43 - الْمُجِيبُ

[Bint e Aisha]

 الْمُجِيبُ

 

Translation 

الْمُجِيبُ is translated as The Fulfiller of Prayers and The Responsive. 

 

Definition

الْمُجِيبُ is The One Who responds to requests of those who ask by assisting them. It is The One Who fulfills the needs of the needy one. He blesses before the request and grants favours before the entreaty and this belongs to Allah ta’ala alone as He knows the needs of the needy one. 

 

Imam Ghazali says, He knows the needs of the needy before they [even] ask; indeed He already knew them in eternity, so He arranged the sources sufficient to their needs by creating food and nourishment, and by facilitating both the causes and the means of fulfilling all these needs.

 

Allah ta’ala is the best of responders. In Surah Saaffaat, verse 37 Allah ta’ala says, 

 

وَلَقَدْ نَادَانَا نُوحٌ فَلَنِعْمَ الْمُجِيبُونَ - Nuh prayed to Us; see how excellent was Our response to his prayer.

 

Allah ta’ala is praising Himself saying He is the best Responder.

 

He responds to the Du’a of the مُضْطَر

 

أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ ۗ أَإِلَٰهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ

Just think who answers the oppressed person when he cries out to Him and relieves his affliction, and makes you, O mankind, inheritors of the earth? Is there another god besides Allah? How little do you reflect! [Surah Naml:62]

 

A مُضْطَر  is one who is in a hard pressed situation who can find no way out and has become despondent due to losing hope. Here Allah ta’ala asks Who is it Who listens to a  مُضْطَر? Why does Allah ta’ala specifically mention a person who is despondent? It is because this person has lost hope in the world and does not have any integral energy to continue. He has hit rock bottom and now sees only Allah ta’ala and he calls on Allah ta’ala with Ikhlaas and Allah ta’ala listens to his call and gives him vice regency on the land. 

 

The reason why Allah ta’ala listens to this Du’a is the person’s sincerity. The person does not even have to be a good person but the sincerity is what gets him heard. 

 

A person can even be an atheist and as the saying goes, “There are no atheists in potholes.” People who hide in these dug up potholes during war will pray to be saved even if do not believe in God. The sincerity comes out in desperate situations and this is what Allah ta’ala loves.  

 

In the Qur’an

فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ ۚ إِنَّ رَبِّي قَرِيبٌ مُجِيبٌ 
 

So seek His forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. Surely my Lord is Ever Near, All-Responsive ˹to prayers˺.” [Surah Hood: 61]

 

 

Du’a are accepted by الْمُجِيبُ
 

Therefore call your Lord. He knows even before the words leave your tongue. All that is required is Ikhlaas. 

 

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said,

“Three supplications are answered without a doubt: the supplication of an oppressed person, the supplication of a traveler, and the supplication of a parent for his child.” [Ibn Majah]

 

The version narrated by Imam Ahmad says: “the prayer of a father against his child.” 

 

The question that comes up is, why are these people specifically mentioned? They are all in despondency. They have lost hope. They are in distress. The oppressed person has no one to help them, the traveller is without rest and needs and is stressed and the parent is hurt by his own child.  

 

Our Du’a are always Accepted

Sometimes we think, our Du’a are not being answered however Allah ta’ala does answer Du’a. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, 
 

“There is no Muslim who supplicates to Allah without sin or cutting family ties in it but that Allah will give him one of three answers: he will hasten fulfillment of his supplication, he will store it for him in the Hereafter, or he will divert an evil from him similar to it.” They said, “In that case we will ask for more.” The Prophet said, “Allah has even more.” [Musnad Aḥmad] 

 

“Nothing can change the Divine Decree except Dua’.” [Tirmidhi]

 

 

Ask only from Allah ta’ala

Du’a is only made to Allah ta’ala and no one else, not even a Prophet. Allah ta’ala says in the Qur’an, 

 

وَمَنْ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنْ يَدْعُو مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مَنْ لَا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ وَهُمْ عَنْ دُعَائِهِمْ غَافِلُونَ

And who could be more astray than the one who invokes those deities besides Allah who cannot answer him till the Day of Resurrection - which, in fact, are not even aware that they are being invoked? 
[Surah Ahqaaf: 5]

 

Anyone who asks from other than Allah ta’ala is negligent.

 

Du’a is an ‘Ibaadah

Du’a and Dhikr are means of attaining proximity to Allah ta’ala. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, 

 

الدعاء مخ العبادة - “Du’a is the essence of worship”[ Tirmidhi]

 

Counsel 

Therefore we should make Du’a from the heart and not just from memory, with hope and know that Allah ta’ala is listening. Recite Durood before and after and do not show lack of respect. When a person says my Du’a are not accepted or it is taking so long then that is lack of respect which affects the acceptance of Du’a. 

 

Sins and Haraam food or lifestyle affects the acceptability of Du’a as does leaving enjoining good and forbidding evil. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said,  

 

“Allah the Almighty is good and accepts only that which is good. And verily Allah has commanded the believers to do that which He has commanded the Messengers. So the Almighty has said: “O (you) Messengers! Eat of the tayyibat (good things), and perform righteous deeds” [23:51] and the Almighty has said: “O you who believe! Eat of the lawful things that We have provided you” [2:172]. Then he (peace be upon him) mentioned a man who, having journeyed far, is dishevelled and dusty, and who spreads out his hands to the sky saying, “O Lord! O Lord!” while his food is haram, his drink is haram, his clothing is haram, and he has been nourished with haram, so how can [his supplication] be answered?” [Muslim]

 

“By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you either enjoin good and forbid evil, or Allah will certainly soon send His punishment to you. Then you will make supplication and it will not be accepted”. 
[Hadeeth No. 193, Riyadhus Saliheen, Chapter 23]

 

Allah ta’ala wants us to make Du’a and becomes angry when we don’t. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said, 

 

“The person who does not ask from Allah (supplicates); Allah Ta’ala becomes angry with him” [Tirmidhi]

 

Imam Ghazali (Rahimahullah) says, “Man needs to be responsive first of all to his Lord, in whatever He commands or forbids him to do, and whatever He assigns to him or summons him to do. Then to His servants, in whatever God has bestowed on him by way of enabling him to do it; and in assisting every beggar in whatever they ask him, if he is able to do it; or with a kind response if he is unable to do so.”

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