بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ once said:
"Fear the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah."
(Sahih al-Bukhari)
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to Mu`adh bin Jabal when he sent him to Yemen
"Be afraid of the curse of an oppressed person as there is no screen between his invocation and Allah"(Sahih al-Bukhari 4347)
Umar bin Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) said: Don't oppress the Muslims and ward off their curse (invocations against you) for the invocation of the oppressed is responded to (by Allah) (Sahih al-Bukhari 3059)
This means that when someone is treated unfairly or hurt by others, and they raise their hands and ask Allah for help — Allah listens right away. There is no wall, no screen, no waiting.
Why Is the Du'a of the Oppressed So Special?
When someone is wronged, their heart is broken. Their pain is real. And Allah, who is the Most Just and the Most Merciful, never ignores such a voice. He listens to them and answers in the best way.
Let’s look at how this happened in the lives of some of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.
1. Dua of Prophet (ﷺ)
Narrated `Abdullah: While the Prophet (ﷺ) was prostrating, surrounded by some of Quraish, `Uqba bin Abi Mu'ait brought the intestines (i.e. Abdominal contents) of a camel and put them over the back of the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) did not raise his head, (till) Fatima, came and took it off his back and cursed the one who had done the harm. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "O Allah! Destroy the chiefs of Quraish, Abu Jahl bin Hisham, `Utba bin Rabi`al, Shaba bin Rabi`a, Umaiya bin Khalaf or Ubai bin Khalaf." (The sub-narrator Shu`ba, is not sure of the last name.) I saw these people killed on the day of Badr battle and thrown in the well except Umaiya or Ubai whose body parts were mutilated but he was not thrown in the well. (Sahih al-Bukhari 3854)
2. Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas (رضي الله عنه) – His Du'a was always answered
Sa’d was known as one of those people whose du'a never missed. Once, someone falsely accused him of being unjust. Sa’d was hurt, so he prayed to Allah for truth to come out.
What happened? Not long after, the liar was exposed, and Sa’d’s name was cleared. The Prophet ﷺ had said about him:
Narrated Sa'd: that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "O Allah, respond to Sa'd when he supplicates to You. (Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3751)
Narrated Jabir bin Samura:
The People of Kufa complained against Sa`d to `Umar and the latter dismissed him and appointed `Ammar as their chief . They lodged many complaints against Sa`d and even they alleged that he did not pray properly. `Umar sent for him and said, "O Aba 'Is-haq! These people claim that you do not pray properly." Abu 'Is-haq said, "By Allah, I used to pray with them a prayer similar to that of Allah's Apostle and I never reduced anything of it. I used to prolong the first two rak`at of `Isha prayer and shorten the last two rak`at." `Umar said, "O Aba 'Is-haq, this was what I thought about you." And then he sent one or more persons with him to Kufa so as to ask the people about him. So they went there and did not leave any mosque without asking about him. All the people praised him till they came to the mosque of the tribe of Bani `Abs; one of the men called Usama bin Qatada with a surname of Aba Sa`da stood up and said,
"As you have put us under an oath; I am bound to tell you that Sa`d never went himself with the army and never distributed (the war booty) equally and never did justice in legal verdicts."
(On hearing it) Sa`d said, "I pray to Allah for three things: O Allah! If this slave of yours is a liar and got up for showing off, give him a long life, increase his poverty and put him to trials." (And so it happened). Later on when that person was asked how he was, he used to reply that he was an old man in trial as the result of Sa`d's curse.
`Abdul Malik, the sub narrator, said that he had seen him afterwards and his eyebrows were overhanging his eyes owing to old age and he used to tease and assault the small girls in the way. (Sahih al-Bukhari 755)
3. Dua of Khubaib (رضي الله عنه)
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent an espionage mission of ten men under
the leadership of 'Asim bin Thabit Al-Ansari (May Allah be pleased with
him). Khubaib had killed Al-Harith bin 'Amir on the day (of the battle of) Badr. So, Khubaib remained a
prisoner with those people.
When they took him out of the
Sanctuary (of Mecca) to kill him outside its boundaries, Khubaib requested them to let him offer two
rak`at (prayer).
They allowed him and he offered Two rak`at and then said, "Hadn't I been afraid that you would think
that I was afraid (of being killed), I would have prolonged the prayer. O Allah, kill them all with no
exception." (Sahih al-Bukhari 3045)
4. Dua of Sa'id bin Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail (رضي الله عنه)
'Urwah bin Az-Zubair (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Arwa
bint Aus brought a suit against Sa'id bin Zaid bin 'Amr bin Nufail (May
Allah be pleased with him). She complained to Marwan bin Al-Hakam that
he had wrongfully taken possession of a portion of her land. Sa'id said:
"How can I take a portion out of her land while I have heard a
denunciation from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)." Marwan asked him: "What
did you hear from the Messenger of Allah?" He said, "I heard the
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, 'He who takes a span of land unjustly
will be made to wear seven earths round his neck on the Day of
Ressurection'." Marwan said to him: "I don't seek proof from you after
this." Sa'id supplicated: "O Allah! If she is a liar, deprive her of her
eye sight and cause her to die in her land." 'Urwah said: "She did not
die till she became blind. While she was walking in her land (concerning
which the dispute arose) she fell down into a pit and died."
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
References:
https://www.abuaminaelias.com/beware-dua-of-the-oppressed/
https://abdurrahman.org/2014/09/04/riyad-us-saliheen-imaam-nawawi-chapter-026/
