Some believe Ramadan is special simply because it contains a night that is greater than 1,000 months, but what makes that night so great? The truth is, during that night the qadar (decree) for the coming year is sent down from the preserved tablet. As Allah says what can be translated as: “On that night is made distinct every precise matter” [Qur’an: Chapter 44, Verse 4], and more famously: “The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter.” [Qur’an: Chapter 97, Verse 4].
Did you know that there is something you can do to change that qadar in its vulnerable state as it descends from the heavens?
Yes, it is the power of dua! As the Prophet mentioned: “Nothing could change the Qadar except dua” [Sahih al-Jami’].
And in another hadith, he said: “Dua benefits in the things that have happened as well as the things that have not happened yet. The calamity comes down, but the Dua confronts it and they may continuously wrestle until the Day of Resurrection” [Reported by Al-Hakim].
This makes the month of Ramadan and especially the last ten nights, an exceptionally powerful time to make dua [Sunan Ibn Majah].
As we aim for a remarkably productive Ramadan, In sha Allah, it makes sense for us to prepare with deliberation and careful thought the duas we will focus on throughout the month. So ask yourself: “What are the duas that will change my life in the coming year?” and be absolutely certain that Allah will answer them In sha Allah! In the rest of this article, I will share my best tips for preparing these duas.
The 8 Duas You Must Make This Ramadan
Every Ramadan for the past several years, I decide in advance which eight duas I will focus on. I pick two duas from each of the four categories listed below. Why 8? Most masjids pray 8 raka’ahs of taraweeh (at least), so I repeat only one dua consistently in each raka’ah of taraweeh (during sujood, etc.). That way, I always remember which raka’ah I am on, which helps me focus and stay alert during the late night taraweeh of these long summer days. It doesn’t need to be specifically 8 duas, though. It could be 17 — one for every raka’ah in the fardh salah — for example, but since we are talking about Ramadan (and it is easier to remember 8 than 17) let’s just stick to the 8.
There is something more important than the number, and that is the effort you put in. Imagine the dedication and consistency you are showing to Allah by making the same duas every night for 29 or 30 nights throughout each raka’ah of taraweeh! In addition, if you are indeed that consistent, you will surely catch Laylatul Qadr! You would be displaying a level of dedication that few do: showing to Allah
that you are desperate for His help. How could He
possibly turn you away empty-handed?
The more thought you put into this activity, the better. However, be careful not to over think it. It is possible to complete the activity in five minutes if you are pressed for time, so complete it as quickly as you can.
Note that this list of dua does not necessarily need to match the goals we discussed in the previous articles [Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3], as they are goals for Ramadan. The dua list you are creating now is for your life in general.
While there is no guarantee your dua will come true, you must pray as if it will. Your dua might avert a calamity, an illness or some other difficulty that was destined for you, so in that sense your dua would still be answered and accepted without necessarily coming true. We never truly know what is best for us, but Allah certainly does — and He always delivers [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 216].
The Four Categories
1. Deen: Since Ramadan is all about taqwa and improvement, pray and beg Allah to improve you. Pick two aspects of your deen that you would like to improve and pray earnestly that Allah
helps you with them. Maybe you have not done hajj or umrah yet? Make dua that you can do so before next Ramadan! Does that sound ridiculous? It is not difficult for Allah
! Want to memorize the whole Qur’an? Or part of it? It is easy for Allah
. Want to shed a bad habit? Or build a new one like praying in the masjid? This is your chance to ask Allah
to your heart’s content!
2. Dunya: One of the first dua we come across during taraweeh is “rabbana aatina fil dunya hasanah” or “Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good…” [Qur’an: Chapter 2, Verse 201]. Allah teaches us to pray for the life of this world. That sounds good to me. As long as I am here, I want to get as much out of it as I can! So ask for Allah’s
help from the bottom of your heart. Do you need help with marriage? Job? House? Car? Health? This is the time to ask Allah
without limiting His ability
.
3. Akhira: The next part of that dua is “wafee al akhirati hasanah” – ” … and in the Hereafter [that which is] good …” Since our ultimate destination is the next life, we ought to dedicate part of our prayers to having an enjoyable afterlife too! Note: putting the dua in this order does not mean one is more important than the other, but you knew that. I personally like to pray for some specific aspect of Paradise and for protection from Hellfire. Do you want to sit with the Prophet in Paradise? Or maybe see and speak to your Creator
? Is there an aspect of Hellfire that you find particularly terrifying? Seek Allah’s
protection from it.
4. Others: Ramadan is not a time to be selfish. This is why Allah requires us to give zakat al-fitr and helps us unite our community during taraweeh and Eid. So when you are planning your dua for Ramadan, it is critical you remember others. There are so many causes, so many people going through difficulty: Make a conscious effort to keep their plight on your mind. Think of your family and friends, the community and our ummah at large. By praying for them, we will also get the added blessings of having the angels say ‘ameen’ to those duas and praying for us as well. [Sunan Abi Dawud]
With so much to pray for, how do you possibly select only two duas per category? Again, try to make your list as simple and comprehensive as possible. And remember, you can always make more duas outside this list!
Action Steps
- Write down your 8 duas on this worksheet along with your Ramadan goals and keep them in your pocket or wallet at all times.
- If you are the digital type, put them in your note-taking app or create an image of both lists and put the image as the background for your smart phone and computer’s desktop as a consistent reminder.
- Refer to this document/image every day, especially between taraweeh prayers.
Now, please share with us your thoughts on this action plan, and what dua you recommend for your brothers and sisters.
Read the other parts of this series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 5
This article was originally published on Jun 9, 2014
jzk. nice article.:)
Helpful article
Thnks
JAZAKALLAHU KHAIR for an awesome post. Really the series have helped me prepare for an awesome Ramadhan in sha Allah. May Allah make it easy for all muslims to apply what you’ve shared n reward u for it. I have afew questions about taraweh. Can a woman pray taraweh alone in her home? Bcoz some masjids don’t have lady’s wing. And at what time does taraweh end yani from after isha – fajr or midnight?. Thank you
mashaAllah very beneficial article!!!! and well needed
JazaAllah khairyn for the efforts and thoughts put into this article.
mashallah….my goal is to increase all my ibadath and mainly in sadaqa..inshallah.
Aamiin
Thanks for the Article, MASHA ALLAH, it’s very good.
Just one suggestion from me, please include {SALLALAAHU ALAI HI WA SALLAM} after the name of Holy Prophet {SALLALAAHU ALAI HI WA SALLAM}
@Mehboob Khan – JazakAllah khair for the advice. We have written “sallAllahu alayhi wasallam” in Arabic script after each mention of him (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam).
Jazakhallah kheir,,
syukran for sharing :)
JazakomAllah Khairan .. And really thnx for the awesome worksheet :)
Subhaanallah, you guys are amazing, this is my first Ramadan to prepare myself and I didn’t know it was this good, alhamdu lillah. I would recommend this”allahumma yaa muqallibal quluub thabbit quluubinaa alaa diinik”. Jazaakullahu kheiran. This dua is a must for me.
MashaAllah this was great akhi! Jazakallah khair!
Jazak Allahu khair
Jazzaka Allahu khairan
Mashaa Allah wonderful knowledge gained.. Jazzaka Allahu Khairan
jizakal Allah khair for such a beautiful article especially categorizing dua.
Wa iyyakum to everyone!! May Allah accept from us all :)
RESPECTED MADAM/SIR
AOA
MY REAL BROTHER AND BEST FRIEND HAJI AYUB GOT HIS KIDNEY TRANSPLANTED AND IS ON REGULAR MEDICATION . I REQUEST YOU ALL KINDLY PRAY FOR HIS GOOD HEALTH,HAPPINESS AND REFULGENT FUTURE ALWAYS (AMEEN). ALLAH PAK AAP KAY DIL KI SARI DUAAN QABOOL KARY (AMEEN)
PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR PEERS, YOUNG FELLOWS AND REQUEST YOUR PARENTS..
I BELEIVE THAT SELFLESS PRAYERS CAN ONLY CHANGE THE FATE OF HUMAN BEINGS. SO I STRONGLY URGE AND REQUEST FOR YOUR SINCERE PRAYERS FOR MY BROTHER PLEASE..KINDLY FWD THIS MSG AND REQUEST TO MAXIMUM PEOPLE.
PRAYERS REGARDS AND RESPECT FOR YOU ALL ALWAYS
DR M. TAHIR NAWAZ
Jazakallahu khairan for sharing the knowledge.
Ramzan kareem to all of you
Very enlightening article.Jazk allahu Khairan.I have also compiled some duas and adhkar with meaning and distributed to my muslim brothers and sisters to make use during Ramadan.Learning a lot from your posts.Wassalam.
Jazak Allah khair its really awesome and beneficial ☺☺
As salamu alikum warahmathullahi wabarakathuh.. Jazakallhu khair 4 the articles.. wch makes us so curious about ramadan…May Almighty help us 2 workout through our best plans.
Jazakillahu khairan, it’s a very good atickle,
Assalamu Alayka Brother,
MashaAllah, you’ve done a wonderful job by creating this article and these fabulous tips are really mind-blowing, Subhanallah! May Allah (swt) accept all your efforts, bless you immensely and grant each one of us the ability to make the best use of this Ramadhan. Aameen Ya Rabb!
Assalamu ‘aleykum wa rahmatuLlahi ta’ala wa barakatuh,
Thank you for this article which provide us once again with new ideas, references from Quran and Sunnah and an additional focus on things.
There are a lot of Duas we have to do as we’ll definitely always need Allah. Some duas are quite concise and bring together a lot of meanings such as :
_ Rabbanã atina fi-d-dunyã hasanatan wa fi-l-akhirãti hasanatan wa qinã ‘adaba-n-nãr
_ Allahumma inni assãluka khayra ma saãlaka ‘abduka wa nabiyuka Muhammad (SallaLlahu ‘aleyhi wa sallam) wa a’udu bika min shari ma sta’ada bika minhu ‘abduka wa nabiyuka Muhammad (SallaLlahu ‘aleyhi wa sallam)
There are as well all the Rabbana duas which are from the Quran. Some of them are duas the Prophets of Allah (SallaLlahu ‘aleyhim wa sallam) invoked Allah with.
I wrote below some references and hope all of Brothers and Sisters we’ll make the effort of researching them. May Allah make you shine with Al Quran.
(Al-Baqara_Surat 2 Verses 127-128; 201; 250; 285-286)
(Ali ‘Imran_Surat 3 Verses 8; 16; 38; 53; 147; 191-194)
(An-Nisa_Surat 4 Verse 75)
(Al-Maida_Surat 5 Verse 83)
(Al-A’raf_Surat 7 Verses 23; 47; 89; 126; 151)
(At-Tawba_Surat 9 Verse 129)
(Yunus_Surat 10 Verses 85-86)
(Hud_Surat 11 Verse 47)
(Ibrahim_Surat 14 Verses 35; 40-41)
(Al-Isra_Surat 17 Verse 80)
(Al-Kahf_Surat 18 Verse 10)
(Ta-Ha_Surat 20 Verses 25-28; 114)
(Al-Anbiya_Surat 21 Verse 89)
(Al-Muminun_ Surat 23 Verses 93-94; 97-98; 109; 118)
(Al-Furqan_Surat 25 Verses 65-66; 74)
(Ash-u’ara_Surat 26 Verses 83-85)
(An-Naml_Surat 27 Verse 19)
(Al-Qasas_Surat 28 Verses 16-17; 21; 24)
(Al-‘Ankabut_Surat 29 Verse 30)
(As-Saffat_Surat 37 Verse 100)
(Ghafir_Surat 40 Verses 7-9)
(Ad-Dukhan_Surat 44 Verse 12)
(Al-Ahqaf_Surat 46 Verse 15)
(Al-Hashr_Surat 59 Verse 010)
(Al-Mumtahana_Surat 60 Verses 4-5)
(At-Tahrim_Surat 66 Verse 8)
(Nuh_Surat 71 Verse 28)
Sorry for the length of this message.
Wassalamu ‘aleykum wa rahmatuLlahi ta’ala wa barakatuh.
Very motivating and helpful article. It has charged me to make duas in taraweeh this way. JazakAllah khair
Asssalamu alaykumm this is will really benefit me jhzakalllahu khrun akhi may Allah grand u the highest ranks in jannatul fardous this is the best Ramadan tips ever wallah I really benefit from this . I ask Allah to grand jannatul fardous and reward u in this life and the next .!
Asssalamu alaykumm this is will really benefit me jhzakalllahu khrun akhii this is the best Ramadan tips ever wallah I will really benefit from this . I ask Allah to grand jannatul fardous and reward u in this life and the next .!
A very inspirational and motivating article. May Allah reward you all for your amazing work.
Marshalla. May Allah bless you for sharing these productive tips.
Alhamdolillah very motivational and inspiring article. Jazakallah for sharing it.
Jazakumullahu khayran as you enlighten & feed the world with unique products of Al-Islaam.
jazakAllah Khair for the good job,for me it is the blessing for being part of this family really i learn a lot.InshAllah some day I will be able to know the and qoute the Qura’n am still a new convert still strugling even to recite Ayatul Kursi but I believe by His Grace i will know mashAllah
I really hope that I will get a better ramadhan and becoming a productive muslim this ramadhan and really makes an effort. Through your articles, it really touches me bit by bit and I do cry when u said about wanting to shed a bad habit. Definitely it should be one of the consistent dua that i should make this ramadhan. Thank you so much for the article, jazakallahu khair, i love it ;)
Very helpful post. Thank you