Q 1: I read in a Hadith that Ubay ibn Ka`b said to the Messenger (peace be upon him): (Part No. 24; Page No. 158) "How much of my Du`a' (supplication) should I allocate for you?" I could not fully grasp the meaning of this Hadith. Does it mean that I should always supplicate for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and not for myself? How can this be true and Allah (Exalted be He) has ordered His Servants to supplicate to Him for all their needs?

A: The Messenger (peace be upon him) is not in need of anyone's Du`a', as he was forgiven his past and future sins. Allah (Exalted be He) says: That Allâh may forgive you your sins of the past and the future So he does not need our Du`a'.However, it is prescribed to supplicate for the Prophet (peace be upon him) by asking Allah (Exalted be He) to praise him among the angels. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has taught us how to supplicate for him. On the authority of Ka`b ibn `Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who narrated: When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out to us, we said, "Now we know how to greet you, but how can we supplicate for you?" He said: You should say, "O Allah, send Your Prayers upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You have sent Your Prayers upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. You are indeed the Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. O Allah, send Your Blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You have sent Your Blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. You are indeed the Most Praiseworthy, Most Glorious." What is mentioned in the Hadith of Ubay ibn Ka`b (may Allah be pleased with him) is specific to Ubay, because he used to supplicate for himself in a specific formula. Later, he turned his supplication to be for the Prophet (peace be upon him) after he (Part No. 24; Page No. 159) asked the Prophet's permission to do that. Ibn Al-Qayyim said in his book Jala' Al-Afham (p. 34): Our Shaykh Abu Al-`Abbas Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about the meaning of that Hadith and he said: Ubay ibn Ka`b had a Du`a' that he used to say for himself, and he asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) whether he should make one-quarter of it dedicated for sending prayers upon him, and he said, "Whatever you wish, and if you do more it is better for you." Ubay said, "Should I make half of my Du`a' for you?" He said, "Whatever you wish, and if you do more it is better for you." Ubay said, "Should I make all my Du`a' for you?" He said, "Then, your concerns will be all resolved and your sins will be forgiven." This is because anyone who sends prayers upon the Prophet (peace be upon him), Allah (Exalted be He) will send prayers upon them tenfold and will take care of their concerns and forgive their sins.Therefore, the Hadith does not contradict with the fact that a person is permitted to supplicate to Allah (Exalted be He) for themselves and ask Him for their needs by means of lawful and authentic Du`a' and at the same time send prayers frequently upon the Prophet (peace be upon him). In this way both matters may be reconciled.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.