The essence and secret of duʿā’ lies in expressing your utter need for Allah with deep humility, desperation, and complete dependence. This is the very essence of true ʿubūdiyyah (servitude) to Allah.
ʿUbudiyyah is built upon two pillars: complete love and utmost humility. It is to surrender fully to Allah, expressing your dire need of Him, loving Him more than anything, and recognising that He is your Rabb, the Nurturing Lord, while you are His ʿabd, a slave completely dependent on Him for your every breath, need and moment. Every atom of your being relies on Him; were He to leave you to fend for yourself even for an instant, you would perish.
Al-Khaṭṭābī (raḥimahullāh) writes: “The reality of duʿā’ is the servant calling upon his Lord for care and seeking assistance from Him. Its essence lies in showing one’s complete neediness and lack of power and ability, which is itself the hallmark of true servitude. The servant is always conscious that, as a human, he is weak and insignificant. At the same time, duʿāʾ embodies praise of Allah, acknowledging His boundless generosity and mercy.”
“Whoever seeks eternal happiness should stand firmly at the doorstep of ʿubūdiyyah (servitude).” – Ibn Taymiyyah (raḥimahullāh)
Tadarruʿ: The Heart of Duʿa
Allah ﷻ commands:
وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَا وَادْعُوهُ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا ۚ إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِّنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ
ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً ۚ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ
“Call upon your Lord humbly and secretly. Surely He does not like the transgressors. Do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order. And call upon Him with hope and fear. Indeed, Allah’s mercy is always close to the good-doers” (7:55-56).
The word taḍarruʿ (تَضَرُّع) stems from ḍarʿ, referring to the udder of cattle, the source of nourishment for their young. When a baby animal approaches its mother to feed, it does so with desperation and complete dependence, knowing it cannot survive without that milk. This image captures the essence of taḍarruʿ: a state of deep humility, vulnerability, and reliance on Allah.
Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) said: “Duʿā’ is an act of servitude to Allah, an expression of need before Him, and humility in His presence. The more a servant increases it, lengthens it, repeats it, presents it in various forms — the deeper their servitude, the clearer their poverty, humility, and need become. And this draws them nearer to their Lord and brings greater reward.”
Duʿā’ is rooted in the fiṭrah: the natural disposition upon which Allah created every soul. Even those who deny Him in times of ease instinctively call upon Him in hardship. When danger looms — amid crashing waves at sea, turbulence on a plane, or illness — the heart turns instinctively to Allah alone. As Allah ﷻ says: “When you are touched with hardship at sea, those you (normally) invoke desert you, except for Him” (17:67).
Reflect: Think back to a moment of deep distress, when your heart poured out in duʿāʾ, your tears fell, and you felt completely helpless. That is taḍarruʿ. Now imagine being the lone survivor of a shipwreck, clinging to a plank in a freezing sea, starving and terrified. How would you call upon Allah then? This is how duʿāʾ should be made every day: with brokenness, desperation and a deep certainty that you cannot survive without Him.
The Door of Humility: The Nearest Path to Allah
When we make duʿā’, we express our weakness, incapacity and helplessness; a state of heart deeply beloved to Allah. Sahl al-Tustarī (raḥimahullāh) said, “There is no path between the servant and his Lord closer than the path of neediness.” Humbling yourself and showing your servitude is the quickest route to Him. One of the pious predecessors said:
“I have tried coming closer to Allah by entering all the doors of worship. But every time I came close to a door, I found that it was crowded with people; thus, I was unable to enter until I approached the door of humility and desperate need for Him. I found that it was in fact the nearest and widest of all doors to Allah; there were not any crowds at it nor were there any barriers. As soon as I placed my foot inside, He took my hand and admitted me inside.”
Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh) explains: “Whoever Allah wishes good for, He opens for him the door of humility, brokenness, constant turning to Allah, and dependence upon Him.”
Therefore, when you make duʿā’, pray as a humble servant. Affirm your helplessness and desperate need for Him. Turn to Allah as a desperate beggar, crying out to Him. Feel that not a single hair in your body can do without Him.
Ibn Rajab (raḥimahullāh) said: “Some of the God-fearing used to sit quietly at night, with their heads lowered and their hands outstretched like a beggar. This is among the most profound expressions of humility, displaying utter need and poverty before Allah. It reflects the heart’s deep sense of need in duʿā’, its brokenness before Allah the Almighty, and its recognition of its dire dependence on Him. And the response to duʿā’ corresponds to the intensity of one’s desperation and sense of need.”
Mūsā (ʿalayhis-salām) said: “O Lord, where can I find You?” Allah replied: “You will find Me with those whose hearts are broken.”
Ask Allah for Everything: The Beauty of Complete Reliance
Asking Allah for everything is a sign of complete ʿubūdiyyah to Him. When reciting the daily adhkār and duʿās, do not recite them out of habit. Instead, feel your deep need for Allah as you ask Him for everything — both great and small.
Allah (ʿazza wa jall) says in a ḥadīth qudsī, “My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so ask Me for guidance, I will guide you. My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so ask Me to feed you, I will feed you. My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so ask Me for clothing, I will clothe you. My servants, you sin by night and day and I forgive all sins, so ask Me for forgiveness, I shall forgive you.
My servants, you will never be able to harm Me so as to harm Me, and you will never be able to benefit Me so as to benefit Me. My servants, even if the first and last of you, your human beings and your jinn were to stand on one flat piece of land and they were to ask Me and I gave each one of them what he asked for, that would not decrease what I have except as the needle does when it is entered into the sea” (Muslim).
Whenever Abū Idrīs (raḥimahullāh) would narrate this ḥadīth from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he would fall to his knees, overwhelmed by its impact and deeply moved by its meaning.
Ibn Rajab (raḥimahullāh) explains that this ḥadīth teaches us that Allah loves for His servants to ask Him for all their worldly needs — including food, drink and clothing — just as they should ask Him for forgiveness and guidance. We should never belittle any request that we ought to make from Allah. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Let one of you ask his Lord for all that he needs, even for the strap of his sandal when it tears” (Tirmidhī). One of our predecessors would ask Allah for all his needs in his ṣalāh, including salt for his bread, and fodder for his animal.
Reflect: When was the last time you asked Allah for your food, your clothes, or your guidance? Or did you think you already had enough and forgot to ask Him?
Duʿa of Musa (ʿalayhis-salam): A Perfect Example of Humility
One of the most heartfelt supplications in the Qur’ān comes from the great Prophet Mūsā (ʿalayhis-salām), made at a moment of intense vulnerability. Fleeing from one of history’s greatest tyrants, he finds himself in exile in Madyan, alone, hungry, afraid and penniless in a foreign land.
Despite his own hardship, Mūsā shows remarkable nobility by helping two young women water their flock. Only after this act of kindness does he retreat into the shade and quietly turn to the One free of all need, saying:
رَبِّ إِنِّيْ لِمَآ أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيْرٌ
“My Lord, I am in dire need of whatever good thing You may send me.” (28:24)
His duʿā’ displays the essence of humility: he presents his state of need, expressing poverty and trust in his Lord’s generosity. It is as if he is saying: “O my Lord, I am desperately in need of whatever goodness, provision, or mercy You choose to send my way, from Your vast generosity and blessings. Enrich me with You alone, so that I need none besides You.”
Allah loves when His servants call upon Him in weakness and brokenness as these are the most beloved states to Him. May we turn to Allah daily with this same humility and brokenness, seeking His help in all matters, trusting in His boundless mercy and generosity.
Surah al-Mulk Reflections
