I know many of us make dua everyday and some of us neglect it. Today I am going to tell you the benefit of making dua and how to make it, so make sure you don't miss out. The etiquette of making Dua (How should you make duaa) Du`a reverts what has been destined. Although Allah decrees all things, He has given us the ability to make changes through Dua. The Holy Prophet (s) has said: What is destined cannot be averted except through Dua. Another Hadith says: Indeed caution cannot save you from what is destined, but what can save you from it is Dua. Imam `Ali " Dua is the essence of Ibadah (worship)." [at Tirmdhi, Ahmad] "O my servants, were the first of you and last of you, the human of you and jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request from me, and were I to give everyone what they requested, that would not decrease what I have any more than a needle decreases the sea if put into it." Hadith Qudsi [Sahih Muslim] Many of us may not know this but there are etiquettes which we must follow while making dua to guarantee istijaba in shaa Allah. These etiquettes are so simple: 1. The first key to Istijabat Al Dua’a or for your prayer to be answered is concentration. You do not make dua while your mind is wondering around. You make dua with concentration in what you say and what you are asking. 2. You start by praising Allah SWT, calling him with his name, example: Ya Allah, Ya Latif, Ya Kareem, Ya Rahman, Ya Raheem, Ya Thal Jalali Wal Ikram, Ya Mujeeb…etc. Praise him and call him with his names which he taught us in the Quran. Allah says in Surat Al Araaf aya 180 وَلله الأَسْمَاء الْحُسْنَى فَادْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُواْ الَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِي أَسْمَآئِهِ} And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. 3. Pray and praise the Prophet PBUH after praising Allah SWT. The Prophet (SAW) heard a man supplicating during prayer. He did not glorify Allah, nor did he invoke blessings on the Prophet. The Prophet (s) said, “He has been hasty.” Then he called the man and said either to him, or to someone else, “When any one of you prays, he should begin by glorifying and praising his Lord and then he should invoke blessings on the Prophet, peace be upon him, and after that he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes.” (Fiqh-us-Sunnah, volume 4: 111c) 4. It is important to pray emotionally, make dua with humiliation, after all there is no one who deserves your humiliation like the one who created you and gave you all the blessings you have. A soft heart and tears are the best weapons of a human being in his quest to achieve nearness to Allah. When one prays emotionally, the Dua is very sincere and acceptance is assured in shaa Allah. 5. Ask for Afu and Maghfirah for yourself, your parents and the whole Muslim Ummah. If you pray Maghfirah for all the Muslims, Allah SWT will grant you ajr and thawab for every Muslim and Muslimah, so don’t forget your brothers and sisters in Islam out there. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallaahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: "Whenever a Muslim supplicates for his (Muslim) brother in his absence, the angels say: `May the same be for you too'.'' [Muslim] And ask for Rahma, ask for the Jannah and the protection from Hell fire, ask for Hedaya and thabat and ask Allah to help you stay on the right path and help you in Khoushou3 and ask him to help you read and understand the Quran. And always remember it is not you, it is him will help you stay on the right path and guide you so ask him sincerely. Remember we enter Jannah with his mercy not with our deeds as the Prophet PBUH told us. 6. Ask for your personal needs of this dunia. Many problems and difficulties in life can be avoided by praying to Allah. He is in complete control, and can keep away all afflictions from those who ask Him for that. There is nothing like Dua to get you closer to Allah, and do not leave out your minor needs, for the One who is the Master of the major needs is also the Master of the minor ones. 7. Have confidence that Allah will answer your prayers : When praying, the supplicant must have trust that Allah will answer his prayers. A Hadith says, Whenever you recite Dua, assume that what you need is at the door. Du`a is always answered Whoever asks something from Allah, his du`a is always heard and answered. Sometimes it is not answered in the way the supplicant expects. No du`a is rejected. Allah is more noble than to tell His servants to ask from Him, and then reject their du`a. Many Ahadith tell us of how Allah always answers the supplicant, and is pleased with Him. A believer who prays and asks from Allah, is guaranteed one of three things: Either his du`a is answered immediately Or a difficulty is averted from him Or he is given a reward for it for the Hereafter and that is the best of all because on that Day we will all be needing every good deed we could get. "Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, "No believer makes dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated." So make dua and rest assured that he is listening to you and he is closer to you than yourself. Allah Ta'alah says what can be translated as: And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.2:186