Our Weapon
Hadrat Anas tnarrates that there was a companion of Nabi ecalled Hadrat Abu Mu’liq t. He was a trader who traded both his own goods and those of others. He was a person who was always engaged in ibādah and was extremely abstinent.
He was out on business one day when an armed robber confronted him. “Put down your goods,” the robber demanded, “Because I’m going to kill you.”
“You may have the goods,” Hadrat Abu Mu’liq ttold him. “ It is your life that I want,” the robber barked.
Then permit me to perform salāh,” Hadrat Abu Mu’liq trequested. The robber laughed, “You may perform as much salah as you please.”
Hadrat Abu Mu’liq tmade wudhu and started performing salāh. One of the duās he made was: “O the most loving, O master of the glorious throne! O the one who does as He pleases! By Your honour that none can hope to have by Your kingdom that none can harm and by Your light that fills the foundations of Your throne do I implore You to protect me from the evil of this robber. O Helper, do help me.”
When he had made this dua thrice, a rider suddenly appeared with a spear held high above his head. The rider thrust the spear at the robber and killed him.
He then went up to the trader and asked, “Who are you?” Hadrat Abu Mu’liq replied, “I am the one whom Allah has rescued through you.”
The rider then explained, “I am an angel of the fourth heaven. When you first made the du’ā, I heard the inhabitants of the heavens rattle. When you made the duā the second time, I heard the inhabitants of the heavens cry out. When you again made the duā for the third time, it was announced that this was the duā of a person in distress. I sought permission from Allah to grant me the ability to kill the robber. You ought to know the good news that whoever makes wudu, performs four rakāt salah and then makes this duā, his duā will be answered whether he is in distress or not.
(Hayātus Sahabah, English translation, vol. 3, pg.541-542, Zamzam second edition, 2006)
Allah says in the Quran: “Call unto me, I will answer you.”
Respected readers, turning to Allah for every need and want, is what is required from us as believers. Allah is our Rabb, Sustainer, Nourisher, and Creator. Yet it is so sad to see that our attention is diverted from the Creator to the creation. Allah has guaranteed to answer our duās. We just have to simply have the conviction and totally turn to Allah and He will answer the call.
This Ummah has been blessed with this weapon of dua but how much advantage do we take of it? How often do we turn to our Rabb for our needs, except in distress and worry? At the time of worry and anxiety, we are very quick to turn to Allah, but at times of happiness and joy, we should do the same, such that it should become our habit to turn to Him at all times for everything.
May Allah give us the ability to make abundant duās and that we have conviction in our duās.
