A Prayer That Is Not Rejected: Al-Qarib Al-Mujib

As we enter into the last week of Ramadan, many of us may simultaneously feel more energized and at peace because of the increased worship, and we are geared up and ready for the final few days. Or conversely, maybe we feel guilty because we have not done as much as we had wanted to. Perhaps the tiredness is setting in, and we are unsure whether we will have the energy to do our best in this last period. We might also have doubts – “I did not feel close to Allah

this Ramadan; will I be accepted?”

Allah’s

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Closeness

Allah says in the Qur’an,

 

“And when My servants ask you about Me—indeed, I am near; I respond to the call of the caller when he calls upon Me.” [Surah Baqarah:186]

Even if you feel far, Allah

reassures us that He is near. It has frequently been pointed out that in this verse, unlike other verses that begin with “they ask you about”, Allah does not tell the Prophet ﷺ, “tell them…” Rather, here He responds directly: “I am near.” There is no intermediary for this response. This is the answer for every one of us who has felt far from Allah , or has wondered whether Allah is near us or not.

Of course, as our Creator, Allah

is close to all of us in His knowledge and awareness. He says in the Qur’an,

“We created man––We know what his soul whispers to him: We are closer to him than his jugular vein” [Surah Qaf:16]

But Ibn al-Qayyim mentions that Allah’s

closeness to those who worship Him and those who call upon Him is a special type of closeness. The answer to the question of the ‘ibād – the servants or the worshippers – is “I am near.” Those who worship Allah are those who call upon Allah , as the Prophet ﷺ taught us that, “Duʿāʾ (supplication) is the essence of worship.” [Sunan Abī Dāwūd, no. 1479] And the response to this worship from Allah is, “I respond to the call of the caller when he calls upon Me.”

The One Who Answers All Prayers

Allah

is so close to those who call upon Him, He responds to their calls because He knows them so intimately, and He hears them as they whisper their requests. This is the special closeness He has with His servants. It is as if Allah is telling us, if we want to closeness to Him, then we should worship Him to the best of our abilities and call upon Him for all our needs. With people, even those closest to us, repeatedly asking is burdensome and can make those we love turn away from us. With Allah , turning to Him and asking Him frequently is both a sign of and a way to gain closeness to Him.

Knowing this opens up different dimensions of our relationship with Him. We can be comforted that He hears us, as Allah

says, “indeed, He is Hearing and Near.” [Sura Saba’:50] We can be reassured by the fact that Allah knows, as “Surely Allah knows best what is hidden in the heart” [Surah Al-Ma’idah:7] When we feel alone and abandoned, we can remember that ”He is with you wherever you are.” [Surah Al-Hadid:4] No one is always with us, at every moment. Allah – al-Qarīb al-Mujīb – is.

We might have people whom we are close to, but they cannot help us when we need it. Or we might know someone of power and influence, who has the ability to help us with our troubles, but because we are not close to them, we might hesitate to ask them for help. But Allah

is al-Qarīb al-Mujīb: the Near, the Answerer of Prayers. Allah is telling us that our relationship with Him is not like our relationship with people. Do not hesitate to call on Allah