Why are our prayers not answered?

Why are our prayers not answered?

Man has been asked repeatedly to ask Allah(swt) for that which he
desires. To end suffering, pain or to acquire that which we desire
the most, dua is made unto Allah(swt). In Surah Ghafir, Allah(swt)
says:
"And your Lord says: "Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer)" –
[Quran 40:60]

Yet many of our prayers go unanswered and people often wonder why
their prayers were not heard. All prayers made to Allah(swt) are
heard by Him:

"When my servants ask you concerning me, (tell them) I am indeed
close (to them). I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he
calls on me." – [Quran 2:186]

Primarily, certain conditions apply to duas before they can be
answered:

1. A dua for something that is haram cannot be made and will not be
fulfilled. We cannot ask for that which is forbidden in Islam. Such
duas would definitely not be answered. Hence for starters we should
know that what we are asking for should be halal according to the
Islamic Shariah.

2. Our duas should be for our betterment. If Allah(swt) feels that
what we ask for will harm us then He will not grant us our wish. A
child who has no sense of what is harmful often cries and weeps
asking him mother to let him play with a knife. The mother knows that
he can cut himself and thus expose himself to pain if he is given the
knife and hence does not fulfill his request. Similarly we often ask
for things that are actually indeed harmful to us. Due to our limited
wisdom we cannot assess the harmful effects of it but Allah(swt) in
His Divine Wisdom knows of it and thus in order to protect us, He
does not fulfill our request.

I have often come across the younger generation who wish for a
certain person of the opposite ---- to fall in love with them. When
these duas are not answered they get depressed and disheartened. Some
actually wish that they would have a love affair with that certain
person, not realizing that this dua falls under the category of a
forbidden act. Then there are others who wish for marriage which is
permissible in Islam but a dua fulfilling the first criteria does not
mean that it also fulfills the second criteria as mentioned above.

A person wishes for wealth but does not get it. Why? Allah(swt) in
His Divine Wisdom knows how we will spend that wealth. A person can
think "but I would spend it in the cause of Allah(swt)" however
they fail to realize that we dont know a fraction of what we are.
Only The Creator does. He knows that we might do all the wrong
things. These wrong things can lead us right to the footsteps of
Hell. Hence Allah(swt) in His Divine Wisdom is protecting us but we
in our non-existant wisdom fail to understand.

3. We should pray to Allah(swt) while having faith in Him and with
humility. We should express our need for Him.

Call on your Lord with humility and in private: for Allah loveth not
those who trespass beyond bounds.
Do no mischief on the earth, after it hath been set in order, but
call on Him with fear and longing (in your hearts): for the Mercy of
Allah is (always) near to those who do good. – [Quran 7:55-56]
Many a times we quickly say our Salah and hurriedly go through the
duas taking it for granted that because we have offered the Salah,
our prayers will be answered. This is not the way to make dua. We
must be sincere to Allah(swt)

4. This is one of the most important factors which we have to keep in
mind. Though we spend time weeping for what we desire, as soon as we
leave the masjid or our praying mats we continue with that which is
haram. We will indulge in all kinds of things that are forbidden by
Allah(swt) yet we expect Him to do as we have desired. Why is it that
while we refuse to follow and obey the commandments of Allah(swt), we
expect Him to do everything for us? We should always try to prove our
worth. Ask yourself why Allah should help you? Have your proven your
worth to Him?
Suffiyan At-Thawri answered the question "why does Allah(swt) not
answer my prayer?" very appropriately. He listed 10 points which I
will list below:

1- You know Allah(swt) YET you disobey Him.
2- You recite the Quran YET you dont act according to it.
3- You know shaitan YET you have agreed with him.
4- You proclaim your love of the messenger(saw) of Allah(swt) YET you
abandon his Sunnah.
5- You proclain your love for Paradise YET you do not act to gain it.
6- You proclaim your fear of the Fire YET you do not prevent
yourselves from sins.
7- You say indeed death is true YET you have not done anything to
prepare for it.
8- You point out the faults of others YET you do not look at your own
faults.
9- You eat of that which Allah(swt) has provided for you YET you do
not thank Him(swt).
10- You bury your dead YET you do not take a lesson from it.

How many of these 10 points hold to be true with us? If one would
assess themselves honestly, the results will be surprising.
5. Allah(swt) tests His creation in many ways. Many a times our
prayers are not answered as swiftly as we desire because Allah(swt)
wants to test our patience. Truly the following verses in the Quran
correctly describe the nature of man:

Now, as for man, when his Lord trieth him, giving him honour and
gifts, then saith he, (puffed up), "My Lord hath honoured me."
But when He trieth him, restricting his subsistence for him, then
saith he (in despair), "My Lord hath humiliated me!" – [Quran 89:15-
16]

And again it is said:
There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge:
if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a
trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this
world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see! – [Quran 22:11]
To conclude, we must be sure that what we wish for is halal and not
haram. We must have faith in Allah(swt) and know that He will fulfill
that which is good for us. Our intentions should be pure and the dua
should be made with humility. It is important for us to refrain from
that which is haram and follow the commands of Allah(swt) as strictly
as we can. Losing faith in Allah(swt) is harmful only for us for He
needs not that we have faith in Him. Prayers that are unanswered in
this world are deferred to be rewarded for in the Hereafter. Most
importantly, we must recognize that Allah(swt) tests us and thus
should practice patience during such times.

by Ebrahim Saifuddin

from email