Khutbah 3Salaf-us-Salih HomepageSUPPLICATIONS AND IT BENEFITSSh. Haatim - 9th Rabi Al Aakhir 1416Dear Brothers and Sister! Know that supplication is the greatestkind of worship. The Prophet Sallallaahu' Alayhi Wasallam said,'Supplication is worshipping.' Then he read in S. Ghaafir: (40:60)And your Rabb said: "Invoke Me, i.e. ask Me for anythingand I will respond to your invocations. Verily! Those who scornMy worship by not invocating Me and do not believe in My Oneness,they will surely enter Hell in humiliation."Allah Ta'aala ordered us to supplicate to Him in a lot of Versesin the Qur'an, and He promised to reward us accordingly. He praisedHis Prophets when He said in S. Al Anbiyaa: (21:90)"....Verily! They used to hasten on to do good deeds, andthey used call on Us with hope and fear, and used to humble themselvesbefore Us."Allah Ta'aala also told us that He is near us and He respondsto our supplications. In S. Al Baqarah Allah says to His Prophet,Sallallaahu' Alayhi Wasallam: (2:186)"And when My slave O Muhammad, Sallallaahu' Alayhi Wasallam,asks concerning Me, then answer them, I am indeed near to themby My knowledge. I respond to the invocations of the supplicantwhen he calls on Me, without any mediator or intercessor. So letthem obey Me and believe in Me, so they may be led aright."Allah Ta'aala ordered us to supplicate to Him especially whenwe are in distress or hardship, and He said that He is the OnlyOne Who responds to the distressed one who is suffering and Hewill relieve him. In S. An Naml Allah says: (27:62)"Is He not better than your gods, Who responds to the distressedone, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes youinheritors of the earth?"Allah Ta'aala criticised the ones who does not supplicate to Himwhen hardship befalls him. He says in S. Al A'raaf: (7:94)"And We sent no Prophet unto any town and they denied him,but We seized its people with suffering from extreme poverty orloss of wealth, and loss of health and calamities, so that theymight humiliate themselves and repent to Allah."This is because Allah is Merciful even though He is independentof His creation. He orders them to invoke Him, because they arein need. Allah says in S. Faatir: (35:15)"O Mankind! It is you who stand in need of Allah, but Allahis Rich - Free of all wants and needs, Worthy of all praise."In Hadeeth Qudsi Allah says: "O My servants, all of you areastray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Meand I shall guide you. O My servants! All of you are hungry exceptfor those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you.O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed,so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants yousin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgivenessand I shall forgive you."Dear Brothers and Sisters! Know, that in order for Allah to respondto your supplications, (you should consider that) there are conditionsfor you to follow. Allah promises to respond to our supplicationsand He will not break His promise, but there is some things whichwill hinder your supplications from being answered. Some of thesehindrances are:1. Disobeying some of Allah's orders, by committing the Haraam.By doing this, it will take you further away from Allah, and ifyou ask Allah, then He will not respond. The Prophet Sallallaahu'Alayhi Wasallam said, "Remember Allah in good times, andHe will remember you in the bad times." By fearing and obeyingAllah in the good times, Allah will relieve you when you are suffering."Now, there are many examples regarding this issue, but for thesake of the time factor, I will only mention the story of Yoonus'Alayhi Salaam. Allah says in S. As Saffaat: (37:143-144)"Had he not been of them who glorify Allah. He would haveindeed remained in the belly of the fish till the Day of Resurrection."2. Eating, drinking and wearing the Haraam. A Hadeeth describedsomeone who eats, drinks and wears the Haraam, and then he raiseshis hands and says, 'O Allah! O Allah!' How can Allahrespond to such a person. In comparison in another Hadeeth itmentions  that by eating the Halaal, Allah will respond to yoursupplications.3. Not being sincere in your supplication. Allah says in S. Ghaafir:(40:14) So, call you, O Muhammad, Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wasallam,and the believers upon Allah, making your worship pure for HimAlone and by doing religious deeds sincerely for Allah's sakeonly and not to show off and not to set up rivals with Him inworship.4. To make supplication while your heart shows negligence. Thereis a Hadeeth that mentions that, Allah does not accept the supplicationfrom a negligent heart.5. Enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong. A Hadeeth mentionsthat the Prophet Sallallaahu' Alayhi Wasallam orders us to enjointhe right and forbid the wrong otherwise Allah will send a punishment,and if you supplicate, there will be no response.Imam Ibn Al Qayyim said, 'Supplication is one of the strongestreasons in repelling trouble or misfortune, and obtaining therequired. Its effect may be retarded either because of its weakness,because it is a supplication disliked by Allah due to it beingharmful to believers, or because of his negligent heart, his desertionof Allah and his haste in performing it.'Imam Ibn Al Qayyim also said that supplication is one of the mostbeneficial treatments for curing diseases to the body. It is theenemy of misfortune and it is the believers' weapon as it is narratedby Al Haakim from a Hadeeth by 'Alee ibn Abee Taalib, Radiya Allahu'Anhu, that the Prophet, Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wasallam said, "Supplicationis the believers weapon, the pillar of the religion and the lightin the heavens and the earth."So fear Allah, dear beloved Brothers and Sisters, and insist uponrepeating your supplication to your Rabb. In Hadeeth narratedby Aa'isha, Radiya Allahu 'Anha, it says that indeed Allah lovesthe believer who insists in his/her supplication.My dear Brothers and Sisters, the supplication is one of the greatestforms of worship, because, it indicates humbleness and modesty,to have a soft heart, to have the desire of what Allah has tooffer, the fear of the Most High and testifying your deficiencyand need of Allah. Desertion of supplications indicates prideand arrogance and hardens the heart as it is a protest againstAllah and a reason for entering the Hell-fire. Allah Most Highsays in S. Ghaafir: (40:60)"And your Rabb said: 'Invoke Me, i.e. ask Me for anythingand I will respond to your invocations. Verily! Those who scornMy worship by not invocating Me and do not believe in My Oneness,they will surely enter Hell in humiliation." (40:60)As the supplication is a reason for entering Paradise, Allah saysin S. At Toor: (52:25-28) "And some of them draw near toothers, questioning, saying: 'Aforetime, we were afraid withour families from the punishment of Allah. But Allah has beengracious to us, and has saved us from the Torment of the Fire.Verily! We used to invoke Him before. Verily! He is 'Al Barr'- the Most Subtle, Kind, Courteous and Generous - the Most Merciful.'"Brothers and Sisters, increase your supplication to Allah andbe sincere in your religion. Allah Most High Says in S. Al A'raaf:(7:55-56)"Invoke your Rabb with humility and in secret. He likes notthe aggressors. And do not mischief on the earth, after it hasbeen set in order, and invoke him with fear and hope. Surely Allah'smercy is ever near unto the good-doers."In the second Khutbah the noble Sheikh said:My dear Brothers and Sisters, there are reasons, that if a servantcomplies with it, then his supplications would be fulfilled. ImamIbn Al Qayyim gives it as such:  Your heart must accompany yoursupplication, it must concentrate on what you wished for and itshould co-coincide with the six times of acceptance during eachday. The times of acceptance are: 1. The final third of the night.2. Near or at the Adhaan.3. Between the Adhaan and the Iqaamat.4. After the five obligatory prayers.5. When the Imam walks up to the Mimbar on Friday Jumu'ah prayerstill the prayer ends.6. The final hour of Asr Salaah on a Friday.When you supplicate, fear Allah, be submissive, humble and sincere.You should face the Qibla and be in a state of Tahaara. Raiseyour hands, and start by praising and complimenting Allah. Thensend Salaat and Salaams on the Prophet, Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wasallam,and repent by asking forgiveness and insist on the subject wishedfor. Supplicate with interest and fear implore by using His Namesand Attributes. This supplication could never be refused especiallyif some of the Prophet's supplications are used or the supplicationcontains the greatest name of Allah.My dear Brothers and Sisters, the supplication relieves the sorrow,succours the grief, brings victory over enemies. So Increase yoursupplications for yourselves and fellow Muslims. Know that thewsupplication of the oppressed is answerable. So beware of oppression.The Prophet Sallallaahu 'Alayhi Wasallam said, 'Beware ofthe supplication of the oppressed, since there is no barrier betweenit and Allah.'