Praying for Someone

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Contents

Life-changing effects of du’ā Action plan Coming up

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One of the purest ways to demonstrate our love for those we care about the most, is through making earnest du’ā (supplication) for them. How would you feel, if you came to know that a close friend was tirelessly praying for your ease during your time of difficulty?

Life-changing effects of du’ā

The Prophet (ﷺ) described to his companions the life-altering effects of making du’ā for others:

مَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ مُسْلِمٍ يَدْعُو لأَخِيهِ بِظَهْرِ الْغَيْبِ إِلاَّ قَالَ الْمَلَكُ وَلَكَ بِمِثْلٍ

“No Muslim servant supplicates for his brother behind his back, except that the angel says: ‘And for you the same.'” [1]

We all know that through praying for the betterment of others, their lives can improve significantly. However, this report teaches us that by making a deeply-felt supplication for them, it results in an angel devotedly making a similar supplication for us. As a result of this, our lives become considerably better, too!

Imam al-Nawawi, while contemplating the wonders of the aforementioned report, said,

وكان بعض السلف إذا أراد أن يدعو لنفسه يدعو لأخيه المسلم بتلك الدعوة ; لأنها تستجاب ، ويحصل له مثلها

“When some of the pious predecessors wanted to ask Allah for something they eagerly desired (for themselves), they would make a similar supplication for their Muslim brother – knowing that this prayer is oft-accepted and that they would receive the same in return.” [2]

Action plan

While we try our best to attend the mosque as often as we can in this noble month, and engage in a plethora of prayers, we should aim to make some genuine du’ā for our loved ones, in hopes of receiving the same in return.

Here are a few steps we can take to implement the above:

Make a list of the people who are closest to us and include them in our daily supplications;
Remember that through praying for others, the likelihood of our lives improving is greater.

Coming up

As we pray for those who mean a lot to us, let’s look out for Part 17 of this series: Forgiving Others.

Are there friends or family members that you are struggling to forgive? Would you like some encouragement and guidance on the next steps? Then you will want to stay tuned for tomorrow’s part.

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