Why a course on dua?
I’m writing to you from 30,000 feet above, mid-way on a flight from Malaysia to Spain.
I spent the last nine days in Malaysia, where I hosted a women’s retreat, gave some other lectures, was interviewed on some podcasts (coming soon!), and connected with a community of new and old friends. There’s a lot to share from this trip, which I plan to share in my next essay (in the meantime, check out some reels and clips from the trip on my Instagram).
In this essay, however, I want to share some intentions and reasons behind my upcoming dua course that starts this Saturday: Intimacy in Invocation: Exploring the Art and Theology of Dua.
Yes, I actually write in-flight. The key is to stay off the wi-fi!
I’ve been working on this course for over a year. It has an interesting inception story. In early 2023, the topic of dua came up a lot in a discussion group I was a part that met to study on the Names of God. I solicited from the group all their questions about dua, and was pleasantly surprised when they shared dozens of questions with me.
I organized these into a “dua question bank” and over the past year I’ve been reading about, reflecting on, and working on my own practice of dua. I’m excited to share those learnings and insights with you, and to deepen my understanding through a communal contemplation of dua.
Whether you’re able to join the course or not, I want to share three reasons why I think exploring and renewing our practice of dua can be a transformative spiritual inquiry to engage in during the blessed days of dhul-hijjah.
#1: Regarding dua, confusion abounds, and clarity is welcomed.
Dua is a practice that we all engage in and that we’ve all heard disparate - if not contradicting - teachings about. Everyone has something to say about it, and everyone has nagging questions they’ve always wanted answered.
Since dua is also situated at the intersection of our theological beliefs, spiritual experience, ritual practice, and striving for change in the world, the questions we have touch on these diverse facets of being a Muslim. If we approach the ‘theory’ of dua coherently, it’s an opportunity to connect and align the three dimensions of our faith: imān (belief), islām (practice), and iḥsān (spirituality).
Each meeting will explore one set of questions about dua:
Session 1: Exploring our Relationship to Dua & Theological Foundations
Session 2: Approaching Dua Inwardly and Outwardly
Session 3: Du'a' Bridging Realms? Life/Death, Seen/Unseen, Time/Space
Session 4: Workshop: Features of Prophetic Du'a's & Course Conclusion
Exploring dua in community and at a time when the ummah faces an ongoing genocide in Palestine and a humanitarian crisis in Sudan has the added benefit of providing a space in which we can grieve, process, and explore the umma’s collective relationship to dua and its responsibilities towards the oppressed the world over
#2: Dua cuts right to and reveals tension points in our spiritual (mis)alignment.
The Messenger Muhammad (saws) taught:
“Dua is ibāda”
“There is nothing more beloved to Allah than dua.”
The centrality of dua to our devotional lives makes it a door that we can walk through to explore our spiritual expectations, beliefs, and apprehensions. It reveals our deepest held beliefs about Allah, how He relates to us, ourselves, what is possible, what we think we deserve, what we really care about… and the list goes on.
In many ways, duʿaʾ is an indicator, a litmus test, of our spiritual state and inward alignment. When we feel deeply connected to Allah, we express this through intimate moments in heartful dua and we make time for prayerful supplication. When we experience periods of crisis, we turn to Him, awakened to our complete dependence on Allah, imploring Him through whole-hearted and fully-present invocations. And conversely, when we feel out of alignment spiritually, when we are disconnected from our inner world, it manifests in a retreat away from dua.
As a microcosm of my relationship with Allah, I’ve experienced the inquiry into dua in my own life as an exploration into my spiritual life and practice.
#3: Dua is a vehicle for internal re-alignment and spiritual intimacy.
Getting dua right is a major cornerstone in our devotional practice and spiritual experience. If we can turn back to dua in all of our states and stages of life, it’s a sure sign that we’re well on our way to realizing our servitude to Allah.
We’ve planned the course to coincide with the first ten blessed days of dhul-hijjah, a special time in which Allah loves for us to engage in introspection, devotion, and spiritual renewal.
Register today!
Women only! Spaces are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis
