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Supplication for Calamity and the Adab of Du`a

Healing in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Volume 9

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

29 December 2012 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan

Zhuhr Suhbah

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.

Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,

nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`alaa fee haadha 'l-masjid.

أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ

Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.

Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)

Inshaa-Allah we will continue about the importance of du`a. As we mentioned previously, Allah (swt) revealed in the Holy Qur’an that He sent Holy Qur’an as shifaa’, cure for humanity.

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاء وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

Wa nunazzilu mina al-qur’ani maa huwa shifaa’un wa rahmatan li ‘l-mu’mineen.

And We sent down in the Qur’an such things that have healing and mercy for the believers.

(Surat al-’Israa, 17:82)

He said that there is no differentiation for humanity, but others differentiate. Allah sent Sayyidina Muhammad (s) for the entire world! It is their problem that they did not accept Islam and align themselves and then on the Day of Judgment they cannot say, “We didn’t hear or see the verses of Holy Qur'an or du`as that cure physical and spiritual sicknesses.” Spiritual sicknesses are more difficult to cure because you cannot easily diagnose the illness as it requires very highly qualified spiritual guides. There are too many specialists for physical illness who can diagnose not all, but many sicknesses and through their own studies they can give you something that can make you feel better. This is a means, waseelah, that Allah gave to doctors to do their best as we know that the cure comes from Allah, whether physical or spiritual. That is why Holy Qur'an can, for sure, cure physical and spiritual illnesses.

Allah (swt) said, “We sent down in the Qur’an such things that have healing and mercy for the believers,” spiritual or physical, so we must follow what Allah said with belief. The one guiding you to that must believe in what he is saying, and the one receiving must also believe that the verse or du’a the guide is giving is going to heal them; it is not that one, but it is Allah who heals you through these verses or du’as. Allah (swt) gave awliyaullah the authority to heal. We have been discussing this in this series of lectures, now we are on the eighth. It would be best to start from the beginning to better understand this idea.

Most of the Sahaabah (r) and those who came after were using spiritual means of Holy Qur'an through His verses, as they are Allah's Words. When you mention Allah's Words, for example, saying, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa habeebuhu wa rasooluh,” and, “`alayhaa nahya wa `alayhaa namoot wa `alayhaa nalqa-Allah,” upon waking up in the morning and then making wudu and brushing your teeth, we do this so as to make them clean and to make us feel nice. This means that Allah's Words make us feel nice, but our belief is weak. We often ask our children in the morning or evening if they brushed their teeth and we expect them to brush their teeth in order not to get cavities. So why then are you not brushing your mind and heart in order not to get cavities in your heart for Shaytan to come through? (Speaking to a doctor) Why don’t you tell your patients to brush their teeth by reciting Holy Qur’an in the morning and to say “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa habeebuhu wa rasooluh.” If not, then there will be too many cavities in the heart and mind that Shaytan may come through and that is the illness of the spirit.

We know now that DNA is the blueprint for every Creation and in that blueprint there are doors and windows that are accessible for Shaytan to enter. If he enters from Door X, you may get sickness X; if he enters from Door Y, you may get sickness Y; if he enters from Door A, you may get AIDS. There some doors that are not as dangerous in comparison to those that are maradaat al-jinn, but you may get an illness that is impossible to cure or heal. Why do they do chemotherapy? Because Shaytan enters the body and spreads that illness, making that smell spread throughout the entire body. So we must believe what Prophet (s) said:

قال رسول الله : لكل داء دواء فإذا أصاب دواء الداء برأ بإذن الله .

Li kulli daa'in dawaa fa idhaa asaaba dawaa ad-da’aa baraa bi-idhnillah.

For every illness there is a cure. So if the cure is applied to the illness, it will be removed by Allah’s Will.

And the Prophet (s) said:

ما أنزل اللهُ مِنْ داءٍ إلا أَنْزَلَ لَهُ شِفَاءً‏ علمه من علمه وجهله من جهله

Maa anzal-Allahu min daa'in illa anzala lahu shifaa’an; `alamahu man `alamahu wa jahalahu man jahalahu.

Allah did not send down a sickness except He sent down a cure with it. He who knows it knows it, and he who is ignorant of it is ignorant of it. (Abu Hurayrah in Sahih Bukhari)

And that cure is not through drugs: with one-million percent certainty that cure will come from Holy Qur'an, because Allah (swt) said:

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

Fa idhaa qiraat al-qur`an fasta`idh billaahi min ash-shaytani ‘r-rajeem.

When you read the Holy Qur’an, you must ask support from Allah against Shaytan, the accursed.

(Surat an-Nahl, 16:98)

When you seek refuge and say “A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem,” all these cavities will be blocked and Shaytan will be unable to enter. If Shaytan enters, you may get the sickness that corresponds to the door he entered from. That is why there are compilations of hundreds and thousands of du`a al-maa'thooraat, Prophet’s recommended du`a that shuts these doors. People think they get sickness from this disease or that, but in reality it is from wherever Shaytan enters. You may have been ghaafil, heedless, and he was able to enter through that entrance and throw different diseases through that door. There are young shayateen, teen-aged shayateen, adult shayateen, and old shayateen. Unlike jinn, they don’t die except in the end. Maradat al-Jinn are the worst Shaytans and they don’t die, whereas normal jinn marry, have children and die.

So be careful of Shaytan! Allah (swt) said to recite “A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem” before reading Holy Qur’an. Why is it recommended before sleeping to recite, “Qul huwa Allahu ahad” three times, “qul a`oodhu bi rabbi ‘l-falaq,” and “qul a`oodhu bi rabbi ‘n-naas” both one time? “Qul huwa Allahu ahad” takes you out of shirk to a divine area in Allah’s Treasure. Surat al-Falaq gives you refuge in Allah from sorcery and Surat an-Naas protects you from the evil of jinn, the one who whispers in the hearts of people from human beings and from jinn, the “sharri ‘l-wawwasi ‘l-khannaas,” and that is the worst of shayaateen from jinn and human beings! (We recite it) because bad eyes from human beings can affect you. If Shaytan is entering through Door X or Door Y, the eyes of people are against each other. Envy and jealousy reflect bad, negative energy to the one you are jealous or envious of. So what do you need to do?

As we mentioned in the eight preceding lectures, Sayyidina `Ali (r) said, as mentioned in Ahmad's Musnad:

وعن علي بن أبي طالب قال: علمني رسول الله إذا نزل بي كرب أن أقول: لا إله إلا الله الحليم الكريم سبحان الله وتبارك الله رب العرش العظيم والحمد و رب العالمين.

Idhaa nazala bee karban an aqool laa ilaaha illa-Llah al-Haleem, al-Kareem, subhaan-Allahi, wa tabaarakallahu, Rabbu‘l-`Arshi ‘l-`Azheem, w’ alhamdulillahi Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen.

When an affliction came down or I was put in a difficulty, Prophet (s) taught me to say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah al-Haleem al-Kareem subhaan-Allahi wa tabaarakallahu Rabbu‘l-`Arshi ‘l-`Azheem, w’alhamdulillahi Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen.” (Ahmad, Nisa’ee and al-Haakim)

Reciting that will throw away a bad happening. Are we reading that du`a? No! This du`a prevents affliction from entering through a particular door. How many doors are there in the human body and how many are we going to close? There are three trillion doors in the body, a door on every cell in the body! If one cell is hurting the whole body hurts, as mentioned by the Prophet (s) that if a part of the body is hurting, the whole body will ache. So how can we close these doors? Allah is soft and patient with us; He will accept your repentance. Why do we remember Allah (swt) when we are ill? We do not remember Him all our lives, but when we get sick we remember Him and say, “Yaa Allah, yaa Hayyu, yaa Qayyum!” As the Prophet (s) used to raise his hands to Heaven and recite when something difficult would come on the ummah, “Yaa Allah, yaa Hayyu, yaa Qayyum, yaa Allah bi-rahmatika nastagheeth.”

Ibn Mas`ud (r) said, “Anyone of the prophets who felt an affliction coming was able to take it away by reciting tasbeeh.” You may recite any tasbeeh that comes to your heart from Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes. It is related by Sayyidina al-Hasan (r), grandson of the Prophet (s), from Ibn Abi ad-Dunya (r) in his book Kitab al-Mujabeen, Book of Those Whose Du`as Allah (swt) Accepted:

Kana rajulun min as-haab an nabi mina ‘l-ansaar, yukanna aw aba mo`allaq. There was a Sahaabi (r) from the Ansar in the time of the Prophet (s) who was a merchant who made good money. He traveled a lot and people invested their money with him and he brought good profit. One day he was traveling with some money and a thief stopped him. It was difficult to see his face as it was covered, and as he drew out his sword he said, “Put out all the money you have and on top of that, I am going to kill you, I will not leave you!” The Sahaabi (r) said, “Take the money. What do you need from my blood?” The thief answered, “I am taking your money and I will also kill you.” The Sahaabi said, “If you don’t want to leave me alone, give me permission to pray four raka`ats before I die.” “Pray as much as you like,” said the thief, “I will kill you right here, but if you want time to pray I will give it to you.”

So that Sahaabi (r) made wudu, prayed four raka`ats and then in the last sajda recited this du`a:

یَا وَدُودُ ، يَا ذَا الْعَرْشِ الْمَجِيدِ ، يَا فَعَّالُ لِمَا تُرِيدُ ، أَسْأَلُكَ بِعِزِّكَ الَّذِي لَا يُرَامُ ، وَمُلْكِكَ الَّذِي لَا يُضَامُ ، وَبِنُورِكَ الَّذِي مَلَأَ أَرْكَانَ عَرْشِكَ ، أَنْ تُكْفِيَنِي شَرَّ هَذَا اللِّصِّ ، يَا مُغِيثُ أَغِثْنِي ، يَا مُغِيثُ أَغِثْنِي ، يَا مُغِيثُ أَغِثْنِي

Yaa Wadood, yaa Wadood! Yaa Dhal-`Arshi ‘l-Majeed! Yaa fa`aalan limaa tureed! As’aluka bi `izzika ‘Lladhee laa yuraam wa bi-mulkika ‘Lladhee laa yudaam wa bi-noorika ‘Lladhee mala’a arkaana `arshika an takfiyanee sharra haadha ‘Llis. Yaa Mugheethu, aghithnee! Yaa Mugheethu, aghithnee! Yaa Mugheethu, aghithnee!

O Loving One! O Lord of the Glorified Throne! O You Who does what He wants! I ask You through Your Might which cannot be harmed, and Your Dominion which can not be defeated, and Your Light which filled the pillars of Your Thrown, that You protect me from the evil of this thief! O Savior from Calamity, save me! O Savior from Calamity, save me! O Savior from Calamity, save me!

As soon as he finished his du`a, a knight began to approach with a harbah, big spear in his hand. He had it placed on the ears of his horse. When the thief looked at him, he approached him to fight. The knight killed the thief with just one strike. Then he came to the Companion of the Prophet (s) and said, “Stand up.” The Sahaabi (r) said, “For the sake of Allah (swt) and Prophet (s), may Allah give you my life! Who are you? Allah has saved me today by your hands!” He said, “I am an angel from the angels of the Fourth Heaven. When you made that du`a, after the first part I heard the doors of heavens cracking with a loud noise, sam`itu bi abwaabi sama ar-rabi`a qaaqaa. Then after the second part of your du`a, dajja kabeera, was making lots of noises. Then after the third part of your du`a, a voice came to me saying, ‘Go and help that person!’ I asked Allah to give me permission to kill him.”

And Sayyidna al-Hasan (r) (the narrator) said, “Whoever makes wudu, prays four raka`ats and makes this du`a, Allah will accept it from him regardless if that person has any afflictions or not.”

But who doesn’t have afflictions? If you have a nice life, you still may have too many sins. Whether you have a problem or not, if you make that du`a Allah (swt) will shut that door of sickness. So it means we have to learn different du`as as every du`a is like a doctor. When he examines you he says, “You are sick, take these tablets.” He prescribes medicine that will cure that specific illness.) A patient with diabetes must take the medicine for diabetes, otherwise they will not be cured. We believe that every du`a has an effect and a cure, but if we don’t know any du`as, through our hearts with Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes, Allah will accept.

And we mentioned that for a du`a to be accepted, you must bring a sadaqa in front of (to precede) your du`a. You have to give before or after the du`a, as Allah (swt) said to the Prophet (s):

خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ صَلاَتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ وَاللّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Khudh min amwaalihim sadaqatan tutahhiruhum wa tuzakkeehim bihaa wa salli `alayhim inna salaataka sakanun lahum w’Allahu samee`un `aleem.

Take alms of their wealth, from which you may purify them and make them grow, and pray for them. Verily, your prayer is an assuagement for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower. (Surat at-Tawbah, 9:103)

Why do you pay the doctor when you visit him? He charges you before you leave; Allah likes you to give sadaqa in His Way. Give one euro, one pound, or one dollar in the box in your masjid or slaughter something and give to orphans or poor people. Give blankets or Holy Qur'an to people who cannot afford it. You have to give something that you will be cured through it. Shukran li hasaanatihi... Allah makes your du`a accepted, thanking you for the sadaqa you have given. We have to thank Allah, but He is so generous and merciful with us, saying, “O My servant! You made du`a and on top of that you gave sadaqa. I am going to give you, bless you, thank you, and raise you higher.”

Also, sometimes you make du`a at a special time and Allah accepts it, such as one hour before Fajr, and we previously mentioned six special times in which du`a is accepted; you may go back and review them. That is why it is said, ad-du`a silah al-m’umin, “The du`a is the weapon of the believer.” So our weapon is not a sword or a knife, a gun or a stone, our weapon is du`a!

Prophet (s) said:

من رأى منكم منكرا فليغيره بيده ، فإن لم يستطع فبلسانه ، فإن لم يستطع فبقلبه ، وذلك أضعف الإيمان . رواه مسلم

Man ra’a minkum munkaran fa ’l-yughayirahu bi yadihi fa man lam yast`ati fa bi lisaanihi fa in lam yast`ati fa bi qalbihi wa dhaalika ada`f al-imaan.

Whoever sees something wrong should try to change it with his hand and if he cannot, then with his tongue and if he cannot, then with his heart and that is the weakest level of faith. (Muslim)

“By hand” would be to write something to someone (such as an apology) and try to change it. If you cannot, then change it with your tongue by speaking and if not with your tongue, then by your heart through du`a, and that is the weakest of imaan. Without making du`a, you will not be safe and your sickness will not go away, especially spiritual sickness.

May Allah (swt) bless us and forgive us.

Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

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