99 — Supplicating for Muslims

One of the important matters a Muslim should bear in mind when supplicating—and which some scholars have even counted among the proper manners of supplication—is to take care to pray for the Muslims, asking that they be granted success, forgiveness, mercy, and assistance in doing good. Everyone shares the need for these things. There is no doubt that every Muslim wants his Muslim brothers to pray for him, is pleased when they do so, and wishes that they would do so even more. A Muslim loves for his brother the same good that he loves for himself. Just as he desires this for himself, he should therefore show the same concern for his Muslim brothers by wishing them well, praying for them, seeking forgiveness for them, and the like. Whoever treats his Muslim brothers in this way, Allah will appoint from among them those who will pray and seek forgiveness for him. A Muslim benefits from the supplication of his Muslim brother both during his life and after his death.

When a Muslim considers the circumstances of his Muslim brothers, he finds that they vary greatly and that each of them needs the prayers of his brothers. One may be ill, suffering from sickness and enduring its pain. He may have spent many weeks or long months in this condition, perhaps unable to sleep a wink or find any peace of mind because of exhausting pain and distressing aches. He needs his Muslim brothers to pray that Allah will cure his illness, remove his affliction, relieve his anxiety, dispel his distress, and clothe him in the garment of health and well-being.

Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī narrated—and al-Tirmidhī graded it “good”—from Ibn Abbās (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever visits a sick person whose appointed time has not yet come and says