Q. What is the surest way to have our prayers answered and come true? There is something I have been praying for, as I need it urgently. I have made a pledge that if it comes true, I will fast in Makkah. I intend to do the Umrah and fast, but I heard that it is too tiring. Is it possible for me not to fast, and still have my prayer answered? May I also ask what is the best way to protect us from people’s envy?
(Name and address withheld)
A. God answers all prayers that are addressed to Him with sincerity and humility. He has promised this in the Qur’an, saying: “Your Lord says: ‘Pray to Me, and I will answer you.” (40: 60) What we need to understand is that when we pray Him, He is certain to answer us. God is always true to His promises.
Having said that, however, I need to explain an important point. We all know that our present life in this world is a test, and that the true life is that of the hereafter. The test could take the form of affliction, or going through very difficult times. It could also be a test with easy means and affluence. Therefore, conditions in this life must never be taken as indicating privilege if one is rich, or divine displeasure if one is afflicted.
Being human, however, we are often impatient. We want the best for ourselves and we want it now. But there is no way we can tell that what we think to be in our best interests at a certain point in time will not turn out to be to our disadvantage. Therefore, we must place our trust in God in all situations. When we pray to Him for something, we must be certain that He will answer our prayers and that He will choose what He knows to be best for us.
This works in one of three ways: 1) God grants us what we prayed for; or 2) He gives us something better in this life; or 3) He defers our prayer to be answered on the Day of Judgment. When we see what He gives us in place of what we prayed for, we would wish that He deferred all our prayers until then.
An important point to remember is that we must never hasten answering our prayers, nor despair of them being answered. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: “Any servant of God will have his prayers answered unless he hastens their answer.” On the other hand, despairing of God’s mercy is tantamount to disbelief in Him. It must never be the attitude of a believer.
One way of such impatience or uncertainty about prayer is that people pledge to do certain acts of worship if a particular prayer is answered, or if a certain purpose they have is granted. We must always remember that God is in no need of us or our worship. We offer Him nothing by making such pledges. Hence, it is discouraged.
We should only pray for what we need and trust to God that He will give us what we prayed for or something better. Having said that, I must make clear that if one pledges something good, such as prayer, or fasting or doing the Umrah, one must fulfill his pledge. There is no escaping that. It is a commitment he has made to God and he must fulfill it. On the other hand, someone may pledge something forbidden, as in the case of one who says, “If God grants me this I will get drunk”. In this case, he must not fulfill his pledge. If he does, he incurs a sin that leaves him liable to God’s punishment.
Envy is warded off by reading Surah 113, Al-Falaq, and praying God for protection. Reading any part of the Qur’an and following it with such a prayer also helps.