The very fact that one is able to raise his hand to Allah and pray to Him means that he has been allowed through divine succour to supplicate to Allah, and "Allah would never open the door of request for anyone only to hold back the door of response."[1] However, in order for our supplication to be more conducive to being answered, we need to observe the etiquette of supplication. In the following paragraphs, we have cited some of the most important ones:
1. Initiating the prayer with the name of Allah: The Prophet (sawa) said,
"A supplication that is preceded by 'In the Name of Allah, the all-Beneficent, the all-Merciful' will not be rejected."[2]
2. Praising Allah: The Prophet (sawa) said,
"Verily, every supplication that is not preceded by praise [of Allah] is incomplete."[3]
3. Invoking blessings on the Prophet (sawa) and his Family: Imam al-Sadiq (as) said,
"A supplication remains veiled until the supplicant sends blessings on Muhammad and his household."[4]
4. Confession to our sins: After we praise Allah, we should confess to our sins and acknowledge the fact that, no matter how much we try, we always fall short of fulfilling the rights of Allah. Doing so makes us more beloved to Allah and renders our prayers more likely to be answered. Imam al-Sadiq (as) said,
"[In supplication] praise Allah, then acknowledge your sins, then ask your request."[5]
Imam Ali (as) said,
"A sinner who confesses to his sin is better than an obedient man who brags about his deed."[6]
5. Supplicating for others: Another factor which is very effective in the fulfillment of our prayer is to precede our supplication with praying for others. The Prophet (sawa) said,
"When someone supplicates, he should pray for everyone, for it renders his supplication more conducive to being answered."[7]
Imam al-Sadiq (as) said,
"A believer's prayer for another believer repels calamities from him and yields abundant sustenance."[8]
6. Being Optimistic about the Answer: The Prophet (sawa) said,
"Supplicate to Allah while being convinced that He will answer you."[9]
7. Insistence in one's prayer: The Prophet (sawa) said,
"May Allah have mercy on a servant who seeks a need from Him and insists in supplication, whether it is answered or unanswered for him."[10]
Imam al-Baqir (as) said,
"By Allah, no sooner does a believing servant insist to Allah, Mighty and Exalted, regarding a need than He fulfils it for him."[11]
8. Not Regarding One's Own Request as Too Much: Imam al-Baqir (as) said,
"Do not regard anything that you seek from Allah as too much, for verily what is with Allah is much greater than you could comprehend."[12]
9. Humbleness before Allah: Imam Ali (as) said,
"The best aid for supplication is humility [before Allah]."[13]
10. Lawful Earning: The Prophet (sawa) said,
"Verily, a servant raises his hands to Allah [in supplication] while his food is unlawful! So how can his supplication be answered while he is in this state?!"[14]
11. Presence of the Heart: The Prophet (sawa) said,
"Know that Allah does not answer supplication from a heedless and distracted heart."[15]
12. Exerting Effort: There is no doubt that supplication is the key to granting of our requests. However, we must never forget that our supplication has to be accompanied by effort on our part. Imam Ali al-Riza (as) said,
"One who asks Allah for success but does not exert any efforts himself, has in fact ridiculed himself."[16]
References:
1. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 78, p. 113, no. 7.
2. Al-Daawat, p. 52, no. 131.
3. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, p. 317, no. 21.
4. Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 491, no. 1.
5. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, p. 318, no. 23.
6. Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 6334.
7. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, p. 313, no. 17.
8. Mizan al-Hikmah, vol. 3, p. 281.
9. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, p. 305, no. 1.
10. Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 475, no. 6.
11. Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 475, no. 7.
12. Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 2, p. 97, no. 2275.
13. Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9945.
14. Irshad al-Qulub, no. 149.
15. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, p. 321, no. 3116.
16. Mizan al-Hikma, no. 2790.
One of the greatest favours of Allah upon us is that He has allowed us to speak to Him, pray to Him and ask Him for our needs and has also guaranteed the fulfillment of our requests, provided that we meet the conditions set for the acceptance of our prayers.