Duas for the Holy Month of Ramadhan
Dua al-Iftitah
Du’ al-Iftitah was taught by the twelfth Imam (as) of Shi’as to recite every night during the holy month of Ramadhan. The Du’a is excellent for moulding man’s attitude towards his Creator as it discusses many aspects of the wretchedness of the human being, and the grace of Allah (swt). The Du’as can be divided into two parts: man’s relationship with Allah (swt) & divine leaders.
The first section of the Du’a describes different qualities of Allah (swt), and reveals the graciousness and love of Allah (swt) for the human being. This section of the Du’a can further be divided into the following parts:
Praise of Allah: As is the etiquette, Du’a al-Ifttah begins with the praise and glorification of Allah (swt). This is not because Allah needs to be praised before He answers our Du’as, but to remind the supplicant of the Supreme Being he is addressing, who consequently put the awe of Allah into the hearts which are often heedless.
The beginning of the Du’a also places the supplicant between hope and fear the ideal attitude while praying. Allah (swt) is The Most Merciful, but Is also severe in punishment. Humans are not to despair, nor to be too confident but constantly strive in His way.
Emphasis on the Oneness of Allah: Allah (swt) has no partner nor son, and has complete undivided power and control over His creation. The inhabitants of the skies and the heavens depend on Him. This Is to strengthen reliance of the supplicant on Allah (swt), as there is none else he can turn to.
The Generosity of Allah: The treasures of Allah (swt) do not cease, and are always liberally bestowed on His creatures. The needs of the human beings are enormous, and by placing open the door of Du’a, Allah (swt) has given them the keys to His treasures. His doors are always open, and no supplication to Him is rejected without some answer.
But man is often ungrateful, and always greedy. He expects that his du’as will always be immediately granted. When such Gratification is not forthcoming, he turns away, instead of reminding himself of all the favours he enjoys.
Relationship of Allah and the human being – A strange relationship Indeed! Although it is the human who need Allah (swt), and should strive towards Him, it is Allah who invites and encourages him to come, who shows love and mercy and continues to favour him in many ways.
As the 4th Imam says in Du’a-e-Abu Hamza Al-Thumali:
“Praise be to Allah who answers me when I call Him, although I am reluctant when He calls me, and Praise is for Allah who gives me when I ask Him, although I am miserly when he asks me. This is worth pondering over for those who think of Allah as a tyrannical master imposing his rules over humans.“
This section of the Du’a is an excellent lesson in the Islamic view point of the qualities of Allah (swt). The God of Islam is a loving, gracious God who treats the human being better than he deserves. The root of the relationship between Allah (swt) and man is the love of the creator for His creatures. It is up-to-man to search within his heart for a reciprocal response.
The second section of the Du’a send blessings on the Holy Prophet (saw) and The M’asumeen, and then discusses the role of the twelth Imam (as).
a) Salawat on the Prophet(s): After faith in Allah (swt), the next most important part of religion is faith in His sent-ones. Thus after acknowledging the greatness And graciousness of the Creator, the Du’a teaches us to acknowledge the divine leaders as our guides towards Him. Blessings are sent to the Holy Prophet (saw) as a sign of love and appreciation for the Prophet (saw) and as an acknowledgement that he is a human being and needs mercy and blessings from Allah (swt). It also strengthens remembrance of the Prophet (saw) and the inspiration to follow his path.
Blessing on the M’asumeen: After the Holy Prophet (saw), his successors are remembered and prayed for. These are the true leaders of the Muslim ummah who were Divinely appointed by Allah (swt). Belief in them and love for them, is an important part of the Shi’a faith.
Role of the Twelfth Imam (as): In every era, Allah (swt) has His representative who guides His creatures towards establishing truth and justice on earth. The Twelfth Imam (as) is the leader of our time. The last part of Du’a al-Iftitah talks about his coming; preparing believers for the anticipated establishment of the rule of Allah (swt) on earth.
Praying for help and victory for the twelfth Imam (as) reminds us that we are waiting for him, and need to prepare for his coming. We become aware of our responsibilities in his ghaybat (occultation), and the importance of training ourselves as his helpers. We pray for the ultimate dream of a Muslim, a state in which the religion of Allah (swt) is paramount, and disbelief an hypocrisy are degraded.
Du’a al-Iftitah reminds us that both faith and action are necessary to be a true believer. Faith in Allah entails acting on His message brought by His messenger, and establishing His religion on earth. While that can only be done through the Imam, we should work and pray for his arrival. Human beings can only enjoy true justice and peace, and a fulfillment of all their needs under the leadership of a Divine leader.
Du’a al-Iftitah is not only a supplication for our needs, but a teaching of the roots of faith, and a planning for a way of life. It remains on us to plot the chart of our life as we recite this beautiful du’a during the nights of Ramadhan
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Dua-e-Tawassul
Dua-e-Tawassul
Shaykh Tusi says, in his book Misbah, that Imam Hassan bin Ali Al Askari (as) wrote this dua’a for Abu Muhammad who requested him to teach him the proper way of reciting salawat. Allama Majlisi has mentioned this dua’a on the authority of Ibn babawayh who confidently says that, there is no difficulty or problem that this dua’a does not solve.
The merciful Allah (swt) is beseeched in the name of and for the sake of the Holy prophet and his Ahl ul Bayt who are amongst the best human beings in status with HIM .
It is also known as “quick-fulfillment-of-all-legitimate-desires” dua’a.
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Munajat of Hazrat Ali (as)
Munajat-e-Imam Ali
Munajat of Imam Ali (as) (also known as Munajat of Masjide Kufa)
A Hadith of the Holy Prophet (s) says:
“…and when the servant ( of Allah) turns to His master in the middle of the night and does Munajat, Allah will illuminate his heart. And when he says My Lord, the Most Majestic will respond saying, Here I am O My servant, ask Me and I will give you, and rely on Me, I will be sufficient for you. then Allah turns to the angels and says: My angels! Look at my servant. He has turned to me in the middle of the night, while the idle ones are oblivious, and the heedless ones are sleeping. Bear witness that I have forgiven him.”
A Note on Munajat
The word Munajat in Arabic is sometimes confused with the Urdu word munajat meaning a recital or a Qasida. This Munajat is often recited in praise of the Ahlulbayt (as). However the word Munajat in Arabic means secret conversation or confidental talk. It comes from the word Najwa. Allah says in the Holy Quran:
“There is no secret conversation between three people except that he is the fourth of them nor (between) five but He is the sixth of them, nor less than that nor more but He is with them wheresoever they are: then He will inform them of what they did on the Day of resurrection: surely Allah is aware of all things.” (Surah 58, Verse 7)
For the belivers who love Allah, the Munajat is a form of communication with their Lord which gives peace and solace to the hearts. Many Imams have Munajat which have been compiled in different books. An example is As-Saheefa as-Sajjadiyyahwhich has 15 whispered prayers from Imam Zaynul’ Abidin(a)
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Dua al-Jawshan al-Kabir
Dua al-Jawshan al-Kabir
It has been mentioned in the book, Balad al-Am and in the Misbah of Kafa`m that Imam `Al ibn al-Husain Sayyid as-Sajjidin (prayers be upon him) related from his father from his grandfather the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) that this supplication was taught by the Angel Jibra’il (prayers be upon him) to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) during one of the battles.
It was in one of the wars that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had taken part in which he had a very heavy and expensive coat of armor on to protect himself.
It is related that the coat was so heavy that it was hurting the body of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).
In this state, the Angel Jibra’il (prayers be upon him) came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: “O’ Muhammad! Your Lord conveys his salutations to you and has said to take this coat of armor (Jawshan) and to recite it as this is aprotection for you and your Ummah”.
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Dua-e-Sahar
Dua-e-Sahar
Also know as Dua-e-Bahaa
Taught by Imam Ali Reza (as) that was recited by Imam Muhammad Baqir (as) at “dawn”:This dua is said to contain Ism-e-Azam (the Beatiful Names of Allah).
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