“… and You have guaranteed the response to Your servants, and anyone who comes eagerly to Your door, and anyone who brings their need to Your threshold, You have not deprived. No one has returned empty-handed from Your grace, and none has failed to receive Your bounties.”
Sometimes, amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, we feel a sense of emptiness and think that a part of us is lost; a part that might even be the essence of our entire being. Perhaps we have gone to His door countless times, but at times, we may have said to ourselves, “I’ve gone empty-handed, and I’ll return empty-handed.” However, if we pay close attention, Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him) addresses this matter in a different way in the prayer he taught to some of his friends. Let us once again closely examine the Imam’s supplication:
“… O Lord, You have called Your servants to ask from Your generosity, You have commanded them to pray, and You have guaranteed the response to their requests. Whoever eagerly approaches Your door, and whoever brings their need to Your threshold, You have not deprived them. No one has ever returned empty-handed from Your grace, and none has failed to receive Your bounties. Who is the traveler who turns to Your door and does not find You near? Who is there who enters Your threshold, and obstacles prevent them from Your presence? Who seeks Your favor, and Your grace does not overwhelm them? Who desires Your mercy, and is not filled with Your overflowing bounty?
O Lord, I have come to Your door with eagerness, knocking with the hand of need at the door of Your grace. My heart, with humility and submission, whispers to You. I have found You to be the best intermediary to Your presence. You know my request before it even crosses my mind or my heart. So, O Lord, make my supplication a response and link the fulfillment of my request with my plea…
O Lord, You have made us aware of our own faults and the imperfections within us that we fear may prevent us from seeking Your acceptance. You, Who bestow blessings upon the unworthy and offer favors without being asked. So, grant us according to Your generosity, nobility, and grace. Indeed, You do whatever You will and decree. We are eager to approach Your door.”
As we see, undoubtedly, this intimate communication with Allah, as expressed by Imam al-Askari (peace be upon him), indicates that whenever we wish to connect with God, the doors of His mercy are open to us. And if we have a request, we will not return empty-handed. In other words, it is impossible for anyone to approach the merciful door of Allah and be turned away without receiving His abundant grace.
However, as the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) have taught us, even if we sometimes make a request in our prayers and Allah delays the response, He compensates for that delay on the Day of Judgment, showing His mercy and favor to His servant. Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) says regarding this: When the servant encounters this divine favor on the Day of Judgment, they will wish that none of their prayers had been answered in this world. Sometimes, even when we do not receive what we ask for, it is because granting it in the exact way we want would be harmful to us, whether from a material, worldly perspective, or spiritually. However, our Lord, in response to these types of requests, either grants us His favor in another form in this world, raises our rank in the Hereafter, or forgives our sins. Like a kind father who, out of love for his child, delays or withholds a request that would not be beneficial for the child.
Taken from the book “The Comprehensive Dictionary of Imam al-Askari’s (peace be upon him) Words,” by the Hadith Research Institute of Baqir al-‘Ulum Institute, with some modifications and additions.