Please wait for pictures to download, click ">" for next picture, "<" for previous picture or wait for pictures to play in slideshow.

Acceptance of the Prayer

Prayer is Surrounded by Success and Acceptance

A prayer is surrounded by the mercy of Allah from two sides; by success (tawfiq) from Allah, and by the response (istijabah) from Him.

Basically, a servant cannot engage himself in supplication without the tawfiq from Allah. Such a facilitation by Allah is necessary before supplication. In this case, if a servant calls on Allah, He would indeed answer his prayer:

“Call Me, I will answer you.”1

Hence, a prayer is preceeded by success from Allah and followed by the response from Him. A prayer is always surrounded by these two elements which are, in fact, two doors from among the doors of Allah’s mercy which are opened for a servant before and after supplication. It is reported from the Holy Prophet (S) , “For whosoever among you the door of prayer (du’a’) is opened, then the doors of mercy (rahmah) shall be opened for him.”2

Imam ‘Ali bin al-Husain, Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a), says: “Thus they remembered You by Your benevolence, and thanked You…” The moment a servant remembers his Lord, he comes under the protection of Allah and His grace, and He would, subsequently, deserve to be thanked by his servant.

In the whispered prayer (munajat) of al-muti’in (the obedient toward Allah), of the famous fifteen whispered prayers3, Imam as-Sajjad (‘a) says: “For we exist through You and belong to You, and we have no means to {reach} You but Yourself.”

Thus, a servant does not remember his Lord except after this remembrance has been preceeded by benevolence and grace from Allah, as he has no way to reach Allah but by His grace and mercy. So if he remembers Allah, it is by His grace; and if he prays to Him, it is through the success He, the Exalted, has granted him; and if he thanks Him, it is through His mercy.

In the supplication of ‘arafah, Imam al-Husayn (‘a) says: “My ignorance and audacity against You did not stop You from guiding me to that which would take me closer to You, and from facilitating for me that which would take me closer to You.”

Among the most subtle of prayers is the prayer of man to his Lord, the Exalted, to grant him success to pray to Him. In one of his supplications, Imam ‘Ali bin al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (‘a) says: “Fill my night with life by keeping me awake therein for worshipping You… and setting my needs before You.”4

In his supplication praying for facilitation (tawfiq) from Allah, Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “So assist me in obeying You, and grant me success to carry that which You made incumbent on me, of all which pleases You; for I have not seen anyone who has been able to attain something of Your obedience (ta’ah) except that it was through Your bounty upon him prior to his obedience. So bless me with a bounty through which I can attain Your pleasure (ridwan).”5

Imam ‘Ali bin al-Husayn (‘a) says: “O Allah, make me leap to You in times of distress, ask from You in needs, and plead to You in misery; tempt me not to seek help from other than You when I am distressed.”6

Two Benefits of the Acceptance of Prayer

There are two benefits in the acceptance of man’s prayer by Allah, the Exalted, one of them greater than the other.

The minor benefit is the fulfillment of the request and petition made by him to Allah, be it regarding this world or the Hereafter, or both.

As for the greater benefit, it is the response (ijabah) itself from Allah, the Exalted; for every response involves a turning (iqbal) from Allah toward His servant, as every prayer entails a turning of the servant toward Allah.

However valuable a thing may be, it is limited and has an end, but there is no limit and end to the value of the turning of Allah toward His servant. As there is no limit for the felicity of a servant so long as he is under the care, providence and special attention of Allah, the Exalted. This is a felicity above which there is no felicity with which Allah can single out a servant from among His servants; a state in which He turns to him, listens to him, responds to him, and makes him aware of His response, whatever the enormity of the request and petition made by the servant to Allah.

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “Once I had called on Allah, so He answered me and I forgot my need; for His response by turning toward His servant when he implores Him is greater and momentous than that which a servant desires from Him, even if it is the Heaven and its everlasting bounties. But this is not comprehended except by the learned ones (‘alimun), the lovers (muhibbun), the worshippers (‘abidun), the knowers (‘arifun), the chosen ones (safwah) of Allah and His special servants.”7

Hence, prayer (du’a’) and the response to it (ijabah) denote a reciprocal relation between Allah and His servant, the best and the most distinctive of its kind. Which relation between Allah, the Exalted, and his servant can be better than the one in which the servant turns toward his Lord with a need, request and petition, and Allah turns to His servant with response, singling him out for it.

I believe that the joy and pleasure derived from this kind of relation with Allah, and from this providence (‘inayah) and success (tawfiq) granted by Him to His servant -when He singles him out for secret conversation with Him, His remembrance and imploring Him, and that He honours him with meeting (liqa’) with Him, getting closer to Him and answering Him- engrosses man and occupies him from his need which he had presented before Allah.

And which pleasure can equal such a pleasure? Or which joy can be on a par with the joy of being in the presence (hudur) of Allah, meeting with Him, whispering to Him, remembering Him and being occupied in gazing at His majesty and beauty.

Standing before Allah for supplication is, in itself, a form of being in the presence of Allah, meeting with Him and whispering to Him. One of the mystics is related to have said, “Among the shameful things for man is that he should ask from Allah, while in His presence, other than Allah, and that he should be occupied in His presence with other than His majesty and beauty.”

A Divine Narration (hadith al-qudsi) related by the Holy Prophet (S) says: “He who is occupied by my mention (dhikri) from asking Me, I shall give him the best of what I give to the beseechers (sa’ilin).”8

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “If a servant who has a need to Allah begins {his prayer} with praising Allah and sending blessings on Muhammad and his Progeny, to the extent that he forgets his need, then He will fulfill it without him asking Him for it.”9

In the whispered prayer (munajat) of al-muhibbin (the lovers),Imam Zayn al-’Abidin (‘a) says: “O my Lord… make us among those whose heart You have captivated for Your will, whom You have chosen for seeing You, whose attention You have secured purely for Yourself, whose heart You have freed for Your love, whom You have made desirous of what is with You… and from whom You have cut off all things which cut him off from You.”

The Relation of the Response to Prayer

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call Me, I will answer you. Indeed those who are disdainful of My worship will enter hell in utter humility.”10

What is the relationship of the response (istijabat) to prayer? And how is the acceptance of a prayer accomplished? We will attempt to address this issue in this section, by the will of Allah.

The response from Allah, the Exalted, is indeed accomplished through the Divine laws (qawanin) and norms (sunan), as it is true of all other Divine acts.

It should be noted, however, that there is nothing like affection (infi’al) in the case of Allah, the Exalted, as is the case with us, the human beings, when we get angry or are happy, or when we are active or worn out. Rather, the act (fi’l) of Allah is a law and norm which does not change in cases of satisfaction or anger, expansion (bast) or contraction (qabd), giving (‘ata’) or withholding (imsak); all these take place within the fixed Divine laws and norms.

These Divine norms (as-Sunan al-ilahiyyah) operate in the realm of the unseen (ghayb) as they operate in physics, chemistry and mechanics, without any difference.

“And you will never find any change in Allah’s precedent (sunnat).”11

“And you will never find alteration in the norm of Allah.”12

Now, what is the norm (sunnah) of Allah with respect to the acceptance (istijabah) of a prayer?

Prayer: the Key of Mercy

In the Islamic sources, the relation between prayer and response has been referred to by the assertion that ‘prayer is the key to the response.’ This statement denotes the kind of relation between prayer and response. Imam ‘Ali (‘a) says: “Supplication is the key of mercy.”13

In his will to his son al-Hasan (‘a), Imam Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (‘a) says: “Thereafter, He put the keys of His treasuries in your hand, in that He has allowed {you} to ask Him from it. So whenever you wished, you opened the doors of His treasuries through supplication.”14

The phrase ‘So whenever you wished, you opened the doors of His treasures through supplication’ has a clear indication to the kind of relation which exists between prayer and response.

Therefore, supplication is the key by which we unlock the treasuries of Allah’s mercy. The treasuries of Allah’s mercy have no end, but not everyone possesses the keys to His treasuries, and not everyone is able to open the treasuries of His mercy.

With reference to the verse:

“Whatever mercy Allah unfolds for the people, no one can withhold it”15,

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “{The mercy implies} the prayer (du’a’).”16 In other words, supplication is the very key by which Allah opens the doors of His mercy for the people, and which He has placed in their hands.

The Holy Prophet (S) says: “For whosoever among you the door of prayer (du’a’)is opened, the doors of response (ijabat) shall {also} be opened for him.”17

It is Allah who opens up toward His servant with prayer, and He is the one who opens for him the doors of its acceptance.

Imam ‘Ali (‘a) says: “Whoever knocks at the door of Allah, the Glorious, it will be opened for him.”18

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is narrated to have said, “Supplicate frequently, for it is the key of every mercy and the fulfillment of every need. And that which lies with Allah cannot be attained but through prayer (du’a’). A door which is frequently knocked at is likely to be opened for the one who knocks it.”19

Imam Amir al-Mu’minin ‘Ali (‘a) says: “Prayer (du’a’) is the key of fulfillment and the key of success. And the best prayer is that which emanates from a pure breast and a pious heart.”20

The Holy Prophet (S) once said, “Shall I show you a weapon that will deliver you from your enemies and increase in your provision (rizq)?”

{His companions} said, “Indeed!”
He said, “Supplicate your Lord day and night, for the weapon of a believer is supplication.”21

Action and Prayer: the Two Keys of Allah’s Mercy

Allah, the Exalted, has placed in our hands two keys through which we can unlock the treasures of His mercy, and seek through them His provision (rizq) and bounties. These two keys are action (‘amal) and prayer (du’a’). Neither dispenses with the other. Action does not dispense with prayer, nor does prayer dispense with putting effort. Therefore, one should not confine himself to prayer to the exclusion of endeavour.

In his advice to Abu Dharr, the Holy Prophet (S) is narrated to have said, “O Aba Dharr! The example of he who supplicates without acting is that of him who shoots {an arrow} without a bow.”22

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “The call of three people is rejected; a person who sits in his home and says: ‘O my Lord, give me sustenance’, so it is said to him, ‘Did I not appoint for you the way to seek provision?’…”23

However, it is also not correct that one should confine himself to acting and forsake supplication.

The Holy Prophet (S) is reported to have said, “Indeed Allah has servants who do {righteous} deeds, so He gives them {of His mercy}; and there are others who sincerely ask Him, so He grants them. Thereafter, He will gather all of them in the Heaven. So those who performed {good} deeds shall say, ‘Our Lord, You gave us because we acted {righteously}, but why did You give to these {people}?’ He will say, ‘These are my servants. I gave you your reward without wasting anything of your deeds. These people besought Me, hence I gave them and enriched them; this is My grace, I give it to whosoever I desire.”24

Allah, the Exalted, has made prayer a means to compensate for the inadequacy of man’s efforts, so that he might not rely on himself and be deluded with what he has been given of power and strength, and with the efforts he has put.

Hence, action and prayer are two keys among the greatest keys through which man unlocks the doors of Allah’s mercy.

We are not concerned at the moment about discussing the ‘action’ and its relation to Allah’s mercy vis-à-vis the relation between ‘prayer’ and the treasures of Allah’s mercy and that between the action and prayer; for this relation is among the principal Islamic issues.

He, the Exalted, bestows upon His servants because of both, effort and prayer. This implies that Allah gives His servants through what is with them and what is not with them. What is with them is their efforts, actions, and what they send forth before Allah of their endeavour and spend of their persons and wealth. What is not with them is denoted by their indigence (faqr) and neediness (hajat) to Allah, and their presentation of poverty and need before Allah.

Through each of these two man attracts the mercy of Allah; by raising toward Him his efforts, actions, his self and wealth, and by displaying before Him his need, indigence, non-existence and desperation.

The Relation between Prayer and Action

It would not be correct to try to fathom prayer (du’a’) independent of the norms (sunan) of Allah; for He, the Exalted, has laid for His servants some norms in the universe, and with respect to their affairs and needs. Thus, people ought not to neglect these norms in their affairs and wishes.

However,prayer is not a substitute for these norms, nor does following these norms dispense man of prayer. To comprehend this point is to understand one of the subtle Lorldly (rabbaniyyah) customs in Islam.

Hence, a farmer, for instance, should not confine himself to prayer only, forsaking ploughing, irrigating the land, pulling out the weeds, looking after the plants, protecting them from diseases and so on; for such a prayer shall never be accepted as it is categorized under this narration from Imam as-Sadiq (‘a), “One who supplicates without acting is like one who shoots {an arrow} without a bow.”

Similarly, the prayer of a sick man would not be accepted if he does not visit a physician and consume medication. How can such a prayer be answered when the supplicant has turned away from the norms (sunan) of Allah? No prayer can be accepted but within the framework of the Divine norms; for the one who answers the call of His servants is the very one who has laid these norms in nature, and he is the one who has commanded His servants to follow these norms, and seek their provision and needs through them.

He, the Exalted, says in this regard:

“It is He who made the earth tractable for you; so walk on its flanks and eat of His provision…”25

and:

“And when the prayer (salat) is finished, disperse through the land and seek Allah’s grace…”26

In the same way that prayer cannot be a substitute for putting effort, likewise acting cannot be a substitute for prayer; for the keys of this universe are in the hand of Allah, He bestows upon His servants through prayer what they are not able to achieve by their efforts, as He facilitates for them by virtue of prayer those natural means (al-asbab at-Tabi’iyyah) which they are unable to attain by their endeavours.

However, the facilitation of the natural means by Allah for His servant does not imply that one becomes needless of prayer, petition and invoking Allah. This is because it is Allah, the Exalted, who expands (al-basit) and tightens (al-qabid), who gives and withholds, who benefits and harms, who gives life and causes death, who exalts and abases; in His hand are the keys of the universe; nothing in the universe can disobey His command; every power in this universe which can benefit or harm is subject to His order and strength.

The natural agents in this vast universe have no independent existence from the will (iradah) of Allah and His power, so that by employing them man should needless of prayer, petition and imploring Allah. And we glorify and declare Allah to be above what the Jews say about Him:

“The hand of Allah is tied up!”27

Instead we believe in what the Qur’an says:

“Rather His hands are wide open.”28

Hence, we interact with Allah in all situations, as we do not distinguish between interaction with Allah and interaction with the norms which Allah laid as means for the provision of His servants. We believe that these norms and natural causes benefit and harm us in extension to the will (iradah), desire (mashi’ah) and strength of Allah, not independent of, and on a par with, the Divine will and power.

Moreover, we perceive the hand of Allah, the Exalted, His mercy, bounties and wisdom in all of our affairs, small and big, as we perceive the will of Allah, facilitation by Him (tawfiq) and His favours throughout our lives. Thus, we are in need of Allah at every moment and at every turn of our lives, and we are destitute in the face of His mercy, bounties, care, success and guidance. Accordingly, we pray to Him that He alone should take charge of all our affairs with uprightness, and we seek refuge with Him that He should not leave us on our own even. Qur'anic verses and hadiths of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and sayings in Arabic, Persian and English. https://eitaa.com/noorunalanoor t.me/noorunalanoor110 https://youtube.com/@mustafaabbas4668?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

Qur'anic verses and hadiths of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and sayings in Arabic, Persian and English.

 https://eitaa.com/noorunalanoor

t.me/noorunalanoor110

https://youtube.com/@mustafaabbas4668?si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

https://youtube.com/@mustafaabbas8978?si=EMJylUW9_zruJx95