How Can We Understand the Narration That Says, “Three Whose Supplications Are Never Rejected”?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
Why does the hadith say that there are three whose duas are “never rejected”? Isn’t the phrase “never rejected” contradictory to the reality that Allah always responds to duas with conditions? It has an impact on my Iman. Please assist.
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
In a general sense, Allah (Most High) has made it such that He responds to all supplications with the following conditions:
- That the supplication be to Him, not to any of the creation;
- That they be coupled with a present heart; and
- That the person consumes permissible food/drink.
Other conditions may branch off of these, but these are the core conditions.
Never Rejected
With that said, the narrations in which Allah (Most High) says that supplications are never rejected may be understood in the context of Arabic usage.
The Arabic language is very vast. One must allow their understanding to more than merely the outward wording of the Arabic, and especially not to translation.
Although the narration is translated as “never,” the Arabic particle “Lan (لن)” does not yield a meaning of complete negation, as we would understand the word “never” in English.
Examples from the Quran:
For this reason, there are verses of the Quran where the same word is used for something that is indeed possible but not at the moment or for other such reasons.
وَلَمَّا جَآءَ مُوسَىٰ لِمِيقَـٰتِنَا وَكَلَّمَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِىٓ أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ ۚ قَالَ لَن تَرَىٰنِى وَلَـٰكِنِ ٱنظُرْ إِلَى ٱلْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ ٱسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُۥ فَسَوْفَ تَرَىٰنِى ۚ فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّىٰ رَبُّهُۥ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُۥ دَكًّۭا وَخَرَّ مُوسَىٰ صَعِقًۭا ۚ فَلَمَّآ أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَـٰنَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا۠ أَوَّلُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ. [الأعراف: 143]
Allah Most High says, “When Moses came at the appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he asked, ‘My Lord! Reveal Yourself to me so I may see You.’ Allah answered, ‘You cannot see Me! But look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place, only then will you see Me’ (…).” [Quran, 7:143]
You can see above that the same particle (Lan – لن) is used, but the translator correctly did not translate it as “never.” This is because, according to the Sunni mainstream, the Believers will see Allah Most High in Paradise.
Summary
In light of the above, Allah’s acceptance of one’s prayers is not the issue. The issue is the heart of the only supplicating. It is important to have a good opinion of Allah Most High whilst trying to uphold the following etiquettes.
Related:
- Adab of Dua Series: Introduction and Etiquette [Video]
- How Can I Ensure That My Supplication Is Accepted?
- Reader on Unfulfilled Supplications
- Beseeching The Divine: Supplications From The Quran [Course]
- Supplication is the Essence of Worship: The Reality and Proper Manners of Asking Allah (Dua) [Course]
- Connecting to Allah through Supplication: Learn Deeper Meanings of Dua [Course]
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
