Eighth Ramadan Lecture Presented by Al-Sayyid Abdul Malik Badruddin Al-Houthi, 1444 A.H.
Supplication
its significance, etiquettes, benefits, and conditions for acceptance
I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan, the outcast.
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. I believe that there is no god but Allah, the Sovereign and the Manifest Truth, and that Muhammad, our master, is His servant, Messenger, and Last Prophet.
O Allah, confer Your salat and blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad as You conferred Your salat and blessings upon Ibrahim and the Family of Ibrahim. You are Owner of Praise, Owner of Glory! And be pleased with Muhammad's good companions and all Your righteous servants and mujahidin.
O Allah, guide us and grant us acceptance, for You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing; accept our repentance, for You are the Relenting and the Merciful.
Brothers and sisters, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
In the context of the blessed verses in Surah Al-Baqarah that discuss the obligation of fasting during the blessed month of Ramadan, within those same verses, in the middle of them, Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'When My servants ask you about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one's prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided'}. In this blessed verse, which uses delicate expressions that reflect the mercy of Allah (Glory be to Him) and His compassion and kindness towards His servants, Allah encourages His servants to invoke Him. In general, invoking Allah with prayers is important in every situation and at all times. It is something required of humans as Allah has commanded us to do so, and humans are inherently in need of it. However, there are certain seasons, including the blessed month of Ramadan, that are special in terms of the divine response to prayers.
During the month of Ramadan, as a person focuses more on Taqwa and strives to show greater commitment and obedience to Allah (Glory be to Him) and to pay more attention to the Holy Quran and as he lives that kind of atmosphere that makes him feel closer to Allah, all of this presents an important opportunity to turn to Allah with supplication. That is because this kind of atmosphere in which one shows more Taqwa and obedience to Allah, as well as that feelings that make one humbly turn to Allah (Glory be to Him) in supplication out of desire and awe, enables one to pay attention to invoking Allah with prayers in a way that grants response. In other words, the conditions and circumstances required for response are better fulfilled in this atmosphere compared to many other situations and circumstances. This is an important chance to embrace supplication. This is one aspect of it.
One another aspect to be considered is that Allah (Glory be to Him) has facilitated the response to supplication. Out of His vast mercy, grace, and generosity, He has presented this significant opportunity to His servants. He has specifically designated this season with increased chances of response, out of His bounty, His mercy, and His generosity. Therefore, it is an important opportunity.
The innate feeling of need for Allah and turning to Him in supplication
When it comes to turning to Allah (Glory be to Him) and invoking Him with prayers, the general reality of people is a reality that imposes this state upon them. By their nature and in the circumstances of their lives, humans feel their need for Allah, especially in times of distress, hardship, and difficulties and during trials and challenges. In such circumstances, many people turn to Allah and supplicate to Him out of necessity, because it is their instinct: the feeling of being in need of Allah and their reliance on Him as their Lord and refuge. This also has to do with their belief that He alone has the power to provide them relief, bestow His favours upon them, alleviate their hardship, and remove the adversities that they feel too powerless to bear and also realize the helplessness of others, others among humans and other beings, in removing these burdens. Thus, they place their hope in Allah alone, and they turn sincerely to Him in supplication and devotion. In those moments, they realize that there is no refuge for them except Allah, no savior for them except Allah, and no one is capable of rescuing them and relieving their distress except Allah.
This even occurs among non-believers, in the reality of polytheists and disbelievers, in those extremely difficult situations and in times of hardship and distress. Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {'When harm touches people, they cry out to their Lord, turning to Him . But as soon as He gives them a taste of His mercy, a group of them associates with their Lord '}. In general, when people experience harm which they are unable to alleviate and protect themselves from and feel that others cannot help them, too, they turn to Allah. They instinctively realize that there is no savior for them except Him. However, after Allah provides them relief and bestows His mercy on them, many of them later turn their backs to Allah and His favour, forgetting Him and turning to others besides Allah.
The Almighty also says in the Holy Quran, {'And when harm touches you at sea, those that you call upon besides Him disappear from you except Him'}. In the sea, the danger is great for humans. Therefore, when they sense the imminent danger and expect their own destruction, they turn to Allah, the Almighty. This was the case even with the polytheists, as they would seek refuge in Allah alone and forget all the other false gods they associated with Him, the Almighty. They would forget those artificial and counterfeit deities—{'Those that you call upon besides Him disappear from you except Him'}—because they, by their nature, realized that those deities were helpless and of no benefit for them. They knew that only Allah (Glory be to Him) had the power to save them, and they naturally knew that Allah hears their supplications, that He is merciful and compassionate towards His servants, and that He helps them and responds to them. They naturally realize all of that.
Allah (the Almighty) says, {'And when waves come over them like canopies,'}—at sea, enormous waves approach them, and they anticipate drowning and become aware of the danger of drowning and perishing—{'they supplicate Allah, sincerely devoted to Him in religion'}. This means they turn to Allah alone in supplication, with sincerity, humility, repentance. And great devotion to Him, the Almighty.
In general, this is the reality of humans: People, as servants of Allah, feel the need for Him, and when they face an urgent situation, distress, or hardship, they realize that He is the Helper and the Savior. That is why Allah (Glory be to Him) says, {'Who responds to the distressed when he calls out to Him, and Who relieves suffering, and Who makes you successors on earth?'}. They understand that it is only Him (the Almighty) Who is capable of answering the call of the desperate, and the compassionate One Who responds to the distressed in times of compulsion, harm, severe distress, and terrifying horrors. He is the Helper, the Savior, the Most Merciful, Who removes evil, which humans are completely unable to remove or protect themselves from. Therefore, they turn to Allah (Glory be to Him), seeking His help in removing it. He is the One Who has made us vicegerents in the earth and bestowed upon us the blessings it contains.
The feelings of the believer when seeking refuge in Allah and supplicating to Him
What distinguishes the spiritual state of the believing servants of Allah in their supplications is that they do not limit themselves to seeking refuge in Allah (Glory be to Him) and supplicating to Him only in times of desperation and extreme distress. What motivates them is not only that kind of motive that arises among others when they feel harm and great danger, making them turn to Allah out of necessity—the kind of momentary feeling of intense need and desperation that prompts them to seek refuge in Allah, the Almighty.
The believer returns to Allah and seeks refuge in Him in times of necessity, distress, and hardship, with feelings of devotion, submission, humility, and complete reliance on Him. However, it is not limited to that, for the believer turns to Allah in all circumstances: He calls upon Allah in adversity and prosperity, in difficulty and ease, and in all situations and conditions, always turning and repenting to Allah. He invokes Allah, considering supplication as a form of worship through which he worships Allah. He does so out of his feeling that he is a servant of Allah, having no power to benefit or harm himself except by the will of Allah and acknowledging that Allah is the Lord and God to Whom he turns as an obedient servant in all his life affairs, in all his life requirements, and in all his life conditions. With the sense of servitude to Allah, he draws closer to Allah through supplication as an act of worship, devoting himself to Allah.
And that is why it is mentioned in a noble hadith of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&F) that 'Supplication is the essence of worship.' This is because the praying person turns to Allah in supplication out of his deep sense of being a servant of Allah: He recognizes that he has no power to benefit or harm himself except by the will of Allah, and he acknowledges his complete dependence on Allah in everything and that he turns to Allah in all matters and throughout his life's journey, dedicating himself to Allah.
Furthermore, he turns to Allah with prayers based on his faith. He places his hopes in Allah (Glory be to Him), loves Him, and turns to Him, seeking His mercy and bounty. His feelings of faith, hope, love, and fear are distinctive feelings because they are not limited to times of extreme hardship, severe distress, or grave dangers. Rather, these feelings are present in various situations. This is because the believers experience the sense of belief and live the state of worshiping Allah and seeking closeness to Him, the Almighty.
When it comes to the state of turning to no one except Allah, a believer never seeks anyone but Allah. To him, others are servants of Allah like him, having no power to benefit or harm themselves except by the will of Allah. His focus on what he seeks and hopes for is directed towards Allah. That is why Allah addresses His Prophet (PBUH&F), saying, {'And mention the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with complete devotion. Lord of the East and the West; there is no deity except Him, so take Him as Disposer of your affairs'}. The believer is devoted and connected to Allah, completely reliant on Him, and all his hopes and expectations are directed towards Him. He maintains this spiritual connection and takes Allah as his guardian, entrusting all his matters to Him, turning to Him in all his affairs, and seeking refuge in Him in all his circumstances, concerns, and worries: 'There is no hope or expectation except in You.' He turns to Allah regularly in his worship, in different times and in situations, as Allah says, addressing His Prophet (PBUH&F), {'And patiently stick with those who call upon their Lord morning and evening, seeking His pleasure'}.
One should turn to Allah through supplication as a part of his regular and continuous worship, which in its entirety is about invoking Allah (Glory be to Him) with prayers—{'those who call upon their Lord'}—and turning to Him in servitude and feeling the need for Him. The believer is not like those who only remember Allah and turn to Him in times of extreme hardship, distress, and difficulty. Rather, the believer turns to Allah in all circumstances.
What should one focus on in supplication?
As for what makes a priority regarding supplication, others may turn to Allah in times of hardship, difficulty, distress, or poverty or when facing grave problems in life that they are unable to overcome. At those times, they remember Allah, and before that they were heedless. Even after He rescues them, alleviates their difficulties, or bestows His blessings upon them, they immediately turn away from Him in a state of heedlessness: They do not even turn to Him in gratitude, and then they become neglectful of Him, forgetting Him and turning towards disobedience.
As for believers, the range of concerns regarding supplication is vast. In times of hardship and difficulty, they turn to Allah (Glory be to Him). In the concerns of life, they turn to Allah. However, their concerns are extensive:
- They seek from Allah what relates to their Hereafter, their important future with Allah (Glory be to Him).
- They seek from Allah what relates to their religion—that is, to help them fulfill their religious obligations and adhere to their faith—as they recognize the value of religion in this life and its significance for their Hereafter.
- They seek forgiveness from Allah. They realize their need for forgiveness, as it is one of their fundamental needs. That is because they understand the consequences of sins, the afflictions they bring, and the problems and the deprivation of blessings they cause. They are aware of the serious consequences of sins and carry this consciousness regarding what can affect them in their daily lives and circumstances. Their awareness surpasses that of those who are distant from the state of faith.
Therefore, we notice that seeking forgiveness comes high and first in what the prophets of Allah, His messengers, and the true believers focus on in their prayers mentioned in the Holy Quran. They repeatedly ask Allah for forgiveness; this is what they start their prayers with, focus on, and ask for most, for they realize their need for forgiveness. Allah has mentioned some prayers of the prophets Adam, Nuh, and Ibrahim, among other prophets. The focus of their prayers is on seeking forgiveness:
- In their prayer, Adam and Eve said, {'Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall certainly be among the losers'};
- in his prayer, Prophet Nuh said,{'My Lord, Forgive me, my parents, and whoever enters my house as a believer, and all believing men and women'}; and
- in his prayer, Prophet Ibrahim said, {'Our Lord, forgive me, my parents, and the believers on the day when reckoning shall take place'}.
These are some of their prayers, and there are other ones. In the true believers' prayers that Allah (Glory be to Him) mentions, seeking forgiveness is among what they focus on most. They realize their need for forgiveness and are aware that many calamities and problems a person suffers are caused by his sins, misdeeds, and acts of disobedience. So they repeatedly ask for forgiveness and supplicate Allah for that.
They ask support in their religion, even in matters of worship. Among the prayers of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) is his prayer, {'My Lord, make me steadfast in Salat, and my descendants as well. And, Our Lord, accept my prayer'}.
They ask Allah to pour patience upon them so that they can endure in adhering to their religion, facing difficulties in life, and fulfilling their faith-based duties: {'Our Lord, pour out patience upon us.'} This is mentioned in the prayers of prophets and in the prayers of the true believers.
They ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to grant them victory while they are working on the ground against the enemies, so they ask Him victory while seeking to fulfil what grants them Allah's response.
Therefore, we see what Allah has mentioned in the Holy Quran regarding the prayers His prophets and messengers and the true believers among His servants used to invoke Him with in their various conditions and circumstances, including in times of difficulty and adversity.
In the ordeal of Prophet Yaqub, which was a long ordeal that he endured for long years with beautiful patience—{'But I will bear this with beautiful patience'}—without showing fear, panic, or the like of feelings, Allah mentions that he turned to Him, {'He said, "I complain for my anguish and sorrow only to Allah"'}. He never lost hope and continued to seek refuge in Allah (Glory be to Him). Even at the peak of adversity, when the trial reached an intense level and he found himself in a difficult situation, he addressed his sons, advising them, {'O my sons, go and search for Yusuf and his brother, and do not lose hope in the mercy of Allah. In fact, only the infidels lose hope in the mercy of Allah'}.
Allah has also mentioned how Prophet Yusuf turned to Him in the various ordeals he faced. The prophet of Allah Ayyub (PBUH), who suffered harm, illness, and difficult health and psychological conditions— how patient he was, how supplicant to Allah (Glory be to Him) he was, and how Allah alleviated his distress.
In his prayers, the believer has a wide range of concerns; therefore, he does not only pray that Allah relieves his illness, expands his sustenance, or provides him with material needs. Rather, he also prays for the good of his religion and of his future with Allah (Glory be to Him) in the Hereafter and asks for salvation from the Fire, for gaining Allah's pleasure and Jannah, and for having an easy reckoning. Indeed, his concerns are great, for he realizes that those matters are way more important than what some people focus on.
Hence, Allah (Glory be to Him) differentiates between the two cases and concerns, saying, {'Now among the people there is one who says: "Our Lord, give us in this world;" and he, in the Hereafter, has no share'}—all his prayers are focused on asking for worldly matters and limited to that, and no attention at all is paid to his eternal future or his religion. {'There is one who says: "Our Lord, give us in this world"'}—he only cares for those things that are related to worldly affairs—{'and he, in the Hereafter, has no share'}: He does not really pay any attention to having a share in his eternal future, which is more important than his worldly affairs, which he could have asked Allah for without limiting his prayers only to them. {'And there is another among them who says: "Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter and save us from the punishment of Fire." For them there is a share of what they have earned, and Allah is swift at reckoning'}.
So we see the difference between the two cases—we see this person who has a broad scope of concerns and is aware of what he really needs and what represents a main requirement of great importance for him. That is because those affairs you ignored and never focused on in your prayers might be more important than those on which you focused. In addition, in your prayers, you could have focused on this thing and that one: good in this world and good in the Hereafter.
Among the manifestations of Allah's mercy is that He has opened the door of supplication for us.
Allah (Glory be to Him) is the One who initiates blessings upon His servants and is compassionate towards them, and the manifestations of His mercy are vast, encompassing every aspect of our lives, every reality we experience, and everything we witness. It is a wide mercy, and His incredible kindness surrounds us. We experience His mercy, the manifestations of His mercy, and His graciousness in every aspect of our lives, every realm of our lives, and every circumstance of our lives. Out of His great mercy and generosity, He has opened the door of supplication to us and initiates us with mercy and blessings: {'And whatever blessing you have is from Allah'}. And we live in His mercy, His blessings, His grace, and His favour; we feel that in our lives. Indeed, we can clearly see that when we take time for reflection. Yet, He also opens the door of supplication for us and permits us to supplicate, allowing all His servants to directly speak to Him, to address Him, and to ask Him. This is a great mercy: He does not only grant permission but also commands and urges His servants to do so. This is a great mercy from Allah (Glory be to Him), Who has opened the door for all His servants to invoke Him directly, to speak to Him directly, to complain to Him about their concerns, sorrows, pains, and life's requirements, and to turn to Him in all circumstances. It is a great blessing!
Allah (Glory be to Him) is the Merciful, the Compassionate. He is the Kind and Most Gracious to His servants. He (Glory be to Him) is the Most Loving. Numerous are His names that express His mercy towards His servants, His closeness to them, His favour, and His generosity! He is the Generous, the Most Generous of all who bestow generosity, and the Merciful, and the Most Merciful of all who show mercy. There is no one more merciful to you than Him. He is more merciful to you than your own mother and father, and more merciful to you than all of humanity combined.
Allah (Glory be to Him) has opened the door for us to call upon Him and commands us to do that. On top of that, He did not make that difficult; on the contrary, He made it accessible in all conditions and circumstances, at all times, and wherever you are. At any time or in any condition, you can turn to Allah in supplication. It is a manifestation of His great mercy, as He did not restrict this matter to a specific place—it is not required that you call on Him only in that location, which would make it difficult for you to reach that place—or a certain condition or a difficult means that may involve having to travel to a very faraway place at a high cost (one may even not reach that place) in order to appeal to Allah so that He hears the supplication. He (Glory be to Him) hears you wherever you are, and you do not need a special means of communication to do supplication; Allah has made it easy and accessible for people to pray to Him. This is a favour from Allah (Glory be to Him); therefore, He says, {'When My servants ask you about Me: I am truly near'}. Moreover, instead of saying 'I hear,' He immediately said, {'I respond'}. Indeed, instead of saying, 'I hear one's prayer,' He said, {'I respond to one's prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided'}.
Allah has commanded us to pray to Him, saying {'And your Lord says, "Call upon Me, I will answer your prayer"'}. We should turn to Him with supplication and worship, and He will answer our prayers—this is a promise He (the Almighty) made. He says, {'He is the Living . There is no god but He. Call upon Him, giving Him sincere devotion'}: Allah is the Ever Living. So call upon Him with sincere devotion in all your conditions, appeal only to Him, and dedicate your religion entirely to Him. You must not turn to other than Allah as He has not set specific hours or times nor a difficult way for supplication. indeed, He has made this matter easy and accessible, but we still need to know how we turn to Him in supplication.
Among the most important times for seeking refuge in Allah and receiving response to supplication
Although Allah has made supplication accessible at all times and in all conditions, He allocates times at which the chance of response becomes greater and supplication becomes more rewarded.
One of these times is the time of emergency. When you are in a state of emergency, distress, or adversity, do not lose hope nor despair of Allah's mercy; rather turn to Him, the Almighty. It is a terrible state when one loses hope so that he behaves differently, psychologically collapses, etc. So when having a situation of emergency, distress, or adversity, one should be fully aware that it is of the situations in which he has to appeal to Allah and that it is of the times at which Allah is more likely to respond to his supplication. That is, one should have greater hope that Allah will respond; there are real examples from people's lives. People, when at the height of adversity, distress, or suffering, appeal to Allah earnestly, humbly, and with complete and sincere devotion, turn exclusively to Him, and return to Him sincerely with all humility and submission, and they then find how Allah relieves their stress and drives away that distress or terrible situation. Indeed, times of emergency, distress, and adversity are of the times in which Allah (Glory be to Him) responds to prayers, and one must have hope and trust in Allah: He says, {'Is not He Who responds to the distressed one when he calls Him and Who removes the evil and makes you inheritors of the earth?'}.
Times of performing acts of obedience and worship to Allah are good times for supplication where it is more likely for supplication to be answered. Some of these times are after prayers, the month of Ramadan and its nights, the Night of Al-Qadr, and the last third of the night, as well as when in the battlefields of Jihad. These are of the most important occasions Allah has provided to respond to supplication; therefore, the likelihood of answering prayers increases during such times. Also, the time of rain, among other times, is a good opportunity for one to seize, as there are hadiths narrated about the Prophet (PBUH&F) in this regard.
Among the most important etiquettes of supplication, and how should your feelings be during supplication?
When praying, we have to turn to Allah earnestly, for supplication has etiquettes. One must not be negligent, absent-minded, or unfocused. In other words, he should, at least, turn to Allah (Glory be to Him) with his mind, heart, feelings, tongue, and soul. He must not pray to Allah while being absent-minded, preoccupied with other things, unfocused, or insincere: Allah (Glory be to Him) says in the Holy Quran, {'Supplicate to your Lord humbly and secretly. Surely, He does not like those who cross the limits. And do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order. And call upon Him with hope and fear. Indeed, Allah's mercy is always close to the good-doers'}.
When invoking Allah, one should seek to be humble and turn to Allah with his heart and mind, approaching Him with humility and submission. He should feel his need for Allah and have feelings of humility and servitude towards Him, the Almighty. This is one of the most important etiquettes of supplication: {'Supplicate to your Lord humbly'}—humbleness should not be absent during one's supplication—{'and secretly.'} This means that one does not need to raise his voice; in fact, the only case that calls for raising one's voice but only to the extent necessary is when a person is among a group and supplicates for everyone in that group. Allah (Glory be to Him) hears your secret prayer, and it is one of the etiquettes of supplication to supplicate secretly.
{'And do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order.'} That is because supplication should be accompanied with seeking Istiqama in one's work and behaviour. If supplication is accompanied with deviation, corruption, wrongdoing, or persistence in committing transgressions, this state would keep one's prayers unanswered.
{'And call upon Him with hope and fear'}: You should feel in your heart during calling upon Allah the fear of shortcomings and their consequences, fear of wrongdoings and their effects, and fear of Allah's torment and wrath. You should call upon Him while being afraid of the effects of your sins, the consequences of your bad deeds, and His wrath, anger, and torment. However, fear should be accompanied with hope—not just feelings of fear. You should hope for what Allah has promised and express your hope in Him—not to pray to Him while desperate. Allah knows the secrets of your soul and what is in your heart. If you pray while being doubtful and hopeless and experiencing a state of despair to a great extent—that is, you are not optimistic about the response to your prayers—this is a serious state for you.
The feelings of hope and desire for what is with Allah and for answering prayers are faith-based feelings that are necessary during supplication. They express having good expectations of Allah. When a person does not have hope in Allah, this reflects having no trust in Him (We seek refuge in Allah). Therefore, such a person lacks true belief in His mercy, kindness, and attributes such as being the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Loving, the Generous, the Forbearing, and the Possessor of vast and immense grace. Despair is a serious state that affects one's faith in relation to Allah. Indeed, it is a serious state that affects one's faith. That is why Allah says, {'And call upon Him with hope and fear. Indeed, Allah's mercy is always close to the good-doers.'} So be a good-doer and an upright person and keep away from corruption and persistence in committing transgressions. And then call upon Allah and you will find His mercy close to you. You will experience this in your life.
Allah says about His prophets, {'So We responded to him and gave him Yahya and made his wife good for him. They used to race towards the good deeds and call Us with hope and fear, and they were humble to Us'}. They were responsive to Allah, and with eagerness, they hurried in performing good deeds. Along with their actions, practical efforts, positive response , and inclination to hasten towards good deeds, they used to supplicate to Allah. This is the state of the believing person: His prayer is part of his faith and response to Allah, the Almighty.
{'They used to race towards the good deeds and call Us with hope and fear.'} These were their feelings, their motives in supplication, and their state during supplication. They had feelings of desire towards Allah, hoping for His mercy, anticipating His favour, having good expectations of Him, and believing in His mercy, generosity, and grace. {'And fear'}—they were also in a state of fear: They carried feelings of awe, along with their feelings of desire. They feared Allah's punishment and warning and the consequences of evil deeds and their repercussions. They used to live in a state of submission, fear, awe, and desire.
{'And they were humble to Us'}: They were humble before Allah in their supplications, in their worship, and in their Salat. They were characterized by humbleness and submission before Allah, the Almighty. These were their feelings of faith.
The fruit of supplication and how to attain that fruit?
The fruit and outcome of supplication are certain. It is incumbent upon a person to have conviction in this. Allah has promised to respond: {'And your Lord says, "Call upon Me, I will answer your prayer,"'} and He also says, {'I respond to one's prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided.'} The result of supplication is a guaranteed fruit that must occur when a person follows the guidance and instructions of Allah (Glory be to Him).
Supplication, as mentioned in the noble Prophetic hadith, 'Supplication can change pre-written divine decree that has been ordained from the heavens.' Through supplication, Allah averts many calamities and problems from you, many of which might have been decreed upon you and have become part of your destiny. However, your supplication makes Allah repel them from you and replace them with His mercy.
Therefore, humans are in need of supplication and to realize the importance of supplication and its benefits. Through supplication, Allah averts and pushes away from them many calamities, problems, dangers, and pitfalls in matters of their religion and worldly affairs—if they have this wide-ranging concern as believers for their religious matters, worldly matters, and matters of the Hereafter, and if they pay due attention to the matter of supplication. People experience this in their lives. Every person has his own experiences of supplications being answered. Unfortunately, some people however forget, but otherwise, every person has his own experiences: He once supplicated to Allah, and He saved him from a state of distress and relieved his hardship; he supplicated to Allah, and He changed his situation from one state to a better state and saved him in a difficult situation. People supplicate to Allah, and Allah responds to many of their supplications. However, some people forget. When they face a specific problem for which their supplication was not answered, they forget as if Allah had never responded to their supplication before. They then become desperate, complain, and have a negative opinion of Allah, asking, 'Why wasn't our supplication answered?' That is true, even though they have experienced that Allah responded to them in many instances and situations.
The outcome of supplication is certain in both the worldly life and the Hereafter, and this is one of the most important matters. The people of Jannah realize and understand that it is one of the most crucial factors that have led to their salvation and success and what they attained of bliss: It was supplication. Therefore, in their gatherings and discussions in Jannah, they ask one another, {'And they approached one another, inquiring. They said, "When we were still with our families, we used to live in fear. So Allah has graced us and protected us from the torment of scorching heat. Indeed, we used to pray to Him before. He is truly the Kind, the Merciful"'}. Along with their fear and caution regarding sins (which lead to the wrath, anger, and punishment of Allah) and their turning and repenting to Allah (Glory be to Him), they would supplicate to Allah and approach Him through supplication. They realize that it was among the most important means of their salvation: {'Indeed, we used to pray to Him before. He is truly the Kind, the Merciful.'}
In the Fire, the dwellers of the Fire are reminded by Allah (Glory be to Him) of how the believers used to supplicate and turn to Him and how they used to mock them. He illustrates the outcome for both groups. When the people of the Fire supplicate to Allah—although they could have supplicated to Him in the earthly life with devotion and practical response and they used to mock the believers and their supplications in the worldly life—He will say to them, {'Indeed, there was a group of My servants who used to pray, "Our Lord! We have believed, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the best of those who show mercy," But you took them in mockery to the point that they made you forget My remembrance, and you used to laugh at them'}. Allah reminds the dwellers of the Fire while in the Fire of how the believers used to turn to Him with faith, response, and supplication in the earthly life. Supplication was an integral part of their worship of Allah, a means of drawing closer to Him, obeying Him, and directing themselves towards Him, the Almighty. {'Indeed, there was a group of My servants who used to pray, "Our Lord! We have believed, so forgive us and have mercy on us, for You are the best of those who show mercy"'}: They used to seek forgiveness and mercy from Allah while in the worldly life. Due to their faith and supplication, He forgives them, shows mercy to them, and admits them to Jannah: He says, {'Today I have indeed rewarded them for their patient endurance: they are certainly the triumphant'}. With their faith, patience, supplication, and turning back to Allah, they attained success. They entered Jannah and were saved from the punishment of Allah, and they attained His forgiveness and mercy.
As for the people of the Fire, they did not care about praying to Allah for important matters, for salvation, and for forgiveness and show practical response in turn. But when they reached Jahannam, they started to supplicate humbly while suffering the fire of Jahannam, the embers of Jahannam, and the punishment there. However, it was too late, and there was no use of supplication or turning for help. The chance had gone. They supplicate in Jahannam: {'Our Lord, remove us from it, and if we were to return , we would indeed be wrongdoers. He said, "Be despised therein and do not speak to Me"'}. In the worldly life, Allah says, {'Call upon Me, I will answer your prayer.'} But there, when you supplicate—if you did not supplicate to Him except on the Day of Resurrection, or at the gasp of death, or in the fire of Jahannam—your supplication does not benefit you at all, as you used in this life to turn your back in rejection and deviation, refusing to respond to Allah (Glory be to Him). He says about such people, {'And they scream aloud therein,'}—they scream, wail, cry, and suffer severe torment in the Fire—{'"Our Lord, take us out. We will do good, unlike what we used to do"'}. But their supplication will not be answered: {'Did We not give you a lifelong enough to take warning if you were going to? And the warner came to you. So taste "'}. It is an extremely terrifying state when one entangles himself and does not turn to supplication except at that time—that is, he keeps procrastinating.
The fundamental condition for the acceptance of supplication
In this life, you do still have the opportunity to move in the right direction, but you first need to practically respond to Allah, as He says, {'I respond to one's prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me that they may be guided'}. Respond to Allah (Glory be to Him) in what He has commanded you and called you to. In fact, everything He has commanded us and called us to is for our own benefit, as He did not command us anything for His own sake or for His benefit. He does not need us, our actions, our worship, our supplication, or our obedience. What He has commanded us is good for us. Therefore, responding to Allah (Glory be to Him) and having faith in Him and His promise of reward and punishment—the kind of faith that drives you to practical response— are truly necessary! It is also necessary for you to respond to Allah and be of the good-doers and obedient ones, for {'Indeed, Allah's mercy is always close to the good-doers.'} Then, have confidence that Allah (the Almighty) answers prayers, but do not pray for what is a sin, what involves cutting off ties of kinship, or what is not inappropriate.
Supplication should be according to the guidance of Allah (Glory be to Him) and align with matters of faith and the circumstances of life. Allah responds to supplications according to His wisdom and mercy and within the scope of His planning and wisdom, not according to human whims, for one might pray for strange things, outside the proper and normal context. Allah (Glory be to Him) is the orchestrator of the affairs of the heavens and the earth, and His planning governs the affairs of His servants. Therefore, the response to supplication is within the realm of wisdom and divine planning.
Allah knows well what is in your best interest, as humans might pray to Allah for things that do them no good: {'Man prays for evil like his prayer for good, and man is so hasty'}. Allah (Glory be to Him) knows best where your interest lies, so He may not respond to you regarding a particular thing because it is not in your best interest. The response to your prayer may be in something better than what you asked for. It may be that Allah (Glory be to Him) is saving for you what you have requested or something better for a more appropriate time or circumstance. The response to supplication could be that Allah protects you from something that is very harmful and you are unaware of it, and so on.
The scope of the fruits of supplication is vast, with broad outcomes and far-reaching effects. However, when a person supplicates to Allah (Glory be to Him), he should entrust his affairs to Allah and show practical response to Him, the Almighty. He should also take all necessary measures, for supplication is not a substitute for hard work; rather, it goes hand in hand with hard work. When we ask Allah for victory, we should seek the means of victory: We should strive, prepare, and take all necessary measures. The same applies to all other aspects of life. Supplication is not an alternative to hard work; it accompanies hard work. In order for prayers to be answered, one needs to respond to Allah, rely on Him, have trust in Him, entrust his affairs to Him, show patience, and avoid hastiness. One must not fall into despair, as despair is a serious state for a person. Despairing and losing hope in the mercy of Allah is a significant flaw in one's faith: {'No one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people'}; {'And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?'}. Despairing from the spirit of Allah and His mercy is a state of misguidance and disbelief, a critical condition that causes distress, breakdown, and psychological torment and drives one towards negative behaviour. Some people collapse mentally and emotionally in the face of trials and hardships because they have lost hope in Allah and seeking refuge in Him, which would alleviate even the shock of events and the impact of the problems they face. Some individuals may resort to suicide or foolish actions, bringing sin upon themselves. They may turn to disobedience or handle their problems in the wrong way, burdening themselves with sin and guilt instead of adhering to a state of Taqwa, patience, and practical effort within the guidance of Allah and constantly seeking refuge in Him without despair or hopelessness: {'And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?'}
In the Month of Ramadan, there is a great chance for a person to get his prayers answered and benefit from the Night of Qadr. One truly needs to pay attention to the whole month so that he can benefit from the Night of Qadr.
We ask Allah (Glory be to Him) to accept our fasting, nights of worship, good deeds, and supplication.
O Allah, have mercy on our virtuous martyrs, heal the wounded among us, set free our captives, and grant us victory. You are All-Hearing!
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.