The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 95
III - Concept of the Acceptance of Prayer in Islām 95 you desire to gain salvation from an affliction, or desire beneficence, continue praying in any case. Verily, the mercy of God is nigh unto those who do good. ” 1 Furthermore, the Holy Prophet sa states in a Ḥadīth: ِ اِن َّ اللّٰه َ حَیِی ٌّ كَرِیْم ٌ یَسْتَحْیِی ْ اِذَا رَفَع َ الرَّجُل ُ اِلَیْه ِ یَدَیْه ِ اَن ْ یَّرُدَّھُمَا صِفْرا ً خَائِبَتَيْن “O Ye Muslims! Verily your Lord is a shy and forgiving master. When someone spreads his hands to pray before Him, He feels embarrassed to send him back empty handed. ” 2 O Allāh! How magnificent is this ravishment! The Prayers of the Disbelievers However, conversely, in relation to the prayers of the disbelievers He states: ٍ ض َاَلَل َّ فِي اَل ِ ُ الْكَافِرِينَ إ ء دُعَا وَمَا “No doubt, God listens to the prayers of His servants, but do not think that every prayer made by every individual is accepted. Rather, it is the law of God, that the prayers of the ungrateful or the infidels which they put forth against the virtuous are not accepted. Instead, they go in vain and are wasted. ” 3 God does not Accept a Prayer in Contradiction to His own Promise or Custom At another instance He states: ً اَل تَجِدَ لِسُنَّةِ اهللِ تَبْد ِي وَلَن. . . َ َ اَلَ تُخْلِفُ الْمِيعَاد اِنَّك “Allāh the Exalted never acts in contradiction to His own promise 4. . . Never thou wilt find a change in the way of God. ” 5 1 Al-A‘rāf (7:56-57) 2 Sunanut-Tirmidhī, Kitābud-Da‘awāt, Bāb 104 & 118, Ḥadīth No 3556 3 Ar-Ra‘d (13:15) 4 Āl-e-‘Imrān (3:10) 5 Al-Aḥzāb (33:63)