God is al-Mujeeb – The Answerer of Prayers

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Description: An explanation of one of the beautifulname of God, al-Mujeeb, which instills hope in us and comforts us and makes usrealize that we are not alone.

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Articles Beliefs of Islam About God

By islamtoday.net [edited by IslamReligion.com]
Published on 21 Sep 2015
Last modified on 13 Apr 2020
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God_is_al-Mujib___The_Answerer_of_Prayers._001.jpg This name of God is found in thefollowing verse of the Quran:"Ask forgiveness of Him, and turn to Him (inrepentance): for my Lord is Near, the Answerer (of prayers)." (Quran 11:61)

God answers the prayers of those whobeseech Him. He relieves those who seek refuge in Him and He placates theirfears. He even answers the prayers of the unbelievers and those who areheedless when, in the throes of despair, they call out to Him:

He it is Who enables you travel by land andsea; yet when you are in the ships, and they sail on with them in a pleasantbreeze, and those (on the ship) rejoice, a violent wind overtakes them and thebillows surge in on them from all sides, and they become certain that they areencompassed about, they pray to God, being sincere to Him in obedience, saying:"If You deliver us from this, we will most certainly be of the grateful ones."But when He delivers them, behold! they transgress insolently throughout theEarth in defiance of right! (Quran 10:22-23)

God answered Noah (peace be upon him)in his distress, saving him and his followers in the Ark when He drowned thesinful people in the Flood:"Noah did certainly call to Us, and We are thebest to answer prayers." (Quran 37:75)

God answered the prayers of Job (peacebe upon him):"(Remember) Job, when He cried to his Lord, ‘Truly distresshas seized me, but You are the Most Merciful of those who are merciful.’ ThenWe heard his prayer and removed the distress that was on him, and We restoredhis people to him, and doubled their number, a mercy from Us and a reminder tothe worshippers." (Quran 21:83-84)

God answered the prayers of Jonah(peace be upon him) when he cried out from the belly of the whale:"And(remember) Jonah, when he went off in anger and deemed that We would notstraiten him. But he cried through the depths of darkness, saying: ‘There is nogod but You, Glory to You: I was indeed wrong!’ So We answered him anddelivered him from grief, and thus do We deliver the believers." (Quran21:87-88)

Likewise, God answered the prayers ofAbraham, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Jesus, and indeed every one of HisProphets and Messengers (peace be upon them all). They beseeched their Lordwith utmost humility and sincerity, so He, in His infinite grace, safeguardedthem, guided them, honored them, and accepted their appeals.

God is the one who answers the prayersof those who beseech Him and place their hopes in Him. God alone is the one towhom all prayers and supplications are to be made.

"And your Lord says: "Call on Me; I willanswer your (prayer): but those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surelyfind themselves in Hell - in humiliation!"" (Quran 40:60)

God has enjoined supplication upon usand He has promised to answer our prayers. This is why `Umar used to say: "I donot worry that my supplications will be answered. I worry about mysupplications themselves."

In other words, when a person isblessed to beseech the Lord, this itself is the benefit. As for the answer,that is something which has already been granted.

God is the one who removes our distresses. Hereminds us: "It is God who delivers you from these and from every distress, butagain you set up others (with Him)." (Quran 6:64)

Our supplications to God are a means todispel calamities and hardships, and to draw blessings and opportunities to us.However, supplications are not the only cause for these desired effects. Thereare other causes that need to be acknowledged as well, including natural cause-and-effectrelationships.

God, in His wisdom, knows what is best.He has made our supplications one of the influences that affects our lives, andHe has promised to answer our prayers. This means that sometimes He answers uswith precisely what we ask for. At other times, He might prevent a calamityfrom befalling us that we would otherwise have been destined to suffer from.Also, He might postpone granting us the answer to that prayer until the Day ofResurrection, and reward us with the blessings of it on that day in terms ofour judgment and reward in the Hereafter, through having it weigh in our favoron that day when our deeds are weighed. This is guaranteed for all who beseech Godwith sincerity and devotion. As for the answer to our prayers coming in thisworld with precisely what we ask for, this is usually the case.

When we read about the lives of theprophets, we witness many cases where God answered their prayers. ProphetMuhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, beseeched God onbehalf of a number of his Companions. He beseeched God about Ibn Abbas asking:"O God! Make him deeply knowledgeable about the religion." He prayed that Anas ibnMalik would have a long life and many children. He prayed that Umar ibn al-Khattabwould embrace Islam and add his strength to the Muslim community. He beseeched Godon behalf of many of the tribes he interacted with, and He beseeched God forall of the Muslims throughout the ages.

We find many accounts, past andpresent, of how God answered people’s prayers. Wherever people believe in God,even if they might be sinful in their deeds and misguided in their religiousunderstanding, we find them speaking about how God answered their prayers andremoved their woes. This is something that cannot be denied, a further proofattesting to God’s existence and His mercy. This is the reason why we scarcelyfind anyone, when faced with a great calamity or woe, who refrains from turningto God to relieve his or her distress.

The Benefit of Knowing this Name of God

Awareness that God is the Answerer ofPrayers is a comfort and source of strength for those who are cut off from allother hope or recourse, with only God to turn to. At this time, they turn to Godwith the sincerest and most devoted heart, so God quickly relieves theirburdens and removes their afflictions.

Such is the experience of those who arelanguishing in prison without anyone to come to their defense. Such is theexperience of the person lost alone in the wilderness. Such is the experienceof the sailor whose ship is being tossed at sea in a violent tempest. Such isthe terminally ill person whom doctors have given up hope for and who recoversafter turning to God. Such is the oppressed who is victimized by the mighty,about whose prayers God says: "By my might and majesty, I will grant youvictory, though it be after a time."[1]

Footnotes:

[1]Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Sunan Ibn Majah