Is praying for someone in their absence harmful to a person? Specifically, was what happened to the questioner—the cancellation of a study term and the loss of a year of his life—due to people praying for him in his absence?

Everything that afflicts a servant is by Allah's decree and preordainment, and everything Allah ordains for the believer is good for him; therefore, he must be patient and content. A Muslim's supplication for his brother in his absence is answered, and it should not be imagined that it brings evil. A supplication might not be answered due to a heedless heart, or due to the presence of impediments such as consuming unlawful gain, or sins, or a heedless heart. The answering of a supplication does not mean granting the very thing requested; rather, the supplication might be expedited, or stored for the Hereafter, or an equivalent evil might be averted from him.