In one of his supplications...

In one of his supplications, Imam ‘Ali bin al-Husayn Zayn al-Abidin (‘a) says: “Fill my night with life by keeping me awake therein for worshipping You… and setting my needs before You.”[^4] In his supplication praying for facilitation ( tawfiq ) from Allah, Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “So assist me in obeying You, and grant me success to carry that which You made incumbent on me, of all which pleases You; for I have not seen anyone who has been able to attain something of Your obedience ( ta’ah ) except that it was through Your bounty upon him prior to his obedience.

So bless me with a bounty through which I can attain Your pleasure ( ridwan ).”[^5] Imam ‘Ali bin al-Husayn (‘a) says: “O Allah, make me leap to You in times of distress, ask from You in needs, and plead to You in misery; tempt me not to seek help from other than You when I am distressed.”[^6] Two Benefits of the Acceptance of Prayer There are two benefits in the acceptance of man’s prayer by Allah, the Exalted, one of them greater than the other.

The minor benefit is the fulfillment of the request and petition made by him to Allah, be it regarding this world or the Hereafter, or both. As for the greater benefit, it is the response ( ijabah ) itself from Allah, the Exalted; for every response involves a turning ( iqbal ) from Allah toward His servant, as every prayer entails a turning of the servant toward Allah.

However valuable a thing may be, it is limited and has an end, but there is no limit and end to the value of the turning of Allah toward His servant. As there is no limit for the felicity of a servant so long as he is under the care, providence and special attention of Allah, the Exalted.

This is a felicity above which there is no felicity with which Allah can single out a servant from among His servants; a state in which He turns to him, listens to him, responds to him, and makes him aware of His response, whatever the enormity of the request and petition made by the servant to Allah.

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) is reported to have said, “Once I had called on Allah, so He answered me and I forgot my need; for His response by turning toward His servant when he implores Him is greater and momentous than that which a servant desires from Him, even if it is the Heaven and its everlasting bounties.