Chapter Three : Supplication Of The Angels And The Prophets :

Before discussing the supplications of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) we have to discuss the supplications of the angels and the Prophets (peace be upon them all) who preceded him.

People may wonder saying, ‘Do angels have their own supplications?’ Yes, the angels pray for the bestowal of peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Such prayer is supplication. The angels also pray for the believer, because he is the master whom Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has placed as a vicegerent on the earth and provided him with all the means of survival, and subjugated all the species on the earth to his service.

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has willed by His Mercy to inform us that the angels pray for the believers. But exactly which angels? The high angels, the Throne-bearers, the highest among all the angels and the closest to Allah, all praise and glory be to Him. When we recite the Noble Qur’an we find the following supplication (saying what means):

“Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah) (saying): ‘Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your Way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! Our Lord! And make them enter the ‘Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting Gardens) which you have promised them, and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their offspring! Verily, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. And save them from (the punishment, because of what they did of) the sins, and whomsoever You save from (the punishment, because of what they did of) the sins (i.e. excuse them) that Day, him verily, You have taken into mercy.” And that is the supreme success.’” (Ghâfir, 40: 7-9)

This is the angels’ supplication for the believing servants of Allah. There might be other invocations, but the one stated in the Noble Qur’an, which Almighty Allah has informed us about, belongs to the Throne-bearers, and they are – as aforesaid – the closest angels to Allah, all praise and glory be to Him.

What do the angels say in their supplication for the believers? They beg forgiveness for those who have believed. Begging forgiveness means the occurrence of a sin and consequently the appeal to Allah to forgive it. Thus, the Throne-angels beg forgiveness for every believer on the face of the earth.

When the prayer for forgiveness comes from the angels who bear the Throne and those around it who are so close to Allah – and we have to bear in mind that such closeness does not denote near distance as some people think, but close honorary status – it makes their prayers accepted. They pray Allah to forgive the sins of the believers.

What do they say in their supplication?

They say, ‘Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge,’ means that, ‘Your Mercy, O Allah generously tolerates all sins of the believers, You comprehend in Your Knowledge all their deeds, open or secret, those hidden in hearts or seen and visible to people. O Lord, You, by Your Infinite Knowledge and Mercy is the Best Knower of all Your creatures’ deeds, which we know nothing about. Glory be to You, All-Knower! O Lord, we beg you please forgive your servants who believed and followed Your Way. Since they have believed that there is no god but Allah, which is the summit of Faith, and since they have strived hard to follow Your Law, if they forget or fall into error, O Lord forgive them. O Lord, do not make them enter hellfire or taste its torment, truly it is a severe painful torment, not even to stay in it for a few moments.’

It is a supplication for protection from hellfire and its torment. It is the first prayer that the Throne-angels dedicate for the believers. Because the supreme success in the Hereafter is that man be removed away from hellfire. The grandest step in winning the Mercy of Allah and His Good Pleasure is that man is saved from hellfire. It is a great blessing from Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, upon His servants, delivering them from the torment of hellfire. Even if they were from the people of Al­-A‘râf [Heights where stand the people whose good and evil deeds would be equal in scale] – a place between Paradise and Hell – they would certainly be winners of a great success. Recite the Qur’anic verse in which Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, says (what means):

“And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful.” (Âl-‘Imrân, 3: 185)

So, deliverance from hellfire is the first pace on the road to Heaven. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, made it a step apart, saying (what means), ‘And whoever is removed away from the Fire.’ The Throne-angels continue their invocation saying, ‘Our Lord! And make them enter the ‘Adn (Eden) Paradise (everlasting Gardens), which you have promised them.’ In this verse the angels have stepped to the next in the delights of the Hereafter, which is entering Paradise. After they have prayed that Allah protects the believers from hellfire, they beg that by His Mercy and Grace, He admits them into Paradise which He have promised them, and with it culminates their supreme success in the Hereafter.

Not only do the Throne-angels pray for the believers, but also for their parents, wives and offspring so that they may join them in Paradise if they are good. This supplication is accepted, for the Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):

“And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in Faith, to them shall We join their offspring, and We shall not decrease the reward of their deeds in anything. Every person is a pledge for that which he has earned.” (At-Tûr, 52: 21)

We thus see that out of Allah’s Grace bestowed upon the righteous believers is to allow their offspring to join them, since they have believed and done right. Meaning, if the father is in a high honorary status in Paradise, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, will exalt the deeds of his offspring to join him in his sublime status without lessening the man’s deeds, indeed a Mercy from Allah upon His righteous believers.

Furthermore, Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, will continue to look after the offspring of those believers in worldly life after their parents depart, as happened and Allah has related to us in Surat Al-Kahf [The Cave]. The story tells that there was a treasure under a wall that belonged to two orphan boys of a righteous man in a village full of wicked people, who devoured people’s property unjustly and did not care if Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, was displeased with their deeds. So, Allah sent 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 the two orphans to repair the wall for them and reinforce it so that it would not collapse and the wicked people of the village seize the treasure before the sons of the righteous man would attain maturity, force and power that would enable them to defend their rights and possessions. The reason behind all this Divine Protection was their father, who was a righteous man.

Recite the Qur’anic verse in which The Almighty says (what means):

“And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town; and there was under it a treasure belonging to them; and their father was a righteous man, and your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord.” (Al-Kahf, 18: 82)

We can clearly see that the righteousness of the father serves his children in this world and in the Hereafter.

After the angels bearing the Throne and those around it prayed Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, to save the believers from hellfire and admit them into Paradise together with their parents, their wives and their offspring, they said, ‘Verily, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.’ Meaning, ‘You Lord are Almighty, can do whatever You will. For You, gloried ever be Your Majesty and Might, cannot be questioned as to what You do and nothing stands difficult for You, Most Exalted One, in doing whatever You will. Therefore, You Alone are The Omnipotent, having absolute power to do whatever You will, whenever You will and however You will. You Lord are The All-Wise, for behind every deed is a wisdom that perfectly puts anything in its appropriate place to perform its duty.’

The Throne-angels continue their prayer for the believers: that Allah saves them from sins on the Day of Judgment, meaning, the woeful standing and reckoning. Truly, whomsoever Allah saves from sins on that Day He has sheltered him under His Mercy, and that is the supreme success. On the Day of Judgment, openly before all the creatures of Allah – since the time of Adam (peace be upon him) until the Last Hour befalls – the sinners and disbelievers would be humiliated, disgraced and tortured. Such torment and humiliation would deeply hurt the soul because meted out by The Almighty Creator, all praise and glory be to Him. Agonizing shame, because on the Day of the Great Scene man would be exposed to humiliations before all the creatures, for all to see and hear. Verily, whomsoever Allah saves from sins on the Day of Judgment that is the success supreme.

Thus, we can see how Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has highly graced and honored mankind by making the close angels of the Throne and those around it beg forgiveness for the believers, so that Allah effaces all their sins. They pray that Allah removes them away from hellfire and admits them into Paradise, not only them, but also their fathers, mothers, wives and offspring. And to guard them against all the evils that every sinner or disbeliever will face. Truly, it is a great honor conferred on man that serves to show the sublimity of man’s place as to his Lord. To the extent that the Throne-angels pray that man be forgiven, saved from hellfire and admitted into Paradise.

A sign of the sublime grace that Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, has bestowed on man is that the moment man was send down to earth The Almighty taught him supplication. Adam (peace be upon him) disobeyed and the devil lured him into sin until he ate from the forbidden tree, then he descended with his wife to the earth as relates the Noble Qur’an through the glorious verses saying (what mean):

“Then Adam received from his Lord Words. And his Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the Most Merciful.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 37)

Repentance was the first invocation that Adam (peace be upon him) learned; thus was the Mercifulness of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, towards Adam. Allah, The Most Exalted, opened for man the gates of repentance and taught him how to repent to protect him from yielding to the temptation of the devil; the sins and evil deeds he would adorn for him on the earth. The first invocation man appealed to Almighty Allah with was repentance and pardon begged by Adam and his wife, Eve (may Allah be pleased with her), as states the noble Qur’anic verse saying (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)

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has widely opened to Adam and his offspring the gates of repentance and forgiveness, which are the way to Paradise as the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) informs us, ‘“None of you will enter Paradise by virtue of his good deeds.’ They (the Prophet’s companions) asked, ‘Not even you, O Messenger of Allah.’ He replied, ‘Not even myself, unless Allah covers me with His Mercy,’”

The supplications of the Messengers and the Prophets

The Messengers and the Prophets of Allah had supplications that were all answered. Each had a strong reason impelled by faith. If we reviewed the life of the Prophet Nûh (Noah, peace be upon him) we would find that he kept calling his people to the path of righteousness for nine hundred and fifty years but they refused to be guided aright. He tried hard generation after generation to lead them to the path of faith but they refused, behaved insolently and mocked at him. Nûh invoked against those erring people, so what did he say? Recite the Qur’anic verses saying (what mean):

“And Nûh (Noah) said: ‘My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers on the earth! If You leave them, they will mislead Your slaves, and they will beget none but wicked disbelievers. My Lord! Forgive me, and my parents, and him who enters my home as a believer, and all the believing men and women. And to the Zâlimûn (polytheists, wrong-doers, and disbelievers, etc.) grant You no increase but destruction.” (Nûh, 71: 26-28)

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, answered the supplication of Nûh, and the flood drowned every nonbeliever on the face of the earth, thus all the unfaithful were completely destroyed. We notice that Nûh (peace be upon him) spent nine hundred and fifty years calling his people to the Religion of Allah; a long time indeed during which Nûh experienced hardships without any response. If we assumed that every generation attains mature age after twenty years, we would realize that Nûh witnessed more than forty-five generations; in each his hope was revived perhaps they might believe. Every new generation that came and attained the age of mature thought, Nûh invited to belief but they tenaciously clung to the disbelief of their forefathers and said that they should follow that which they found their fathers following, until Nûh lost all hope that there would ever rise among them a generation that would truly understand the cause of faith and be a believer.

We must discern that the Qur’anic verse saying (what means), “And they will beget none but wicked disbelievers,” (Nûh, 71: 27) is a proof that all the generations that followed convinced Nûh that the son would adopt the path of disbelief, just as his father and would never deviate from it. Nûh experienced it in many generations until he arrived at the conviction that such behavior would never change, and no reformation was possible for people to return to the Religion of Allah, unless Allah destroyed those disbelievers and their offspring so that none would remain on the face of the earth except the believers. He hoped that those believers would teach their children belief in Allah and consequently they would grow up believers and faith spreads on earth.

The supplication of Nûh was impelled by the long time he spent conveying his message, knocking at all the gates of guidance to them but they were shut in his face and his hopes cracked on the rock of their disbelief and stubbornness.

The supplication of Ibrâhîm

As for Ibrâhîm (Abraham, peace be upon him), the father of the Prophets, he had more than a supplication. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, showed Ibrâhîm the place of the Sacred House and ordered him to leave his wife, Hâjar (may Allah be pleased with her), and their son, Ismâ‘îl (Ishmael, peace be upon him), at the Sacred House and Ibrâhîm obeyed the Command of his Lord. There, Ibrâhîm looked around and found neither water, nor plant, nor any trace of life. The apprehension loomed out to him: how that infant and his mother would live in this desolate wasteland, destitute of all means of survival, a barren, arid, lifeless place? When Ibrâhîm moved to ride back his mount, Hâjar caught the reins of his riding animal to keep him from going and asked, ‘To whom are you leaving us in such a place?’ But Ibrâhîm did not answer back. So, Hâjar repeated the question but still he did not answer. Then Hâjar asked, ‘Allah ordered you so?’ And he beckoned to her affirmatively, so she let go of the reins and said, ‘Then Allah will never leave us be lost.’ Ibrâhîm set off and before he lost sight of Hâjar and his son he turned to Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, entreatingly and uttered his prayer:

“O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (the Ka’bah at Makkah); in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salât (Iqâmat-as-Salât), so fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks.” (Ibrâhîm, 14: 37)

Through his words Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him) is teaching us not to set up causes, instruments and means as barriers against supplication, for all the means of survival were inexistent: neither water, nor plants nor any elements of life. But all this did not prevent Ibrâhîm from praying, because his supplication is not addressed to causes but to the Originator of all causes, and the absolute Power of Allah is ungoverned by any causes.

Exactly what is the moral that Allah wants to teach us through the supplication of Ibrâhîm? He wants to teach us the lesson that we should never despair if means had forsaken us and not to stand arbitrators of what would come to pass, while founding our judgments on lack of means and causes.

Allah wants to instill in us that as long as we are believers He will remain with us, so if causes narrowed, still the gates of heavens are wide open. Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, knows and sees all, therefore we should turn to Him and call on from the bottom of our heart, saying, ‘O Lord.’ Then, we should pray while inwardly sure of having our prayer answered. If you lost hope of all means always remember that Allah exists, mightily able to do anything so never let despair creep into your soul, for Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, is the Gracious Sayer (of what means):

“So verily, with the hardship, there is relief.” (Ash-Sharh, 94: 6)

The Truth, Whose Majesty reigns supreme, did not say that after hardship would come relief, but said that together with the hardship is relief, for us to know that if we suffered some hardship or adversity it would come accompanied with relief sent from Allah, all praise be to Him, and surely comfort and happiness would follow.

There is another supplication by Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him) that instructs us how work should be like in worldly life. The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, says about that blessed supplication (what means):

“And (remember) when Ibrâhim (Abraham) and (his son) Ismâ’il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah), (saying), ‘Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower. Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manâsik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage – Hajj and ‘Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allah answered their invocation by sending Muhammad Peace be upon him), who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Qur’ân) and Al-Hikmah (full knowledge of the Islamic laws and jurisprudence or wisdom or Prophethood, etc.), and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.’” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 127-129)

The Command that Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, had laid down to Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him) of raising the foundations of the House required from Ibrâhîm the exertion of physical effort. He had to cut down stones from the mountains in Mecca, bring them and then place them one above the other as a sign by which people would know the place of the Sacred House.

We have to know well that these stones, which Ibrâhîm had gathered, are not the Sacred House but they serve to specify the place of the House in Mecca on that blessed stretch of land chosen by Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, to be His House on earth. The piece of land is the place of the House but the sign, the Ka‘bah [that guides people to the place of the House], is what Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl raised its foundations. The place and the sign are not one thing. After the flood that drowned the earth during the era of Nûh the landmarks indicating the place of the Sacred House were effaced. Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, wanted to inform His creatures about the place of the Sacred House in order that they would come and pay it a visit as dutiful hajjis and prayers.

As aforesaid raising the foundations of the House was a physical effort that involved collecting the stones then aligning them one on top of the other to be a sign indicating the place of the House. But what did Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl (peace be upon them) do while raising the foundations?

First they asked Allah to accept this service from them, therefore in any deed we perform we must ask Allah to accept it and we should dedicate it to Him. If we offered prayers we should ask Allah that He accepts them. If we went out to earn the livelihood of our children we should ask Allah to accept our endeavors. If we judged a case justly we should ask Allah that our judgment be an endeavor made to win His God Pleasure. If we ate or drank we should thank Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, and beg Him to accept our humble thanks. If we feared Allah and kindly took care of our family and children, we should ask Allah to accept that care. And we should act the same way in all worldly deeds; we should ask Allah to accept our good deeds, knowing that Allah is the All­-Hearer, the All-­Knower, hears what we say and knows our real intentions.

Then, Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl prayed that they and their offspring would be Muslims, meaning that they would submit the command of all their affairs to Allah, because Allah knows and we know not.

Worship is for the good of the servant

Afterwards, Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl prayed that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, would show them the rituals of worshipping Him, because worship is for the benefit of the worshipper. By His Sovereign Self, Allah, all glory be to Him, stands rich beyond need of any of His creatures. Allah is absolutely in no need of the worship of His creatures, but the creatures are those who need to worship Him, Blessed and Exalted be He. Why? Because they need His bestowed Sustenance, Mercy and Blessing, therefore the Religion of Allah, He sent His Messengers with to guide His creatures, is a mercy to the servants. Had they truly realized the goodness it embraced they themselves would have importunately asked for it. It is the way of deliverance for them. Then Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl turned to Allah with the entreaty of accepting their repentance, and to open before them and for their offspring after them the gates of repentance, whenever they forget or fall into error.

In this way supplication represents a way and a course in life for us to follow, that we should be dutiful to Allah in every deed and beg its acceptance by Him.

There is also the supplication of Yûnus (Jonah, peace be upon him) whom Allah had sent to his people to call them to faith, but they opposed him, and persisted in their disbelief and stubbornness. When he despaired of them he left them without the Leave of his Lord.  He embarked on the ship to go elsewhere. But the surging waves rolled and tossed about the ship and they had to lighten the ship. Every time they cast lots to see who would be jettisoned, the one chosen by lot was Yûnus until they threw him into the sea. Then a whale that pursued the ship swallowed him. And through the deep darkness of the belly of the whale Yûnus cried out to His Lord saying as relates the Noble Qur’an (what means):

“And (remember) Dhan-Nûn (Jonah), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him (i.e. the calamites which had befallen him)! But he cried through the darkness (saying): Lâ ilâha illa Anta [none has the right to be worshipped but You (O Allah)], Glorified (and Exalted) are You [above all that (evil) they associate with You]. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers. So We answered his call, and delivered him from the distress. And thus We do deliver the believers (who believe in the Oneness of Allah, abstain from evil and work righteousness).” (Al-Anbiyâ’, 21: 87-88)

This call, this supplication of Yûnus (peace be upon him), teaches how to resort to Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, at the time of danger and distress. How to seek His Refuge and confess our sins and the wrong we did to ourselves, and testify that there is no God but Allah, Who alone forgives the sins and can save us from dangers. Whenever we fall into difficulties or suffer misfortune we should resort to Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, to save us saying, ‘There is no God but You, glory to You! I have been indeed a wrongdoer!’ And forthwith comes rescue from Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He. Close upon this prayer, Allah, The Exalted and Ever-Majestic, says (what means), ‘And thus We do deliver the believers,’ which means that this supplication does not belong to Yûnus alone but every believer can say to beg Allah for help and deliverance.

Forty years between the supplication and the answer

After Mûsâ (Moses, peace be upon him) suffered many hardships at the hands of Fir‘awn (Pharaoh) and his people, and found that they denied every sign he brought them and indulged the more in their tyranny and mischief on earth, and there was no hope in their belief in Allah, he turned to heavens uttering complaints against the injustice and oppression exercised by Pharaoh and his people. He said as the Noble Qur’an tells us (what means):

“Our Lord! You have indeed bestowed on Fir’awn (Pharaoh) and his chiefs splendour and wealth in the life of this world, our Lord! That they may lead men astray from Your Path. Our Lord! Destroy their wealth, and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe until they see the painful torment.” (Yûnus, 10: 88)

The invocation of Mûsâ is against every tyrant on the earth, who receives the Blessings of Allah then uses them in waging war against the Religion of Allah and spreading disbelief on the earth and sets himself as a god. More than forty years passed between the invocation and its fulfillment: the drowning of Pharaoh and his hosts, for us to bear in mind that Allah’s Mill grinds slow but sure. Every tyrant on the earth has surely an end, a painful end to be seen by all those who lived through his tyranny and witnessed his despotism, to know well that the impending doom decreed by Allah besets every oppressor and that The Almighty shall wreak vengeance upon every tyrant.

That invocation is an ultimatum to every malicious user of the Blessings of Allah in making mischief in the earth; he must heed that Allah will never let him escape unpunished. He must use the blessings in showing obedience, which is the law set to preserve such blessings and assure their continuity, not to use them in mischief and corruption!!

As for the supplication of Sulaimân (Solomon, peace be upon him), it was a wish for a worldly glory but he began it by a prayer for the Hereafter, in which he begged Allah’s Forgiveness, The Most Exalted. The Noble Qur’an says (what means):

“So We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to Us, and a good place of (final) return (Paradise).” (Sâd, 38: 25)

Sulaimân asked for a worldly kingdom the like of it shall never belong to anyone after him. But was the request of that worldly kingdom for a worldly goal, or an otherworldly one? Actually, he asked for that kingdom to subjugate it in doing good, propagating the Religion of Allah, and the pursuance of every path of charity. And that is what Allah wants from us all. To thank him for His bestowed Blessings by using them in charitable deeds, reformation, struggling against evil and corruption. If we acted thus we would fulfill one of the rights owed to the blessings bestowed on us. Such gratitude is what settles down the blessings, preserves them and keeps them running forever.

These are examples of the supplications uttered by the angels and the Prophets as stated in the Noble Qur’an. As for the supplications of our Messenger Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), they comprehend the life of this world and the Hereafter. They handled all deeds and comprised all acts of life. That is because Islam rules the progress of life in the entire universe. The supplications of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) will be the topic of the next chapter.

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