Draped in Du’ā’ (It'll Be OK)

I sat waiting for the Jumu’ah khuṭbah to begin and watched a mother sitting in front of me with her young boy lying down next to her. She turned to him and saw he was falling asleep. With consideration and care, she picked up a coat, laid it on the floor, then gently picked him up and placed him on it. I don’t know why, but this small act of kindness from a mother to her child touched me. The coat was unlikely to make much difference to the boy’s comfort as it was thin and didn't offer much cushioning. Yet the mother, out of concern for her little boy, wanted to do anything she could to give him the best. I marvelled at the beauty of a mother’s love and made du’ā’ to Allāh that He would look after this woman and her child and guide the boy to grow up righteous. And I meant it. In that moment I felt for them and wanted Allāh to give them good in this world and the next.

Source: Amira

It’s not the first time I’ve made du’ā’ for someone I hardly know. When I’m moving about my daily life, I encounter many people I want Allāh to help, to guide, to protect. I am far from the most thoughtful and generous person I know so I am convinced many other people do this too. And this leads to an interesting thought; have you ever wondered about how many people have made du’ā’ for you? I mean really wondered, pondered and reflected on it. No? Well, for those of you who aren’t quite so narcissistic, let me walk you through the thought because it really is quite a pleasant one.

Let’s start with the obvious; your loved ones. How many times has your mother remembered you in her sujood and begged sincerely for you to have the best and to be protected from harm? How many times has your father looked at you growing up and prayed to Allāh for you to achieve the best and more? Then there’s your grandparents on both sides of your family who treat you like their own (or most probably better!) and have you in their thoughts when they are supplicating for those they love. Then you have your sisters and brothers who are like the best friends you’ve been assigned by Allāh. They’ve been with you through the highs and the lows, always wanting good for you (except in the midst of a battle of sibling rivalry, of course). Your aunties, uncles, cousins and other extended family must have thought of you when praying for the best for their families. If you’re married, how many times do you think your spouse has made du’ā’ for you? That you’d be together in Jannah and get through all the difficulties of this life? How often have your children prayed for the ones who looked after them when they were young? Outside of your family you have your close friends making du’ā’ for you. They know your troubles and they know your goals and they remember you regularly when they’re taking advantage of the generosity of Allāh. Even your not-so-close friends will be supplicating for you! Perhaps you’re going through a similar trial to them, or one they’ve been through, and want you to get through it; or perhaps they just plain like you a bit more than you realised!

Have you ever thought of how many people you’ve met who have made du’ā’ for you? What about your teachers who want the knowledge they shared to be passed on and used to benefit the world through their students? What about your pupils or those who have learnt something from you? You may have passed on a piece of information, phrased something in a way that made someone reflect or done a simple act that inspired someone. People could be learning from you without you ever knowing it and remembering you in their du’ā. Similarly, I’m sure many of us have attended camps, talks and classes with others and, in that moment of love for the sake of Allāh, made du’ā’ for the special people we met and everyone else there. If you’ve been to one of these kinds of events, chances are, someone made du’ā’ for you. It’s the same with congregational ṣalāh; Jumu’ah, Taraweeḥ and ‘Eid. How many people included you in their du’ā’ for those they prayed with? Islām really is beautiful. Every ‘Assalāmu ‘alaikum’ is a du’ā’ for peace, every ‘Jazāk Allāhu khairan’ is a du’ā’ for good!

Source: Amira

This is when the walk really gets quite wondrous. How many strangers have remembered you in their du’ā’? It may have been someone who saw you as a child and fell in love with your podgy cheeks and cute smile. Perhaps you just happened to be around when someone was feeling particularly joyous and decided to pray for every person they saw. You could have been the first person a stranger had seen for a while in proper ḥijāb and they got so happy they made a little du’ā’ that Allāh would protect you always. A stranger may have benefited from some charity you donated or some work you did for an organisation and prayed for you to be rewarded with Jannah. Perhaps someone saw you looking down and made du’ā’ to Allāh that any hardship you’re going through would be replaced with ease. I'm sure you've read the blog post of someone who makes du’ā’ for all their readers. Then there’s all the du’ās made for the people of your town, of your country, of the ummah, all of which include you. All these situations are totally realistic and could have occurred time after time after time.

And how can we forget the du’ās of the Messenger (SAW)? How many times did he pray for you, for his ummah? Who is more beloved to Allāh and whose requests are more likely to be answered than his (SAW)? We even have the angels making du’ā’ for us, subḥānallāh! When we wake up and eat suḥoor before fasting, they pray for us [Aḥmed]. Even better than that, when we make du’ā’ for others with the intention of good for them, the angels say “Ameen. And may you also be blessed with the same.” [Muslim] These beings who have never once disobeyed Allāh have asked Him to bless you and give you good. Your sinning self tries to spread the khayr and you get more back at you from a pure and sinless angel! Take this moment to say alḥamdulillāh for how truly remarkable that is.

Allah, As-Samee’ (The All-Hearing) heard all of those du’ās; every... single... one. He heard the du’ā’ made from the care of a sister; from the appreciation of a stranger and from the love of a messenger. All these requests were received by Al-Mujeeb (The Answerer of Prayer).

“The du’ā’ of a Muslim for his brother in his absence is readily accepted.” [Muslim]

With all these du’ās directed at you, you can’t help but feel hopeful, comforted and enveloped in good will. Either you’ll be blessed with what they asked for, you’ll be protected from harm, or a gift even more awesome is waiting for you in the next life. Something good is coming your way, can you feel it?