3.27. SUPPLICATION: SELECTION FROM THE HADITH

God says:

God asks us to say:
Guide us the straight way -- the way of those on whom Thou has bestowed Thy blessings,… Q.1:6,7


Prophet said

‘O God! I beg Thee for guidance, piety, chastity, and contentment’ -- H: Muslim. N: Abdullah-b-Masud

‘…O my Sustainer! Make me, to remember Thee, to be thankful to Thee, to be devoted to Thee, obedient to Thee, humble to Thee, hopeful in Thee, repentant, off-returning (Alla-hum-maj-‘a-inni, laka zakkaran, laka shakkaran, laka rah-ha-ban, laka mitwa‘an, laka mukhbitan ilaika awwaham muneeba) ’ -- H:Tirmizi, Abu Daud, Ibn Majah. N: Ibn’Abbas.

‘O God! Give me provision of Thy Love and the love of one whose love in Thy sight will benefit me…’ -- H: Tirmizi. N: Abdullah-b-Yazid al Khatamiya

‘O God! Adorn us with faith, and give guidance of those who received guidance’ -- H: Nisai. N: Ata’a-b-Saayeb

Apostle of God used to say at the end of the Fajr prayer: ‘O God! I seek from Thee knowledge which is profitable, action which is acceptable, and provision which is pure’ -- H: Ahmed, Ibn Majah and Baihaqi. N: Umme Salmah

‘O God! from Thee I seek refuge from undesirable manners, actions and passions’ – H: Tirmizi. N: Qutbah-b-Malik

‘O God! Purify my heart from hypocrisy, my actions from show, my tongue from lies and my eyes from breach of trust. Surely, Thou knoweth the treacherous eyes and what breasts conceal’. – H. Tirmizi. N: Umme Ma’had.

Ibn Abbas relates that the Prophet used to supplicate at the time of distress:
‘There is no god but God, most venerable and forbearing (La-ila-ha il-lal-la-hul Azeem-ul- Halim,) there is no god but God who is the Sustainer of the Exalted Throne (la-ila-ha il-lal-la-hu Rab-ul ar-shil- Azeem,) there is no god but God who is the Sustainer of heavens and the Sustainer of the earth and the Sustainer of the honoured throne.(la-ila-ha-il-lal-la-hu Rab-bus samawate wa rab-bul ardhe wa rab-bul ‘arshil Karim.)’ – Hadees Bukhari and Muslim.

3.27. SUPPLICATION: SELECTION FROM THE QUR’AN

God says

Know, then, [O man,] that there is no deity save God, and [while there is yet time,] ask forgiveness for thy sins and for [the sins of] all other believing men and women: … Q.47:19

O our Sustainer! Grant us good in this world and good in the world to come and save us from the suffering of the Fire. -- Q.2:201

O our Lord! Make us not bear burdens which we have no strength to bear! And efface Thou our sins and grant us forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon us! Thou are our Lord Supreme: help us, then, against people who deny the truth! -- Q.2:286

“O our Sustainer! We have sinned against ourselves -- and unless Thou grant us forgiveness and bestow Thy mercy upon us, we shall most certainly be lost!” -- Q.7:23

“O my Sustainer! Cause me and my offspring to remain constant in prayer” -- Q.14:40

“(O our Sustainer!) Grant Thy forgiveness unto me, and my parent, and all the believers, on the Day when all the (last) reckoning will come to pass.” -- Q.14:41

“O our Lord! Bestow on us grace from Thyself, and endow us, whatever our (outward) condition, with consciousness of what is right!” -- Q.18:10

“O our Sustainer! Grant unto us spouses and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (Thy grace) to lead the righteous.” -- Q.25:74

“O our Lord! Cause this our light to shine for us forever, and forgive us our sins: for, verily, Thou have the power to will anything!” -- Al-Qur’an


Prophet said

Supplication of the Prophet mostly was, ‘O God! Grant us good in this world, and good in the world to come, and save us from the suffering of the Fire.’ (Q.2:201) -- H: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Anas

‘When you are overcome (by grief or anxiety) say: God is sufficient for me – and how good is the One trusted (HASBUNAL LAHU WA NI’AMAL WAKEEL) -- H: Abu Daud. N: Arf-b-Malek.

3.26. SUPPLICATION: ITS SIGNIFICANCE

God says

….who is it that responds to the distressed when he calls out to Him, and who removes the ill [that caused the distress]….? Q.27:62

But your Sustainer says: “Call unto Me, [and] I shall respond to you! Verily, they who are too proud to worship Me will enter hell, abased!” -- Q.40:60


Prophet said

“Nothing but supplication averts the decree” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Salman-al-Farsi

“God becomes displeased with one who does not invoke Him” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Abu Hurairah.

“Invocation of a Muslim is accepted for a brother (Muslim) who is away from him. When he invokes for his brother, the commissioned angel near his head says: Be it so (Aameen); and for you the like rewards.” -- H: Muslim N: Abu Darda’a.

SOME OPPORTUNE MOMENTS FOR SUPPLICATION :

At the end of every obligatory (Farz) Prayer.

On Friday (specially during the last hour) .

In the latter half of the night (Tahajjud ).

At the time of breaking fast.

Between ‘Azan’ and ‘Iqamat’.

On the day of ‘Arafat.

3.26. SUPPLICATION: ITS SIGNIFICANCE

God says

[O Muhammad] when My servants ask you about Me, I am near; I respond to the call of one who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way.” -- Q.2:186

Call upon your Sustainer humbly, and in the secrecy of your hearts. Verily, He loves not those who transgress the bounds of what is right: hence, do not spread corruption on earth after it has been so well ordered. And call unto Him with fear and longing: verily, God’s grace is ever near unto the doers of good! -- Q.7:55,56

….And call unto Him with fear and longing: verily, God’s grace is ever near unto the doers of good! -- Q.7:56


Prophet said

Nu’man b-Basheer reported that the Apostle of God said, “Invocation* is worship”. Then he continued: “Your Lord said: call Me (and) I will respond to you” —H: Ahmed, Tirmizi, Abu Daud, Nisai, Ibn Majah.
* to call for with earnest desire; make supplication or pray for: to invoke God's mercy.

“Supplication is the heart of worship” -- H: Tirmizi. N: Anas

“God says : I am with My servant according to his expectation of Me, and when he remembers Me, I am with him with My mercy, if he remembers Me in mind I remember him likewise, and if he remembers Me in public, I remember him in a better assembly” – Hadith Qudsi: Bukhari and Muslim. N: Abu Huraira.

3.25. ZIKR AFTER FARZ PRAYER (concluded)

God says

Verily, I -- I alone – am God: there is no deity save Me. Hence worship Me alone and be constant in prayer, so as to remember Me ! * -- Q.20:14
*Thus, conscious remembrance of God and of His oneness and uniqueness is declared to be the innermost purpose, as well as the intellectual justification, of all true prayer.

O you who have attained to faith! Remember God with unceasing remembrance, and extol His limitless glory from morning till evening.* -- Q.33:41,42
* Lit. “at morning and evening”, i.e., at all times.


Prophet said

‘The best Zikr is: There is no deity but God (LA ILAHA ILLAL LAH), and the best invocation is: All praise is to God (ALHAMDU LILLAH)’ - Titmizi. Narrator: Jaber.

‘Before departing from the prayer at dawn whoever utters ten times LA ILAHA ILLAL LAHU WAHDAHU LA SHAREEKA LAHU LAHUL MULKU WA LAHUL HAMDU WA HUWA ‘ALA KULLI SHAIYIN QADEER – ten virtues are recorded for him for every utterance, ten sins are effaced from him, and ten ranks are raised up for him….’ – Part of H:Tirmizi. N: Abu Zarr.

Modes of Zikr.

Given below are a few hymns of great value.
TASBIH: ‘SUBHANAL LAH’ (Glory be to God).
TAKBIR: ‘ALLAHU AKBAR’ (God is the greatest).
TAHLIL : ‘LA ILAHA ILLAL LAH’ (There is no deity but God).
TAHMID: ‘AL HAMDU LILLAH’ (All praise is due to God alone).
TAQDIS : ‘SUBHANAL MALIKUL QUDDOOS’. (Glory be to the Holy King)
LAHAUL : ‘LA HAULA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH’ (There is no power and no might or movement except with God).

(Following combination of five hymns makes an excellent ZIKR.)
SUBHANALLAHI, WALHAMDU LIL-LAHI, WALA ILAHA ILLAL-LAHU, WALLAAHU AKBAR, WA LA HAULA WALA QUWWATA ILLA BILLAH

3.25. ZIKR AFTER FARZ PRAYER (to be continued)

God says

…and all men and women who remember God unceasingly: for [all of] them has God readied forgiveness of sins and a mighty reward. -- Q.33:35


The word ‘Zikr’ has very wide connotation. It is done at heart, done by tongue, and also by deed. Daily prayers, fasting, zakat, and Haj as well as any speech or act in obedience to God are only different modes of Zikr.

Choice and number of Zikr after the Farz prayer is entirely an optional matter.


Prophet said

I was praying while the Prophet (P.A.B.U.H) was present with Abu Bakr and Omer. (After the prayer) I sat down and began with praise to God and then blessings on the Prophet. Then I supplicated for myself. The Messenger of Allah said: “Seek and you will be given, seek and you will be given”.

In the light of the above Tradition quoted by Tirmizi on the authority of Abdullah-b-Masud: Recommended below is the Zikr after Farz before supplication,

(1) Say the following in bold letters three times:
(meanings below each are to be borne in mind)

SUBHAN-ALLAH WA BIHAMDIHI
(glory be to God and praise due to Him)
ADADA QHALQIHI …
(as many times as the multitude of His creation)
REDHA NAFSEHI …
(as much as the Pleasure of His Noble self)
WAZENATA ‘ARSHEHI …
(equal to the awesome weight of His Throne)
MIDADA KALEMATEHI. …
(as much as the ink of His Noble Words)

The above was commended by the Prophet (P.A.B.U.H)

(2) DUROOD SHARIF …ten times

Then supplicate.
Start with the famous supplication of prophet Abraham:
“RABANAGH-FIRLI WA LE-WALEDAYYA
WA- LIL-MOMININA, YAOMA YAQUMUL-HISAAB” -- (Q.14:41)
(Grant Thy forgiveness unto me, and my parents,
and all the believers, on the Day on which
the [last] reckoning will come to pass”)

{Prayer, Zikr and supplication, all need our full attention,
because God does not listen to silent heart }

3.25. ZIKR AFTER FARZ PRAYER (to be continued)

God says

And when you have performed your acts of worship, [continue to] bear God in mind as you will bear your fathers in mind – nay, yet with a keener remembrance… Q.2:200


Prophet said

Saoban reported: When Messenger of God finished his prayer, he recited ‘Istaqhfar’ thrice and said: “Al-la-hum-ma An-tas Salam wa min-kas Salamo taba-rak-ta ya Zal-jalale wal ikraam” (O God, Thou art the Peace and from Thee is peace; Blessed art Thou, O Lord of Glory and honor) -- H: Muslim.

‘At the end of prayer (Farz), whoever recites ‘TASBIH(Subhanallah) ’ 33 times, ‘TAHMID (Alhamdulillah)’ 33 times, and ‘Takbir (Allaho Akbar) ’ 33 times, and completes the hundred by saying: la ilaha illal lahu wahdahu la shareeka lahu lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shaiyin qadeer * (There is no deity except God, He is One; There is no partner for Him; His is the kingdom, and for Him is all praise, and He has power over all things) his minor sins are forgiven if even if those are like the foams of the sea’ -- H: Muslim. N: Abu Hurairah.
*This kalimah should be taken to memory and recited morning and evening.