INVOCATION

Introduction

Many divine texts show that invocation is the essence of worship. The latter is the sole objective of human existence. Invocation means the begging of the unable for help from the strong, and it implies the continuity of the relationship between the created and the creator. It is also considered as being one of the causes by which harm is warded off.

 I. The merits of invocation

The prophet- may peace be upon him- said: «Verily invocation is worship». [Narrated by En-Nûman bnu Bachir, reported by the people of Sunna and El Hâkim and said it is an authentic Hadith, and graded by Et-Termidi as a good and authentic Hadith].

He also said: «Invocation is beneficial for what is befell and what is not happened yet. So you have to invoke God O servant of Allah! ». [An authentic Hadith reported by El-Hâkim in El Mustadrak from Ibnu Omar].

He also said: «There is no Muslim on Earth who invokes Allah for a specific invocation without being recorded what he implored for, or he is kept away from harm as long as he did not incite people to commit a sin or sever the bonds of kinship» [Reported by Et-Termidi].

 II. Invocation in the Noble Quran

Allah -GOD- the Great said:

« And your Lord says: "Call upon Me and I shall answer you. Surely those who arrogantly disdain to worship Me shall enter Hell utterly disgraced» [Surat Ghâfer/ The Forgiver, 60].

«And if My servants ask you about Me, surely I am near, I answer the prayer of he who calls me, so let them respond to Me, that they may be rightly guided» [Surat Al-Baqara/The Heifer, 186].

« Invoke your Lord with humility and privately, He loves not those who transgress». [Surat Al-A’raf/ The Heights, 55].

« And the Most Sublime Attributes of God are due to Him Alone. So, call Him by them, and ignore those who distort them in apostasy, they shall be recompensed for what they have done». [Surat Al-A’raf/ The Heights, 180].

« Say, "Call upon God, or call upon the Merciful (Ar Rahman) whichseover name you call upon, to Him belong the Most Sublime Attributes". And do not be loud in your prayer, nor be silent therein, but seek a way between». [Surat Al-Isrâ’/ The Nocturnal Trip, 110].

Invocation in the Noble Koran is reported with different forms and various styles in the following Surats (Chapters):

 1- El-Fâtiha (the Opning of the Book):

«…Guide us to the righteous way; the way of those on whom you have endowed your Grace, not the way of those who earn your wrath, nor of those who go astray». [Verses: 06, 07].

 2. Al-Baqara (the Heifer):

· The invocation of the prophet Abraham- may peace be upon him:

« And when Abraham said: "My Lord makes this city a safe place and provides its inhabitants with fruits, those of them who believe in God and the Last Day". He said: "And whoever disbelieves, I will leave him in enjoyment for a time, then I will consign him to the torment of the Fire, surely an evil destination. And as Abraham and Ismail were raising the foundation of the House (Kaâba) they humbly prayed, "Our Lord accept this from us, surely you are the All-Hearing, the All- Knowing. Our Lord lead us to submit to your will and raise from our offspring a nation which will submit to your will, and direct us to our ordinance for worship, and turn us from sin, indeed you are the Relenting, the Most Merciful. Our Lord send to them a Messenger from among them who shall recite your revelations to them and teach them the Book (the Koran) and the Wisdom and purify them, surely you are Almighty, all-Wise». [Verses: 126, 127, 128 and 129].

 · The invocation for good in this life and the Hereafter:

« And there are some who say: «Our Lord, provide us with good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the penalty of the Fire». [Verse: 201].

 · The invocation of Talut and his soldiers:

« So when Talut went forth with the armies he said: "God will try you at the stream, whoever drinks of its water will not be my companion, and whoever does not taste it, he is surely my companion and he who takes but a handful". But they all drank of it except a few of them, so when he crossed it, and those who believed with him, they said: "We have today no power to fight against Jalut (Goliah) and his armies". Those who were sure that they would meet God said: "How often has a small company overcome a numerous company, by God’s leave! And God is with the patient". And when they advanced against Jalut and his army, they prayed "Our Lord, pour out upon us constancy and make foothold firm, and help us against the unbelieving people». [Verses: 249, 250].

 · The invocation of the prophet Muhammad- may peace be upon him- and the sincere believers:

« The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers, they all believe in God and His Angels and His Books and His Messengers, we make no distinction between any of His Messengers, and they say: "We hear and we obey, we implore Your forgiveness our Lord, and to you is the destiny. God does not impose on any soul a burden greater than it can bear, it receives every good that it earns, and it suffers every evil that it earns. Our Lord pardons us if we forget or commit an error. Our Lord, do not subject us to hardship as you did subject those before us. Our Lord, do not subject us to more than we can bear, pardon us, and forgive us, have Mercy on us. You are our Guardian, so grant us victory over the unbelievers». [Verses: 285, 286].

 3. Al-Imrân (the Family of Imran).

· The invocation of the knowledgeable:

« God is the One who revealed the Book (The Koran) to you, some of its verses are definitive, these are the essence of the Book, and others   are metaphorical. Those who have deviation in their hearts adhere to what is metaphorical desiring sedition through their own interpretation, but only God knows its interpretation. And those who are deeply rooted in knowledge say: "We believe in it, it is all from our Lord". Yet, only those who posses minds remember. Our Lord, do not let our hearts deviate after you have guided us, and grant on us mercy from you, indeed you are the one who grants. Our lord, you will surely gather all people together on a day about which there is no doubt". Surely God never breaks His promise» [Verses: 07, 08 and 09].

 · The invocation of the wife of Imran:

« When the wife of Imran said: "My Lord! I have solemnly pledged to you what is in my womb as a consecrated gift, so please accept this from me. Indeed, you are the all-Hearing, the All-Knowing». [Verse: 35].

 · The invocation of Zakaria:

« There Zakaria prayed to his Lord saying: "My Lord grants me from you righteous descendents, surely you are the All-Hearing of prayers"». [Verse: 38].

 4. En-Nissâ' (The Women)

· The invocation of the weak: men, women and children:

«And how can you not fight in the cause of God and to save those men, women and children who pray, "Our Lord! Deliver us from this land whose people are oppressors, and make for us from you a helper». [Verse: 75].

 5. Al-Mâ'ida (The Table Spread).

· The invocation of Jesus- may peace be upon him- for providing him with a table from the Heaven:

«Jesus the son of Mary said: "Our Lord send down a Mâ-ida out of heaven, that shall be for us a festival for the first and the last of us, and a sign from You, and provide for us, You are the provider. God said: "I will send it down to you, but if any of you disbelieve after that I will chastise him with a chastisement with which I have chastised no other in the Worlds ». [Verses: 114, 115].

 6. Al-A'râf (The Heights).

· The invocation of Adam and Eve after they ate from the tree:

«They said: "Our Lord we have wronged our souls, and if you do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we shall certainly be among the losers"». [Verse: 23].

· The invocation of Shuaîb after his dialogue with his people: «… Our Lord encompasses all things in His knowledge; in God we have put our trust, our Lord! Judge between us and our people in truth, you are the Best of judges». [From the verse 89].

· The invocation of the bewitched of pharaoh after they believed in God and after they were threatened by pharaoh: «"And do not take vengeance on us because we have believed in the Signs of our Lord when they came to us? Our Lord! Pour out upon us patience and cause us to die as Muslims" ». [Verse: 126].

 7. Al Anfâl (The Spoils of War)

· The appeal of the sincere believers for help in the conquest of Badr: «And when you are praying to God for success, He answered, "I am sending for you succour of one thousand angels, one after another». [Verse: 09].

 8. Yûnus (The prophet Jonah)

· The invocation of the people of paradise: «Their prayer therein, "Glory be to you o God". And their salutation therein, "peace", and the close of their prayer, "All praise be to God the Lord of the Worlds" ». [Verse: 10].

There are many other invocations that are mentioned in other Suarts like Hûd (the prophet Hood), Yûsuf (the prophet Joseph), Ibrahîm (the peophet Abraham), El-Isrâ' (the Nocturnal trip), El-Kahf (the Cave), Mariam (Mary), Tâ Hâ, Al-Anbiâ' (the prophets), El-Moominun (the Believers), El-Furqân (the Criterion).

 III. The Ethics of invocation

Abu Hâmid El Ghazali mentioned in his book The Revival of the Sciences of Religion ten ethics:

1. To observe the holy moments like the day of Arafat, the month of Ramadan, Friday and the time before day break. The Almighty Allah said: «They slept not but a little of the night, and before the down they would seek forgiveness» [Surat Az Zariat/ The Winds that Scatter, 17 and 18].

The prophet- may peace be upon him said: «The Almighty Allah descends every night at the last third of it to the heaven of the world and says: "Is there anyone who invokes Me so that I may respond to his invocation, is there anyone who asks Me for something so that I may give it to him, is there anyone who asks for My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?" » [Agreed on from the saying of Abu Hurayra].

 2. To observe the holy states.

- The state of prostration: «The servant gets nearer to Allah when prostrating, so increase in your invocation during prostration» [Reported by Muslim from Abi Hurayra].

- Between Adan (the call to prayer) and Iqama:  The prophet- may peace be upon him- said: «Invocation between Adan and Iqama is not rejected». [Reported by Abu Dawud, En-Nassa'î and Et-Termidi].

- In the state of fasting: the prophet- may peace be upon him- said: « The invocation of a fasting person is not rejected» [Reported by Et-Termidi and Ibnu Madja from Abi Hurayra].

- When the armies meet (in a war).

- After the prayers.

- When it rains.

 3. Facing the Qibla and raising one's hands into the sky

 4. Lowering one's voice.

 5. Avoiding the use of rhymed sayings.

 6. Supplication, humility, longing and fear.

 7. Decisiveness while invoking Allah and being absolutely certain of a response. In this context, the prophet- may peace be upon him- said: «Invoke Allah and you are certain of a response, and be aware that Allah never responds to an invocation which is done by a careless» [Reported by Et-Termidi from Abi Hurayra].

 8. Insistence while invoking Allah: The prophet- may peace be upon him- said: «One of you is accorded what he invokes as long as he is not in a hurry, so he says: I have invoked Allah and he does not respond to me. And if you invoke Allah invoke Him a lot for you are asking a generous» [Reported by Et-Tabrani from Aisha].

 9. To start and end with praising Allah and greeting the prophet- may peace be upon him. Abu Suleiman Edarani- may God have mercy on him- said: "The one who desires to ask Allah a need starts with greeting the prophet- may peace be upon him- and then asks for his need, and he closes with greeting the prophet for Allah- High exalted is He- accepts the two greetings, and He is the Most Noble; He accepts what is said between them».

 10. Repentance, the compensation of damages be they material or moral and approaching Allah: The prophet- may peace be upon him- said: « O people! Allah is good and accepts nothing but good, and He ordained for the believers what He ordained for the Messengers. He said: «O Messengers, eat of the good things and do righteous deeds, surely I am All- knowing of what you do» [Surat Al mu'aminoon/ The Beleivers, 51]. And he also said: «O you who believe! Eat from the good things which We have bestowed on you, and be grateful to God if He indeed is the one you worship» [Surat Al-Baqara/The Heifer, 172]. And he mentioned the man who delayed in his travel, dust covered and with unkempt hair and he raises his hands to the sky and says: «O my Lord! O my Lord! And his food is ill-gotten as well as his drink and clothes; he is nourished by ill- gotten food. So how will this man be recorded what he invoked for?» [Reported by Imam Muslim].

 IV. Conclusions

The fruits invocation.

Ibnu El-Qaim mentioned in his book El Wâbil Es-Sayib (The Beneficial Downpour) the fruits of Dhikr and invocation, among them:

1. It pleases Allah the Merciful.

2. It tames and chases away Satan.

3. It removes grief and anxiety and spreads tranquility.

4. It strengthens the hearts.

5. It makes people inured to better control themselves.

6. It makes people inured to repentance.

7. The mentioning of his (the one who Invokes Allah) name by Allah. Allah the Great said: «Therefore remember Me, so that I remember you, and be grateful to Me and do not be ungrateful» [Surat Al Baqara/The Heifer, 152].

8. It removes sins.

9. It brings good rewards.

10. It removes desolation between the one who mentions the name of Allah and Allah.

11. It dissolves callousness of people.

12. Invocation and Dhikr cure the heart from envy and grudge...

13- Dhikr brings boons and wards off wraths.

14- The assemblies of Dhikr are attended by the Angles. It was reported in the two Sahihs that the prophet- may peace be upon him- said: «The Angels roam about streets looking for the assemblies of Dhikr (in which the name of Allah is mentioned)…» [Reported by Muslim and El-Boukhari].

15- All the deeds are legislated for the sake of worshipping Allah, for example prayer. Allah the Great said: «Indeed I am God, there is no god but I, therefore worship Me, and establish prayer for My remembrance». [Surat Tâ-Hâ, 14].

16- The continuity of Dhikr means multiplying witnesses. That is, all the places in which the name of Allah is mentioned will be witnesses over the doer in the Day of Resurrection.

17- Allah the Great responds to the invocation when He pleases. He may respond immediately, or he may delay it to the time that pleases Him, or even to the Day of Judgment.

18- The prophet- may peace be upon him- taught us invocations that we can recite at each time, among them:

a) When getting up: «Thanks be to Allah who gave back to me my soul, and protected my body against illness and allowed me to mention His name» [Reported by Abu Hurayra].

b) When leaving the house: «In the name of Allah I trust in Allah. O My Lord! I seek your protection against going astray or being strayed from the right path, against lapsing or being mistaken, against oppressing others or being wronged and against ignoring people or being ignored». [Reported by Abu Dawûd, Et-Termidi and En-Nassaî' from Umu Salama].

c) When entering mosque: «O My Lord! Open for me the gates of your mercy». And when going out, one says: «O My Lord! Bestow upon me from your graces» [Reported by Muslim, Abu Dawûd and Ibn Madja].

d) When hearing the Adan: The prophet- may peace be upon him- said:  «When you hear the Adan repeat what the Mu'adin (the one who calls to prayer) says, and then greet me and ask Allah to give me the Wassila for it is a place in paradise that only one person will reach… Indeed the one who asks for me the Wassila will be granted my intercession in the day of Resurrection» [Reported by Muslim from Abdul Allah bnu Amru bnu Al-Ass]. The invocation goes as follows: «O Allah! The Lord of this perfect call and of the regular prayer which is going to be established! Grant Muhammad- may peace be upon him- the Wassila and the Fadila, and send him to the highest place in paradise which you have promised him» [Reported by El-Boukhari from Jâbir bnu Abdul Allah].

e) After prayer: The prophet- may peace be upon him- said: «By Lord! I certainly love you Muaâd! So I advise you not to forget to say at the end of each prayer "O my Lord! I seek your help to mention your name, to thank you and to better worship you"» [Reported by Abu Dawûd from Muaâd bnu Djabal].

f) The invocation of morning and evening:

- «We reached the morning and we are on the Islamic monotheism and the religion of our prophet Mohammad- may peace be upon him- and that of our father Abraham, the true believer, and he was not among the unbelievers».

- «O my Lord! I seek Your protection against sorrow and grief, against impotence and laziness, against stinginess and cowardice and against being overcome by debt and oppressed».

- The invocation which is said to be the master of forgiveness: «O Allah! You are my Lord, there is no god but You, You have created me, and I am your servant. I hold to your covenant and promise as much as I can. I seek your protection against the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge before you your favors upon me, and I confess to you my sins, so forgive me for no one can forgive sins except You» [Reported by El-Boukhari from Shaddad bnu Auss].

g) When traveling (using the means of transportation): «In the name of Allah, praise be to Allah and peace be upon the prophet Muhammad. Glory be to Allah who placed this means at our service and we ourselves would not have been of that, and to our Lord is our final return. Thanks be to Allah, thanks be to Allah, thanks be to Allah, Allah is the Great, Allah is the Great, Allah is the Great. O Allah, we ask you for righteousness and piety in this journey, and we ask you for deeds which please you. O Allah! Facilitate our journey and let us cover its distance quickly. O Allah you are the companion on the journey and the successor over the family. O Allah, I take refuge with you from the difficulties of travel, from having a change of hearts and being in bad predicament. And I take refuge in you from an ill fated outcome with wealth and family». The same invocation is to be said in returning back along with «We return, repent, worship and glorify our Lord» [Reported by Muslim from Abdul Allah bnu Omar Bnu El-Khatab].

h) When affected with grief: Saâd bnu Abi Waqas reported that the prophet- may peace be upon him- said: «Indeed, I know a saying that is not said by a worried or grieved but he is released from his suffering, it is the saying of my brother Yûnûs (Jonah): " There is no god But You (Allah) glory to be for You I was from the sinners"» [Reported by Et-Termidi].

i) When there is wind: «O my Lord! Let it (the wind) be a mercy for us and not a torment, let it be a soft wind and not a furious violent one». [Reported by Esh-Shafiî' in "El-Um" from Ibnu Abas].

j) When hearing thunder: «Glory be to Allah whom thunder glorifies and praises, and so do the Angles because of His owe» [Reported in El-Mouatâ' from Ibnu Abas].

k) When raining: «O my Lord! Let it (rain cloud) be beneficial» [Reported by El-Boukhari from Aisha].

l) Death and life: «O my Lord! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and let me expire if death is better for me» [Reported by El-Boukhari and Muslim from Anas].

Bouizeri