In Thy name, we live

Episode 22: Al-Mojeeb (The Supreme Answerer)

In the name of Allah[1] (God), The All-Merciful, The Ever-Merciful, all praises be to Allah, Lord of the worlds[2].  All Prayers and Blessings of Allah be upon the Messenger of Allah (SAWS)[3]. 

Before talking about today's name, I would like to remind you all of the precious days we are experiencing. We are facing the last ten days of Ramadan, which are the sweetest days for worshiping Allah (SWT)[4] and the reward is priceless, as you will be saved from Hellfire and your dua’a (supplication) is answered.

This brings us to today's name, which is Al-Mojeeb (The Supreme-Answerer).  Allah says what can be translated as, "And when My bondmen ask you concerning Me, then, surely I am near; I answer the invocation of the invoker when he invokes Me…" (TMQ, 2:186)[5].

This is a special name for these special days we are going through, as the definition of this name is suitable for Ramadan and the last ten days of this month, in particular. Our Prophet (SAWS) told us that when the person who is fasting breaks his fast, he can supplicate to Allah and his dua'a shall not be turned down.  Also, the above mentioned ayah[6] is mentioned right amongst the part that is talking about fasting in the Qur'an.  Also, if you supplicate during the Night of Determination, it will be answered!

You will find that the companions of the Prophet (SAWS) used to prepare special requests for this month and ask Allah to make them come true.  The year would pass and they would find them fulfilled.

Let us look at the definition first, which is very easy. The Supreme-Answerer is the One who answers your call, but the beauty of this name is that He (SWT) is the one who makes you supplicate in the first place, so that He may answer it!

There are a few basic factors when we talk about this name that we have to bear in mind. One is that Allah has never set a fixed time for the dua'a, as it is not restricted by a certain hour during the day or night or for a certain order of priority amongst people. You can even supplicate without opening your mouth just by thinking about your wish while sitting amidst millions of people, without uttering even a single word.

The other thing is that the Prophet said that dua'a is worshiping, as it makes you feel the need for Allah more than any other form of worship, because you are asking Allah for something.  By doing this, you are admitting to all His other most beautiful names, as well as declaring that you are His servant.

Allah wants you to be persistent when you supplicate for something.  This is what the Prophet (SAWS) told us, as it shows that you have no one else to turn to but Him (SWT).  He may even put you in circumstances that force you to supplicate and ask His help and guidance no matter how small or insignificant that request might seem to you.  Even if you lost your car keys, for example, you should supplicate to Allah that he may guide you to find them.

You will find that the name The Supreme-Answerer is mostly linked with being "near" in the Qur'an.  Why is that?  Because he is closer to you than anything you might imagine.  Allah says what can be translated as, "And indeed We already created man, and We know whatever his self whispers within him, and We are nearer to him than the jugular vein." (TMQ, 50:16).  When you think about it, if you want to tell someone about a problem you are facing you need to explain everything, but if you are supplicating to Allah you do not need to explain anything or be ashamed of anything as he knows everything. He is near.

The Prophet (SAWS) mentioned this special relation in many of his ahadeeth[7] and it is repeated in the Qur'an in many ayahs.  Once, a man came to ask the Prophet (SAWS) something; he wanted to know if Allah is near so that he may whisper his dua'a or far away so that he may call out for Him. The Prophet (SAWS) did not answer and that is when the revelation came to him and Allah said what can be translated as, "And when My bondmen ask you concerning Me, then, surely I am near; I answer the invocation of the invoker when he invokes Me…" (TMQ, 2:186).  In the Qur'an, you will find more examples.  Allah says what can be translated as, "And your Lord has said, “Invoke Me and I will respond to you. Surely the ones who wax too proud to do Me worship will soon enter Hell utterly abject.” (TMQ, 40:60).  You will find here that for those who do not supplicate to Allah, He considers them to be too proud.  Why won't you supplicate and humble yourself to Allah (SWT)?

Answering invocations in the Noble Qur’an always comes with situations that seem impossible to us.  For example, when Ibrahim (AS) (Abraham) asked Allah (SWT) to make Makkah, which was completely void of people and any form of life, a secure place for his family and provide them with products, this seemed something very difficult to people at that time.  Nevertheless, Allah answered Ibrahim’s invocation and millions of people around the world come to this place throughout the year!  Similarly, when Zakariya (AS) (Zechariah) asked Allah (SWT) to grant him offspring, Allah (SWT) gave him what he asked for, even though he was very old and his wife was barren.  Similar situations happened with many other prophets who asked Allah for various issues that seemed impossible to be answered, but Allah (SWT) granted them all what they wanted just to reassure people and strenghthen their trust in Allah that He is always there to answer our invocations no matter what they were.

There are also many ordinary people, who were neither prophets nor companions, who have many stories about Allah answering their supplications in issues that seemed impossible to them.  You, yourself, if you try to think back in your life and remember how many times Allah (SWT) answered your supplications, you will find many.  Therefore, trust Allah (SWT) and invoke Him as much as you can, especially during these days. You can supplicate Him in any language you know and be sure that He is always listening to you and will grant you what you want.

You should bear in mind that when Allah (SWT) answers your supplication, Satan always tries to distract you with joy to make you forget that Allah is the The Supreme-Answerer who granted you what you asked for.  He wants to distract you from realizing that what you have received is a result of your supplication; otherwise, you would realize the importance of supplication and become closer and closer to Allah by supplicating more and more.  Satan does not want this to happen.  We should always praise Allah when we get something to remember that Allah is the The Supreme-Answerer and is the only One who answers our supplications.

The Supreme-Answerer likes people to supplicate Him at certain times.  Although He (SWT) is always there for us, there are specific times at which He becomes even closer and answering supplications becomes more guaranteed.  These times are many and some examples are:  in the final third of the night, during prostration in prayers, when breaking fast, in the Night of Determination, between adhan (the call to prayer) and prayer, at the Ka’ba and during tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka’ba), at the Black Stone, when drinking Zamzam water, and on the Day of Arafah.  Also, supplications are answered on Fridays. The exact time at which Allah answers supplications on Fridays have not been pinpointed so that we would supplicate all day long.  However, there has been some agreement on these following times:  just after fajr (dawn) prayer, at sunrise, at the time of Friday prayer, after Friday prayer, between asr (afternoon) and maghrib (sunset) prayers, and finally, at the time of sunset.  Furthermore, when a Muslim invokes for another Muslim in his absence, this invocation is answered as well.

There is a special kind of relationship between you and the The Supreme-Answerer.  After you supplicate Allah, especially if you were very sincere, you will feel very relieved.  This happens even though you still do not know whether Allah will answer your supplication or not. This happenes because you have told Allah (SWT) about all your feelings and all your needs, so you feel very calm and relieved.  Another psychological effect of supplication is that when you ask Allah for something over and over again, your subconscience gets used to the idea and believes in what you are asking for; therefore, you start working harder and harder to get it.  This is why Allah may sometimes delay the answer to your supplication:  to make you work harder and get ready for it.

There are four prerequisites for answering supplications. These are:  being certain that Allah (SWT) will answer your supplication, showing submissiveness during supplication, being patient and not hastening the answer, and gainig lawful means of living.  In addition, there are some etiquettes for supplication.  These are:  raising the hands during supplication, ablution, facing the qiblah[8], beginning the supplication by praising Allah, asking Allah to pray upon His Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), asking Allah using His Most beautiful names, and giving charity after the supplication.  Ibn-al-Qayyem said that he who fulfills the four prerequisites and these etiquettes during supplication should know that Allah will certainly grant him what he has asked for.

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