The Power of Prayer Duaa' (1)

When we are faced with hardship of any kind, we tend to turn to Allah asking His help and support. However, some of us might not be sure how prayer, duaa', can be effective?

Just listen to the following true story that occurred at the time of the Prophet may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him.

'Aof ibn Malik was one of the companions of the Prophet (PBUH) from the tribe of Ashja'. He had many children and was very poor. It appears that he had a son on whom the family relied for support. One day, this son was taken captive by the enemy. This was very hard for the family; in addition to losing their son, they were in great need for financial support.
So, Aof went to the Prophet (PBUH) complaining about their situation, asking for help. Instead of giving him money or food, the Prophet (PBUH) assured him saying that Allah will relieve their hardship. Then, he told Aof that he and his wife should be patient, mindful of Allah and increase in remembering Allah by saying' la hawla wa la quwata illa billah', which means 'neither strength nor power can be gained except from Allah'.
'Aof informed his wife of what the prophet told them to do. They both realised that they had to accept their difficulty with more patience. They kept on repeating this form of dhikr most of the time. During that time, while they were praying to Allah, repeating ' la hawla wa la quwata ila billah', Allah made it easy for their son to escape from his captivity, while the enemy were not taking notice.

As the parents were engaged in repeating the remembrance of Allah, the family was surprised to see their son could escape from the enemy and came back leading about forty of the enemy's sheep!

Because Aof was keen to follow the orders of the Prophet of having 'taqwa', which means to be mindful of Allah in everything we do, Aof was not sure if these sheep were lawful for the family to take and eat from.
It is amazing how God-mindful Aof was! Despite his poverty and the great need his family was suffering, he did not take his children's hunger as an excuse to eat or take what might be unlawful. So, instead of taking the sheep his son brought, he went to Prophet Muhammad to check. For his joy, the Prophet declared that it was lawful for them to make use of the sheep.

To summarise, three factors here were in action to hasten Allah's blessings;

• please Allah by being mindful of Him in all what one does,
  
• remember Allah most of the time, here the special form of dhikr was la hawla wa la quwata illa billah, لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله
  
• and be patient with the difficulty you are facing. of course depending on the difficulty, you will need to act in accordance. This is where being mindful of Allah comes in action; your actions must be in accordance to what Allah has ordained, this is called 'taqwa'.

My very dear reader, try to implement this triad; of being steadfast, mindful of Allah in all what you do, and remember Him most of the time. To draw yourself nearer to Allah and have your prayers answered, you need not just to learn what to do, but to act upon that, to live by what you have learnt. The life of our Prophet Muhammad is not a story to enjoy and tell others about it, rather it is a way of life we need to follow and live by to gain success and happiness this life and in the hereafter.
Try this form of dhikr and remember the innocents in Gaza and the oppressed all over the world. You never know the power of this prayer;

لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله

'la hawla wa la quwata illa billah'

Here are some useful information about this special prayer and form of remembrance we learnt this article:

Abu Dharr the companion of the Prophet narrated, that one day he went to sit with Prophet Muhammad in the mosque. The Prophet ordered him to pray first, then to seek refuge from the devils of humans and Jinn. Then Prophet Muhammad told Abu Dharr: Would you like me to teach you one of the treasures of Jannah, Paradise? Abu Dharr, said: "Yes." Muhammad (PBUH) said to him; "Say la hawla wa la quwata illa billah,

لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله

In another narration, Abu Dharr said:

أوصانى خليلى صلى الله عليه وسلم بسبع: " أمرنى بحب المساكين والدنو منهم, وأمرنى أن أنظر إلى من هو دونى, وأن لا أسأل أحد شيئا, وأن أصل الرحم وإن أدبرت, وأن أقول الحق ولو كان مرا, وألا أخاف فى الله لومة لائم, وأن أكثر من قول لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله: فإنهن

من كنز من تحت العرش

My beloved companion, may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him, advised me of seven things:
He ordered me to love the people in need and to draw my self closer to them,
To compare myself to those who are less fortunate than me. By doing so, one would be able to appreciate the numerous blessings he already has.
Not to ask anything from anyone,
To keep contact with my relatives even if they averted from me,
To say the truth, even if it was bitter,
Not to fear criticism while doing what pleases Allah,
And to increase remembering Allah by articulating this form of dhikr, la hawla wa la quwata illa billah, These words are among a treasure placed just below the Throne of Allah.