Hikayat (story) about how to make Dua
One group of pilgrims was caught up in the recitation of dua, humbling themselves before the Most High.
Amongst them was a person who could not recite the prayer (maybe he did not know Arabic in order to read the dua). That pilgrim from Turkmenistan stayed silent. Saddened by that, he turned to the Most High in his own language with this supplication, “Oh my Allah, you see and know that I do not have the ability to pronounce this prayer and that I am weak.
I pray to you for what these pilgrims are asking.” Thereafter, one of the righteous people of this group saw in a dream that the Most High, answering the prayer of this person who did not know Arabic, accepted the Hajj of the whole group of pilgrims, of which the Turkmen was a part.
From this, a wise person will understand who is worthy of making dua, and will likewise understand that useless is a prayer made in Arabic by an eloquent mouth but a deaf heart, especially when it is so long that it aggravates everybody.
One wise person teaches us, “Pray to the Most High with the language of a poor, humble, non-proud perso, and do not lengthen your prayer with eloquence.”
The great ‘arifs of the past had the habit of making a prayer with seven phrases, not more, if it was intended for the general public. It is a different issue when there is one person reciting the dua or it is being made for a specific group of people. One time, Ibrahim ibn Adham set out on a journey on a ship. Suddenly a strong wind kicked up and a storm began. The people on the ship began to scream and cry and lost hope of being saved. Ibrahim, who was napping, was woken up by their shouts.
At that moment he sat up and turned to the Most High, “Oh Lord you have shown your greatness to convince those who were unsure and did not believe. Now show your mercy!” Immediately the wind subsided and the sea became calm.
