How to praise Allaah before supplication

15-3-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum! Your last answer to my Question No. 2600667 is not fully satisfying. Please read the following and clarify me it for me. I have a small doubt regarding supplication. You know, it is said that after every obligatory prayer, if we supplicate Allaah, The Exalted, concerning our individual problems, it will be granted/accepted. As for persons who do not know Arabic, may the supplication be made in their mother tongue (other than Arabic)? Also, it is said that for one’s supplication to be granted, they should first praise the Lord, Allaah, and send blessings on Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and then supplicate. Here, in what way should one praise Allaah; what words should we recite in Arabic to praise Allaah? Please clarify in detail in English. Your answer may be of help to more Muslims like me.
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

We say to you, dear brother who asked this question, that the fataawa to which we have referred you earlier are sufficient in answering some of your questions. You have inquired about the permissibility of supplicating Allaah in other than the Arabic language for the Muslims who cannot speak Arabic, and we have referred you to fatwa 83636 indicating the permissibility of doing that. We have also referred you to fatwa before supplicating">270772 about the etiquette of supplication, one of which is commencing the supplication with praising Allaah and invoking blessings on the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ).

As for your question about what to say to praise Allaah, there is no specific wording of praise; rather, you may praise Allaah by mentioning any of the attributes of His perfection and repeating them.

This is evidenced by the authentic hadeeth indicating that when the Muslim recites the Faatihah in prayer and says: {Ar-Rahmaan Ar-Raheem (The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful)}, Allaah says, "My slave has praised Me..." [Muslim] This means that mentioning these two attributes of Allaah's perfection is considered praise of Him. Abu Al-Waleed Al-Baaji may Allaah have mercy upon him wrote, "This means - and Allaah knows best - that the praying person praises his Lord by mentioning that He is Entirely Merciful and Especially Merciful towards His creation..." [Sharh Al-Muwatta']

If you mention several divine attributes of Allaah, then that is considered praise of Him. For example, the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) used to say:

"Allaahumma laka al-hamd, anta qaiyyim as-samaawati wal-ardh wa man feehinn. Walaka al-hamd, laka mulk as-samaawati wal-ardh wa man feehinn. Walaka al-hamd, anta noor as-samaawati wal-ardh. Wa laka al-hamd, anta al-haqq wa waʻduka al-haqq, wa liqaa'uka haqq, wa qawluka haqq, wal-jannatu haqq, wan-naaru haqq, wan-nabiyyoona haqq. Wa Muhammadun sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) haqq, was-saaʻatu haqq..." (which means: O Allaah! All the praises are for you; You are the Sustainer of the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is in them. And all the praises are for You; You have possession of the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is in them. And all the praises are for You; You are the Light of the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is in them. And all the praises are for You; You are the King of the Heavens and the Earth. And all the praises are for You; You are the Truth and Your Promise is true, meeting You is true, Your Word is true, Paradise is true, Hellfire is true, the Prophets are true, and Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is true (a true messenger of Allaah), and the Hour (the Day of Resurrection) is true...) [Al-Bukhari]

Allaah knows best.

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