Hearing one person does not distract Him, glorified is He, from hearing another. Requests do not confuse Him, nor does He grow weary of persistent supplication. Rather, He loves those who call upon Him and implore Him, and He detests those who do not call upon Him. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Allah becomes angry with whoever does not ask Him.”
The Most High says:
“Your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will answer you. Indeed, those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, humiliated.’”
And He, the Most High, exalted is He, says:
“When My servants ask you about Me, I am indeed near. I answer the supplicant’s call when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided.”
Some of the Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, is our Lord near, so that we may address Him quietly, or distant, so that we should call out to Him?” Allah then revealed this verse.
He, glorified and exalted is He, is unlike created beings, to whom requests are conveyed through barriers. Rather, in an authentic hadith, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“Allah says, ‘I have divided the prayer into two halves between Myself and My servant: half is for Me and half is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’ When the servant says, ‘All praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says, ‘The Most Merciful, the Ever-Merciful,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has extolled Me.’ When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgment,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has glorified Me.’
“When he says, ‘You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help,’ Allah says, ‘This verse is divided into two halves between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’ When he says, ‘Guide us to the straight path—the path of those You have blessed, not those who have incurred Your anger, nor those who have gone astray,’ He says, ‘These verses are for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’”