Why our Duas are unanswered?

By AsmaArshad 4 Comments

Sometimes we keep on Praying for something but it happens that our Duas are being prevented
from reaching Allah or from being answered. That is the time when we get depressed and this
Question Why our Duas are unanswered?? comes in our mind. But one should remember that
Allah loves those who ask Him in need.

It was narrated that the Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: There is nothing dearer to Allah than Dua
[Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, no. 2684]

In another Hadith, the Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: Whoever does not ask of Allah, He becomes
angry with him. [Narrated al-Tirmidhi, no. 2686]. There are some conditions that must be
fulfilled while making Duas. Also there are things that prevent the Dua from being answered.

1. The most important condition without which no Dua will be accepted and no deeds will be
taken up is to ask from some one other than Allah. One should call upon no one except Allah.
The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: If you ask, then ask of Allah, and if you seek help, then seek the
help of Allah. [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2516]

2. Hasten to repent and seek forgiveness before making Dua. Our sins might be the major reason
why our Duas are unanswered. Allah Says: Ask forgiveness from your Lord, verily, He is
Oft-Forgiving; He will send rain to you in abundance, And give you increase in wealth and
children, and bestow on you gardens and bestow on you rivers. [Nooh 71:10-12]

3. Be certain and have faith in Allah almighty that He will surely grant us what we need. That
includes thinking positively of Allah. In a Hadith, The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: Allah, may He
be exalted, says: I am as My slave thinks I am. [Narrated by al-Bukhari, 7405; Muslim,
4675]

Abu Hurayrah (R.A) reported as Prophet (P.B.U.H) saying: Make Dua to Allah when you are
certain of a response. [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi]

4. Asking Allah Humbly and Secretly, repeating it many times. Allah Says: Invoke your Lord
with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors [al-Araaf 7:55]

Restricting the Dua to three times is preferable. Ibn Masood (R.A) narrated that the Prophet
(P.B.U.H) liked to say a Duaa three times and ask for forgiveness three times. [Narrated by Abu
Dawood and al-Nasaai]

5. If we remember Allah at times of ease, He will surely remember us during Hardship. In a

Hadith narrated by Ahmad, The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: Remember Allah during times of
ease and He will remember you during times of hardship. [Narrated by Ahmad]

6. Do not look for a speedy response. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (R.A) that the
Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H) said: (The Dua) of any one of you will be answered so long as
he is not hasty in seeking a response and does not say, I prayed but I have not had a
response. [Narrated by al-Bukhari, 5981; Muslim, 2735]

7. If we do not get quick response for our Duas; still we need to Pray because the Dua can have
three meanings.

It was narrated from Abu Saeed (R.A) that the Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: There is no Muslim
who does not offer any Dua in which there is no sin or severing of family ties but Allah will
give him one of three things in return: either He will answer his Dua sooner, or he will store
it up for him in the Hereafter, or He will divert an equivalent evil away from him because
of it. They said: We will say a lot of Dua. The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: Allah is more
generous. [Narrated by Ahmad, 10749]

8. One should praise and glorify Allah in Duas and send Blessing upon the Prophet (P.B.U.H):

It was narrated by Faddaalah ibn Ubayd (R.A) that The Prophet (P.B.U.H) heard a man making
Dua after his prayer, but he did not send blessings upon the Prophet (P.B.U.H). The Prophet
(P.B.U.H) said: This man is in a hurry. Then he called him and said to him or to someone else:
When any one of you has finished praying (and makes Dua), let him start by praising
Allah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (P.B.U.H), then after that let him ask
for whatever he wants. [Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2765]

9. Praying for Allahs mercy instead of Punishment. When the Messenger of Allaah (P.B.U.H)
saw a Muslim man who was sick and had grown feeble like a chicken. The Messenger of Allah
said to him: Did you pray for anything or ask for it? He said: Yes, I used to say: O Allah,
whatever punishment You would give me in the Hereafter, bring it forward in this world. The
Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H) said: Subhaan Allaah! You cannot bear it. Why didnt you say, O
Allah, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and save us from the torment of the
Fire? Then he prayed to Allaah for him, and He healed him. [Narrated by Muslim 2688]

10. Ask Duas in a proper manner because when a person asks Dua which is inappropriate or
prays for something sinful; His Duas will not be answered. Abu Hurayrah (R.A) said that The
Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H) said: A persons Dua will continue to be answered so long as
he does not pray for something sinful or for the breaking of family ties. Narrated by
Muslim

11. Dont wish for death because of a calamity that has befallen a person. In the Hadeeth it says:
No one of you should wish for death because of some harm that has befallen him. If he
must wish for it, then let him say: O Allah, keep me alive so long as living is good for me,
and cause me to die when death is good for me. [Narrated by al-Bukhari, 6531;
Muslim,2680]

In the Hadeeth it is narrated that Khabbaab (R.A) said: Were it not that the Messenger of
Allah (P.B.U.H) forbade us to pray for death, I would have prayed for it [Narrated by al-
Bukhari, 6350; Muslim, 2681]

12. Never give up praying and always have faith in Allah. Some people, when they are afflicted
with a chronic disease, think that they cannot be cured and they give up Dua and fail to turn to
Allah, and perhaps the satan makes them think that there is no need for Dua. This is one of the
most serious mistakes, and it is ignorance of Allah and His power and kindness, for Allah is Able
to do all things, and when He wills a thing He says to it Be! and it is.

When Zakariya (peace be upon him) was an old man and his wife was barren, he prayed for
offspring: O my Lord! Grant me from You, a good offspring. You are indeed the All-Hearer of
invocation [Aal Imraan 3:38]. And Allah answered his prayer: Then the angels called him,
while he was standing in prayer in Al-Mihraab (a praying place or a private room), (saying):
Allah gives you glad tidings of Yahya [Aal Imraan 3:39]. So do not despair of the help of
Allah or think that the Mercy of Allah is limited.

13. Be specific and use concise words instead of overstepping the mark in making Dua. Narrated
from Abd-Allaah ibn Mughaffal (R.A) that he heard his son say: O Allah, I ask You for the
white palace on the right side of Paradise if I enter it. He said: O my son, ask Allah for
Paradise and seek refuge with Allah from the Fire, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H)
say: Among this Ummah will be people who overstep the mark in purifying themselves
and in making Dua [Narrated by Abu Dawood, 690]

14. One of the major reason why Duas are unanswered is consuming Haraam wealth. Abu
Hurayrah (R.A) said that the Messenger of Allah (P.B.U.H) said: O people, Allah is Good and
only accepts that which is good. Allah commanded the pious to follow the same commandments
as He gave to the Messengers. Then he mentioned a man who has travelled on a long journey and
is dishevelled and covered with dust; he stretches forth his hands to the heaven, (saying) O
Lord, O Lord, but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, all his nourishment is haraam, so how
can he dua be accepted? [Narrated by Muslim]
The man described by the Prophet (P.B.U.H) had some of the characteristics which help Duas to
be answered. He was traveling and he was in need of Allah, but the fact that he consumed
haraam wealth prevented his Dua from being answered

15. Making the Dua conditional, such as saying, O Allah, forgive me if You will or O Allah,
have mercy upon me if You will. The person who makes Dua has to be resolute in his
supplication, striving hard and earnestly repeating his Dua. The Prophet (P.B.U.H) said: Let not
any one of you say, O Allah, forgive me if You will, O Allah, have mercy on me if You will.
Let him be resolute in the matter, whilst knowing that no one can compel Allah to do
anything. [Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim]

It was said to Ibraaheem ibn Adham: Why is it that we supplicate and receive no response?

He said because you know Allah but you do not obey Him, and you know the Messenger but you
do not follow his Sunnah, and you know the Quran but you do not act in accordance with it, and
you eat from the blessings of Allah but you do not give thanks for them, and you know Paradise
but you do not seek it, and you know Hell but you do not flee from it, and you know the Satan
but you do not fight him rather you agree with him, and you know death but you do not prepare
for it, and you have buried the dead but you do not learn a lesson from that, and you ignore your
own faults and are preoccupied with other peoples faults.

Tafseer al-Qurtubi (2/312).

These are some of the mistakes that are made in Dua. May Allah guide us to the straight path and
accept our Duas. Ameen