It is not prescribed to wipe the face after making du'aa

Question:

What is the ruling on wiping the face and body with the hands after making du’aa’, and kissing the eyes?


Answer:

It is not prescribed to wipe the face after making du’aa’. There are many ahaadeeth which describe how the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called upon his Lord in du’aa’, and there is no proven report that he used to wipe his face after making du’aa’.

Those who say that the face should be wiped quoted some ahaadeeth as evidence, but upon further examination they are not saheeh, and do not support one another.

As for the views of the scholars who say that it is not allowed to wipe the face, they include the following:

1 – Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: It is not known that anyone used to wipe his face after making du’aa’ except al-Hasan.

Al-‘Ilal al-Mutanaahiyah, 2/840, 841

2 – Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: With regard to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) raising his hands when saying du’aa’, there are many saheeh ahaadeeth concerning this, but as for his wiping his face with his hands, there are only one or two hadeeths concerning that, and they cannot be taken as evidence.

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/519

3 – al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam said: No one wipes his face with his hands after saying du’aa’ except one who is ignorant.

Fataawa al-‘Izz ibn ‘Abd al-Salaam, p. 47

If it is not permitted to wipe the face after making du’aa’, it is more likely that the person who says du’aa’ should not be allowed to wipe his body either, or to kiss his eyes.

Rather the scholars stated that kissing the thumbs and placing them on the eyes is a bid’ah that was introduced by some of the Sufi tareeqahs, and there is a hadeeth concerning that which is falsely attributed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on wiping the face with the hands after making du’aa’. He replied:

Wiping the face with the hands after making du’aa’ is more likely to be not prescribed in Islam, because the ahaadeeth that have been narrated concerning that are da’eef (weak).

Shaykh al-Islam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "They cannot be used as evidence. If we are not certain or we think it most likely that this is not prescribed, then it is better not to do it, because Islamic rulings cannot be proven on the basis of mere conjecture, unless we believe it to be mostly likely to be the case.

What I think about wiping the face with the hands after du’aa’ is that it is not Sunnah. As is well known, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed for rain during his Friday khutbah and raised his hands, but it is not narrated that he wiped his face with them. Similarly in a number of ahaadeeth it says that the Prophet raised his hands, but there is no proof that he wiped his face."


SOURCE:
Islamqa, Fatwa no. 39174

Etiquette of making dua (supplications)

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

Allaah loves to be asked, and He encourages that in all things. He is angry with the one who does not ask of Him and He encourages His slaves to ask of Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And your Lord said: “Invoke Me [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism) and ask Me for anything] I will respond to your (invocation)” [Ghaafir 40:60]

Du’aa’ is very important in Islam, so much so that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Du’aa’ is worship.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3372; Abu Dawood, 1479; Ibn Maajah, 3828; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2590.

Secondly:

The etiquette of du’aa’:

1 – The one who is making du’aa’ should believe in Tawheed with regard to the divinity, Lordship, names and attributes of Allaah. His heart should be filled with Tawheed. In order for Allaah to respond to the du’aa’, it is essential that the person should be responding to his Lord by obeying Him and not disobeying Him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright” [al-Baqarah 2:186]

2 – Sincerity towards Allaah alone in making du’aa’. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And they were commanded not, but that they should worship Allaah, and worship none but Him Alone (abstaining from ascribing partners to Him)” [al-Bayyinah 98:5]

Du’aa’ is worship, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, so sincerity (ikhlaas) is a condition of its being accepted.

3 – We should ask of Allaah by His most beautiful names. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names belong to Allaah, so call on Him by them, and leave the company of those who belie or deny (or utter impious speech against) His Names” [al-A’raaf 7:180]

4 – We should praise Allaah as He deserves before we call upon Him. Al-Tirmidhi (3476) narrated that Fadaalah ibn ‘Ubayd (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Whilst the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting, a man came in and prayed and said, “O Allaah, forgive me and have mercy on me.” The Messenger of Allaah (S) said, “You have been too hasty, O worshipper. When you have prayed and are sitting, praise Allaah as He deserves to be praised, and send blessings upon me, then call upon Him.” According to another version (3477): “When one of you prays, let him start with praise of Allaah, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), then let him ask whatever he likes after that.” Then another man prayed after that, and he praised Allaah and sent blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O worshipper, ask and you will be answered.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2765, 2767.

5 – Sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Every du’aa’ is kept back until you send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” Narrated by al-Tabaraani in al-Awsat, 1/220; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4399.

6 – Facing towards the qiblah. Muslim (1763) narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: On the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) looked at the mushrikeen, who were one thousand strong, and his companions numbered three hundred and nineteen. Then the Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned to face the qiblah, then he stretched forth his hands and started to cry out to his Lord: “O Allaah, grant me what You have promised me, O Allaah, give me what You have promised me. O Allaah, if this small band of Muslims perishes, You will not be worshipped on earth.” He kept on crying out to his Lord, stretching forth his hands, facing towards the qiblah, until his cloak fell from his shoulders…

al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim: This shows that it is mustahabb to face towards the qiblah when making du’aa’, and to raise the hands.

7 – Raising the hands. Abu Dawood (1488) narrated that Salmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Your Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, is Kind and Most Generous, and He is too kind to let His slave, if he raises his hands to Him, bring them back empty.” Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1320.

The palm of the hand should be raised heavenwards, in the manner of a humble beggar who hopes to be given something. Abu Dawood (1486) narrated from Maalik ibn Yasaar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you ask of Allaah, ask of Him with the palms of your hands, not with the backs of them.” Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1318.

Should the hands be held together when raising them or should there be a gap between them?

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) stated in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (4/25) that they should be held together. What he said is: “As for separating them and holding them far apart from one another, there is no basis for that in the Sunnah or in the words of the scholars.” End quote.

8 – Having certain faith that Allaah will respond, and focusing with proper presence of mind, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Call upon Allaah when you are certain of a response, and remember that Allaah will not answer a du’aa’ that comes from a negligent and heedless heart.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3479; classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 2766.

9 – Asking frequently. A person should ask his Lord for whatever he wants of the good things in this world and the Hereafter, and he should beseech Allaah in du’aa’, and not seek a hasty response, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The slave will receive a response so long as his du’aa’ does not involve sin or severing of family ties, and so long as he is not hasty.” It was said, “What does being hasty mean?” He said: “When he says, ‘I made du’aa’ and I made du’aa’, and I have not seen any response,’ and he gets frustrated and stops making du’aa’.” Narrated by al-Bukahari, 6340; Muslim, 2735.

10. He should be firm in his du’aa’, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you should say, ‘O Allaah, forgive me if You wish, O Allaah, have mercy on me if You wish’; he should be firm in his asking, for Allaah cannot be compelled.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6339; Muslim, 2679.

11 – Beseeching, humility, hope and fear. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret” [al-A’raaf 7:55]

“Verily, they used to hasten on to do good deeds, and they used to call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselves before Us” [al-Anbiya’ 21:60]

“And remember your Lord within yourself, humbly and with fear and without loudness in words in the mornings and in the afternoons” [al-A’raaf 7:20]

12 – Saying du’aa’s three times. Al-Bukhaari (240) and Muslim (1794) narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “Whilst the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was praying at the Ka’bah, Abu Jahl and his companions were sitting nearby. They had slaughtered a camel the previous day, and Abu Jahl said: “Which of you will go and get the abdominal contents of the camel of Banu So and so and put it on the back of Muhammad when he prostrates?” The worst of the people went and got it, and when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prostrated, he placed it between his shoulders. They started laughing, leaning against one another. I was standing there watching, and if I had had any power, I would have lifted it from the back of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) remained in prostration, not lifting his head, until someone went and told Faatimah. She came with Juwayriyah, and lifted it from him, then she turned to them and rebuked them. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had finished his prayer, he raised his voice and prayed against them – and when he made du’aa’ or asked of Allaah he would repeat it three times – and he said: “O Allaah, punish Quraysh” three times. When they heard his voice, they stopped laughing and were afraid because of his du’aa’. Then he said, “O Allaah, punish Abu Jahl ibn Hishaam, ‘Utbah ibn Rabee’ah, Shaybah ibn Rabee’ah, al-Waleed ibn ‘Uqbah, Umayyah ibn Khalaf and ‘Uqbah ibn Abu Mu’ayt,” and he mentioned the seventh but I cannot remember who it was. By the One Who sent Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with the truth, I saw those whom he had named slain on the day of Badr, then they were dragged and thrown into the well, the well of Badr.

13 – Ensuring that one’s food and clothing are good (i.e., halaal). Muslim (1015) narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O people, Allaah is Good and does not accept anything but that which is good. Allaah enjoins upon the believers the same as He enjoined upon the Messengers. He says (interpretation of the meaning):

‘O (you) Messengers! Eat of the Tayyibaat [all kinds of Halaal (lawful) foods which Allaah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables, fruits)] and do righteous deeds. Verily, I am Well‑Acquainted with what you do’ [al-Mu’minoon 23:51]

‘O you who believe (in the Oneness of Allaah — Islamic Monotheism)! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you with’ [al-Baqarah 2:172]

Then he mentioned a man who travels for a long distance and is disheveled and dusty, and he stretches forth his hands towards heaven saying, ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ but his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, his clothing is haraam, he has been nourished with haraam, so how can he be responded to?

Ibn Rajab (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Ensuring that one’s food, drink and clothing are halaal, and that one is nourished with halaal, is a means of having one’s du’aa’ answered".

14 – Saying du’aa’ silently and not out loud. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret” [al-A’raaf 7:55]

And Allaah praised His slave Zakariyyah (peace be upon him) by saying (interpretation of the meaning):

“When he called to his Lord (Allaah) a call in secret” [Maryam 19:3]

SOURCE:
Islam Q&A
Fatwa no. 36902

Du’a And Its Relationship With Destiny

by Shaykh Abû Ammâr Yasir al-Qadhî

The topic of du’a and its relationship to destiny ( qadr) is a very important one, and one around which much confusion exists. Many people ask: “If everything has already been destined to occur, then of what use is du’a, as, if Allah has written what I want, I will get it without making du'a and if it is not written for me, then I will never get it no matter how much du’a I make?”

The response to this question lies in understanding that the outcome of anything is dependent on the performance of the efforts that are necessary to procure it. In other words, it has already been decreed, for example, that a seed will give fruit if planted, but this will not occur unless the farmer takes the appropriate efforts in irrigating the crop, maintaining it, protecting the seedling as it grows, and ensuring as much as he can that the factors are amenable for the plant to give fruit.

So even though a person believes in the Divine Decree, he must at the same time strive all he can to ensure that the desired goal occurs. So du’a is the means that one uses to achieve the desired goal that one has, and this means in no way contradicts the destiny that has been written for that person.

This stance is clarified by the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) hadith reported by Thawban, that he (peace be upon him) said:

“Nothing increases one’s life-span except good deeds, and nothing repels Divine Decree except dua. And verily, a person may be deprived of sustenance due to a sin that he does!”[1]

In other words, the performance of good deeds is a cause of increasing one’s life span, so if a person puts in the necessary effort, the results will be achieved, and this is also destined. So both the means to achieve a goal, and the fulfilment of the goal itself, are already decreed.

If someone were to ask: “How can du’a repel Divine Decree?” we would respond, “The fact that you may be ill has already been decreed by Allah for you, as has the fact that you will ask Allah to cure you of this illness (i.e. both the illness and your asking to cure the illness has been decreed). In a similar manner, a person maybe deprived of his sustenance that was decreed for him, since Allah’s eternal knowledge encompassed the fact that this person would perform a sinful deed that would cause the deprivation of his sustenance. All of this, then, is from the decree of Allah, all Glory and Praise be to Him”. There are a number of ahadith that clarify this point.

For example, Mu'adh ibn Jabal reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Caution will be of no benefit against Divine Decree, but du’ a benefits all things, whether they come down or not. I therefore advise you to make du'a, O servants of Allah!” [2]

So no matter how cautious a person is, he cannot escape what is written for him, simply because Allah controls everything, and nothing escapes His Knowledge or Power. However, by turning to Allah through du’a, it is possible to avert something that might have been decreed. Salman al-Farsi narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Nothing repels Divine Decree except du'a, and nothing increases one’s life-span except good deeds” [3]

This hadith informs us in no uncertain terms that the only way that we can repel some Divine Decree is through the means of du'a. So it is possible that some unpleasant matter has been preordained for us, but only if we do not make du’a to avert it from us. So if du’a is made, then this matter will not occur or be fulfilled, whereas if du’a is left, the misfortune will occur.

Another narration in al-Tirmidhi also supports this. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“There is no Muslim on the face of the earth that asks Allah for anything except that Allah gives it to him, or averts from him a similar evil, as long as he does not ask for something evil or for breaking the ties of kinship”. [4]

From this narration, the benefits of du’a are made clear, and its value is understood. For not only is a person rewarded for making a du’a, but it is also a cause of repelling an evil that was destined for him, and in obtaining the good that he was expecting.Ibn Hajr, commenting on the benefits of du’a, said:

“And the benefit of performing du’a is the attainment of reward by obeying the command (of Allah to make du’a), and also by the attainment of what is asked for, for there is a possibility that the request is dependent on the du’a, since Allah is the Creator of both the effort and result of the effort!” [5]

Therefore, the proper response to the question posed at the beginning of the chapter is, in the words of Ibn al-Qayyim, as follows:

“The logical consequences of such a reasoning leads to a rejection of all efforts. It can, therefore, be said to a person who holds this view, ‘If the satisfaction of your hunger and thirst has already been destined for you, then it will be fulfilled, whether you eat or not. On the other hand, if it has not been destined for you, it will never occur, whether you eat or not. And, if a son has been destined for you, then you will be granted one, whether you have intercourse with your wife or not. On the other hand, if a son has not been destined for you, then you will never be granted one. In this case, there is no point in you getting married...!’

“Now, will any sane person agree with all of these conclusions ?” [6]

To summarise, then, Divine Decree ( qadr) cannot be used as an excuse not to make du’a. For, just as one strives to ensure that one attains worldly needs, of food, drink and family, so too must one strive in ones religious deeds to attain the desired goal. Du’a is intrinsically related to qadr; in fact, it is a part of one’s qadr. Allah has already decreed that a certain matter will be granted to a servant, or an evil averted from him, if he makes du’a, so if he were to leave du’a, then the desired goal would not be reached.

Hence why it was the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to make the following du’a during the witr prayer:

“...Bless me in what You have given me. And avert and turn away from me the evil that has been decreed for me, for verily You Decree (all things), and none can decree against You..." [7]

So the Muslim turns to Allah and prays to Him so that any and all evil can be averted from him.

Additionally, it should be remembered that the concept of Divine Decree is one that a human can never fully understand, due to his limited intellect and finite capabilities. The true Muslim does not delve too deeply into the philosophical ramifications of Divine Decree. Rather, he accepts all that has occurred to him in the past as having been destined for him, and he strives to obtain what he desires in the future (as long as it is permissible for him). Since he does not know what has been written for him in the future, he expects the best from Allah, and does everything in his power to ensure that what he wants is granted him. Just like going to work every day will ensure, if Allah wills, that he gets his pay-cheque at the end of the month, so too does making du’a ensure, if Allah wills, that he achieves his desired goal.

Taken from the Book: Dua: The Weapon of the Believer published by al-Hidaayah Publications

SOURCE:
Islamic_Group



Footnotes

1 Narrated by Ibn Majah #90, and Shaykh al-Albani said in Sahih Ibn Majah (73): “It is authentic without the addition, ‘And verily...’; see al-Sahihah, # 154.”
2 This hadith is weak. It was narrated by Ahmad, Abu Ya'la , and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir, as has been mentioned in Da’if al-Jami’ # 4785.
3 Authentic, reported by al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim from Salman, and is in Sahih al-Jami’ # 7687.
4 Authentic, narrated by al-Tirmidhi from ‘Ubadah ibn Samit, as is mentioned in Sahih al-Jami’ # 5637.
5 Fath al-Bari, 11/95.
6 Al-Jawab al-Kafi, Ibn aI-Qayyim, p. 13.
7 Reported by al-Tirmidhi (# 464), al-Nasa’i (# 1725) and others, with an authentic chain.