84 — One of the Etiquettes of Supplication: Not Growing Impatient for an Answer

One of the great etiquettes of supplication is that the supplicant should neither grow impatient nor consider the answer too slow, lest he lose heart, grow weary, abandon supplication, and fall into despair of relief from Allah and lose hope in His mercy. A hadith from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prohibits impatience in supplication and states that it is among the impediments to a supplication being answered and the causes of its nonacceptance. The two Sahīh collections report from Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “A person’s supplication will be answered so long as he does not grow impatient and say, ‘I supplicated, but I was not answered.’”1 In another wording narrated by Muslim: “A servant’s supplication will continue to be answered so long as he does not supplicate for a sin or the severing of kinship, and so long as he does not grow impatient.” It was asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what does growing impatient mean?” He replied: “He says, ‘I have supplicated and supplicated, yet I have seen no answer.’ He then loses heart and abandons supplication.”2

Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “This hadith teaches one of the etiquettes of supplication: a person should persist in asking and never despair of receiving an answer, for this demonstrates submission, surrender, and acknowledgment of one’s utter need. One of the early Muslims even said, ‘I fear being deprived of supplication more than I fear being deprived of an answer.’ ... Al-Dāwūdī said, ‘It is feared that anyone who acts otherwise and says, “I supplicated, but I was not answered,” may be deprived of both the answer and what may take its place—having its reward stored up and sins expiated.’”3.