Ruling on abstains from supplicating to Allah for the ruler


Question:

What is the ruling on one who abstains from supplicating to Allah for the ruler? May Allah protect you.

Answer:

This is due to his ignorance and lack of insight; for supplicating to Allah to guide the ruler is one of the great deeds that brings one close to Allah and the best acts of obedience and is a kind of providing advice for the Sake of Allah and His Servants. When it was said to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Daws disobeyed and they were Kafirs (disbelievers/non-Muslims), he said: “O Allah, guide Daws and bring them close.” 1 Allah guided them and they came to him to embrace Islam.

The Mu’min (believer) should pray Allah to grant all good for people and the ruler in particular, for his reform is a reform for the Ummah (nation based on one creed). It is most important to ask Allah to grant the ruler guidance, help him attain Al-Haqq (the Truth), set right his retinue and keep him away from the evil of himself and bad companions. Asking Allah to grant the ruler success, guidance, uprightness of heart and deeds and good retinue is one of the most important acts that bring one close to Allah. It was narrated that Imam Ahmad (may Allah be merciful to him) said: “If I knew that I had an answered supplication, I would have made it in favor of the ruler.” This was narrated by Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad (may Allah be merciful to him).

  1. Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Jihad and military expeditions, no. 2937; Muslim, Sahih, Book on merits of the Companions, no. 2524; and Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 2, p. 243. ↩