and shows him mercy, bestowing upon him an answer. Among the proofs is the Almighty’s word: “Call upon your Lord humbly and privately” (Q 7:55).
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Among the etiquettes is to invoke Allah by His magnificent, most beautiful names and by the prophetic supplications that have been transmitted; for He says, “To Allah belong the Most Beautiful Names, so call upon Him by them” (Q 7:180).
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Another is to confess one’s sins.
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To ask with resolve and yearning, with seriousness and exertion.
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To be fully present in heart and to entertain good expectation of Allah.
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To repeat the supplication and persist in it.
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Not to be hasty, saying, “I prayed but was not answered,” as is stated in the two Ṣaḥīḥs in the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah: the Messenger of Allah said, “Each of you will be answered so long as he is not hasty, saying, ‘I prayed but I was not answered.’”
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To watch for blessed times.
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To seize noble circumstances, such as during prostration or when rain is falling.
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To supplicate with the tongue of humility and need, not with the tongue of mere eloquence and fluent speech.