What Should I Do If My Supplications Feel Unanswered?

Answered by Shaykh Anas al-Musa

Question

I pray to Allah often, but at times I feel discouraged and worry that this feeling may cause me to lose hope in the acceptance of my prayers.

Answer

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. Peace and blessings be upon the Messenger sent as a mercy to the worlds, our Master and Prophet, Muhammad, and his Family and Companions.

The Reality of Supplication and Allah’s Wisdom

It is natural to feel despair when what you ask of your Lord is not granted. This feeling often arises from the assumption that the act of supplication itself directly causes the outcome you desire.

However, this understanding is not entirely accurate. Allah (Most High) does as He wills, and what you perceive as the ultimate good may not truly be beneficial for you. Often, a person becomes disheartened or agitated when their supplications appear unanswered, assuming their well-being lies solely in their specific request being fulfilled.

In reality, Allah knows what is truly beneficial for His servant and what is not, and He chooses what is appropriate for the one asking. If you were to see the unseen and understand how Allah manages the affairs of His servants, you would realize that much of what you insistently ask for, believing it to be good, may not serve your best interest. In fact, you might even wish that Allah had not granted your request.

Example

Consider, for example, a person who fervently prays to Allah for children. Once granted, they might later wish they had never had children due to the challenges they face. Stories in Surat al-Kahf (Chapter 18 of the Quran) provide clear evidence of this truth. For instance, had Khidr not damaged the ship, the oppressive king would have seized it.

Similarly, had he not taken the life of the boy, he would have caused his righteous parents immense distress through rebellion and disbelief.

At first, the owners of the ship were angry and upset over what appeared to be its unnecessary damage. Likewise, the parents grieved over the loss of their child. However, had they known the future and understood the wisdom behind these events, they would not have desired otherwise. It is indeed extremely difficult for righteous parents to endure the presence of a disobedient and unbelieving child in their lives.

This is why scholars have said: “If you could see the unseen, you would choose your current reality.” That is, you would choose what Allah has decreed for you, even if it contradicts your desires.

May Allah have mercy on Ibn ‘Ata’illah al-Sakandari, who beautifully articulated this concept in his hikam:

“Do not let the delay in Allah’s response to your supplication, despite your persistent asking, lead you to despair. For He has guaranteed you a response in the way He chooses for you, not in the way you choose for yourself, and at the time He wills, not at the time you desire.”

Supplication as Worship

This wisdom teaches us that Allah (Most High) knows what is best for His servant. He may delay the response to a supplication for a reason known only to Him. Our role is to trust His wisdom while continuing to pray and ask of Him.

I remind you of Allah’s words:

“Your Lord has proclaimed, ‘Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Surely those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, fully humbled.’” [Quran, 40:60]

In this verse, Allah (Most High) explains that supplication is a form of worship. This is clear from the structure of the verse: Allah first commands us to supplicate, saying, “Call upon Me,” and then He refers to those who refuse to supplicate as being arrogant about His worship, saying, “Surely those who are too proud to worship Me.” This indicates that supplication fulfills the purpose of servitude to the One worthy of all majesty and honor. As for whether the supplication will be answered, that is another matter determined by Allah, the All-Knowing of the unseen.

I also remind you of the words of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace):

“There is no Muslim on earth who supplicates to Allah with a prayer that does not involve sin or severing family ties, but that Allah will grant them one of three outcomes: He will either grant what they asked for, avert an equivalent harm from them, or store it for them as a reward in the Hereafter.” A man among the people then said, “In that case, we will ask for more!” The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) replied, “Allah is more abundant (in His response).” [Tirmidhi]

Trust in Allah’s Wisdom

Finally, remember that when you make dua (supplication) to your Lord, you do not call upon Him because He forgets and you need to remind Him or because He is heedless and you need to alert Him.

Rather, you supplicate to Him out of servitude and dependence upon Him. We are His servants, and our affairs are in the hands of our Master and Owner. Allah has commanded us to ask Him, as He says:

“Your Lord has proclaimed, ‘Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Surely those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell, fully humbled.’” [Quran, 40:60]

We call upon Him because we are His servants, and because the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:

“Whoever does not ask Allah, Allah becomes angry with them.” [Ahmad; Bukhari, al-Adab al-Mufrad]

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) also said:

“Supplication is worship,” and then he recited: ‘Your Lord has proclaimed, ‘Call upon Me, I will respond to you.’” [Quran, 40:60] [Ahamd]

Conclusion

Do not despair or become impatient over a delay in the response. Trust in your Lord, who says:

“Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?” [Quran, 39:36]

“And Allah is sufficient as a Trustee of Affairs.” [Quran, 4:81]

May Allah bless the Prophet Muhammad and give him peace, and his Family and Companions.

[Shaykh] Anas al-Musa

Shaykh Anas al-Musa, born in Hama, Syria, in 1974, is an erudite scholar of notable repute. He graduated from the Engineering Institute in Damascus, where he specialized in General Construction, and Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Usul al-Din, where he specialized in Hadith.

He studied under prominent scholars in Damascus, including Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri and Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, among others. Shaykh Anas has memorized the Quran and is proficient in the ten Mutawatir recitations, having studied under Shaykh Bakri al-Tarabishi and Shaykh Mowfaq ‘Ayun. He also graduated from the Iraqi Hadith School.

He has taught numerous Islamic subjects at Shari‘a institutes in Syria and Turkey. Shaykh Anas has served as an Imam and preacher for over 15 years and is a teacher of the Quran in its various readings and narrations.

Currently, he works as a teacher at SeekersGuidance and is responsible for academic guidance there. He has completed his Master’s degree in Hadith and is now pursuing his Ph.D. in the same field. Shaykh Anas al-Musa is married and resides in Istanbul.