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The Virtue Of Supplication - By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
The Virtue Of Supplication
By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Dear Muslims:
Supplication is from the most beneficial types of
healing, it is the enemy of illness and affliction - repressing it and treating
it, preventing its occurrence, removing it or at least alleviating it. It is
the weapon of the believer as is reported by al-Hakim in his 'Mustadrak' that
the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Supplication is the weapon of the
believer, the pillar of the religion, and the light of the heaven and
earth."
Supplication
is the sign of worship and Allah (SWT) loves that His slaves should supplicate
to Him. He (SWT) says in a divinely revealed Hadeeth, “O My slaves! You are all
astray except he that I guide, so seek for my guidance, I will guide you. O My
slaves! You are all hungry except he whom I feed, so seek for provision from
Me, I will feed you” (Muslim). Allah
(SWT) tests his slaves with trials that drive them to supplicate to Him and
this is in itself a blessing. Total reliance on Allah is the actual wealth, the
essence of worship and the utmost goal. Allah (SWT) loves from His servants
that they ask Him, turn towards Him and manifest their destitution and
lowliness in front of Him. Allah (SWT) has made it a duty upon Himself not to
send His servants back disappointed and empty-handed, as His Messenger (PBUH)
has informed us:
“There
is not a Muslim upon the earth that calls to Allah with a supplication except
that Allah gives it to him or He (SWT) removes some evil of equal proportion
from him, so long as he doesn’t supplicate for something sinful or to sever
family ties”, So a man amongst the people said: “What if we ask numerous
requests?” He (PBUH) said: “Allah is akthar (Able to respond to numerous
requests).” (at-Tirmidhi).
Dear
Muslims: Supplication is
also a characteristic of the prophets and the chosen ones. He (SWT) says,
“Verily, they used to
hasten to do good deeds and they used to call on Us with hope and fear and used
to humble themselves before Us.” (Al-Anbiyaa’: 90). Dear brother, be patient
with whatever happens to you for there is a relief with every difficulty, and
do not stop supplicating. Always praise your Lord and thank Him for all His
mercies.
Allah (SWT) says: “Invoke Me, I will
respond to your invocation. Verily, those who scorn My worship, they will
surely enter Hell in humiliation.” (Ghaafir: 60). Also, Abu Hurairah (RAA) reported that Allah’s Messenger (PBUH)
said: “Whoever does not ask from Allah, He become angry at him”. (Bukhari
and Ahmed). A poet took the
meaning of this hadeeth and put it into poetic form saying:
“Allaah
becomes angry when you abandon asking Him,
while the Son of Adam becomes angry, when you ask him for something.”
The effects of supplication can never be
over-emphasised. Prophets Nouh, Yoonus, Ibraahiem, Moosaa,
Sulaimaan and Daawood (PBUT) have all invoked their Lord and He
(SWT) answered their invocations. He (SWT) is the One Who cured Prophet Ayyoob
(PBUH) of his ailment when he supplicated to Him. He (SWT) gave Muhammad (PBUH)
victory over the infidels in the Battle of Badr in spite of the numerical
inferiority of the Muslim army.
O
you oppressed person! When all doors are closed against you, go to Allah whose
door is never closed against the weak and the oppressed. O fathers! Supplicate for your children, for your
invocations for them are accepted.
Dear
Muslims: It is through
supplication that one becomes high-minded, contented and respected. The more
one increases in sincerity the more his prayers are answered. One should not be
hasty and impatient. If the answer is delayed or slow in coming he should not
become frustrated and give up supplicating. This person is like the one who
sows a seed or plants a flower, watering it and tending to it, then when it is
delayed in appearing or flowering he leaves it and neglects it. Abu Hurayrah
(RAA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The supplication
of the servant will always be answered provided that he does not supplicate for
something sinful or supplicate to sever the ties of kinship and provided that
he is not impatient." It was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, what is
impatience?" He (PBUH) replied, "he says: 'I have supplicated and
supplicated but I have not received an answer' then he becomes frustrated and
leaves off supplicating." [Muslim]. Ibn Hajar said, ‘Every supplicant will
have his prayer accepted and it is only the forms of acceptance that will vary;
sometimes it is accepted in the form of what one really wants or it is accepted
in the form of a substitute to it.’
Dear Muslims: The servant
should combine in his supplication the presence of the heart and its being
attentive and devoting solely to Allah (SWT). He should ask Him sincerely for
the desired matter and do so at one of the following times when the supplication
is more likely to be answered:
1- The last third of the night. Abu
Hurayrah (RAA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Our
Lord, the Blessed and Most High, descends every night to the lowest heaven when
only the last third of the night remains and says, 'who is calling upon Me so
that I may respond? Who is seeking My forgiveness so that I may forgive
Him." (Muslim).
2 - At the time of the adhaan. This is clear
according to the Prophet (PBUH) himself for Anas (RAA) reported that he (PBUH)
said: "When the adhaan is proclaimed, the doors to the heaven open and the
supplications are answered." (at-Tabaraani).
3 - Between the adhaan and iqaamah. We have also
a proof in this regard, Anas (RAA) reported that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH)
said: "The supplication made between the adhaan and the iqaamah will not
be rejected." (Abu Daawood and at-Tirmidhi).
4 - At the ends of the prescribed prayers. This
was the answer of the Prophet (PBUH) when he was asked, "When is the
supplication most likely to be accepted?" He (PBUH) replied, "in the
last depth of the night and at the end of the prescribed prayers."
(at-Tirmidhi).
5 - From the time the Imam ascends the
pulpit to the time the prayer has finished on the day of Jumu`ah. Abu Musa
(RAA) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying concerning
the hour in which the supplications will be answered on the day of Jumu`ah,
"It is between the time that the imam sits (on the pulpit) and the time
that the prayer is completed." (Abu Daawood).
6 - The last hour after the Asr prayer.
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) told: "The day of Jumu`ah has twelve hours,
and during one of the hours you will not find a Muslim servant (of Allah)
asking Allah for something except that He (SWT) will give it to him. Seek it in
the last hour after the prayer of Asr" (Abu Daawood and an-Nasaa`i).
Dear Muslims: one should
have fear and reverence in his heart, beseeching his Lord in a state of
humility and submissiveness. He faces the Qiblah and is in a state of purity, he
raises his hands to Allah and begins by praising and extolling Him, then he
invokes peace and blessings upon Muhammad, His servant and Messenger (PBUH). He
precedes mentioning his need by seeking forgiveness from Allah (SWT) and then
he earnestly and sincerely makes his request as one who is needy and
impoverished, supplicating to Him (SWT) out of hope and fear. He seeks the
means of getting close to Him (SWT) by mentioning His Names and Attributes and
making the religion sincerely for Him Alone.
If all this is done then this
supplication will never be rejected especially if the servant employs the
supplications that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) informed us would be accepted
or if his supplication includes mentioning Allah's Greatest Name. Abu Daawood reports
the hadeeth of Fudaalah bin Ubaid that the Messenger of (PBUH) heard a man supplicating in prayer. He did
not glorify Allah (SWT) and neither did he invoke blessings on the Prophet
(PBUH). The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "He made haste". He then
called him and said to him or to those around him, "If any one of you
prays, he should commence by glorifying his Lord and praising Him; he should
invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet (PBUH) and thereafter he should
supplicate Allah (SWT) for anything he wishes." (Abu Daawood, at-Tirmidhee
an-Nasaa`i and Ahmad). Also, it is reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said,
"Every supplication is veiled until one has invoked peace and blessings
upon the Prophet (PBUH)." (Saheeh al-Jaami).
Brothers And Sisters in
Islam:
I would like to conclude my today’s Khutbah by reminding myself and you again
that Supplications and seeking refuge are of the level of a weapon. The
strength of the weapon lies in the strength of the one wielding it and not
merely in its own natural strength. So when the weapon is complete having no
defect and the arm wielding it is strong and any obstacles are absent - then
the weapon will cause harm to the enemy, and when any of these three matters
are absent then the desired effect of the weapon will also be absent. Similarly
when there is a corrupt in the supplication itself or when the supplicator does
not combine his heart with his tongue at the time of supplication, or for some
reason there be an obstacle preventing the answer (for example, the source of
one’s livelihood is unlawful or that one does not enjoin good and forbid evil)
- then the desired outcome will not be achieved.
May Allah (SWT) make us from those whose
supplications are accepted, help us to do whatever pleases Him, bless, guide
and forgive us all. (Ameen).
