The Art of Supplication - Index

This provides an index for the sessions on the Art of Supplication, these sessions are held every Saturday night.

This document provides an index to the sessions being held on Saturday nights, discussing the ‘Art of Supplication’, and which take inspiration from the excellent book Uddat al-Dai wa Najah as-Saee - The Provision of the Supplicant, and the Triumph of the Seeker by Ibn Fahd al-Hilli.

Part 1 - Introduction

[1] The Art of Supplication - An Introduction

This article serves as an introduction to the ‘Art of Supplication’ and contains the following sections:

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Introduction

3. What does it mean to Supplicate?

4. Benefits of Supplication

5. What it Means to Love

6. To Sacrifice, so the Beloved never Mourns

7. The Importance of Applying What We Learn

8. To Strive to be Truly Sincere

9. To be from His Troops, His Party and His Friends

10. A Roadmap to Supplication and Triumph

    1. Preface

    2. Part One

    3. Part Two

    4. Part Three

    5. Part Four

    6. Part Five

    7. Part Six

    8. Epilogue

11. A Note about Salutations (Ziyarah)

12. Graves Are Not Worshipped - They Are Witnesses

13. An Important Note about Linguistics

14. Conclusion

Part 2 - Definitions and Merits

[2] The Art of Supplication - Definitions and Merits

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Recap

3. Introduction

4. What Does It Mean to Supplicate?

   1. The Depth and Difficulty of Translating “Dua”

   2. “Call Me and I Will Answer”: Understanding God’s Invitation

   3. Dua Beyond Requests: The Intimacy of Speaking to God

   4. A Child and their Lord: Lessons from Tarbiyyah (Nurturing)

   5. The True Punishment: Being Distant from God

   6. God’s Accessibility, Our Excuses

   7. Dua as Worship: Love in the Language of Supplication

   8. The Essence and Core of Worship

   9. Hidden Realities and the Hereafter

   10. The Response May Not Look Like an Answer

   11. The Weapon of the Believer

   12. Why Do We Need a Weapon?

   13. The Battle Within: Our Most Dangerous Enemy

   14. Supplication: The Light and Lifeline of the Soul

   15. Keys to Success and Salvation

   16. The Pure Heart as the Vessel of Dua

   17. The Power of Dua to Change Destiny

   18. Prophet Jonah and the Power of Collective Supplication

   19. Even the Decreed Can Be Repelled

   20. Dua in the Lives of the Prophets

   21. Cultivating an Open, Honest Relationship with God

5. Conclusion

6. Whispers Beneath the Throne

   1. A Supplication for Good Outcomes and Proximity to the Beloved

Part 3 - Encouraging Supplication

[3] The Art of Supplication - Encouraging Supplication

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Recap

3. Introduction

4. Encouraging Supplication

   1. Supplication: A Necessity of the Intellect and the Heart

   2. Supplication as Love and Communication with God

   3. Helping Others Who Have Lost the Will to Supplicate

   4. Practical Methods to Encourage Supplication

5. Conclusion

6. Whispers Beneath the Throne

   1. A Whispered Supplication in Gratitude to Him and for Good Outcomes

Part 4 - Why Supplications Are Not Answered

[4] The Art of Supplication - Why Supplications Are Not Answered

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Recap

3. Introduction

4. Why Supplications Are Not Answered?

5. Prophet Yunus (Jonah)’s Realisation

6. Musaddaf and Profiteering

7. Lessons from Prophet Yunus (Jonah)

8. The Trials of Prophet Ayyoub (Job)

9. The Yearning of Prophet Zakariah (Zechariah)

10. Prophet Yusuf (Joseph)’s Delay in Release from Prison

11. The Decorum and Etiquette of Calling to God

12. “I Follow the Etiquette of Dua, but it Still Remains Unanswered, Why?”

13. You May Dislike Something that is Good for you, and Like Something that is Bad for you

14. Conclusion

15. Whispers Beneath the Throne

    1. On Trusting God, and Asking for the Best Outcomes

Part 5 - The Question of Benefit in Supplication

[5] The Art of Supplication - The Advantages and Benefits of Supplication - Part 1

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Recap

3. Introduction: The Question of Benefit in Supplication

4. The Purpose Behind Seeking Benefit

5. The Three Degrees of Servitude

6. The Importance of the Journey

7. The Veil of Self-Delusion

8. The Value of Action Lies in Intention

9. Grace, Not Glory: The Danger of Mistaking Tawfīq for Triumph

10. The Role of True Tawfeeq

11. The Inner Alchemy of Supplication: When Intention Turns Prayer into Grace

    1. The Manner of Asking: The Spiritual Core of Supplication

    2. Supplications Are Teachers

    3. Is Love Enough Without Benefit?

    4. The Command to Ask: A Divine Invitation

    5. Supplication: The Key That Unlocks Divine Fulfilment

    6. The Tragedy of Not Asking

    7. Supplication: The Door to Divine Mercy

    8. The Delay in Response: Mercy or Disfavour?

    9. Between Fear and Hope: The Lifeblood of Supplication

    10. The Door That Awaits

12. Conclusion

13. Whispers Beneath the Throne

    1. On Returning to God After a Life of Forgetfulness and the Hope for His Nearness

Part 6 - Why Supplications Should Be Understood, and Never Rushed

[6] The Art of Supplication - The Advantages and Benefits of Supplication - Part 2

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Recap

3. Introduction

4. Six Transformative Benefits of Supplication

5. Supplication as a Mirror to the Self

6. The Primacy of the Heart in Supplication (Dua)

   1. Supplication in One’s Own Language

   2. Dua as Transformation, Not Tradition

   3. The Prerequisite of Comprehension in Supplication

   4. An Analogy: Miscommunication and Meaninglessness

   5. Supplication Is an Intimate Conversation

   6. The Danger of Rushing Dua

   7. Speaking to the Beloved, Not Checking a Box

   8. Remembering Who You Are Speaking To

   9. The Honest Mirror: How Dua Unveils the Soul

7. Supplication as a Path to Knowing God—and Yourself

   1. The Role of Self-Knowledge in Divine Servitude

   2. Created for Worship, Built for Love

   3. The Consequence of Unawareness

   4. The Quranic Warning: Don’t Waste the Journey

8. Conclusion

   1. A Prayer for Self-Awareness and Divine Intimacy

   2. The Futility of Hiding from God

   3. Insights from the Tradition: Shaykh al-Saduq and Imam al-Baqir

   4. Turning Inward to Turn Toward Him

   5. The Transformative Power of Supplication

   6. A Closing Hope

9. Whispers Beneath the Throne

   1. On the Journey from Self-Knowledge to Divine Intimacy

Part 7 - How Supplication Softens the Heart and Helps with Mental Health Issues

[7] The Art of Supplication - The Advantages and Benefits of Supplication - Part 3

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Recap

3. Introduction

   1. The Breath That Draws Us Near

4. Supplication Softens the Heart

   1. The Joy of Divine Love: Beyond Sentimentality

   2. What It Truly Means to Love

   3. Love as Allegiance

   4. The Traits of True Love

   5. The Outward Face of Love: Loyalty

   6. Softening the Heart: The Role of Dua and Dhikr

   7. The Sorrowful Heart: A Mark of Divine Love

   8. Hatred and the Sanctuary of the Heart

   9. Tabarri: Disassociation with Clarity, Not Hate

   10. Laʿn: Not a Curse, But a Spiritual Boundary

   11. Understanding Laʿn in Arabic and Shia Theology

   12. Love Defines Us

   13. Loving for God’s Sake: The Flavour of Faith

   14. Psychological and Spiritual Synthesis: The Soft Heart and Sound Mind

   15. Depression and Disconnection from the Fitrah

   16. Scientific Insight

   17. Love, Loyalty, and the Flavour of Faith

   18. A Harmonised Insight

5. Becoming More God-Focused and Less Outcome-Focused

   1. The Aim of Dua: Seeking the Giver, Not the Gift

   2. The Quranic Orientation: Desire for the Divine Face

   3. The Hadeeth of Imam Ali: Worship Not as a Transaction, But as Love

   4. Ibn Arabi: The Supplication Is the Answer

   5. Ibn Sina: Dua as Alignment, Not Causation

   6. Dua as an Agent of Change

   7. Reconciling the Two Views

   8. Dua as a Cause Among Causes

   9. Philosophical Purpose vs. Scriptural Motivation

   10. From Contradiction to Clarity

   11. Theological and Psychological Implication

6. Conclusion

7. Whispers Beneath the Throne

   1. A Supplication for Nearness, Clarity, and Love

Part 8 - Building Intimacy with God through Supplication

[8] The Art of Supplication - The Advantages and Benefits of Supplication - Part 4

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Recap

3. Introduction

4. Building Intimacy with God

   1. Defining Intimacy with God

   2. Divine Intimacy in the Quran

   3. Divine Intimacy in the Words of the Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt

5. The Language of Love in Dua

   1. The Supplications of Imam Zayn al-Abedeen: A Garden of Longing

   2. Dua Kumayl: Intimacy Through Vulnerability

   3. Dua Abu Hamza ath-Thumali: The Intimacy of Tears

   4. Dua al-Arafah: The Cry of the Knowing Soul

6. Ziyarah as an Extension of Intimacy

   1. The Intimacy of Presence and Address

   2. Ziyarat al-Jaamiah al-Kabirah: The Comprehensive Portrait of Divine Intimacy

   3. Ziyarah and Emotional Presence

7. Intimacy in Practice

   1. Create Sacred Space and Time

   2. Begin with Gratitude and Praise

   3. Speak with Emotional Honesty

   4. Repeat and Return

   5. Remember the Goal: Not Just to Be Heard — But to Be Near

   6. The Soul that Knows Where to Turn

8. Conclusion

9. Whispers Beneath the Throne

   1. On Longing for the Prophet’s Light and the Awaited One

Part 9 - Contentment through Supplication

[9] The Art of Supplication - The Advantages and Benefits of Supplication - Part 5

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Audio of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

3. Recap

4. Introduction

   1. Supplication as a Gateway to Contentment

5. Contentment Is the Fruit of Intimacy

6. Supplication and Surrender — Two Sides of the Same Coin

7. The Role of Supplication in Reframing Suffering

8. The Content Soul in the Quran and Ahadeeth

9. Scholars on Contentment Through Dua

   1. Imam Khomeini: Dua as Spiritual Reorientation

   2. Allamah Tabatabai: Contentment Is the Natural End of Dhikr

   3. Sayyid Ibn Tawus: The Supplicant’s Secret

   4. Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Qadhi Tabatabai: The Stillness of the Friend

   5. Practical Insight from Modern Scholars

   6. A Heart Refined

10. Supplication as Reorientation of the Heart

11. Conclusion

    1. The Quiet Power of Contentment

12. Whispers Beneath the Throne

    1. The Supplication of the One Who Whispers Beneath the Throne

Part 10 - Mercy as the Essence of Divine Engagement

[10] The Art of Supplication - The Advantages and Benefits of Supplication - Part 6

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Audio of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

3. Recap

4. Introduction

   1. Mercy as the Essence of Divine Engagement

5. The Names of Mercy — ar-Rahman and ar-Raheem

   1. Mercy as the First Door of Divine Recognition

6. Supplication as an Unveiling, Not Just a Request

   1. The Mercy Was Always There — Dua Just Opened the Eyes to It

   2. God Does Not Wait to Show Mercy — He Waits for the Soul to See It

   3. Dua as a Mirror, Not a Bargaining Table

   4. The Delay as a Revelation of a Deeper Kind

7. The Mercy of Being Allowed to Call

   1. When the Permission to Pray Is the Answer Itself

   2. Permission Is the First Response

   3. The Mercy of Being Known, Not Just Heard

8. Dua as an Act of Mercy Upon the Soul

   1. Healing, Cleansing, and Drawing Near — Even When Nothing “Changes”

   2. The Soul Is Not Left Unattended

   3. Tears as Treatment — Suffering as Softening

   4. Dua Cleanses the Heart from Bitterness and Fear

   5. Healing Even in Delay

9. Mercy in the Delay, Mercy in the Denial

   1. When the Withholding Is a Greater Answer Than the Giving

   2. Dua Is Never Rejected — It Is Reconfigured

   3. Delays Are Invitations to Stay in His Presence

   4. God’s Withholding Is Not Neglect — It Is Precision

   5. The Hidden Mercy of Not Being Answered

10. Stories from the Quran — Mercy Unveiled Through Dua

    1. When the Trial Becomes the Throne of Intimacy

    2. Prophet Jonah (Yunus) — The Mercy of the Depths

    3. Prophet Joseph (Yusuf) — The Mercy of the Prison

    4. Prophet Zechariah (Zakariyyah) — The Mercy in a Whispered Hope

    5. Saint Mary (Sayyedah Maryam) — The Mercy in Labour and Solitude

    6. Prophet Job (Ayyub) — The Mercy in Patience

    7. Mercy Beyond Outcome

11. When the Soul Witnesses Mercy

    1. The Veil Lifts, and the Heart Knows

    2. The Witnessing Is Internal Before It Is External

    3. The Prophet’s Witnessing in the Cave

    4. Imam al-Ridha and the Mercy of Calling

    5. Mercy Becomes the Air the Soul Breathes

    6. And So the Soul Says

12. Conclusion

    1. Mercy Was Always There

13. Whispers Beneath the Throne

    1. On Witnessing Mercy, and Longing for the One Who Embodies It

Part 11 - The Sacred Windows: On the Appointed Times for Supplication

[11] The Art of Supplication - The Sacred Windows: The Role of Time - Part 1

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Audio of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

3. Recap

   1. The Journey So Far

4. Introduction

5. Introduction to Sacred Windows

6. Sacred Times

   1. The Pre-Dawn Hour (Sahar)

      1. Hadeeth of the Ahl al-Bayt

      2. Uddat al-Dai

      3. Insights of the Scholars

   2. The Islamic Calendar and the Rhythm of Time

      1. The Day Begins at Fajr

      2. The Night Belongs to the Day That Follows

      3. The Week Begins on Saturday

      4. The Sacred Rhythm in Practice

   3. The Night of Wednesday

      1. The Quranic Foundation of Wasilah (Intercession)

      2. The Recitation of Dua Tawassul

      3. Transmission of Dua al-Tawassul

      4. The Voice of the Scholars

      5. The Philosophy of Renewal

      6. Practical Recommendations

   4. The Day and Night of Friday

      1. The Quranic Foundation

      2. Hadeeth of the Ahl al-Bayt

      3. Uddat al-Dai

      4. The Night of Friday

      5. The Day of Friday

      6. The Philosophy of Friday

      7. Voices of the Scholars on Friday and Its Night

7. Conclusion

   1. From the Week to the Year

8. Whispers Beneath the Throne

   1. On the Windows of Time and the Lord of Eternity

Part 12 - The Sacred Windows: The Yearly Rhythm of Mercy - Part 1

[12] The Art of Supplication - The Sacred Windows: The Role of Time - Part 2: The Yearly Rhythm of Mercy - Part 1

1. Video of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

2. Audio of the Majlis (Sermon/Lecture)

3. Recap

4. The Yearly Rhythm of Mercy — Part 1

   1. Introduction

5. The Month of Ramadhan and the Nights of Ordainment (Qadr)

   1. Hadeeth of the Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt

   2. Voices of the Scholars

   3. Reflections

   4. Practical Recommendations

6. The 15th of Sha’baan

   1. Tafsir of the Verse

   2. Hadeeth of the Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt

   3. Voices of the Scholars

   4. Reflections

   5. Practical Recommendations

7. The 1st of Rajab — The Threshold of Mercy

   1. Hadeeth of the Prophet and Ahl al-Bayt

   2. Voices of the Scholars

   3. Reflections

   4. Practical Recommendations

8. Mab’ath (27th of Rajab) — The Dawn of Prophethood

   1. Hadeeth of the Ahl al-Bayt

   2. Voices of the Scholars

   3. Reflections

   4. Practical Recommendations

9. Dahw al-Ardh (25th of Dhul Qadah) — The Day the Earth was Spread

   1. Hadeeth of the Ahl al-Bayt

   2. Voices of the Scholars

   3. Reflections

   4. Practical Recommendations

10. Conclusion

    1. The Windows of Mercy

11. Whispers Beneath the Throne

    1. The Thresholds of Mercy