Mode of offering supplications to ALLAH
With respect to how to offer our supplications, there are questions concerning the supplicant’s physical position, his statements, how he should open and close his supplication, and a number of other considerations. In this article, we shall be discussing some of these matters.
1. We should praise Allah before supplicating and offer salutations upon the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was once sitting in the mosque when he a man came in and made his prayers. While supplicating, he said: “O Allah! Forgive me and have mercy upon me!”
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “You are being hasty, O man in prayer. If you pray and then sit, praise Allah as He should be praised, then seek Allah’s blessings upon me, then supplicate to Allah.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3476) and Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1481) and authenticated by al-Albânî]
`Umar said: “Supplications remain suspended between heaven and Earth and nothing of them ascends until you beseech Allah’s blessings upon your Prophet (peace be upon him).” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (486) and graded as good by al-Albânî]
2. We should admit our sins to Allah.
We must confess our sins before Allah and admit our mistakes and shortcomings. The supplication of Jonah (peace be upon him) is indeed one of the mightiest of supplications. It is so only because he professes the oneness of Allah and then admits his sins and shortcomings and the wrong he had committed against his own soul.
Allah says: “Then he called out from the depths of darkness: ‘There is no God but You. Glory be to you! Indeed I have been of the wrongdoers.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 87]
The same goes for the supplication known as “the noblest supplication for forgiveness”. One of the reasons why it is such a preferred supplication is that it contains within it an admission of one’s sins and shortcomings. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
The noblest supplication for forgiveness is to say: “O Allah! You are my Lord; there is no God besides You. You created me and I am your slave. I am upon Your covenant and Your promise as much as I am able. I seek refuge with You from the evil which I have done. I acknowledge your blessings upon me and I acknowledge my sins. So forgive me, for indeed none forgives sins except You.”
Whoever says this in the morning with conviction and dies on that day before nightfall will be of the denizens of Paradise. And whoever says it at night with conviction and dies before the morn will be of the denizens of Paradise. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6306)]
3. We should be submissive and humble.
We must show humility and subservience to Allah when we supplicate to Him, with hope and fear in our hearts. Allah says about His Prophets (peace be upon them all): “Indeed they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate to Us in hope and fear, and they were humble before Us.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 90]
4. We should be assertive and straightforward in what we ask.
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “None of you should say ‘O Allah! Forgive me if You will. O Allah! Have mercy upon me if You will.’ Be assertive in what you ask, since there is no compelling Him.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6339)]
5. We need to implore Allah.
We must implore Allah when we beseech Him in supplication. This is from the beautiful etiquettes of supplication that shows our desire for what is with Allah. Allah loves those who implore Him in supplication.
6. We should offer supplications under all circumstances.
We must beseech Allah in supplication in both prosperity and adversity, in contentment and unease. The prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever is pleased to have Allah answer him in adversity and distress should offer many supplications when in prosperity.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3382) and graded as good by al-Albânî]
7. We must avoid invoking supplications against ourselves.
We should never utter a supplication against ourselves, our family, or our wealth. Supplications are to be used to beseech what is good and to avert what is bad. No good can come of uttering a supplication against oneself. On the contrary, only bad can come of it.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Never beseech Allah against yourselves or against your children or against your wealth, lest you do in an hour where a petition is granted and you will be answered.” [Sahîh Muslim (3009)]
8. It is good to repeat our supplication three times.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) did so when he besought Allah in supplication against the tribe of Quraysh. [Sahîh Muslim (1794)]
9. It is good to face the Qiblah.
`Abd Allah b. Zayd relates: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) went out to the prayer area to beseech Allah for rain. Then he supplicated and besought Allah for rain. Then he turned and faced the Qiblah and turned his garment inside out…” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6343)]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) faced the Ka`bah when he besought Allah in supplication against the tribe of Quraysh. [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (3960)]
10. We should raise our hands in supplication.
Abû Mûsâ al-Ash`arî relates, describing a supplication of the Prophet (peace be upon him): “…then he raised his hands and I could see the whiteness of his armpits.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (4323) and Sahîh Muslim (2498)]
Ibn `Umar relates: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his hands and said: ‘O Allah! Indeed I beseech of You my innocence of what Khâlid has done’.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (4339)]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Your Lord – blessed and elevated He is – is shy and generous. He is shy from His servant to raise his hands to Him and turn them away empty and disappointed.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3556), Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1488) and Sunan Ibn Mâjah (3865) and graded as good by al-Albânî]
We should raise our hands in our general supplications as well as in those special supplications where raising our hands is prescribed, like the supplications at Mount Safâ and Mount Marwah, and the supplication for rain on Friday. There are supplications for which raising the hands is not prescribed, like the supplications for entering and departing from the home and the supplication upon entering the bathroom.
11. We might perform some good deed before supplicating.
It is good to perform some good deed, like spending in charity, helping a poor person, offering two units of prayer, fasting, or anything else, so that this good deed can be a means of having our supplications answered.
We find evidence for this in the famous hadîth about the three men who were trapped in a cave. Each of them beseeched Allah, mentioning the greatest good deed that he had done, and Allah removed the boulder from before the entrance of the cave. The fact that the Prophet (peace be upon him) related this account to us shows us that this is part of the Sunnah.
12. We can perform ablutions.
This is also mentioned by Abû Mûsâ al-Ash`arî in his description. He says: “He asked for water, then he made wudû’, then he raised his hands and said: ‘O Allah! Forgive `Ubayd b. `Âmir.’ and I could see the whiteness of his armpits.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (4323) and Sahîh Muslim (2498)]
13. It is good to have a noble purpose in what we ask for.
We might ask: “O Allah! Enrich me so I can spend it on what is true and good and promote the faith.” Or: “O Allah! Bless me with knowledge so I can teach Your servants and be a source of good for others.” Or: “O Allah! Bless me to get married so I can keep myself chaste and avoid sin.”
We can see this in the supplication made by Moses (peace be upon him): “My Lord! Expand my breast and ease my task for me and remove the impediment from my speech so that they may understand what I say. And give me a minister from my family – Aaron my brother. Add to my strength through him and have him share my task, that we may glorify You and remember You in abundance. Indeed, You are watchful over us.” [Sûrah TâHâ: 25-35]
What was the result? Allah answered his supplication and blessed him even more.
This etiquette can also be seen where the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When one of you goes to visit a person who is sick, he should say: ‘O Allah! Give your servant healing so he can ward off an adversary for You or walk to prayer for You.” [Sunan Abî Dâwûd (3107) and graded as good by al-Albânî]
14. We might weep during supplications.
`Abd Allah b. `Amr b. al-`Âs relates that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) recited the verse where Abraham says: “O my Lord! Indeed they (i.e. the idols) have led astray many people. So whoever follows me is from me and whoever disobeys me, then indeed You are Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Sûrah Ibrâhîm: 36]
And he related the verse containing the following words of Jesus: “If You punish them, then they are indeed Your servants, and if You forgive them, you are indeed the Mighty, the Wise.” [Sûrah al-Mâ’idah: 118].
Then he raised his hands and said: “O Allah. My people! My people!” and wept.
Then Allah said: “O Gabriel! Go to Muhammad – and your Lord knows best – and ask him why he weeps.”
So Gabriel went to him and Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) informed him of what he had said.
Allah knew best. Allah said: “O Gabriel! Go to Muhammad and say: We will truly make you pleased regarding your people and We shall not grieve you.” [Sahîh Muslim (202)]
15. A supplicant should openly profess his need for Allah and submit his grievances before his Lord.
Allah relates to us the supplication of Job (peace be upon him), saying: “And remember Job when he called out to his Lord saying: ‘Surely distress has seized me and You are the most merciful of those who show mercy’.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 83]
Allah relates to us the supplication of Zechariah (peace be upon him) saying: “And remember Zechariah when he called out to his Lord: ‘My Lord! Do not leave me without offspring, and You are the best of inheritors.” [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ’: 89]
Then we have the supplication of Jacob (peace be upon him): “I complain of my grief and sorrow only to my Lord” [Sûrah Yûsuf: 86]
And the supplication of Moses (peace be upon him): “My Lord! Truly I am in need of whatever You send to me of good.” [Sûrah al-Qasas: 24]
16. We should choose supplications that are comprehensive in meaning.
It is better when supplicating to select comprehensive and beautiful statements instead of those that out your statements with extraneous verbiage and details. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to love supplications that were comprehensive in meaning and left out other things. [Sunan Abî Dâwûd (1482) and authenticated by al-Albânî]
Al-Khattâbî advised: “Choose for your supplications and the praise of your Lord the best and noblest of words that convey the fullest meanings, because it is the servant’s communion with the Master of all Masters who is like no other and who has no peer.”
17. A supplicant should begin by supplication on his own behalf.
Ubayy b. Ka`b mentions that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) “when he supplicated on behalf of others, he used to begin with himself.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhî (3385) and Sunan Abî Dâwûd (3984) and authenticated by al-Albânî]
We see examples of this approach often in the Qur’ân. For instance: “Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who preceded us in faith.” [Sûrah al-Hashr: 10]
However, this is not necessary when a person simply wishes to supplicate for the benefit of someone else. There are many supplications found in the sacred text where the supplicant beseeches Allah on behalf of someone else and does not mention himself at all.
It might be said, then, that when a person intends to beseech Allah in supplication for himself and for others, he should begin with himself and then mention the others. If, on the other hand, he wishes to beseech Allah for someone else, then he does not have to supplicate for himself as well. We have already seen an example of this in the Prophet’s supplication for `Ubayd b. `Âmir where he said: “O Allah! Forgive `Ubayd b. `Âmir.”
18. We should beseech Allah for our brethren in faith.
This is one of the necessities of the brotherhood that we as Muslims are required to uphold. It is also one of the reasons for our supplications being answered. Allah says: “Seek forgiveness for your sins and for the believing men and women.” [Sûrah Muhammad: 19]
Noah (peace be upon him) said: “My Lord! Forgive me, my parents, all who enter my house in faith, and the believing men and women.” [Sûrah Nûh: 28]
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whoever asks forgiveness for the believing men and women, he will have a good deed written to his credit for each and every believing man and woman.” [Majma` al-Zawâ’id (10/210) and graded as good by al-Albânî]
It s good to make special mention of our parents, the scholars, the righteous, the devout and those like the rulers whose virtue brings about virtue for all Muslims. It is also preferred to mention the weak and oppressed in our supplications and to beseech Allah against those who oppress and exploit them.
19. It is good to supplicate in a soft voice and keep our supplications private.
Allah says: “Call upon your Lord with humility and in private, for indeed Allah loves not those who transgress beyond bounds.” [Sûrah al-A`râf: 55]
Abû Musa relates: “We were with the the Prophet (peace be upon him) when the people began extolling the greatness of Allah in a loud voice. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘O people! Calm your voices. You are not calling upon one who is deaf or absent. Indeed, you are calling upon the One who hears and is nearby, and He is with you’.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî (6384)]
20. It is good to call Allah by His names, selecting of His names those that are appropriate.
One might say: O Merciful One! Have mercy upon me. O generous One! Bestow Your generosity upon me. O Giver of Healing! Cure me. My Lord, give me of your mercy, for indeed You are the Giver… and so forth.
21. Those who hear someone offering a supplication can say âmîn to it.
We see this in the account given in the Qur’ân of the supplication of Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them both).
Commentators of the Qur’ân explain that Moses (peace be upon him) was offering the supplication and Aaron (peace be upon him) was saying âmîn. [refer to: Tafsîr Ibn Kathîr (2/411)]
Therefore, Allah says: “We had answered their supplication.” [Sûrah Yûnus: 89]
22. We should beseech Allah for all matters, great and small.
This is something that many people are neglectful of. You see them turning to Allah and calling upon Him when affliction befalls them. At other times, they do not turn to Allah and ask of Him, seeing the matter to be too insignificant to beseech Allah about it.
This is wrong. A Muslim is supposed to ask his Lord for everything. If Allah does not facilitate for us something as simple as, say, the partaking of our food, we would not have the power to eat. If He does not facilitate for us the putting on of our shoes, we would not be able to do so.
It is authentically related that `Â’ishah said: “Ask Allah beven for the strap of your sandal, for indeed if Allah does not facilitate it, it will not be a simple thing.” [Musnad Abî Ya`lâ (4560)]
