My dua that i desperately prayed for got rejected and i don’t know how to deal with the disappointment

[lalii]

I was making a specific dua for a month, made istighfar, made dhikr, tried my best to stand up for tahajjud, truly believed that my dua will get accepted, and today it got rejected.

For context, it is something in the lines of not being able to go on a schooltrip with my bestfriends because of my major. (Yes, I know it sounds incredibly stupid, but please try to understand me and have mercy on me.)

I know that my relationship with Allah (SWT) is not transactional and i won’t get my duas accepted just because i did all the things that i did, but the disappointment weights on me a lot, because i was so attached to this dua and was convinced that it would work out. I also know that it could be for the better, that maybe this rejection avoided a calamity, that i’ll get something better later or i’ll get rewarded for my duas later, but i wanted to go with so bad and i can’t help but ask if it was supposed to avoid a calamity, couldn’t i just have asked to make this trip good for me? I know Allah says that perhaps I like a thing that is bad for me, but why wouldn't Allah make what i wanted good for me when i asked? I know that it's for our benefit, but Allah is the All-mighty and can rewrite our destiny if we ask, is there a reason he wouldn't make it good for me when i asked? I hope you understand.
But i know that Allah knows better and that he would never let my efforts be in vain, and i know that I've lost nothing in relation to my dua because it gets answered in its own way.

I know i may sound stupid arguing and counter-arguing with myself and that the reason i'm so upset is stupid, but I hope someone can give me some some advice because I've been so upset that it's embarrassing. Jazakallah Khair.

 

[Muhammad]

Rather than thinking that your du’a was rejected, think of it as Allah سبحانه وتعالى having responded to it in a different way. This is one of the beautiful things about du’a that it is Allah سبحانه وتعالى Who chooses for us. He gives us what He knows is best for us, which is not always the same as what we want. Sufyan ath-Thawri رحمه الله said, 'Verily, when He withholds, He actually gives, because He did not withhold on account of miserliness or stinginess, but rather He looked at the benefit of the servant. So the fact that He withheld is actually His choice for the servant and His excellent decision.'

It's also worth remembering that whilst we are allowed to ask for specific things in du'a, there is so much more to du'a than simply obtaining an outcome that we want. Du'a is one of the best forms of worship, through it we demonstrate our humility and need for Allah سبحانه وتعالى, by means of it a person becomes closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى and it opens up a dialogue between a servant and his Creator. This is why some of the righteous servants of Allah, after realising the benefit of du’a, preferred that the answer to their du'a be delayed so that this state of dialogue and feeling humbled before Allah سبحانه وتعالى may continue. It has also been narrated that Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه said, 'I am not worried about whether my du'a will be responded to, but rather I am worried about whether I will be able to make du'a or not. So if I have been guided (by Allah) to make du'a, then (I know) that the response will come with it.' This teaches us perspective as well as always expecting the best from Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

So try to have good thoughts about Allah سبحانه وتعالى and surrender all of your affairs to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Put your trust in His decisions for you. Know that you haven’t lost out on anything, instead you have gained more than you know.