“Indeed, half of the people are enemies to the one … who has been entrusted with judgment—this, even when he rules with equity.”

Another benefit of this hadith is that the person who has been wronged is allowed to call down upon his oppressor the very harm that was done to him, just as Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ, may Allah be pleased with him, uttered those three petitions against the man who had wronged him. A further benefit is that Allah answers the supplication of the oppressed. For that reason the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—said to Muʿādh ibn Jabal, when he dispatched him to Yemen and instructed him to collect zakat from their wealth, “Beware of taking their choicest property and fear the prayer of the oppressed, for between it and Allah there is no barrier.”

Thus Allah grants the plea of the wronged person even if he is a disbeliever. Should an unbeliever be oppressed and invoke Allah against the one who wronged him, Allah would answer him, because He is the Supreme Judge, perfectly just, Who secures fairness for every victim—even if that victim is a disbeliever. How much more, then, when the oppressed person is a Muslim!

Yet another lesson in this report is the permissibility of attaching a proviso to one’s supplication. When someone prays against another, he may qualify it, saying, “O Allah, if he has done such-and-such, then deal with him accordingly. O Allah, if he has wronged me, grant me justice from him or afflict him with such-and-such.” One should invoke only the like of what was perpetrated against him.

The conditional form of supplication is affirmed in the Quran, where He, exalted is He, says: “Those who accuse their own wives and have no witnesses except themselves—each shall testify four times by Allah that he is indeed telling the truth, and the fifth time that the curse of Allah be upon him if he is lying. It will avert the punishment from her if she swears four times by Allah that he is the liar, and a fifth time that the wrath of Allah be upon her if he is telling the truth.”