“Allah the Almighty says: ‘I am as My slave thinks of Me.’” (Al-Bukhaari)

If we believe that Allah will answer our supplication, He will answer it. If we believe that Allah will not answer our supplication, He will not answer it.

At last, we should keep in mind that there is no supplication that will not be accepted according to the following hadith:

“There is no human who prays to Allah and supplicate to Him, and doesn’t receive a response. Either it will be hastened for him in this world, or stored up for him in hereafter, as long as he doesn’t pray for something sinful, or cut the ties of kinship, or seek a speedy response”. The companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, what does seeking a speedy response means?”. He replied, “(by saying) I have prayed to my Lord but He didn’t reply it” (At-Tirmidhi)

There are three scenarios: Sometimes, we make supplications and they ascend to heaven and we get them answered immediately.

Sometimes we make supplications and they ascend to heaven and at the same time a trial from Allah descends and they both struggle until the Day of Judgment.

Sometimes, we make supplications and they are not answered but they are recorded for us as good deeds.

Which scenario do you prefer?

I think all of us will choose the last scenario because on the Day of Judgement we will be in a dire need of any little good deed that will get us closer to Paradise.

We hope this answers your question.

Salam and please keep in touch.

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(From Ask About Islam archives)

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About Dr. Mohsen Haredy
Dr. Mohsen Haredy holds a PhD in Hadith literature from Leiden University, the Netherlands. He is the former Executive Manager and Editor-in-Chief of E-Da`wah Committee in Kuwait, and a contributing writer and counselor of Reading Islam. He graduated from Al-Azhar University and earned his MA in Hadith literature from Leiden University.