What is the ruling on a brother asking his brother to make du'a for him to Allah by saying: "Do not forget me in your righteous du'a"?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : We have heard, O Shaykh, that among the virtues of du'a is for a person to say to his brother: "Do not forget us, O my brother, in your du'a." Do you have any details on this matter, including the mention of the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to 'Ikamah when he said:?
The Shaykh : Yes, du'a, I mean: asking others for du'a. If it is for a general benefit, there is nothing wrong with it, like what happened with the Bedouin who entered while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon to the people, and he said:. There is nothing wrong with this, because the benefit is for others, so he is in the position of an intercessor. However, if it is for his own private benefit, then if it is from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), there is nothing wrong with it, meaning: there is nothing wrong with people asking the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), because the du'a of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is not like the du'a of others.
But if it is from anyone else, then Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) says: It falls under the blameworthy asking. So do not say to anyone: "Ask Allah for me," unless you intend his benefit. And how is it a benefit for him?
It is a benefit for him because if he makes du'a for you, he has done you good, and Allah loves those who do good.
And because if he makes du'a for you, the angel says: "Ameen, and for you the same," so he benefits from this du'a that he made for you in your absence.
But if he intends only his own benefit—that is, the one asking—then Shaykh al-Islam says this is from the blameworthy asking. There is also another concern in it, which is that he may rely on this man's du'a and not make du'a for himself. And there is a third issue, which is that the one asked may become arrogant and think that he is a righteous man whose du'a is sought, so he becomes proud of himself and elevated in his own estimation. So you, O my brother, make du'a to Allah for yourself, because your du'a to Allah is worship, whether He answers you or not, and your du'a to your Lord is a connection between you and Him. So persist with Allah in du'a instead of saying to a person from among the people: "Ask Allah for me."
The questioner : And is the hadith of 'Umar weak?
The Shaykh : The hadith of 'Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:Sunan Abi Dawud 1498Da'if (Al-Albani) This is weak.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : We have heard, O Shaykh, that among the virtues of du'a is for a person to say to his brother: "Do not forget us, O my brother, in your du'a." Do you have any details on this matter, including the mention of the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to 'Ikamah when he said:
Ask Allah to make me one of them, O Messenger of Allah
ادع الله يجعلني منهم يا رسول اللهThe Shaykh : Yes, du'a, I mean: asking others for du'a. If it is for a general benefit, there is nothing wrong with it, like what happened with the Bedouin who entered while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was delivering the sermon to the people, and he said:
O Messenger of Allah, the wealth has been destroyed and the roads have been cut off, so ask Allah to send us relief. And in the following Friday, this man or another said: The wealth has been lost and the buildings have collapsed, so ask Allah to hold it back.
يا رسول الله هلكت الأموال وانقطعت السبل فادع الله يغيثنا، وفي الجمعة التالية قال هذا الرجل أو غيره: غرق المال وتهدم البناء فادع الله يمسكهاBut if it is from anyone else, then Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) says: It falls under the blameworthy asking. So do not say to anyone: "Ask Allah for me," unless you intend his benefit. And how is it a benefit for him?
It is a benefit for him because if he makes du'a for you, he has done you good, and Allah loves those who do good.
And because if he makes du'a for you, the angel says: "Ameen, and for you the same," so he benefits from this du'a that he made for you in your absence.
But if he intends only his own benefit—that is, the one asking—then Shaykh al-Islam says this is from the blameworthy asking. There is also another concern in it, which is that he may rely on this man's du'a and not make du'a for himself. And there is a third issue, which is that the one asked may become arrogant and think that he is a righteous man whose du'a is sought, so he becomes proud of himself and elevated in his own estimation. So you, O my brother, make du'a to Allah for yourself, because your du'a to Allah is worship, whether He answers you or not, and your du'a to your Lord is a connection between you and Him. So persist with Allah in du'a instead of saying to a person from among the people: "Ask Allah for me."
The questioner : And is the hadith of 'Umar weak?
The Shaykh : The hadith of 'Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: