In The Name of Allah,
the Beneficent and the Most Merciful
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Volume 3: Surah Baqarah, Verse
186
And when My servants ask you
concerning Me, then verily I am near, I answer the prayer of the
supplicant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe
in Me, so that they may walk in the right way. (186)
COMMENTARY
Quran: And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then verily I am near,
I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on
Me:
This is the best expression of the subject
matter in the most elegant and beautiful style. The whole verse is based
on the first person singular pronoun which shows the great importance
which the speaker, i.e. Allah attaches to this subject; then come the
words My servants and not "people" or such other words; and this
enhances its importance even more; the reply (then verily I am
near) starts dramatically just after the question without any
preamble like: "then say that I am near"; and the reply has been
emphasized with "verily" (inna) and the nearness of the speaker is
described with the adjective near and not with any verb like "I
come near him", thus it shows that He is already near and will always
remain near; then it mentions answering the prayer with the verb the
mudari' (aorist tense) which combines both the present and the
future tenses; and indicates that He answers at present and will continue
to answer the prayers of the supplicant; then the answer (I answer the
prayer of the supplicant) is conditioned with when he calls on Me,
but in reality it is not a condition separate from the main clause,
both are one and the same thing, and it serves to emphasize that the
prayer of the supplicant is answered without any condition or stipulation
(as we see also in the verse: call on Me, I will
answer you 40:60). These seven points show how
much importance has been attached to the answering of prayers. In
addition, this verse short as it is ‑ repeats the first person singular
pronoun seven times; it is the only verse with this characteristic in the
whole of Qur’an.
"Du'd... and "dawah
" mean to turn the attention of the called one to the caller. Asking
(su’al) means to gain a benefit or advantage from the one whose
attention is drawn towards the asker and before whom his (asker's) need is
put. Therefore, asking (su’al) is the final aim of calling
(du'd). This meaning covers all types of asking, for example,
asking for the removal of ignorance, asking with the meaning of reckoning,
asking in the sense of seeking beneficence.
Literally, "bondage" (ubudiyyah), as
explained earlier, is the status of being owned. It is not used for any
other owned thing except human beings. Therefore, "servant"
(abu), is used only for a human being or another intelligent
being (like an angel).
The ownership of Allah is as different from the
ownership of others as is the truth from pretence or the reality from
metaphor. Allah owns His servants; his ownership is total and
comprehensive. They have no authority, independent from Allah, over
their own selves or over matters or things which are subordinate to
them; for example, their attributes and actions and all things which are
related to them, like wives, children, property, honor etc. Everything
which they own and is related to them in any way ‑ as we say, his self,
his body, his ears, his eyes, his actions, his impression (and these are a
sort of natural and real possessions), or as we say, his spouse, his
wealth, his honor, his right ‑ (and these are a sort of supposed or
assumed possession) ‑ is in his possession only because Allah allowed the
establishment of that relation of ownership between man and his
possession, whatever it may be. It is Allah, glorified be his name, who
gave their selves and their persons to them ‑ and if He did not wish so,
it could not be attributed to them and they would have remained without
any self or person ‑ in other words, non‑existent. It is He who gave them
hearing and sight and hearts; and it is He who created everything, then
fixed for it a measure.
Therefore, Allah intervenes between a thing and its
self, between it and between all its associates like child, spouse,
friend, property, honor and rights. It means that He, is the nearest of
all to His creatures. In other words, He is the Near One in the true sense
of this word. He has said: And We are nearer to him than you, but you
see (Us) not (56:85); and We are nearer to him than his life
vein (50:16); and know that Allah intervenes between man and his
heart (8:24). 'Heart' here means the rational soul or
spirit.
In short, Allah's ownership of His creatures is real
ownership, and as they are His servants He is near to them in its true
sense, which means nearest of all things. His ownership gives Him
authority to make use of them as He wishes, without any hindrance or
obstruction. Also it gives Him authority to answer any prayer which is put
before Him by any of His creatures, and to fulfill his need by accepting
his supplication, because the ownership is allencompassing, and His
Power and pervasiveness cover all possible situations. It is not as though
He has authority in one eventuality and not in the other, as the Jews say
that when God created things and decreed their destinies, His work was
finished and now His hands are folded up, He can not take any new
decision; there is no abrogation (of previous laws), no change and no
answering of prayer because every affair is already finished. Nor is it,
as a group of this ummah said, that Allah has no power about the
actions of His creatures. They are called Qadariyyah and were named the
Magians of this ummah by the Messenger of Allah. Sunnis and
Shi’ah both have reported that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.)
said: "Qadariyyah are the Magians of this ummah".
The truth is that real ownership in its totality is by
Allah only and nobody owns any thing but when He makes him its owner and
allows him to possess it. Therefore, whatever Allah wills and gives in
possession and allows its coming into being, comes into being. And
whatever He does not will, and does not give in possession and does not
allow, does not come into being, even if one strives his utmost to bring
it into being. Allah has said: 0 people! You are they who are needy
unto Allah, and Allah is He who is the Self‑sufficient, the Most Praised
One. (35:15)
It is, thus, clear that this verse not only mentions a
fact, i.e., answering prayer, but gives its reasons also: Because the
supplicants are servants of Allah, He is near to them; arid because He is
near to them, He answers their prayers without any reservation. And the
unconditional answering of prayer means that there is no condition imposed
on prayer also; whatever prayer is addressed to Him, He shall answer it.
Of course, it seems that His promise 'I answer the prayer of the
supplicant' depends on the condition, when he calls Me. But this
condition is not something different from the main clause; and such a mode
of expression indicates that the main clause is free from metaphor and
analogy; that. its meaning is what appears from the words. For example,
when we say, "Listen to the sincere advisor when he sincerely advises
you", or "Respect the scholar if he be a scholar", it means that we want
him to be sure that the advisor is really sincere or the scholar is really
a scholar so that listening to him or respecting him becomes necessary. In
the same way, the condition when he calls on me shows that the
promise of answering the prayer shall apply when the supplicant is a
supplicant in reality; when he wants that. Thing according to his natural
and deep‑ingrained knowledge and when his heart is really in what his
tongue is asking for. The reality of prayer and supplication is what the
heart desires and the tongue of nature asks for, not this tongue of flesh
which moves as it is moved without caring whether the word spoken is a
truth or a lie, a reality or a metaphor, a serious talk or a joke. It is
because of this that Allah has even mentioned such prayers in which the
tongue is not used at all. He said: And He gave you of all that you
asked Him; and if you count Allah's bounties, you will not be able to
compute them; Verily, man is very unjust very ungrateful (14:34).
Mankind prays to Him and beseeches Him for bounties which they cannot
count, but this asking is not done by the tongue of the mouth, it is done
by the tongue of their neediness, the tongue of nature and existence. Also
He said:
All those in the heavens and the earth do
beseech Him; every day He is in a (new) splendor
(55:29). This verse more clearly proves what we have just
said.
Therefore, the natural prayer addressed to Allah shall
always be answered. If a prayer is not answered* then it lacks both or one
of the two things mentioned in the verse: the prayer of the supplicant
when he calls on Me. It may happen in following ways:‑
First: There may be no
prayer at all, it may only be a misunderstanding of the supplicant. For
example, a man prays for an impossible thing (but he does not know that it
is impossible), or for a thing which, if he knew the fact, would not have
wanted at all. Let us say that someone was sick and died but his friend is
unaware of his death and prays for his recovery, while now the prayer
should be for bringing him back to life. If he had been really sure that a
dead body could be resurrected and had asked for its resurrection (as the
prophets did) his life would have been returned to him; but he does not
have such firm conviction and therefore the prayer is not answered. Or,
let us say, he asks for a thing which, had he known it really, he Would
not have wanted. Therefore, it is not granted.
Second: There is indeed
a prayer, but it is not addressed exclusively to Allah. For example, a man
beseeches Allah for his needs, but his heart is looking towards its
apparent causes or to some imaginary beings whom he thinks have power to
fulfill his needs. In this case, his prayer is not addressed exclusively
to Allah. In other words, he did not beseech Allah at all; because Allah,
Who answers the prayers, is the One who has no partner in His affairs. He
is not the one who works in partnership with apparent causes and imaginary
beings.
So these are the two groups of supplicants whose hearts
were not sincere in their prayers even if their tongues were.
This is the gist of the subject of prayer according to
the verse of the Qur'an. The meaning of all verses on this subject may be
understood from this explanation. See, for example, the following
verses:‑
Say, my Lord would not care for you, were it
not for your prayer; but you have indeed rejected (the truth), so soon you shall be in the grip
(25:77).
Say, think you that if the chastisement of
Allah comes to you or the Hour comes to you, will you call upon other than
Allah, if you are truthful Nay! Him you will call upon, so He clears
away that for which you pray, if He pleases, and you will forget what you
set up (with Him) (6:40‑41).
Say, who is it that delivers you from the
(dread of the) darkness of
the land and the sea (when) you pray to him
(openly) humiliating yourselves and secretly: "If He delivers us
from this, certainly we shall be of the grateful ones". Say, Allah
delivers you from them and from every distress, yet again you associate
(others) with Him (6:63‑64).
These verses prove that man has been created with a
natural prayer and inner beseeching which is silently addressed to his
Lord. But when he spends his life in ease and prosperity, his soul becomes
blinded by apparent causes and he treats them as partners to his Lord;
thus he becomes confused and thinks that he does not ask his Lord for
anything and does not beseech Him, while the fact is that he does not
beseech anyone other than Allah, because this prayer (to Allah) is
ingrained into his nature, and there is no change in the creation of
Allah. Later comes the hardship and the apparent causes become divorced
from the expected effects, and those whom he treated as partners of Allah
or intercessors before Him disappear completely; then he realizes
that there is no one to fulfill his needs and to answer his prayers except
Allah. Thus, he returns to his natural monotheism and forgets every other
cause and turns his face towards the Beneficent Lord; and the Lord clears
away his hardship and fulfills his wants and places him under the shade of
opulence. But as soon as he regains his prosperity and happiness - he goes
back to the previous polytheism and forgetfulness.
And your Lord said: Call upon Me, I will answer
you. Verily, those who are arrogant to My worship shall soon enter Hell,
disgraced (40:60).
This verse invites mankind to beseech Allah, and
promises the answering, and goes even further by naming the prayer as
worship in the clause, arrogant to My worship which means "to my
prayer". Rather, it equates the worship with prayer: it threatens with
Hell those who do not pray, and such a threat can only be justified when
one neglects worship completely, not on neglecting only one kind of it.
Therefore, the prayer is not just an important type of worship; it is the
foundation of worship itself.
From the above, one may appreciate the meaning of other
verses on this subject:‑
Therefore, call upon Allah, being sincere to Him in
religion, though averse be the disbelievers (40:14).
And call on Him fearing and hoping; surely, the mercy
of Allah is near to those who do good (7:56).
...surely they used to . .
. call unto Us with love and reverence, and were humble before Us
(21:90).
Call upon your Lord humbly and secretly; surely He
loves not those who exceed the limit (7:55).
When called he (Zakariyya) unto his Lord in low voice. He said: My Lord! Surely
my bones are weakened and my head fares with hoariness, and, my Lord!
Never have I been unsuccessful in my prayer to Thee
(19:3-4).
And He answers those who believe and do good deeds,
and increases unto them of His grace (42:26).
There
are other relevant verses, and all of these contain the pillars of prayer
and explain the manner of the supplication. And the most important of all
is to keep the prayer exclusively for Allah; it will come true when the
feeling of the heart conforms with the words spoken by the tongue; when
one abandons reliance on all apparent reasons other than Allah and depends
exclusively upon Allah. Also among them are: fear of Allah; hope in His
answering; His love and reverence; humility and humbleness; as well as
perseverance in prayer; remembrance of Allah; good deeds; true faith;
presence of heart at that time; and similar things.
Qur'an: So
they should answer My call and believe in
Me:
This sentence branches out from the previous one. Allah
is near to His servants; nothings comes between Him and their prayer; He
cares for them and for the things they ask for; that is why He invites
them to call upon Him and He is of such high attributes.
Therefore, they should accept this invitation of their
Lord and should advance towards Him, and have faith in Him about this
attribute, having firm belief that He is near and He answers their call;
so that they may be guided rightly in praying unto Him.
TRADITIONS
The Sunnis and Shi'ahs both have narrated from the
Prophet (s.a.w.a.) that "Prayer is the armament of the
believer."
It is narrated in al‑Hadith al‑qudsi: "O Musa!
Ask from Me all that you need, even fodder for your goat and salt for your
dough," ['Uddatu 'd‑dai]
The Prophet said: "Calling (upon Allah) is better than
reciting the Qur'an, because Allah (Powerful and Great is He!) said, 'Say,
My Lord would not care for you were it not for your prayer."' [Makarimu
l-akhlaq]
The same hadith has been narrated from al-Baqir
and as Sadiq (a.s.).
Muhammad ibn 'Ajlin narrates from Muhammad ibn
'Ubaydullah ibn 'Ali ibn al‑Husayn from his cousin, as Saqid (a.s.)
from his forefathers from the Prophet that he said: "Allah informed one of
his prophets in a revelation: 'By My Power and Dignity! Verily I shall
change into despair the hope of everyone who hoped from other than Me, and
I shall dress him with the clothing of disgrace before people, and I shall
remove him from My relief and bounty.
Does my servant put his hope in other than Me in
hardships, while hardships are in My hand; And does he expect anything
from other than Me, while I am the Self‑sufficient, the Munificent? In My
hand are the keys of the doors' while they are closed; and My door is open for the one who calls on Me. ['Uddatu
d-dai]
The Prophet said: "Allah said; 'No creature seeks refuge
in another creature, leaving Me, but that I cut off all the means in the
heavens and the earth for him. Then if he asks from Me, I do not give him;
and if he calls on Me, I do not answer him. And no creature seeks refuge
in Me, leaving My creatures, but that I make the heaven and the earth
responsible for his sustenance; then if he calls on Me, I answer him and,
if he seeks pardon from Me, I forgive!' " [ibid.]
The author says: The aim of the above two
traditions is to emphasize that the invocation must be purely for Allah.
It was not meant to negate the positive causes which Allah has created as
instrumental links between the things and their needs. But these
instruments are not independent causes. The Independent Cause is only
Allah. And man does have an inner feeling of t his fact: he feels by his
nature that there is a Perfect Cause who fulfils his needs and who can
never fail in bringing about the desired effect. On the other hand, he
knows that all the apparent causes which are expected to produce an
effect, some times fail to do so. Thus he knows that the First Cause, who
is the Source and Origin of everything and upon whom every need relies and
depends for its fulfillment, is other than these apparent causes. Once he
realizes it, he will never entirely rely on these causes, forgetting the
Real Cause. Man may appreciate this fact after just a little
thinking.
Now, if he prays for something and that need is
fulfilled, it will prove that he asked his Lord for it, and that the
prayer, which emanated from his inner feeling and knowledge, reached
through the apparent causes to his Lord and was granted by Him. On the
contrary, if he prays to some apparent causes for it, then it does not
originate from natural inner feeling and knowledge; it is just an
imaginary need, based not on inner feeling but on some imaginary reasons.
It is one of the situations where appearance goes against reality, because
he thinks that he is praying, while his inner self knows nothing about
that prayer.
Another example: Many is the time that a man likes a
thing and makes all efforts to get it; but when he gets it, he finds that
it is harmful to another thing which is far more important and far more
dear than that thing. Then he leaves that which he had strived for and
keeps that which is more important. Likewise, sometimes he dislikes a
thing, but once it comes to him he finds it far more beneficial and far
better than the alternative which he previously preferred. A child is
sick; when he is given a bitter medicine, he refuses to take it and starts
crying. But at the same time he wants to regain his health. Now the
position is this: his natural inner feeling prays for health and,
therefore, for the medicine; but his words and deeds reject the same
medicine. likewise, man, in his life, has a discipline based on
natural understanding and inner feeling; and he also has a system
based on his imagination only. The natural discipline makes no mistake, it
never leads astray; while the imaginary discipline often goes wrong. It is
clear from the example of the sick child that sometimes man asks for some
thing urged by his imagination but in reality that very prayer is the
prayer for its opposite.
This discourse will help the readers in understanding
the meaning of the traditions, and it is also the implication of the words
of 'Ali (a.s.) which come later, "Verily, the granting (of Prayer) is
according to the measure of the intention…”
The Prophet said: "Call upon Allah and you can be
confident for the answering." ['Uddatu 'd‑dai]
"I am near the opinion (i.e. expectation) of My servant
about Me; so, he should not have any opinion about Me (i.e. should not
expect from Me) except good." [al-hadith al-qudsi]
The author says: It is
because if one prays and at the same time is pessimistic or doubtful about
its outcome, then it shows that the prayer is just a formality, the
supplicant has no real intention of asking for it (see the previous
explanation). And the traditions forbid asking for a thing which one is
sure will not come about.
The Prophet said: "Resort to Allah in your needs; and
seek refuge in Him in your misfortunes; and humiliate yourselves before
Him and beseech Him, because, verily, supplication is the essence of
worship. And no believer calls upon Allah but He answers him: either it is
speeded up to him in this world, or is kept in reserve for him for the
next one, or his sins are forgiven in proportion to his supplication,
provided he does not pray for a sinful thing." ['Uddatu
'd‑dai]
'Ali (a.s.) wrote in his will for his son, al‑Husayn
(a.s.): "Then He placed the keys of His treasures in your hands in the
sense that He allowed you to ask Him. Therefore, whenever you wish, you
may get the doors of His bounties opened with prayer, and get the heavy
rains of His Mercy to fall upon you. Delay in acceptance of the prayers
should not disappoint you, because the granting (of prayer) is
according to the measure of (your) intention. And sometimes, the answering
of your prayer is delayed so that it brings a greater reward to, the asker
and a better granting to the expectant. Sometimes you ask for a thing and
it is
not given to you, but a better
thing is given to you, immediately or later; or a thing is diverted from
you for some greater good for you, because often you ask for a thing which
would have destroyed your religion had it been given to you. Therefore,
your prayer should be for things whose beauty should last for you and
whose evil should remain away from you. As for wealth, it will not last
for you, nor will you last for it." [Nahju
l‑balaghah]
The author says: "The
granting (of prayer) is according to the measure of (your) intention."
'Ali (a.s.) means that the answer is given according to the call. The
supplicant is granted whatever he asks for from Allah with the firm
conviction of his conscience and with his heart, and not what is asked for
in words. As explained earlier, the words sometimes do not completely
conform with the real requirement demanded by the nature. This sentence,
therefore, shows in the most lucid and comprehensive way, the relationship
between prayer and its answer. 'Ali (a.s.) has, in this writing, explained
many cases in which it appears that the prayer was not granted, e.g. where
there is delay in answering the call, or a material bounty is asked for
but it is changed to some thing which is far better for him either in this
world or in the next, or it is diverted to some thing more beneficial for
the asker. The supplicant had, for example, asked for a pleasant bounty;
and if he were given it without delay it would not have been really
appreciated and valued, and, therefore, its granting was delayed. In
short, when he asked for a "pleasant" bounty, he implicitly asked for a
delay in granting of the prayer. likewise, a believer who seriously pays
attention to his religion, prays for some thing which would be harmful to
his religion, although he does not know it and thinks that it would bring
him happiness. But his happiness is in his religion and in the next world.
Therefore, his prayer is in fact for the next world, not for this one,
and, accordingly, it is granted for the next world, not for this one.
Al-Baqir (a.s.) said: "A servant does not extend his hand towards Allah,
but that Allah is ashamed to return it empty. He puts in it from His
bounty and mercy whatever He wishes. So, when one of you calls (upon
Allah), he should not return his hand until he wipes it on his head and
face." ['Uddatu 'd‑dai] In another hadith it is "on
his face and chest".
The author says: There
are in ad‑Durru l-manthur eight similar traditions narrated by a
number of the companions, like Salman, Jabir, 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, Anas
ibn Malik and Ibn Abi Mughith from the Prophet; and all of them mention
raising of the hands in the prayer. Therefore, it is meaningless to reject
raising of hands in the prayer as someone has done saying that "it is
suggestive of the belief that Allah has a body, because the raising of the
hands towards the sky is an indication that He is there ‑ Holy and
Sanctified is He from it."
But this statement is wrong. All acts of worship
performed by the body are in reality the heartfelt sense of gratitude and
inner attention which is reduced to the level of symbolic appearance;
and the spiritual realities are demonstrated in the moulds of the body, as
one may see in the salat, the fast, the hajj, etc., and
their parts. and conditions. Had it not been so, there would not have been
any justification for worship by the body. And invocation is such a form
of worship. It is the attention of the heart and the inner supplication
demonstrated by the symbol of the begging of a wretched pauper coming near
a powerful and wealthy person, raising and extending his hands towards him
and asking his needs from him, humiliating himself before him and
imploring him to grant him his requirements. ash‑Shaykh has reported in
al‑Majalis wa 'I‑akhbar, with his sanad (chain of
narrators) from lmam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) and Zayd from their
father, Imam 'Ali ibn al‑Husayn from his father al‑Husayn (a.s.) from the
Prophet that "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) used to raise his hands
when he prayed and beseeched (Allah) as a pauper begs for food." The same
hadith is written in Uddatu d-dai without
sanad.
'Ali (a.s.) heard a man saying “O Allah I seek refuge in
Thee from temptation ‑" 'Ali‑(a.s.) said: 'I see, you are seeking refuge
against your wealth and children. Allah says: Verily your wealth and
your children are temptations (8:28). You should rather
say: O Allah! I seek refuge in Thee from misleading temptations."
[Biharu’l-anwar]
The author says:
It is another way of determining the meaning of a word. And there are many
such examples in traditions. The fact is that the true meaning of every
word is that for which it has been used by Allah in His talk. And some
examples of this are the traditions which explain the meaning of 'part',
'many' etc.
as‑Sadiq (a.s.) said: "Verily, Allah does not answer the
memorized prayer by a forgetful heart." ['Uddatu 'd‑dai]
'Ali (a.s.) said: "Allah does not accept the prayer of
an inattentive heart." [ibid]
The author says: There
are other traditions with this meaning; and the reason is that there is in
reality no prayer and supplication with forgetfulness and
inattention.
There is in the Torah: Allah says to His servant,
"Verily, when you pray against one of my servants because he was unjust to
you, then at the same time there may be another of my servants praying
against you too because you were unjust to him. Now, if you so wish, I
shall grant your prayer and also his prayer against you; and if you so
wish, I shall postpone the cases of both of you for the Day of
Resurrection." [ar‑Rawandi, ad‑Da’wat]
The author says: If
someone prays for something then it means that he is pleased with it and
this pleasure naturally extends to all those things which are similar to
it in all respects. He prays for punishment of his oppressor; he prays
against him because of his oppression and injustice. It means that he is
pleased with the punishment of the unjust. Now, if he himself oppressed
another person then the same prayer against his oppressor shall become a
prayer against himself. If he is pleased that he himself should be
punished (and he shall never be pleased with it), then he will be given
the same punishment which he wanted for his oppressor. And if he is not
pleased with it, then there is in reality no prayer at all. Allah said:
And man prays for evil as he aught to pray for good, and man is ever
hasty (17:11).
The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) said to Abu
Dharr: "O Abu Dharr! Should I not teach you some words by which
Allah will benefit you? I (Abu Dharr) said: 'Surely! O Messenger of
Allah.' He said: 'Guard (the commands of) Allah, (and) Allah will guard
you. Keep (the remembrance of ) Allah, (and) you will find Him before you.
Make the acquaintance of Allah in opulence, He will know you in hardship.
And when you ask, ask from Allah; and when you seek help, seek help from
Allah, because whatever is to happen up to the Day of Resurrection has
already been written, and if all the creatures together strived to benefit
you with what Allah did not write for you, they would not be able to do
so.' [Uddatu d-dai]
The author says: His
words, "Make the acquaintance of Allah in opulence, He will know you in
hardship", mean "Can upon Allah in opulence and do not forget Him, so that
He will answer your call in hardship and will not forget you." Anybody who
forgets his Lord in opulence is as if he believes that the apparent causes
are the total and real cause of his opulence. Then comes the hardship and
he starts calling on his Lord. His action indicates that he believes in
the Lordship of Allah only when he is afflicted with hardship. But Allah
is not so. He is the Lord in every condition and every situation.
Therefore, if he calls on a lord whose lordship is limited to the time of
hardship only, he does not call on the True Lord.
This meaning has been explained in some traditions in a
different language. As Sadiq (a.s.) said: "One who goes on calling
(on his Lord) in advance, his call will be answered when there comes down
an affliction (on him), and it will be said, '(it is) a known voice', and
it will not be screened out of the heavens. And the one who does not call
(on his Lord) in advance, his call is not answered when an affliction
comes, and the angels say, 'It is a voice which we do not know . . . ' "
[Makarimu l-akhlaq]
And it is understood from the word of Allah,
They forget Allah, so He forgets them
(9:68). There is another tradition that
du'a'‑ (prayer) is not rejected if one cuts oneself (from all
apparent causes and turns exclusively towards Allah). There is no
contradiction between this tradition and those mentioned before, because
affliction and hardship is something different from exclusively turning
towards Allah.
His words: and when you ask, ask from Allah, and when
you seek help, seek help from Allah. It teaches one to adhere only to
Allah in reality while asking and seeking help; because so far as these.
nominal causes, which we find in this world are concerned, their relation
with their effects is confined within the limit set for it by Allah. They
are not independent in producing the effect as it appears to uninformed
eyes; they are only a means to produce that effect; the incumbent on the
man to turn towards Allah in all his needs, without relying on nominal
causes and means, although Allah has decreed not to produce an effect if
its cause is missing. In short, the above sentence tells one not to rely
on nominal causes and not to forget that it is Allah who has made it a
cause of that effect. It does not mean that one should neglect the causes
and means and ask for one's needs without striving for its cause; it would
be rather asking for the impossible. One should realize that even the
heart where the prayer originates, the tongue which utters the words of
the prayer and the hands, etc., which are used in praying are but some of
the causes and means. So, how can one escape from the apparent
causes?
Let us look at the example of man himself. Whatever he
does, is done with his limbs and organs: lie gives with his hands, sees
with his eyes and hears with his ears. Now, if one asked his Lord to
fulfill his needs neglecting its causes and means, it would be as if he
asked someone to give him something without using his hand, or to look at
him without using his eyes or to listen to his pleas without using his
ears.
On the other hand, if one relies on the nominal causes
without remembering Allah, it would be as though one thinks that it is the
man's hand which gives, his eyes which see and his ears which hear, and
forgets that the real doer of these actions is man himself. Such a person
is stupid and a simpleton.
The above explanation does not me = that the Power
of Allah is limited, or that His Authority is conditional. No, His Power
and Authority are All‑encompassing and without limit. In the same way the
limitations are meant to apply to the deeds not to doers. Obviously, it is
man who has the power to give, see and hear, though he gives with his
hand, sees with his eyes and hears with his ears. Likewise, Allah is
All‑powerful, but the specification depends on intermediate causes. Zayd
is a creation of Allah, and he was born through the union of his parents
in a certain place or; a certain day when certain conditions were
fulfilled and certain obstacles removed. Now, if even one of these causes
be missing and one of these conditions be not fulfilled, there would be no
Zayd. Thus the existence of Zayd depends on the fulfillment of all these
causes and means; but what depends is the creature, i.e., Zayd, not the
Creator. (Think on this point.)
His words: Whatever is to happen up to the Day of
Resurrection has already been written. It is based on the sentence, And
when you ask, ask from Allah, and gives its reason. It means that all
events are written and decreed by Allah; no cause has any real influence
on them; therefore, you should not ask from anyone other than
Allah, and should not seek any one's help other than that of Allah. As for
Allah, His authority is everlasting; His Power is Eternal; His Will is
effective; and every day He is in a new Splendor. It is for this reason
that this sentence is followed by the words: and if all the creatures
together strived to benefit you with what Allah did not write for you,
they would not be able to do so.
Among the traditions of du'a' is the near
mutawatir hadith: "Verily, dua' (prayer) is a part of
destiny."
The author says: This
is the reply to the objection of the Jews and others on dua'. They say:
The need asked for is either already measured and decreed (to happen) or
not. If it is already decreed, then it would happen in any case and the
prayer would be meaningless. If it is not decreed, then it can never
happen and the prayer would be meaningless. In either case the prayer will
have no effect at all.
The reply: Even when an event is already decreed, it
does not mean that it is independent
of its causes, and one of the moans of its coming into existence is
du'a. If one beseeches Allah for his need, one of the conditions of
its existence is fulfilled; and the effect follows the cause. This is the
meaning of the tradition, "Verily, du’a
(prayer) is a part of destiny."
And there are other traditions with the same
meaning. There is a hadith from the Prophet: "Nothing turns away the decree (fate) except
prayer (du’a)." [Biharu l-anwar]. And there is another one from
as-Sadiq (a.s.): "Prayer (du'a) turns away the decree even after it
is confirmed." [ibid.] Another one from Abu l-Hasan Musa al‑Kazim
(a.s.): "On you is du’a, because du'a and asking from Allah
turns the calamity away even when it is measured and decreed and nothing
remains except its enforcement; then if Allah is called upon and asked, He
removes that calamity entirely." [Ibid]
As-Sadiq (a.s.) said: "Verily, the prayer (du’a)
turns away the confirmed decree even after its confirmation.
Therefore, pray often (and repeatedly), because it is the key to every
mercy and the fulfillment of every need. And what is with Allah is not
obtained except through prayer; because verily, no door is knocked
repeatedly but it is hoped that it will be opened to the knocker. "
[ibid]
The author says: This
hadith exhorts one to pray
often and repeatedly; and this is one of the important elements of prayer,
as repeated remembrance of a need creates purity of
intention.
Isma’il ibn Hammam narrates from Abu l‑Hasan (a.s.):
"One secret prayer of a servant is equal to seventy open
prayers."
The author says: This
teaches one to keep one's prayer (du'a) secret and confidential
because it helps in keeping the prayer pure.
as‑Sadiq (a.s.) said: ... The prayer is kept
screened (i.e. is not granted) until he (the beseecher) prays for the
blessings of Allah upon Muhammad and his progeny." [Makarimu l-akhlaq ]
Also, as‑Sadiq (a.s.) said: "Whoever advances (the names
of) forty believers (in his prayers) then prays (for himself), his call
will be answered." [ibid]
One of the companions of as‑Sadiq (a.s.) said to him:
"There are two verses in the Book of
Allah (the application) for which I am seeking without finding it." The
Imam asked: "And what are those?" The companion says: "I said, '(there is
the verse): Call upon Me, I shall answer . . . but we call upon Him
and do not get any answer.' The lmam said: 'Well, do you think Allah has
broken His promise, I said: 'No!' He said: 'Then what?” I said: 'I do not
know.' He said: 'But I will tell you. Whoever obeys Allah in His
commandments, and then calls upon Him in the proper way, He will answer
him.' I said: 'And what is the proper way of prayer (dua)? He said:
'You shall begin with the praise of Allah and shall glorify Him and
remember His bounties upon you and thank Him; then you shall pray for His
blessings upon Muhammad and his progeny; then you shall remember your sins
and confess them; then you shall seek (His) pardon for them. So this is
the proper way of prayer (dua).' Then the Imam asked: 'And what is
the second verse? I said: 'and whatever thing
you
spend, He returns it
(34:39), and I find that I spend but He does not
return it.' He said: 'Well, do you think Allah has broken His promise I
said: 'No’ He said: 'Then what?' I said: 'I do not know.' He said: 'If any
of you earn his wealth lawfully and spend it in its proper place, he will
not spend a single dirham but that Allah shall return it to him! ' "
[ibid]
The author says: The
reason of the manners of prayer (du'a) mentioned in these
traditions is clear, because these things bring the servant (of Allah)
nearer to the reality of prayer and beseeching.
Ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.a.) said: "Verily, when Allah wishes to answer (the call of) a
servant, He allows him to call (upon Him)." [ad‑Durru
l‑manthur]
Also, Ibn 'Umar narrates from him (the Holy Prophet):
"Whenever the door of prayer (dua) is opened for anyone among you,
the doors of Mercy are opened for him." Another tradition says: "When the
(door of) prayer is opened for anyone among you, the doors of the Garden
(Paradise) are opened for him." [ibid.]
The author says:
The same thing has been narrated from the lmams of Ahlu l-bayt
also: "Whoever is given dua, is given (its) answer." Its
meaning is dear.
Also there, is a tradition from Ma'adh ibn Jabal
from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.): "Had you known Allah, as He should
be known, verily the mountains would have been moved by your prayer."
[ibid]
The author says:
If a man does not know the dignity of the Creator and the power of His
Lordship, and if he relies upon the causes, then he believes that these
causes have real influence upon the result, and that events cannot happen
without their normal and apparent causes. Sometimes he does not believe
that these causes have any real effect upon the outcome, still he thinks
that they are essential in order to bring a thing into existence. For
example, we see that movement and walking brings one nearer to one's
destination. And even when we do not believe that movement has any real
effect on the nearness, we go on believing that movement is a means,
though it is Allah who is the real cause, of that nearness, and in this
way we go on believing that the middle causes are. essential, at least as
a means, if not as the real cause. Thus, we think that if there is no
movement, we cannot come near our destination. In short, we believe that
the effect cannot be separate from its causes, even if these causes are
just apparent means and not the real cause.
But such a belief is below the dignity of Allah; it does
not conform with divine authority which is total and perfect. It is this
belief which creates the idea that effects cannot come into being without
their normal causes, e.g. a body cannot be without a weight and gravity;
movement is necessary for bringing two things nearer; eating and drinking
is essential for satisfying the hunger and thirst, etc. etc. We have
already mentioned in the discussion of miracles that the system of cause
and effect is an inescapable fact; but it does not mean that the cause' is
confined to the normal causes only. Reason as well as the Qur'an and the
traditions prove that while everything depends upon a cause, that cause is
not confined within the limits of normal ones. The Creator may create
causes for it, quite different from the normal ones. So, while it is true
that the effect depends upon a cause, it is not true that it depends upon
a particular cause.
Of course, the things which are, according to reason,
impossible, cannot come into being.
In short, when you properly know Allah, you will believe
that the prayer for what is not impossible by reason, even if normally it
does not happen, will be answered. A major portion of the miracles of the
prophets was basically the answer to their calls.
There is in the at-Tafsir of al‑'Ayyashi
under the words of Allah: So they should answer My call and believe in
Me, a hadith from
as-Sadiq (a.s.): "They should know that I have power to give them whatever
they ask from Me.,'
And there is another hadith in Majmau l-bayan
from the same Imam that he said: "...and believe in Me means
that they should have firm belief that I have power to give them what they
ask for; so that they may walk in the right way means so that they
may reach the Truth."
* * * * *
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