95 — Among the Etiquettes of Supplication

One of the important guidelines and sublime etiquettes of supplication is that, before making his request, the Muslim should praise his Lord as He deserves, extolling His attributes of majesty and His qualities of greatness and perfection, and mentioning His generosity, bounty, munificence, and immense favors. Indeed, nothing is more fitting for one who asks and seeks than to praise his Lord, laud and glorify Him, mention His blessings and favors, and place all of this before his request as a means to its acceptance and a key to its being answered.

Anyone who reflects upon the supplications transmitted in the Quran and sunnah will find that many of them begin by praising Allah, recounting His blessings and favors, and acknowledging His bounty, generosity, and gifts. One example is the sublime supplication contained in Sūrat al-Fātiha, the greatest and most eminent surah of the Noble Quran, for it encompasses the loftiest requests and the noblest aims. Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyya—may Allah have mercy on him—said:

“For this reason, the most beneficial, sublime, and wise supplication is the supplication in al-Fātiha: ‘Guide us to the straight path—the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not those who have incurred wrath, nor those who have gone astray.’ If He guides a person to this path, He will help him to obey Him and forsake disobedience to Him, and no evil will befall him in this world or the Hereafter.”1 End quote.

Thus, this sublime supplication begins with praise, glorification, and laudation of Allah, which is a cause of its acceptance and a key to its being answered. This is clarified and demonstrated by what Muslim narrated