Reasons why a Duʿa isn’t answered
Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan Answered:
Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan said:
“But not everyone who supplicates is answered. So why is a person not answered even though Allah, Glorified and Exalted, has promised that He will respond, and He never breaks His promise?
The answer to this lies in several matters:
First: Allah, Mighty and Majestic, may delay the response for the servant’s own benefit. This is why it is mentioned that a person should not despair and say: ‘I supplicated and supplicated, but I was not answered.’ Rather, he should continue making du‘ā’, for perhaps his benefit lies in the delay of the response. Allah may either answer his supplication, store for him something better than it, or forgive sins equivalent to it. Allah is All-Wise, All-Knowing. Therefore, the servant should continue to supplicate abundantly even if the answer does not come quickly, and he should never despair of Allah’s mercy.
Second: the obstacle may come from the servant himself. He may make an unlawful supplication, while Allah only accepts what He has legislated. Or he may supplicate while his heart is heedless and lacking certainty in the response. The Prophet ﷺ said:
‘Call upon Allah while being certain of the response, and know that Allah does not accept a supplication from a heedless, distracted heart.’
It may also be that the person consumes unlawful earnings. The Prophet ﷺ said:
‘Indeed, Allah is Pure and accepts only what is pure. And Allah commanded the believers with what He commanded the messengers, saying: “O messengers, eat from the good foods and work righteousness. Indeed, I, of what you do, am Knowing.” [23:51], and He said: “O you who believe, eat from the good things We have provided for you” [2:172].’
Then he mentioned a man on a long journey, disheveled and dusty, raising his hands to the sky saying: ‘O Lord, O Lord,’ while his food is unlawful, his drink is unlawful, his clothing is unlawful, and he has been nourished with the unlawful — so how can he be answered?’
All of these are barriers to the acceptance of supplication. Therefore, the servant must pay attention to them and rid himself of them. He should supplicate with a present and attentive heart, avoid excess and transgression in du‘ā’, and call upon Allah only with what is permissible and legislated. He should also seek lawful food, drink, clothing, and earnings so that his supplication may be answered.
Du‘ā’ is a beneficial remedy for sins and for fulfilling needs, but this remedy must meet the proper conditions and be taken in the correct manner. If the medicine matches the illness, it cures by Allah’s permission; if it does not, it brings no benefit. It is exactly like medicine for physical illnesses: it must possess the proper qualities.
Allah, Glorified and Exalted, said: ‘O Messengers, eat from the good and lawful things,’ meaning the permissible things. Everything Allah has permitted is good and pure, and everything He has forbidden is evil and impure, as He said: ‘He makes lawful for them the good things and forbids for them the impure things’ [7:157].
Thus, eating lawful and pure things is a cause for the acceptance of supplication, while consuming unlawful things is a cause for preventing acceptance. Therefore, the servant should seek what is lawful in his food and earnings.”
—Ataʿliq ʿala al-Jawab al-Kafi 23-25
“ᴍᴀʏ ᴀʟʟᴀʜ ʀᴇᴡᴀʀᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴄʜᴏʟᴀʀꜱ ᴏꜰ ᴀʜʟᴜꜱ ꜱᴜɴɴᴀʜ ᴡʜᴏ ᴄʟᴀʀɪꜰɪᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴘᴏꜱᴇᴅ ꜰᴀʟꜱᴇʜᴏᴏᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴀʏ ʜᴇ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴜꜱ ᴀᴍᴏɴɢ ᴛʜᴏꜱᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʟɪꜱᴛᴇɴ, ᴜɴᴅᴇʀꜱᴛᴀɴᴅ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡ.”