Why is it that, At Times,
Our Supplications Remain Unanswered?
by Aytulah Makarim Shirazi in Book 180 Q
part 2
Attention towards the conditions for the
acceptance of prayers reveals new realities in the ostensibly complicated issue
of dua', and manifests its constructive influence. In the Islamic traditions,
some of the conditions (to be taken into regard) for the purpose of acceptance
of one’s prayers are as follows:
1.
In order to have the prayers answered, first of all one
should strive for the purification of the mind and soul, be repentant over
(past) sins, embark upon construction and development of the self and seek
inspiration from the lives of divine leaders.
It has been reported that Imam
Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Let it never be that any of you seeks a
thing from God except that he first praises and glorifies Him, sends salutations
upon the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) and his holy
progeny, confesses to his sins and exhibits repentance over them; after having
done these, he should then seek his desire from Him.[1].
2.
Endeavouring to have a pure life,
free from usurped riches, oppression and injustice, and to refrain from
acquiring one’s livelihood by illegal means.
It has been reported that the
Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said:
من أحب أن يستجاب دعاؤه فليطيب مطعمه و مكسبه
(One, who desires to have his supplications answered, should purify his food
and earnings.)[2]
3.
One should not desist from combating evil and inviting
others towards God.
This is because the
supplications of those, who forsake ‘enjoining the good and forbidding the
evil’, are not answered. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy
progeny) has said: (You must enjoin the good and forbid the evil or else God
will cause the evil ones to prevail over the righteous ones from amongst you,
and however much they may pray, (their prayers) shall not be answered!)[3]
In fact, abandoning this great
duty of ‘national supervision’ leads to turmoil within the society as a
result of which the society would be left open for the evil ones; (when this
happens) supplications for the elimination of the consequences arising out of
this state would be futile since this state has resulted out of man’s own deeds.
4.
Acting in accordance with divine covenants.
Faith, good deeds,
trustworthiness, and righteousness, (collectively) form another of the
conditions for the acceptance of prayers. This is because one, who is not
faithful to his pledge with respect to God, should not expect God’s promise, of
answering a supplicant, to be true for him too.
A person once, complaining to
Amirul Mu’mineen (peace be upon him) about his prayers not being answered,
said: Despite the fact that God has said “Call upon Me, I
will answer you”, why is it that when we supplicate to him, He does not answer
our prayers?
The Imam (peace be upon him)
replied:
إنَّ
قُلُوبُکُم خاَنٍ بِثَلاَثَةِ خِصاَلٍ (Your
hearts (and thoughts) have been unfaithful with respect to eight things (and
this is the reason your prayers go unanswered))
1.
You have acquired the cognizance of God but you do
not fulfill what is due to Him; consequently your cognizance of Him has not
benefited your state!
2.
You have brought faith upon His Messenger but
(later) went on to oppose his customs; where then is the yield of your faith?
3.
You have read His book but have not acted upon it;
you stated: “We have heard and we obey”, but then rose up in opposition to it!
4.
You say: “We fear God’s punishment”, but
perpetually perform acts that lead you closer to it.
5.
You claim to be covetous of God’s reward however
you continue to perform acts that lead you away from it.
6.
You consume God’s bounties but do not extend
thanksgivings to Him.
7.
You have been ordered to be Shaitaan’s enemy
(whereas you sketch plans to befriend him); you claim to be his enemy but, in
practice, you do not oppose him.
8.
You place into great scrutiny the faults of others
but conveniently disregard your own; with such a state of affairs, how do you
expect your prayers to be answered when you yourself have shut its doors? Be
pious, rectify your deeds and enjoin the good and forbid the evil so that your
prayers are answered.[4]
This meaningful tradition
explicitly states: God’s promise to answer the supplications of a supplicant is
not absolute, but conditional - the condition being that you should fulfill your
own pledges and covenants; however the reality is that you have broken your
pledge by eight ways. If you were to put an end to these, your prayers shall be
answered.
Acting upon the abovementioned
eight directives which, in reality, are conditions for the acceptance of
prayers, is sufficient for training man, and utilizing and channeling his
strengths constructively and productively.
5.
Another condition for the acceptance of one’s
prayers is to conjoin it with efforts, hard work and activity. In one of the
short sayings of Amirul Mu'mineen (peace be upon him) we read:
الدَّاعِي بِلَا عَمَلٍ كَالرَّامِي بِلَا وَتَرٍ
(A supplicant (who prays) without effort and endeavour
is like an archer without a bowstring!)[5]
In view of the fact that the
bowstring is a means to propel the arrow towards the target, the influence of
‘effort’ in the effectiveness of dua' becomes plainly manifest.
The above five conditions are
illustrative of the reality that not only should dua' not become a substitute
for the natural means and ordinary measures with the purpose of achieving an
objective but rather, in order for it to be answered, there ought to occur a
complete transformation in the life of the supplicant - his temperament and
outlook ought to be overhauled and his past deeds reviewed.
In view of the above, does it
not appear that characterizing dua' as being narcotic and soporific indicates
either a lack of knowledge or sinisterness of motive?[6]
[1] Safinah al-Bihaar, vol. 1, pg. 448,
449.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Safinah al-Bihaar, vol. 1, pg. 448.
[5] Nahjul Balaghah, short sayings 337.
[6] Tafseer-e-Namunah, vol. 1, pg. 643.
Extract from a Lecture by a Qom student ..
Ulema mention that there are 3
situations (Maslehats)
1. HE will give whether we ask for it
or not
2. HE will NOT give whether we ask or
not
3. HE will give ONLY if we ask
We do not know, which sought after
condition/thing falls in which of the above 3 categories & hence we pray
for everything .All prayers have rewards in the hereafter.
In the 3rd category too there are those
things which HE gives but AFTER a period of time (Eg Musa (as) dua to
drown Firon was answered after 30 years). or HE gives only if the asking
is for x no of times eg HE will give if asked for from HIM for say 25
times.
-
HE gives sometimes very quickly if he does NOT like the method used by seeker
-
HE delays the giving if HE likes the voice /method of the seeker so that he continues to ask of HIM.
Sura No. 2 Baqarah : Ayat 216 says :"And
it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may
be that you love a thing while it is evil for you, and Allah knows,
while you do not know."
Eg a child who wants to have a colorful
snake in his hand will cry for it , BUT we as elders know the poison
that it contains & harm it can bring & hence do not provide the thing to
him.
Sometimes Wealth / Children can also
deviate us from the straight path eg A Prophet (as)'s companion who was
very poor but recited Jamaat salat every day in the first Row & slowly
when he became more prosperous, even started to make his salat Qaza.
For every delay / unanswered dua a
believer will be rewarded. On the day of judgement he will receive his
book of deeds which contains many many good deeds which he did not
perform & he will mention that this book is not his. BUT HE will inform
that those additions are to compensate him for the unanswered duas. The
believer will then mention; Alas it would be better for me if NONE of my
duas were answered !
Duas favorable time:
Imam Ali (s) said:
Seize the opportunity to pray at four occasions: When Quran is being
recited, when athan is being recited, when it is raining and when the
two armies meet for martyrdom.
Imam Jafer al-Sadiq (s)
said: When you feel you are being compassionate seize the opportunity to
pray, for a compassionate heart asks sincerely.
Imam al-Baqir (s) said:
Almighty Allah favors every hard praying servant. So seize the
opportunity to pray just before daybreak until sunrise; it is a time in
which heaven’s gates are opened, subsistence is distributed and major
prayers are granted.
Importance of & Quotes on Dua:
Imam al-Sadiq (s) said:
Ask Allah for whatever you need-even for something as insignificant as a
slipper’s top- for He is the only one who can make things attainable.
Imam al-Sadiq (s) said:
If you like to see your prayers answered during hard times, you must
pray hard during easy times.
Imam al-Rida (s) said:
A single prayer said in private is as powerful as Seventy said in
public.
Imam al-Sadiq (s) said:
Allah knows what His servants want; He just likes to hear them ask.
Imam al-Sadiq (s) said:
Almighty Allah never answers an inattentive prayer. So when you are
praying, make sure that you do it with all your heart and be certain,
then, that it will be answered.
Imam al-Sadiq (s) said:
A faithful servant who consistently prays for something will definitely
have it granted.
Imam al-Sadiq (s) said:
Imam Ali (s) wrote that praise should precede a prayer. So when you want
to ask Almighty Allah for something, start by glorifying Him.
How do I do that? A
companion asked. Imam al-Sadiq replied; you say: “ You say: O You, who
is nearer to me than my Jugular vein. O You, the Performer of what He
desires. O You who stands between a man and his heart. O You who is in
the Highest Horizon. O You who like Him there is naught”.
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s)
said: “ Ask Allah whatever you need even the sandal’s strap, for if He
does not help make it available, it won’t be.”
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s)
said: “ Whosoever likes his to see his prayers answered during hardship
must frequently pray during ease.”
Imam al-Reza (a.s)
said: “ A single prayer in secret equals seventy in public.”
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s)
said: “ Allah, The Most High, knows what man wants even before he begins
praying, but He likes to hear him complain.”
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s)
said: “ God, The Almighty, won’t answer an inattentive prayer; so when
you pray make sure to give your attention, and be sure then of the
answering.”
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s)
said: “ Insisting on Allah for a need guarantees its fulfillment.”
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s)
said: “ When you feel your heart softening take the opportunity to pray,
for a heart that softens is surely a pure heart.”
Imam al-Baqir (a.s)
said: “ From among His faithful servants, Almighty Allah favors most the
one who prays frequently; then, seize the opportunity to invoke Allah
just before daybreak till sunrise, for at this time the heaven’s gates
are opened, the livelihoods are apportioned and the great wishes are
fulfilled.”
What Are The Basis of The Answerable
Prayer?
The reality of the
prayer is that it is making a connection with the maker of the major
decisions in the throne. That is, as Allah carries out his creation in
the way He likes; so too is His foreordaining of things-weather
abolishing or confirming them-is linked to the wish of the servant
himself in regards to changing his fate! It is known that blocked ways
are such in regards to us, the incapable mortals, not in regards to whom
who has in His hand the Tablet in which matters are blotted out or
confirmed.
Every phenomenon in
this existence has its rule. People control a big part of these rules,
by Allah’s will. Prayer (invocation of God) is one of these phenomena,
which has its rules, causes and hindrances. Knowledge of that helps the
servant get a speedy answering. The religious writings have mentioned
many of these. The following are samples:
First: Being
certain of Allah’s generosity and having a good opinion of Him is a
reason for answering. When praying, we are commanded to believe that our
need is just behind a door. Let’s imagine how certain he would be who
knows that what he is asking is at the door and that all he needs to get
is a small key which opens the big gates!
Second: praying
pushes the waves of calamity back before they cover man. It is clear
that the prayer made during ease -to ward off the foreordained calamity-
is more likely to be answered than the one made after the establishment
of the hardship. The first indicates reliance on the Lord to bring about
welfare,while the second is a natural reaction, even of someone whose
relationship with the Lord is not good, to any hardship.
Third: Praying
is undoubtedly a requirement for the answering. However, Allah delays
answering the disobedient servant’s prayer because of his vices. It is
said that Allah has remains of subsistence, which He gives to whosoever
He wishes.But man commits vices because of which he is exempted from
that subsistence, as said by the Prophet (PBUH). Whose fault it is in
this case?
Fourth: How nice
it is when man prays to Allah privately, seeking intimacy, without
having a certain need. The Koran describes Abraham as ‘compassionate,
clement’. Imam al-Baqir interpreted ‘compassionate’ as the one who
abases himself before Allah when he prays and when he is alone in a
desolate land.
Fifth: Man must
not restrict his prayer to major demands, because Allah commanded Moses
(PBUH) to ask for whatever he needed even if it was his sheep’s fodder
or his dough’s salt. Clearly, this is a way of encouraging frequent
connection with Allah and referring to Him in every detail so that man
does not think of himself as being able to do without his Lord in any
stage of his life, which is the first step to transgression.
Sixth: It is
necessary that man be in an appropriate shape for praying like; wearing
a perfume, facing Kibla (direction of Mecca), performing an ablution,
donating beforehand, devotion, crying or pretending to cry, frequently
saying the prayer until it is answered, giving priority to fellow
Moslems and generalizing the prayer. Why not pray to Allah in the plural
rather than the singular form; for all it takes is changing the pronoun!
Seventh: The
expression, ‘Allah is embarrassed’ is seldom mentioned in The Tradition
except when it comes to the answering of prayers! Contemplate on this
Hadith so that you become more certain of Allah’s kindness and
generosity. Imam al-Baqir (PBUH) said: “ No man stretches out his hands
to Allah (asking Him) but it makes Allah embarrassed to return it empty,
until He fills it with what He wills of His bounty and mercy. So, when
anyone of you prays, he should not put down his hands until he wipes his
head and face with them.
Eighth: some
Hadiths cite a strange explanation for the delaying of the answering. Do
you believe that Allah delays answering the prayer of the righteous
servant just because He likes to hear his vice? If anything, this shows
how deep is Allah’s love to His praying servants while He is not in need
of them. It was reported that Allah delays the answering in longing to
the righteous servant’s prayer saying:“ It is a voice I like to hear”,
and He hastens answering the hypocrite’s prayer saying: “ It is a voice
I hate to hear”. Could this love be compared to any other kind of love?
Ninth: It is
really a loss for a man to be unoccupied and healthy and not bother to
mention his Lord. How many hours do we waste waiting for something,
driving a vehicle or tossing and turning in bed! Are we not included in
the Prophet’s saying:“ The laziest of men is the one who is healthy and
unoccupied and does not mention Allah with a lip or a tongue”!
It is emphasized in The
Tradition that we do not make our gatherings, on which we spend a lot of
money and time in some cases, a cause for evil consequences on Doomsday.
The Prophet said: “ No people gather in a gathering and not mention
Allah or pray for their Prophet (PBUH), but their meeting brings them
evil consequences”. Isn’t this sorrow enough as a chastisement on
Doomsday?
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