The Manners and Etiquettes of Supplication
- Supplicating to Allah insistently and repeating the supplication three times. Ibn Mas‘ood, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah when he supplicated or asked for something from Allah, he would repeat it thrice.” In a Hadeeth on the authority of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, he said, “The Messenger of Allah continued supplicating his Lord, stretching out his hands, facing the Qiblah, until his garment fell from his shoulders. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, came to him, picked it up and put it on his shoulders again, and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, you have supplicated to Allah enough and He certainly will fulfill His promise to you.’" [Muslim]
Another example is the prophet Ya‘qoob (Jacob), may Allah exalt his mention, who continued supplicating to Allah until he lost his eyesight. His son was thrown into a well and brought out again and he did not know anything about it. His son then entered the palace of Al-‘Azeez, grew up there and became a man, and a beautiful woman tried to seduce him, however he rejected this and Allah protected him. Then he was imprisoned and remained for several years in prison, then he was released and appointed over the storehouses of the land. Despite all this and despite the great length of time that had passed, Ya‘qoob, may Allah exalt his mention, said to his sons what is mentioned in the verse (which means): {“O my sons, go and find out about Yoosuf [Joseph] and his brother and despair not of relief from Allah. Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.”}[Quran 12:87]
- Supplicating to Allah abundantly and plentifully. The Messenger of Allah, , said: “When one of you supplicates to Allah, he should supplicate abundantly, for he is asking his Lord.”Al-Munaawi said, “When any of you wishes for any of the blessings of both worlds, he has to do this abundantly, as he is asking his Lord who has brought him up, bestowed favors upon him, and treated him kindly.” Hence the supplicant should ask Allah abundantly and expand his request. He should supplicate neither with brevity nor contraction, because the treasures of His generosity never come to an end, and His command immediately takes place. It should be noted that this in no way contradicts the verse where Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And do not wish for that by which Allah has made some of you exceed others.}[Quran 4:32]. The prohibition in this verse is directed towards those who wish to have what others have out of transgression and envy. However, what is meant here is when a person wishes for all goodness, either for his religion or his life, and asks Allah to give him from His treasures. This is conveyed in the verse where Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And ask Allah of His bounty.} [Quran 4:32]
Allah The Almighty criticizes those who ask Him only for the blessings of this world, as in the verse (which means): {Among the people is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world,” and he will have in the Hereafter no share.} [Quran 2:200] On the other hand, He has praised those who ask Him for the blessings of both worlds, as in the verse (which means): {But among them is he who says, “Our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”} [Quran 2:201]
In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, , said: “There are one hundred degrees in Paradise which Allah has prepared for the Mujaahids [holy warriors]. The distance between every two degrees is like the distance between heaven and earth. Hence, when you ask Allah for anything, ask Him for the Firdaws, for it is the center and the highest part of Paradise.”The narrator of the Hadeeth then said, “I think that he also said:‘The Throne of The Most Merciful is above it, and the rivers of Paradise gush forth from it.’” [Al-Bukhari]
- Supplicating to Allah using His greatest name. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him, it was mentioned that the Messenger of Allah, , heard a man saying, “Allahumma inni as’aluka bi anny ash-hadu annaka anta Allahu la ilaaha illa anta Al-Ahad As-Samad al-lathy lam yalid walam yoolad walam yakun lahu kufuwan ahad. (O Allah, I ask You by the fact that I testify that You are Allah and that there is no god but You, the One, the Eternal Refuge, who neither begets nor was born, nor is there to You any equivalent).” The Prophet, , remarked:“You have asked Allah by His greatest name, which if He is asked and supplicated by, He gives and answers.”
- Exerting effort using those supplications that are mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah, as these include all the blessings of both worlds. Also, a person must be patient and not lose hope if the answer is delayed, as this is a type of haste that is forbidden in the Sharee'ah.
We ask Allah The Almighty to make all of us among those whose supplication is answered.