Question:  I’m sad, and I don’t know what to do. I wish for something so badly, and I sat in i’tikaf in Ramadan and prayed to Allah to answer my dua, and now it’s been 7 months, but my inner pain and suffering haven’t ended. How do I prevent my problem? How will Allah listen to my prayers? Why hasn’t it come true? Allah is the lord of the entire universe; why isn’t he making it right so that I won’t be harmed? I m trying to be patient, but I am failing. I feel like my heart is being broken, and it hurts. What do I do?

Answer:Assalamu alaykum,

Thank you for your question. I am sorry that you are suffering so much. Rest assured that Allah’s help and mercy will come, and you must be positive, certain, and proactive to receive it. The best advice I can give you is at this link:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/islamic-belief/prayers-never-answered/

I don’t know what your hardship is, so I can’t give you specific advice. However, the best route to Allah’s mercy is to do everything in your power to stop the haram and makruh in your life and fulfill your obligations. Are you praying and paying zakat on time? Are you consuming usury or non-halal food, covering correctly, or committing enormities of the tongue? Have you taken the time to learn what is personally obligatory? Are you reading the Qur’an every day with the meaning?

Always trust that Allah hears your du`a, but He will answer in the time and way that He deems fit. He knows what is better for you and your faith. Continue your du`a, and don’t be impatient. Divine Decree is a pillar of our faith, and we must trust that what was written for us was never going to miss us and what missed us was never going to hit. Submission and contentment with that decree are expected of us and are the key to our happiness and good mental health. Here is a du`a for you:

One of the most potent means by which one can realize true contentment is sincere supplication (du`a). It is narrated that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say, “O Allah, make me content with what you have provided me, send blessings for me therein, and replace for me every absent thing with something good/better” [Bukhari/Adab al-Mufrad].

https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/divine-decree-contentment-and-lessons-from-the-prophets-life/

Please see this series:
https://seekersguidance.org/articles/social-issues/questions-answers-suffer-series/And please read the articles in this reader on suffering and evil:
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/reader-on-the-problem-of-evil-suffering-punishment-destiny-and-allahs-mercy/And here are more excellent answers on du`as not being answered:
https://seekersguidance.org/articles/classes/four-reasons-dua-not-answered-adab-of-dua-26/
https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/why-does-it-seem-that-allah-never-answers-my-prayers/

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied aqidah, fiqh, tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.