Supplication: “O Allah, bring to completion for this Ummah a matter of guidance,” and the meaning of humiliation in it

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, what is your opinion of this supplication that many mosque imams recite? “O Allah, bring to completion for this Ummah a matter of good in which You honor those who obey You and humble those who disobey You.” What is the validity of the phrase “humble those who disobey You”?

Answer:
This is a great supplication. “O Allah, bring to completion for them a matter of guidance in which You honor those who obey You and humble those who disobey You, and in which they are commanded to do what is right and forbidden from doing what is wrong.” It is a great, excusable supplication. It is a great supplication, and we ask Allah to accept it from those who make it. We ask Allah to accept it. The meaning of “a matter of guidance” is a matter that aligns with guidance, aligns with the right path, and aligns with what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. For this reason, He may honor those who obey Him and humble those who disobey Him until they refrain from displaying their sins and until they find the right path. In it, they are commanded to do what is right and forbidden from doing what is wrong. The meaning is that He grants them a matter of strength and authority through which this command is achieved. That is, He facilitates for them an authority and strength through which this is achieved: the honoring of the people of faith through obedience, and if they do not disobey, they will not display their sins, and through which the command to do what is right and the forbidding of what is wrong is achieved.