WHY OUR PRAYERS ARE NOT ANSWERED

IBRAHEEM IBN ADHAM - may Allaah have mercy on him - a third century scholar, a teacher and a companion of Sufyaan ath-Thawree, was asked about the saying of Allaah - the Most High: "And your Lord says: Call on me I will answer your prayer..." [Soorah Ghaafir 40:60] i.e."We supplicate and we are not answered."

So he said to them:

��"You know Allaah, Yet you do not obey Him,

��You recite the Qur'aan, Yet do not act according to it,

��You know Shaitaan(Devil), Yet you have agreed with him,

��You proclaim that you love the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam, Yet you abandon his Sunnah,

��You proclaim your love for Paradise, Yet you do not act to gain it,

��You proclaim your fear for the Fire, Yet you do not prevent yourselves from sins,

��You say "Indeed death is true", Yet you have not prepared for it,

��You engage yourselves with finding faults with others, Yet you do not look at your faults,

��You eat of that which Allah has provided for you, Yet you do not thank Him,

��You bury your dead, Yet you do not take a lesson from it."

BENEFITS OF LISTENING TO HOLY QURAN

Listening to Qur'an recitation is the perfume of the souls, the calmer of hearts, and the food of the spirit. Is is one of the most important psychological medicines. It is a source of pleasure, even to some animals – and pleasure in moderation purifies inner energy, enhances the functioning of the faculties, slows down senile decay by driving out its diseases, improves the complexion, and refreshes the entire body. Pleasure in excess, on the other hand, makes the illnesses of the body grow worse.

Abu Nu’aim states, in his Tib an-Nabbi, that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that the benefits of listening to recitation are increased when it is understood – that is, when its meaning is understood. Allah Himself says:

…so give good news to My slaves, those who listen to the word and then follow the best of it…(Qur’an: 39.17-18)

Source: As-Suyuti’s Medicine of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

SIGNS OF WEAK IMAAN (FAITH)‬

1. Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.

2. Having a hard heart and no desire to read the ‪Quran.

3. Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for ‪Salah.

4. Neglecting the ‪ Sunnah.

5. Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.

6. Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.

7. Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making ‪Dhikr.

8. Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.

9. Desiring status and wealth.

10. Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.

11. Ordering others to do good deeds when not practicing them ourselves.

12. Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.

13. Being concerned with whether something is ‪ Haram or Halal only; and not avoiding ‪Makroo ‬ (not recommended) things.

May ALLAH help us all in attaining strong imaan... In sha ALLAH.... Aameen