Part 77

" Shaikh Muhammad Ibn As-Saaleh Al-'Uthaimeen gave this explanation, which is recorded in his Fatawa compilation (1/56).

He 88 will answer his supplication; such is Uwais’s status with Allah 8%). So if you are able to have him ask for forgiveness for you, then do so..."

Ibn ‘Umar # related a hadith in which an account is given of the three people that were stuck in a cave when a large rock blocked their way. Each one of them mentioned a good deed he did for Allah 38, after which a small opening was made; when the last of them mentioned his deed, enough space was made for all of them to leave. One of them said, ““O Allah, I indeed had two very old parents, and I have young children. I would take care of them. When I would go to them and milk (an animal), I would begin with my parents, giving them to drink, before [giving drink to] my children. I was [once] made to stay far because of trees (because of work), and so I didn’t return until the night, and I found that they both had already fallen asleep. I milked [the animal], as I customarily did, and 1 brought the milk. I stood over their heads and disliked to wake them up from their sleep, but I also did not want to begin with the children before them, and the children were...[gathered] at my feet. We all remained upon that state until the break of dawn. [O Allah,] if You know that I did that, seeking Your Face, then make for us an opening, through which we can see the sky.” The Prophet #¢ then said, “So Allah made an opening for them, until through it, they were able to see the sky...” 1

4) It Is Recommended To Perform Good Deeds Prior To Supplicating

Prior to supplicating, you should perform deeds that bring you

closer to Allah 3 and that bring about His love for you - deeds

such as prayer, Zakaat, charity, and fasting. Allah’s love for one of

His slaves means His being pleased with him, His help, His

"] Related by Muslim (2542) and Ahmad (268). The above-mentioned wording of the hadith is from Muslim's narration of the hadith.

"I Related by Bukhaaree (5974), Muslim (2743), Ahmad (5937), and Abu Daawood (3387). And the above-mentioned wording is from Bukhaaree’s narration of the hadith.

support, and His answering that slave's supplications. Allah’s anger for one of His slaves means His wrath upon that slave, His forsaking of that slave, and His rejection of that slave's supplications. Therefore, if you pray and then supplicate; fast and then supplicate; treat your relatives with kindness and then supplicate - you are more likely to have your supplication accepted and answered. And Allah 3% knows best.

5) Performing Voluntary Acts Of Worship After Obligatory Ones !s One Of The Causes That Lead To A Person’s Supplications Being Answered

When you perform voluntary acts of worship - such as voluntary charity, fasting, and prayer - over and above the obligatory acts of worship you perform, you pave the way to having your supplications answered. Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah 3% said,

“Verily, Allah %& said: Whoever shows enmity to a Walee (close, obedient slave, who worships Allah alone without associating partners with Him in worship, performs good deeds, and avoids sins) of mine, then I declare war upon him. No slave seeks closeness to Me with anything that is more beloved to Me than that which I have made obligatory upon him. And My slave continues to seek closeness to Me through voluntary acts [of worship] until I love him. And when I love him, I become his hearing that he hears with, his sight that he sees with, his hand that he strikes with, and his leg that he walks with. If he asks Me, I give him; if he seeks refuge with Me, I give him refuge. And I

Chapter - 22 The Manners Of Supplication 475

have never hesitated about something I do the way I hesitate to take the soul of a believer; he dislikes death, and | dislike his being distressed (or harmed)."""]

6) It Is Recommended To Face The Qiblah When Supplicating

The Ka’bah is the most honorable place to turn towards on the entire earth. Worshippers face its direction when they pray; some of them also turn towards it when they supplicate, a practice that is taken from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah #%, for on some occasions, he #% supplicated, facing the Kabah. Here are two examples: Ibn Mas’ood # said, ‘The Prophet #% faced the Ka’bah and supplicated against a group of people from the Quraish: Shaibah Ibn Rabee’ah, ‘Utbah Ibn Rabee’ah, Al-Waleed Ibn ‘Utbah, and Abu Jahl Ibn Hishaam. I make Allah bear witness that I saw them struck down; the sun had changed them (perhaps meaning that their bodies already began to decompose), and it was a hot day.)

And in the second example, the Prophet #% faced the Ka’bah when he # supplicated on the day of Badr. ‘Umar Ibn AlKhattaab 4 said, “When the day of Badr came to pass, the Messenger of Allah #% looked at the disbelievers, who were 1000 in number, while his companions were 319 men. The Prophet of Allah #% then faced the Qiblah (towards the Ka’bah), extended his hands, and then began to call out to his Lord: O Allah, carry out for me that which You promised me...”1

7) It Is Recommended To Raise Your Hands While You Are Supplicating

The above-mentioned hadith of ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab 4 indicates that it is recommended for a Muslim to raise his hands while he is supplicating; particularly, this part of the hadith:

" Related by Bukhaaree (6502).

1 Related by Muslim (1763), Ahmad (208), and At-Tirmidhee (3081).

Question: What has hitherto been mentioned doesn’t seem to correspond with what Anas # related; he said that the Messenger of Allah #8 would not raise his hands for any of his supplications except for Al-Istisqaa (the rain prayer), for he would raise his hands [then], to the degree that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen.7]_ How, then, can we find harmony between Anas’s sayings and the fact that the Prophet # raised his hands to supplicate on various occasions?

Answer: Ibn Hajr said: “Anas’s saying, ‘Except for Al-Istisqaa’ apparently negates the practice of raising hands for all supplications other than the Al-Istisqaa. Yet this is contrary to established Ahadeeth, in which the Prophet #8 raised his hands for other than Al-Istisqaa...Some [scholars] maintain that it is better to apply those Ahadeeth, and to understand from Anas’s narration that he wasn’t denying that the Prophet # raised his hands for other than Al-Istisqaa, but that he himself never saw the Prophet # raise his hands on other occasions. This does not mean that others didn’t see him raise his hands on other occasions. To find harmony between the conflicting narrations, others interpret Anas’s narration in a different way; they say that Anas 4 was explaining that the Prophet #% raised his hands in a certain way for Al-Istisqaa only; on other occasions, then, he might have raised his hands, but not in that same manner.”

1) Related by Bukhaaree (1751), Ahmad (6368), An-Nassaaee (3083), and AdDaarimee (1903). And the above-mentioned wording is from Bukhaaree’s narration of the hadith.

"] Related by Bukhaaree (3565), Muslim (895), Ahmad (12456), An-Nassaaee (1513), Abu Daawood (1170), Ibn Maajah (1180), and Ad-Daarimee (1535).

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8) It ls Recommended To Supplicate To Allah In Secret Allah 3¢ said:

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“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret.”

Allah 3€ exhorted His slaves to invoke Him in secret and without raising their voices. To supplicate in secret is at once good manners and a sign of sincerity, both of which make it more likely for a person’s supplications to be answered. Ibn Taymiyyah said, ‘Muslims (referring to the early generations of Muslims) would ardently supplicate, yet their voices would not be heard by those around them; they would whisper, keeping their supplications between them and their Lord #. Allah 3€ said:

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arts “Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret.”

And Allah 4% mentioned a righteous slave of His, with whose actions He 4 was pleased:

“When he called out his Lord (Allah) - a call in secret’ (Qur’an

Related Note: There are many reasons why a Muslim should invoke Allah 4 in secret; Shaikh Al-Islam mentioned a number of them, and we will relate some of them here:

1) Supplicating in secret involves a higher level of Eemaan (faith). When one supplicates in secret, he knows that Allah ¥€ hears a quiet, secret supplication.

2) Supplicating in secret involves a higher level of manners and veneration. No one raises his voice in the presence of a king, and if one were to raise his voice, the king would despise him. I mention this example not to draw a parallel - which is not possible, for Allah is the greatest and to Him belongs the

The Book Of Manners

highest example - but simply to make the matter clear. Since Allah 4 hears a supplication made in secret, it is not appropriate manners for one to supplicate with other than a low voice.

Supplicating in secret is more conducive to sincerity and to invoking Allah 4 with a heart that is alive and awake.