Supplication
عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عِيسَى عَمَّنْ حَدَّثَهُ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع قَالَ: قُلْتُ آيَتَانِ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَطْلُبُهُمَا فَلَا أَجِدُهُمَا قَالَ وَ مَا هُمَا قُلْتُ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ فَنَدْعُوهُ وَ لَا نَرَى إِجَابَةً قَالَ أَ فَتَرَى اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَخْلَفَ وَعْدَهُ قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ فَمِمَّ ذَلِكَ قُلْتُ لَا أَدْرِي قَالَ لَكِنِّي أُخْبِرُكَ مَنْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فِيمَا أَمَرَهُ ثُمَ دَعَاهُ مِنْ جِهَةِ الدُّعَاءِ أَجَابَهُ قُلْتُ وَ مَا جِهَةِ الدُّعَاءِ قَالَ- تَبْدَأُ فَتَحْمَدُ اللَّهَ وَ تَذْكُرُ نِعَمَهُ عِنْدَكَ ثُمَّ تَشْكُرُهُ ثُمَّ تُصَلِّي عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ص ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُ ذُنُوبَكَ فَتُقِرُّ بِهَا ثُمَّ تَسْتَعِيذُ مِنْهَا فَهَذَا جِهَةُ الدُّعَاءِ ثُمَّ قَالَ وَ مَا الْآيَةُ الْأُخْرَى قُلْتُ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ ما أَنْفَقْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَهُوَ يُخْلِفُهُ وَ هُوَ خَيْرُ الرَّازِقِينَ وَ إِنِّي أُنْفِقُ وَ لَا أَرَى خَلَفاً قَالَ أَ فَتَرَى اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَخْلَفَ وَعْدَهُ قُلْتُ لَا قَالَ فَمِمَّ ذَلِكَ قُلْتُ لَا أَدْرِي قَالَ لَوْ أَنَّ أَحَدَكُمُ اكْتَسَبَ الْمَالَ مِنْ حِلِّهِ وَ أَنْفَقَهُ فِي حِلِّهِ لَمْ يُنْفِقْ دِرْهَماً إِلَّا أُخْلِفَ عَلَيْهِ
A companion of Imam Jafar-e-Sadiq-asws visited Imam-asws and said, ‘There are two verses in Quran, which I have tried to understand without any success’. Imam-asws asked, ‘Which are those verses?’ He replied, ‘One of these, ‘Pray to Me and I shall respond to you’ (60:40). We pray but our prayers are not answered’. Imam-asws asked, ‘Do you think, Allah-azwj does not keep His promises?’ The narrator replied, ‘No, Mola-asws. Then why it is like this? I do not understand it?’ Imam-asws said, ‘Let me explain it to you. Prayers of that one are always accepted; who obeys Allah-azwj (and) offers prayers properly’. The narrator asked, ‘Please inform me how to pray?’ Imam-asws replied:
‘Start your prayers with praising Allah-azwj, thanking Him-azwj for what Allah-azwj has blessed you with, and then send ‘Salawat’ on Nabi-saww, then (humiliate yourself) by remembering your sins, and then pray to Allah-azwj, this is the proper way of praying’.
Imam-asws then asked, which is the second Verse. He replied, ‘‘He will compensate you for anything you have spent since He is the best Provider (34:39)’ but I spend without getting it back’. Imam-asws said, ‘Do you mean Allah-azwj will not honour His-azwj words?’ He replied, ‘No, He will, my Mola-asws – (but) why don’t you get back what you spend? I do not know’. Imam-asws replied, ‘Whoever would earn through legitimate means, among you, and then would spend to please Allah-azwj, Allah-azwj will reward him even if he spends one ‘Dirham’ in His-azwj Cause’.[1]
[1] الكافي (ط – الإسلامية)، ج2، ص: 486, H. 8.