"And Allah wants to lighten for you [your difficulties]; and mankind was created weak." (Qu'ran 40:28)
We as humans have great power in other ways. We have brawn that can break through wood sometimes. We have creativity to build the most daunting of structures. We have intellect to program the most intricate of computers. We have knowledge that can hold an almost immeasurable amount of memory.
We, in the end though, dissipate back to the ground to inevitably fall back into our weak state. Into the the Earth we go, thinking we will never rise back up again.
"And he (i.e. man) presents for Us an example (i.e. attempting to establish the finality of death) and forgets his [own] creation. He says, “Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?” Say, “He will give them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.” [It is] He who made for you from the green tree, fire, and then from it you ignite. Is not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes, [it is so]; and He is the Knowing Creator." (Quran, 36:78-81)
We mix and mingle with the Earth, just like how we were created from it. But by no means does that mean that there isn't something greater in motion here. There is something much greater happening; in our hearts, in our brains, in our body every second; there is something much greater at stake. And that is that of the soul.
Our soul is at stake, regardless of what happens to our temporal bodies. And in order to succeed, one must save it. He must save it from the myriad evils that exist in this world that threaten to corrupt it. It is inside from the soul or the heart that the rest of the body answers to.
“There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoiled, the whole body gets spoiled – and that is the heart.” -Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
Thus, our weak bodies are at the mercy of our heart. If it does good, the rest of the body does good; if it does bad, the rest of the body does bad. And the heart is threatened by the evils of sins. And it is saved by the holding of belief and doing of righteousness.
Our bodies can be destroyed any moment by a disaster. Our lives can momentously change any moment due to an extenuating circumstance. Our lives may collapse before our very eyes.
There's a remedy for everything.
"Allah has not Sent down a disease except that He Has also Sent down its cure." -Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
In order to combat the hardships of this life and the next, one can use the secret weapon of the believer. And that weapon is supplication, also known as du'a.
“Du‘a is a weapon of a Muslim, a Pillar of Deen and the light of the skies and earth.” -Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
Supplication, or du'a, is the personal prayer of the believer to Allah. It is the calling of God to ask for anything he desires. With it, he can avert oncoming disasters in wake. He can ask for protection. He can ask for healing. He can even ask for things of this world.
“All those calamities and misfortunes that descends and that which will descend in the future can be averted and protected from, by Du‘a. So, Oh servant of Allah! Observe Du‘a!” -Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
The secret to this secret weapon is being certain of its happening. You have believe it's going to happen, because Allah doesn't hear an invocation that is heedless. You have to have belief in it and not let it be a simple utterance of words.
You can avert evil that may come your way with du'a. If someone is abusing you, you should turn to Allah in du'a. If you are facing debt, you should turn to Allah in du'a. If you fear a calamity about to strike, you should turn to Allah in du'a.
You can also ask of whatever you want. You ask for your well-being, friendships, happiness, safety, even wealth. It's the intention in your heart and the utterance of your words that Allah will hear to bring to life whatever you wish.
You simply can't ask for sin or cutting ties with your family. Other than that, your weapon will pave a way for you any way you want. It is the strongest weapon of the believer.
In secret, you ask. In Islamic gatherings, you ask. Allah will always hear your invocation, because Allah says: "(and when my slaves ask you (O Muhamed) concerning me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me( without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright)" (Qu'ran 2:186)
With du'a, a believer can move mountains if he wishes. He can ask for whatever he needs or wants and he will be granted it. But the important aspect of du'a is not only to focus on this life, but to focus on the next as well.
"Whosoever desires (with his deeds) the reward of the Hereafter, We give him increase in his reward, and whosoever desires the reward of this world (with his deeds), We give him thereof (what is written for him), and he has no portion in the Hereafter." (Qu'ran 42:20)
The point of du'a is to ask for the Hereafter more than this life. You have a tool; use it for good. Use your intelligence to seek help for the Hereafter and live a good life in this world as well. But the point is to seek the next life. So as long as you desire the good of the next life and do good in this world as well, you will obtain it.
Always be equipped with your secret weapon in every circumstance. The battles of life are everyday, and so you need to ask with your du'a everyday for help, desire, and need.
"Must I not inform you of the thing which will protect you from your enemy and increase your sustenance? Make Supplication to Allah day and night because Supplication is a weapon of a Mu‘min (believer)." -Prophet Muhammad (SWS)
The best time to use your weapon is in times of struggle and need. When you desperately call out to Allah in need, He will hear you as long as you put your trust in Him to help you. The people who turn to Allah in times of need with supplication are those "Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.” Quran (2:156)
The prophets of Allah themselves supplicated to Him when in great distress, and they were heard out.
So turn to Allah every place you go. You will find him Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.