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Virtues of Invocation
Shaykh 'Alee Ibn Abdur Rahman
Al-Hudhayfee [(Dhul-Hijjah 20, 1424 (February 21, 2003)]
All praise is
due to Allaah, Lord of the Worlds. May peace and blessings be upon the
Messenger, his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims!
Know that nothing exists in the Heavens and the earths except by the
decree of Allaah and nothing desirable or detestable happens except by His
Will. He says,
“Verily, We
have created all things with Divine Preordainments. And Our command is but
one as the twinkle of an eye.”
(Al-Qamar
54:49-50)
It is Allaah
who plans and regulates all matters and He is Aware of what is in the
hearts. He says,
“Allaah is He
Who raised the heavens without any pillars that you can see. Then He rose
above the Throne (really in a manner that suits His Majesty). He has
subjected the sun and the moon (to continue going round), each running
(its course) for a term appointed. He manages and regulates all affairs,
He explains the signs in detail that you may believe with certainty in the
meeting with your Lord.”
(Ar-Ra‘d 13:2)
He created
causes for happiness and causes for misery and created impacts for these
causes and nothing influences His Will. Had He willed, He would have
created things for no cause. He says,
“He is the Doer
of whatsoever He intends.”
(Al-Burooj
85:16)
He also says,
“Surely, His is
the creation and the Commandment. Blessed is Allaah, the Lord of the
Worlds.”
(Al-A‘raaf
7:54)
Brethren in
Faith! Supplication is the dearest deed to Allaah. He ordained it upon His
slaves in order to bring them good and avert from them evil. Supplication
is a great cause for attaining blessings and averting evils. The Prophet
said, “Invocation benefits as regards what has happened and what has not.”
Allaah commands
His slaves to supplicate in many verses. He says,
“And your Lord
said: Invoke Me and I will respond to your (invocation). Verily those who
scorn My worship (i.e. do not invoke Me), they will surely enter Hell in
humiliation.”
(Al-Ghaafir
40:60)
The essence of
supplication is to earnestly beseech Allaah for one’s mundane and eternal
needs, for removal of calamities and prevention of evils. It is through
supplication that worship of Allaah can be actualized because it entails
heart’s affinity to Him and sincerity to Him and directing one’s attention
to Him Alone in seeking benefits and preventing harms. It also entails
certainty that Allaah is Most-Gracious, Most-Merciful, the Ever-Living,
the Ever-Generous. His generosity and kindness never end and the treasure
of His blessings is infinite. It is for these great attributes that He is
invoked and called. All that exists in the heavens and the earths
supplicate to Him for their needs. Supplication also comprises showing
one’s complete helplessness and dire need to Him. These great menings are
the real essence of worship. Supplication, therefore, is a great matter
and has great impacts. It is to underline the merit of supplication that
the Messenger of Allaah said, “Supplication is the essence of worship.” He
also said, “Nothing is dearer to Allah than supplication.”
Since
supplication is the essence of worship, it should not then be made except
to Allaah Alone. No prophet, angel, saint or jinnee should be invoked
besides Him. Allaah says,
“And the
mosques are for Allaah (Alone) so invoke not anyone along with Allaah.”
(Al-Jinn 72:18)
But whoever
invokes any creature be it a prophet, an angel, a saint or a grave besides
Allaah, such person has committed an act that makes him an unbeliever.
Allaah says,
“And invoke not
besides Allaah any such that will neither profit you nor harm you, but if
(in case) you did so, you shall certainly be one of the polytheists and
wrong-doers. And if Allaah touches you with harm, there is none who can
remove it but He, and if He intends any good for you, there is none who
can repel His favour. He causes it to reach whomsoever of His slaves He
wills. And He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most-Merciful.”
(Yoonus
10:106-107)
Brethren in
Faith! Muslim is always in need of supplication to achieve the good of
this world and the hereafter and to avert the evil of both. Whoever Allaah
makes supplication easy for, will have a door of blessings opened for him.
He should
therefore hold on to it. Let every Muslim invoke his Lord for every big
and small of his needs. The Prophet said, “Let everyone of you invoke his
Lord for his needs even for a lace of his shoe.” If the Muslim reflects
deeply over every small and big favour he enjoys, he will certainly
realise that, he would not have been capable of getting it or benefit from
it had Allaah not blessed him with it. But, Whoever neglects supplication
has denied himself of a great blessing and he will be afflicted with evils
according to his negligence of this great quality.
Moreover, you
should know, dear Muslim brother that, there is acceptance for every
supplication made, sooner or later. ‘Umar said, “I am not worried about
the acceptance of the supplication, I am only worried about the
supplication itself, for whenever you are blessed with supplication, you
are also blessed with acceptance.” The Messenger of Allaah said, “There is
no Muslim on the earth who supplicates to Allaah with an invocation except
that He gives him what he wants or prevents from him an evil equivalent to
that invocation as long as he does not supplicate for a forbidden thing or
for severance of the bond of kinship.” A man among the people said: “Then
we shall supplicate much.” The Prophet answered: “Then Allaah will give
more.”
(At-Tirmidhee)
Dear Muslim
brother! Always supplicate to Allaah and seek Him for all your needs, for
He is Able to do all things, and whenever He will that something happen,
He creates causes for it or brings it into being with His Will. Also
include Islaam your fellow Muslims and their leaders in your supplication.
Invoke Allaah to help and protect Islaam and Muslims throughout the world
and to disgrace their enemies, most especially in these days that Muslims
are suffering from many calamities and in which they have come to a
situation from which no one is capable of rescuing them except Allaah. Do
this to emulate the Messenger of Allaah whom Allaah commanded thus,
“So know (O
Muhammad!) that none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah and ask
forgiveness for your sin (the sin of) the believing men and women.”
(Muhammad
47:19)
Allaah says,
“Invoke your
Lord with humility and in secret. He likes not the aggressors. And do not
do mischief on the earth after it has been set in order and invoke Him
with fear and hope. Surely, Allaah’s mercy is (ever) near unto the
good-doers.”
(Al-A‘raaf
7:55-56)
Brethren in
Islaam! Fear Allaah by abiding to His commandments and abstaining from all
that He forbids you will be admitted to blissful Paradise and your worldly
affairs will be put in order for you.
Fellow Muslims!
Muslim’s sincere supplication with concentrating heart is the dearest of
all deeds to Allaah. He says,
“And when My
slaves ask you concerning Me, then (answer them): I am indeed, near to
them (by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant
when he calls on Me. So, let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they
may be led aright.”
(Al-Baqarah
2:186)
It is also
recommended that one chooses comprehensive supplications, Aishah narrated
that the Messenger of Allaah used to love comprehensive invocations and
leave out others.
(Abu Dawood)
The Muslim
should also endeavour to memorize the supplications of the Messenger of
Allaah as much as he can for the Prophet has made an invocation for every
situation. It is also recommended that one presents a good deed before
one’s invocation, praise Allaah with some of his Attributes and Names by
which He praised Himself and by which His Prophet praised Him and to
invoke blessings on the Prophet, for an invocation is suspended between
the heaven and the earth until one invokes blessings on him.
One should also
beseech Allaah by His Pure Names and by the Divine Name that suits his
needs, such as His saying,
“My Lord!
Forgive and have mercy, for You are the Best of those who show mercy.”
(Al-Mu’minoon
23:118)
And like His
saying,
“And provide us
with sustenance, for You are the Best of sustainers.”
(Al-Maaidah
5:114)
It is also
recommended that one seeks out for the best time for acceptance of
invocations like the last third of the night, in-between Aadhaan and
Iqaamah, during rainfall, after prayers, when seeing the Kaabah and the
last hour of Yaomul Jum‘ah (i.e. just before the sunset).
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