Supplication or invocation (duaa) to Allah (to Whom belongs all might and majesty) is part and parcel of worshipping Allah (God Almighty). In whatever problem you find yourself, just resort to Allah in supplication. Allah says in the Holy Quran what can be translated as: "And your Lord says: call on Me; I will answer your prayer. But those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find themselves in Hell - in humiliation." (40:60)

If we only pray to the Lord of the present and the future, He will respond, forgive us, guide us, and make our lives smooth and easy. He will also guide us to solutions for the problems we face. In order to have our supplications and invocations heard and taken into consideration, we have to fulfill some conditions, which act as prerequisites. Following are some of them:

Supplication is divided into two categories, they are: Supplication of praise in which you praise Allah (SWT) according to how He loves to be praised and according to Prophet Muhammad's teachings, and the supplication in which you Ask God Almighty either to give you what you want or to solve your problems. The good news is that if you praise Allah (SWT) in a way that pleases Him, even if you fall short of words to describe what you want from Him, He knows what's in your heart and mind, He will grant it to you.

Sincerity and devotion to Allah: When you raise your hands in supplication to Allah Almighty, your heart and emotions should be engulfed with the feeling that you really need Him yet He doesn't need you. In spite of that, He is able to give you whatever you ask of Him. In your quest for Allah's assistance and unstinted grants, avoid associating partners with Him.

He says in Al-Hadith Al-Qudsi: "I am, self-sustainable and, indeed, independent of the partners they associate with Me. So whoever does an act of worship to please Me and someone else, I will definitely abandon him to those he associates with Me." What a loss! Who can reward and care about you more than Allah - your creator, cherisher and sustainer! Ramadan is the best training course in sincerity to God (Allah.)

Be confident that Allah (SWT) will give you whatever you ask for: It may take time but eventually you will get it. And if you don't get it as you wanted, He will give it to you in another way that will be more beneficial and meritorious. Abu Huraira (RA) narrated that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said what can be translated as: "Whenever one of you supplicates, let him avoid saying, "O Allah, give me such and such if You will.

Rather, he should be firm and confident, and that should make invoke Allah (God Almighty) for big things; for there is nothing so big that Allah can't give His servant." Therefore, you are encouraged to ask of Allah anything that comes to your mind so long as it doesn't go beyond the parameters of the Islamic teachings. Etiquette of supplication in Islam:

(A) Avoid raising your voice whenever you supplicate to Allah (SWT). While we believe that Allah is very close to us, His nearness befits His majesty, grandeur and magnificence. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "Indeed, Allah, the One you pray and supplicate to is closer to every one of you than the neck of his camel." Although God Almighty is closer to us than the necks of our camels or our jugular veins, He is over the heavens and there is nothing above Him.

(B) Don't invoke a curse upon yourself or your wealth or your children in a fit of anger or else. Jaber bin Abdallah (RA) narrated that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said what can be translated as: "Never pray against yourselves nor your wealth nor your children. It may so happen that you supplicate invoking a curse on the aforementioned at a time when Allah directly answers prayers." (Reported by Muslim)

(C) Do not be impatient to get your supplication answered by Allah. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "Your supplications will be answered so long as you are not in hurry and desperate, saying, 'I have invoked my Lord enough but nothing has materialized.'" (Bukhari and Muslim)

(D) Begin with praising Allah (SWT), thank Him for the bounties and blessings He has conferred upon you, then invoke Him to send His peace, mercy and blessings to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), then finally supplicate for what you want.

Courtesy of the TIES Center: the TIES Center aims at empower Kuwait's expats through social and educational services that promote a positive and productive role in society, and to facilitate opportunities for intra- and interfaith interactions that promote social solidarity. For more information, you can contact TIES at Tel: 25231015/6; Hotline: 94079777; e-mail: [email protected].

By Hassan T Bwambale