Dua to Allah

Islam in the Internet age! I found this fascinating, troubling, exciting and amazing all at the same time! I discovered a new website. www.duatoallah.com. This website allows you to post your du’a online anonymously. Then others can view your dua and make dua for you or just add their ameen. (Du’a is a short informal prayer to Allah asking for His assistance.)

     The site claims to have had over 2000 du’a posted. I found this fascinating because, “wow,” the concept of entering your du’a online, posted publicly for Muslims around the world to see and ameen was just an idea that had never crossed my mind. I found it disturbing because on some level isn’t it de-personalizing your request? When a du’a is made sincerely and wholeheartedly it is such a personal moment between you and Allah that you can actually feel it in your heart. You feel that personal connection to the Almighty; who you are going to directly with your request. Is it the same when you enter it online? And should it be?

     I must admit that it is exciting. The thought that 100 or 1,000 or even 2,000 others may read your request and also request on your behalf is exciting. I have a mother who is suffering from cancer. So if I du’a that Allah help her in her situation and then around the world 2000 other join in my du’a that is an exciting possibility. Especially if you believe as I do in the power that sincere dua’s can have. And that is an amazing possibility.

     Is it a bidah? Is it depersonalizing something that should be personal? I mean let’s face it, if you ask your family, friends or even your community at your local masjid to pray for you it is still personal. But to post it online is to lose that closeness. I, like most of you have prayed for Muslims in other countries, Muslims that I have never met and don’t know. But it is still that I was personally moved by their tragedy, not because I read it on a website. But this is amazing Islam in the age of the Internet. Amazing.