"One of you is granted an answer (to his supplication) provided he does not say: 'I prayed but I was not granted an answer.'"
Hadith Text and Context
"One of you is granted an answer (to his supplication) provided he does not say: 'I prayed but I was not granted an answer.'" (Sunan Abi Dawud 1484)
This profound narration from Sunan Abi Dawud's "Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Detailed Injunctions about Witr" addresses the spiritual etiquette of supplication (du'a) and the importance of maintaining proper belief in divine response.
Scholarly Commentary on the Prohibition
The prohibition against saying "I prayed but I was not granted an answer" stems from several spiritual dangers: it reflects impatience with divine wisdom, demonstrates lack of trust in Allah's timing, and may constitute dissatisfaction with Allah's decree. Classical scholars explain that such statements can nullify the spiritual rewards of patience and perseverance in supplication.
Imam Al-Ghazali notes in his Ihya that this prohibition protects the believer from the spiritual disease of despair (qunut), which severs the connection between the servant and the Lord. The believer must maintain hope (raja') as an essential condition for accepted worship.
Understanding Divine Response to Supplication
Traditional scholarship identifies three ways Allah responds to supplications: granting what was asked, averting a greater harm equivalent to what was requested, or storing the reward for the Hereafter. Ibn Al-Qayyim elaborates in "Al-Da' wa Al-Dawa'" that the "answer" mentioned in the hadith encompasses all these forms, not merely immediate fulfillment of the request.
The timing of response follows divine wisdom. As Imam Al-Nawawi explains in his commentary on Sahih Muslim, delay in apparent response may serve to increase the supplicant's spiritual station, purify intentions, or align the request with greater divine wisdom unknown to the servant.
Practical Spiritual Etiquette
Scholars prescribe several practices to maintain proper spiritual conduct: persist in supplication without setting deadlines for response, combine du'a with righteous deeds, ensure lawful sustenance, and maintain presence of heart during invocation. The believer should repeatedly affirm "My Lord hears all supplications" to strengthen certitude.
Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali emphasizes in "Jami' Al-Ulum wa Al-Hikam" that the greatest barrier to answered supplication is the statement condemned in this hadith, as it reflects underlying doubt in divine promise and wisdom. The faithful believer continues supplicating while fully trusting in the guaranteed response, whether apparent or hidden.