However, if one’s prayers are not answered then one should also scrutinize one’s life-style. If one does not fulfil one’s obligations imposed by Sharīʿah and does not care whether one’s earnings are lawful or unlawful then utterance of a few words of prayer will not fulfil the aims of duʿā’. This is well illustrated by a ḥadīth in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) told of a person who was on a long journey in a dishevelled state and covered in dust, who stretched both his hands towards the sky calling: “O My Lord! O My Lord” while his condition was that his food was unlawful, his drink was unlawful and his dress was unlawful. “He was being nourished by ḥarām (unlawful) means. How could his prayer be granted?” (Muslim).
The Auspicious Times for Duʿā’
Although duʿā’ can be made at any time during the day or night, certain days and times are indicated by the authentic aḥādīth as auspicious. They are: Laylat al-Qadr, the day of ʿArafah, early morning before dawn, certain times on Fridays, at the time of breaking the fast, during the Ḥajj, after completion of reading the Qur’ān and between saying the Adhān and the Iqāmah. Although duʿā’ can be made in any language, if one chooses a duʿā’ mentioned in the Qur’ān and aḥādīth one can hope that these will be more effective.
References
Duʿā’: 2: 186; 3: 38; 17: 11; 27: 62; 54: 10.
Dunyā [
Meaning
Danā means to be near or to be close as well as to be low or lowly. From this root comes the word Adnā meaning nearer, closer, situated lower down, inferior or of less significance; its feminine form is Dunyā. The word Dunyā is used for this world as it is closest to one’s life as opposed to the life of the Hereafter. It is also considered to be base and low in comparison to the Hereafter. Dunyā refers to everything on this earth.
Characteristics of Dunyā
IMMEDIATE AND PERCEPTIBLE
As compared to the Ākhirah, Dunyā is more immediate and perceptible, whereas the Ākhirah is distant and hidden. For this reason Dunyā is referred to as al-ʿĀjilah (fleeting life). “Nay, but you love the fleeting life, and leave alone the Hereafter” (al-Qiyāmah 75: 20–21; al-Insān 76: 27).
TRANSITORY
The Qur’ān has often emphasized that this world is transitory and perishable as compared to the Ākhirah which is to remain forever. “Nay (behold) you prefer the life of this world. But the Hereafter is better and more enduring.” (al-Aʿlā 87: 16–17) As man by nature is impatient (al-Anbiyā’ 21: 37) he loves haste and things that are achievable hastily. For this reason he pins his hopes and efforts on transitory things which do not endure for long but he neglects things of lasting value, which come slowly but surely but can only be seen in the Hereafter.
GLITTERING AND ALLURING
This world and its adornments attract people to the life of joy and pleasure and of play and amusement (al-Anʿām 6: 32). However, these worldly goods and chattels which one is so proud to collect and display are in fact only deceptions (Āl ʿImrān 3: 185). And these worldly possessions only provide a little enjoyment (Āl ʿImrān 3: 197).
In Sūrah al-Ḥadīd an apt simile is given to explain the utter futility of this alluring world. “Know you (all) that the life of this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children. Here is a similitude; how rain and the growth which brings forth delight to (the hearts of) the tillers soon withers. You will see it becomes yellow. Then it becomes dry and crumbles away” (al-Ḥadīd 57: 20).
Yet this Dunyā is also called Dār al-Imtiḥān (a place of test) where one has to work hard in order to reap the reward from Allah; otherwise by neglecting one’s duties one becomes liable for the punishment in the Hereafter. There is a saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that this world is the farmland for the Hereafter.
References
Dunyā: 4: 77; 6: 32; 11: 15; 20: 72; 35: 5.
Faḥshā’, Fāḥishah [
Meaning
Faḥusha means to be monstrous, to be excessive, atrocious, obscene and indecent. Etymologically from this root, Faḥshā’ and al-Fāḥishah (pl. Fawāḥish) have connotations of indecency and excessiveness. Al-Fāḥisha is the Qur’ānic term for obscenity and indecency. It means everything that exceeds its limit. However, it is mainly associated with sexual immorality and those acts that human beings instinctively find repulsive. Such vices include adultery, fornication, homosexuality, nudity and pornography or any other obscene act.
Analysis
The Qur’ān enjoins Muslims to refrain from all the immoral and indecent acts whether open or secret (al-Anʿām 6: 151 and al-Aʿrāf 7: 33). Some of the shameful and immoral acts also have legal and social sanctions as they are offences against society and are universally considered abominable. Then there are certain acts in which one may indulge in private but will feel ashamed if this comes to public knowledge, such as watching pornography or looking at someone with lust which the Qur’ān describes as treachery of the eyes (Ghāfir 40: 19).
To save society and oneself from this flood of immodesty, and shameful and evil deeds, Allah has endowed human beings with natural modesty, shyness and bashfulness. In Islamic terminology this is called al-ḥayā’. In essence, it is a feeling in one’s heart that keeps one from indulging in evil deeds that may cause embarrassment. It is very close to what is termed “one’s moral conscience” in Western society. If one has no conscience one can perform and do whatever one likes without any care for what society might think. Conversely, someone with a conscience will feel ashamed to do any evil deed even if no one is watching. The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasized this on many occasions: “Ḥayā’ and īmān are two companions that go together. If one of them is lifted, the other is also lifted” (al-Ḥākim). It is very obvious from this ḥadīth that a person who has no ḥayā’ lacks faith as well. In another ḥadīth the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: “Al-ḥayā’ is part of īmān”