to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” 1 Thus, among the things incompatible with perfect faith in Him and complete tawhīd (affirmation of His oneness)—Glorified is He—is for a servant to supplicate to Him without being resolute in his request, saying, “O Allah, have mercy on me if You will,” “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” “O Allah, grant me success if You will,” or the like. Such wording suggests that one has no need of Allah and lacks confidence in what He has to give.

In the two Sahih collections, Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—reported that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “None of you should say, ‘O Allah, forgive me if You will; O Allah, have mercy on me if You will.’ Rather, he should be resolute in his request and ask with great desire, for nothing Allah gives is too great for Him.” This is Muslim’s wording.2

Also in the two Sahih collections, Anas ibn Mālik—may Allah be pleased with him—reported that the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “When one of you supplicates, let him supplicate resolutely, and let him not say, ‘O Allah, give me if You will,’ for no one can compel Allah.” 3

The imam and reviver, Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhāb—may Allah have mercy on him—included this hadith in The Book of Tawhid, giving it the chapter heading: “Saying: ‘O Allah, forgive me if You will.’” Through this heading, he—may Allah have mercy on him—points out that failing to supplicate resolutely and making one’s supplication conditional upon Allah’s will are incompatible with the obligatory tawhīd a Muslim should uphold. This is because saying, “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” indicates weak desire and a lack of earnestness in asking, as though the person could do without what he seeks if it is not granted. Whoever is in such a state will not