Fifty-First Principle: Every passage in the Quran that commands people to supplicate, forbids supplicating anyone other than Allah, or praises those who supplicate, covers both the supplication of entreaty and the supplication of worship.

This is a beneficial principle, for most people, when the words duʿāʾ or daʿwa come to mind, think only of the supplication of entreaty and do not realize that all acts of worship are likewise included under duʿāʾ.

The proof of its comprehensive scope is Allah’s statement: “And your Lord has said, ‘Call upon Me; I will answer you’” (Ghafir 40:60)—that is, I will grant your requests and accept your deeds. He then says, “Indeed, those who wax arrogant about worshipping Me will enter Hell in humiliation” (Ghafir 40:60). Thus He termed duʿāʾ “worship,” because the one who makes the supplication of entreaty seeks his need with the tongue of speech, whereas the worshipper seeks from his Lord acceptance, reward, and forgiveness of his sins with the tongue of his condition.

Were you to ask any believing worshipper, “What is your aim in praying, fasting, performing the pilgrimage, and discharging the rights of Allah and of His creatures?”, the believer’s heart—before his tongue—would answer: “My aim is my Lord’s good pleasure, the attainment of His reward, and safety from His punishment.” For this reason intention is a prerequisite for the validity of deeds, their acceptance, and their bearing good fruit in this world and the next.

Allah says: “So call upon Allah, devoting the religion sincerely to Him” (Ghafir 40:14). Here He substitutes the word dīn (religion) for ʿibāda (worship), a pattern that recurs often in the Quran, indicating that duʿāʾ is the heart of the religion and the very spirit of worship.

The verse therefore means: “Devote yourselves to Him alone when you ask for your needs, and devote yourselves to Him alone in works of righteousness and obedience.”

At times the context limits the matter to the supplication of entreaty, as in His saying: “So he called upon his Lord, ‘I am overpowered, so help me’” (al-Qamar 54:10).

As for His words: “When harm touches a human being, he calls upon Us while lying on his side, sitting, or standing…” (Yunus 10:12), this verse encompasses both forms of supplication: the tongue persists in imploring for relief from hardship—this is the supplication of entreaty—while the heart, in that very state, is hopeful, desirous, and detached from all save Allah—this is the supplication of worship.