In life, we pursue goals and we try to achieve them through various means. Prayer should be seen as one of the means, not the only means. This is a subtle but very important difference that many people do not seem to understand. In his book Blessings of Prayer, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) discusses this subject at length. He compares prayer to the taking of medicine. If a person has a disease, he would use that medicine as a means to become healthy again. If the medicine does not work or lead to the right result, it would not mean that all medicines are ineffective. It would only mean that in that certain context, the prayer is not effective.[i]
As humble servants of God, our responsibility is to continue to pray. Accepting prayers or rejecting them is up to Allah. Sometimes, we may think of something as good for us while it is not good for us at all. Allah says:
وَ عَسٰۤی اَنۡ تَکۡرَہُوۡا شَیۡئًا وَّ ہُوَ خَیۡرٌ لَّکُمۡ ۚ وَ عَسٰۤی اَنۡ تُحِبُّوۡا شَیۡئًا وَّ ہُوَ شَرٌّ لَّکُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ یَعۡلَمُ وَ اَنۡتُمۡ لَا تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۲۱۷﴾
That is, there are times when we dislike something but it is actually good for us, and there are times when we think that something is good and likeable, but in fact it is bad for us. Allah is the only One who knows all things (Holy Quran, 2:217). This verse prompts us to do an exercise. Think of those times when we prayed for something that turned out to be bad for us later on. Thinking of this from another angle, consider the example of a baby crying and pleading with his mother to let him put his hand in fire. Would the mother allow it?
There are other times when it is not in the Decree of Allah to grant what we are seeking from Him. For instance, if a person asks for his life to be extended to 1,000 years, that is a wish that will not be granted as it is not part of the Decree of Allah, and not part of His grand and wise plan for creation. In fact, as the Promised Messiah(as) has written, “There are times when saints and Prophets(as) consider it disrespectful to pray for a certain thing”.[ii] When confronted with a trial, they would ask their heart if they should pray or not. If the heart is not inclined to pray, they would endure the trial instead. At such an occasion, it is best to be patient and recite much Istighfar in order to safeguard ourselves from any kind of sin. Hazrat Musleh Mau’ud(ra) explains this with an analogy. God is our Creator and the Master or King of the universe. Even in worldly matters, when we take requests to the king or president, we do not expect that every one of our requests would be approved and granted. How then can we expect that the God of the universe will accept every one of our requests and prayers? If that had been the case—if God were required to accept every prayer—it would make Him our servant and the people the kings.[iii]
Regardless, we should stay motivated and keep on praying to God. In his book Bustan, the Persian poet, Sheikh Sa’di, writes the story of a worshipper which is also narrated by the Promised Messiah(as) in Malfuzat. Whenever the worshipper would get up for prayer, he would hear the words, “Go, take your way, for your prayers are not acceptable at this door!”. At one point, a disciple of his heard this voice from heaven and said, “Now that the verdict has passed, what is the use of this futile action?” The man wept profusely and said, “If I am to leave God, where else should I go? If accursed I am, then so be it. At least I am fortunate enough to be accursed”. These discussions were still going on when a voice was heard saying, “You have been accepted”[iv] (that is, all your prayers offered thus far have been accepted). The moral of this story is that we should always humbly present our requests to God. Our responsibility is to pray, and to get closer to God and become His servants who are worthy of being heard. Despair comes from Satan and should be avoided in our lives—whether it is related to prayer or any other goal in life.
References:
[i]. Blessings of Prayer, p. 12-13
[ii]. Blessings of Prayer, p. 20
[iii]. Friday Sermon, Hazrat Musleh Mau‘ud(ra), July 21, 1916
[iv]. Bustan, Sheikh Sa’di, translated by A. Hart Edwards, p. 52; also see Malfuzat, English translation, vol. 1, p. 23