Dua, or prayer, doesn’t mean to memorize some Arabic words and keep repeating them. This is not dua, but a robotic technique. It is more like the speech of a tape recorder. Dua is really the state of one's heart. It is the restlessness of one's soul. Dua is that which reflects a person's entire personality. A person's very being takes the shape of the dua he utters. The Prophet Moses said: رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ (28:24)

This was not lip service. It was no simple statement, rather it encapsulated his entire being. There are many such prayers from prophets and other pious people. There are also many prayers of the Prophet of Islam. People generally memorize these prophetic prayers. They believe dua is mere repetition of these words. According to me, this is not dua. Dua is that which emerges from the depth of one's heart.

When the Prophet was journeying toward Madinah, he took refuge in the Cave of Thawr. At that time, he was only accompanied by Abu Bakr. The Prophet's enemies reached the cave armed with swords. The Prophet was completely helpless there. He had no army with him. There were only two persons in the cave: the Prophet and Abu Bakr. When the enemies reached the cave, Abu Bakr exclaimed that the enemy hosts had arrived.

The historical words that issued from the Prophet were: مَا ظَنُّكَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ بِاثْنَيْنِ اللَّهُ ثَالِثُهُمَا (Sahih al-Bukhari 3653) Abu Bakr, what do you think of those two who have God as their third! These words are full of conviction. They are a great expression of nearness to God. This is the of a person when he has a profound experiences of nearness to God such that nothing can be an obstacle between the two.