59 — The Servant’s Utter Dependence upon Allah and Need to Supplicate Him

Among the virtues of supplication and the indications of its great importance is that Allah—exalted is He—loves His servants to supplicate Him, even though He has absolutely no need of them, and He has promised to answer those of His servants who call upon Him. He says:

“Your Lord has said, ‘Call upon Me, and I will answer you. Surely those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell in utter humiliation.’”1

This is part of Allah’s gracious kindness to His servants and His immense generosity and beneficence toward them. He never disappoints a servant who calls upon Him, nor turns away a believer who communes privately with Him. Allah Most High says in the sacred hadith:

“O My servants, all of you are astray except those whom I guide, so ask Me for guidance and I shall guide you. O My servants, all of you are hungry except those whom I feed, so ask Me for food and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are unclothed except those whom I clothe, so ask Me for clothing and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you commit sins by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek My forgiveness and I shall forgive you…”

He also says in it:

“O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, the human beings among you and the jinn among you, were all to stand together on a single plain and ask of Me, and I were to give each one what he asked, that would diminish what I possess no more than a needle diminishes the sea when dipped into it.”

Muslim narrated this as part of a lengthy hadith from Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him).2

This hadith indicates that Allah loves His servants to ask Him for everything they need for the good of their religion and worldly lives—including food, drink, clothing, and other such things—just as they ask Him for