Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim,
One of the best forms of worship is dua. Nothing brings one closer to Allah Azza wa Jall than talking directly with Him. He said in the Quran:
ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
Call upon Me; I will respond to you. [Qur’an, 40:60]
The Prophet s.a.w.s. said,
الدعاء هو العبادة
Du’a (supplication) is worship. [Abu Dawud]
Allah has given us a 24/7 hotline for calling Him and asking Him of our need, whatever it is.
We say in our prayers in every single rakah every day:
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
It is You we worship and You we ask for help. [1:5]
So how do we ask Allah to help in our studies? If you’re like me, you’re often stuck with an assignment just two days before the deadline for submission, and you desperately ask Allah to help. Also we often find our studies difficult, we seem to be stuck with just one concept that is refusing to enter into our minds. Whenever we feel the pressure of studies, there is nothing better we can do than to ask Allah’s help, and in doing so, we turn our study pressures into an asset by making them a means of drawing closer to Allah.
Of course, dua is the easiest form of worship in that it can be done at any time, in any state, in any language. We can just raise our hands towards our Lord, call Him by His most beautiful Names, and talk to Him in our own language about our problems. But in fact it helps to have a few duas from the Quran and sunnah memorized, for the following reason:
The best form of speech is Allah’s own words, and what better words can we use to talk to Allah than what He taught us? The Prophet was the most eloquent person, and what better words can we use to call on Allah than those with which His most beloved servant called Him?
Duas for Studies
رَّبِّ زِدْنِي عِلْمًا
My Lord! Increase me in knowledge. [20:114]
- Supplication of Musa alaihi salam after he was commanded by Allah to go to Firaun and give da’wah to him.
رَبِّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي وَاحْلُلْ عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي يَفْقَهُوا قَوْلِي
My Lord, expand for me my breast [with assurance] And ease for me my task And untie the knot from my tongue That they may understand my speech. [20:25-28]
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا وَرِزْقًا طَيِّبًا وَعَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّلاً
O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds. [ibn Majah]
- After Allah taught Adam the names of things, He asked the angels to name them. The angels said:
سُبْحَانَكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ
Exalted are You; we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. Indeed, it is You who is the Knowing, the Wise. [2:32]
اللهمَّ فَقِّهْني فِي الدِّينِ
O Allah, make me comprehend the Religion.
This dua is derived from the hadith where the Prophet said: If Allah wants to do good for somebody, he makes him comprehend the Religion. [Bukhari]
اللّهُـمَّ لا سَـهْلَ إِلاّ ما جَعَلـتَهُ سَهـلاً، وَأَنْتَ تَجْـعَلُ الْحَـزَنَ إِذا شِـئْتَ سَهـْلاً
O Allah, there is no ease except in that which You have made easy, and You make the difficulty, if You wish, easy. [ibn Hibban]
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عِلْمٍ لاَ يَنْفَعُ وَمِنْ قَلْبٍ لاَ يَخْشَعُ وَمِنْ نَفْسٍ لاَ تَشْبَعُ وَمِنْ دَعْوَةٍ لاَ يُسْتَجَابُ لَهَا
O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the knowledge which does not benefit, from the heart that does not entertain the fear (of Allah), from the soul that does not feel contented and the supplication that is not responded. [Sahih Muslim]
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Tabassum Mosleh
