Why We Can't Be Trusted With Our Own Duas

Alhamdulillah.

[Silence]

Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala says in a verse of the Quran that the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam would recite amongst his nightly recitations every single night mentions that the prophet sallall.aii Wasam would not go to sleep before reciting and also other narrations mentioned that he would recite every night and in Allah subhanahu wa'ta'ala reminds the prophet sallall.aii alaihi wasallam reminds us in turn of the hasty nature that we have been created upon. The human being naturally is very hasty and impulsive and the human being cannot even be trusted with his own well-being. What does that mean? The human being is so hasty and so impulsive that he cannot be trusted with his own well-being. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in this verse he says subhanahu wa ta'ala in one of its three meanings this verse he says and the human being prays for that which is harmful for him with the same fervor and energy that he prays for that which is beneficial to him. And indeed the human being is extremely hasty. He didn't say he said extremely hasty. In another verse, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, "The human being is so hasty. He has been created from haste." We were created from dust, right? We were created from mud. We were created from clay. This is a a form of speaking meaning that the human being is so hasty and it is so intrinsic in his nature, he might as well physically be created from haste itself. The human being is haste personified. In other words, so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us here in this verse something very interesting. He says the human being prays for that which is harmful and destructive to him with the same fervor and energy that he prays for that which is of consequence for him and beneficial and indeed the human being is extremely hasty. For this reason, one of the duas that the prophet sallallah.aii wasallam would make every night, remember this verse, he'd read it every night and he would make a dua every night, learning from this verse. He would make dua every morning before the sunrise and every evening before the sunset. Oh Allah, do not place me in charge of my own affairs for the blink of an eye ever. Because if the human being is handed over to his own devices, he will self-destruct. He will destroy himself thinking that he is benefiting himself. And so because of this, I'll let you in on a I don't want to say a secret, but a kind of meaning in the prayers dua of dua that Allah teaches the prophet Sam the dua of the dua of the dua of you'll notice something very interesting about how they speak when they are making dua because the human being is so hasty because we are so shortsighted because we don't really know what's good for us and we don't really know what's bad for us and we're very easily swindled and tricked and taken off of the path and we are so guidance at every turn and moment. You'll notice that the prophets and messengers in the Quran when they make dua to Allah for something having to do with the hereafter or having to do with righteousness, they will ask Allah for it specifically. They will mention it. But when they make dua for something of the dunya, they leave it ambiguous. What does that mean? Ambiguous meaning they don't specifically ask for something specific of the dunya because they don't know if it is going to be good for them or bad. You listen for instance to Aub was in a state of extreme difficulty. He was sick. He was poor. his family was were were had passed away. He was in such a state of difficulty. Some of the companions mentioned that he remained in that difficulty for 18 years. Now we listen to how Aubis made dua for Allah to relieve that difficulty to give him his health back to give him his wealth back to give him his children back. How did he make dua for that? He didn't say, "Oh Allah, take away the illness." He didn't say, "Oh Allah, give me my children back." He didn't say, "Give me my wealth back." Why? Because he doesn't know if that's better for him. Maybe it's better for him to stay sick. And maybe the only thing standing between him and the sinfulness or misguidance or the hellfire is illness. And that's what's better for him. He doesn't know. And so how does call out to Allah? He left it ambiguous. He said, "Oh Allah, I have been afflicted with difficulty and you are the most merciful at your discretion." In it's mentioned that when he made dua he said oh Allah is narrated that he said oh Allah relieve me and remedy my illness if you know that to be good for me. So he leaves it ambiguous. Misam, he's wandering through the desert. He arrives at Median. He sees the two girls that are waiting to draw water from the well at the watering hole. He helps them. He goes under the shade of a tree and he makes dua. He has no wealth, no food. He's in a strange place. All he has is the clothes on his back. He's terrified. He's being hunted down by Pharaoh. And what is his dua? Oh Allah, I need everything of good that you will give me. He didn't say feed me. He didn't say heal me. He didn't say take me back into the good graces of Pharaoh. None of that. Take me back to my homeland. No, his dua was ambiguous. Oh Allah, give me that which is you know to be good for me. I need everything that you have of good to give me in this world. Whatever your discretion dictates. And so it goes in in the affairs of the hereafter. No, we find the dua to be very specific. Oh Allah forgive me my sins. Oh Allah increase me in knowledge. Oh Allah in right raise the truth and destroy those who are fighting against your religion and your people. These duas are issues of the hereafter. Allah has already told us that these are good for us in any case. So we make dua for that specifically. But in the dunya, we have no idea. Ask a man who is at the end of something that he asked for and sought out in his life that turned out to be a nightmare. How many people How many people will make dua? I need to get married to this woman. It can't be any other woman. It has to be this exact woman. And then what happens? His life turns into a disaster place. She wasn't right for him. She wasn't good for him. He wasn't good for her. How many of How many people pine over and polish and wax and and and you know give so much energy? How many fret over the car that they buy? They have no idea that that car is going to be the purpose of their death. They're going to be dying in that car. That is their coffin that they're polishing. They have no idea how many people fight to catch a flight not knowing that that's going to be their last flight etc etc. The human being has no idea what is good for him, what is bad for him without Allah telling us. And because of our haste and our emotion and lack of knowledge and lack of discipline, we ask Allah to make those decisions for us. We try our best. We use our best judgment. But we do not become ungrateful when Allah doesn't give us exactly what we think we want. And it is of the vast mercy and grace of Allah that he doesn't give us what we want, but rather he gives us what we need and what is good for us. Because if we got everything that we wanted, not one of us would be here today. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that he subhanahu wa ta'ala give us the patience and the good thoughts and estimate of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that he make us of those who are grateful when they are given of those who are patient when they are tried and of those who are repentant when they sin for indeed these three traits are the hallmark of the people of paradise and righteousness Alhamdulillah.