Chapter Five : Best Times For Answering Prayers:

The question that is on the tip of everyone’s tongue is when the supplication is answered? And whether there are certain favorable times and places that should be sought to have our supplication answered.

There are Sanctified and Prophetic hadiths that deal with the time and place of supplication. As for the time, it is known that the last third of the night has its special secrets and bestowments, also when one performs Tahajjud [spending part of the night in Supererogatory Prayers] before Fajr (Dawn) Prayer time, while people are sound asleep. As for the blessed nights, there is the night before the fifteenth of Sha‘bân [The eighth month of the year in the Muslim calendar] and the Night of Qadr [the Night of Revelation]. Among the other blessed times for answering the supplication is the time when the faster breaks his fast, for his supplication is never turned down, as no barrier comes between it and Allah. Also supplication for good is answered during the time between the Azân [The Muslim summons to prayer, called by the muezzin from a minaret of a mosque five times a day] and the Iqâmah [the call for the actual standing for performing the prayers in rows].

These are some of what was mentioned in the hadiths concerning time. As for place, there are the places that Allah has glorified their sanctity. In the forefront is the Sacred House of Allah [in Mecca], also the Masjid of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in Medina), Al-Aqsâ Masjid, and other Masjids of Allah.

But people have failed to grasp the depth of meaning conveyed by all the hadiths that were narrated regarding the best times and places for answering prayers, but rather interpreted them according to the literal sense of the word. For if we limited the answering of supplication to a certain time or place, we would be restricting the Will of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, and His Absolute Power in His universe. And if we said that the supplication would only be answered in the Sacred House, or in the Prophetic Masjid, we would be then restricting the Presence of Allah, be He highly blessed and exalted, and Allah is indeed Mightily Present in all times and places.

When you supplicate Allah, while sitting near the sanctified Ka’bah or inside the Prophetic Masjid, Allah will hear you, and when you supplicate Him while in Paris or London, He will also hear you. His Presence here is the same as His Presence there, for Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, is mightily present in all places, and the heavenly bestowments are even all over the world, with no distinction between one place and another. But what decides the fulfillment of supplication is the closeness or remoteness of the servant from Allah, all praise and glory be to Him. For the closer the servant steps towards Allah by performing good deeds and lawfully earned food, the more promising is his supplication to be answered, whereas if the servant was far away from Allah by committing sins, and does not differentiate between the lawful (Halal) and the unlawful (Haram), he would be far away from being answered.

If we review the Sanctified and Prophetic hadiths that endear to us supplication at certain places or during prostration, we will find that they all choose the times at which the Muslim enjoys tranquility and call him to supplicate during them, for by virtue of worship you are near Allah. When you are in the Sacred Masjid the whole world recedes away from your mind, and nothing remains of thoughts save mentioning Allah, getting closer to Him, and glorifying Him. In such a state one becomes the closest he can ever be to Allah, and more disposed to receive His Bestowments. Similarly, when sitting in the Masjid of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) mercies descend upon you. Also, at the last third of the night when silence and calmness prevail, and people go to sleep. At such a time slumber tickles all eyes, even the sinful, for when the last third of the night approaches, you find him hastening home to sleep. But those who keep vigil at that time specifically, who forsake their beds to invoke Allah, are those who truly love Allah. In return, Allah manifests Himself to them and showers on them His Blessings and Mercy they are worthy of.

The fact that many people fail to perceive is that supplication is unbound by time or place, but bound by the person himself, his deeds, and his closeness to Allah by keeping away from things unlawful.

It was narrated that Anas bin Mâlik (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah to make me one whose supplication is answered,’ so the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said,  ‘O Anas! Earn your living honestly and your supplications will be answered. For the man lifts up the ill-gotten morsel to his mouth, thus none of his supplications are answered for forty days.”

If a person gets his food, drink, and clothes from unlawful means, how could he be answered, when he supplicates to Allah?

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “A person who travels widely [in acts of piety like Hajj, visiting sacred places, maintaining ties of kinship….], his hair disheveled and covered with dust. He lifts his hand towards the sky (and thus makes the supplication): ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ whereas his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful and he is nurtured unlawfully. How then can his supplication be accepted?’”

It has been also narrated that the

Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “It will not enter Paradise, a body nurtured by ill-gotten sustenance.”

Unlawful money corrupts the lawful

Thus, the first condition to have your supplication answered is to shut unlawful money out of your house, and never make your children eat or clothe themselves from it, but your entire life must stem from lawful honest money. If you earnestly cared about keeping unlawful money away from your house and your children, you would be closer to Allah, and closer to have your prayers answered. Such care should be observed even in small things, like taking a bunch of pens and some papers from your office, and giving them to your children to use, thinking there is nothing wrong with that. We tell you no, for this is unlawful, even if the thing taken is trivial, still it distances blessings and acceptance of prayers from your house. For by taking something unlawfully – be it of little value – Allah will empower against you what will consume from your money a lot, thus you might find the children in need of private lessons, and in need of expenditures that will consume many times as much as the value of the thing you unrightfully took.

The second thing that you should be observant of, in order that no unlawful money worms into your house, is to question your children from where did they get certain things they have. If you give your child a certain pocket money, then you find him writing with an expensive golden pen, you should ask him from where he got it. And if you see your daughter or your wife wearing an expensive dress your income cannot afford it, or the pocket money you give them cannot buy it, you should ask them how they got it?

But to turn a blind eye to all what is going inside your house, and to wink at things that are not justifiable in light of your income, all this opens the door to unlawful money, and sends away blessings, Allah forbid.

What I like to lay stress on is that the believer when supplicating Allah should not rely on time or place – nevertheless we admit their holiness – but he has in the first place to divest his soul from its impurity and sinning. Then he can supplicate Allah as he pleases, for whatever he wishes, at any time or place. For as we have already said the crucial factor in answering supplication, is the person, provided that the acceptance conditions are met.

In the sanctified hadith, the Lord of Majesty says:

“Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Stretches out His Hand during the night so that the people repent for the fault committed from dawn till dusk and He stretches out His Hand during the day so that the people may repent for the fault committed from dusk to dawn.”

But which night or day, is it the night in Egypt, or that in Europe, America, or Australia? Night and day coexist simultaneously all the time, for when night falls on a place, it is morning at another, and vice versa. Hence, the Hand of Allah is ever stretched out, accepting penitence of His servants. Do not think that there is a time when Allah stretches out His Hands to accept prayers, and other times when His Hands are folded, thus turning down supplication and penitence, rather His Hands are evermore stretched out to accept supplication and penitence.

Such meaning is further emphasized in another sanctified hadtih:

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “When it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Blessed, the Superior, descends every night to the heaven of the world and says, ‘Is there anyone who invokes Me (demand anything from Me), that I may respond to his invocation; Is there anyone who asks Me for something that I may give (it to) him; Is there anyone who begs My forgiveness that I may forgive him?’”

Has Allah specified which third of the night and at which place on the earth? Surely not, for the last third of night is always there on the earth, it ends by sunrise at one place, to start at another. Every moment the last third of the night exits at some place on the earth, traveling in succession from one place to another.

It signifies that Almighty Allah manifests Himself to His servants all the time, answering the seekers of His Forgiveness, the supplicants, and the penitents.

Consequently, all what is said about restricted times for answering supplications is untrue, as Allah answers prayers all the time, and at all places. If we say that supplication at the Sanctified Ka’bah or the Prophetic Masjid is surely answered, we should add that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, is mightily present everywhere, not only at the Sanctified Ka’bah or the Prophetic Masjid.

The Supplication of the Faster is never turned down

When we say that the supplication of the faster at the moment he breaks his fast is never turned down, we should also add that breaking the fast during the month of Ramadan happens every minute everywhere. For we break our fast in Cairo, then after a minute or two people in Banha break their fast, followed by the fasters in Alexandria, then in Europe, and before us there is Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Aswan. Thus in every minute the sun rises somewhere and sets in another.

What then makes the supplication fulfilled? As we said the key is your closeness to Allah by good deeds, for Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):

“And your Lord said: ‘Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islamic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation). Verily! Those who scorn My worship [i.e. do not invoke Me, and do not believe in My Oneness, (Islamic Monotheism)] they will surely enter Hell in humiliation!’” (Ghâfir, 40: 60)

The Noble Qur’an has specified that the fulfillment of supplication is mainly grounded on submission and awe shown to Allah, worshipping Him, and abiding by His Law. For those who are too proud to supplicate Allah and do not follow His rules, will not have their prayers answered, and Allah will never care for them whether in this worldly life or in the Hereafter.  Heavenly boons are evenly bestowed on earth; hence the guiding lights of faith descending from heaven to earth are of equal strength.

The Justice of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, dictates that His Bestowments be even among all His servants, whether believers or nonbelievers. But the distinction lies in how far the person receives such guiding lights of faith. For some will receive these guiding lights with a believing heart, and a serene soul, thus their acceptance of them will be strong. Others will receive them with a denying heart to the Blessings of Allah, thus taking from them but little, while another group will receive them with a disbelieving heart, therefore will get nothing from them.

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, teaches us in the Noble Qur’an how this difference of acceptance is found between the believer and the nonbeliever, as Allah, the Most Exalted, says (what means):

“And among them are some who listen to you (O Muhammad) till, when they go out from you, they say to those who have received knowledge: ‘What has he said just now? Such are men whose hearts Allah has sealed, and they follow their lusts (evil desires).’” (Muhammad, 47: 16)

In the light of this glorious verse we can see that there are two parties: those who believed and Allah granted them knowledge, and those who disbelieved and Allah has sealed their hearts, Allah forbid! The message conveyed by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is one to both parties. But the Noble Qur’an has touched the hearts of the believing party, thus they understood the wisdom of the verses and their knowledge deepened. While those whose hearts have been sealed, failed to see through the verses, and said: ‘What has he said just now?’ About them Allah, praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):

“Say: ‘It is for those who believe, a guide and a healing. And as for those who disbelieve, there is heaviness (deafness) in their ears, and it (the Qur’ân) is blindness for them. They are those who are called from a place far away (so they neither listen nor understand).’” (Fussilat, 41: 44)

While on a visit to London with the late Doctor Abdul-Halîm Mahmoud, he said to me, ‘If Allah wills, we shall perform ‘Umrah [minor pilgrimage to Mecca] after we end our visit to London, to purify ourselves of what we have seen here,’ so to him I said, ‘If only we evoke (in our hearts) the Presence of Allah here, as we do in Mecca, we will certainly feel His Presence.’

In the morning the late Doctor Abdul-Halîm Mahmoud told me that he had seen the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in his dream. Thus, it is rather a matter of a mightily Divine Presence, accompanied by the predisposition of the soul, evocation (in the heart), and detachment (from all). If such matters are met anywhere, be it in Mecca, or somewhere else, supplications will be answered. Presence in Mecca or the Prophetic Masjid makes you spiritually more prepared, thus you become in your utmost state of serenity, why is that? Because any person no matter how serious are his domestic concerns and problems, when he goes on Hajj or ‘Umrah will not remember any of his concerns; he will neither remember his wife, nor his children nor anything, only Allah will be in his mind, and his soul will attain serenity for remembering Allah, and consequently his supplications will be answered.

This is concerning the factor of place.

As for time: the month of Ramadan constitutes the time of bringing oneself into perfect harmony with Allah’s Way, as Allah has forbidden you from certain things always and forever, like intoxicants, gambling, adultery, theft, and others, on the other hand, He has sanctioned other things. Time and habit are enough to make such illegal things sink into oblivion; meaning that when I do not drink intoxicants, it grows to be my habit not to drink alcoholic beverages, and I will not exert myself to avoid them, the same applies to abstaining from eating pork, and all other prohibitions. But worship can fade and lose vigor here, why? Because it has become a matter of habit and familiarity, where I do not need to resist myself, as I never desire these things.

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wants the honor of enjoinments upon us to lasts, and to strengthen the ties of worshipping Him, eliminating any monotony or habituation that can affect His servants. Thus, the month of Ramadan comes to prohibit what is lawful to you, like food and drink, from dawn till sunset in a way that shifts you from the state of familiarity with worship and the monotony that can affect it to the strife of worshipping you are unused to, thus you step close to Allah, your soul serenity heightens, and ultimately your supplication becomes answered.

The meaning of the choice of time and place

It is true that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has favored certain times and places with the acceptance of supplication, provided that the supplicant fulfills all conditions for answering the supplication. Allah, Whose Majesty reigns supreme, wants to pull man out of his inattention and desires, therefore He has singled out certain places, asking you whenever in them to shy away from committing anything that may displease Him. He has also chosen times where you are demanded to show more piety, as during the month of Ramadan. If you abstain from whatever may displease Allah at such times and places, your soul transcends. Also if you strived after attaining such transcendence at any time or place, you would arrive at the same end, the important factor is that you show yourself to be worthy of acceptance from Allah.

For instance, during Ramadan you experience an overwhelming state of obedience to Allah, abandoning your food, drink, and conjugal relations in obedience to Allah. Although food is before you, lawful and not forbidden, you abstain from eating it to please Allah, all praise and glory be to Him. Through this straight faithful behavior you elate your soul to a state of utmost serenity in unity with Allah’s Will. As there is no limit to the grace Allah may bestow upon you, for you may turn to a godly servant, just say to the thing: ‘Be!’ and it is, as states the following sanctified hadith:

“O My servant! Obey Me, and you will be a godly servant saying to the thing: ‘Be!’ and it is.”

The second in having his supplication readily answered is the aggrieved. The sanctified hadith says:

“Fear the invocation of an aggrieved person, for there is no barrier between it and Allah.”

Another narration tells that the prayer of the aggrieved person is raised highly above the clouds and The Lord, Blessed and Exalted be He, says: “By My Might and Majesty I will grant you victory even if it shall be after a while.”

But what is meant by the aggrieved?

The meaning of being aggrieved is that someone has gained the upper hand over you, thus wronged you and seized your right. Mostly the aggrieved is helpless and downtrodden, having none by his side but Allah. His means fails to ward off injustice, thus he lives moments of serenity with Allah, for he turns to Him seeking His Protection, saying, ‘O Lord,’ night and day. He mentions Allah all the time, for only Allah has the power to help him vanquish his oppressor.

Also, among those whose prayers are answered is the traveler that is because he left all his sources of strength on earth: he left his family, his house, and his post, thus remaining with no means. Those whom he left behind are in need of him, but his means fails to support them, thus he commits them to the keeping of Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, Who watches over them. Therefore, all invocations emanating from faith and love to Allah, undefiled by hypocrisy and dissimulation are answered by Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, but as for those supplications that are tainted by hypocrisy and dissimulation, meant only for worldly gains, are never accepted.

Supplication and transcendence

There are hierarchies in supplication, the highest of which is Qur’anic supplications, why? Because they are expressed in the Words of The One you pray to. When Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, tells you to supplicate Him using His Words, He is relieving you from the trouble of choosing, and spare you the possibility of falling into error, and it becomes more likely to be accepted, being recited spontaneously.

As we have afore clarified, Islam has connected all your activities in life with Allah. Not to forget your Lord for a twinkle, He made an invocation for each state. You should never bind supplication to its fulfillment, but rather make it a prayer of submissiveness and humility; if answered, a blessing for you; if not, it is also a blessing. Allah, all praise be to Him, may defer answering the servant’s prayer to keep him in a state of invocation, as He Loves to hear his voice.

But has the faithful person the right to pray for a worldly matter, saying, ‘O Lord, give me in this world,’ and insists on asking. Would those who ask for worldly gains lose their share in the Hereafter? And was the following verse revealed to affirm this, with no distinction between the one who seeks worldly life for its worldly sake and the one who seeks it for the sake of the Hereafter?

“Whosoever desires (with his deeds) the reward of the Hereafter, We give him increase in his reward, and whosoever desires the reward of this world (with his deeds), We give him thereof (what is written for him), and he has no portion in the Hereafter”(Ash-Shûra, 42: 20)

The Justice of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, willed that man be given what he asks for. Meaning, an asker for worldly life for its worldly sake should be given it, and an asker for the Hereafter, while a believer, should be given it. Thus, the key lies in the hand of the person; he is the one who opens the door he desires, hence no one should say that he has been unjustly treated, as he is the one who has chosen the path he treads.

All those who have achieved works that humanity profited from, without heeding Allah, or believing in Him, but achieved such deeds for the sake of wealth or public estimation, Allah has granted them their reward in this world. They had streets, cities, and squares named after them, they were given lasting fame through books of history, they had statues erected for them, and anniversaries are celebrated in their memorials each year. They received a reward akin to the things they craved after; hence they will have no share in the Hereafter.

We say that the believer knows well that this world is only his road to the Hereafter. To him it is just a period of trial and work, as hard as man strives in it he will be rewarded in the Hereafter. The believer desires nothing of this world except that it leads him to Paradise. He knows where goodness lies so he begs for it. One should never regard the believer as a fool, but he is so shrewd and exceedingly intelligent, for if he has a pound, he knows he can have of worldly enjoyment as much as its value can afford, but at the same time he knows that if he gives it as charity, his reward will be a hundredfold, and then he will enjoy it, not according to extent of enjoyment that the value of one pound can offer him, but according to the Infinite Capability of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, “And Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 261)

The almsgiver knows that by spending his money in charity he missed but little joy, but in the world to come, he has gained a great everlasting joy to be given him infinitely as the Capability of Allah is. Who is then the smarter? Is it he who wastes his money on worldly desires, or the one who spends his money to win the delights of the Hereafter?

Undoubtedly, the smarter is he who dedicates his deeds to the Hereafter, and the same applies to all his other deeds, for he deprives himself of a flying joy in this worldly life, that offers but transient pleasure, to have in the Hereafter pleasures that are endless.

Sagacity and insight of the believer

The true believer sees through the realties of things and their essence, he knows well that everything is from Allah and to Allah. Thus he seeks with his deeds to please the Ever-Living, Who never dies; the Rich (Free of all wants and needs), Whose Treasures never expire; the Almighty, Who is Free of weakness.

Never deem worldly comfort a sign of the Good Pleasure of Allah and His Contentment with the one on whom He bestows it, for this is not the criterion betokening His Good Pleasure.  And certainly not all those who are living in great luxury in this world will have the same in the Hereafter, because the first to resist the Religion of Allah are the luxurious people in the life of this world, whom Allah has granted money, luxury, and influence. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says concerning that luxurious group of people, who turned men away from the Way of Allah, and resisted His Messengers (what means):

“And nothing prevents their contributions from being accepted from them except that they disbelieved in Allah and in His Messenger (Muhammad); and that they came not to As-Salât (the prayer) except in a lazy state; and that they offer not contributions but unwillingly. So let not their wealth or their children amaze you (O Muhammad); in reality Allah’s Plan is to punish them with these things in the life of the this world, and that their souls shall depart (die) while they are disbelievers.” (At-Tawbah, 9: 55)

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has given them wealth and children, which are the adornment of the life of this world. But has Allah given them these boons because He is pleased with them? No, for the glorious verse shows that Allah has granted them such adornment embodied in children, that they remain disbelievers till the death hour, without ever showing repentance.

The continuity of Allah’s bestowal was but an allurement to them while they are negligent. Had Allah impoverished them, they might have repented and turned to Him, calling on Him, ‘O Lord.’ And had Allah deprived them of blessings, they might have awakened. But The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, out of His extreme Wrath upon them, incurred by their tenacious disbelief, does not want them to repent or return to Him. That is why He gave them the means and causes that will keep them from turning to The Causer; giving them of worldly gains what makes them live in its lap, while forgetting The Bestower, and inwardly believing that they are self-given blessings. The Almighty says (what means):

“And when We bestow Our Grace on man (the disbeliever), he turns away and becomes arrogant, far away from the Right Path.” (Al-Isrâ’, 17: 83)

Supplication in itself is an acknowledgement of man’s inability to achieve what he wants, therefore Allah eases for the disbelievers the gains that will make them continue in their inexorable disbelief, and their alienation from Him.

The sign of the acceptance of supplication is that man accepts his destiny, for the moment that Allah sends down on man’s heart tranquility and contentment, then his supplication is surely answered, because in such case Allah casts into his heart what makes him feel that he is beyond need of the thing he asks for and it no longer crosses his mind.

A great consolation indeed to every supplicant whose prayer is not yet answered, for there are voices that Allah loves to hear, therefore He tells His Angels to postpone His servant’s need to hear his dear voice calling on Him. Perhaps yours is a voice dear to Allah.

When man begs only for worldly gains, he is actually asking for a transient provision that will inevitably end, either by his death or its expiration. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, says:

“O son of Adam! I have created this world for you, and created you for Myself, so do not be occupied by what is yours in place of what you are for.”

This noble sanctified hadith lays our hands on the wisdom behind this entire life, why we were brought to it? And what is its purpose? So that everyone living this worldly life becomes fully aware of his reality. For Allah has created this entire universe to serve man with no volition of its own, and created man to worship Him; that is why we should not occupy ourselves with what is created for our sake, and lose track of Him, we are created for.

This does not mean that Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, demands from us to forgo worldly life to the disbelievers, as such is the ultimate wish of the disbeliever: that religion halts at the threshold of the Masjid, and never crosses beyond it, and to have the believers renouncing worldly life to the disbelievers. On the contrary, the Law of Allah does not exclude worldly affairs, but instructs us to inhabit land and develop it. For the believer must strive in the life of this world, cultivating lands, erecting factories, building schools and universities, and establishing projects he can profit by. He must struggle to propagate the call to truth, or to defend an aggrieved person, or to fight an oppressor, or to execute one of the prescribed penalties of Allah that is suspended, or to fight against disbelief and atheism.

It is the duty of the believer to work and never ask help from others, for he should suffice himself, and provide for his family, moreover he should work to earn what exceeds his need, or else how would he secure enough money for charity, if he earned what only sustains him, and how then would the poor and sick, who are unable to work be assisted.

There is a lot of work for the believer to do in this worldly life, but such work must be in compliance with the Law of Allah, and never swerves from it, thus Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, will ease things for man as long as he works while keeping Allah in his heart.

This is concerning the answered supplication, but what about the unanswered one? That is what we will expatiate on, if Allah wills, in the next chapter.

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