693 - آدابُ الدُّعاءِ

693. The Etiquettes of Supplication

1 - البَسْمَلَةُ

1. The Basmala:

2126.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : لا يُرَدُّ دُعاءٌ أوَّلُهُ بِسمِ اللَّهِ الرّحمنِ الرَّحيمِ .¹

2126.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The supplication that is preceded by "In the Name of Allah, the all-Beneficent, the all-Merciful" will not be rejected.' ²

2 - التَّمجيد

2. Praise:

2127.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إنَّ كُلَّ دُعاءٍ لا يَكونُ قَبلَهُ تَمجيدٌ فَهُوَ أبتَرُ .³

2127.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Verily every supplication that is not preceded by praise [of Allah] is incomplete.' ⁴

3 - الصَّلاةُ عَلى‏ مُحَمَّدٍ وآلِه‏

3. Blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) and his Family:

2128.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : لا يَزالُ الدُّعاءُ مَحجوباً حَتّى‏ يُصَلّى‏ عَلى‏ مُحَمَّدٍ وعَلى‏ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ .⁵

2128.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'A supplication remains veiled until the supplicant sends blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.' ⁶

2129.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : مَن كانَت لَهُ حاجَةٌ إلى‏ اللَّهِ عزّوجلّ فَلْيَبدَأ بِالصَّلاةِ عَلى‏ مُحَمَّدٍ وآلِهِ ، ثُمَّ يَسألْ حاجَتَهُ ، ثُمَّ يَختِمْ بِالصَّلاةِ عَلى‏ مُحَمَّدٍ وآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ ، فإنَّ اللَّهَ عزّوجلّ أكرَمُ مِن أن يَقبَلَ الطَّرَفَينِ ويَدَعَ الوَسَطَ إذ كانَتِ الصَّلاةُ عَلى‏ مُحَمَّدٍ وآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ لا تُحجَبُ عَنهُ .⁷

2129.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'If anyone has a need from Allah, then he should begin by sending blessings upon Muhammad and his family, then ask his need. Thereafter he should seal it by sending blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, for verily Allah is too kind than to just accept the two blessings [at the beginning and at the end] and leave the middle, because the request for blessings on Muhammad and his family is never veiled from Him.' ⁸

4 - الاِستِشفاعُ بِالصَّالِحينَ‏

4. Seeking Intercession of the Righteous:

2130.الإمامُ الكاظمُ عليه السلام : إذا كانَت لَكَ حاجَةٌ إلى‏ اللَّهِ فَقُل : اللَّهُمَّ إنّي أسألُكَ بِحَقِّ مُحَمَّدٍ وعَلِيٍّ ، فَإنّ لَهُما عِندَكَ شَأناً مِنَ الشَّأنِ .⁹

2130.Imam al-Kazim (AS) said, 'If you have a need from Allah, then say, "O Allah, verily I ask you for the sake of Muhammad and Ali, for verily they have a special station with You.' ¹⁰

5 - الإِقرارُ بِالذَّنب‏

5. Acknowledgement of Sins:

2131.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : إنّما هِيَ المِدحَةُ ، ثُمَّ الإقرارُ بِالذَّنبِ ، ثُمَّ المَسألَةُ .¹¹

2131.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, '[In supplication] praise Allah, then acknowledge your sins, then ask your request.' ¹²

6 - التَّضرُّعُ والاِبتِهالُ‏

6. Imploring and Begging:

2132.بحارالأنوار: فيما وَعَظَ اللَّهُ بِهِ عيسى‏ عليه السلام: يا عيسى‏ ، اُدعُني دُعاءَ الحَزينِ الغَريقِ الّذي لَيسَ لَهُ مُغِيثٌ ... ولا تَدْعُني إلَّا مُتَضَرِّعاً إلَيَّ وهَمُّكَ هَمّاً واحِداً ، فَإنَّكَ مَتى‏ تَدْعُني كَذلِكَ أجَبتُكَ .¹³

2132. It is narrated in Bihar al-Anwar that among Allah's exhortations to Prophet Jesus (AS) was, 'O Jesus, call upon Me with a supplication of a sorrowful one, as if he is drowning and has no saviour...and only supplicate Me by imploring Me, with the supplication being your prime concern, for verily if you call Me like that, I will answer you.' ¹⁴

2133.الإمامُ الحسينُ عليه السلام : كانَ رَسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله يَرفَعُ يَدَيهِ إذا ابتَهَلَ ودَعا كَما يَستَطعِمُ المِسكينُ .¹⁵

2133.Imam al-Husayn (AS) said, 'The Prophet (SAWA) used to raise his hands and implore and beg [to Allah] just like the poor man begs for food.' ¹⁶

7 - أن يُصَلِّيَ رَكعَتَينِ‏

7. Performing Two Units of Prayer:

2134.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : مَن تَوَضَّأ فَأحسَنَ الوُضوءَ ، ثُمَّ صَلّى‏ رَكعَتَينِ ، فَأتَمَّ رُكوعَهُما وَسُجودَهُما ، ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ ، وأثنى‏ عَلَى اللَّهِ عزّوجلّ وعَلى‏ رَسولِ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله ، ثُمَّ سَألَ حاجَتَهُ ، فَقَد طَلَبَ في مَظانِّهِ ، وَمَن طَلَبَ الخَيرَ في مَظانِّهِ لَم يَخِبْ .¹⁷

2134.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'Whoever performs the ablution correctly and thereafter prays two units of prayer, completes its genuflexions and prostrations, sends the salutations [at the end of the prayer], praises Allah and the Prophet (SAWA), then asks his need in the right place will not be disappointed, because whoever seeks good from the right place is never disappointed.' ¹⁸

8 - أنْ لا يَستَكثِرَ مَطلوبَهُ‏

8. Not to Regard One's Own Request as Too Much:

2135.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : أوحى‏ اللَّهُ إلى‏ بَعضِ أنبِيائِهِ : ... لَو أنَّ أهلَ سَبَعِ سَماواتٍ وأرَضينَ سَأَلوني جَميعاً فَأَعطَيتُ كُلَّ واحِدٍ مِنهُم مَسأَلَتَهُ ، ما نَقَصَ ذلِكَ مِن مُلكي مِثلَ جَناحِ بَعوضَةٍ ، وكَيفَ يَنقُصُ مُلكٌ أنَا قَيِّمُهُ؟!¹⁹

2135.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Allah revealed unto one of His prophets.....If the people of the seven heavens and worlds were all to request from Me and I was to give each one their request, it would not decrease in My Sovereignty even the amount of the wing of an insect, and how can My Sovereignty decrease and I am its owner. ' ²⁰

2136.الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام : لا تَستَكثِرُوا شَيئاً ممّا تَطلُبُونَ ، فما عِندَ اللَّهِ أكثَرُ مِمّا تُقدِّرونَ .²¹

2136.Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, 'Do not regard anything that you seek from Allah as too much, for verily what is with Allah is much greater than you could comprehend.' ²²

9 - أنْ يكونَ عالي الهِمَّةِ فيما يَطلُبُ‏

9. To Have a High Ambition for What You Seek:

2137.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إذا دَعا أحَدُكُم فَليُعظِمِ الرَّغبَةَ ؛ فَإِنَّهُ لا يَتَعاظَمُ‏²³ عَلَى اللَّهِ شَي‏ءٌ .²⁴

2137.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'If you were to supplicate, amplify the appeal, as there is nothing great that Allah cannot do.' ²⁵

2138.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - في وصيَّتِهِ إلى‏ ابنِهِ الحسنِ عليه السلام - : ولتَكُن مَسألَتُكَ فيما يَعنِيكَ مِمّا يَبقى‏ لَكَ جَمالُهُ ويُنفى‏ عنكَ وبالُهُ ، والمالُ لا يَبقى‏ لك ولا تَبقى‏ لَهُ .²⁶

2138. Imam Ali (AS) in his counsel to his son al-Hasan (AS) said, 'Your request [from Allah] must be for such as will aid you of the things whose beauty and goodness will remain for you and whose evil consequences will not touch you, and wealth will neither remain for you, and nor will you remain for it.' ²⁷

10 - تعميمُ الدُّعاءِ

10. To Supplicate for Everyone:

2139.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : إذا دَعا أحَدٌ فَلْيُعِمَّ فإنّه أوجَبُ للدُّعاءِ ، ومَن قَدَّمَ أربعينَ رَجُلاً مِن إخوانِهِ قَبلَ أن يَدعُوَ لِنفسِهِ استُجِيبَ لَهُ فيهِم وفي نفسِهِ .²⁸

2139.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'When someone supplicates, he should pray for everyone, for it renders his supplication more conducive to being answered, and whoever precedes forty from among his brothers in supplication before supplicating for himself, his supplication for them as well as himself will duly be answered.' ²⁹

11 - الإسرارُ بالدُّعاءِ

11. Supplicating in Secrecy:

2140.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : دَعوةٌ في السِّرِّ تَعدِلُ سبعينَ دَعوةً في العَلَانِيَةِ .³⁰

2140.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'A supplication asked in secret equals seventy supplications asked openly.' ³¹

12 - الاجتماعُ في الدُّعاءِ

12. Supplication in Congregation:

2141.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : ما اجتَمَعَ أربعةُ رَهطٍ قَطُّ على‏ أمرٍ واحدٍ فَدَعَوا اللَّهَ إلّا تَفَرَّقُوا عن إجابَةٍ .³²

2141.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'No sooner do four people congregate to supplicate together for one matter than they depart with an answer.' ³³

13 - حُسنُ الظَّنِّ بِالإِجابَة

13. Being Optimistic about the Answer:

2142.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : اُدْعُوا اللَّهَ وأنتُم مُوقِنونَ بالإجابَةِ .³⁴

2142.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Supplicate to Allah while being convinced that He will answer you.' ³⁵

2143.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : إذا دَعَوْتَ فَظُنَّ أنّ حاجَتَكَ بالبابِ .³⁶

2143.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'When you supplicate, be optimistic that your request has been met.' ³⁷

14 - اختيارُ الأوقاتِ المناسِبَةِ

14. Selecting a Suitable Time:

2144.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام: قالَ رسولُ‏اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله: خيرُ وقتٍ دَعَوتُم اللَّهَ عزّوجلّ فيهِ الأسحارُ ، وتلا هذهِ الآيةَ في قولِ يعقوبَ عليه السلام: (سَوْفَ أسْتَغْفِرُ لَكُمْ رَبِّي)³⁸ و قال : أخَّرَهُم إلى‏ السَّحَرِ .³⁹

2144. Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said : The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'The best time to supplicate to Allah, Mighty and Exalted, is the time before dawn', then he recited the verse which is the saying of Prophet Jacob ⁴⁰ (AS), "I shall plead with my Lord to forgive you" ⁴¹ , then he said, 'He postponed [supplicating for them] till the time before dawn.' ⁴²

2145.الإمامُ الصّادقُ عليه السلام : ثلاثةُ أوقاتٍ لا يُحجَبُ فيها الدُّعاءُ عن اللَّهِ : في أثَرِ المكتوبةِ ، وعند نُزُولِ القَطْرِ ، وظُهورِ آيةٍ معجزةٍ للَّهِ في أرضِهِ .⁴³

2145.Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said, 'There are three times when supplication is not veiled from Allah at all: after completion of an obligatory act, during rainfall, and during the manifestation of a miraculous sign from Allah on the earth [like an eclipse].' ⁴⁴

15 - الإلحاح‏

15. Insistence:

2146.رسولُ اللَّهِ صلى اللَّه عليه وآله : رَحِمَ اللَّهُ عبداً طَلَبَ مِن اللَّهِ عزّوجلّ حاجةً فَألَحَّ في الدُّعاءِ ، اُستُجِيبَ لَهُ أو لم يُستَجَبْ لَهُ .⁴⁵

2146.The Prophet (SAWA) said, 'Allah has mercy on a servant who seeks a need from Him and insists in supplication, whether it is answered or unanswered for him.' ⁴⁶

2147.الإمامُ الباقرُ عليه السلام : واللَّهِ لا يُلِحُّ عبدٌ مُؤمِنٌ علَى اللَّهِ عزّوجلّ في حاجتِهِ إلّا قضاها لَهُ .⁴⁷

2147.Imam al-Baqir (AS) said, 'By Allah, no sooner does a believing servant insist to Allah, Mighty and Exalted, regarding a need than He fulfils it for him.' ⁴⁸