I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man was offering prayer. He then made supplication: O Allah, I ask Thee by virtue of the fact that praise is due to Thee, there is no deity but Thou, Who showest favour and beneficence, the Originator of the Heavens and the earth, O Lord of Majesty and Splendour, O Living One, O Eternal One.
The Prophet (ﷺ) then said: He has supplicated Allah using His Greatest Name, when supplicated by this name, He answers, and when asked by this name He gives.
Narrated by Narrated Anas ibn Malik:
Context
In this hadith, Anas ibn Malik narrates an incident where a man was praying and made a heartfelt supplication to Allah using His beautiful names. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) acknowledged the significance of the names used in the supplication, emphasizing that invoking Allah with His Greatest Name leads to a response. This highlights the importance of sincerity and understanding in supplication.
Modern Application
When making dua, individuals can reflect on the attributes of Allah mentioned in this hadith. By invoking Allah with His names, such as 'The Living' and 'The Eternal,' one can foster a deeper connection and understanding in their prayers, enhancing their spiritual experience.
Topics
This hadith is tagged with Supplication and Divine Assistance because it illustrates the power of invoking Allah's names in prayer, which leads to divine response and support.
Say, "Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names." And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.
And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them. And leave [the company of] those who practice deviation concerning His names. They will be recompensed for what they have been doing.
This hadith is #1496 from Sunan Abu Dawud, in the Book of Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Detailed Injunctions about Witr. It is graded Da'if and narrated by Narrated Anas ibn Malik:.
