Brother PeacefulHumanity, thanks for the correction and yes that's the article I was trying to put on here
I'm not sure why it didn't work, it worked when I posted and clicked on it from my side.
Sis Precious, the article is misleading? Really?! So what is your take on du'a then dear sister? Just because some people don't see what they asked Allah for right away, does that mean then that du'a all-together is useless? That just cannot be. What about the thousands of Muslims who get their dua's answered by Allah, doesn't matter how long it takes. And the impatient part of the article, the author didn't list that as the ONLY reason for du'as not being accepted, there were 4 other points, the most important one being #4(in my opinion anyway). Many people make dua with doubts. You yourself in one of your other posts said at one point that you made dua to sort of test Allah, or something to that degree, I don't remember. I really believe dua is powerful and useful for the Muslim's life. And it is mentioned in the Quran over and over. Allah speaks of how all of His messengers made du'a to Him and how He accepted. From prophet Adam, to Nuh, to Ibrahiim and Yunus and Musa, etc. They all made du'a. It didn't stop with only the prophets, but also rightious people like the wife of Pharoah and the list just goes on. Sister there's a good reason why Allah is mentioning all of these du'as that His slaves made, it's teaching us that like them we need to also make dua. And what about the verses in the Quran where Allah is telling us that He is near and hears our du'as?
As for the article, I really don't think it's misleading or even close to misleading. He touched on really good points that many people overlook when making du'a.
Salaams Ni'Mah,
It is misleading in the sense that it tells us why Allah SWT does not answer our duas. As I indicated in my post, the truth is we do not know why. All of the directives in the article are fine - we should be following the comands of Allah, including the 5 pillers, we should not grow impatient (keeping in mind what "impatient" means), etc. But we don't know. When good things happen to us, we don't know if they are because they were already written or because they were pre-destined.
Everyone has experienced blessings and good things in their lives. As a result of dua? Or divine destiny? Like I said in my earlier post, many many people do not make specific dua yet very specific beautiful blessings happen. I know a Christian lady who prays, but she's not muslim. I don't know the extent of her prayers, but she did tell me that she gave up on expecting children. So she started the adoption process, but was told by the agency that the likelihood of finding a healthy newborn black baby (she is black) is slim to none; well, one became available within a few months of the process! And, a year later, she was miraculously pregnant when she had been told that she was medically incapable (and she had stopped praying for a pregnancy many years ago). Within 2 years, she had 2 healthy babies and is now so happy.
She is not muslim, although she is a good person, very moralistic, and prays according to her own religious beliefs.
I know good muslims in exactly the same predicament but to whom such blessings never arrived.
My point is, no one knows. Allah denies us blessings and wishes all the time. What would this world be like, if we asked and received everythign we wanted?
In terms of your question (actually, i perceived it more as an accusation, although it was unintentional, i'm sure) as to what i the purpose of dua, I would say again that the purpose is that it demonstrates our reliance on Allah. It is a form of worship, pure and simple. it brings us closer to Allah. It may provide some comfort to our hearts. its like when you are in an impossible situation and sometimes you just want to tell your mother, and your mother listens to you and just by having her listen, you begin to feel better.
I know what I'm saying is hard for some of you to grasp. When I was young, as a student and in my 20s, I too believed that dua was capable of bringing me anything in life so long as I tried to abide by Allah's commands and asked him repeatedly from the bottom of my heart. With many adult years behind me, I know that was a naive view. God listens, but He gives when and if He wishes it for us. We gain inspiritation from the stories of the prophets but we are not prophets, we have not been chosen by God. I am not Maryam. I am not the wife of Zachariah. But their stories show us that Allah is the one to whom we turn, not the pagan gods that the people of those times relied on.
