Salaams!

September 9th: Chapter 11 - The Wisdom Behind A Delayed Response

11. The Du'a Might Actually Have Been Responded To

The hadith where the prophet(saw) guaranteed that a person's du'a will be accepted has already been mentioned. However, the 'acceptance' might be in a manner that is not apparent.

It is possible that Allah will give him the reward of his du'a on the Day of Judgement, and this reward will be more beloved to him on that Day than the response of his du'a in this life.

It is also possible that Allah blesses him with something else that he did not ask for, as a result of his du'a. Lastly it is possible that Allah averts an evil that was predestined for him because of his du'a.

12. The Du'a Might be Weak

Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that there are three possibilities with regards to the du'a and Divine Decree.

Firstly it is possible that the du'a is stronger than the Decree, and thus repels it permanently. Secondly it is possible that the du'a is weaker than the Decree, so the Decree occurs but the du'a causes it to soften a little bit. Thirdly, they be equal in strength, so each one prevents the other from acting.

Therefore, a person should examine whether the du'a is fulfilling the conditions for the acceptance of a du'a. He should see if there are any impediments that prevent his du'a from being answered.

13. The Manifestation of Allah's Names and Attributes

The Ever-Generous, the One that Gives, the All-Wise and many others are all manifested in Allah's Decree, whether a person's du'a is responded to or not.

So when He gives, He gives out of Generosity ,Wisdom and Justice; and when He witholds, He witholds out of Power, Widsom and Justice. So a person should keep the Names and Attributes of Allah in mind when his du'a is not responded to.

14. The Perfection of Worship

Finally, one of the greatest benefits and wisdoms of a delayed response is that it perfects a person's worship and iman of Allah and this is the very purpose of creation!

Some of the ways in which worship is pefected are as follows:

i. Waiting for a Response: When a person eagerly and anxiously awaits a response to his du'a, this necessitates a strong hope in Allah and an optimism of Allah's Mercy and Blessings.

This feeling is in itself, an act of worship, and the longer that the response is delayed, the stronger those feelings become if the person wishes to continue in his du'a/ In this way his iman is strengthened without him even realising it!

ii. Showing One's Need to Allah: The essence of worship is to humble one's self before Allah and realise one's extreme need of Allah's Help and Mercy.

When the response is delayed, this awareness is increased, a person realises that there is no one besides Allah who can respond to his du'a, so his iman increases in this manner. Simultaneous with this realisation comes the awe and meekness that is required in Allah's presence, along with humility and humbleness.

Had every du'a of a person been answered immediately, this would lead to arrogance and cultivate a feeling of self-sufficiency and conceit. It would cause the person to forget the relationship that he should have with Allah, and in fact, might even lead him to think that he has a right upon Allah to answer his prayers.

If a person were to become arrogant, then there would be no hope for him in the Hereafter, for no person will enter Paradise with an ounce of arrogance in his heart.

iii. Pleasure at Allah's Decree

One of the most important pillars of iman is to be content with Allah's Decree. Therefore, the delay in responding to a du'a is one of the opportunities in which a believer must display his contentment at the decree of Allah and not show anger or annoyance.

The one who is pleased with Allah as his Lord, and with the Decrees of Allah in his life, will attain the pleasure of Allah in this world and in the Hereafter, but the one who is displeased and angry, will only attain Allah's displeasure and anger.

iv. Humility in front of Allah

A delay in response is in fact a means to draw out the servant's meekness and humility from the heart. This humility is one of the primary pillars of worship, for 'ibadah is defined as 'the height of humility along with the height of love'.

v. Enjoying a Private Conversation with Allah

Amongst the many benefits of du'a is that it opens up a private channel between the servant and his Lord. So the longer the response is delayed, the stronger and more powerful this relationship becomes. Finally a stage is reached, by a very select and blessed few, in which the pleasures of this communication becomes more pleasing to the soul than the actual response of the du'a would be!

vi. Combating the Plots of Shaytan

Without a doubt, Shaytan stoops to all levels, and tries all plots so that a person will turn away from worship of Allah. And is there any opportunity greater for him to seize than when a servant's du'a is not answered?!

But the true believer, the one who is ever-aware of and cautious of Shaytan's plot, sees the dangers of this situation. Instead of letting it be a cause of him going away from worship of Allah, seizes it as an opportunity to attack Shaytan, and increase in his worship of Allah. He turns to Allah, again and again, for he realises that his only hope for safety is through Allah.

So in this battle between Shaytan and the son of Adam, the weapon is du'a to Allah, and the armour that is worn is seeking refuge in Allah

15. Conclusion

Without a doubt there are far more benefits than can be imagined, but in these few pages, there should be a reminder for the believer and a solace for the muslim.

Furthermore, although the general rule is that the more pious a person is, the greater the chances of his being answered, this is not always the case.

It is possible that a disbeliever, or an evil sinner is responsed to and it is possible that the the du'a of the most pious is not answered(like the prophet(saw)). So just because a person's du'a is not answered, it is not an indication that a person is not pious.

The purpose behind these explanations is such that a person might be comforted and not give up the continuance of du'a.