Every morning for Fajr, after salah, I make duaa. I pray for my husband and children, and those who have asked me for prayers.
And I ask Allah for forgiveness of my sins. I am grateful for all the things He has given me in life. He has always answered my prayers and has been there with me through difficult times.
Al-Mujeeb
One of Allah’s 99 names mentioned in the Quran is Al-Mujeeb. Al-Mujeeb means the one who responds. The root of this name is mentioned in the Quran 43 times.
Al-Mujeeb gives us hope and makes us feel we are not alone. We should seek refuge in Allah. He also answers non-believers who turn to Him in despair. And He answers those who show deep sincerity and faith.
If our prayers are not answered in this life, they are not lost on the Day of Judgment. Al-Mujeeb is proof of Allah’s existence. He answers those who have complete conviction of faith.
“Indeed, my Lord is near and responsive and the best of responders” (11:61)
He sees and hears everything, and He has supreme reasoning. He may not answer our prayers right away. What we think we need may be bad for us on the long run. Allah wants what is best for us, so never stop asking Him for what is beneficial.
Whoever prays to Allah, his prayers are heard, and not lost. Sometimes we may lose faith and stop praying when we do not get what we want. We should have gratitude for what Allah has given us. He knows what is best. You should ask for what you want now and in the Hereafter.
He gives us so much more than we deserve. Allah loves those who pray for forgiveness. He says in a Hadith Qudsi:
“Oh, My servants, were the first of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place, and a request of me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that it would not decrease what I have, any that a needle decreases the sea if you put it into it” (Sahih Muslim)
A Mother’s Responsibility
A mother prays for her children to do well in life, but she knows that her children must take responsibility and make the effort to get good grades.
She also prays for their happiness, but she has to take responsibility to teach them to trust in Allah, and follow the commandments of Allah, so they don’t pay the consequences of wrong decisions in life.
Our children are not all equal. We should pray for them the best that they can be in any circumstances.
“Allah will not change a condition of a people, until they change a condition that is in themselves” (13:11)
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said to one of his companions:
“Tie your camel to a tree and have trust in Allah” (Tirmidhi)
Sometimes we don’t understand the wisdom in the case of illness, or the death of a loved one, or severe calamity. But Allah has reasons, which are beyond our own limited reasoning.
Allah gives blessings to those who suffer, and Allah gives us the strength to deal with these hardships. Even if it seems He is not listening and our prayers seem unanswered, our prayers are in fact always answered.
There is the story of Al-Khidr in the Quran, who teaches Moses about ultimate wisdom and reasoning. Sometimes it could take even beyond our lifetimes for a prayer to be answered.
Allah’s Prophets
Allah’s Prophets, peace be upon them, prayed for themselves as well. Prophet Yunus prayed for being rescued from the belly of a whale. (Quran, 21:87).
Allah answered the prayers of Prophet Job when he was tested and survived afflictions and then had a much better life than before. (Quran, 21: 83-84)
Prophet Noah was in great distress to build the arc, saving him and his followers (Quran, 37:75).
So all the Prophets called on Allah. When our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was escaping from Makkah to Madinah, he hid in a cave with Abu Bakr. Allah saved them by covering the cave with a spider web, and a nest of doves.
Our beloved Prophet prayed when Allah did not answer him for months and later answered him with Surat Al-Duha.
He delivered Jesus, peace be upon him, up to heaven to avoid death, so he would not fall in the hands of his enemies. There are so many more examples in the Quran and in our own lives, where prayers have been answered.
Peace of Mind
Allah responds and gives you great peace of mind when you pray. This gives you much better mental and physical health, to give you the strength to do any endeavor you want to do in life.
In my own life, Allah has always been there through many situations, and He has given me so much to be grateful for, even for the things that I did not ask for… We should be thankful for what He gives us.
The fact that we have a place to live, and sleep, and food on the table, and that everyone is safe and sound, when others are not.
Sometimes Allah will test us. He may not answer the prayers we pray right away, but if we look around at our lives, He gives us much more than we need.
That is why I trust and believe in Al-Mujeeb.