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Is it permissible to supplicate for the fulfillment of needs with the supplication of Zayn al-'Abidin ibn 'Ali, which begins with "My God, how can I call upon You when I am who I am, and how can I sever my hope from You when You are who You are..."—knowing that it does not contain any unlawful phrases and is not attributed to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

This supplication has not been reported from Zayn al-'Abidin or anyone else, and there is no harm in supplicating with it, for its meaning is that the supplicant acknowledges his sins and shortcomings, then seeks intercession through Allah's generosity and forgiveness, and this is legislated; for supplication is based on humility before Allah. However, restricting it to a specific number or a specific time is an impermissible innovation (bid'ah). Every act of worship must involve sincerity and conformity (to the Sunnah). Conformity is not achieved unless it aligns with the Shari'ah in its cause, type, quantity, description, time, and place. Supplicating with what aligns with a Muslim's need is better and closer to being answered.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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