THE BEST TIMES FOR SUPPLICATION
When the servant combines in his supplication presence of the heart and its being attentive and devoting itself solely to Allaah, sincerely asking Him for the desired matter, doing so at one of the six times when the supplication is more likely to answered – these being:
* The last third of the night.
* At the time of the adhaan.
* Between the adhaan and iqaamah.
* At the ends of the prescribed prayers.
* From the time the Imaam ascends the pulpit to the time the prayer has finished on the day of Jumu’ah.
* The last hour after the prayer Asr.
Alongside this the servant appends to this fear and reverence in the heart, beseeching his Lord in a state of humility and submissiveness. He faces the Qiblah and is in a state of purity, he raises his hands to Allaah and begins by praising and extolling Him, then he invokes peace and blessings upon Muhammad, His servant and Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He precedes mentioning his need by seeking forgiveness from Allaah and then he earnestly and sincerely makes his request as one who is needy and impoverished, supplicating to Him out of hope and fear. He seeks the means of getting close to Him by mentioning His Names and Attributes and making the religion sincerely for Him Alone.
Before making supplication he gives in charity. If all this is done then this supplication will never be rejected especially if the servant employs the supplications that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam informed us would be accepted or if his supplication includes mention of Allaah’s Greatest Name…
{Translators’ notes: the proofs for the above times and recommendations
1) From Abu Hurayrah (RA) that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
“Our Lord, the Blessed and Most High, Descend every night to the lowest heaven when only the last third of the night remains and says:
“who is calling upon Me so that I may respond? Who is seeking My forgiveness so that I may forgive Him.””
[Reported by Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/365 no. 1656]]
2) From Anas (RA) that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
“When the adhaan is proclaimed, the doors to the heaven open and the supplications are answered.”
[Tayaalisee]
3) From Anas (RA) that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
“The supplication made between the adhaan and the iqaamah will not be rejected.”
[Abu Daawood]
4) From Abu Umaamah (RA) that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was asked:
‘When is the supplication most likely to be accepted?’
He replied:
“In the last depth of the night and at the end of the prescribed prayers.”
[At-Tirmidhee]
5) From Abu Musa (RA) that he heard the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saying concerning the hour in which the supplications will be answered on the day of Jumu’ah:
“It is between the time that the imaam sits (on the pulpit) and the time that the prayer is completed.”
[Muslim and Abu Daawood]
Shaykh Alee Hasan said, “This (time) is problematic, however this is not the place to explain it.”
6) From Jaabir (RA) that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
“The day of Jumu’ah has twelve hours, and during one of the hours you will not find a Muslim servant (of Allaah) asking Allaah for something except that He will give it to him. Seek it in the last hour after the prayer of Asr”
[Abu Daawood]
7) Abu Daawood reports the hadeeth of Fudaalah bin Ubaid (RA) that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam heard a man supplicating in prayer. He did not glorify Allaah and neither did he invoke blessings on the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
“He made haste.”
He then called him and said to him or to those around him:
“If any one of you prays, he should commence by glorifying his Lord and praising Him; he should invoke peace and blessings on the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and thereafter he should supplicate Allaah for anything he wishes.”
[An-Nasaa’ee]
8) From Alee (RA) that the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:
“Every supplication is veiled until one has invoked peace and blessings upon the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.”
[ibn Mukhlid in ‘al-Muntaqaa’]
SOME OF THE REASONS FOR SUPPLICATION BEING ANSWERED
Frequently we find the supplications that are answered to be those that combine dire need with the persons sincerely turning to Allaah Alone, or due to a good deed that the person performed before the supplication and Allaah made it to be the reason behind His answering the supplication as a way of showing appreciation, or the person supplicated at a time in which the supplication will be answered etc.
Someone may think that the reason of the supplication being answered lies in the wording of the supplication itself and he takes to this wording only, ignoring the other matters that this supplicator combined when supplicating. This is like a person who takes a medicine at a recommended time and in a recommended way and thereby benefits from it, another person sees this and thinks that taking the medicine on its own suffices to bring about benefit. This is incorrect and in fact this is an area in which many people have erred.
For example a person may supplicate at a time of dire need by the side of a grave and this supplication be answered. Now an ignorant person may see this and think that the reason behind the supplication being answered lay with the grave and not know that the reason actually lay in the person being in dire need and his sincerely resorting to Allaah. If this person, when being in this situation, had supplicated in a house from amongst the houses of Allaah then this would have been better and more beloved to Allaah.
SUPPLICATION IS LIKE A WEAPON
Supplications and seeking refuge are of the level of a weapon. The strength of the weapon lies in the strength of the one wielding it and not merely in its own natural strength. So when the weapon is complete having no defect and the arm wielding it is strong and any obstacles are absent – then the weapon will cause harm to the enemy, and when any of these three matters are absent then the desired effect of the weapon will also be absent. Similarly when the supplication, in and of itself, is corrupt, or the supplicator does not combine his heart with his tongue at the time of supplication, or for some reason there be an obstacle preventing the answer – then the desired outcome will not be achieved.
Say Subhanallah wa bi hamdih, ‘adada khalqihi, wa ridaa nafsihi, wazinata ‘arshihi, wa midaada kalimaatihi’ (Glory and praise be to Allah, as much as the number of His creation, as much as pleases Him, as much as the weight of His Throne and as much as the ink of His words) more than 15 times.
These words bring many more times the reward for other forms of tasbeeh and dhikr, as was reported in sahih hadith from the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam).