 أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم والحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على سيدنا ونبينا محمد وأهل بيته الطيبين الطاهرين اللهم صلى على محمد وآل محمد قال تعالى في كتابه الكريم بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وقال ربكم ادعوني أستجب لكم إن الذين يستكبرون عن عبادتي سيتخلون جهنم داخرين أو ما أوه what action we do what should we do in order to trigger the response of Allah سبحانه و تعالى in the form of mercy blessing answering our needs and desires لتعرف الناس الناس of a creation Where the God calls them tradition of God سنة الله ولا نتجد لسنة الله تبديلة You do not see differences alteration in the norms of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in the laws of creation One of his affairs is answering the calls or bestowing his mercy to his creatures Now his response is totally different from our response as a human to certain needs His response is not subject to temper or emotion or compulsive behavior Sometimes we hastily respond to something because we get agitated because we get elated and happy therefore we do something quickly Our reactions are considered to be quick due to our emotions The answer of Allah سبحانه وتعالى is different It is not subject to a compulsive behavior Rather it is subject to the norms and the laws of a creation as God has called it سنة الله Now the question is What should we do in order to trigger the response of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in the form of bestowing mercy blessing blessing us answering our needs and our calls The whole thing has to do with the action And that is called دعاء دعاء means supplications and prayers علي بن أبي طالب عليه السلام has very eloquent short statement where he says الدعاء مفتاح الرحمة supplication is the keys to the mercy of Allah سبحانه وتعالى So we should know that when you have the key of the دعاء you will elicit the response of Allah But unfortunately not everyone knows how to use this key how to utilize this key in order to elicit the mercy of Allah It has to have a protocol It has to have a condition and you have to follow that the application the supplication also has a user manual because the minute you get to that key the blessings of Allah سبحانه وتعالى will be pouring in They will come limitless as the Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran ما يفتح الله للناس من رحمة فلا ممسك لها If the mercy of Allah is showered then upon people then it has no end The Prophet peace be upon him tells Ali ibn Abi Talib advises him tells him اوصيك بالدعاء فإن معه الإجابة I admonish you that you do supplication because it is coupled and conjugated with divine response Ali ibn Abi Talib عليه السلام himself says من أعطي الدعاء لم يحرم الإجابة someone who does a prayer and call upon his Lord then God would not deprive him from answering him always you will see the answer as the Almighty God has said وقال ربكم ودعوني أستجب لكم you pray on me you call upon me and then you will see the answer again the prevailing question is what is the relationship between God's mercy and the prayers and supplications that we do how the supplication and a prayer triggers and prompts the Almighty God's mercy the scholars have a beautiful answer for that they say that there are two steps process step number one is even before you say your needs even before you articulate your prayers and supplication the state that you are in will it triggers God's response they say that the state of total neediness the state of total and abject poverty the insufficiency itself and our total dependency on the Almighty itself will it trigger the response of Allah when God see us in desperate need when we are in total need to him then that itself comprises an answer from God they give example they say in the same manner that a crying child toddler or infant when he is dismayed hungry, thirsty and cries for the assistant of mother and the same rate that he is begging and asking although unconsciously with a crying for the help of mother the same thing the passion of mother her love toward this child to this child also pushes her toward finding the child seeking the child and helping him in the same manner that the child needs the passion of his mother the passion of the mother her love and affection toward the child makes her in search of the child and the infant to help him this total abject poverty that we are in will elicit the response of Allah the Almighty Allah says يا أيها الناس والله هو الغني الحمين أنت an abject poverty toward your lord you don't have anything you are in total reliance and dependence on him this state of being dependent on Allah will elicit his response that he will shower us with his mercy the same way as the child is described in need of the assistant of his mother the mother's passion also is in need to help the child to assist the child an agonized patient with chronic illness in the same manner that he is impatiently waiting for the doctor to treat him the passion of the doctor is in search of that patient to help him in the same way when we commit sins when we make falsehood and wrongdoing the mercy of the lord will become in search for us the mercy itself will search for our crimes for our sins the passion of Allah the mercy of Allah is so vast that itself is in search of the wrongdoers to forgive them look at the beautiful verse in the Holy Quran Allah says أسرفوا على أنفسهم لا تقنطون الرحمة الله إن الله يغفر الظنومبة جميعا all those people who have been excessive on themselves who have done extravagance do not be hopeless from the mercy of Allah God will forgive all mistakes all sins the verse does not mention repentance does not mention that you should ask for forgiveness just say the fact that you are in excessive amount of sins that will elicit the response of God after all how many who are in need of help pray to God to receive assistant not so many how many who are hungry and pray to God to feed their stomach not so many but you see billions of people get fed every day millions of people get cured every day without asking just the fact that you are in need of God that itself will elicit the response of mercy as the narration as the dua says من يعطي من سأله يا من يعطي من لم يسأله ومن لم يعرفه تحننا منه ورحمة oh you the lord who you answered the calls who do not answer you do not beg you do not ask for you still you shower them with your mercy so the first criteria is the neediness total neediness toward him it is the neediness when it is coupled with comprehension when we understand when we are aware of our need toward Allah when we are cognizant of our need when I am in state of knowing that he is the only one who will help me he is the only one who is capable of assisting me when those two things my awareness are coupled that will elicit more of the blessings more of the mercy of Allah and that itself constitute the essence of dua that is considered to be the brain of worship as the prophet peace be upon him says الدعاء مخ العبادة the prayers are the brain the mind of the prayers why? because when I ask Allah in one way I am asking for his help in another way I am admitting my total reliance on him and that's where he said ادعوني أستجب لكم إن الذين يستكبرون عن عبادة they do not call upon me they will enter the hellfire because they refuse to admit that they are in total obedience and total reliance the almighty Allah سبحانه وتعالى answers the calls when we are in a desperate situation coupled with our understanding and awareness of the situation that will constitute an answered call of a prayers that will come back يامن هو فوقا كل شيء يامن هو عالمون بكل شيء يامن هو قادرون على كل شيء يامن هو يبغى ويفنى كل شئ سبحانك يا لا ألوث خلص سبحانك سبحانك يا لا ألوث خلصنا من النار خلصنا من النار اللهم إني يسألك باسمك يا مؤمن يا مهيمان يا مكون يا ملق يا مبين يا مهوان يا ممكن يا مزين يا معلن يا مقس يا مقسم سبحانك يا لا ألوث خلصنا من النار يامن هو في ملكه مقيم يامن هو في صلطان قديم يامن هو في جلالي عظيم يامن هو على عباده يا رحي يامن هو بكل شيئا علي يامن هو بمن عصاه حلي يامن هو بمروجاه كري يامن هو في صنعه حكيم يامن هو في حكمته لطيف يامن هو في لطفه قديم سبحانك يا لصنا من النار يامن هو رب كل شيئ يا من هو إله كل شيء، يا من هو خالق كل شيء، يا من هو صانع كل شيء، يا من هو قبل كل شيء، يا من هو بعد كل شيء، يا من هو فوق كل شيء، يا من هو عالم بكل شيء، يا من هو قادر على كل شيء، يا من هو يبقى ويفنى كل شيء أنه يقول أنه who is the Lord over all things, who is the God of all times, who is the creator of all things, who is the fashioner of all things, who is the oppressor of all things, who is the successor of everything, who is above all things, who knows all things, who is powerful, powerful over all things, who is the sustainer and extinguisher of everything, troubleshooting, when you buy an appliance, when you buy an instrument, when the instrument goes wrong or the appliance is not working, you try to go to the same shop that has made it to the manufacturer or to the agent of that appliance, why? because he is the one who has put all of those together, he is the one who has assembled that appliance, therefore he knows everything in it, he knows the ins and outs of all parts of that appliance therefore it would be very incumbent upon us to take it to the creator of that appliance, the manufacturer of that appliance, because they know everything about it and they can fix it right away, the same thing when we want something to be fixed, especially our soul, our spirit, to whom should we go? we go to the original manufacturer, the almighty Allah سبحانه وتعالى he is the one who has created us, he is the one who has installed the soul and the body, therefore if I feel pain, if I feel that there is something wrong, I always go to Allah سبحانه وتعالى where he says that he is the one who creates things, because to him it wouldn't take much time the instant that he decides upon something that will happen right away as the ayah says it's an instantaneous thing, the minute that God wants, he can make that thing, he can create that thing, he can manufacture that thing therefore if something goes wrong, in those objects we send it back to its original manufacturer the 17th segment, again the theme is to succeed in all tasks where it says when sometimes you plan for yourself ahead of time the night before you sit down and make a big laundry list of things that you want to do, the succeeding day, on the next day maybe there are 6-7 items that you want to tackle and solve but sometimes you see that although you have a plan for them, you have written them at the end of the day, you didn't accomplish anything, not even one or two and sometimes with the blessing of God, you see that the environment was conducive the situation was conducive that you ended up fixing all those issues the 6 or 7 items that you have listed them, all you were able and managed to accomplish them what is the difference? the difference is that God on the previous day, he didn't smooth out the road to us but on the second day, he smoothened out all the situation we didn't have, for example, to stop in the traffic or we went in the time that the shopkeeper was opening his shop it was not closed or it was not on a rainy day or it was not on a hot day or you didn't have electricity outage the same situation that people in Iraq experience every day these are things that God will smoothen the way for us therefore, it is incumbent that at the beginning of each day, we go back to him and ask him for making our life easy that day and give us a blessing give the time a blessing so we manage to deal with our affairs and to complete our task it is only with God's blessings we can do that then, segment number 18 it says which is the theme of that is to increase and maintain livelihood and permanent position where it says يامن هو في ملكه قديم يامن هو في صلطانه قديم يامن هو في جلاله عظيم يامن هو على عباده رحيم يامن هو بكل شيء عليم يامن هو بمن عصاه حليم يامن هو بمن رجاه كريم يامن هو في صنعه حكيم يامن هو في حكمته قديم يامن هو في إلطفه قديم where it says that everything every everlasting in his kingdom eternal in his sovereignty greatest in his grandeur most merciful to his servants knower of everything for bearing to he who disobeys him magnanimous to he places his hope in him he who is wise over what he has fashioned he who is subtle in his wisdom he who is eternal in his kindness these are the words that only applies attributes that only applies to Allah سبحانه و تعالى permanence the only entity that remains permanent is Allah سبحانه و تعالى we are all transient we change through time we never stay put however it would be nice to ask Allah سبحانه و تعالى to keep the blessings and the mercies that he has bestowed upon us permanent that we keep them forever if you are in a good shape and you have health then ask the Almighty سبحانه و تعالى with these beautiful words that we have said يامن هو في ملكه قديم يامن هو في صلطانه قديم you tell him that since you are a promodial you can keep the blessings on me then continue it on me this is a way of thanking Allah سبحانه و تعالى when we pray to him that he will continue his blessings and these are the words of a praise that we place to Allah سبحانه و تعالى so he can continue his blessings السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته the best means by which seekers of nearness to Allah glorify the exalted seek nearness is the belief in him and his prophet fighting in his cause for it is the high pinnacle of Islam a belief in the كلمة الاخلاس for it is the just nature the establishment of prayer for it is the basis of humanity and community payment of zakat for it is a compulsory obligation fasting for the month of Ramazan for it is a shield against chastisement the performance of Hajj of the house of Allah and its umrah for these two acts banish poverty and wash away sins regard for kinship for it increases wealth and then life to give arms secretly for it covers shortcomings giving arms openly for it protects against a bad debt extending benefits to the people for it saves from positions of disgrace