to make the Qur’an the springtime of my heart, the light of my breast, the remover of my grief, and the dispeller of my anxiety,’—no one recites this but that Allah removes his worry and sorrow and, in their place, grants relief. 1

Another example is found in his prayers for protection, in which he said, ‘O Allah, I seek refuge in Your might—there is no god but You—from being led astray…’ 2

Among them as well is the report of Anas—may Allah be pleased with him—that whenever something weighed heavily upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) he would say, ‘O Ever-Living, O Self-Subsisting, by Your mercy I plead for help.’ 4 3

These hadiths and those like them establish the legitimacy of using one of Allah’s names or attributes as a means of drawing near to Him, a practice that He loves and approves of. For that reason the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) employed it, and Allah, exalted is He, has said: ‘So whatever the Messenger gives you, take it.’ 5 Hence it is prescribed for us to call upon Him with the very supplications by which His Messenger called upon Him; this is a thousand times better than prayers we devise on our own or formulas we invent.