Du’a Journaling: Why You Need to Start Keeping Track of Your Supplications

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Throughout our life, whether it be during our hardships or ease, Du’a plays an integral role on our fate, as the Prophet  ﷺ  said,
“Nothing repels the divine decree but supplication.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 2139]

Allah answers our Du’a in many ways, but we only keep track of those which He answered the way we wanted. Think about it, there has been many times when you’ve asked Allah for something, and He gave you something better, or granted to you later, but by that time you’ve already forgotten about the Du’a so you don’t feel grateful when you receive it.

This is why you need to keep track of your Du’as by Du’a journaling.

Motivation to Keep Making the Du’a

When you want to make Du’a for something, write it down before or after you make it. Make it as detailed as you like or keep it short to just remember it, then add the date of when you started making the Du’a.
The key to an answered Du’a is repetition. So, keep making the Du’a regularly, and keep track of when you’ve repeated it. Our Du’as can be delayed due to sins, so do good deeds and make plenty of Istighfar to open up doors of Rizq.
By writing down your Du’a and keeping track of the number of times you’ve repeated it, how long you’ve been making it, or the good deeds you’ve done so that Allah becomes pleased enough to grant you what you want gives you the motivation and strive to keep making the Du’a.

Not Forgetting Allah’s Favors

When a Du’a of yours is answered, don’t forget to pray 2 Rak’ahs Nawafil to show Allah your gratitude. Keep thanking Allah for answering you with good deeds and avoiding sins, as the Prophet  ﷺ  said,
“Whoever would like for Allah to answer him during times of hardship and difficulty, let him supplicate often during times of ease.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 3382]

Write down the time your Du’a was answered and how Allah answered it. Then, look back at when you first made that Du’a and everything you did to get Allah’s answer. Just by looking at this alone can make your love for Allah much deeper.
Plus, whenever you feel like your Du’as are not being answered, or you’re having doubts about Allah’s mercy, open up your Du’a journal and go through all the times Allah had answered you. Recalling the times when Allah heard your Du’as gives you hope about the Du’a you’re making now.

Being More Articulate with Your Du’a

Sometimes, our Du’as may not be heard due to the ways we make it. We tend to overstep our boundaries while asking Allah, which is known as transgression. As the Prophet  ﷺ  said,
“There will be some people who will transgress in supplication.” [Sunan Ibn Majah, 3864]

Some common ways we trangress in Du’a include:

• Asking for things which are Haram (e.g. breaking apart family ties, death of someone, a Haram job, etc.)
• Invoking Allah’s curse on someone (e.g. not being able to forgive and move on, asking Allah to punish/destroy someone, etc.)
• Asking for death
• Being impatient for the answer
• Screaming, yelling, hitting, cursing, self-deprecating while asking
• Being too casual while asking Allah (i.e. thinking that you’re talking to a friend instead of the Creator of the World)
• Having negative thoughts of Allah while asking (e.g. thinking He will not answer, thinking that He is angry with you, thinking that He hasn’t forgiven you, etc.)
• Associating partners with Allah while asking (e.g. through shrines, dargahs, idols, etc.)
• Giving up on repeating the Du’a due to loss of hope

The Prophet  ﷺ  strictly warned us about trangressing in Du’a by saying,
“Oh people, be gentle with yourselves for you are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent. Rather, you are calling upon the Hearing, the Seeing.” [Sahih Bukhari, 3910]

Writing out your Du’as can help you articulate your words better before you say them to Allah. Think deeply about what you want and the perfect manner to ask for it to Allah. Think about the things that make Allah answer your Du’a, such as asking Him by His names or using Waseela, and write down your Du’a. You can then ask Allah with a sound mind and a present heart or read out your Du’a directly from the journal.