Our Mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
“O ‘Aishah, you must use the comprehensive and all-encompassing supplications.”
O ‘Aishah, this gentle address,
with which the Prophet, peace be upon him, would address his wife when teaching her,
demonstrates the Prophetic etiquette in dealing with one’s spouse,
and the etiquette of calling one’s wife by her name or her kunya (patronymic).
It also indicates the depth of love between the spouses.
Indeed, calling one’s wife by the names she loves most
is something that describes the affection between her and her husband,
and makes her receptive to the guidance he offers her.
‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says:
“The Prophet, peace be upon him, entered upon me while I was praying,
and he had a need, but I was slow to respond to him.”
He said, “O ‘Aishah, you must use the comprehensive and all-encompassing supplications.”
When I finished, I said, “O Messenger of Allah,
what are the comprehensive and all-encompassing supplications?”
He said, “Say: O Allah, I ask You for all that is good,
both its immediate and delayed [effects], what I know of it and what I do not know.
And I seek refuge in You from all that is evil,
both its immediate and delayed [effects], what I know of it and what I do not know.
And I ask You for Paradise and whatever brings one closer to it, in word or deed.
And I seek refuge in You from the Fire and whatever brings one closer to it, in word or deed.
And I ask You for what Muhammad asked You for,
and I seek refuge in You from what Muhammad sought refuge from, and whatever decree You have ordained for me, make its outcome righteous.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab al-Mufrad.
‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, had prolonged her supplication while praying,
and the Prophet, peace be upon him, wanted her for a certain matter,
but she was delayed because she was occupied in her prayer with a long supplication.
So what did he, peace be upon him, do?
He simply taught her how to supplicate during her prayer.
He said:
“O ‘Aishah,
you must use the comprehensive and all-encompassing supplications.”
These are supplications that are concise in wording but vast in meaning,
which gather righteous objectives and correct intentions,
or those that combine praise of Allah the Exalted
with the etiquette of asking.
One benefits from this
that it is the duty of the husband
to strive to teach his wife when he sees from her something that contradicts the Prophetic guidance,
and that this should be done with gentleness and the most beautiful expression.
This situation also highlights
the forbearance of the Prophet, peace be upon him;
he was in need of her for a matter,
and she had been slow to respond to him,
yet he did not become angry with her nor did he rebuke her.
Rather, he addressed the cause of her delay,
so he guided her and taught her.
However, ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
did not understand the Prophet’s intent
while she was in prayer,
so she inquired of him after her prayer, saying:
“O Messenger of Allah,
what are the comprehensive and all-encompassing supplications?”
This is the quality of the wise woman
who wishes to gather knowledge and obey her husband.
She inquired of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
directly in order to learn
when she did not understand the intent,
and she did not act arrogantly.
That is why ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, became one of the most knowledgeable of the Companions,
and many of the Companions would return to her regarding matters of knowledge.
This teaching was manifested in this issue
when ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was asked about supplication,
and she said:
“The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, used to prefer the comprehensive supplications,
and leave aside anything other than that.”
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
In this blessed month,
the month of Ramadan,
supplications authored by people spread among the masses on social media.
They hope for reward and merit by spreading them,
yet many of them contain legal errors,
and the least that can be said is that it is disliked to use them for supplication.
The reason for this is turning away from the transmitted supplications
that have been recorded in the Book of Allah,
or in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
If we were to reflect upon this supplication that the Prophet, peace be upon him, taught
to ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
we would find that it encompasses all meanings of goodness:
“O Allah, I ask You for all that is good,
both its immediate and delayed [effects],
what I know of it and what I do not know.
And I seek refuge in You from all that is evil,
both its immediate and delayed [effects],
what I know of it and what I do not know.
And I ask You for Paradise and whatever brings one closer to it, in word or deed.
And I seek refuge in You from the Fire and whatever brings one closer to it, in word or deed.
And I ask You for what Muhammad asked You for,
and I seek refuge in You from what Muhammad sought refuge from,
and whatever decree You have ordained for me,
make its outcome righteous.”
There is no good that a Muslim seeks but it is included therein,
and there is no evil that a Muslim seeks refuge from but it is included therein.
It is the best formula for seeking Paradise and refuge from the Fire.
Then, it is a request for Allah to grant us everything the Prophet, peace be upon him, asked for in his supplication,
and to protect us from everything the Prophet, peace be upon him, sought refuge from in his supplication,
and that the outcome of all matters that Allah has decreed for us be for the best.
Therefore, scholars consider this supplication to be among the most comprehensive of supplications.
The point is not in the length of the supplication, its rhyming, or its elaboration,
rather, the point is in the great meanings it contains.
‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, benefited from the Prophet’s teaching,
and she wanted to learn the best supplication to say during Ramadan on the Night of Decree (Laylat al-Qadr).
She said, “O Messenger of Allah, what if I know which night is the Night of Decree, what should I say in it?”
He said, “Say: O Allah, You are the Pardoner, You love to pardon, so pardon me.” Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi.
This was the choice of the Prophet, peace be upon him, for the person most beloved to him,
that she should say this supplication on this blessed night.
So, shall we choose what the Messenger of Allah chose for us?
And shall we be content with the transmitted supplications, memorizing them and calling upon Allah with them?
We shall continue in the next episode, if Allah wills.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
Our Mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.