Etiquettes of Supplicating- II

The Prophetused to invoke Allaah The Exalted saying:"Allaahumma anta
rabbi la ilaaha illa ant, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduk, wa ana 'ala
'ahdika wa wa'dika mastata't, a'oothu bika min sharri maa sana't,
aboo'u laka bini'matika, wa aboo'u laka bithanbi faghfir lee fa
innahoo la yaghfiru ath-thunooba illa ant )O Allaah, You are my Lord,
there is none worthy of worship except You. You Created me and I am
Your slave; and I abide by Your Covenant and Promise as best I can. I
take refuge in You from the evil that I committed and I am grateful to
You for the blessing that You Conferred on me. I acknowledge my sin,
so forgive me, for verily none can forgive sins except
You(."]Al-Bukhaari[ The Prophetalso said,"Allaahumma inni a'oothu bika
min ash shiqaaqi wan nifaaqi wa soo'u al akhlaaq )O Allaah, I seek
refuge with you from dissension, hypocrisy and bad
morals."]An-Nasaa'i[
• Avoiding exaggeration in making an invocation rhyme: A Muslim should
not exaggerate in making a supplication rhyme because this is a state
of humility and submissiveness. Ibn 'Abbaas, May Allaah Be Pleased
with him, said, "Avoid rhymes in supplication for the Prophetand his
Companions, May Allaah Be Pleased with them, used to avoid it."
]Al-Bukhaari[
Some of the righteous people said, "Invoke Allaah The Exalted with a
humble and mild tongue, not one that is eloquent and quick."
• Invoking Allaah The Almighty for one's self and then for others.
Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}"Our Lord, Forgive us and our
brothers who preceded us in faith and Put not in our hearts ]any[
resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are
Kind and Merciful."{]Quran 59:10[ The Prophetused to invoke Allaah The
Almighty for himself first before invoking Him for any other person.
]At-Tirmithi[
• Avoiding supplicating Allaah The Almighty against one's self,
family, wealth or children. The Prophetsaid,"Do not supplicate Allaah
against yourselves, your children or your wealth."]Muslim[
• Supplicating Allaah The Exalted for fellow brothers in their
absence. The Messenger of Allaahsaid,"The supplication of a Muslim for
another Muslim in his absence is accepted by Allaah. He has an
appointed angel at his head and every time he supplicates good for his
brother, the angel would say: "Aameen and for you the same."]Muslim[
• Invoking Allaah The Almighty for whoever does you a favor. The
Prophetsaid,"If a favor is performed for someone and he says to the
one who performed it, 'May Allaah Reward you.' He would be rewarding
him perfectly."]At-Tirmithi and An-Nasaa'i[ The Prophetalso
said,"Whoever does you a favor, reward him for it. And if you cannot
find the means of doing so, then keep supplicating for him until you
think that you have rewarded him adequately."]Abu Daawood and
An-Nasaa'i[
• Asking righteous people for supplications. A Muslim should ask his
fellow brothers to supplicate Allaah The Almighty for him especially
the righteous people. It was narrated that 'Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, May
Allaah Be Pleased with him, said, "I asked the Prophetfor permission
to perform 'Umrah and he granted it to me and said, 'O brother,
remember us in your supplication and do not forget us.' The words he
said pleased me more than could all that is in the life of this
world." ]At-Tirmithi and Ibn Maajah[
• Avoiding supplicating Allaah The Almighty for a sin or the severance
of kinship. The Prophetsaid:"A servant shall continue to have his
supplications answered so long as he does not supplicate for sins or
the severance of kinship."]Muslim[
• Remembering Allaah The Exalted, obeying Him and performing good
deeds. Being conscious of Allaah The Exalted, diligent on performing
acts of worship, abandoning sins and evils and hastening to repentance
makes supplication more likely to be answered. Allaah The Almighty
Says )what means(:}"Indeed, Allaah only Accepts from the righteous
]who fear Him[.{]Quran 5:27[ It was narrated that Allaah The Almighty
said in the Qudsi Hadeeth,"Whoever keeps himself busy with the Quran
and remembering Me, I Will Give him the best of all those who ask of
Me."]At-Tirmithi[
• Being keen on having lawful sustenance. The Prophetsaid,"O people,
Allaah Is Good and He Accepts only that which is good. And Allaah
Commanded the believers as He Commanded the Messengers by saying )what
means(:}"O messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness.
Indeed, I, of what you do, Am Knowing.{"]Quran 23:51[ And He Says
)what means(:}O you who have believed, eat from the good things which
We have provided for you and be grateful to Allaah if it is ]indeed[
Him that you worship.{]Quran 2:172[He then mentioned )the case of( a
man who has travelled a long distance – unkempt and dusty – and raises
his hands towards the heavens and says: 'O Lord, O Lord, while his
food, drink, clothing are from unlawful means and he is fed with
unlawful food. Then how could his supplication be answered?"]Muslim[
Ibraaheem ibn Adham, May Allaah Have mercy upon him, was once asked,
"Why are our supplications to Allaah The Exalted not answered?" He
answered, "Because your hearts have died due to ten things."
"1- You know Allaah The Almighty but do not obey Him.
2- You know the Prophetbut do not follow his Sunnah )tradition(.
3- You recite the Quran but do not act upon it.
4- You enjoy the Blessings of Allaah The Exalted without giving thanks.
5- You know of Paradise but do not exert any effort to enter it.
6- You know of Hell but you do not exert any effort to escape it.
7- You know of Satan but do not oppose him.
8- You know of death but do not prepare for it.
9- You bury your dead but do not learn from their example.
10- And in your state of slumber, you focus your attention on the
shortcomings of others while neglecting your own."