As for the words of Abraham, peace be upon him:

“Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication.”

What is meant here is hearing in its special sense: hearing with acceptance and response, not hearing in its general sense, for He hears everything that can be heard. Accordingly, invocation here includes both invocation through worship and invocation through petition. The Lord Most High’s hearing consists in His rewarding praise and answering requests. He hears both.

As for the words of Zechariah, peace be upon him:

“Never, my Lord, have I been disappointed in my supplication to You.”

It has been said that this refers to invocation through petition, meaning: You have always answered me and have never disappointed me through rejection or deprivation. He thus seeks to draw near to Him, glorified and exalted is He, by invoking His previous answers and kindness. This meaning is evident here.

As for the Most High’s saying:

“Say, ‘Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful.’”

The verse continues. The well-known interpretation is that this refers to invocation through petition, which was the occasion of the verse’s revelation. They said: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would invoke his Lord, sometimes saying, “O Allah,” and sometimes, “O Most Merciful.” The polytheists therefore thought that he was invoking two gods, so Allah revealed this verse.

As for His saying:

“Indeed, we used to invoke Him before. He is indeed the Most Kind, the Most Merciful.”

This is invocation through worship, which includes pursuing His path in hope and fear. It means: We used to devote our worship sincerely to Him. It was through this that they merited Allah’s protection from the torment of the scorching wind, not merely through asking, which is common to both those who are saved and others; for He, glorified is He, is petitioned by those in the heavens