without it—has adopted one of two weak views. For Allah has made the answer dependent upon supplication as an effect depends upon its cause, as in His saying:

“Your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will answer you.’”

The two Sahīh collections report that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“No Muslim calls upon Allah with a supplication involving neither sin nor the severing of family ties but that He grants him one of three things through it: either He hastens the fulfilment of his supplication, stores up an equivalent good for him, or averts an equivalent evil from him.” They said, “O Messenger of Allah, then we shall supplicate abundantly!” He replied, “Allah has still more to give.”

Thus, He made these gifts dependent upon supplication, just as the promised reward and recompense depend upon performing the commanded deed. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb said: “I do not concern myself with the answer; rather, I concern myself with supplication. When I am inspired to supplicate, the answer comes with it.” There are many similar statements.

Moreover, observable reality demonstrates and clarifies this, just as it demonstrates the same relationship in the case of all other causes. Allah, glorified is He, has told us of this in passages such as His saying:

“Noah certainly called upon Us, and how excellent We are at answering!”

And His saying, Most High:

“And the man of the fish, when he went away in anger, thinking that We would not constrain him. Then he called out in the darkness, ‘There is no god but You. Glory be to You! Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.’”

“So We answered him and saved him from distress. And thus do We save the believers.”

And His saying:

“Who is it that answers the distressed when he calls upon Him, removes hardship, and makes you successors on the earth?”

And His words, Most High, concerning Zechariah:

“My Lord, do not leave me childless, though You are the best of inheritors.”

“So We answered him, granted him John, and made his wife fertile for him.”

He also says, Most High:

“When they board a ship, they call upon Allah, devoting their worship sincerely to Him. But when He delivers them safely to land, they immediately associate partners with Him.”

And He says, Most High:

“And among His signs are the ships on the sea, like mountains.”

“If He wills, He stills the wind, leaving them motionless on its surface. Indeed, in that