worshippers and righteous people have supplicated earnestly yet received no answer. He—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “The answer is that responses take different forms. Sometimes the exact thing requested is granted immediately; sometimes it is granted only after a delay, for a wise purpose; and sometimes the supplication is answered in a form other than the exact thing requested, when what was requested would bring no immediate benefit, whereas what actually comes to pass brings an immediate benefit or is better still.”1

He—may Allah have mercy on him—also said: “Every supplicant receives an answer, but the form of the answer varies: sometimes he receives exactly what he asked for, and sometimes he receives something in its place.”2 Numerous hadiths convey the meaning he mentioned—may Allah have mercy on him—including the following:

Al-Tirmidhī and al-Hākim narrated—and al-Hāfiz Ibn Hajar graded it authentic—from Ubādah ibn al-Sāmit—may Allah be pleased with him—who traced it back to the Prophet: “No Muslim on earth makes a supplication without Allah granting it to him or averting from him an equivalent evil.”3

Imam Ahmad, al-Bukhārī in al-Adab al-Mufrad, al-Hākim, and others narrated from Abū Saīd al-Khudrī—may Allah be pleased with him—that the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said: “No Muslim makes a supplication containing neither sin nor the severing of family ties without Allah granting him one of three things in return: He either hastens the fulfilment of his supplication, reserves it for him in the Hereafter, or averts from him an equivalent evil.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, then we shall make many supplications.” He replied, “Allah is more generous still.”4