بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

The Conditions for the Acceptance of Du‘ā

Sometimes we find ourselves asking why our duʿās are not accepted. There could be a number of reasons for this. The Prophet ﷺ has mentioned in his aḥādīth the following reasons:

1. Not paying attention whilst making duʿā
2. Consuming ḥarām
3. Asking for impermissible things
4. Being impatient by saying, “I made duʿā but it wasn’t accepted.”

How Duʿās are Accepted

If we find that our duʿās do not fall foul of the above, yet still our they have not been accepted, then we should consider the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, in which he reports that the Messenger of Allāh صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

No-one makes du‘ā to Allāh for anything except that it is accepted; either he gets what he wants in this world, or either it is treasured for him in the Hereafter, or either his sins are forgiven in return for whatever he asked for. [He will get all this] as long as he does not ask for anything impermissible, or to break ties of kinship, or becomes impatient… (At-Tirmidhī)[1]

In sum, if we find that we are not getting whatever we asked for, it does not necessarily mean that our du‘ās are not being accepted. Rather, through His infinite Wisdom, Allāh knows what is best for us, and instead of granting us what we wish, He gives us something that is of greater benefit to us. This could be in the form of us being saved from a calamity was about to befall us, or it could just be that we do not get anything in this world, but gain much reward in the Hereafter. When we understand this concept, we will never give up making du‘ā, and we will always be content with the outcome of everything. After all, Allāh knows what is best for us at every given moment.