Du’a And Its Relationship With Destiny..

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 (SAWS) hadith reported by Thawban, that he (SAWS) said:

1 * “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!”

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.” ]

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.

2 * Salman al-Farsi narrated that the Prophet (SAWS) said:

“Nothing repels Divine Decree except du'a, and nothing increases one’s life-span except good deeds” [Authentic, reported by al-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim from Salman, and is in Sahih al-Jami’ # 7687.]

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.

♥♥ Prophet’s (SAWS) hadith reported by Thawban, that he (SAWS) 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!

[”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.”]