truly manifest the neediness and utter dependence that are the spirit and essence of worship. This indicates his limited awareness of his sins and their evil consequences, his limited knowledge of his Lord’s mercy and of how desperately he needs Him, and his weak certainty in Allah—Mighty and Majestic—and in His answering supplication.

Hence the hadith states, “Let him be resolute in asking.” That is, he should be firm in his request, make his desire sincere, and be certain of a response. When he does so, this demonstrates that he recognizes the immense value of the forgiveness and mercy he seeks, that he is utterly dependent upon and desperately in need of what he asks for, and that he needs Allah and is entirely dependent upon Him, unable to do without His forgiveness and mercy for even the blink of an eye.1

Therefore, when a Muslim supplicates to Allah, he must strive and persist in supplication. He must not say, “If You will,” as though making a reservation. Rather, he should supplicate as one in misery and need, with persistence, sincerity, earnestness, and diligence, while placing complete trust in Allah, eagerly hoping for what He has in store, and thinking well of Him—Glorified is He. Allah—Majestic and Most High—says in the sacred hadith: “I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me.” This was reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim in their two Sahih collections.2

We ask Allah, the Most Generous, to grant us the ability to think well of Him and to place immense trust in what He has in store, and to grant us success in every good that He loves and is pleased with, in this world and the Hereafter.