So far in the series we have looked at duaa made at special times of the day, and duaa made by certain people. In this article we will look at duaas made on certain days, Inshallah.

Fridays, are special days for muslims, it is a recurring eid, during which we remember Allah and glorify Him. The Prophet (Saw) said about Fridays, “The best day on which the suns rises is Friday.” (Sunan An-Nisaa’I, Abu-Dawud and At-Tirmidhi) Furthermore, the Prophet (Saw) said, “On Friday, there is an hour when, if a muslim happens to pray at that time and asks Allah for something good, He will give it to Him.” (Bukhari and Muslim) There are differing opinions amongst the scholars regarding the timing of this blessed hour. Abi Burdah bin Abi Musa Al-‘Ashari said, Abdullah ibn Umar said to me; “Did you hear your father narrating from the Messenger of Allah concerning the (special) hour on Friday? I said, “Yes. I heard him say, I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘It is between the time when the imam sits down, and once the prayer is over.’” (Collected by Muslim). The second opinion is that this hour is after Asr; narrated Abu-Hurayrah and Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri, the Prophet (Saw) said, “On Friday there is an hour when no muslim happens to ask Allah for good at that time but He will give it to him, and it is after Asr.” (Musnad Imam Ahmad) In a similar Hadith in Abu-Dawud the prophet (Saw) said, “…so seek it after Asr.” The second opinion is the stronger of the two, and is held by Abdullah ibn Salamah, Abu Hurayrah, Imam Ahmad and others. Nevertheless, whichever of these opinions you follow, increase your duaa during both these times, but do not distract yourself with duaa during the Khutbah. Rather, say ‘Ameen’ to the duaa of the imaam and whilst in your sujood make some personal duaa. By making duaa during both times, you increase your chances of catching the right hour!

Ramadaan is a month of mercy, and forgiveness. During the days of this month Allah frees so many of His believing slaves from hellfire and admits them to His Paradise. The Prophet (Saw) said, “When Ramadaan comes, the doors of heaven are opened and the doors of hellfire are closed.” (Bukhari) It is clear from this hadith, that duaa made during those twenty nine days or so are more likely to be accepted, as the gates of Paradise and mercy are open to receive us. What’s more, Ramadaan houses the most special night ever – Layla tul Qadr! Allah says “Layla tul Qadr, is better than a thousand months.”(Surah Qadr 97:3) That is approximately 83 years plus. Imagine, one night spent in worship may be better than your entire life! The barakah that floats around is immense. We just need to grab a hold of it by calling out to Allah, and asking Him alone.

The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are classed as the best days of the year. The Prophet (Saw) said, “there are no days during which good deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” (Bukhari) Remember Allah loves it when you call on Him, so pair it together, earn Allah’s love in two ways at once; firstly through a good deed, secondly by calling on Him.

But there is one day a year that tops the list. No other day comes close. On this day Shaytaan is humiliated, defeated and in anguish, because of the mercy that descends from Allah. In one narration the Prophet (Saw) said, out of his humiliation “he (Shaytaan) poured soil on his head, wishing for his own destruction, so I smiled at his grief.” (Ahmad).

This day is none other than the Day of Arafat. A day on which pilgrims gather to stand and seek forgiveness from their Lord. ‘Aishah narrated that the Prophet (Saw) said, “There is no day greater than the Day of Arafat in which Allah frees his slaves from Hellfire. Allah comes close to His slaves and boasts about them to the angels, then says, “I make you witness that I forgave them.” The angels then say, “O Allah so-and-so is overburdened with sins!” Allah replies “I forgave them all.” (Muslim) Being free from sins is what every muslim should crave. What better chance than on the Day of Arafat, to beg Allah, whilst obeying him, either through the rituals of hajj or fasting? Furthermore, the Prophet (Saw) said, “the best supplication is the supplication on the Day of Arafat.”(At-Tirmidhi) On this day, whether you are making hajj or not, increase in your duaa. Have Yaqeen and be sure that Allah will accept your duaa. This year, use the opportunity. The Day of Arafat is here; engage constantly in asking Allah for forgiveness.
So, as there are times and people whose duaa Allah has favoured, He has also favoured certain days. They may seem few in number, but their reward is great. We ask Allah to accept our supplications on these special days, and on every day throughout the year. We ask Allah to accept the duaa of the pilgrims standing on Arafat, we ask Him to forgive their sins, and grant them a pure hajj. Ameen.