87 — Some Etiquettes of Supplication

Among the important etiquettes of supplication and the great causes of its acceptance is that the servant first repent to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, for all his sins and misdeeds. He should acknowledge his sin, admit his shortcomings, and regret his negligence. Indeed, accumulated sins and mounting transgressions are among the causes that prevent a supplication from being answered. As one of the early Muslims said, “Do not grow impatient for an answer when you have blocked all the paths to it with sins.” Someone expressed this meaning in two lines of verse:

We call upon God whenever hardship strikes,
Then forget Him once the hardship is relieved.
How can we hope that our prayer will be answered
When we have blocked its path with sins?

We previously discussed the hadith in which the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) mentioned a man who had traveled far, disheveled and dusty, stretching his hands toward heaven and crying, “O Lord! O Lord!” Yet his food was unlawful, his clothing was unlawful, and he had been nourished with what was unlawful—so how could his supplication be answered? The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) thus indicated how unlikely it was that the supplication of someone in such a condition would be answered. “Committing prohibited acts may also prevent a supplication from being answered, as may neglecting obligatory duties.”1

Therefore, whoever wishes Allah to answer his supplication and fulfill his hope must sincerely repent to Allah for his sins and misdeeds. No sin is too great for Allah, Glorious and Exalted, to forgive, and no request made of Him is too great for Him to grant. Allah’s prophets and messengers would encourage and urge their peoples to repent and seek forgiveness, explaining to them