The Supplication of the Oppressed

The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta

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Q13: Is the supplication of the oppressed answered in this world, or is it possibly deferred to the Hereafter?
Vol. 13: Injustice is not permissible. Allah the Exalted said:

And never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers do. He only delays them for a Day when eyes will stare [in horror].

وَلا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الأَبْصَارُ

[Ibrahim 14:42]

, and He the Exalted said:

And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned.

وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ

[Ash-Shu'ara 26:227]

. And al-Bukhari , Muslim , and others reported from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Oppression shall be darkness on the Day of Judgment.

الظلم ظلمات يوم القيامة

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2030Sahih (Darussalam)

. And al-Bukhari , Muslim , and others reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, grants respite to the oppessor. But when He lays Hand upon him, He does not then let him off. Re (the Holy Prophet) then recited this verse:" Such is the chastisement of thy Lord when He chastises the towns (inhabited by) wrongdoing persons. Surely, His punishment is painful, severe"

إن الله ليملي للظالم حتى إذا أخذه لم يفلته ثم قرأ: وَكَذَلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَا أَخَذَ الْقُرَى وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ

Sahih Muslim 2583

.
And Muslim and others narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) what he reported from his Lord (Mighty and Majestic) that He said:

O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another.

يا عبادي، إني حرمت الظلم على نفسي وجعلته بينكم محرمًا فلا تظالموا

Sahih Muslim 2577a

. This is a hadith. The supplication of the oppressed is answered, as indicated by the narration of Ibn 'Abbas in the two Sahihs, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he said:

don't pick up (as a share of Zakat) the best of their wealths. Beware of the supplication of the oppressed for there is no barrier between him and Allah.

وإياك وكرائم أموالهم، واتق دعوة المظلوم فإنه ليس بينها وبين الله حجاب

Sahih Muslim 19a

. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

There are three whose supplication is not rejected:

ثلاثة لا ترد دعوتهم:

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3598Hasan (Darussalam)

. Among them is:

And the oppressed, whose supplication Allah raises above the clouds, and He says: By My Majesty and My Glory, I will surely help you, even if it is after a long time.

والمظلوم يرفع الله دعوته فوق الغمام، ويقول: وعزتي وجلالي لأنصرنك ولو بعد حين

, narrated by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. In the hadith of Abu Hurayrah from the Prophet, he said:

Three supplications are accepted , there is no doubt in them (about them being accepted): The supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveler, and the supplication of his father against his son.

ثلاث دعوات مستجابات لا شك فيهن: دعوة المظلوم، ودعوة المسافر، ودعوة الوالد على ولده

Jami` at-Tirmidhi 1905Hasan (Darussalam)

, narrated by al-Tirmidhi who graded it as good. And Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi who graded it as good, Ibn Majah, and Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Habban in their Sahihs narrated:

There are three whose supplication is not rejected: one who has just ended a fast, a just imam , and one who has been wronged whose supplication is raised by God above the clouds and for which the gates of heaven are opened. The Lord says, ‘I swear by my might that I will certainly help you, though it be after some time’.”

ثلاثة لا ترد دعوتهم: الصائم حتى يفطر، والإمام العادل، ودعوة المظلوم يرفعها الله فوق الغمام وتفتح لها أبواب السماء ويقول الرب: وعزتي لأنصرنك ولو بعد حين

Mishkat al-Masabih 2249

. And from Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

There is no sin more fitted to have punishment meted out by Allah to its perpetrator in advance in this world along with what He stores up for him in the next world than oppression and severing ties of relationship.

ما من ذنب أجدر أن يعجّل الله تعالى لصاحبه العقوبة في الدنيا، مع ما يدخر له في الآخرة، مثل البغي وقطيعة الأرحام

Sunan Abi Dawud 4902Sahih (Al-Albani)

, narrated by al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah. This is regarding supplications in general. The answering of a supplication is either by the fulfillment of the request, or by averting from him an equivalent amount of evil that was destined for him, or by storing up for him a reward equivalent to it on the Day of Resurrection; based on the hadith of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

No Muslim supplicates to Allah with a supplication that contains no sin and no severing of family ties, except that He gives him one of three things: either He answers his supplication, or He averts from him an equivalent amount of evil, or He stores up for him an equivalent reward. They said: O Messenger of Allah, then we will supplicate a lot. He said: Allah is more abundant.

ما من مسلم يدعو الله بدعوة ليس فيها مأثم ولا قطيعة رحم إلا أعطاه إحدى ثلاث: إما أن يستجيب له دعوته، أو يصرف عنه من السوء مثلها، أو يدخر له من الأجر مثلها قالوا: يا رسول الله: إذًا نكثر، قال: الله أكثر

Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 18:13

, narrated by al-Hakim who said: This is a hadith with a sound chain, except that the two Shaykhs did not narrate it.

Source www.alifta.gov.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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