Ramadan 1447AH Asking Ar-Rahman Series: Obstacles to Answered Duʿā’ — Dr. Abioye Ibraheem

Allah makes a promise that should settle every anxious heart: 

“Call upon Me; I will respond to you.” 
(Qur’an 40:60) 

And again: 

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me — indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the caller when he calls upon Me…” 
(Qur’an 2:186) 

The promise is clear. 
The invitation is open. 
The nearness is affirmed. 

So when duʿā’ feels delayed… when the answer does not arrive in the form we expected… the believer does not rush to doubt Allah. 

Instead, the believer asks a quieter question: 

Is there something blocking my call? 

The Prophet ﷺ taught that duʿā’ is answered. But he also warned us of barriers — conditions that weaken its path or slow its acceptance. 

Let us reflect on a few. 

1. Engaging in Ḥarām 

The Prophet ﷺ described a man travelling, disheveled and dusty, raising his hands to the sky, crying: 

“O Lord, O Lord…” 

But then he said: 

“Yet his food is ḥarām, 
his drink is ḥarām, 
his clothing is ḥarām, 
and he is nourished with ḥarām. 
So how can he be answered?” 
(Sahih Muslim 1015) 

Notice: the man looks sincere. His posture is humble. His need is real. 

But what sustains him is impure. 

Provision is not morally neutral. 
What feeds the body shapes the heart. 
And what shapes the heart affects the sincerity of duʿā’. 

Persistent disobedience does not mean Allah cannot hear you. 
It means you are weakening your own pathway to acceptance. 

Allah commands: 

“O you who believe, eat from the good things We have provided for you…” 
(Qur’an 2:172) 

If we want pure answers, we must seek pure provision. 

2. Violating the Rights of Others (المظالم) 

Injustice is heavy before Ar-Rahman. 

When the Prophet ﷺ sent Muʿādh to Yemen, he warned him: 

“Beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.” 
(Sahih al-Bukhari 1496) 

The duʿā’ of the oppressed rises without obstruction. 

And if their duʿā’ rises against you? 

The scholars explain that oppression — backbiting, cheating, withholding wages, slander, betrayal of trust — creates spiritual blockage. You cannot harm others and expect your own prayers to flow freely. 

When false accusations were made against Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas رضي الله عنه, he eventually made duʿā’ against the man who persisted in lying about him. The man lost his sight and would say: 

“I am afflicted by the duʿā’ of Saʿd.” 
(Sahih al-Bukhari 755) 

Injustice is not light. 

This is why restoring rights is part of repentance. 
Without repairing what we broke, tawbah remains incomplete. 

3. Heedlessness and Distraction (غفلة القلب) 

Not every obstacle is dramatic. 
Some are quiet. 

The Prophet ﷺ said: 

“Call upon Allah while you are certain of response, and know that Allah does not accept a supplication from a heedless, distracted heart.” 
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2516) 

Heedlessness is when the tongue says “Ya Rabb” 
but the mind is elsewhere. 

It is duʿā’ made mechanically. 
Phrases repeated without presence. 
Requests spoken without reflection. 

Allah commands: 

“Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like the transgressors.” 
(Qur’an 7:55) 

Duʿā’ is not performance. 
It is turning. 

If the heart does not turn, the form remains, but the spirit weakens. Allah even describes heedlessness as trespassing bounds, indicating its seriousness. 

Ramadan can become crowded with activity: recitation, taraweeh, gatherings. 
It is possible to do much and feel little. 

Slow down. 
Say less. 
Mean more. 

4. Severing Family Ties 

The Prophet ﷺ said: 

“There is no Muslim who calls upon Allah with a supplication except that Allah grants it to him, or diverts from him a similar evil — so long as he does not supplicate for something sinful or for the severing of family ties.” 
(Sunan al-Tirmidhi 3573) 

And in a hadith qudsi, Allah says regarding the womb (ar-raḥm): 

“I will keep good relation with the one who keeps good relation with you, and sever relation with the one who severs you.” 
(Sahih al-Bukhari 5988) 

In an age of hyper-independence, severing ties may not look dramatic. 
It may look like prolonged silence. 
Stubborn pride. 
Withdrawing out of ego. 

Maintaining ties does not mean tolerating abuse. 
But it does mean refusing to let pride cut what Allah has sanctified. 

The Mercy Behind the Obstacle 

If you recognize something here — a habit, a wrong, a distance — do not despair. 

The discovery itself is mercy. 

Allah says: 

“Seek forgiveness from your Lord and then turn to Him in repentance…” 
(Qur’an 11:3) 

Repentance clears what sin clouds. 
Restoring rights repairs what injustice broke. 
Presence revives what heedlessness weakened. 

And a softened heart calls differently. 

The One who says, “Call upon Me,” 
is the same One who shows you what stands in the way. 

Removing the obstacle is not rejection. 
It is refinement. 

Clear the channel. 
Purify the provision. 
Repair the harm. 
Return with presence. 

Then ask Ar-Rahman. 

And ask knowing 
nothing stands between Him and a heart that truly turns.