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Nahmada hu wa nusali ala rasoolahil kareem, Amma baad, faoothobila hi minash shaytaanir rajeem. Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh, Alhumdullilah, we have been discussing al-dua and today will be our 6th session InshaAllah. We have discussed so far that dua is an act of worship which is something that is required of a Muslim and how it confirms tawhid in a person. And we also confirmed with evidences from the Quran that making dua to any creation of Allah is shirk and khufr and takes one out of the fold of al-Islam. We also covered some of the many benefits as well as some of the preconditions, etiquettes and discouraged acts of dua. Today InshaAllah we will try to cover some of the recommended times and some of the conditions for making dua. You can of course make dua to Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala at any time in any place. But Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala has out of His Mercy, has favoured certain times over others. One of the wisdoms of this may be that we can then eagerly anticipate these times and make our dua with more enthusiasm. Had all timings been the same, then we may not value it as much. So when you want to ask of Allah, then try to do so in the times we will discuss. 1. The last third of the night, when most of creation is sleeping, the true worshipper who has a need, will be praying to his Creator Subhaanahu wa ta'ala. Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala tells us in the Quran in surah al-Dhariyat, ayah 18: and, in the hours of early dawn, they seek forgiveness from their Lord (Quran 51:18) It is also narrated by Abu Huraira radi Allahu anhu that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: Our Lord descends every night, during the last third of it, to the skies of this world, and asks: Who is making dua to Me, so that I can respond to him? Who is asking Me, so that I can give him? Who is asking for My forgiveness, so that I can forgive him? (al-Bukhari and Muslim) There are additional ahadith with similar wordings and similar meanings. This is one of the most blessed times, and most of us are unfortunately in a deep

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sleep. Let alone waking up to pray tahajjud or ask Allah, we often even miss salatul Fajr. And then we say, I keep asking of Allah, and He doesnt respond. SubhanAllah! 2. Making dua when the adhan is called. There are a few ahadith about this such as the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam saying: When the prayer is called, the doors of the skies are opened, and the dua is answered. Making dua between the adhan and the iqamah is also one of the best times for the prayer to be accepted. This is also one of the great benefits of praying salah in jamaa at the masjid because while you are waiting for the prayer, you have an opportunity to of Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala for your needs in this world and the next. Anas ibn Malik reported the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam as saying: The dua said between the adhan and the iqamah is not refused, therefore offer your dua (at this time). (Ahmad, Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi). 3. Dua during salat is also very important. Abu Huraira radi Allahu anhu narrated that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: People will have to stop from looking up at the sky while making dua during salat, or else Allah will snatch their sight away. (Muslim, Ahmad and al-Nasai) Some of the postures of the salat during which the dua can made that have been narrated included: a. After the initial takbir b. Before the ruku (after reciting Quran; but only during witr and qunut) c. After standing from ruku d. During ruku e. During sujood f. Between the 2 sujood g. After the final tashahhud and before the tasleem, Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh 4. Dua in sujood is probably the most noble and humble position we can be in. Abu Huraira radi Allahu anhu narrated that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: The closest any worshipper can be to his Lord is while he is in prostration, so increase your dua in it. (Muslim, Abu Dawud, al-NasaI and others)

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Ibn Abbas narrated that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said during his last moments: And I have been prohibited from reciting the Quran while in ruku and sujood, so during ruku, glorify your Lord, and during sujood, exert yourself in making dua, for it is very likely that you will be responded to. (Muslim, Abu Dawud and Ahmad) 5. The fatiha in salah itself is a dua and one that is responded to. This is reported in hadith Qudsi, as narrated by Abu Huraira radi Allahu anhu , that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: 'I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: 'Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin', Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: 'My servant has praised Me.' And when he says: 'Ar-rahmani r-rahim' , Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: 'My servant has extolled Me,' and when he says: 'Maliki yawmi d-din' , Allah says: 'My servant has glorified Me' - and on one occasion He said: 'My servant has submitted to My power.' And when he says: 'Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in' , He says: 'This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.' And when he says: 'Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin', He says: 'This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.' (Muslim, Malik, at-Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah) Based on this, our fatiha should be recited with much more care, and sincerity to try and benefit from this great dua and opportunity. 6. Dua at the end or after salat. There are ahadith that explain this, but also there is a difference of opinion in this matter. Some scholars explain the ahadith to mean the dua is to be said before the salaam, and others understood it to mean after the salaam. Other scholars have said both meanings are correct. One such hadith was when the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said to Muadh ibn Jabal: O Muadh! I swear by Allah, I love you. Therefore, do not forget to say after each prayer, O Allah help me to remember You, and to thank You, and to perfect my worship for You. (Abu Dawud, Ahmad and al-Nasai) I think it is important to bring up something where the people differ in their

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practice today. First, lets agree that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said as reported in al-Bukhari and Muslim: Whoever innovates something into this religion of ours will have it rejected. What we find from the teachings of the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam are some specific adhkaar, dua to recite after the salah, including the one we just mentioned. But we find often that we are doing things which are not found in any saheeh hadith. Remember we have all agreed that dua is an act of worship. And just as how you would refuse to pray 5 rakah for Maghrib, we should refuse to do anything extra or different in the manner in which we make our dua. One such act which we often see is a person who will kiss their thumb and rub their eyes with them during the adhan. It is based on a fabricated narration, that Abbas ibn Ahmad ibn Abi Bakr reported with a chain of narrators full of unknown names, that Khidr, the companion of Moses, said: Whoever says when the muadhin says, I test that Muhammad Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam is the Messenger of Allah, Welcome, my loved one, and the coolness of my eyes, Muhammad Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, then kisses his thumbs and rubs them on his eyes, will never have any eye diseases. I want you to understand and contemplate that firstly the adhan was established many years after prophet Muhammad Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam was given prophethood. Secondly, that this act is being attributed to someone who lived thousands of years before prophet Muhammad Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam even came into this world. Thirdly, and sadly, we have diseases of the heart and soul we need to worry about much more than diseases of the eyes. And lastly, the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam left for us a dua, to be recited every morning and evening as part of the daily adhkaar, which is Allahuma aafinee fi badanee, Allahuma aafinee fi samee, Allahuma aafinee fi basaree, laa illaha illa ant. This is to be recited 3 times every morning and every evening. O Allaah, grant my body health, O Allaah, grant my hearing health, O Allaah, grant my sight health. None has the right to be worshipped except You. And beyond these logical points, clearly the narration has a chain of narrators which are completely unknown, which in and of itself is sufficient for us to reject this and identify this as a bidah, an innovation, and stay away from it InshaAllah.

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Another very common action we see in every masajid is making dua in a group. This is something which has become so common it is understood by most people to be a sunnah. Yet this act has no basis in the Quran or sunnah. Not even a weak hadith. In many masadjis a joint dua is made after ever single salah. The imam says the dua out loud and the entire congregation says Ameen behind him. There are no reports that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam ever did this, nor the companions nor the successors after them. Next time there is a congregational dua, I want you to first pay attention to your own state during the dua. Are you actually even saying Ameen, or just holding your hands up? Secondly are you concentrating on the dua and saying Ameen, or simply waiting to hear a pause in the recitation and then saying Ameen? Thirdly, is the imam even audible? I have seen where the imam starts Allahuma and then he is quiet and then he says Subhan rabika rabil izati amma yasifun, wa salaamal allal mursaleen, walhumdulliilahi rabil alaameen. Next I want you to focus on others that are making dua in the congregation. You will find, most of them looking around, playing with the carpet, holding their hands in odd positions, not following the etiquettes of the positions of the hands and so many other things. Clearly this is not something from which people are benefitting from. When a drought afflicted the Muslims during Umars caliphate, Umar himself was the one who made the dua and he also ordered Abbas to make an individual dua. he did not order all the companions to make a joint dua with him, nor did any of the other companions suggest this to him. This shows that such a concept was unknown to the companions. It has also been narrated that one of the governors wrote to Uma ibn al-Khattab, That there are a group of people here who come together, and make dua (in congregation) for the Muslims and the Caliph. So Umar ordered some of his servants to go with sticks and beat them, and in fact he himself helped them in this. (reported by ibn Abi Shaybah). This despite the fact that they were actually making dua for him, as he was the caliph at that time. This narration is clear proof that congregational dua is an innovation that was strongly disapproved of by the companions.

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It should be mentioned however that congregational dua are permissible during certain occasions that the sunnah has confirmed such as during the khutbah on jumah, or during the witr prayer when it is performed in congregation. What the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam did teach us are adhkaar to recite after the salah. 7. While visiting the sick or a janaza, because Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha narrated that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: When you visit the sick, or the dead (body before its burial), then say good, because the angels say, Ameen to whatever you say. (Muslim) To move on, we will quickly cover some of the conditions during which dua is answered. 1. The person who has been wronged or oppressed. Allah will accept the dua of this person against the person that wronged him. For this reason alone, we should be very careful in our dealing with people, Muslim, or not. 2. The traveler, especially if he is travelling for the sake of knowledge or performing any other act of worship such as hajj or umrah. 3. The father for or against his son. This includes the mother for her children and father for his son or daughter. The hadith for the 3 conditions we just mentioned is reported in Abu Dawud, alTirmidhi and Ahmad, that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: Three are the dua that are responded to, there is no doubt concerning them: the dua of he who has been wronged, the traveler, and the dua of the father for his son. 4. The children for their parents, especially after the parents pass away because the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: When a person dies, all of his actions are cut off except from three (matters): a sadaqah jariyah, or a pious son that prays for him, or some knowledge (that he gave) that others still benefit from. (Muslim, Abu Dawud) 5. The dua for a person in his absence because Abu al-Darda reported that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: There is no Muslim worshipper who prays for his brother (Muslim) in his

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absence except that an angel says, And to you be the same! (Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibaan, and al-Tabarani) There is still so much more we can discuss and learn about this vast and great topic, but InshaAllah we will complete our series today. My goal was to help us understand that when it comes to any act of worship, it can only be done as it was prescribed according to the Quran and Sunnah. Anything else is what is known as bidah, an innovation, and it is very strongly condemned in Islam. If we have an evidence for an act of worship, it is good; if we do not, then we should stay away from it. We should also realize that if we are amongst those that practice any of these acts, then to listen and understand with an open heart and mind. Correcting ones mistakes and asking Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala for forgiveness is amongst one of the greatest deeds a person can do InshaAllah. To be stubborn, and persist in doing an action which is displeasing to Allah will surely not be of any benefit. We often find that people are practicing something which has no evidence, and what there is evidence for, that is left out. Ask yourself sincerely, which should be dearer to us and hold more importance? In conclusion, again, I want to reiterate that this is not meant to offend anyone, rather it is to bring to light some of the issues we see on a daily basis and an attempt to correct these actions. After hearing some of the basics about dua, I want you to ask yourself and spend a little time and reflect on the status of your life. How often do we turn to Allah? And for what matters do we ask of Allah? How sincere are we? Do we follow the etiquettes that the prophet Sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam taught us? And lastly, for those of us who consider ourselves too sinful and ashamed to ask Allah, remember that Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala responds to non-Muslims, and even responded to Iblis. And remember that it is He Subhaanahu wa ta'ala who created you, and guided you to al-Islam, and favored your with so many blessings. And remember that He Subhaanahu wa ta'ala is al-Karim, the Ever-Generous. Ask of Him Subhaanahu wa ta'ala as He alone deserves and InshaAllah you will find

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your life to become more meaningful and peaceful, by the will and mercy of Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala. With this, I pray that Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala allow us to benefit from this short series on dua. I ask Allah to forgive me for anything I have said which is incorrect, which is surely of my own weakness. May Allah Subhaanahu wa ta'ala bless us all, and unite us in Jannah. Ameen.
Subhaanaka Allaahumma wa bihamdika, 'ash-hadu 'an laa 'ilaaha 'illaa 'Anta, 'astaghfiruka wa 'atoobu 'ilayka.

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============ Khutbah Part 1 ============ Inna AlHamdalilah, nahmaduhu wa nastaeenuhu wa nastaghfiruh, wa naoothu billahi min shuroori an fusinaa, wa min sayeeaati aamaalina, may yah dihil laahu fala mudillalah wa mayudlil falaa haadiya lah Ashadu An Laa Ilaaha illAllah wahdahu la shareeka lah, wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasooluh Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo, ittaqoo Allaha haqqa tuqatihi wala tamootunna illa waantum muslimoona Ya ayyuha alnnasu, ittaqoo rabbakumu allathee khalaqakum min nafsin wahida, wakhalaqa minha zawjaha. wabaththa minhuma rijalan katheeran wanisaaa. Wattakul Allaha allathee tasaaloona bihi waalarham. inna Allaha kana AAalaykum raqeeba. Ya ayyuha allatheena amanoo ittaqoo Allaha waqooloo qawlan sadeeda - Yuslih lakum aAAmalakum, wayaghfir lakum thunoobakum, waman yutiAAi Allaha warasoolahu faqad faza fawzan AAatheema. Amma bad, fa inna khayral hadeethi kitabullah, wa khayral hadee, hadee Muhammadin sal Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam, wa sharrol omoori muhdathaatuhaa wa kulla muhdathatin bidah, wa kulla bidatin Dalaalah, wa kulla dalaalatin finnar innallha wa malaaikata yusallna alan nabi. Y ay yuhal latheena manu sall alayhi wasalli m tas leema. Allahumma salli al Muhammad, wa ala li Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil la meen, innaka hameedun majeed. Aqoolo qawli hadha, wastaghfirullaha li wa lakum, walee sa-e-ril Musleemeen, Fastaghfiruhu innahu wal ghafoorroor Raheem. ============ Sit for Dua ============

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============ Khutbah Part 2 ============ Bismillah, WalHamdulillah was Salatu Wassalamu ala Rasulullah Aoothu Billahi minnash shaytaanir Rajeem, SURAH Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa ala aali Muhammadin, kama salaiyta ala Ibrahima wa ala aali Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majeed. Allahumma barik ala Muhammadin wa ala ali Muhammadin, kama barakta ala Ibrahima wa ala ali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majeed. Allahuma Eghfir Lil Muslimeena wal Muslimat. Stop for aameen Wal Moumineena wal MouminaatStop for aameen Al-Ahyaee minhum wal amwatstop for aameen Innaka sameeun mujibul dawat stop for aameen Rabbana atina fidunya hasanatanw wa fil akhiratee hasanatanw wakeena azabunaar. Ibada Allah: Inna Allah Yaamuru Bil Aadli wal Ihsan, wa Itaee Zil Qurbaa, Wa Yanhaa Anil Fahshaaee wal munkaree wal baghyi. YaIzukum Laallakum tazakkaroon Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu yalamu maa tasnaoon. Aqimi Salah, Straighten the lines, shoulder to shoulder and dont leave any gaps. Please turn off cell phones istawoo staqeemu wa'atadelu