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"Many a person with disheveled hair [and dust-colored]2 is turned away from the doors [whereas Allah holds him in such high esteem] that if he were to swear by Allah, Allah would fulfill that for him." (Recorded by Muslim.) It is described that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) went out to pray for rain, he would go out in a very humble, modest manner to beseech Allah. "stretches his hands out toward the sky" This is the third particular characteristic that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned about this particular man. Again, the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned something that is very important when it comes to having one's supplications responded to by Allah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, /. o .... ,,. J ..,, / ,,. .... rP rP · ·Dz'•t_;:. ( . Wࣽ' , uf o,;i; U\ IV,/ I\ , ·' \O\ 0 Ȏ , ". rr ? "Your Lord is munificent and generous, and is ashamed to turn away empty the hands of His servant when he raises them to Him."3 Raising the hands in supplication was known to be the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him). When he performed the prayer for rain, he raised his hands so high that one could see the white of his armpit.4 Similarly, when he beseeched Allah for help during the Battle of Badr, he extended his arms such that his cloak fell off from this shoulders. (Recorded by Muslim.) 1 lbn Rajah, Jaami, vol. 1 , p. 269. 2 The word, "dust-colored" is mentioned in many of the books but may actually not be part of the hadith in Sahih Muslim. Allah knows best. 3 This hadith was recorded by Ahmad, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi and ibn Maajah. lbn Hajr states that its chain is good and al-Hilaali states that it is hasan. See al-Hilaali, Eeqaadh, p. 1 62. 4 Such was recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim. Incidentally, while performing the prayer for rain, the arms are extended with the palms facing downwards towards the ground, not upwards towards the sky. Hadith #10: "Allah is pure and accepts only .. " "says, 'O Lord, 0 Lord"' This is the fourth important characteristic mentioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this hadith. The person is making an urgent request of Allah by repeating the fact that Allah is the Lord. The term Lord implies that Allah is the One who creates and sustains everything. The person is recognizing and admitting that fact by calling Allah by this name. He is admitting his dependence and need upon Allah when he calls Allah by this name. Hence, this is the one of the most important names by which Allah is to be beseeched. Indeed, when one studies the supplications that are found in the Quran, one will note that many of them begin with, "O Lord," or "O our Lord."1 "while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful" By the grace and mercy of Allah, Allah has revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) some of the main circumstances that lead to Allah choosing to answer one's prayers. Some of these "causes" have been explicitly referred to in this particular hadith. They are yet other causes, such as invoking at specific times. However, at the same time, one must be aware that there are also "causes," actually preventive factors, that lead Allah not to respond to one's supplications. The Muslim must be aware of these also and avoid them to the best of his ability. In this particular hadith, there is explicit mention of one of the preventive factors that leads Allah to not respond to one's prayers. If one's life is filled with forbidden aspects, how does one expect Allah to respond to his prayers? The person himself does not respond to Allah's teachings and yet he expects Allah to respond to his calls. This hadith makes it clear that if one really wants Allah to respond to his prayers, he must remain away from those things that Allah has forbidden. He must respond to Allah's call and then Allah will certainly respond to his call upon Him. One of the Sala/ stated, "Do not be surprised that the response is slow in coming as you have blocked its road due to your sins."2 "How is he to be answered?" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not explicitly state that the person's invocation would not be responded to. Instead, he has made it abundantly clear that indulging in forbidden aspects is one of the major reasons 1 See, for example, al-Baqara 201, al-Baqara 286 and ali-Imraan 8. Actually, there are numerous examples of this nature in the Quran. 2 Quoted in ibn Rajab, Jaami, vol. 1 , p. 277. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi why a person's supplications may not be responded to.