There should be no delegation of supplications

This is a strange trend in our times that people delegate others to offer prayers on their behalf

Let the husband himself supplicate. There are many supplications that are easy to memorise and they should be memorised  and recited instead of getting them written on a piece of paper and  carrying in your purse or hang it on your neck like an amulet.

Few easy supplications that should be memorised and recited regularly

It is said about Ali (Allah be pleased with him) that one day he was sitting in a very sad mood. The Prophet (peace  be upon him) saw him and asked him the reason. He replied, “ I have been taking so much of loan to run my house that my debt has now crossed over my head like a huge mountain. Now I am not in a position to repay the debt whereas the creditors are standing on my head demanding their money back. O Messenger of Allah, This is my biggest worry. I am so fed up of this, that I do not even know how to sort it out Wherever I stand up, someone from my creditors come up and ask their money back.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “ Should I suggest you a Dua which, if you recite it regularly every morning and evening, will get your debt settled even if it is as huge as a mountain. Allah will open some or other ways for you?”  Ali (Allah be pleased with him), “ Yes please do suggest.”

He said, “ Recite regularly,  “Allahumagfeeni, bi halika  an haramika wa agnini bi fadhlika amman siwak”

“O Allah give me enough from Halal that I am saved from haraam and bestow me so much from your bounties that I do not depend upon anyone”

Ali (Allah be pleased with him) used to say, “After I learnt the supplication from the Prophet (peace be upon him) I started reciting it regularly. Very soon, with the Help of Allah, my entire debt was cleared.”

It is mentioned in Sunan Tirmidhi, A sahabi by the name abu Umamah says, “ I was in extreme difficulty and one day I was sitting in Masjid e Nabawi with extreme grief. The Prophet (peace be upon him) came in the Masjid and he spotted me in extreme grief , “What is the matter with you, O Abu Umamah, that I see you in extreme grief and difficulty?” I said, “ O Messenger of Allah, I have taken a  lot of credit from people and this debt has now surrounded me.” He said, “I will teach you a supplication and if you recite it every morning and evening that will suffice you in difficulty.”

Allahumma inni a’udhu bika minal-hammi wal hazan, wa a’udhu bika minal-‘ajzi wal-kasal wa a’udhu bika minal-jubni wal-bukhul wa a’udhu bika min ghalabatid-dayn wa qahrir-rijal.’

(Meaning: O Allah, I seek refuge with You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being overpowered by men.)

Abu Umamah said: ‘I did that and Allah removed my distress and paid for me my debt.’ (Abu Dawud)

Abu Umamah (Allah be pleased with him) used to say, “ I started reciting the dua every morning and evening with a sincere belief  and with a hope that Allah will surely accept my supplications and drive away my difficulties, soon Allah bestowed His bounties upon me”

The hardships of Fatima (Allah be pleased with her) and the Prophet’s solution

Fatima (Allah be pleased with her ) did not have much experience of  domestic work but after her marriage with Ali (Allah be pleased with him) she had to do her duties. Fatima (Allah be pleased with her ) had been brought up with lot of love and affection and when she started working in her own home she had developed corns on her palms due to grinding. At times even her palms  used to even bleed yet she bore with patience.  There were no water storage at home so she used to take a leather bag and walk all the way to the well and fill it with water and then used to carry it on her back. Her back had marks of cuts due to the weight of the leather bag  and parts of her skin was peeled up which caused her  few painful cuts. Besides this, she had to cook and she was  not well versed in using the tandoor type oven thus causing the skin of her face darkened due to the smoke.

It was situation that was unbearable for her so one day she went  to her father’s house. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was not at home. So she went to Aisha (Allah be pleased with her). The moment Aisha (Allah be pleased with her ) saw her, she screamed and asked her, “What is all this O Fatima?” She showed her wounds and informed her about hardships. Aisha (Allah be pleased with her) reported the visit of Fatima to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and she explained l her hardships. She bore witness that she had seen  cuts on the hands and back of Fatima (Allah be pleased with her ) and she suggested if he can provide a servant to help her in her domestic work.

It was night, yet the Prophet (peace be upon him) reached the house of Fatima. There was only one mattress on which both the husband and wife managed to sleep. When the Prophet (peace be upon him)  entered the house and sat, Fatima sat on one side and Ali on the other. He asked, “Fatima! Did you visit my house?” She showed her hands and said, “See my both the hands. See my shoulders, my face, you will find my difficulties on them.That is why I visited your house and met Aisha. ”

Now consider this, at that time Fatima was the most in need of provision. She was under extreme need of provision. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said. “Fatima and Ali ! What do you both desire?  Should I provide you a servant?”  Both of them said, “ Yes O Messenger of Allah, If you can provide us a servant, our difficulties will ease”

He said, “ Should I not provide you about something better than a servant?” Both of them were expecting a servant but the prophet (peace be upon him) offered them something better than that. Both of them said, “Yes, why not?”

He said, “Tomorrow onwards before you sleep, both of you should recite Sub’hanAllah 33 times, Al-Hmandulillah  33 times and AllahuAkbar 34 times. This supplication would be better than having a servant. Fatima and Ali (Allah be pleased with them) both of them started reciting  the supplication as instructed.  Soon their difficulties were eased. Later,  Fatima departed from the world earlier and Ali end up as a Khalifa of the Ummah.

Ali was so particular in reciting it that he did not miss out a single night without reciting it. When Ali (Allah be pleased with him) narrated it to his students, one of them asked, The student asked out of curiosity, “ You might have missed it during the night of the battle of Siffin.”Ali (Allah be pleased with him) said, “By Allah I recited it even during that night. ”

After narrating this Hadith, every scholar of Religious Knowledge agree that If anyone wants to had there been a better way to get rid of financial crisis the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have surely informed his daughter and son in law about it. But he suggested that reciting this tasbeeh so it means that reciting this tasbeeh is a solution to many of our financial strains.

Summing up, In order to get out of financial crisis, observing taqwa, maintaining relationships and reciting the above mentioned supplications. And over and above, the supplications should be made by the person himself instead of delegating. A wife may pray for the good of her husband but instead of wasting his time loitering with  friends and getting entertained on TV it is essential for the husband to pray . He should not be careless.