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Three Ways Allah Grants Prayers

From Republika · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Explainer Sources not specified Context piece
  • Prayer is a fundamental way for humans to communicate with God, as commanded in the Quran (QS Ghafir: 60).
  • Prayer is considered the "weapon of the believer," a means to face life's difficulties and a testament to faith.
  • Allah grants prayers in one of three ways: by granting the request, averting equivalent harm, or storing up equivalent reward for the hereafter.

Prayer serves as the essential channel through which individuals communicate with their Creator, a practice explicitly encouraged by God. The Quran states, "And your Lord says, 'Call to Me; I will respond to you.' Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell in humiliation" (QS Ghafir: 60).

And your Lord says, 'Call to Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell in humiliation.'

— Quran (QS Ghafir: 60)Commanding believers to pray and outlining the consequences of arrogance towards worship.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described prayer as the "weapon of the believer," signifying its importance as a tool for the faithful to navigate life's challenges. This highlights prayer not just as a request, but as a fundamental aspect of faith and reliance on divine support. Believers are urged not to despair in their hopes, recognizing God's boundless mercy and provision.

Prayer is the weapon of the believer.

— Prophet Muhammad SAWDescribing the significance of prayer as a tool for facing difficulties.

According to Islamic teachings, every prayer offered by a Muslim is answered, though not always in the way one might expect. Imam Nawawi, in his book "Al-Adhkaar," relays a hadith where the Prophet Muhammad stated that God grants a supplicant one of three outcomes for their prayer: the fulfillment of the request, the prevention of a misfortune equivalent to the prayer's value, or the accumulation of equivalent reward for the afterlife, provided the prayer does not involve sin or severing ties of kinship.

Not a Muslim prays to Allah with one prayer, but Allah grants it to him, or Allah averts from him the evil that is equivalent to it, as long as he does not pray for sin or cutting off the ties of kinship.

— Prophet Muhammad SAWExplaining the three ways God answers prayers, as related by Imam Nawawi.

This understanding encourages believers to pray abundantly, as "Allah gives more (than what you ask for)," as mentioned in a hadith narrated by Tirmidhi. Another narration by Al-Hakim adds that God "stores up for him (the one who prays) a reward equivalent to the prayer." For prayers to be accepted, certain conditions must be met, including consuming lawful sustenance and adhering to proper etiquette, such as using the Arabic language found in the Quran and Hadith.

Allah gives more (than what you ask for).

— Prophet Muhammad SAWEncouraging abundant prayer, highlighting God's generosity.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Republika in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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