The Secret of Acceptable Prayers in the Sight of Allah
Why are prayers of those with broken hearts, the weak, and sorrowful souls so highly valued?
It is narrated in a hadith:
“Among you there are those with disheveled hair, wearing old clothes, appearing strange, and whom people do not regard; if they were to swear by Allah, He would not invalidate their oaths… Bara bin Malik is among them.” (Tirmidhi, Menakib, 54/3854)
THOSE WHOSE PRAYERS ARE ACCEPTED
That is to say, such people are -if I may put it this way-“people of refinement” in the sight of Allah. If they were to tell people with insistence and hope that something should happen from Allah, and swear by it, Allah Almighty would not shame their faces.
Indeed, Bara –may Allah be pleased with him–, the brother of Anas bin Malik, had no worldly milestone. He lived with a small amount of sustenance just enough to avoid starvation, yet he faced poverty with patience and submission. Bara –may Allah be pleased with him– participated in one of the wars during the time of Caliph Umar. In this war, Muslims were few in number and found themselves in a difficult situation. The army commander insisted that Bara –may Allah be pleased with him– swear for the victory of the Muslims. Upon this, Hazrat Bara:
“O Lord, I swear to You to grant them victory and bring me to the Noble Prophet!”
Indeed, victory was granted the next day, and Hazrat Bara drank the desired nectar of martyrdom with enthusiasm. (Hakim, III, 331/5274)
The Messenger of Allah –peace and blessings be upon him– himself, when asking for victory and help from Allah, would make supplications through the poor among the migrants [1] and say:
“Call the weak ones to me. For you are sustained and helped only by the prayers and blessings of your weak.” (Abu Dawud, Jihad, 70)
The narration of Malik bin Dinar is also quite meaningful in order to reach Allah’s pleasure by making use of broken and sorrowful hearts:
“Moses –peace be upon him– in one of his supplications to Allah Almighty:
“O Lord! Where should I seek You?”
Allah Almighty said:
“Seek Me among those with broken hearts!”” (Abu Nuaym, Hilye, II, 364)
Note:
[1] See Buhari, Cihad, 76; Taberani, Mujemu’l-Kebir, I, 292.