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Is it not possible that it was predestined for us to supplicate without the desired outcome, thereby missing the worship of having good assumptions about God, reliance on Him, and certainty? And does the belief that provisions are inevitable lead to laziness in striving and persistent supplication?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Supplication (du'a) is one of the means by which what is predestined comes to pass. It is like eating and drinking for achieving satiety and quenching thirst. The failure to obtain what is sought does not indicate a weakness in the effect of supplication, but rather may be due to the presence of an impediment that prevented it. Allah has decreed the occurrence of what is predestined through means, and among these means is supplication. Thus, satiety is achieved through eating, a child through intercourse, crops through sowing, and entry into Paradise through deeds, and similarly, through supplication. Ibn al-Qayyim explained that abandoning supplication on the grounds that what is supplicated for is either predestined or not predestined is a contradiction. If this approach were applied, all means would become ineffective. Supplication is one of the strongest means, and if what is supplicated for is destined to occur through supplication, then it is not correct to say that there is no benefit in it. Drawing closer to Allah, obeying Him, and showing kindness to His creation are among the greatest means of attracting good and repelling misfortunes.

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

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