What is meant by the heart of the servant being gathered upon Allah in supplication, truly sensing his need and destitution, and the strength of his hope, along with an illustrative example?

The gathering of the servant's heart upon supplication means being mindful of its meanings, having humility in it, turning to God with devotion, and being sincere, so that the supplication is not merely verbal, for God does not respond to the supplication of a heedless heart. The delay in the answer to supplication is due to the weakness of the supplication itself, or to the weakness of the heart and its lack of turning to God, or to the presence of impediments such as consuming unlawful gain and the rust of sins. The sincerity of the servant's need and dependence on God, and the strength of their hope and certainty of being answered, all lead to the answer, even if the one supplicating is a disbeliever in this world. And if God does not answer the supplication in this world, He will answer it in the Hereafter, or expiate sins through it, as long as the servant does not supplicate for a sin, or for the severing of kinship ties, or become impatient for the answer.