How many a servant has offered a supplication that is unlawful, only to have his request granted—yet that very answer became the cause of his ruin in this world and the Hereafter. Sometimes the harm lies in what is being sought, as was the case with Balaam, with Thaʿlabah, and with multitudes who asked for certain things, received them, and thereby courted their own destruction.

At other times the fault lies in the manner of the request, for Allah the Exalted says:

“Call upon your Lord with humility and in private; indeed, He does not love the transgressors.” (al-Aʿrāf 7:55)

He, glorified be He, does not love those who transgress either in the quality of their supplication or in the object of their petition, even though the need itself may be satisfied. Some people address Allah with entreaties that display boldness toward Him and aggression against His limits; He may still grant their plea as a trial and in accordance with His will—indeed, with something even more severe.

Consider sorcery, talismans, the evil eye, and the like—forces that do affect the world by Allah’s permission and through which many personal aims are achieved. Yet Allah, exalted is He, has said:

“They certainly knew that whoever purchased it would have no share in the Hereafter, and wretched indeed was that for which they sold themselves, if only they knew. And had they believed and been mindful of Allah, a reward from Allah would have been far better, if only they knew.” (al-Baqarah 2:102–103)

They admit that such practices avail nothing in the Hereafter and that their practitioner will be a loser there; they cling to them solely for some worldly gain. Allah Most High also says:

“They learn what harms them and does not benefit them.” (al-Baqarah 2:102)

Likewise, there are various categories of petitioners who offer forbidden supplications, and with them