Part 78

When one supplicates quietly and in secret, he is more likely to feel concentrated, with his heart fully preoccupied in thoughts of supplication and humility. On the other hand, when one raises his voice, his heart is likely to become distracted.

When a person speaks quietly, he shows that he feels a sense of closeness to the one he is communicating with, as opposed to a person calling out in a loud voice to someone who is at a distance, This is why Allah 3 praised His slave Zakariyyah %8, with His saying:

“When he called out his Lord (Allah) - a call in secret’ (Qur’an 19:3)

A person who supplicates quietly and in secret is likely to supplicate for a longer period of time than a person who supplicates out loud; the latter might get bored of talking out loud, he might feel dryness in his mouth and stop, or his tongue might get tired quickly, and so he will stop.

Sometimes, it is necessary to keep certain blessings hidden, because for every blessing there is a jealous person, whose jealousy corresponds in degree to the greatness of the blessing. And one of the greatest of blessings is being guided to supplicate to Allah 38; hence it is better to invoke Allah 3% in secret.

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9) To Supplicate With An Alert And Attentive Heart Leads To A Person’s Supplications Being Answered

When one invokes Allah 3@ with a heart that is awake and alert,

he is more likely to have his supplications answered. This means

that one should read invocations with, among other things, a

sense of fear, hope, and ete Allah 3€ said:

“Invoke your Lord with sont and in secret.” And Allah %¢ said:

as OB ABS) “And invoke Him with fear and hope’’ (Quran 7:56) And the Prophet 2% said,

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“When you invoke Allah, you should believe with certainty that your supplication will be answered. And know that Allah does not answer a supplication from a heart that is inattentive and heedless,""1

10) It Is Recommended To Invoke Allah 3€ Persistently And Repeatedly

Again, one should take the necessary steps to improve the likelihood of his supplications being answered. One such step is to invoke Allah % with persistence, repeatedly making the same supplication over and over again, showing one’s humility and complete dependence upon his Lord. It is said that whoever knocks a door often enough will sooner or later be let inside.

‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab 4 said, “When the day of Badr came to pass, the Messenger of Allah #% looked at the disbelievers, who

"I Related by At-Tirmidhee (3479), and Al-Albaanee mentioned it in AsSilsilatus-Saheehah (594).

were 1000 in number, while his companions were 319 men. The Prophet of Allah #¢ then faced the Qiblah, extended his hands, and then began to call out to his Lord: ‘O Allah, carry out for me that which You promised me. O Allah, bring to pass that which You promised me. O Allah, if You destroy this group from the people of Islam, You will not be worshipped on earth.’ He continued to call out to his Lord, facing the Qiblah, and with his hands extended, until his robe fell down from his shoulders. Then Abu Bakr # went to him, took his robe, and flung it back onto his shoulders. Abu Bakr 4 then hugged him from behind and said, ‘O Prophet of Allah, sufficient for you is your supplicating and calling out to your Lord, for He will complete for you that which He promised you. Then Allah ‘Azza Wa-Jall (Mighty and Majestic is He!) revealed: {(Remember) when you sought help of your Lord and He answered you (saying): “I will help you with a thousand of the angels each behind the other (following one another) in succession.”}. So Allah helped him with the angels..."

Abu Hurairah 4s related that At-Tufail Ibn ‘Amr Ad-Dausee went to the Messenger of Allah #% and said, “Verily, the Daus (tribe) has disobeyed and refused (to accept Islam), so invoke Allah against them.” The Messenger of Allah #% then faced the Qiblah and raised his hands; meanwhile the people were saying, “The people (referring to the Daus tribe) are surely destroyed.” But the Messenger of Allah 3 made this supplication:

tag, 1555 38 a pg lbs te38 81 Gan “O Allah, guide the [people of the] Daus [tribe] and bring them.

O Allah, guide Daus and bring them (to the Messenger of Allah 3% and to Islam).""7)

'l Related by Muslim (1763), Ahmad (208), and At-Tirmidhee (3081). 1 Related by Bukhaaree (2937), Muslim (2524), and Ahmad (7273). And the above-mentioned wording is from Ahmad’s narration of the hadith.

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11) To Ask With Determination And Resolve

When one invokes Allah 4, he should show a sense of determination and resolve, which means that he should not make the answer of his supplication hinge upon Allah’s will, by saying, ‘“O Allah, grant me such and such if you will.” Instead one should show resolve, being sure that Allah 3¢ will answer his supplication. By being determined and sure in one’s supplications, one shows that he places his trust with Allah 3%, that he is invoking the All-Seeing and the All-Hearing, that His Lord is upon all things able, and that nothing in the heavens and earth can weaken, thwart, or defeat Allah 3¢.

Anas related that the Messenger of Allah # said,

gb Sieh Be Vy ced 3 ited ai yes Bp “When you invoke Allah, then be determined in your

supplication. And do not let one of you say, ‘If You will, then give me,’ for indeed, none can coerce Allah.”

Muslim related the hadith with this wording: “But let him be determined in asking and let him ask for

something great (such as Paradise), for nothing that Allah 3% gives is much or great for Him.’

“Then be determined in your supplication” can mean, “Be resolved and do not hesitate”; some scholars say that it means, “Be resolved and do not be weak in asking”; and yet others say that it means, “Think well of Allah, being sure that He will answer your supplications.” By saying, ““O Allah, give me such and such if you will,” one seems to say that he doesn’t really need either Allah to help him or the thing he is asking for.

"] Related by Bukhaaree (7464), Muslim (2678, and the second narration:

12) It ls Recommended To Preface One’s Supplications With Praises For Allah 3 And Then The Sending Of prayers Upon His Messenger 2%

Scholars unanimously agree that it is recommended to first praise

and extol Allah 3@ and send prayers upon the Messenger of Allah

3 before and after one supplicates. Fudaalah Ibn ‘Abeed 4 said,

“The Messenger of Allah # heard a man supplicate in his prayer,

without glorifying Allah and without sending prayers upon the

Prophet #%. The Messenger of Allah #% then said [to him],

“You have rushed [your supplication], O worshipper. When you pray and then sit, praise Allah with praises He is deserving of and send prayers upon me; then invoke Him.’

Then another man prayed after that; he praised Allah and sent prayers upon the Prophet #%. The Prophet # said,

“O worshipper, supplicate, you will be answered.’”"]

{] Related by At-Tirmidhee (3476), who said, “This hadith is Hasan’; by

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Ibn Mas’ood & related a similar narration, in which he 4 said, “I was once praying while Abu Bakr and ‘Umar # were with the Prophet #. When I sat down, I began by praising Allah and then sending prayers upon the Prophet #%. I then supplicated for myself. The Prophet # then said,

“Ask, you will be given; ask, you will be given.””")

13) Asking For One's Supplications To Be Answered By Dint Of Previously Performed Good Deeds

One increases the chances of his supplication being answered when one mentions a previously performed good deed prior to supplicating. The Prophet #% related the story of three men, who were stuck in a cave when a large rock blocked off its entrance. They said to one another, “Think over the righteous deeds you performed for Allah, and then invoke Allah by them; perhaps Allah will [then] make an opening for us [to leave].”” Ahmad related the narration with this wording: “Then let each man invoke by the best deed he performed; perhaps Allah will save us from this [predicament].”"] Next, one of them mentioned the best deed he performed, after which he invoked Allah 3€; the other two followed suit, and then Allah 3 answered their supplications and saved them from destruction.

14) It Is Recommended To Invoke Allah 3 With Supplications Whose Meanings Are Comprehensive Of All That Is Good

Supplications that are most comprehensive in their meanings of goodness are those supplications that are found in the Qur’an

Abu Daawood (1481); by An-Nassaaee (1284), and the above-mentioned wording is from his narration of the hadith. In grading the hadith, A\- Albaanee said, ““sahih.’ (1217)

1 Related by At-Tirmidhee (593); the above-mentioned wording is from his narration of the hadith, and he said, “This hadith is Hasan sahih.” Ahmad related it as well (3654), but in truncated form.”

"1 Related by Bukhaaree (5974), Muslim (2743), Ahmad (5937), and Abu Daawood (3387).

and Sunnah. The Quran is Allah’s speech ~ the highest and most noble speech. And the Sunnah too is revelation, which Allah 3 inspired the Prophet # with. Not only in supplications, but in general, the Prophet # was blessed with epigrammatic speech ~ speech that consisted of few words but many, profound meanings. Therefore, we do not doubt that a person who invokes Allah 8 with supplications taken from the Qur’ai; and Sunnah is more likely to have his supplications answered than a person who uses other supplications. Both the Qur’an and Sunnah contain many supplications, and though we cannot present all of them in this book since they are so many, we will now mention a few of them. You should notice that each of the following examples comprehends many good meanings.