By Tabassum Mosleh

Allah (s.w.t.) has opened for us direct access to call Him anytime we want. In fact making duas constantly increases our eemaan and makes us better human beings.

But still we ask others to make dua for us, for instance those who are going for Hajj, or those whom we think are knowledgeable and pious. And it makes sense; Allah showers His favours more on those who are closer to Him. The Prophet (s.a.w.) paraphrases Allah (s.w.t.) in the following hadith Qudsi:

. . . The most beloved thing with which My slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil till I love him. When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks (something) from Me, I give him, and if he asks My Protection (refuge), I protect him. (Bukhari)

Now let’s think, (after making dua for ourselves), if we want someone to make dua for us, who would be the best person to choose? The answer is, of course, the Prophet himself. So here are a few ways in which you can either get a direct salutation from the Prophet, or become part of a group of people for whom he made dua while he was still alive.

1. Sending salat and salam on the Prophet

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If any one of you greets me, Allah returns my soul to me and I respond to the greeting. (Abu Dawud 2041, graded hasan by al-Albani)

1. Praying four rakat nawafil before the obligatory prayer of Asr.

May Allah have mercy upon a man who prays four before Al-Asr.[at-Tirmidhi 430, hasan (Darussalam)]

1. Being lenient and easy going in one’s transactions

The Prophet (s.a.w) said: May Allah have mercy on a person who is lenient when he sells, lenient when he buys, and lenient when he asks for payment. (ibn Majah 2203)

He also said: May God have mercy and blessing upon a man who is kind-hearted and generous in his dealings and behaves gently in demanding his loans. (Bukhari)

1. Praying voluntary prayers (Qiyam al-Layl) at night and waking up your spouse to join you.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

May Allah (SWT) have mercy on a man who gets up at night and prays, then he wakes his wife and she prays, and if she refuses he sprinkles water in her face. And may Allah (SWT) have mercy on a woman who gets up at night and prays, then she wakes her husband and prays, and if he refuses she sprinkles water in his face. [Nasai 1610]

1. Shaving one’s head (halq) after Tawaf al-Ziyarah and udhiya of Hajj

The male pilgrim has the option of either shaving his head completely or just shortening it a bit. If one chooses the first option, he invokes the Prophet’s prayer for mercy on him three times more than if he chooses the second:

The Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “O Allah, have mercy upon those who get their heads shaved.” The Companions asked, “Messenger of Allah, (what about those) who have got their hair clipped?” He said again: “O Allah, have mercy upon those who have got their heads shaved.” They (again) said: Allah’s Messenger, (what about those) who have got their hair clipped? Thereupon he said: (O Allah, have mercy upon those) who have got their hair clipped. (Sahih Muslim 1301)

Understand 50% of the Quran in 9 hours!

Tabassum is a final year student of BA in Islamic Studies at Islamic Online University, and a Foundation student on Classical Arabic and Islamic Studies at al-Salam Institute. She also has a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and studies psychology by herself. She’s interested in a wide range of subjects, and writes about them at understandquran.com/blog and other blogs. Contact: tabassum_mosleh@hotmail.com