- Praying to Other than Allah:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught his cousin Ibn ‘Abbas:
“ When you ask, ask of Allah; and when you seek help, seek help from Allah.“ (Tirmidhi)
Therefore, Always ask Allah directly seeking no intermediary between us and Him.
Allah says:
{And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright} (2:186)
- Being Heedless:
When making Dua’, you should collect your heart, stay focused, and consciously think of the One you are calling upon. The Prophet said:
“You should know that Allah does not answer the dua’a that comes from a heedless heart.” (At-Tirmidhi)
- Lack of Sincerity:
Allah says: {Call then upon Allah with sincere devotion to Him.} (40:14)
- Doubting Allah’s Response:
When we make Dua’, we should put our trust in Allah and be sure of Allah’s response. Never think of the bad deeds we have committed, because Allah is the Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.
The Prophet taught:
“ Make dua’a while being certain of the response.” (At-Tirmidhi)
- Showing Impatience:
We should never be hasty while making dua’a nor stop making dua’a because we do not get a response. The Noble Prophet said:
“The (dua’a) of anyone of you maybe answered( by Allah) as long as he does show impatience by saying, “ I prayed to Allah but my prayers have not been answered.” (Al-Bukhari)
- Earning Unlawful Income:
We should make sure we earn income from halal (lawful) resources, otherwise our dua’a will be rejected. The Prophet, then made mention of a person who travels widely, his hair disheveled, and covered with dust.
“He lifts his hands and makes supplication, ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ but his diet is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, and his clothes are unlawful, and his nourishment is unlawful. How then can his supplication be accepted?” (Muslim and Ahmad)
{O you Messengers! Eat of the good things and do righteous actions.’} (3:51)
{O you who Believe! Eat of the good things wherewith We have provided you.} (2:172)
- Praying for Sin:
We must avoid any kind of prayer that involves a sin, especially severing kinship ties. The Noble Prophet said:
“ The Dua’a of anyone of you maybe answered by Allah as long as his does not involve a bad deed or severing kinship ties.” (At-Tirmidhi)
- Neither Enjoins Good nor Forbids Evil:
The Messenger of Allah said:
“By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you either enjoin good and forbid evil, or Allah will certainly soon send His punishment to you. Then you will make supplication and it will not be accepted”. (At-Tirmidhi)
If you are committing any sin which you are aware of, then it is best advised to stop committing that sin so that Allah will answer your dua’s. We don’t know which sin of ours is stopping Allah from accepting our prayers.
The Messenger of Allah said:
“Any Muslim who makes a supplication containing nothing which is sinful, or which involves breaking ties of relationship, will be given for it by Allah one of three things:
He will give him swift answer,
or store it up for him in the next world,
or turn away from him an equivalent amount of evil.”
Those who heard it said they would then make many supplications and he replied that Allah was more ready to answer than they were to ask! (At-Tirmidhi)