Does Asking Others for Dua Entail Mistrust in Allah?


Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

Is it recommended to ask others to make dua for you? Or ask them to remember you in their duas? Will such people be excluded from the ones mentioned in the below hadith (as they are not placing their complete trust in Allah)?

Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Seventy thousand people of my followers will enter Paradise without reckoning. They are those who do not practice ruqya’, do not take evil omens, and place their trust in their Rabb.” [Bukhari, 647]

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

I pray and hope you are well. This is a good question.

It is recommended to tell others to make dua and supplicate for you, even if they are of a lesser status than you, as the following hadith point to.

Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him) said, “I asked for permission from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) to perform ‘Umra, so he permitted me and said: ‘Do not forget us, O young brother, in your supplication.’ He said these words to me that were more precious to me than the whole world.” [Tirmidhi; Abu Dawud]

And, in another narration, He (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “my brother, include us in your dua.” [Tirmidhi]

The above hadith is mentioned by Imam Nawawi, (Allah have mercy on him) in his beautiful work, Book of Remembrances.  [Nawawi, Al-Adhkar al-Muntakhaba min Kallam Sayyid al-Abrar]

Hadith of Seventy Thousand Will Enter Paradise without Reckoning

‘Imran ibn Husayn reported, The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Seventy thousand from my nation will enter Paradise without reckoning.” They said, “Who are they, O Messenger of Allah?” The Prophet said, “They are those who do not rely on incantations, nor believe in omens, nor use cauterization, but rather they trust in their Lord.” [Muslim]

This hadith does not go against relying on other than Allah (Most High). Also, this figure of seventy thousand is to show a huge number. Imam Suyuti mentions in the commentary of Muslims that some of the narrations other than Muslim mention, seventy thousand, with each, will be seventy thousand more. [Abdul-Haq al-Dehlawi, Lama’at al-Tanqih Sharh al-Mishkat al-Masabih]

As believers in Allah’s vast generosity and grace, we can, as Muslims, make dua that He resurrects and raised us from one of them.

Check these answers as well:
Will God-Fearing Scholars Enter Paradise Without Reckoning? – SeekersGuidance
duas Archives – SeekersGuidance
Adab of Dua Series: Introduction and Etiquette – SeekersGuidance

I pray this helps with your question.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied within UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan and Turkey.

He started his early education in UK. He went onto complete hifz of Qur’an in India, then enrolled into an Islamic seminary in UK where he studied the secular and Alimiyyah sciences. He then travelled to Karachi, Pakistan.

He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for a number of years. He has taught hifz of the Qur’an, Tajwid, Fiqh and many other Islamic sciences to both children and adults onsite and online extensively in UK and Ireland. He was teaching at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences.

He currently resides in UK with his wife. His personal interest is love of books and gardening.