God says in the Qur’an that He will respond to our prayers and that du’a is an essential component of Islam. In fact, He says that those who do not invoke Him will enter Hell in humiliation. Du’a is a way we become closer to God, acknowledging that He alone can give us our wishes, as well as recognising our shortcomings. Through prayer we can also recommit ourselves to the original task we were given of caring for Creation and remember the poor who are most affected by climate change.
“And your Lord has said: Invoke Me: I will respond to your invocation. Verily those who scorn My worship (ie do not invoke Me) they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!” (Qur’an, Ghafir, 40:60)
“Or who is there that responds to the call (du’a) of the one in distress (besides God)?” (Qur’an, 27:73).
“There is no Muslim on the face of the earth that asks Allah for anything except that Allah gives it to him, or averts from him a similar evil, as long as he does not ask for something evil or for breaking the ties of kinship.”(Tirmidhi)
“Verily your Lord is the One modest and Generous, and when His servant raises his hands to Him in supplication, He is diffident (in some wordings, shy or hesitant) from returning them empty.” [Ahmad, Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi]
“There is nothing more noble in the sight of Allah than du’a.” (Tirmidhi)
Prayer 1
This du’a was inspired and adapted from a prayer taken from The Sanctuary Centre
Oh Allah — You are the Creator, the All-Powerful, the Sustainer of all life.
Forgive us for being careless with Your earth
that you created in perfect measure and balance.
Forgive us for not recognising the wisdom
in the Creation of every species.
Forgive us for taking and using your Creation
to satisfy our selfish desires, rather than our needs.
Forgive us for being indifferent to the consequences
of our treatment of Your Creation.
Forgive our greed and carelessness,
which has altered the perfect measure and balance You created
and has caused many of our Brothers and Sisters in humanity to suffer.
Please forgive us Ya-Ghaffar (O All-Forgiving One).
Thank you for allowing us to recognise our shortcomings,
our mistakes and our purpose in life.
Thank you for inspiring the light of belief in our hearts.
Thank you for showing us the right path
and inspiring us to take a step closer to You
by loving Your Creation and wanting to look after it.
Oh Allah change us now into what you will be pleased with.
Inspire us to love and care for every part of Your Creation.
Allow us to change our habits to care for every species.
Allow us to encourage others to care for your Creation.
Allow us to recognise that caring for Your Creation is obeying Your Commands
and following the actions of Prophet Muhammadpbuh.
Allow us to implement the commandments in Your Qur’an,
not to waste and not to alter Your balance.
Allow us to take seriously the role You have given us to be Your caliph.
Allow us to recognise the perfection in all You have Created.
Allow us to implement the practices of Prophet Muhammadpbuh
by caring for all species, planting trees, valuing each resource
and being grateful for the use of any of Your Creation for our needs.
Oh Allah, protect the people living with the effects of
climate change now and give them strength.
Give patience and strength to those facing rising temperatures,
drought, water shortages, unpredictable weather, failed crops,
flooding, land loss and salination of vital water supplies.
Oh Allah allow all people everywhere to recognise
the importance of protecting and maintaining
Your Creation. Allow our politicians and leaders to act
in the best interests of all nations today,
and all people in the future, in order to avoid catastrophic changes.
Oh Allah please allow a generation of leaders who will be willing to act justly
so that those who have contributed so little to the problems we are facing,
and have fewer resources with which to face it, are not left to shoulder our burden.
Oh Allah, fill the hearts of those who lead rich nations
– give them your mercy and compassion on poor countries
already suffering the effects of a changing climate.
Just as they have been moved to cancel debt in the past,
encourage them also to release funds so that poor communities
can adapt to the effects of climate change, and develop cleanly.
Oh Allah, Help us to tread lightly and use wisely,
Valuing the needs of others, and of Creation, above our own desires.
Challenge us where we need to change our lifestyles,
Convict us when we need to speak out on behalf of a voiceless people, or world
And soften us where we have stood in judgement of others.
Oh Allah, change us and use us in ways you are pleased with,
For the restoration of your world, and the protection of all your children.
Amin
22nd Century Mans Lament
(Unpublished poem by Abu Zahraa)
1. Oh how I wish,
I was like the bees.
For they are better,
Muslims than me.
Buzzing about,
from flower to flower.
Tirelessly working, to sustain
the life of another.
But it’s not the life for me,
though I do love their nectar
Pity they’ll never benefit,
From the rotten fruits of my labour.
2. I wish I had,
the resoluteness of the mountains.
For they are stronger Muslims,
than me
Faithfully firm and fixed
upon His will.
Digging deep into the earth,
keeping it stable and still.
But I am man, weak and wavering,
soon over the hill.
Oh how will you recover?
Once I’ve had my fill.
3. I wish I was like the ants,
yes even those littlies.
Far better Muslims,
than I’ll ever be.
Defending their own, building Eco homes,
a model of a caring community.
Marching orderly one by one
together in harmony.
But I’m here for a good time, not long
and my consumer lust.
Will only be satiated,
when I’ve eaten the dust.
4. If only I had the humility,
of the winds and the breeze.
Those unseen wonders,
better Muslims than me.
Pushing the clouds,
where life’s needed most.
Anonymously for His sake,
not to boast
While I build higher and higher,
monuments to my ego.
My trumpet is the only thing,
I care to blow.
5. Sometimes I wonder if I belong.
I wonder if human beings are indigene.
To this earth where you all get along,
it feels like we don’t fit in.
I wonder what you would all think.
If humans were to suddenly leave.
I wonder would you miss us at all?
Or would you say with a sigh of relief?
“Now that they’ve gone,
there’s much work to be done.
But maybe just maybe,
by His will and grace.
There’s still time left for us,
to restore this place.
