The importance of supplication as one of the greatest acts of worship is firmly entrenched in a Muslim’s consciousness, based on what is mentioned in the Sunnah. According to the hadith: “Prayer is the brain of worship” [1], and in another authentic hadith: “Prayer is worship” [2]. This emphasis on the value of supplication has clear and multiple reasons. The word supplication and its derivatives are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in two hundred and eleven verses, which indicates its importance and prominent place in the life of a Muslim.
Jurists and exegetes have defined supplication as a request from the servant that God grant him what he was unable to achieve by his own efforts, whether this request is related to healing a disease, satisfying a need, or alleviating an affliction. Commentators have added that supplication accompanied by the raising of the hands is answered with God’s permission, citing the words: “And your Lord said, ‘Call upon me, and I will answer you'” [3]. However, nowhere does the Qur’anic text state that the answer to supplication is guaranteed as many people understand it; rather, it shows that the answer is conditional on the manner of supplication and the fulfillment of its conditions.
Prayer and response: A nuanced perspective
To understand the saying: “Call upon me and I will answer you” [3], a comparison can be made between supplication and action. If a person commissions someone to do a job, he expects the work to be done according to what is required of him, not according to the worker’s own vision. It is the one who pays the price who determines the work and its conditions. On this basis, the question can be asked: Do we pray as we should in order to receive an answer? Experience shows that the answer is often no: No.
What many people do is just pray for the result, without realizing or committing to how to pray in a way that pleases God. This begs the question: Does the saying: “Call upon me and I will answer you” mean: Call upon Me as I want and I will answer you, or call upon Me as you like and I will answer you?
There is no doubt that Allah, the Almighty, is the only one who determines the manner and method of supplication. Therefore, a Muslim should ask himself: How does Allah (SWT) want us to pray? Have we ever thought about how to make our prayers in line with Allah’s will and the best way to pray?
Questioning Response and Conditionality
One of the verses that refer to God’s proximity and responsiveness is: “When my servants ask you about me, then I am near enough to answer the call of the supplicant when he calls, so let them respond to me and believe in me, that they may be guided.” [4] This verse clearly indicates that God answers the supplication of the servant if he calls him. The verse clearly indicates that Allah answers the supplication of a slave if he calls upon Him. However. The verse includes an implied condition for answering prayers: The slave must be committed to responding to God. and to believe in him fully. This is evidenced by his words: “Let them respond to me and believe in me” [4].
It may be argued that God did not set conditions for answering prayers. Citing the words: “I answer the call of the supplicant when he calls” [4]. But deep reflection on the Qur’anic verses makes it clear that the answer is different from the response. The answer is directly related to the acceptance of the request. Responding requires the right conditions to be met. Therefore, so Sometimes the lack of fulfillment can be due to a lack of understanding of the meaning of the prayer. or failing to fulfill its required conditions.
Meaning of prayer according to Quranic vocabulary
To understand the relationship between prayers and answers. We must meditate on the Quranic vocabulary and its meanings. Especially in the saying: “And your Lord said, ‘Call upon me and I will answer you'” [3]. This is where the necessity of reflecting on the divine verses in depth comes in. Beyond superficial understanding. An example of such reflection is what Sheikh Shaarawi – may God have mercy on him – said in one of his famous recordings in the 1980s. He likened the answer to prayer to a radio. He explained that Allah Almighty always sends out waves of response. But the receiver. Any Muslim. He may be damaged due to a lack of faith or a dysfunctional relationship with God. This prevents that response from being delivered.
Conclusion
In the end. We must deeply question our understanding of the meaning of supplication. And the extent to which we adhere to its conditions as Allah Almighty intended. A proper understanding of the meaning of supplication. and adherence to what Allah wants from His servants. It is the path towards answering prayers and achieving the desired result.
References
- Narrated by al-Tirmidhi in his Sunnah (3371).
- Narrated by Abu Dawud in his Sunnah (1479).
- Koran. Surat Gafer: 60.
- Koran. Surat al-Baqarah: 186.
