Question:
Assalamualaikum,
Thank you Shaykh Hisham and the whole eshaykh team for all your help to us. I’ve read in our Naqshbandi book that it is not good adab to ask Allah swt for what we desire, but we should ask for religious things and regarding health and necessities is OK. But when I tried explaining this to someone non-tariqat they disagreed outright saying Allah swt has said we should ask him for everything and He likes us to ask. Could you please clarify, for e.g they said we ask Allah swt that we want to marry a person to make that person good for us and make it possible, because Allah swt says to ask Him for anything. But I thought that too would come in worldly desires so its not good adab. Please explain I’m confused.
I apologize for any bad adab in asking this question.
JazakAllah
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam,
According to Allah swt in Holy Qur’an, an excellent du`a is to ask for both this life’s needs/wants and the next life’s:
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Rabbana atina fi ‘d-dunya hasanatan wa fi’ l-akhirati hasanatan wa qina `adhab an-nar.
“Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and defend us from the torment of the Fire!”
What the explanation in the Naqshbandi book means is don’t make your primary focus asking for dunya. Rather focus on akhira and what will save us and assist us in the next life.
As for explaining to non-tariqah persons, you must relate to them at their level of understanding, not your own. Otherwise you will end up confusing them and giving them an incorrect view of tariqah. Address each person according to his level.
Taher Siddiqui
