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Copyright Š 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages to review.
ISBN 978-0-9571605-0-7 Third Edition, January 2013
I am Alima Publishing House publications@iamalima.org
Cover images courtesy of Qasim Shah (qshah.co.uk)
Du'as of
the
Superstars Alima Ashfaq
I am Alima Publishing House
Acknowledgments Alhamdulillah – all praise be to Allāh for everything, all good is from Him and all the mistakes are mine. I dedicate this to my parents, for bringing me up when I was young and for allowing me to move forward in my dreams... I dedicate this to all those who want to make a difference! To all the Superstars who are preparing to take this Ummah to another level, inshāAllāh. I dedicate this to all those Superstars who held me to high standards. BārakAllāhu feekum to Anjum Rajput, Simreen Rafaq, Faiza Kassim, ‘Aisha Zahid and Sabiah Abdur Razzaq. JazākumAllāhu khayrun to Brothers; ‘Ali Sajaad and Idris Kennedy for assisting me in seeing that there is a world beyond our limited lenses. Finally BarakAllāhu feekum to Faatima Varchhia, Marriam Ghaffar, Rahma Timer and Qasim Shah for seeing this publication right until the end.
Contents Preface ........................................................................................................... 1 Du’a: Between you and your Lord ............................................................ 5 The importance of du’a ............................................................................10 2.1. What makes du’a so important? ..................................................10 2.2. Why do people stress du’a as much as they do?........................11 2.3. How can du'a change your life? ...................................................13 2.4. Why don't people utilise this treasure in their lives?.................14 2.5. Prioritising your du’a .....................................................................16 Are you a Superstar? ..................................................................................17 You and the du’a Wow-o-Meter..............................................................21 4.1. The rating system ...........................................................................24 4.2. Why is it important to measure yourself?...................................25 Du'a Wow-O-Meter: Rate thyself............................................................27 Importance of Goals .................................................................................34 Four reasons why people fail to set goals ..............................................42 7.1. Unaware of the importance of goals ...........................................42 7.2. You have to make the right decision ..........................................43 7.3. Your goals have to be written ......................................................50 7.4. RMP planning tool ........................................................................52
7.5. Books as your companion ............................................................ 57 7.6. The fear of failure .......................................................................... 60 Seven conditions for setting Superstar goals ......................................... 74 8.1. The Ultimate Vision ...................................................................... 74 8.2. You must have a meaningful purpose ........................................ 94 8.3. Your goal should be clear and well defined in your mind ..... 102 8.4. Your goal must be ambitious..................................................... 104 8.5. Don't fear your goal instead believe you can achieve them .. 106 8.6. Transform your goals into steps with a practical plan that you strive to implement with deadlines and time periods .................... 119 8.7. Exert all your efforts to achieve your goals, push yourself and make sacrifices until you achieve them............................................ 123 Components of Success ......................................................................... 134 9.1. Sincerity......................................................................................... 134 9.2. Ask with the names and attributes of AllÄ h ............................ 136 9.3. Piety ............................................................................................... 138 9.4. Put your trust in Him .................................................................. 141 The du'as that will grant you success.................................................... 144 10.1. O my Lord, grant me high standards! .................................... 145 10.2. O my Lord, make me righteous! ............................................. 147 10.3. O my Lord, grant me the will to persevere ........................... 149 10.4. O my Lord, grant me victory!.................................................. 151
10.5. O my Lord, save me from the fire! ........................................ 153 10.6. O my Lord, give me both! ....................................................... 155 10.7. O my Lord, forgive my sins! ................................................... 157 10.8. O my Lord, bless me with a superstar! .................................. 160 10.9. O my Lord, make me grateful! ............................................... 162 10.10. O my Lord, remove enmity from my heart! ....................... 164 10.11. O my Lord, make me firm! ................................................... 166 10.12. O my Lord, I need your mercy! ............................................ 168 10.13. O my Lord, if you don't forgive me, who will?.................. 170 10.14. O my Lord, protect me!......................................................... 172 10.15. O my Lord, accept my worship! ........................................... 174 10.16. O my Lord, help me to step up! ........................................... 176 10.17. O my Lord, grant me a child! ............................................... 178 10.18. O my Lord, make me strong!................................................ 180 10.19. O my Lord, make me do the right thing! ............................ 182 10.20. O my Lord, forgive them! ..................................................... 184 10.21. O my Lord, I need you! ......................................................... 187 10.22. O my Lord, grant us respite! ................................................. 189 10.23. O my Lord, save us from oppression! ................................. 191 10.24. O my Lord, grant me my book in my right hand! ............. 193 10.25. O my Lord, grant me confidence! ........................................ 195 10.26. O my Lord, you are enough for me! .................................... 197
10.27. O my Lord, I love them, so protect them! .......................... 199 How can you change your future? ........................................................ 201 APPENDIX A .................................................................................... 206 APPENDIX B .................................................................................... 207 Glossary .................................................................................................... 209
Preface I have grown with two formulae, it's like a secret formula, and yet it's not so secret (as you shall see) and this is sincere du'a coupled with action. We all have certain issues and go through difficult situations that bring us to our lowest points, or dreams that we wish to aspire to and achieving
them
pleases
us
beyond
measure.
As
our
problems overtake us and our dreams delight us, we look for every counter-step we could possibly dream of. Furthermore, we look for every action that we'll need to fulfil our dreams and continue to excel. However, as we look through our friends, family and the celebrities around us, we may find that although they're successful, but their successes are at times short lived. Perhaps their inner peace is sometimes
missing,
or
the
actions
they
take
are
not conducive to Islam. The beauty of the situation is without a doubt, every problem that we face has a solution within the Qur'an. It is no lie that the Superstars of the past had made Superstar du'as that had the potential to shape their Superstar futures. 1
In Du'as of the Superstars, the focus is on two things: 1. What you can do to attain success and this is achieved by bringing formulae that will take you from your point A to point B. 2. This will be done through du’as which you should use as a means of moving past your problems, as well as living your dreams! Allāh has high standards and I want to assist you to know what those high standards are! Just like you all, I have dreams too. I wish to aspire and achieve the highest level of Jannah and this can be done through continuous striving in this world, in hope of entry into His Paradise by His mercy. Life is a test and as I started to look through what could help me attain my goal, I realised that without His help I am futile, nothing and helpless. Whereas, with His Support and Mercy, the world can be mine and with His permission, the Hereafter will be too inshāAllāh. Upon searching for the solution and finding it, I wished to share it with you too. Now, I await and adorn my life with these daily du’as and as in Islam, we wish for others what we wish for ourselves, I wish you the best of success. In this book I will explain the du’a and relate it back to us and the situations we face daily and then the du’a will be revealed, I assure you it will be worth the wait, inshāAllāh as this is Kalamullāh, the words of Allāh. I hope this book will be a form of guidance for those who wish to find a solution to their hurdles and aspire higher, as it is Jannah that 2
we desire. I hope from Allāh that He accepts this humble effort from me and forgives me for any mistakes I have made whilst compiling this, inshāAllāh.
Your sister, Alima Ashfaq
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Chapter One
Du’a: Between you and your Lord "Oh God, this is going to be quick, but can you help me find my phone? If you do, I swear I will pray!"
Think about it, when do you call Allāh ? Is it always when you’re feeling great, chilling and enjoying life? Or is it when you need something? You want an exchange and no-one else can help you? Many times we call out to Allāh when we are in need. Sometimes it can be a dire invocation to our Lord the Most High, for example, Hussayn’s younger brother has been estimated to live for another few days or ‘Aaliyah’s house has just been robbed stark-bare. On the other hand, Zaynab wants 3 A’s so she can attend the University she’s been dreaming of and Ahmed wants to get married to that girl whom he believes will help him attain the pleasure of Allāh . Indeed as you can see, everyone has different desires and wishes. In most cases, there is nothing wrong with what you call out for, but 5
there are certain etiquettes that should precede it and follow it. For example if you received a letter which said: "Yo Fatima!" Would you read on? You’d probably have a mini heart attack. Okay, perhaps not, times have changed I guess. However, there will be a change of attitude in how you perceive the writer. Think about a letter of complaint or enquiry, the first thing you would need is paper, obviously! After writing out your introductory and main paragraphs, you end the letter with gratitude which is usually represented by: Yours Sincerely/Gracefully. The last stage would be stamping the letter and sending it via post. Du’a is simple, but a lot of the time we forget there are certain things we should be doing before and after our supplication. For example, you would not go and ask for help from a friend whom you have not talked to in years. Even if you did, you would make sure that you sugar coat everything for them and the words; "how have you been?! I have missed you!" These terms would be added to the letter to save face and ensure the help is given, even if you were sincere in your request. It’s true right? Allāh the Most High says in the Qur’an:
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"And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided." 1 There is nothing wrong with calling out to Allāh at times of need, in fact, we should and must call out to Allāh, the Most High. After all He is our Creator and who else will be able to help us at times of need but Him? Okay, so you may think that it’s your best friend who helps you out. Purely because they managed to lend you money, but wait, in fact hold on. Ask yourself: was it solely their money? Or was it because the two of you were powerful enough to have met using your own strength? No. Allāh, the Most Glorious allows us to use these means to get what we want. It is He who helped us find that friendship. The Prime Minister doesn’t hear our cries, nor do our parents when they’re far away or even close by. It is Allāh who is the only One who can truly alleviate our pain and continue to bestow us with His blessings. The Prophet, may Allāh send peace and blessings upon him, said: "Make Du’a and be assured of being answered, and know that Allāh does not answer a Du’a from a careless heart which is not concentrating." 2
1 2
The Glorious Qur’an, Al-Bakarah 2:186 Reported by At-Tirmidhi 7
Therefore, one should not just be making careless du’a. You need to care about it! You need to love calling out to Allāh the Most Glorious and want to turn to Him at every fall and even climb. This book explores selected du’as, relevant to our times, which were accepted by Allāh the Most Glorious and if you ask sincerely, then will be accepted by Allāh again. Moreover, you should always remember there is no barrier between you and your Lord. Yes, we may be very distant from Him. However, Allāh the Most Wise is with us with His knowledge:
"And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein." 3 So my dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam, never despair from asking Allāh. Du’a is between you and your Lord, don’t you think that the One, who created you, knows you better than you know yourself? So why not ask Him? Who can truly help you but Him? My fellow Muslims, read on to find exemplary du’as. Du’as made by some of the best of creations. Du’as which kept them going and lead 3
The Glorious Qur’an, Al-Qaaf 50:16 8
them to finally attain the pleasure of their Rabb, Allāh, the Most High. I ask one last thing from yourself before you move on; please make du’a that Allāh the Most Magnificent answers our du’as, mine and yours, inshāAllāh.
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Chapter Two
The importance of du’a Sup·pli·cate: verb (used without object)
1. To pray humbly; make humble and earnest entreaty or petition. 2. To pray humbly to; entreat or petition humbly. 3. To seek or ask for by humble entreaty.
2.1. What makes du’a so important? So what makes du’a important? you might wonder, as a hundred and one thoughts circulate inside your mind. You wonder why so many people explain this topic with such care. Well, let me ask you: have you ever felt hopeless? You feel such hopelessness that you’d do anything to rectify things and make them better? Maybe someone close to your heart passed away or left, or you’ve come to terms with something painful and there is nothing in your power that can stop this emotion from causing you grief. Or perhaps, someone wishes to hurt you and you don’t understand why? 10