Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
You can invoke Allah to grant you a righteous spouse. If there is a particular person you want to marry, then you can ask Allah to grant you what is good or facilitate the matter for you if it really entails good, as you do not know what is really good for you.
In responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Allah says {And of them (also) is he who says: “Our Lord! Give unto us in the world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and guard us from the doom of Fire.} (Al-Baqarah 2:201)
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) told us that we should turn to Allah and seek His help in all matters. He alone knows all the hidden things and only He has the perfect knowledge of the future. He has power to make things easy for us and guide us to right decisions.
Therefore, you should have full trust in Allah and at the same time ask Him to grant you a righteous spouse and to make easy what is good for you.
We are to use our God-given resources and expend our best efforts while praying to Allah for guiding and blessing us to realize all legitimate aspirations and dreams.
If, having done that, your efforts do not materialize, simply say “that was Allah’s will.” In other words, simply praying without putting forth our best efforts is not the way of Islam as taught by our beloved Prophet.
So I advise you never give up prayer, but while doing so never be slack in doing your best to achieve your desired goal.
Here are some suggested ways:
1- Ask the people who are in positions of authority (such as imams, leaders in the community, older people whom you trust) to help you in your search for a good husband.
2- Try to utilize the opportunities available in your community to meet prospective marriage candidates. Such avenues include marriage seminars, conferences, seminars, lectures, get-togethers.
While trying your best, never stop praying to Allah to grant you your wish. In order to do this, you may use any of the relevant prayers or supplications or improvise your own; for duaa can be made in your own tongue and there is no taboo on praying for things of this world and other world. I can list below a few duaa that you can say for this purpose:
Rabbi inni lima anzalta ilayya min kharyin faqeer.
(My Lord, I am ever needful of any favor that You may send my way.)
Allahumma, rahmataka arju fala takilni ila nafsi tarafata `aynin wa aslih li sha’ni kullahu.
(O Allah, I beseech Your mercy, so do not abandon me to my own devices even for an instant; and straighten all of my affairs for me.)
Allahumma aghnini bi halalika `an haramika wa bi ta`atika `an ma`siyatika wa bi fadlika `amman siwaka
(O Allah, make me self-sufficient with what You have declared as halal for me so that I am not compelled to resort to that which is haram; and make me self-sufficient with Your obedience so that I am not compelled to disobey You; and make me self-sufficient with Your favor so that I do not need to look to others for favor.)
While you may read any of the above with the purpose you have in mind at all times; however, you can do so following two rakahs of Salat al-Hajah (Prayer for a need).
I pray to Allah to grant you your wish. May He accept our prayers and grant us all the best of both worlds, amen.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Source: Excerpted, with slight modifications, from: www.islam.ca
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.