DAY OF ARAFAT IS THE DAY OF SUPPLICATION TO GOD
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DAY OF ARAFAT IS THE DAY OF SUPPLICATION TO GOD
The Day of Arafat among all the days of the year has a special advantage for duaas?supplication to God. Duaas and asking for settlement of the needs of this world and the Hereafter are some of the most important acts of today. Fasting on such a day with all its virtues, if it leads to weakness in supplication will become blameworthy. Duaa opens the gates of God's mercy to His servants.
DUAA HAS ITS OWN EFFECT
The Immaculate Imams (a.s) say that there are two ways to win God's mercy: deed and duaa. Those who practice good deeds enter through the gate of justice and are rewarded, but those who resort to duaa enter through the gate of grace and receive mercy.
Ibn-Fahd Hilli, in his book titled Oddatol Daee, quotes the prayer book of Mohammad ibn Saffar on the authority of the Holy Prophet (saw) as saying:
لَتَسْأَلُنَّ اللهَ أَو لَيُعْطِيَنَّ عَليكُم. إنَّ للهِ عِباداً يَعمَلونَ فَيُعْطيهِمْ وآخَرينَ يَسألونَهُ صادِقِينَ فَيُعطِيهِم ثُمّ يجمَعُهُم في الجَنَّةِ فيَقولُ الّذين عَمِلوا: رَبَّنا عَمِلْنا فَأعْطَيتَنا، فَبِما أَعطَيتَ هَؤلاءِ؟ فَيقولُ: عِبادِي أعطَيتُكُم أُجورَكُم ولم اَلِتْكُم مِن أعْمالِكُم شَيئاً وسَأَلَني هَؤلاءِ فَأَعطَيتُهُم وهُو فَضلِي أُوتِيهِ مَن أَشاءُ.
Request from Allah so that He will grant. Allah bestows blessing upon a group of His servants in return for their deeds, and to another group in return for their sincere supplications. Then He will gather both groups in Paradise. The first will say: Our Lord, We were men of good deeds and You granted our requests but how about these people Allah will say: My servants, I gave you your rewards fully. Those people too requested from Me and I gave them a share of My abundant Grace and Mercy. I will give to anyone I wish.2
Those who perform their religious duties and reach the highest degree of eternal prosperity enter Paradise through the gate of Deed according to the Quranic Verse:
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1 See al-Wafi; vol. 2 Section: Hajj p.42
2 See Sharhu Nahjil-Balagha; vol. 4 p.263 and Oddat ud-Daee; p.28
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جَزَاءً ِبمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ.
(This is) a reward for what they used to do. (56:24)
There is another gate by the name of Request or supplication. Not all people can enter through this gate. In the same way that practicing good deed is not easy, requesting from God is not easy either, for it requires a living heart, weeping eyes, and a spiritual state. God says:
اُدْعُونِي اَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
Call upon Me, I will answer you.(The Holy Quran; 40:60)
Let us now become unison with Imam Sajjad (a.s) and say:
وَأنَا، يا إِلهِي، عَبدُكُ الذِي أَمَرتَهُ بِالدّعاءِ فَقالَ لَبّيكَ وسَعْدَيكَ، ها أنَا ذا يا رَبِّ مَطْروحٌ بَينَ يَديْكَ، أنا الّذِي أَوقَرَتِ الخَطايا ظَهرَهُ وأنا الّذي أفْنَتِ الذُّنوبُ عُمُرَهُ وأنا الّذي بجَهْلِهِ عَصاكَ ولم تَكُنْ أهْلاً مِنهُ لِذاكَ
And I, my Allah, am Thy servant whom Thou commanded to supplicate and who said: I am at Thy service and disposal. Here I am, my Lord, thrown before Thee. I am he whose back offenses have weighed down! I am he whose lifetime sins have consumed! I am he who was disobedient in his ignorance, while Thou didst not deserve that from him!1
Mohammad ibn Hasan Saffar, in his book of supplication, quotes the Holy Prophet (saw) as saying:
يَدخُلُ الجَنَّةَ رَجُلانِ كَانا يَعمَلانِ عَمَلاً واحِداً، فَيَرى أَحَدُهُما صاحِبَهُ فَوقَهُ فَيقولُ: يا رَبِّ بمِا أَعطَيتَهُ وكَانَ عَمَلُنا واحِداً؟ فيقولُ اللهُ تَباركَ وتَعالى: سَأَلني ولم تَسألْنِي. (ثمّ قالَ رسولُ اللهِ صَلى اللهُ عليهِ وآلِهِ) إِسأَلوا اللهَ وأَجزِلوا فَإنّهُ لا يَتعاظَمُهُ شَيءٌ.
Two persons whose deeds were the same will enter Paradise. But one of the two will see the other superior. Hence, he will say: 'My Lord, we have done the same deeds. What is his superior position for?' Allah will say: 'He requested from Me but you did not.' (Then the Holy Prophet (saw) said:) ?Request from Allah as much as you can, for your request is not great for Allah.
Moyasser, a narrator, quotes Imam Sadiq (a.s) as saying:
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1 See as-Sahifat al-Kamilat al-Sajjadiyya, Supplication 16
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يا مُيسّر، أُدْعُ ولا تَقُلْ إِنَّ الأمْرَ قَد فُرِغَ مِنهُ. إنَّ عِندَ اللهِ عَزّ وجَلّ مَنزِلَةٌ لا تُنالُ إِلا بمَسأَلَةٍ، ولَو أنَّ عَبداً سَدَّ فاهُ ولم يَسأَلْ لم يُعطَ شَيئاً، فَسَلْ تُعْطَ. يا مُيَسّر، إنّهُ لَيس مِن بابٍ يُقرَعُ إلا يوشَكُ أنْ يَنفَتِحَ لِصاحِبِه.
O Moyasser, call upon Allah and do not say what is destined will happen. There is with Allah a position you will not attain save through supplication. If a servant shuts his mouth and does not request anything from Allah, he will be given nothing. Therefore, request so that you will be given. O Moyesser, every door that is knocked will be opened.1
