Dua is a conversation which we have with Allah, our Creator, the Omniscient and the Almighty. This act of engaging in Dua in itself is of exceptional importance. It is the most liberating, stimulating and transformative conversation that a person can ever have with his Lord. We raise our hands before Allah and ask for all His help, mercy and forgiveness. He listens to us and fulfils our desires.

The Prophet (SAW) said:
أَقْرَبُ مَا يَكُونُ الْعَبْدُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَهُوَ سَاجِدٌ فَأَكثِرُوا الدُّعَاءَ
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: “The closest that the slave comes to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke Allah much (in prostration).” [Sahih Muslim].

There are innumerable benefits in making dua and supplicating to Almighty Allah, not only during testing times but also to show gratitude when things are going smoothly. There are many challenges in life, but our ultimate purpose in this world is to worship Allah and work productively in doing good deeds with the hope of attaining Jannah. What better way to worship Allah than to trust in His decree and ask Him alone to fulfil our supplications?

Many of us underestimate the power of dua and fail to realise that by supplicating to Allah and putting our trust and faith in His decisions, we become closer to our Lord and one step closer to making a positive change in our lives with renewed hope.
Let`s take a look at some of the benefits of Dua:

The greatest benefit of dua is its fulfilment
As Muslims we know that ultimately we will receive whatever Allah has decreed for us. By putting our trust in the Almighty, our dua is most likely to become fulfilled and this is one of the greatest benefits of making dua; it gives us hope and strengthens the bond between the Almighty and ourselves. If the dua is not fulfilled, it may be accepted later on in this life or in the Hereafter, or it may be that Allah knows what is best for us and what is not, which we may not be able to recognise ourselves.

Dua is a gateway to Allah’s mercy
Dua provides us with an opportunity to seek Allah’s mercy and forgiveness. We are all human and not immune to having sinned. If we seek reformation and ask Allah for forgiveness through dua we can hope to be forgiven for our sins and gain His mercy. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
‏والله إني لأستغفر الله وأتوب إليه في اليوم أكثر من سبعين مرة ‏‏
“By Allah, I seek Allah’s forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day.” [Bukhari]

Dua keeps your heart humble
Dua keeps arrogance away from our hearts and promotes humbleness. When we make dua, we feel the Almighty’s power and our reliance on Him, and we recognise our own powerlessness. All matters can ultimately only be solved by the Almighty, but our supplications and our efforts help us achieve our needs. Our daily supplications to Allah can refresh our hearts in remembrance of our Lord and make us aware that all matters comes from Him.

Dua is a Characteristic of the Believer
A true believer is the one who doesn’t abandon dua. The Quran is filled with verses in which the angels, prophets and believers make dua to Allah. If it is an act of the elite believers, we should try to imbibe this noble virtue in ourselves as well. In Surah Ambiya, Allah describes some of His favoured servants as being frequent in dua.
إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يُسَـٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلْخَيْرَٰتِ وَيَدْعُونَنَا رَغَبًا وَرَهَبًا ۖ وَكَانُوا۟ لَنَا خَـٰشِعِينَ
Indeed, they used to race in doing good, and call upon Us with hope and fear, totally humbling themselves before Us. [Al-Ambiya 21: 90]

The Reward of Dua is Guaranteed

The beloved Prophet ﷺ said,
“Any Muslim who supplicates to Allah in a Dua which contains no sin breaking of kinship, Allah will give him one of three things: either his Dua will be immediately answered or, it will be saved for him in the Hereafter, or it will turn away an equivalent amount of evil (from him)” The companions said “so we will ask for more” he replied, “Allah is more [generous].” [At-Tirmidhi]

Last but not the least Dua is the weapon of the Weak and the Oppressed, a sign of brotherhood, and a cure of all diseases. Dua has innumerable benefits. It should suffice that the benefits are so much that we should never abandon it from our lives.