Chapter Two : Supplication In The Noble Qur’an:

Out of Allah’s Mercy shown to His servants, He taught them how to supplicate Him, worship Him and what to beg for. The best are the supplications with the Divine Words, because The Almighty Creator knows best what is good for us. Therefore, the Qur’anic supplications are the best to be said when calling upon Allah, because it is from Allah and dedicated to Him.

But what is the philosophy of supplication in the Noble Qur’an? Does Allah teach us how, in the pursuit of worldly life, to invoke Him? Does He teach us to beg for money, or authority, or to own a land and become vested with power? Or does He teaches us to beg of His Grace in the Hereafter, to protect us from all evils in this world and help us draw nigh to Him to be from the people of Paradise?

If we reviewed the invocatory verses in the Noble Qur’an we would find that the majority of them concentrate, as to worldly life, on repentance, pardoning sins, avoidance of any act of disobedience, stepping closer towards Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, and winning the sublime status in the Hereafter, why? Because to Allah, true life is not worldly life, but that of the Hereafter.

The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):

“And this life of the world is only amusement and play! Verily, the home of the Hereafter, that is the life indeed (i.e. the eternal life that will never end), if they but knew.” (Al-‘Ankabût, 29: 64)

The Hereafter is indeed the true life, why? Because, it is an eternal life without death, a life of delights neither will it forsake you nor will you miss it. You shall live in everlasting delights, not by human power but the delights there are by the Power and Mightiness of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him. Surely, there is an infinite difference between the Power of Allah and that of humans. You will never be tired, because you are not asked to work and suffer, but once a thing crosses your mind you will instantly find it before you.

Such life deserves to be begged and strived for by each believer. The wise believer should seek that which is eternal, infinite and everlasting. He should not seek a transient pleasure that only lasts for a few years then ends.

But did The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, disregard praying for worldly life? No, but restricted it to the short lifetime we live. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, did not ask the believer to retire away from the world and forsake it, but there are worldly duties Allah has assigned to man which he must accomplish for the universe to thrive. There is the offspring that man dies and leaves behind in worldly life. The Noble Qur’an teaches us how to pray for the two worlds, provided that asking for the good of this world does not make us forget asking for the Hereafter. The Noble Qur’an says (what means):

“And of them there are some who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!’” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 201)

Praying for the good of this world

We notice in the aforesaid supplication that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, stated this world before the Hereafter, but it does not mean that man should ask for the material, rather than the spiritual, saying, ‘O Lord! Give me money, give me power,’ while forgetting about the Hereafter. The life of this world here is a prelude, because it is the abode of deeds and trials. It is the path that will lead you to either Paradise or Hellfire, for deeds precede then comes Judgment in the Hereafter.

Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, draws our attention to the gravity of begging for worldly life and forgetting the Hereafter. The inherent gravity therein is that when the believer only begs for worldly life he becomes like the nonbeliever, who disbelieve in the Hereafter and totally ignores it.

About these people, the Noble Qur’an tells us (what means):

“But of mankind there are some who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us (Your Bounties) in this world!’ and for such there will be no portion in the Hereafter.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 200)

A believer’s supplications should not end at begging for this world but should beg for the Hereafter. Of this world he should beg for what makes him attain the Hereafter. The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, says (what means):

“But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidûn (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief-makers, corrupts).” (Al-Qasas, 28: 77)

The believer is asked to invoke for both, the good of this world and the Hereafter, but each according to its significance and weight. When man invokes Allah, he must merit what he is begging for, and when he begs something from Allah, he should know that he is addressing the Infinite Power of Allah. His supplication must not stop at worldly concerns, but must comprehend this world and the Hereafter. The Almighty says (what means), “And of them there are some who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!’” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 201). The religious scholars have expressed different opinions concerning the good of this world. Some judged it to be the righteous wife, whereas the good of the Hereafter is Paradise. Some said that it is knowledge, because through it man progresses. Others said that it is forgiveness. However, the religious scholars agreed that the good of the Hereafter is forgiveness, mercy and Paradise, but as for the good of this world, why should we narrow its stream?

The good of this world is all that helps the servant show more piety to his Lord and draw him closer to the Almighty. But the good of the Hereafter is to be removed away from the Fire; just to be away from it is a blessing, a herald of being admitted into Paradise.

Supplication and human frailty

Amongst the Qur’anic supplications by which one prays for freedom from all unbearable burdens and the Forgiveness of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, is the last invocatory verse of Surat Al-Baqarah saying (what means):

“Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. ‘Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Maulâ (Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 286)

We can recite this supplication every day and night because it handles all human frailties that may lead astray from the Divine law. Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, tasks not a soul beyond its scope. Therefore, whoever tells you that the Divine Law is beyond the capacity or power of man is wrong. The Divine Law suits man’s power and ability, it is even below his capacity. Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, enjoined five Obligatory Prayers daily, but is this man’s whole capacity for worship? It is far less, for some add to them the Supererogatory Prayers [Sunnah Prayers: A two or four rak‘ah Prayer to be performed before and after the Obligatory Prayers. By their virtue man steps closer to Allah and win a great reward. They are among the Prophetic Practices that Muslims follow] performed before and after the enjoined prayers. Others rise to spend the night offering Prayers to Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, before dawn time by an hour or more. Some rise the whole night or part of it and spend it offering prayers. All are performed beyond the five enjoined Obligatory Prayers.

Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, loves that His servant steps closer towards Him by observing Sunnah [Prophetic Practices] and voluntary acts of worship similar to the obligatory ones. Many people offer more than the enjoined acts of worship, which indicates that the assigned duties are below man’s ability.

When you recite the Qur’anic verse saying (what means), ‘Allah burdens not a person beyond his scope,’ (Al-Baqarah, 2: 286) remember that the enjoined duties are less than your ability. Beware that the devil will whisper to you that Allah has enjoined on you what is beyond your power to make you abandon the assigned duties. When you invoke Allah saying, ‘Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error,’ (Al-Baqarah, 2: 286) you beg for forgiveness and exemption from punishment if you forgot or erred. Forgetfulness and erring are human since the time of the Prophet Âdam (peace be upon him). Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, says (what means):

“And indeed We made a covenant with Adam before, but he forgot, and We found on his part no firm will-power.” (Tâ-­Hâ, 20: 115)

Forgetfulness is among human frailties, which only happens when some worldly concerns divert man from remembering Allah. Therefore, he turns to Allah and say, ‘O Allah! I beg Your Pardon for what I forgot.’ Even the Prophets (peace be upon them all) had their moments of forgetfulness. When the Prophet Mûsâ (Moses, peace be upon him) was in the company of Al-Khadir [A servant upon whom Allah has bestowed divine secrets and supernal understandings, for Almighty says (of Al-Khadir what means:), “A servant among Our servants, unto whom We had bestowed mercy from Us, and whom We had taught knowledge from Us.” (Al-Kahf, 18: 65)] to teach him the real meaning behind the befalling incidents, he (Al-Khidr) told him to ask him not about anything till he himself mentions it to him. But Mûsâ forgot his promise and asked importunately. When Al-Khadir reminded him of his promise he said as the Noble Qur’an narrates (what means):

“[Mûsa (Moses)] said: ‘Call me not to account for what I forgot, and be not hard upon me for my affair (with you).’” (Al-Kahf, 18: 73)

When you stretch out your hands towards heaven and say, ‘O Allah! I beg Your Pardon for what I forgot,’ you are admitting your weakness as a human, who forgets in spite of himself. You beg Allah not to punish you because of oblivion. Erring is also human. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “All Children of Âdam are sinners and the best of sinners are the repenting.”

You beg Allah to forgive and overlook your misdeeds. Whenever you beg for forgiveness Allah will answer your prayer and He, all praise be to Him, will overlook your evil deeds. If you recite it every day and supplicate with it, your sins will be forgiven because you are declaring before Allah that you did not sin on purpose and did not persist in sin. You regret what happened, you are filled with remorse for it, because the errors we make come unintentionally as long as they are not committed on purpose. You supplicate Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, saying, ‘Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on those before us (Jews and Christians),’ (Al-Baqarah, 2: 286), like the heavy burden that was laid upon the previous nations as the Jews when they worshipped a golden calf and made a god of it. Then, they wanted to repent, therefore Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, decreed on them to kill themselves (those who did not worship the calf kill those who worshipped it) to have their repentance accepted as the Noble Qur’an tells us in the verse saying (what means):

“And (remember) when Mûsâ (Moses) said to his people: ‘O my people! Verily, you have wronged yourselves by worshipping the calf. So turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves (the innocent kill the wrongdoers among you), that will be better for you with your Lord.’ Then He accepted your repentance. Truly, He is the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 54)

Through this supplication we earnestly beseech Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, not to burden us because of our sins with what we cannot bear, and we beseech The Almighty to try us in worldly life with what is within our tolerance, not beyond it. That supplication guards the servant in the life of this world against burdens beyond endurance, so by its grace Fate comes alleviated or Ordinance comes together with the gates of mercy wide open to offer relief. Or that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, casts in our hearts patience that makes us withstand the hardships of life however severe.

You invoke Allah, The Most Exalted, by the Qur’anic verse saying, “Pardon us and grant us Forgiveness. Have mercy on us, (Al-Baqarah, 2: 286) where pardon [Al-‘Afu in Arabic language] is the erase of all trace, just as the footprint left by the passage of a walker in the desert, a blowing wind removes all trace of it. By that prayer we beg Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, to erase all our sins and the traces they made along the passage of our life journey, and to grant us forgiveness for Allah may wipe the sins and do not punish the servant, but remains angry with him, and who amongst us can tolerate the Anger of Allah! Therefore, we not only beg for pardon and effacement of sins but for forgiveness, as though the sin was not committed, verily Allah forgives all sins. ‘Have mercy on us,’ means: always shelter us under Your Mercy O Lord. Enfold us in Your Mercy during all the events of this world and the world to come.

Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, informs that torture and mercy are only in His hands. He tortures and rewards good as He wills, as stated in the Qur’anic verse in which The Almighty says (what means):

“He said: (As to) My Punishment I afflict therewith whom I will and My Mercy embraces all things. That (Mercy) I shall ordain for those who are the Muttaqûn (pious), and give Zakât; and those who believe in Our Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs and revelations, etc.).” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 156)

As for your supplication by saying (what means), “You are our Maulâ (Patron, Supporter and Protector, etc.) and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 286) it is a confession you make that there is no god but Allah, Alone, and there is no one you can turn to for forgiveness and mercy but Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, for He is the one and only God. However endless are your sins, you are never ashamed to beg His Forgiveness. Because if you did not seek His Forgiveness, to Whom will You turn and ask for it? Only Allah has the pardon and only He has the forgiveness.

Qur’anic supplications and righteous deeds

If afterwards we view examples of supplications stated in the Noble Qur’an we will find them all connected with righteous deeds in the life of this world and with mercy and forgiveness in the Hereafter. Recite the Qur’anic verse in which Allah, The Most Exalted, says (what means):

“They invoked: ‘Our Lord! Pour forth on us patience and make us victorious over the disbelieving people.’” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 250)

Invoking for success in striving for the Cause of Allah, and to be given power and endurance in every battle fought against the disbelievers. Also begging with the supplication that says (what means):

“Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth) after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the Bestower.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3:8)

An invocation for steadfastness of faith in the hearts, and in His Hands Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has all the hearts of mankind.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) repeatedly begged Allah saying, “O He Who turns the hearts! Firmly settle my heart on Your Religion.” So, Lady ‘Âishah (may Allah be pleased wit her) wondered saying to him, “How often you invoke by that supplication, O Messenger of Allah.”  The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) replied, “There is no heart but lies between two Fingers of the Most Merciful, if He wills to set it aright He will (set it aright).”

When we recite the Noble Qur’an we will arrive at the verse saying (what means):

“And know that Allah comes in between a person and his own heart. And verily to Him you shall (all) be gathered.” (Al-Anfâl, 8: 24)

Begging that hearts stand firm in faith is a Qur’anic supplication, because when hearts are firmly established on faith all will be straightened.

Then follows the supplications for forgiveness, mercy, deliverance from torture in the Hereafter and attainment of Paradise with its delights and the honor of being close to Allah. The majority of the invocatory Qur’anic verses focus on that meaning. As aforesaid, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wants the believer to win Paradise in the Hereafter, therefore The Almighty teaches man the prayers that pardon and forgive the sins, deliver from hellfire and admits the believer into Paradise. All recited in humility and submission, for the believer begs his Lord to grant him every good deed that pleases Him and never destine for him any misdeed that may incur His Anger. He calls Allah to bear witness to his faith. Recite the Qur’anic verse saying (what means):

“Our Lord! We have indeed believed, so forgive us our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 16)

And the Qur’anic verse saying (what means):

“Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and our transgressions (in keeping our duties to You), establish our feet firmly, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 147)

The sins and transgressions committed did not prevent those believers from turning to Allah, beseeching and begging Him. Also, the Qur’anic verse saying (what means):

“Our Lord! We believe in what You have sent down, and we follow the Messenger [‘Iesa (Jesus)]; so write us down among those who bear witness (to the truth i.e. Lâ ilâha ill-Allâh – none has the right to be worshipped but Allah).” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 53)

The believer is asked in his supplications to make Allah bear witness to his faith, and Allah is surely The Witness over all things. But why does the believer call Allah to bear witness when He is The All-Knower of what is within hearts? The answer is to have it as a plea in his favor on the Day of Judgment, if he was truthful.

Another Confession of Faith is the invocatory Qur’anic verses saying (what means):

“Our Lord! Verily, whom You admit to the Fire, indeed, You have disgraced him, and never will the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) find any helpers. Our Lord! Verily, we have heard the call of one (Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace) calling to Faith: ‘Believe in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and remit from us our evil deeds, and make us die in the state of righteousness along with Al-Abrâr (those who are obedient to Allah and follow strictly His Orders). Our Lord! Grant us what You promised unto us through Your Messengers and disgrace us not on the Day of Resurrection, for You never break (Your) Promise.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 192-194)

If you sinned then you awakened to the light of the path of belief, hasten to seek forgiveness so that Allah may pardon that sin and make the honorable guardian angels (scribes) not record it against you. When you commit a sin you must beware not to keep silent (and not hasten to beg forgiveness) or persist in sin. How can you when Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has taught you the prayer for forgiving the sins. The Most Exalted says (what means):

“Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 23)

To avoid the bleak end of injustice and the unjust, the Noble Qur’an has taught us how to seek refuge from them, because injustice is but glooms on the Day of Resurrection, and the severest torment from Allah awaits the unjust. Therefore, among the invocatory Qur’anic verses are (what means):

“Our Lord! Place us not with the people who are Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong­doers).” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 47)

Hastening to repentance…. erases sins

Seeking refuge with Allah from Shaitân (Satan), the outcast (the accursed one) recurred in the Noble Qur’an and is indispensable. For the devil’s sole occupation is to whisper evil to the believers and all his power is aimed at seducing them. He whispers to them while they are offering Prayers. He makes sins seem fair to them and he besets them incessantly, goading them into sin. He makes false promises to them, and arouses in them false desires that ruin their faith. He strives hard to make them neglect the observance of Prayers. That is his mission on earth, exerting little effort with the sinners, because they accepted his way and followed it and thus became themselves devils from mankind.

The main target and chief concern of the devil is the believing servant, for the devil does not sit at the doors of bars or the dens of vices and adultery, because their haunters have already become his allies. But he sits at the gates of Masjids and tries hard to spoil the worship of the prayers and their thoughts engaged in remembering Allah. Therefore, the Truth [Al-Haqq: one of the Beautiful Names of Allah], all praise and glory be to Him, asks us to seek refuge with Him from the devils. Allah, The Exalted and Ever-Majestic, says (what means):

“And say: ‘My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings (suggestions) of the Shayâtin (devils). And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they may attend (or come near) me.’” (Al-Mu‘minûn, 97-98)

Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, calls our attention that the righteous wife is the adornment of the life of this world. In Surat Al-Furqân, The Most Exalted, says (what means):

“Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders for the Muttaqûn.” (Al-Furqân, 25: 74)

The supplication must include thanks and gratitude shown to Allah for His endless countless blessings. Giving thanks to Allah for His Blessings is a must, because Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, prepared for us these blessings even before creating us. We came to a world prepared to receive us with all the blessings that none of them we created, whose existence preceded ours. If you wish to thank Allah for His Blessings, invoke by the supplicatory verse saying (what means):

“My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favour which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds, such as please You, and make my off-spring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will).” (Al-Ahqâf, 46: 15)

Supplication in the Noble Qur’an reminds us to beg forgiveness and mercy for those who have preceded us in Faith and conveyed to us that straight religion, because from them we have learned our religion and treaded in their steps. They were honest in their conveyance (of the message and the trust); honest in their work, and presented ideal guiding figures in their sincere endeavors after the call to Islam. Therefore, the Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, teaches us to pray for them with the invocatory verse saying, (what means):

“Our Lord! Forgive us and our brethren who have preceded us in Faith, and put not in our hearts any hatred against those who have believed. Our Lord! You are indeed full of kindness, Most Merciful.” (Al-Hashr, 59: 15)

With supplication we beg for light from Allah, Whose Light guides the hearts, purges the souls and keeps us away from crooked paths. In His Light we walk and by the guidance of His Light we act, and if we forget or fall into error the Light of Allah remains our guide to return to the right path. If that Light enters the hearts they will never deviate from the paths of virtue, they will never be lead astray and they will never be wretched. Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, teaches us to always beg Him for the guiding light. The Exalted and Ever-Majestic, says (what means):

“Our Lord! Keep perfect our Light for us [and do not put it off till we cross over the Sirât (a slippery bridge over the Hell) safely] and grant us forgiveness. Verily, You are Able to do all things.” (At-Tahrîm, 66: 8)

The invocatory Qur’anic verses are guidance and protection. They guide us to the path most just and righteous, save us from the worst destination and lighten our course in all affairs. Whoever adheres to these invocatory Qur’anic verses will never be lead astray, and indeed nothing is dearer to Allah than invoking Him with His Words, all glory be to Him.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful