 Did you know that you have a guaranteed answer for your du'a every single day of Ramadan? Every single day of Ramadan you can have at least one du'a if not many more answered. So we need to really talk about how to not miss this opportunity because that is 30 days with 30 du'as at least. So today we're going to talk about 10 etiquettes of du'a that prime your du'a to becoming even more likely to be accepted. Because there are three people that the Prophet ﷺ told us about that their du'a is never turned away. The upright imam, the fasting person at the time that we break our fast, or the du'a of the oppressed person. And all of us here are definitely in the setting and category and there may be some amongst us that are in the first and third as well. The Prophet ﷺ also said that when a Muslim makes a du'a that does not contain disobedience or cutting off a family ties, a love will grant them one of three things. Either he will hasten the du'a and make it happen for you exactly as you asked, or he will save it for you in the hereafter when you really need it. And that's when it shows up. Or he will take away something bad that was actually coming your way. And this du'a prevents that bad thing from happening. So it's a win situation all the way around. So what are these etiquettes? Let's talk about 10. There are many, but let's talk about 10 first. Number one, having sincerity in our du'a, this is the most important condition. When you're sincere in asking Allah ﷻ for that du'a, it means that you have a firm belief that you are calling upon Allah ﷻ, most glorified and exalted is he, that he alone is the one who's able to meet your need. And it also means that you avoid any kind of showing off with your du'a, whether because there's people around or the way you say the du'a, right? It's just very real and very raw and coming from your heart directly to Allah ﷻ. Sincerely. Number two, repentance, repentance and repentance. These are the middle days of Ramadan that are considered to be the days of melafira or forgiveness from all sins big and small. These are the days of repentance. Sisters and brothers, these are the days of repentance. And number two on our list is to repent to Allah ﷻ, because it may be that some of the sins that we've had are the reason why our du'a are not actually being answered. So we should hasten to repent and seek forgiveness before we make our du'a. Number three, to be beseeching and humbling ourselves and hoping for Allah ﷻ's reward and fearing His punishment. To be really humble and realize that we need Allah ﷻ opens up your whole demeanor changes and how you talk to Allah ﷻ and how you ask for what you ask for completely changes. And it says in Surah al-Arab, Allah ﷻ says, Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He does not like the aggressiveness. Number four, to urgently beseech and repeat the du'a without getting exacerbated or bored. Many times people say, well, I make du'a, I don't know what happens. How many times have you made the du'a? Just once, right? Or they'll say, I made du'a many times. The sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ is to say the du'a once and repeat it two or three times. And to try to restrict it three times because that is the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ because after that, you know Allah ﷻ hurt you. And Allah ﷻ will decide what he'll do, one of the three things. Either he'll give it to you exactly as you asked or save it for you for the year after or he's going to prevent something bad coming your way. So it's a beautiful thing when you ask Allah ﷻ and when you make that du'a to be very careful, part of that humility and part of that repeating the du'a is not getting bored with it. It didn't come anyway, therefore I'm going to stop. That's not what we do, masha'Allah. There has to be a real dependence and understanding that Allah ﷻ has hurt you and will answer, insha'Allah. The way in his wisdom, divine wisdom knowledge knows is best, which may not match what you think is best. Number five, to make du'a at times of ease and to say du'a at times of plenty. I love this so much because often people when they start to pray like the Qur'an describes, it's when something bad has happened. Oh Allah, oh Allah, oh Allah, help us, help us, right? But when things are going good and people are happy and things are fine and times of ease, we forget. So when you're happy, a very beautiful psychological technique that some of our predecessors taught us is to actually give shukr, give thanks, give gratitude. When you're happy, you had a happy moment. Carpe diem, seize the day, seize the moment and turn it into Alhamdulillah, right? Oh Allah, we thank you for this. Oh Allah, increase us and more. Give us more happiness and more good. Because when you remember Allah ﷻ at times of ease, He will remember you in times of hardship. And those were the words of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Number six, to seek to draw closer to Allah ﷻ by calling upon his most beautiful names. And he has, of course, 99 names but even more. Use these names in your du'a. Call upon them in your du'a. So if you're asking for mercy, call them by the Rahman. And if you're asking for forgiveness, call them by Al-Ghafoor. And if you're asking for anything at all, there's more likely than not a beautiful name of the 99 names that connects to what you're asking for. And in Surat al-A'raf, Allah ﷻ says, and the most beautiful names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them. So let's do that, insha'Allah. Number seven, to choose the clearest and most concise words in our du'a. This was the way of the Prophet ﷺ. We know about him in the shama'at in his description is that he was known as Jawan al-kalim. He had the ability to say the most meaning in the most concise and shortest amount of words. And so let us strive to do that as well. You can, of course, write a whole book in your du'a and say to Allah ﷻ that everything you wish. But you know yourself and what you need more than anyone else. So try to make it the most clear and concise for you. Number eight, eight, nine, and 10 are things that are not considered to be obligatory or wajjah, but they really do up the du'a more. Like, for example, number eight, to face the qibna. And number nine, to be in a state of the hot or purity, to make wudu before you say you're a du'a. You don't have to, but it is better and it actually increases the likelihood it'll be accepted. And number 10 is a favorite, masha'Allah, to start your du'a and to end your du'a with what? With sending salat and salam and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ. We call this the sandwich method. Because if you begin your du'a praising and giving salat and salam on the most beloved of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and you end it with giving salat and salam with the most beloved of the Prophet of people, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, then what's in between is likely to be answered. In sha'Allah, right? Beautiful, beautiful 10-step etiquettes here of the du'a because we hope, in sha'Allah, that this is most likely going to bring us the best of responses from Allah. And there's also special times and special places. Briefly, we'll say that the Prophet ﷺ really preferred making du'a before Fajr came in. And all of us, if we're getting up to the Sunnah of Suhoor or Sahri, this is the perfect time to say the du'a in that last third of the night. Also, laylat al-Juma'ah, the night of Juma'ah, and Juma'ah is a beautiful time as well when the rain is falling between Adhan and Ikhama. Right? There's so many wonderful places that are known to be good times to say du'a that they would be accepted and good places. I realize our mosques are closed at the moment, but in sha'Allah, when they reopen, mosques are a place that is more likelihood of du'a being accepted, especially if they were the haram, right? In Mecca and Medina, masha'Allah. And then of course, we wanna also say, as we mentioned at the beginning, that there are three people in which their du'a won't be revoked and there's actually more. But if you're traveling, or if you make du'a for your fellow sister and brother behind their back in their absence, what they don't know instead of backbiting, right? Backbiting and talking behind their back, we actually do what? Du'a behind their back. And that's more likely to be accepted. Imagine if people did that for you. So return the favor and do it for them, insha'Allah. And when someone is in desperate need or oppressed, Allah is more likely to listen to their du'a and answer it immediately. May Allah's protect us from such a thing and may our du'a speak the kind of du'a that is accepted. And one more category, the person who shows filial piety or goodness to their parents. May we be from all of those categories, any combination of those categories as Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la deems fit and sees us fit for and then answers and accepts our du'a. Allahumma ameen, may Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la accept your du'a and mine this month. And please keep all of us, myself and my family included, in your du'a. Faruk Allahu feekum. This is your sister, Dr. Rani Awad, signing off. Masalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi.