Is God Obliged to Answer Prayers of Petition (Du'a)? The Response of Classical Sufis and Qur'anic Exegetes

Abstract

ABSTRACT The following article sets out to explore classical responses within the tradition of Qur’anic exegesis and Sufism to the theological problem of how it is that God responds to all prayers of petition. The basis of this problem rests on two Qur’anic verses in which such a guarantee is explicitly made. In Q 2:186, the Qur’an has God declare, “I answer the call [da‘wa] of the suppliant [da‘i] when he calls upon Me [da‘ani].” And in Q 40:60, the Qur’an has God state, “Call upon Me [ud‘uni], and I will answer.” The article presents an overview of the various strategies through which Muslim thinkers sought to resolve the underlying problem. In the process of exploring this question the article also demonstrates, by drawing on a wide range of classical texts, the interdependence of the Islamic subtraditions of Qur’anic commentary and Sufi thought, particularly in the latter’s more “practical” dimensions.