Can we change our destiny by "dua"?
The concept of changing one's destiny through supplication (dua) is addressed in both the Qur'an and hadith. In Surah Ar-Ra'd, it is stated: Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts.
13:11. This verse emphasizes that personal change and intention are prerequisites for divine assistance and transformation in one's circumstances.
Furthermore, hadith literature supports the idea that supplication can influence one's destiny. For instance, it has been narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Nothing repels destiny except supplication, and nothing increases life except righteousness.
Sunan al-Tirmidhi 32:7. This indicates that supplication is a powerful tool that can affect outcomes, suggesting that while destiny is decreed, one's prayers can have a significant impact on the unfolding of events.
In Shia sources, it is similarly noted that supplication can avert afflictions and change decrees, with one narration stating, Adhere to supplication, for supplication is directed to Allah, and asking from Allah can avert affliction though it is already prescribed and decreed.
Al-Kafi 2:23.
Both interpretations highlight that while destiny is ultimately in the hands of Allah, sincere supplication and the effort to improve oneself can lead to changes in one's situation and even alter the course of what has been decreed. Thus, engaging in dua is seen as a means of seeking mercy and intervention from Allah in one's life.
Sources
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13:11 · Ar-Ra'd
13:11 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall
لَهُۥ مُعَقِّبَٰتٌۭ مِّنۢ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِۦ يَحْفَظُونَهُۥ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُوا۟ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمْ ۗ وَإِذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍۢ سُوٓءًۭا فَلَا مَرَدَّ لَهُۥ ۚ وَمَا لَهُم مِّن دُونِهِۦ مِن وَالٍ
For him are angels ranged before him and behind him, who guard him by Allah's command. Lo! Allah changeth not the condition of a folk until they (first) change that which is in their hearts; and if Allah willeth misfortune for a folk there is none that can repel it, nor have they a defender beside Him.
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Sunan al-Tirmidhi 32:7
Sunan al-Tirmidhi · Book 32, Hadith 7 · Narrated by Salman
The Messenger of Allah said, "Nothing repels destiny except supplication, and nothing increases life except righteousness."
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Al-Kafi 2:23
Al-Kafi · Book 2, Hadith 23
Whoever travels a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. The angels lower their wings for the seeker of knowledge pleased with him. Those in the heavens and the earth seek forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge, even the fish in the sea. The superiority of a scholar over a worshipper is like the full moon's superiority over the rest of the stars on a moonlit night. The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets; the Prophets left no dinar or dirham inheritance, only knowledge. Whoever takes it grasps an abundant portion. — OR — Adhere to supplication, for supplication is directed to Allah, and asking from Allah can avert affliction though it is already prescribed and decreed, with only its execution remaining. So when Allah the Mighty and Majestic is supplicated and asked, He turns away the affliction in a complete manner. — OR — He forbade women from looking at their private parts at night during menstruation, saying it might be yellow or dark discharge (i.e., impurity). — OR — The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) used to face the people and say, 'O people, when the crescent of Ramadan appears, the rebellious devils are chained, the gates of Heaven, Paradise, and mercy are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, prayers are answered, and God in it has freed those from the Fire. Every night a caller calls out: “Is there a supplicant? Is there one seeking forgiveness? O God, grant every spender a replacement and every hoarder loss.” When the crescent of Shawwal appears, the believers are called: “Go to your rewards, it is the day of recompense.” Abu Ja'far said: By Him in Whose hand is my soul, this is not a reward of dinars or dirhams.' — OR — The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) freed a thousand slaves from his own labor. — OR — Whoever divorces three times in one sitting during impurity, this is not a divorce. The divorce commanded by God Almighty is the valid one, and whoever contradicts that does not have a valid divorce. Ibn Umar divorced his wife three times in one sitting while she was menstruating, but the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) ordered him to marry her again and not to count that divorce. A man came to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) and said: O Commander of the Faithful, I divorced my wife. He asked: Do you have proof? He said no. He said: Then remain single. — OR — He said: Four categories admit no harm in inheritance: the parents, the husband, and the wife.
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