Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 186

Mufti Taqi Usmani

When My servants ask you about Me, then (tell them that) I am near. I respond to the call of one when he prays to Me; so they should respond to Me, and have faith in Me, so that they may be on the right path.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps they will be guided ˹to the Right Way˺.

Ruwwad Translation Center

When My slaves ask you concerning Me, I am indeed near. I respond to the call of the supplicant when he calls upon Me; so they should respond to Me and believe in Me, so that they may be guided.

A. J. Arberry

And when My servants question thee concerning Me -- I am near to answer the call of the caller, when he calls to Me; so let them respond to Me, and let them believe in Me; haply so they will go aright.

Abdul Haleem

[Prophet], if My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I respond to those who call Me, so let them respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be guided.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And when My bondsmen ask thee regarding Me, then verily I am Nigh; I answer the call of the caller when he calleth unto Me,; so let them answer Me and believe in Me, haply they may be rightly directed.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them); I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me; Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me; That they may walk in the right way.

Abul Ala Maududi

And if My servants ask you, O Prophet. concerning Me, tell them that I am quite near to them. I hear and answer the prayer of the suppliant, when he calls to Me. So let them respond to My call and believe in Me. Convey this to them, O Prophet; perhaps they may be guided aright.

Ahmed Ali

When My devotees enquire of you about Me, I am near, and answer the call of every supplicant when he calls. It behoves them to hearken to Me and believe in Me that they may follow the right path.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him), when My bondmen question you concerning Me, then surely I am close; I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on Me, so they must obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may attain guidance.

Ali Quli Qarai

When My servants ask you about Me, [tell them that] I am indeed nearmost. I answer the supplicant’s call when he calls Me. So let them respond to Me, and let them have faith in Me, so that they may fare rightly.

Ali Ünal

And when (O Messenger) My servants ask you about Me, then surely I am near: I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he prays to Me. So let them respond to My call (without hesitation), and believe and trust in Me (in the way required of them), so that they may be guided to spiritual and intellectual excellence and right conduct.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And when My servants ask you concerning Me (tell them), I am nearby indeed, I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me, so they should respond to My call, and believe in Me (that I possess all these attributes) so that they may proceed in the right way.

English Literal

And if My worshippers/slaves asked/questioned you about Me, so I am near/close, I answer/reply the caller`s/requester`s call/request/prayer if (he) called/requested/prayed (to) Me , so they should answer/reply to Me and they should believe in Me (E), maybe they be correctly guided .

Faridul Haque

And O dear Prophet (Mohammed - peace and blessings be upon him), when My bondmen question you concerning Me, then surely I am close; I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he calls on Me, so they must obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may attain guidance.

Hamid S. Aziz

When My servants ask you concerning Me, then, verily, I am near; I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when ever he calls to Me. So let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and let them believe in Me; per chance (or possibly) they may be directed aright.

Hilali & Khan

And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad SAW) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And when My servants ask thee concerning Me, surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should hear My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And when My servants question thee concerning Me, then surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he crieth unto Me. So let them hear My call and let them trust in Me, in order that they may be led aright.

Muhammad Sarwar

(Muhammad), if any of My servants ask you about Me, tell them that the Lord says, "I am near; I accept the prayers of those who pray." Let My servants answer My call and believe in Me so that perhaps they may know the right direction.

Qaribullah & Darwish

When My worshipers ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the supplication of the suppliant when he calls to Me; therefore, let them respond to Me and let them believe in Me, in order that they will be righteous.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad concerning Me, then answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.

Wahiduddin Khan

When My servants ask you about Me, say that I am near. I respond to the call of one who calls, whenever he calls to Me: let them, then, respond to Me, and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided.

Talal Itani

And when My servants ask you about Me, I Am near; I answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me. So let them answer Me, and have faith in Me, that they may be rightly guided.

Tafsir jalalayn

A group of followers of the Prophet (s) asked him, `Is our Lord nearby so that we should talk to Him secretly, or is He far away, so that we should call out to him?', and the following was revealed; And when My servants question you concerning Me -- I am near, to them in My knowledge, and he informed them of this; I answer the call of the caller, by granting him his request, when he calls to Me; so let them respond to Me, My call to them to be obedient, and let them believe, [let them] persevere in faith, in Me that they might go aright, [that] they [might] become guided.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Allah hears the Servant's Supplication

Allah says;

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُوْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ



And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad concerning Me, then answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.

Imam Ahmad reported that Abu Musa Al-Ashari said,

"We were in the company of Allah's Messenger during a battle. Whenever we climbed a high place, went up a hill or went down a valley, we used to say, `Allah is the Most Great,' raising our voices.

The Prophet came by us and said;

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ارْبَعُوا عَلى أَنْفُسِكُمْ فَإِنَّكُمْ لَاا تَدْعُونَ أَصَمَّ ولَاا غَايِبًا إنَّمَا تَدْعُونَ سَمِيعًا بَصِيرًا إنَّ الَّذي تَدْعُونَ أَقْربُ إِلَى أَحَدِكُمْ مِنْ عُنُقِ رَاحِلَتِهِ يا عَبْدَاللهِ بْنَ قَيْسٍ أَلَاا أُعَلِّمُكَ كَلِمَةً مِنْ كُنُوزِ الْجَنَّةِ لَاا حَوْلَ وَلَاا قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِالله

O people! Be merciful to yourselves (i.e., don't raise your voices), for you are not calling a deaf or an absent one, but One Who is All-Hearer, All-Seer. The One Whom you call is closer to one of you than the neck of his animal.

O Abdullah bin Qais (Abu Musa's name) should I teach you a statement that is a treasure of Paradise;`La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no power or strength except from Allah).'

This Hadith was also recorded in the Two Sahihs, and Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah recorded similar wordings.

Furthermore, Imam Ahmad recorded that Anas said that the Prophet said;

يَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالى أَنَا عِنْدَ ظَنِّ عَبْدِي بِي وَأَنَا مَعَهُ إِذَا دَعَانِي

"Allah the Exalted said, `I am as My servant thinks of Me, and I am with him whenever he invokes Me.'

Allah accepts the Invocation

Imam Ahmad also recorded Abu Sa`id saying that the Prophet said;

مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَدْعُو اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِدَعْوَةٍ لَيْسَ فِيها إِثْمٌ ولَاا قَطِيعَةُ رَحِمٍ إلاَّ أَعْطَاهُ اللهُ بِهَا إِحْدَى ثَلَاثِ خِصَالٍ إِمَّا أَنْ يُعَجِّل لَهُ دَعْوَتَهُ وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَدَّخِرَهَا لَهُ فِي الاُخْرَى وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَصْرِفَ عَنْهُ مِنَ السُّوءِ مِثْلَهَا

No Muslim supplicates to Allah with a Du`a that does not involve sin or cutting the relations of the womb, but Allah will grant him one of the three things.

He will either hasten the response to his supplication,

save it for him until the Hereafter, or

would turn an equivalent amount of evil away from him."

They said, "What if we were to recite more (Du`a)."

He said,
اللهُ أَكْثَر
There is more with Allah.

Abdullah the son of Imam Ahmad recorded Ubaydah bin As-Samit saying that the Prophet said;

مَا عَلى ظَهْرِ الَارْضِ مِنْ رَجُلٍ مُسْلِمٍ يَدْعُو اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بَدَعْوَةٍ إِلاَّ اتَاهُ اللهُ إيَّاهَا أَوْ كَفَّ عَنْهُ مِنَ السُّوءِ مِثْلَهَا مَا لَمْ يَدْعُ بِإِثْمٍ أَوْ قَطِيعَةِ رَحِم

There is no Muslim man on the face of the earth who supplicates to Allah but Allah would either grant it to him, or avert harm from him of equal proportions, as long as his supplication does not involve sin or cutting the relations of the womb.

At-Tirmidhi recorded this Hadith.

Imam Malik recorded that Abu Hurayrah narrated that Allah's Messenger said;

يُسْتَجَابُ لَاحَدِكُمْ مَالَمْ يَعْجَلْ يَقُولُ دَعَوْتُ فَلَمْ يُسْتَجَبْ لِي

One's supplication will be accepted as long as he does not get hasty and say, `I have supplicated but it has not been accepted from me."

This Hadith is recorded in the Two Sahihs from Malik, and this is the wording of Al-Bukhari.

Muslim recorded that the Prophet said;

لاا يَزَالُ يُسْتَجابُ لِلْعَبْدِ مَا لَمْ يَدْعُ بِإِثْم أَوْ قَطِيعَةِ رَحِمٍ مَا لَمْ يَسْتَعْجِل

The supplication of the servant will be accepted as long as he does not supplicate for what includes sin, or cutting the relations of the womb, and as long as he does not become hasty.

He was asked, "O Messenger of Allah! How does one become hasty?"

He said,

قَدْ دَعَوْتُ وقَدْ دَعَوْتُ فَلَمْ أَرَ يُسْتَجَابُ لِي فَيَسْتَحْسِرُ عِنْدَ ذلِكَ وَيَدَعُ الدُّعَاء

He says, `I supplicated and supplicated, but I do not see that my supplication is being accepted from me.' He thus looses interest and abandons supplicating (to Allah).
Three Persons Whose Supplication will not be rejected

In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad and the Sunans of At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah it is recorded that;

Abu Hurayrah narrated that Allah's Messenger said;

ثَلَثةٌ لَا تُرَدُّ دَعْوَتُهُمْ الاْمَامُ الْعَادِلُ وَالصَّايِمُ حَتَّى يُفْطِرَ وَدَعْوَةُ الْمَظْلُومِ يَرْفَعُهَا اللهُ دُونَ الْغَمَامِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَتُفْتَحُ لَهَا أَبْوَابُ السَّمَاءِ يَقُولُ بِعِزَّتِي لَاَنْصُرَنَّكَ وَلَوْ بَعْدَ حِين

Three persons will not have their supplication rejected;

the just ruler,

the fasting person until breaking the fast, and

the supplication of the oppressed person,

for Allah raises it above the clouds on the Day of Resurrection, and the doors of heaven will be opened for it, and Allah says, `By My grace! I will certainly grant it for you, even if after a while.'