The Acceptance of Supplication

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

The following is extracted from the teachings of Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.).

The only book we get real benefit from is not authored by human beings.  It is the Qur’an that Allah (s.w.t.) Sent down as a Mercy:

سُوۡرَةُ بنیٓ اسرآئیل / الإسرَاء

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌ۬ وَرَحۡمَةٌ۬ لِّلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ‌ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارً۬ا (٨٢)

We Send Down (stage by stage) in the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to those who believe: to the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss. (Surah al-Isra’:82)

Those who are unjust, oppressors to themselves, by not reading the Qur’an, are the losers in this world and the next.  Allah (s.w.t.) put His Secrets in the Qur’an, because it is the Words of Allah (s.w.t.).  Every Word in the Qur’an is Divine, not created; it belongs to the Creator.  All His Beautiful Names and Attributes, and all the Words in the Qur’an are Divine.  Outside the Qur’an, nothing is Divine.  Any Divine Word carries, with it, a cure.

There are two kinds of diseases: physical and spiritual.  Which is more difficult to treat?  The spiritual is more difficult because we do not pay attention to it, and it is moulded with our selves, our ego with our soul, and we cannot throw it away.  It is very difficult.  Physical illnesses sometimes come, and doctors try their best to cure us by some prescription, but what they prescribe always has side effects and is not going to be fully clean.  But if they prescribed a verse of Qur’an to us as our cure, that is pure.  If we have real belief in Allah (s.w.t.) and His Prophet (s.a.w.), for sure when we read that verse, we will be cured, but we need the guide, the one who knows which verse cures our sicknesses.  When we go to the pharmacy, we see hundreds and hundreds of medicines, and if the doctor does not give us the right medicine, either we get nothing out of it, or we get side effects.  But the Qur’an has no side effects; it cures completely.

People get different sicknesses because there are different doors in the body that Shaythan can come in.  Every cell of the human beings is a door through which Shaythan comes in, and we get affected by the sickness that Shaythan carries.  How should we get rid of sickness?  What do we do?  We go to the doctor to take medicine, but that does not close the door; Shaythan can still come back.  We may feel we are getting cured, that the sickness is less and less, but that is temporary.  We might get another sickness.  Allah (s.w.t.) Knows the hearts, but if we get a verse of Qur’an, that door will be closed completely.  The awliya’ have closed all the doors in themselves through which Shaythan can come, which is how they know verses to use to cure us completely and close those doors.

There was a companion of the Prophet (s.a.w.) who was a businessman, who bought and sold, and people invested money with him because he was a pious, sincere servant of Allah (s.w.t.).  One day, on a trip, a bandit followed him, and demanded everything he had.  That bandit intended to kill him.  That poor swahabah looked at him, and said, “Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah!  I will give you the money, but set me free.  Why do you need my blood?”

The bandit said, “I need no witnesses against me.”

The swahabah said, “If you are going to kill me, let my last moments be in Allah’s (s.w.t.) Hands.  Let me take wudhu and pray four raka’at.”

The bandit said, “Who cares?  Pray as much as you like.  I am here and going to take your money, and then kill you.”

So, the man prayed four raka’at and in his sajdah, he said:

Yaa Waduud!  Yaa Waduud!  Yaa Dzaa al-‘Arshi al-Majiid.  Yaa fa’aalu lima turiid.  As’aluka bi ‘izzika alladzii laa yuraam wa mulkika alladzii laa yudhaam wa bi nuurika alladzii mala’a arkaana ‘arshika an tukfiyanii sharra yaa haadza al-lisw.  Yaa Mughitsu, aghitsnii!  Yaa Mughiitsu, aghitsnii!  Yaa Mughiitsu, aghitsnii!

O Loving One!  O Loving One!  O Lord of the Glorified Throne!  O You Who Does as He Wants!  I ask You through Your Might which cannot be defeated, and Your Dominion which cannot be diminished, and Your Light which Fills the pillars of Your Throne, that You Protect me from the evil of this bandit!  O Saviour from Calamity, Save me!  O Saviour from Calamity, Save me!  O Saviour from Calamity, Save me!

As soon as he finished, a faris, a mounted knight, approached with a big spear that rested across the saddle.  The bandit saw him coming, and was transfixed with fear.  That faris came to him and killed him without asking any question.  Then he said to the companion of the Prophet (s.a.w.), “Stand up.”

The companion asked, “By Allah, who are you?”

He replied:

“Annaa malakun min as-samaa’i ar-raabi’ah.  Da’awtallaha bi du’aa’ika al-awwal fa sami’tu li abwaabi as-samaa’i qa’qa’ta tsumma da’awta bi du’aa’ika ats-tsaanii fa sami’tu li ahli as-samaa’i dhajjah tsumma da’awta bi du’aa’ika ats-tsaalitsi fa qiili lii du’aa’u makruubin fa sa’altullaaha ta’aalaa an yuuliyanii qatlahu.”

“I am an angel from the fourth Paradise.  When you made the first supplication, the Doors of Heaven began to crack loudly.  And then you made the second supplication, the People of the Heavens began to hear commotion, then you made the third du’a, it was said to me ‘This is the supplication of someone in despair,’ and so I asked Allah (s.w.t.) to Allow me to kill him.

That is why Sayyidina Hasan ibn ‘Ali (r.a.), the grandson of the Prophet (s.a.w.), mentioned that hadits, and also said:

“Man tawadhdhaa wa swallaa arba’a raka’aatin wa da’aa bi hadzaa ad-du’aa’i astujiiba lahu makruubun kaana aw ghayra mukruub.”

“Whoever makes wudhu and prays four raka`at and makes this du’a, Allah will Answer his du’a whether or not he is in despair.”

He called upon Allah’s (s.w.t.) Beautiful Names and Attributes and Allah (s.w.t.) Answered.  So why are we not Answered when we make du’a?  It is because supplication has rules and principles.  If we do not follow the rules and principles, we cannot say that our du’a will not be accepted as all ud’iyyah are accepted, but the Answer might be Delayed.

The adab of making du’a is to have a clean mouth with a good smell.  Cleanliness also refers to spiritual cleanliness.  The tongue should not be sullied with lies, backbiting, and vulgar talk. The whisperings of the nufus and Shaythan must also be stilled.  That is why Allah (s.w.t.) Says:

سُوۡرَةُ النّحل

فَإِذَا قَرَأۡتَ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانَ فَٱسۡتَعِذۡ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ (٩٨) إِنَّهُ ۥ لَيۡسَ لَهُ ۥ سُلۡطَـٰنٌ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ يَتَوَڪَّلُونَ (٩٩)

When you do read the Qur’an, seek Allah’s Protection from Satan the Rejected One.  No authority has he over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord. (Surah an-Nahl:98-99)

It is very clear that Ayat ash-Shifa’ are from the Qur’an, and Allah (s.w.t.) Tells us that if we want to read the Qur’an, we have to seek Refuge in Allah (s.w.t.) from Shaythan, then he cannot approach us and since we have sought refuge from Shaythan, our ud’iyyah is clean.  First, we recite, “I seek refuge in Allah from Shaythan,” then we begin with “Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim,” as the Prophet (s.a.w.) said, “Any ‘amal which does not begin with Allah’s (s.w.t.) Name is cut off,” it has no continuity.  As soon as we say the Basmallah, we say “al-Hamdulillahi Rabb al-‘Alamin,” praising Allah (s.w.t.), and thanking Him, then we wrap it, in order to be Accepted with swalawat on the Prophet (s.a.w.), and then begin the du’a.

Every place has its own manifestation and effectiveness that changes from one place to another.  It has different effects on different du’a that sometimes comes quickly and sometimes not.  It depends on the area.  There are holy places which are far better for making du’a:

سُوۡرَةُ آل عِمرَان

... كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيۡهَا زَكَرِيَّا ٱلۡمِحۡرَابَ وَجَدَ عِندَهَا رِزۡقً۬ا‌ۖ قَالَ يَـٰمَرۡيَمُ أَنَّىٰ لَكِ هَـٰذَا‌ۖ قَالَتۡ هُوَ مِنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ‌ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَرۡزُقُ مَن يَشَآءُ بِغَيۡرِ حِسَابٍ (٣٧)

… Every time that he entered (her) chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance.  He said, “O Mary!  Whence (comes) this to you?”  She said, “From Allah: for Allah Provides sustenance to whom He Pleases, without measure.” (Surah Ali ‘Imran:37)

It is clear that every time Zakariya (a.s.) entered the niche of Maryam (a.s.), he found sustenance there.  Because of her du’a and purity, Allah (s.w.t.) Sent physical and spiritual sustenance to her and her place became holy.  Zakariya (a.s.) was ninety-nine years old and had no children.  How many ud’iyyah had he made, always asking to have a child?  All those years and he was not Given a child until he entered the niche of Maryam (a.s.), where his du’a was immediately Accepted.  He knew it had become a holy place from all that tajalli, manifestation of Allah’s (s.w.t.) Light on her.

سُوۡرَةُ مَریَم

قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى وَهَنَ ٱلۡعَظۡمُ مِنِّى وَٱشۡتَعَلَ ٱلرَّأۡسُ شَيۡبً۬ا وَلَمۡ أَڪُنۢ بِدُعَآٮِٕكَ رَبِّ شَقِيًّ۬ا (٤)

Praying, “O my Lord!  Infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head does glisten with grey: but never am I unblest, O my Lord, in my prayer to Thee!” (Surah Maryam:4)

Allah (s.w.t.) Gave him Yahya (a.s.) because Jibril (a.s.) came to him and showed him a miracle.  So, it depends where we make du’a.

Even in Madinat al-Munawarrah, in front of the Prophet (s.a.w.) we supplicate.  Then why is it not accepted? It is the best place.  Or in front of Ka’bah.  In reality, all of them are Accepted, as Allah’s (s.w.t.) Last Name is asw-Swabur: we do all kinds of sins and yet He is Patient with us.  He Says:

سُوۡرَةُ المؤمن / غَافر

... ٱدۡعُونِىٓ أَسۡتَجِبۡ لَكُمۡۚ ... (٦٠)

… “Call on Me; I will Answer your (prayer) ...” (Surah Ghafir:60)

We make du’a, and we ask for acceptance.  Sometimes, it is like a perfect Moon and we see the Acceptance immediately, but other times it is Delayed.  Nevertheless, we must keep asking; that is the principle of persistence.  Allah (s.w.t.) Wants us to be persistent in asking.  Allah (s.w.t.) will Accept, Allah will Cure us, and Allah (s.w.t.) will Forgive us.  But in asking, Allah (s.w.t.) Wants us to be clean.  So, this swahabah in the story above, who was about to be killed, asked to pray four raka`at, and he made wudhu and prayed.  We see du’a is better done with wudhu.  And it better done after giving swadaqah.

سُوۡرَةُ التّوبَة

خُذۡ مِنۡ أَمۡوَٲلِهِمۡ صَدَقَةً۬ تُطَهِّرُهُمۡ وَتُزَكِّيہِم بِہَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيۡهِمۡ‌ۖ إِنَّ صَلَوٰتَكَ سَكَنٌ۬ لَّهُمۡ‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ (١٠٣)

Of their wealth take alms, that so you might purify and sanctify them; and pray on their behalf.  Verily your prayers are a source of security for them: and Allah is One Who Heareth and Knoweth. (Surah at-Tawbah:103)

Imam Shams ad-Din Abu ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (r.a.) said that many make ud’iyyah and it is Accepted because either he did something that Pleased Allah (s.w.t.) or he gave swadaqah, or he helped someone for Allah (s.w.t.) to Accept his du’a.  So, we should not make du’a without spending or first doing a good deed.  Now too many people make du’a but do not give charity.  They are stingy and Allah (s.w.t.) is the Generous One.  We have to show Him generosity, not miserliness.