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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Human Cycle Lesson 14 5-26-10 The Open School Class: Explanation of Forty Ahadith Text: Jalali, Sayyid Muhammad Husayn. Sharh al-Arba’in al-Nabawwiyah. Arabic edition 1987, pages 445-451. Summary One of the greatest gifts Allah (the All-Merciful) has given mankind is prayer. Now, there is ritual prayer ( salat ) that involves specific actions and sayings to be performed, and then there is du’a (call or supplication).

The du’a or call to God (the All-Hearing) really has no conditions except true sincerity or purity. Du’a is a direct link or direct call to the Lord of all things. Meaning, the connection is between you and Allah (all glory be to Him). Yes, people may use different means to reach God, but the call or worship is still directed to God.

For example, one may ask , the Imams, or any other Ma’sum (infallible being, peace be upon them all) to pray for him/her or ask from Allah (the All-Powerful) on his/her behalf, but the Ma’sum is just a means of purity, which Allah (the All-Hearing) has provided as a mercy. It is God, and only God that is the Ultimate Provider. We do not worship the Ma’sum , but we may use their purity just as a means when 64 calling God (the All-Merciful).

To further elaborate, people go to places of great purity to do du’a . For example, during Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage) or ziyarat (visit), people make du’a at holy places, like near the Ka’bah . One can take advantage of the purity of the place to make a sincere call to the Lord (the Master of all). Of course we do not worship the Ka’bah ; we worship the One God.

Allah (the All-Wise) states via the Qur’an (2:186) , inter alia , “When My servants ask you about Me, [tell them that] I am indeed nearmost. I answer the supplicant’s call when he calls Me.” Du’a is very powerful. Besides experiencing many occasions in which God answered my calls for help (such as asking for help in school and work and asking for better health for my loved ones), I also know many people that tell me personal stories in which they make du’a and their wishes are fulfilled.

For example, one brother told me that when he was in Hajj , he wanted something during tawaf (circumbulation) and he made du’a for it, and he swears that his du’a was answered right away. However, the main question is why does Allah (the All-Wise) not answer every du’a of mine? For example, in 2006, my wife and I were determined to go for Hajj .