No Other Than Allah is Prayed To

By the verse revealed in the Qur'an, " O Prophet! Allah is enough
for you, and for the faithful who follow you. " (Surat al-Anfal,
64), believers know that Allah is the only One Whom to ask help. He
is the most superior, the most powerful and the One Who sees and
hears everything. Allah is the One Who is excluded from all
deficient features, and Who is the Owner of eternal power. All power
in the universe is in His hands. So help and forgiveness should be
asked for only and only from Allah, Whom everyone is need for and
Who Himself does not need anyone. In the Qur'an it is revealed that
it is wrong to pray to others than Allah and that Allah is the sole
authority of prayer:
" So do not call on any other god along with Allah or you will be
among those who will be punished. " (Surat ash-Shu'ara', 213)
Conclusion
Prayer is an example of Allah's mercy and compassion for His
servants. Believers can pray to Allah at every moment and under
every condition and they are peaceful that Allah will accept these
prayers in the best ways. In this way, they can tell their deepest
secrets and the most hidden desires to Allah, and live the
goodness, prosperity and beauty that comes from the knowledge that
Allah is the only friend , guide and helper. We can see the biggest
secret in Allah accepting prayers in the lives of prophets as we
have mentioned in some examples. There is a relation in praying and
carrying out the actions Allah commands. The physical effort shown
for Allah's good pleasure, mercy and Paradise is an act of worship as
important as prayer. Allah revealed in the Qur'an about the
importance of effort: " But as for anyone who desires the akhira, and
strives for it with the striving it deserves, being a believer, the
striving of such people will be gratefully acknowledged. " (Surat
al-Isra', 19)
Islamic scholar Imam Rabbani explained this matter with these words:
"Desiring something means attaining it; indeed, Almighty Allah does
not make His servant pray for something He will not
accept."Believers who know that their actions are also prayers not
only pray at moments of difficulty but at every moment by feeling
the existence and mightiness of Allah. They preserve this close
connection to Almighty Allah at every moment of their lives.

How Did Our Prophets Pray?

Praying is a way of submitting to Allah and all people need prayer.
The most erudite examples of this is that all Prophets pray to Allah
by submitting to Him in every matter as revealed in the Qur'an. In
the prayers of our Prophet (saas) and all other prophets, we see
both their submission to Allah, the fact that they see Allah as
their sole friend and helper and that they praise our Lord's glory
with His most beautiful names.
The Prayer of Our Prophet (saas)
In the prayers of our Prophet Mohammad (saas), the most beautiful
examples of citing Allah with His names are revealed. One of the
verses in which our Prophet (saas)'s prayers are mentioned is as
follows:
" Say, 'O Allah! Master of the Kingdom! You give sovereignty to
whoever You will You take sovereignty from whoever You will. You
exalt whoever You will You abase whoever You will. All good is in
Your hands. You have power over all things. " (Surah Al 'Imran, 26)
In the narrations, it is noted that our Prophet (saas) prayed to our
Lord to give him a good morality and good nature.
"O Allah! Enhance goodness and ethics! O Divine! Remove from me bad
morals! . " (Tirmidhi, Imam Ahmad and Haqim; Hujjat al-Islam Imam
Gadhali, Ihyau Ulum id-din, volume 2, Translation: Dr. Sitki Gulle,
Huzur Publishing, Istanbul 1998, p.789)
The Prayer of the Prophet Noah (pbuh)
The patience of the Prophet Noah (pbuh), who called his society to
the true religion for years with an exemplary determination, was
praised in the Qur'an. The Prophet Noah (pbuh) struggled against his
society that acted with enmity towards him and the believers who
were with him. The fact that the Prophet Noah (pbuh) turned to
Allah in every situation, and prayed by hoping for his help
sincerely is a great example for believers. In one verse, it is
revealed that Allah knew the condition the Prophet Noah (pbuh) was
in and that he prayed as follows:
" He called upon his Lord: 'I am overwhelmed, so help me!' " (Surat
al-Qamar, 10)
Allah accepted the Prophet Noah (pbuh)'s prayer and commanded him
to prepare for the Flood, which was going to take place in future.
The Prophet Noah (pbuh) began to build a massive ship by the
command of Allah, even though there was no sea or lake nearby. During
the construction of the ship, he was continuously subject to
spiritual pressure by his society. When the time came Allah's
promise was realized and the flood disaster took place.
The Prayer of the Prophet Jonah (pbuh)
In the Qur'an, it is revealed that this valuable prophet of ours
separated himself from his people, as they did not respond to his
calls. (Surat as-Saffat, 139–142) As it is revealed in the verses,
following this, there was a draw in the ship that the Prophet Jonah
(pbuh) was traveling on and as a result of the draw it was decided
that the Prophet Jonah (pbuh) was to be thrown into the sea. On top
of these events, the Prophet Jonah (pbuh) submitted to Allah and
prayed to Him. Allah revealed this event as such in the Qur'an:
" And Jonah when he left in anger and thought We would not punish
him. He called out in the pitch darkness: 'There is no god but You!
Glory be to You! Truly I have been one of the wrongdoers.' We
responded to him and rescued him from his grief. That is how We
rescue the belivers ." (Surat al-Anbiya', 87–88)
As it is revealed in the verses the Prophet Jonah (pbuh) confessed
his condition sincerely in his prayer. He prayed to Allah and
waited for His help. Our Lord, Who has infinite mercy, accepted the
Prophet Jonah (pbuh)'s redemption and saved him from the stomach of
the fish by accepting his prayer.
The Prayer of the Prophet Job (pbuh)
In the Qur'an, the Prophet Job (pbuh)'s patience was mentioned as an
example to believers. The Prophet Job (pbuh) who received
revelations from Allah and who was a selected servant (Surat
an-Nisa, 163) experienced serious trouble and went through a
difficult period. However, despite all of the heavy tribulations
he was in, he always set an example for believers with his patience
and submission to Allah. (Surah Sad, 44) The sincere prayer of this
holy prophet of ours was revealed in one verse as follows:
" And Job when he called out to his Lord, 'Great harm has afflicted
me and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful,' " (Surat
al-Anbiya', 83)
It is revealed in the Qur'an that Almighty Allah accepted the
prayer of the Prophet Job (pbuh) who was one of His sincere servants:
" We responded to him and removed from him the harm which was
afflicting him and restored his family to him, and the same again
with them, as a mercy direct from Us and a Reminder to all
worshippers. " (Surat al-Anbiya', 84)
Prayer, which is an important means to reach Almighty Allah, the
All-Knowing and the All-Hearing, Who is nearer to man than his
jugular vein (Surah Qaf, 16), is an act of worship believers carry
out in every occasion and condition. However, when believers do
this, as it is revealed in the verse " But you will not will unless
Allah wills ..." (Surat al-Insan, 30) they behave in a manner
conscious of the fact that everything is always under the control of
our Lord and that everything is realized by His will.
There is a Response to Sincere Prayers in Both the World and the Hereafter
Prayer leads the person towards what is going to happen in his
destiny; Allah is the One Who determines destiny and creates prayer.
However, the blessing that comes following a prayer contains
prosperity in this world and a good return in the Hereafter. A
person's whole life is a result of the active or verbal prayers
previously made, whether he realizes it or not. Active prayer is our
actions and efforts put forth on the subject of prayer by Allah's
leave. When this effort is not for the good pleasure of Allah –as
is the case with some people- it could still be a means for an
individual to reach his or her wishes, by Allah's leave. People who
do not have faith but carry out their active prayers with great
ambition, for example, those who work and earn a lot, becomes rich
or becomes expert about a subject and becomes famous, have reached
that degree through their active struggle by holding onto causes,
and again by Allah's leave. However, active prayers that are not
made for the good pleasure of Allah will bring no benefit to the
individual in the Hereafter even if a person reaches his or her
objectives from time to time in this world.

Power of Prayer

Prayer, which is an important connection with Almighty Allah, is
demanding in the sense that we demonstrate our weakness in front of
Almighty Allah. Our Lord reveals that prayer is an important act of
worship with the verse, " Say: 'What has My Lord to do with you if
you do not call on Him? ..." (Surat al-Furqan, 77)
Actually the need to form a connection with Allah exists in every
man's character, entailed in creation. However, while praying is
an inseparable part of their lives for believers, for some people it
is an act of worship to be remembered only when they face with
difficulties or life-threatening situations. However, this is a big
mistake because what is truly good is to ask for Almighty Allah's
help both in difficulty and ease and to take refuge in His mercy.
Being Determined in Prayer
Allah has made it possible for His servants to reach anything that
He sees as good and beautiful. However, being determined in the
prayer being made is just as important as the prayer itself.
Praying with patience is an indication of the need for the desires
prayed for, of the inconvenience about this matter and most
importantly an indication that one's closeness to Allah has
increased. Being determined in prayer makes the believer more mature
and bestows on him a strong will and character. A believer who
shows determination in prayer gets much in return by earning a deep
faith, which is more valuable than most of the things he asked for.
It is revealed in the Qur'an that one needs to be determined in
prayer as such:
" Seek help in steadfastness and prayer. But that is a very hard
thing, except for the humble:" (Surat al-Baqara, 45)
Our valuable Prophet (saas) has stated how much he needs Allah
sometimes by praying for years on and our Lord, the All-Merciful,
has given what he asked for at the best time. The fact that Allah
accepts every prayer, both open and hidden, is due to His
Mightiness and Grace. Allah never leaves any thought which crosses
one's mind without a return. However, "accepting a prayer" does not
mean something happening as it was asked for because sometimes a
person may be demanding something harmful to himself. Almighty Allah
reveals as such about this matter:
" Man prays for evil just as he prays for good. Man is prone to be
impetuous." (Surat al-Isra', 11)
Allah knows best what is good and what is bad for a person because
He is the One Who appreciates everything. As with His every work,
there are many wonders hidden in the way He accepts prayers. For
example, the Prophet Jacob (pbuh) rejoining his son the Prophet
Joseph (pbuh) after many long years, the Prophet Joseph (pbuh)
gaining power and rulership after staying in prison for a long time,
the Prophet Ayoob (pbuh) being saved from the pain caused by satan;
all of these occurred after showing great patience and continuous
prayers. Almighty Allah has accepted the prayers of these sincere
servants of His at the best time for them and has made them mature,
educated them, increased their loyalty and sincerity and turned
them into servants worthy of high degrees in Paradise.
How Does Allah Accept Prayer?
· When a believer prays, he knows that Allah hears him and
will always accept his prayer in any way. This is because he
realizes that events do not take place in a coincidental way, but
according to the destiny determined by Allah and in the way He
wills. Therefore, he has no doubt that he will not have any return
for his prayer. Praying with this sincere spirit causes great
goodness by Allah's leave. In one verse, it is revealed that our
Lord will always accept a prayer as a manifestation of His name
"Al-Mujib" (One Who accepts the demands of those who beg to Him).
" If My slaves ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the call of the
caller when he calls on Me. They should therefore respond to Me
and believe in Me so that hopefully they will be rightly guided. "
(Surat al-Baqara, 186)
· The reason that something asked for in a prayer is given
with delay, or accepted in a completely different way, could also
be that our Lord tests His servants. Allah may grant His blessings
after certain periods of time in order to test the patience of His
servants and to make them mature according to a certain reason.
Due to this and similar reasons, it cannot be expected that every
prayer is realized as it is asked for and as soon as possible. As it
is stated by the great Islamic scholar Bediuzzaman, Allah may give
less of something asked for in prayer or sometimes more of it as a
reward or because of the reasons we mentioned above He may not
grant them at all. However, in every condition, Allah accepts the
prayer of the one who prays to Him.

Friday Prayer for Women: Obligatory?

Question:
Is it obligatory for women to go to Fridayprayer as it is for men?I've
always been taught that for men it is fard, and women can pray at home
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate
From a previous post by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani:
There is scholarly consensus (ijma`) that:
a) the Friday prayer is not obligatory for women; and
b) if a woman performs the Friday prayer, it is valid. [Nawawi,
al-Majmu`, 4.350, quoting Ibn al-Mundhir and others]
Imam Sarakhsi explains in his Mabsut that there is a difference between:
a) conditions of obligation (i.e. those conditions that make an action
obligatory to perform); and
b) conditions of validity (i.e. those conditions thatmake an action
valid, if fulfilled). [Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut, 2.23]
The reason why it is not obligatory for women to perform the Friday
prayer is because of the hardship and possible harm entailed in them
doing so�especially in the case of mothers and others. However, if a
woman goes ahead and attends the Friday prayer, it counts because she
bore the hardship entailed. [Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut; Nawawi, al-Majmu`]
Imam Nawawi mentions that it has been established by a large body of
authentic hadiths that women usedto pray behind the Prophet (Allah
bless him and give him peace) at his mosque, and women�s interaction
with men is not haram when there isn�t seclusion (or any other harm)
entailed. [Nawawi,al-Majmu`, 3.350]
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,