Innal Hamdulillah Wa Nahmaduhu Wa Nasta’eenuhu Wa Nastagfiruh. Ash Hadu An Laa Ilaaha Illallaah Wa Ash Hadu Anna Muhammadan Abduhu Wa Rasooluh.
AmmaBa’du
As Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullaahi Wa Barakaatuhu
Al Hamdulillah Ramadaan is here again with all its opportunities and benefits and blessings. And how Merciful is Allah Who has bestowed upon us this blessed opportunity yearly. Our past is behind us and Ramadaan is ahead. Let us not dwell on past issues and let us concentrate on this month wherein we seek Allah’s pleasure and reward. And we seek Allah’s forgiveness and help.
Allah loves to help His believing slaves and His slaves are in need of help from Him. This is one aspect from the many aspects of our relationship with our Rabb. Allah is Al Ghanee Who is Rich and Free from all needs; and we are poor and in need of Him for everything in our lives. And Allah bestows His bounties to His creation and through His creation. So we are part of the khalq (creation) and Allah bestows bounties on us. And Allah sends down angels carrying sakeenah (peace and tranquility) and barakah (blessings) who fly through the heavens headed for earth, to carry out the command of The Most High. This is a provision for us which He gives through His creation. We do not praise the angels but we praise He Who commanded the angels. And Allah provides fruits and vegetation from within the earth by sending down pure water from the sky. And This is a provision for us which He gives through His creation. We do not praise the clouds and rain but we praise He Who cretaed them and regulates them. And Allah provides wealth for us through other people, jobs and work. Again, this is a provision for us through the medium of our jobs. We do not praise each other or our employers but we praise Allah. And Allah provides offspring for the children of Adam through the medium of the womb. So All Praise is to Allah Who bestows whatever He wills to whomsoever He wills in any way He wills. And Allah is capable of bestowing whatever He wills. He is Rich and we are poor unless He enriches us.
And Allah loves to help His believing slaves. He is Al Musta’aan which means The One in Whom Help is sought and the act of asking Him from help is called Al Istiaanah and this is a great part of worship. And one way of asking help from Him is through supplication which is called Ad Du’aa. Allah is As Samea (The All Hearing) Who loves to be invoked and only Allah knows how many requests He has answered through sincere supplication from His slaves. It might be that Allah bestowed something on us today which we supplicated for yesterday or which someone else supplicated for us. Or it may be that Allah forgave us a sin or rewarded us for a deed, based on the supplication of an angel. And if we want to appreciate the importance of suplication then read the stories of the prophets and look how often they supplicated. They lived their lives supplicating to their Rabb. So let us not think ourselves self sufficient nor let us despair of Allah’s mercy and help. Let us suplicate this month for all our affairs and let us supplcate for each other.
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Three persons will not have their supplication rejected: the just ruler, the fasting person until breaking the fast, and the supplication of the oppressed person. (Ahmad)
Allah is generous and has preferences. Allah has preferred certain times and situations for His generosity. Allah hears all supplications but He is generous in answering them during Ramadaan when the slave fasts for His sake. So let us utilize the generosity of our Rabb and supplicate to Him during the hours of the fast and upon breaking it.
And when My slaves ask you concerning Me, then (tell them) I am qareeb (near). I respond to the supplication of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright (2:186)
When the slaves of Allah raise their hands in supplication, Allah hears their supplication instantly despite His presence above His Arsh. This is because Allah is Al Qareeb which means The All Near. Allah is near to His creation. His actions are near and everywhere in creation while His Majesty resides above His Arsh. And Allah is Al Mujeeb which means The Answerer. He responds to the supplications of His slaves as He wills in keeping with His infinite wisdom. However we have a two way relationship with our Rabb. He commands us and we submit to Him. We supplicate to Him and He responds to us. The Muslims would wish all their supplications were instantly answered but when it comes to obeying He Who answers supplications, they become lazy and disobedient. We must rectify our beliefs and aqeedah; we must rectify our actions; we must follow the commands and keep away from the prohibitions; we must follow the sunna of Muhammad and keep away from bid’a. Only then are we truly striving and with such rectification we can hope our supplications will be answered. And if Allah answers us despite our transgressions then this is from The Mercy of our Rabb, Whose mercy encompasses everything.
Abu Hurairah narrated that th Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Allah, The Most High, is pure and only accepts that which is pure. Allah ordered the believers with that which he ordered the Messengers, and He said: Messengers, eat of the good things and act rightly. And He said: O you who believe! Eat of the good things We have provided for you. And then he (the prophet) (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned a dishevelled dusty man lengthening his journey and stretching out his hands to the sky (saying) Lord, Lord! And his food is haraam, his drink is haraam, his clothing is haraam, he has been fed on haraam, so how can he be answered? (Muslim)
A complete article could be written to explain the matn of the above hadeeth which has several beneficial points including the etiquettes of supplication. We must be careful about our earnings. We must be careful to eat and drink only that which is halaal. We ust be careful to bring in earnings which are from halaal means. How can one who brings in money by cheating someone or stealing from someone or decieving someone ever hope for blessings. And how can one who uses riba (usury) be sucessful when it is amongst the gravest sins associated with Allah’s wrath, curse and punishment. Yet how may Muslim households have entered into riba; living off riba; living in houses built on riba; driving in vehicles obtained from riba; eating, drinking and clothing themselves with interest incurring credit cards. And the very same Muslims supplicate to Allah and despair when their supplication isn’t answered yet their earnings are haraam and the wealth they build is haraam. From the translation of the words of our prophet: ” so how can he be answered.” And the solution is simple. All we need to do is repent from riba with a conviction never to do it again; and to pay off the interest as it is easy for us for Allah is Merciful and wants ease for us. He will forgive us and answer our supplications but we must leave off all riba. And when the Muslims make an intention to leave riba, shaytaanthrreatens them with poverty. We should be reminded of the fact that Allah is Al Ghanee. He is Rich. Would He not provide for those who obey Him? He created gold and silver and placed it in the earth. Can he not provide wealth for His servants? Shaytaan is a liar and his threats are pathetic for those who understand their Lord.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: the supplication of the servant will be accepted as long as he does not supplicate for what includes sin, or cutting the ties of the womb, and as long as he does not become hasty. He was asked, “O Messenger of Allah! how does one become hasty?” He said: he says I supplicated and supplicated but I do not see that my supplication is being accepted from me. He thus looses interest and abandons supplicating. (Muslim)
The above hadeeth further sheds light on the etiquettes of supplication. The content of the supplication is important and obviously we must ask for that which Allah is pleased with. And we must maintain ties of kinship which includes visitation if near or calling if afar. And we must first help out our nearest of kin before others depending on our means. Even if our parents are kaafir, we must maintain this tie of kinship, treating them with kindness yet protecting our own emaan and islaam. so these are conditions for our supplications to be answered.
And we must not become hasty with Allah’s response. Allah hears us and Allah knows what is best for us and Allah decides when and how to answer us. We cannot compel Al JabbaarWho compels the entire universe and Al Qahhaar Who has subdued the entire universe. All is Al Hakeem and by His wisdom He does justice. So after supplicating to Allah, we should remain patient and continue to supplicate, hoping in Allah’s response; and this is part of sabr.
No Muslim supplicates to Allah with a du’aa that does not involve sin or cutting the relations of the womb but Allah will grant him one of three things. He will either hasten the response to his supplication save it for him until the hereafter, or would turn a equivalent amount of evil away from him. (Ahmad)
Not everything we consider good for us is truly good for us; both in this life and the hereafter. So Allah may choose to answer our supplications during this life; or in the hereafter; or Allah may turn away something evil away from us. In any case Allah answers us but in different ways. How wonderful it feels to receive that which was supplicated for in this life. Then can we imagine how wonderful it would be to be rewarded or forgiven a sin on the day of judgement based on a supplication during this life. And how wonderful is it that a supplication to Allah can cause Him to turn away some evil which would have otherwise befallen us. Allahu Akbar.
These are some of the etiquettes of supplicating to Allah. And May Allah guide us to such etiquettes and bestow His Forgiveness, Mercy and Blessings on us during this blessed month of Ramadaa
by Kamillah Khan