And you know what? He answered my longed-for dua’. He did. And in a way and timing which was beyond my wildest hopes and dreams. I know what some of you are thinking–that I’m just special in getting my unanswered prayer. At times this took ten years to come to fruition for me. This is not something only I’ve experienced, it’s a story I hear from others all the time. The answer is always there; it just may not be how you expect.
Don’t give up. Ibn Ataillah made this profound statement, “When God inspires your tongue to ask, know that He wants to give.” Have that fervent certainty that Allah  will answer your dua’ in the best way for your particular circumstances as you continue to ask Him.
Shifting Our Understanding of How Dua’s are Answered

When it seems like a dua’ I’ve made for so long is not answered, I have to remind myself that our prayers are always being answered, but just not always in exactly the same way we are asking for them. So know that even if you don’t feel it, He is protecting you in what He withholds from you. Know that whenever you pray, He answers. But He answers in His timing, when it’s best for you. And if it turns out that it’s not best for you in this life–then without a doubt, it’ll be waiting for you in the next.
The fact of the matter is that Allah  is All-Knowing and All-Wise and The Best of Planners, not me. Thus,it may be that I am making a dua’ which is in actuality not in my best interests for my deen, dunya, or akhirah, and He is answering in the way He knows will be best for me in all three. In hindsight I have realized, and I’m sure for many of you have as well, sometimes what I’ve so desperately insisted upon has made me sick: physically, spiritually, or mentally, and I realized that God was protecting me by withholding it. Other times, what I want has come, but delayed to a better time and in a better way than I could have imagined.
As Imam al Ghazali said, “As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good; I was actually being re-directed to something better. You must convince your heart that whatever God has decreed is most appropriate and most beneficial for you.” Convince your heart that Allah  is always answering your prayers and always in the best way possible for your very specific, intimate circumstances, even when we don’t see or understand how He is.
Don’t give up. Ibn Ataillah made this profound statement, “When God inspires your tongue to ask, know that He wants to give.” Have that fervent certainty that Allah  will answer your dua’ in the best way for your particular circumstances as you continue to ask Him.
Shifting Our Understanding of How Dua’s are Answered

When it seems like a dua’ I’ve made for so long is not answered, I have to remind myself that our prayers are always being answered, but just not always in exactly the same way we are asking for them. So know that even if you don’t feel it, He is protecting you in what He withholds from you. Know that whenever you pray, He answers. But He answers in His timing, when it’s best for you. And if it turns out that it’s not best for you in this life–then without a doubt, it’ll be waiting for you in the next.
The fact of the matter is that Allah  is All-Knowing and All-Wise and The Best of Planners, not me. Thus,it may be that I am making a dua’ which is in actuality not in my best interests for my deen, dunya, or akhirah, and He is answering in the way He knows will be best for me in all three. In hindsight I have realized, and I’m sure for many of you have as well, sometimes what I’ve so desperately insisted upon has made me sick: physically, spiritually, or mentally, and I realized that God was protecting me by withholding it. Other times, what I want has come, but delayed to a better time and in a better way than I could have imagined.
As Imam al Ghazali said, “As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good; I was actually being re-directed to something better. You must convince your heart that whatever God has decreed is most appropriate and most beneficial for you.” Convince your heart that Allah  is always answering your prayers and always in the best way possible for your very specific, intimate circumstances, even when we don’t see or understand how He is.