In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. May He bestow His peace and blessings on His messenger, Muhammad, his family, Companions, and all of those who follow them sincerely.

As salamu `alaykum…

Dear brother, thank you for your very honest and straightforward question. It is good that you are asking about this all-important topic of trust in Allah and why your du`aa's have not been answered.

From the great scholar Ibn al-Jawzi:

“I think part of the test is when a believer supplicates and receives no response, and he repeats the du`aa'for a long time and sees no sign of a response. He should realize that this is a test and needs patience.

What a person experiences of waswasa (whisperings of shaytan), when the response is delayed is a sickness which needs medicine, I have experienced this myself. A calamity befell me, and I supplicated and did not see any response, and Iblis started to lay his traps. Sometimes he would said : The generosity (of Allah) is abundant, and He is not miserly, so why is there a delay? I said to him: Be gone, O cursed one, for I have no need of anyone to argue my case and I do not want you as a supporter!

Then I told myself: Beware of going along with his whispers, for if there was no other reason for the delay except that Allah is testing you to see whether you will fight the enemy that is sufficient wisdom .

My soul (nafs) said: How could you explain the delay in the response of Allah to your prayers for relief from this calamity?

I said: It is proven with evidence that Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, is the Sovereign, and the Sovereign may withhold or give, so there is no point in objecting to Him.

2 – The wisdom behind that is proven in definitive evidence. I may think that something is good, but wisdom does not dictate it, but the reason for that may be hidden, just as a doctor may do things that appear outwardly to be harmful, intending some good purpose thereby. Perhaps this is something of that nature.

3 – There may be an interest to be served by delay, and haste may be harmful. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “A person will be fine so long as he does not become impatient and says, ‘I prayed but I did not receive any answer.’”

4 – The response may be withheld because of some fault in you. Perhaps there was something dubious in what you ate or your heart was heedless at the time when you said the du`aa', or your punishment is being increased by means of your need being withheld, because of some sin from which you have not repented sincerely.

So look for some of these reasons, so that you might achieve your aim.

5 – You should examine the intention behind this request, because attaining it may lead to more sin, or prevent you from doing some good, so withholding it is better.

It was narrated that one of the salaf used to ask Allah to help him to go out on campaign, but a voice called out to him: If you go out on campaign you will be taken prisoner, and if you are taken prisoner you will become a Christian!

6 – Perhaps losing what you have missed out on will cause you to turn to Allah and getting it will distract you from Him. This is obvious, based on the fact that were it not for this calamity you would not have turned to Him, because the real calamity is what distracts you from Him, but what makes you stand before Him is good for you and is in your best interests.

If you ponder these things you will focus on what is more beneficial for you, such as correcting a mistake or seeking forgiveness or standing before Allah and beseeching Him, and forget about what you have missed out on.”

You see, brother, there are many possible reasons as to why your du`aa' may not – YET – have been answered. You say you have been asking Allah for work for two years and because of a lack of success, you have lost faith in Him. Well, from the above teaching by ibn al-Jawzi what we must first try to understand, rather than dare question the Lord of all the Worlds, is what are WE doing – or not – that may be contributing to this lack of success. It’s a little too convenient just to lay blame on Allah. First we have to look at ourselves from both the worldly and other-worldly perspectives to see to what extent we have been helping our own cause or hindering it.

First off, let’s try to understand the purpose of du`aa' to begin with. When Allah’s creation makes a supplication to Allah, it is confirmation of our absolute need and reliance on Him. It confirms the relationship of Allah being God and us being His creation who are absolutely dependent on Him alone for everything. Every moment and every breath of every day we are dependent on Allah for our existence. At any time, if Allah so wills, we can cease to exist. This is the meaning behind Allah being the Sustainer of His creation – it is He that sustains us at all times, whether we realize it or not. Our bodies, for example, have multitudes of systems that operate involuntarily, meaning that they work without any effort on our own part. Who is keeping those systems going, if not us? You can figure it out I think. What if one day one of those systems decides not to work anymore? Well, we die.

So the real meaning of du`aa', and prayer is an expression of our total reliance and need of Allah; a confirmation of the relationship of Allah as Lord, and we as His creation. When our understanding and belief in this relationship is such, then it will manifest in our hearts and culminate in our actions. We will then worship Allah with this realization of total dependence on Him, we will obey Him at all times, we will seek to remember Him at all times, strive to love Him and be loved by Him, follow the way of His Prophet (SAW), struggle with ourselves, etc. etc. This creates a ‘state’ within us of humility, reverence, awe and resignation with whatever Allah wills, for we know that as the Most Merciful, He will only give us that which is best for us, despite our inability to understand it at that time. We may not understand why Allah is allowing these things to happen to us, but we must remember that His wisdom is way beyond ours. Just like #2 above, by ibn al-Jawzi, we may not understand the outward manifestation of the wisdom right now, so we have to be patient and resign ourselves to what may come. This resignation and acceptance of Allah’s will, insha-Allah, will facilitate Allah’s sending that thing to us faster.

So you see, brother, by the way you asked your question just now, it is clear that you are not in this kind of a state. You have placed demands on Allah and since you ‘don’t like’ the result, then you no longer have faith, as you say, yet you still expect your prayers to be answered. Sorry to say, but that is a very arrogant attitude you have. Islam is about surrender to the will of Allah in any and all circumstances. When that state of surrender and acceptance has entered the heart, then and only then will you be at peace with whatever is happening around you, not only because you didn’t get what you asked for when you asked for it. Allah is not some kind of big slot machine – put in your coin and then wait for the jackpot. It is for us to align our will with the will of God, not the other way around. It is for us to change and to learn patience and acceptance rather than to become disgruntled because we are not able to have what all of our friends have. 

The hardships you are experiencing right now are an indication that you must do the work to understand, and know Allah better so that you can better understand and cope with these difficulties you are having. The things you feel are due to a lack of remembrance and devotion to Allah, not the other way around. Allah is with us when we remember Him, that is His promise, but Allah deserves our remembrance for its own sake, because He is God, not merely because we want something. Oh God, I’ll remember you and pray to you when it’s good for me and when I need something – is not a formula for success. First, learn and realize that Allah is the only One who can change your condition, but it will only happen until you make an attempt to change first – inside. You need to first realize that it is Allah that is calling you to Him. Not merely asking for something, then not liking the answer. Like I said above, we need to learn to worship Allah because He is Allah, not because we want something.When we realize Allah’s greatness, then we will obey Him, and act in accordance with His commands, and then our prayers will be asked and answered based on our level of faith and dependence on Him. If not, we resign ourselves to His will and we try to improve ourselves and correct whatever is not in alignment with Allah’s will. And we keep asking, and keep trying. This is a relationship, brother -- our relationship with Allah where du`aa' is just one aspect of it.

So, brother, look at yourself first before you start looking to blame others, and do not dare blame God for what is happening. Yes, He is the creator of everything but He sends us what we need to get us to act and improve ourselves. If it is hardship and difficulties we are facing it is because He is trying to get us to do something and change. We must always first look at ourselves and try and understand what we are doing or not that is contributing to what we are receiving from Allah. If we manifest mercy in our lives, Allah will show us His mercy. Learn to be merciful to receive mercy. Allah will manifest to us the way we think of Him. Remember that and base your life on it. You want things to change? Then you must BE change and you must live change. Be and do things differently, and then you will see change, insha-Allah. Don’t be like so many others who complain and complain about what’s happening to them yet do nothing to change themselves. That is the number one ailment of us Muslims right now. We claim that Allah is not helping us when it is we who refuse to change and do things differently.

This is the world, or the realm of existence, where Allah has blessed us with the ability to act and to change our condition, if we are strong enough to do it. It can’t happen once we die and leave this world. The next world is not a world of change, it is an abode of permanence, so we better take advantage of NOW and make whatever changes we need to before it’s too late. That is one of the important meanings of this life and our time here, if we but realize it.

If we want Allah to give to us, then we must give to Allah. What that means is we must learn about what Islam really is from someone who knows, for the knowledge of Islam is all about how to give of ourselves to Allah, i.e. how to become His servants. Rather than acting like Allah is our servant (“I pray and my prayers are not answered therefore I cannot depend on Allah”), we must learn to be Allah’s servant. We live for Him, not the other way around. When He send us something in life, it is for us to realize that He wants us to do something, and that ‘something’ is always move closer to Him, and live in greater surrender to His kindness and mercy. When it is fortune, we must be grateful. When it is calamity, we must be patient and prayerful, asking Allah to ease our suffering and make things easy for us as well as help others to accept it and cope with it. The point being that whatever the circumstance, there is always a reason to turn to Allah as HIS servant. That is what we must learn.

I hope this answer has been helpful. If you find anything that is hard to understand or you have any further questions, please feel free to send us follow up questions. This has been a wonderful reminder to myself, first and foremost and ask Allah’s forgiveness for any errors.

Lastly, I leave you with this list of the most opportune times for making du`aa':

“Life is all about belief in the unseen, the unseen that is more powerful than all the riches of this world. “Oh Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful, grant me a peaceful life in this world and the other.” A du`aa'- the only means of pleading with our Lord. Du`aa'or supplication brings us closer to Allah, helps us remember Him and proves our faith in Him. It is important to ask through Du’a at all times of need in our life. There are certain times when du`aa' is more likely to be accepted by Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) as mentioned by the Prophet (PBUH). These times are as follows:

Last Third of the Night

1. The Prophet (Salallahu alayhi wasalam) said: ‘There is at night an hour, no Muslim happens to be asking Allah any matter of this world or the Hereafter, except that he will be given it, and this (occurs) every night.’ (Muslim #757)

2. Between Adhan and Iqamah

Anas (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: ‘A supplication made between the Adhan and Iqama is not rejected.’ (Ahmad, abu Dawud #521, at-Tirmidhi #212, Sahih al-Jami #3408, an-Nasai and Ibn Hibban graded it sahih (sound))

3. While Drinking Zamzam Water

Jaber (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said: ‘Zamzam water is for what it is drunk for.’ (Ahmad 3: 357 and Ibn Majah #3062)

This means that when you drink Zamzam water you may ask Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) for anything you like to gain or benefit from this water such as healing from illness.... etc.

4. While Prostrating

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (SAW), said:
‘The nearest a slave can be to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so invoke (supplicate) Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) much in it. (Muslim, abu Dawud, an-Nasa’i and others, Sahih al-Jami #1175)

5. The Night Of ‘Qadr’ (Decree)

This night is the greatest night of the year. This is the night which the almighty Allah (SWT) said about it, “The night of Al-Qadar (Decree) is better than a thousand months.” (al-Qadr, 97: 3)

The Night of Decree is one of the odd nights of the last ten nights of the blessed month of Ramadan. The angels descend down to the earth, and the earth is overwhelmed with peace and serenity until the break of dawn and when the doors of Paradise are opened, the worshipper is encouraged to turn to Allah to ask for his needs for this world and the Hereafter.

6. During The Rain

Narrated Sahel Ibn Sa’ad (RA ): that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘Two will not be rejected, Supplication when the Adhan (call of prayer) is being called, and at the time of the rain’. (Al-Hakim 2: 114, and Abu Dawud #2540, ibn Majah)

‘Seek the response to your du`aa's when the armies meet, and the prayer is called, and when rain falls’ (Reported by Imam al-Shafi’ in al-Umm, al-Sahihah #1469)

The time of the rain is a time of mercy from Allah (SWT) so, one should take advantage of this time when Allah (SWT) is having mercy on His slaves.

7. At the Adhan

‘Seek the response to your du’as when the armies meet, and the prayer is called, and when rain falls’ (Reported by Imam al-Shafi’ in al-Umm, al-Sahihah #1469)

In another hadith; ‘When the prayer is called, the doors of the skies are opened, and the du`aa' is answered’ (al-Tayalisi in his Musnad #2106, al-Sahihah #1413)

8. The Traveller

Narrated Faddalah ibn Ubayd (Rali Allahu Anhu ): that the Messenger of Allah (Salallahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'When anyone of you makes du'a, let him start by glorifying his Lord and praising Him, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet (Salallahu alayhi wasalam), then let him pray for whatever he wants' (Abu Dawud #1481, at-Tirmidhi #3477)

9. Du`aa' during the Month of Ramadan

Thus, it is clear that du`aa' during Ramadan has a greater chance of being accepted, as the Gates of Paradise and Mercy is opened. 9Al-Bukhari #1899, Muslim #1079)

10. First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah

The Prophet (SAW) said: 'There are no days during which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than during these ten days' [al-Bukhari #969)

11. Du`aa' of a Son or Daughter Obedient to His or Her parents

It is well known in the story narrated in hadith of three men who were trapped by a huge stone in a cave. One of them who was kind to kids and parents asked Allah to remove the stone, and his du`aa' was answered. (Al-Bukhari 3:36 #472)

12. Du`aa' Immediately After W`udu (Ablutions)

'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) said: 'There is not one of you that makes wudu, and does it perfectly, then says: I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah. He is Alone, having no partners. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger', except that the eight gates of Paradise are opened for him, and he can enter into it through whichever one He pleases' (Muslim #234, abu Dawud #162, Ahmad, an-Nasa'i )

13. Du`aa' After Stoning the Jamarat at Hajj

The stoning of the small shaytan (jamrat sugra), or the middle shaytan (jamrat wusta) pillars during Hajj. It is narrated that the Prophet (SAW) would stone the small Jamarah (one of the three pillars that is stoned in the last days of Hajj), then face the qiblah, raise his hands, and make du'a for a long time. He would then stone the middle Jamarah and do the same. When he stoned the large Jamarah, he would depart without making any du`aa'. (Al-Bukhari #1753)

14. While Reciting Surah al-Fatihah

The Prophet (SAW) said that Allah the Exalted had said: ' I have divided the prayer into two halves between me and my servant, and my servant will receive what he asks for. When the servant says: Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe, Allah the Most High says: My servant has praised Me. And when he (the servant) says: The Most Compassionate, the Merciful, and Allah the Most High says: My servant has lauded Me. When he (the servant) says: Master of the Day of Judgment, He remarks: My servant has glorified me, and sometimes He will say: My servant entrusted (his affairs) to Me. When he (the worshipper) says: Thee do we worship and of Thee do we ask help, He (Allah) says: This is between me and my servant, and my servant will receive what he asks for. Then, when he (the worshipper) says: Guide us to the straight path, the path of those to whom Thou hast been Gracious - not of those who have incurred Thy displeasure, nor of those who have gone astray, He (Allah) says: This is for My servant, and My servant will receive what he asks for. (Muslim 4: 395)

15. Saying 'Ameen' During Prayer

After finishing the recitation of Al-Fatihah, the saying of 'Ameen' in congregation.
The Prophet (Salallahu alayhi wasalam) said: 'When the Imam says 'Ameen', then recite it behind him (as well), because whoever's Ameen coincides with the Ameen of the angels will have all of his sins forgiven.' (Al-Bukhari #780, Muslim #410 )

16. While Visiting the Sick, and Du`aa' Made By the Sick

'Umm Salamah narrated that the Prophet (SAW) said: 'When you visit the sick, or the dead then say good, because the angels say 'Ameen' to whatever you say. (Muslim #2126)

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