Why is it that, At Times, Our Supplications Remain

Unanswered?
by Aytulah Makarim Shirazi in Book 180 Q part 2

Attention towards the conditions for the acceptance of prayers reveals new realities in
the ostensibly complicated issue of dua', and manifests its constructive influence. In the
Islamic traditions, some of the conditions (to be taken into regard) for the purpose of
acceptance of one’s prayers are as follows:

1. In order to have the prayers answered, first of all one should strive for the
purification of the mind and soul, be repentant over (past) sins, embark upon
construction and development of the self and seek inspiration from the lives of divine
leaders.

It has been reported that Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Let it never be that
any of you seeks a thing from God except that he first praises and glorifies Him,
sends salutations upon the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)
and his holy progeny, confesses to his sins and exhibits repentance over them; after
having done these, he should then seek his desire from Him.1[1].

2. Endeavouring to have a pure life, free from usurped riches, oppression and injustice,
and to refrain from acquiring one’s livelihood by illegal means.

It has been reported that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny)
said:

‫من أحب أن يستجاب دعاؤه فليطيب مطعمه و مكسبه‬

(One, who desires to have his supplications answered, should purify his food and
earnings.)2[2]

3. One should not desist from combating evil and inviting others towards God.

This is because the supplications of those, who forsake ‘enjoining the good and
forbidding the evil’, are not answered. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his
holy progeny) has said: (You must enjoin the good and forbid the evil or else God

1[1] Safinah al-Bihaar, vol. 1, pg. 448, 449. [2] Ibid. [3] Ibid. [4] Safinah al-Bihaar, vol. 1,
pg. 448. [5] Nahjul Balaghah, short sayings 337. [6] Tafseer-e-Namunah, vol. 1, pg. 643.

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 will cause the evil ones to prevail over the righteous ones from amongst you, and
however much they may pray, (their prayers) shall not be answered!)3[3]

In fact, abandoning this great duty of ‘national supervision’ leads to turmoil within
the society as a result of which the society would be left open for the evil ones; (when
this happens) supplications for the elimination of the consequences arising out of this
state would be futile since this state has resulted out of man’s own deeds.

4. Acting in accordance with divine covenants.

Faith, good deeds, trustworthiness, and righteousness, (collectively) form another of

the conditions for the acceptance of prayers. This is because one, who is not faithful
to his pledge with respect to God, should not expect God’s promise, of answering a
supplicant, to be true for him too.

A person once, complaining to Amirul Mu’mineen (peace be upon him) about his
prayers not being answered, said: Despite the fact that God has said “Call upon Me,
I will answer you”, why is it that when we supplicate to him, He does not answer our
prayers?

The Imam (peace be upon him) replied: ٍ‫ن بَِثلَثَ ِة خِصَال‬

ٍ ‫( إنّ ُقلُوُبکُم خَا‬Your hearts (and
thoughts) have been unfaithful with respect to eight things (and this is the reason
your prayers go unanswered))

1. You have acquired the cognizance of God but you do not fulfill what is due to
Him; consequently your cognizance of Him has not benefited your state!

2. You have brought faith upon His Messenger but (later) went on to oppose his
customs; where then is the yield of your faith?

3. You have read His book but have not acted upon it; you stated: “We have heard
and we obey”, but then rose up in opposition to it!

4. You say: “We fear God’s punishment”, but perpetually perform acts that lead
you closer to it.

5. You claim to be covetous of God’s reward however you continue to perform acts
that lead you away from it.

6. You consume God’s bounties but do not extend thanksgivings to Him.

7. You have been ordered to be Shaitaan’s enemy (whereas you sketch plans to
befriend him); you claim to be his enemy but, in practice, you do not oppose him.

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 8. You place into great scrutiny the faults of others but conveniently disregard your
own; with such a state of affairs, how do you expect your prayers to be answered
when you yourself have shut its doors? Be pious, rectify your deeds and enjoin
the good and forbid the evil so that your prayers are answered.4[4]

This meaningful tradition explicitly states: God’s promise to answer the supplications
of a supplicant is not absolute, but conditional - the condition being that you should
fulfill your own pledges and covenants; however the reality is that you have broken
your pledge by eight ways. If you were to put an end to these, your prayers shall be
answered.

Acting upon the abovementioned eight directives which, in reality, are conditions for
the acceptance of prayers, is sufficient for training man, and utilizing and channeling
his strengths constructively and productively.

5. Another condition for the acceptance of one’s prayers is to conjoin it with efforts,
hard work and activity. In one of the short sayings of Amirul Mu'mineen (peace be
upon him) we read: ٍ‫الدّاعِي ِبلَا َع َملٍ كَالرّامِي ِبلَا وََتر‬

(A supplicant (who prays) without effort and endeavour is like an archer without a
bowstring!)5[5]

In view of the fact that the bowstring is a means to propel the arrow towards the
target, the influence of ‘effort’ in the effectiveness of dua' becomes plainly manifest.

The above five conditions are illustrative of the reality that not only should dua' not
become a substitute for the natural means and ordinary measures with the purpose of
achieving an objective but rather, in order for it to be answered, there ought to occur a
complete transformation in the life of the supplicant - his temperament and outlook
ought to be overhauled and his past deeds reviewed.

In view of the above, does it not appear that characterizing dua' as being narcotic and
soporific indicates either a lack of knowledge or sinisterness of motive?6[6]

Extract from a Lecture by a Qom student ..

Ulema mention that there are 3 situations (Maslehats)

1. HE will give whether we ask for it or not

2. HE will NOT give whether we ask or not

3. HE will give ONLY if we ask

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We do not know, which sought after condition/thing falls in which of the above 3
categories & hence we pray for everything .All prayers have rewards in the hereafter.

In the 3rd category too there are those things which HE gives but AFTER a period of
time (Eg Musa (as) dua to drown Firon was answered after 30 years). or HE gives
only if the asking is for x no of times eg HE will give if asked for from HIM for say 25
times.

• HE gives sometimes very quickly if he does NOT like the method used by
seeker

• HE delays the giving if HE likes the voice /method of the seeker so that he
continues to ask of HIM.

Sura No. 2 Baqarah : Ayat 216 says :"And it may be that you dislike a thing
while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil
for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know."

Eg a child who wants to have a colorful snake in his hand will cry for it , BUT we as
elders know the poison that it contains & harm it can bring & hence do not provide
the thing to him.

Sometimes Wealth / Children can also deviate us from the straight path eg A Prophet
(as)'s companion who was very poor but recited Jamaat salat every day in the first
Row & slowly when he became more prosperous, even started to make his salat
Qaza.

For every delay / unanswered dua a believer will be rewarded. On the day of
judgement he will receive his book of deeds which contains many many good deeds
which he did not perform & he will mention that this book is not his. BUT HE will
inform that those additions are to compensate him for the unanswered duas. The
believer will then mention; Alas it would be better for me if NONE of my duas were
answered !

DUAS FAVORABLE TIME:

Imam Ali (s) said: Seize the opportunity to pray at four occasions: When Quran is
being recited, when athan is being recited, when it is raining and when the two
armies meet for martyrdom.
Imam Jafer al-Sadiq (s) said: When you feel you are being compassionate seize the
opportunity to pray, for a compassionate heart asks sincerely.

Imam al-Baqir (s) said: Almighty Allah favors every hard praying servant. So seize
the opportunity to pray just before daybreak until sunrise; it is a time in which
heaven’s gates are opened, subsistence is distributed and major prayers are granted.

IMPORTANCE OF & QUOTES ON DUA:

Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: Ask Allah for whatever you need-even for something as
insignificant as a slipper’s top- for He is the only one who can make things
attainable.

Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: If you like to see your prayers answered during hard times,
you must pray hard during easy times.

Imam al-Rida (s) said: A single prayer said in private is as powerful as Seventy said
in public.

Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: Allah knows what His servants want; He just likes to hear
them ask.

Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: Almighty Allah never answers an inattentive prayer. So when
you are praying, make sure that you do it with all your heart and be certain, then,
that it will be answered.

Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: A faithful servant who consistently prays for something will
definitely have it granted.

Imam al-Sadiq (s) said: Imam Ali (s) wrote that praise should precede a prayer. So
when you want to ask Almighty Allah for something, start by glorifying Him.

How do I do that? A companion asked. Imam al-Sadiq replied; you say: “ You say: O
You, who is nearer to me than my Jugular vein. O You, the Performer of what He
desires. O You who stands between a man and his heart. O You who is in the Highest
Horizon. O You who like Him there is naught”.

Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: “ Ask Allah whatever you need even the sandal’s strap, for
if He does not help make it available, it won’t be.”
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: “ Whosoever likes his to see his prayers answered during
hardship must frequently pray during ease.”

Imam al-Reza (a.s) said: “ A single prayer in secret equals seventy in public.”

Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: “ Allah, The Most High, knows what man wants even
before he begins praying, but He likes to hear him complain.”

Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: “ God, The Almighty, won’t answer an inattentive prayer;
so when you pray make sure to give your attention, and be sure then of the
answering.”

Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: “ Insisting on Allah for a need guarantees its fulfillment.”

Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: “ When you feel your heart softening take the opportunity
to pray, for a heart that softens is surely a pure heart.”

Imam al-Baqir (a.s) said: “ From among His faithful servants, Almighty Allah favors
most the one who prays frequently; then, seize the opportunity to invoke Allah just
before daybreak till sunrise, for at this time the heaven’s gates are opened, the
livelihoods are apportioned and the great wishes are fulfilled.”

WHAT ARE THE BASIS OF THE ANSWERABLE PRAYER?

The reality of the prayer is that it is making a connection with the maker of the
major decisions in the throne. That is, as Allah carries out his creation in the way He
likes; so too is His foreordaining of things-weather abolishing or confirming them-is
linked to the wish of the servant himself in regards to changing his fate! It is known
that blocked ways are such in regards to us, the incapable mortals, not in regards to
whom who has in His hand the Tablet in which matters are blotted out or confirmed.

Every phenomenon in this existence has its rule. People control a big part of these
rules, by Allah’s will. Prayer (invocation of God) is one of these phenomena, which
has its rules, causes and hindrances. Knowledge of that helps the servant get a
speedy answering. The religious writings have mentioned many of these. The
following are samples:

First: Being certain of Allah’s generosity and having a good opinion of Him is a
reason for answering. When praying, we are commanded to believe that our need is
just behind a door. Let’s imagine how certain he would be who knows that what he is
asking is at the door and that all he needs to get is a small key which opens the big
gates!

Second: praying pushes the waves of calamity back before they cover man. It is
clear that the prayer made during ease -to ward off the foreordained calamity- is
more likely to be answered than the one made after the establishment of the
hardship. The first indicates reliance on the Lord to bring about welfare,while the
second is a natural reaction, even of someone whose relationship with the Lord is not
good, to any hardship.
Third: Praying is undoubtedly a requirement for the answering. However, Allah
delays answering the disobedient servant’s prayer because of his vices. It is said that
Allah has remains of subsistence, which He gives to whosoever He wishes.But man
commits vices because of which he is exempted from that subsistence, as said by the
Prophet (PBUH). Whose fault it is in this case?

Fourth: How nice it is when man prays to Allah privately, seeking intimacy, without
having a certain need. The Koran describes Abraham as ‘compassionate, clement’.
Imam al-Baqir interpreted ‘compassionate’ as the one who abases himself before
Allah when he prays and when he is alone in a desolate land.

Fifth: Man must not restrict his prayer to major demands, because Allah
commanded Moses (PBUH) to ask for whatever he needed even if it was his sheep’s
fodder or his dough’s salt. Clearly, this is a way of encouraging frequent connection
with Allah and referring to Him in every detail so that man does not think of himself
as being able to do without his Lord in any stage of his life, which is the first step to
transgression.

Sixth: It is necessary that man be in an appropriate shape for praying like; wearing
a perfume, facing Kibla (direction of Mecca), performing an ablution, donating
beforehand, devotion, crying or pretending to cry, frequently saying the prayer until
it is answered, giving priority to fellow Moslems and generalizing the prayer. Why not
pray to Allah in the plural rather than the singular form; for all it takes is changing
the pronoun!

Seventh: The expression, ‘Allah is embarrassed’ is seldom mentioned in The

Tradition except when it comes to the answering of prayers! Contemplate on this
Hadith so that you become more certain of Allah’s kindness and generosity. Imam al-
Baqir (PBUH) said: “ No man stretches out his hands to Allah (asking Him) but it
makes Allah embarrassed to return it empty, until He fills it with what He wills of His
bounty and mercy. So, when anyone of you prays, he should not put down his hands
until he wipes his head and face with them.

Eighth: some Hadiths cite a strange explanation for the delaying of the answering.
Do you believe that Allah delays answering the prayer of the righteous servant just
because He likes to hear his vice? If anything, this shows how deep is Allah’s love to
His praying servants while He is not in need of them. It was reported that Allah
delays the answering in longing to the righteous servant’s prayer saying:“ It is a
voice I like to hear”, and He hastens answering the hypocrite’s prayer saying: “ It is a
voice I hate to hear”. Could this love be compared to any other kind of love?

Ninth: It is really a loss for a man to be unoccupied and healthy and not bother to
mention his Lord. How many hours do we waste waiting for something, driving a
vehicle or tossing and turning in bed! Are we not included in the Prophet’s saying:“
The laziest of men is the one who is healthy and unoccupied and does not mention
Allah with a lip or a tongue”!

It is emphasized in The Tradition that we do not make our gatherings, on which we

spend a lot of money and time in some cases, a cause for evil consequences on
Doomsday. The Prophet said: “ No people gather in a gathering and not mention
Allah or pray for their Prophet (PBUH), but their meeting brings them evil
consequences”. Isn’t this sorrow enough as a chastisement on Doomsday?

In Al-Mahasin it is narrated that Imam Baqir (a.s) said:

"Whenever God the Almighty loves someone, He will throw him
into trouble and storm him with calamities. When he prays to
God for help, God will say: "O' My servants! I hear your prayer
and have the power to immediately fulfill your requests if I so
wish, but I will save it for you; and what I save for you is
better." MISHKAT UL-ANWAR FI GHURAR AL-AKHBAR
Tradition: 1732