Dua - Are You Doing it Right? 8 Life-Changing Tips

The power of Dua is mindblowing! Through it, you can GET what you want and AVOID what you don’t want. We have 8 quick, life-changing tips to help you do it right!

1. TRUST. When you make dua, firmly believe that Allah is listening and responding. Allah is as we expect Him to be, so imagine what a soulful, fully trusting dua can do, in comparison to half-hearted Duas.

2. DON’T HOLD BACK. ASK BIG! Have you ever found yourself making reasonable requests in your duas to Allah, Lord of the Universe? Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Maybe you think asking him to cure someone's decade old illness is too out of this world, but you’re asking Him, in whose hands is ALL power. There is nothing He can’t do, so don’t ask Him as if he doesn’t have the mercy, generosity or power to give you even the most unimaginable of things! He can, and if He sees fit, He will.

3. ASK FOR THE SMALL THINGS. Just because Allah is capable of giving us the big things, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ask for the small ones. Ask him for a pencil, new shoes, for your breakfast even! Train your children; if you teach them to ask for the little things, they will always turn to Allah first, for the bigger things.

4. TALK TO ALLAH FIRST. At times, we end up using sincere dua as a last resort, when we have tried everything we can, and it didn’t work, we break down, cry, and ask Allah. Make a habit to do it first, before you reach out to mere humans to assist you in any matter.

5. LEARN DUAS FROM THE QURAN AND SUNNAH. What could be better than asking Allah? Well, asking Allah in the words he told us to ask him in of course! That and the words that our beloved prophet (saw) asked Him in. There are authentic duas for almost anything you can think of. Get yourself a book and learn some.

6. UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE ASKING. This links to the above point. If you memorise duas from the Quran and Sunnah, without really understanding what they mean, they will be less effective than if you really know what you are asking for. For example, you might know the Dua for when you’re going somewhere in a vehicle, which is great and it will work if you say it, but how about you say it and mean it? You can’t mean it if you don’t know what it means. Right?

7. MAKE THEM ANYWHERE. No doubt there are certain etiquettes, times and places which make duas even more powerful (listed in 23 Duas for Kids), but you can still make dua anywhere and everywhere – and you should, because you’ll need to. You can always repeat your duas later, but make them as soon as you feel the need to ask Allah for something. It might be when you’re out and about, walking or on the train. You can do it out loud or even just in your heart.

8. ACCEPT. Accept that you might not always get what you asked for. Allah hears all your duas, but He sees the bigger picture, which you don’t. He sees how everything fits together, so He knows best if what you are asking for is good for you or not. Why would you want something Allah decided not to give you anyway? See The Young Muslim’s Mindful Book of Wellbeing for more on the concepts of the bigger picture and coming to terms with not getting what you wanted.

For tips 5, 6 and 7 use 23 Duas for Kids.