You made du’a last week. You asked Allah ﷻ for something. You wanted it desperately, according to how you felt. You raised your hands. You said the words. You waited.
Nothing happened. According to your perception after a few days, nothing changed. So according to typical modern Muslim behavior, you stopped. You got frustrated. You started doubting. “Why doesn’t Allah answer my du’a?” you asked.
Now let me tell you about Prophet Zakariya عليه السلام, as documented in the Quran studied by Islamic scholars for fourteen centuries. According to authenticated Islamic sources, he made du’a for a child for decades. Not days. Not weeks. Not months. Decades.
He was old—around 92 years old when Allah ﷻ finally answered him. Some narrations documented by classical scholars say he was even 120 years old. His wife was barren. She was around 98 years old and—biologically impossible to have children, as these sources emphasize.
Yet according to the Quran, he kept making du’a. Year after year. Decade after decade. His bones weakening. His hair turning white. His body failing. And he never gave up.
You give up after a week. Sometimes after a single du’a. And you wonder why your results are different from his?
The Du’a That Shames Your Impatience
[Surah Maryam, Ayah 2-6]
“This is a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zakariya. When he called to his Lord a private supplication. He said, ‘My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head has filled with white, and never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy. And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir.'”
Listen to the humility in that du’a. He acknowledged his weakness—his old bones, his white hair, his wife’s condition. He wasn’t making demands, based on the tone preserved in the Quran. He was begging. Humbly. Desperately, as the Arabic indicates.
But notice something crucial according to this verse studied by scholars: “Never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy.”
He had been making du’a for years. Decades. And according to this explicit Quranic testimony, Allah ﷻ had never disappointed him—even though according to outward appearance, the du’a hadn’t been answered yet.
That’s the difference between him and you: He understood that du’a itself is worship. The act of raising your hands is valuable regardless of immediate results. He didn’t make du’a only to get what he wanted. He made du’a because calling upon Allah ﷻ is itself a blessing.
You? you treat du’a like placing an order on Amazon. You pray. You expect delivery. When it doesn’t arrive on your timeline according to your expectations, you leave a bad review and stop ordering, as this analogy illustrates contemporary attitudes.
[Surah Aal-e-Imran, Ayah 38]
“At that, Zakariya called upon his Lord, saying, ‘My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication.'”
“Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication,” according to this Quranic phrase emphasized by scholars. Not “You are the Instant Granter.” Not “You are the Vending Machine,” as scholars point out when refuting wrong concepts. “The Hearer,” according to this divine Name. Because sometimes the answer is not in giving you what you asked for—it’s in the relationship built through asking.
Why Your Du’a Dies at Your Lips
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told a story, as recorded in Sahih Muslim (Hadith 1015):
“Then he mentioned a man who, having journeyed far, is disheveled and covered with dust. He lifts his hand towards the sky (and supplicates): ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ while his food is unlawful (haram), his drink is unlawful, his clothes are unlawful, and he has been nourished with the unlawful. Then how can his supplication be accepted?”
Let that destroy every excuse you have. This man has everything going for him externally: He’s traveling—and travelers’ du’as are answered. He’s disheveled and dusty—showing humility and hardship. He’s raising his hands—the Sunnah position for du’a. He’s calling “O Lord, O Lord” with desperation.
But according to this same prophetic statement, his du’a won’t be answered. Why? Because according to the explicit reason the Prophet ﷺ gave: His food, drink, clothes, and nourishment are all from haram sources.
Your job is haram. Interest-based loans. Insurance fraud. Lying to customers. Cheating on business dealings or commitments. Selling haram products. Working for companies that deal in clear prohibitions.
Your food is haram. Bought with haram money. Consumed without thinking about its source.
And you wonder, why Allah ﷻ doesn’t answer your du’a?
The Barriers You’re Ignoring
According to Islamic teachings, there are specific barriers that prevent du’as from being accepted:
First: Haram income, as the hadith above explicitly states. Every dollar, every pound, every rupee earned through prohibited means, builds a wall between you and Allah’s acceptance. You can make all the du’a you want. But as long as that income is haram based on Islamic law, your du’a won’t ascend.
Second: Not making du’a for your parents, You’re asking Allah ﷻ for things, you don’t even ask Him to forgive your mother and father? You think, He’ll give you what you want when you ignore what He commanded—honoring your parents through du’a for them?
Third: Giving up too quickly. The Prophet ﷺ said, as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 6340) and Sahih Muslim (Hadith 2735): “The du’a of any one of you will be answered so long as he is not impatient and says, ‘I made du’a but it was not answered.'”
You: “I made du’a but nothing happened.” That statement itself, is why your du’a stops being answered. Your impatience is the barrier.
Fourth: Making du’a with a heedless heart. The Prophet ﷺ said, as recorded in Jami’ at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 3479): “Call on Allah while having full conviction that He will answer, and realize that Allah does not answer the du’a that proceeds from a heedless, inattentive heart.”
You’re scrolling through your phone while making du’a. Your tongue is saying words, your heart is somewhere else entirely. You’re going through emotions, not actually connecting with Allah ﷻ. And that’s why He’s not answering.
Fifth: Consuming haram. Not just earning it—but consuming it. Every bite of food from a haram source. Every sip of drink purchased with prohibited money. Every piece of clothing, every comfort, every luxury funded by disobedience to Allah ﷻ, creates a barrier between you and answered du’as.
Sixth: Backbiting. The Prophet ﷺ passed by two graves and said they were being punished—one for not protecting himself from urine, and the other for spreading malicious gossip. You talk about people. You destroy reputations. You spread rumors. And you expect Allah ﷻ to answer you? When your tongue is earning you punishment?
Seventh: Abandoning prayer. You skip Salah. You delay it. You rush through it. And you expect Allah ﷻ to respond to your optional du’as when you ignore His obligatory commands? When the first thing you’ll be asked about on Judgment Day is Salah?
How Prophet Zakariya Made Du’a
According to the Quran studied by Islamic scholars, examine how Prophet Zakariya عليه السلام made his du’a. Every word matters, as exegetes emphasize when analyzing these verses:
He called upon Allah privately. According to Surah Maryam documented by scholars: “When he called to his Lord a private supplication.” Not for show. Not loudly for people to hear. In secret. Between him and his Lord alone.
He acknowledged his weakness. According to the verses, he didn’t come with arrogance. He didn’t demand. He said according to Quranic record: “My bones have weakened, my head has filled with white.” Complete humility. Total acknowledgment of his need for Allah ﷻ, based on this supplication’s tone.
He maintained good thoughts about Allah. According to the phrase “never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy” —this shows he never doubted Allah’s wisdom. Even when according to decades of outward experience the du’a hadn’t been answered, he trusted, as Islamic faith requires.
He praised Allah before asking. “Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication.” He affirmed Allah’s attributes. He acknowledged who he was speaking to.
He asked for what was good. According to Surah Aal-e-Imran: “Grant me from Yourself a good offspring.” Not just any child. A good offspring—righteous, obedient to Allah ﷻ, beneficial. His du’a, according to this detail, wasn’t selfish. It was for someone who would continue the message of Islam, as authenticated Tafsir explains.
He kept making du’a for decades. This is the most important part according to Islamic spiritual teachers. He didn’t give up after a year. After ten years. After fifty years, based on his advanced age when answered. He kept calling upon Allah ﷻ—consistently, persistently, patiently—until according to divine wisdom and perfect timing, Allah ﷻ answered him.
The Answer That Came
[Surah Maryam, Ayah 7-9]
“O Zakariya, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be Yahya. We have not assigned to any before [this] name. He said, ‘My Lord, how will I have a boy when my wife has been barren and I have reached extreme old age?’ [An angel] said, ‘Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, It is easy for Me, for I created you before, while you were nothing.'”
At 92 years old—or older—Allah ﷻ answered him. With a miracle, based on this Quranic description. A son from a barren wife. A prophet who would be named Yahya (John), according to divine decree—a name that had never been used before, as the verse explicitly states.
“How will this happen?” Zakariya عليه السلام asked. Not in doubt, but in wonder. In awe. How would Allah ﷻ accomplish this impossibility?
And the answer, according to this verse that should humble every doubter: “It is easy for Me, for I created you before, while you were nothing.”
You were nothing, according to this divine reminder documented by scholars. Not a cell. Not even a thought. Complete nothingness, as this verse emphasizes. And Allah ﷻ created you. He brought you into existence from absolute zero.
So giving an old man a child? Curing your illness? Providing your rizq? Solving your problem? According to this verse, that’s easy for Him. The One who created existence itself, as the Quran reminds you.
Three Ways Allah Answers Du’a
The Prophet ﷺ said, as recorded in Musnad Ahmad (Hadith 11133) : “There is no Muslim who does not make du’a to Allah without sin or breaking family ties, but Allah will give him one of three things: either He will answer his du’a sooner, or He will delay it for him in the Hereafter, or He will divert an evil away from him equivalent to his du’a.”
Three ways. Not just one. Not “immediately or never,” as you think based on misconceptions. According to this authenticated teaching, every single sincere du’a is answered—but in one of three ways:
First: He gives you what you asked for—in this life, according to His wisdom and your benefit. When the time is right, as divine knowledge determines. When it won’t harm you, based on what Allah ﷻ knows that you don’t.
Second: He saves it for you in the Akhirah—as reward, according to this hadith. So that du’a you made five years ago that “wasn’t answered” according to your perception? It’s waiting for you. On the Day when you’ll need it most. When one good deed could make the difference between Paradise and Hell.
Third: He diverts an evil from you—equivalent to your du’a. That accident that almost happened but didn’t, based on divine protection. That illness you were about to get. That disaster you were heading toward. That fitnah that was coming your way. Allah ﷻ diverted it, according to this hadith, because of your du’a—even though you never knew how close it was.
So when you say, “My du’a wasn’t answered”—you’re wrong. It was answered, based on this hadith’s guarantee. You just can’t see how yet, according to your limited human perspective.
What You Must Do Starting Today
If you want your du’as answered, you need to fix yourself first. Not your du’a technique— yourself.
Clean your income immediately. According to the hadith mentioned earlier, this is the primary barrier. If you’re earning haram, based on Islamic law, quit that job. Find halal income even if it pays less. one dirham of halal is better than a mountain of haram. Your du’as depending on it.
Fix your Salah. How do you expect voluntary du’as to be answered when you ignore obligatory prayers? Start praying on time, as commanded. Every prayer. With presence. Your entire connection with Allah ﷻ depends on this.
Stop backbiting entirely. Control your tongue. That gossip, is destroying your du’as before they ascend. Every word about someone when they’re not there, is a barrier between you and answered supplications.
Be patient like Zakariya. According to his Quranic example, keep making du’a. Don’t give up after a week, as Muslims typically do. After a month. After a year. Keep asking. Keep trusting. Keep believing that Allah ﷻ hears you and will answer in the best way at the best time.
Make du’a with conviction. According to the hadith about heedless hearts, focus when you’re supplicating. Put your phone away. Close your eyes. Feel what you’re saying. Talk to Allah ﷻ like you’re actually talking to Him—because according to Islamic reality, you are.
Ask for what’s good, not just what you want. According to Zakariya’s example, he asked for “good offspring,” not just any child. Sometimes, what you want would destroy you. What you’re begging for would ruin you, based on Allah’s knowledge that you lack. Trust that, He knows better. And if He delays or denies something, it’s because He loves you too much to give you what would harm you.
The Du’a You Need to Make Right Now
Instead of just asking for things, make du’a for your faith. For your relationship with Allah ﷻ. For your Akhirah.
Ask Him,: “O Allah, make me love You. Make me love what You love. Make me love those who love You. Make me hate what You hate, according to Your standards not mine.”
Ask Him: “O Allah, grant me a good life in this world and a good life in the Hereafter, and protect me from the punishment of the Fire.”
Ask Him: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from knowledge that does not benefit, from a heart that does not fear You, from a soul that is not satisfied, and from a du’a that is not answered.”
Ask Him: “O Allah, purify my heart from hypocrisy, my tongue from lies, my eyes from treachery, for You know the treachery of the eyes and what the hearts conceal.”
And most importantly: Ask Him to accept your du’as. To remove the barriers. To forgive what’s preventing His acceptance.
The Reality That Should Change Everything
Prophet Zakariya عليه السلام, made du’a for decades. In his 90s—possibly older, based on various accounts. When hope seemed impossible, according to human reasoning. When his wife was barren, according to biological reality. When every logical factor, based on natural laws, said “no.”
He kept asking anyway. And Allah ﷻ answered him—with one of the greatest prophets, Yahya عليه السلام, who would prepare the way for Isa عليه السلام.
You make du’a for a week. You see no immediate results. And you give up.
That’s the difference. He had true faith. True patience. True trust in Allah’s timing and wisdom.
You have impatience. Weak conviction,. Haram income. A heedless heart. And then you complain, that Allah ﷻ doesn’t answer you.
Fix yourself first. Then make du’a. And then wait—with patience, with trust, with continued supplication—knowing that every single du’a is heard, recorded, and answered in the way that’s best for you, even if according to your limited vision, you can’t see it yet.
Prophet Zakariya’s عليه السلام du’a took decades to be answered visibly. But according to that beautiful verse scholars emphasize, he was never disappointed—because the act of calling upon Allah ﷻ itself, is the answer.
Start making du’a like someone who actually believes Allah ﷻ is listening. Because: He is.
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Glad you found it interesting!