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View Full Version : Praying for it vs Working for it



ukakhi
07-23-2019, 08:46 PM
Salaam,

Im struggling to grasp something, so really this post is just me thinking out loud.

Based on your life experience what would you say is the Dua vs Work ratio for GETTING something tangible/material in dunya (not Akhirah, strictly Dunya) ?

How much of it is prayer and how much of it is Work ?

I used to think being a Muslim means Allah will generally help you (in dunya), give you shortcuts to success, i used to think its 80% Dua and 20% Work.

Now as i get older i think there are no shortcuts to getting Dunya things, because Islam teaches us throughout the Quran that Allah does not even care about Dunya,
its worthless to Allah.

And Allah says in Surah najm:verse 39... "Man Gets NOTHING..>Except what He STRIVES for"

So i think its more like 80% Work and 20% Dua.

The Dua just seems to be a formality/appeal to Allah (swt) so that your work is not spoilt or sabotaged by events outside your control.

Example, you want a New Car.

1. You have to go to Work hard and SAVE many months [Material]
2. You have to find many hours of your time to research the specifications make/models [Material]
3. You have to search through many different adverts [Material]
4. You have to make many calls and shortlist some for viewings [Material]
5. You have to physically go view the cars you shortlisted [Material]
6. You have to check the physical condition of the car [Material]
7. You have to check the documents of the Car [Material]
8. You have to drive it home and insure it etc [Material]

9. You make Dua to Allah to give you a new car abdunantly [Spiritual]
10. You ask Allah to put Barakah so you dont lose your money in one of many different ways [Spiritual]




So steps 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 = 80% Dunya/ Material meaning Work/Hustle/Grind and steps 9,10 are Spiritual or in other words 20% = Dua.

Now i used to think it was like this...
You want a new Car....

1. You Do all your fards, sunnah, nafl etc [Spiritual]
2. You make Lots of Dua, your doing Qayam al Layl [Spiritual]
3. You keep praying for it over and over and over again for many weeks/months [Spiritual]
4. Eventually you will get a call out of the blue and your Uncle will ring you and say
"Eid Mubarak" i thought since youve turned 21 now you should have a Car so i bought
you a new car. [Material]

Thats not how it works in my experience!

Finally, i think Dua can help you like this...

Pretend you worked for months and months and saved money to buy the Car, and your ready to move
onto step 2 (of the Blue post above) but then one day you fell off a ladder at work and broke your spine.

Now you cant drive.

So maybe Dua serves a dunya purpose in preventing a major calamity that would have otherwise hit you.

Because you was praying for the Car, and Allah accepted your Dua, so Allah made it so you dont fall off the ladder
that day, and hence be able to go ahead with your plan (in blue).

Conclusion: Dua in Dunya is like a Cushion/Safety Bracket you put your WORK into to get what you want from Material world.

On its own, i dont think its ever enough to help you get what you want in Dunya (Akhirah however is a whole different story, maybe you
ask for a House in dunya, get nothing, and get many Mansions over there who knows)... but we talking here about Dunya.

Tangible cause & effect that we can measure.

Allah (swt) made even the Prophets to WORK... Maryam (as) at her weakest had to shake the tree that, Musa (as) at his most vunerable had to
hit the sea with the stick. If these are Prophets, then we are laymen, if you want something in Dunya... the only Dua worth making is asking
Allah to grant you tawfeek and making the path easy towards the goal (car, house, marriage, job etc).

Praying too much for a material object will result in disapointment. For every 1 Day you spend praying for it you need to spend at least 4 days doing nothing
but work towards it.

These are all mental notes to myself. I would be happy if someone can refute or correct my understanding.

Lastly: Allah says I am as my slave thinks I Am, but this has been my harsh experience in Dunya, perhaps you brothers/sisters have had more success getting
easily ?
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Ahmed.
07-24-2019, 12:55 PM
It has to be both together, you pray for it (and tawakul on Allah is a sort of the heart praying for it) and you do your utmost to get it too, because without the prayer/tawakul, you can try your best but Allah could still make u not get it
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Ümit
07-30-2019, 12:34 PM
I agree with Ahmed here. Both are important.
You have to do your best for the part you can influence and pray to the part you cannot influence.

an example:

A farmer needs to plow his land,
plant the seeds,
water them every day,
Check on them regularily for certain diseases or harmfull bugs in order to harvest good crops a few weeks / months later.

But he also needs to pray to God to make it rain if water is unsufficient, pray that his crops stay unharmed by bugs and diseases and generally pray for good crops.

Without doing the work and just praying is not going to help him.

so in short, do your best for the part you can do, pray for the rest.

and of course never neglect your fard ibaadah, stay away from haraam, etc.

So you cannot put the ratio work-pray into a certain percentage because it differs per case.
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Eric H
07-30-2019, 01:07 PM
Greetings and peace be with you ukakhi;

I think Allah answers prayers in ways that help us towards eternal salvation, rather than solve problems in this life. If you prayed for a new car, that might help you travel easier, but how will that help you find eternal salvation? Could the following prayer be a clue as to how Allah answers prayers?

I asked for Strength.........
And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........
And Allah gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love.........
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours.........
And Allah gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted
I received everything I needed
My Prayer has been answered.

Blessings,
Eric
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'Abdullah
07-30-2019, 03:26 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Eric H
Greetings and peace be with you ukakhi;

I think Allah answers prayers in ways that help us towards eternal salvation, rather than solve problems in this life. If you prayed for a new car, that might help you travel easier, but how will that help you find eternal salvation? Could the following prayer be a clue as to how Allah answers prayers?

I asked for Strength.........
And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........
And Allah gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love.........
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours.........
And Allah gave me Opportunities.

I received nothing I wanted
I received everything I needed
My Prayer has been answered.

Blessings,
Eric
That's so beautiful brother. If everyone thinks like that, we will have a pure, peaceful and satisfied heart "Nafs Al-Mutmainna."
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IslamLife00
07-30-2019, 09:01 PM
The way I see it, If I am willing to work to get material needs, why don't I also work to get Jannah?

The material, mundane life is not separate from the spiritual, worship. You will be held accountable for everything you do.

If your income is halal, Allah will bless it, because you leave what is impermissible, you are obeying Him. Your income may be small, but Allah will suffice you from other sources. This has been my experience.

There is nothing wrong with making many duas for material things. If you need it, you need it. Dua is also an act of worship and Allah created us to worship Him.

Just remember that you may not like something, but it may actually be good for you and you only realize it much later in the future.
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faisalabad
08-01-2019, 06:27 PM
It Must be the Two together, you Beg to This (Also tawakul on Allah Is Just Really a Form of This Core Peeled Because of it) and you Also Do your utmost to Receive It as Well, since minus prayer/tawakulyou Are Able to Try to Do Your best but Allah May make u not Capture it
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Ümit
08-01-2019, 08:52 PM
ow and might İ add to this...if you are pious...you do your fard salaats and fast...and stay away from haraam etc...then everything you do is a form of ibaadah...even working...eating and aleeping.
because those things need to be done anyway...and you do that in order to sustain yourself so that you can keep serving Allah.
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Shehzad Hasan
08-07-2019, 07:49 AM
The whole purpose of prayer is to please your Lord.
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Ümit
08-07-2019, 03:51 PM
The whole purpose of our very existence is to please our lord.
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M.I.A.
08-09-2019, 12:57 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Ümit
ow and might İ add to this...if you are pious...you do your fard salaats and fast...and stay away from haraam etc...then everything you do is a form of ibaadah...even working...eating and aleeping.
because those things need to be done anyway...and you do that in order to sustain yourself so that you can keep serving Allah.
Imo, this is basically most of the religion.. as much as we have no idea about the afterlife, the idea of getting what your hands put forward is a big part of the religion.. and often overlooked.

Making the right life choices.

Imo, every action is almost a form of dua.

Unfortunately the company we keep is often linked to what we put forward and what other peoples ideas for our lives are. (And this is also part of the quran, although how it is mentioned is an answer for many threads)

This thinking is only a step away from superstition and shirk.. if you are so inclined.

But allah guides whom he wills.

..and then you get married.

Lady is an accountant, she spends more money than I can make.. but I'm pretty sure she fiddles the books. ;D imsad
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Ahmed.
08-09-2019, 06:07 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by M.I.A.
Imo, this is basically most of the religion.. as much as we have no idea about the afterlife, the idea of getting what your hands put forward is a big part of the religion.. and often overlooked.

Making the right life choices.

Imo, every action is almost a form of dua.

Unfortunately the company we keep is often linked to what we put forward and what other peoples ideas for our lives are. (And this is also part of the quran, although how it is mentioned is an answer for many threads)

This thinking is only a step away from superstition and shirk.. if you are so inclined.

But allah guides whom he wills.

..and then you get married.

Lady is an accountant, she spends more money than I can make.. but I'm pretty sure she fiddles the books. ;D imsad
She fiddles the books??? That's haram bruv!!! Tell her it's haram!
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Abz2000
08-10-2019, 08:10 PM
S.A: Gusnhde aezakmi hesoyam stinglikeabee
V: Toolup catchme hoptoit hothands painkiller
Type them correctly and hey presto -they work!!!

If cheat codes, magic spells, and mantras work when practised according to rules (research harut & marut) - then natually, lawful dua to the Master of the universe should definitely work when made correctly and/or when specific circumstantial conditions are met.
Some people sacrifice animals, money, land, or other property lawfully and distribute lawfully, sometimes also giving up certain bad habits as tawbah to strengthen the likelihood of acceptance as many of these actions are a strong testimony of imaan to Allah :swt: - and sometimes -He can't say no.
Dua also helps in prioritising tasks.
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