Can Pray Something Impossible, Like Avoiding Covid-19 Without Alert?

Someone asked: may we pray (ask) for the impossible to happen? Example: prayer to be able to fly. The distance that should take an hour, we ask (pray) so that it can take only 20 minutes. And others.

Answer:

In praying it must not be "insolent" towards God. Abdullah bin Mughaffal heard his son pray as follows:

اللهم إني أسألك القصر الأبيض عن يمين الجنة إذا دخلتها . فقال: أي بني سل الله الجنة ، وتعوذ به من النار ، فإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: إنه سيكون في هذه الأمة قوم يعتدون في الطهور والدعاء

It means, "O God, I really ask thee white palace on the right in heaven, if I enter heaven."

Ibn Mughaffal then said, "O my son. Ask God of heaven and take refuge in him from hell. I really heard the Messenger of Allāh W say, "Later there will certainly be from my people those who are excessive in purification and prayer," (HR Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad).

Examples of "insolent" attitudes in prayer are asking for impossible things, like asking to be able to fly, returning to being young, and so on.

But there are exceptions, such as:

1. The prayers of the prophets. They have the right to ask for things that are out of the ordinary (khariqul adat), because they need miracles to support their da'wah. Some scholars also include saints in this exception. There are guardians who are given grace (karamah) so that something out of the ordinary can happen because of their prayers.

2. People who are in a very emergency condition, such as being in a forest, then face a group of tigers. In such conditions, he may pray to have extraordinary strength to be able to fight the horde of tigers. Or ask to be saved by disappearing. Problem is granted or not, that's another thing.

Ibn Taymiyyah, in Majmu ’Al-Fatawa, stated," Insolence in prayer is like asking people to live forever until the Day of Judgment; asking for help to commit immorality (example: pray for corruption but be saved, not be caught by the authorities, etc.); asking that he can live without eating and drinking; asking to be able to see magical things (like heaven and hell); asking that he be a person who is never wrong and sinful (ma’shum); ask for a child without intercourse. Prayers like this are a brash attitude towards God. God does not like prayers like that and God does not like those who pray like that. " (15/22).

Alauddin Al-Hashkafi Al-Hanafi, in the Book of Ad-Durr Al-Mukhtar (page 73), stated, “It is forbidden for people to pray that they will always be healthy throughout their lives; pray so you can get food sent down from the sky. "

In the Book of Hasyiyah Ad-Durr Al-Mukhtar (1/522), Ibn Abidin quotes the opinion of some scholars who say it is forbidden to pray for the impossible but unless the prayer is said by a prophet or guardian.

In the Book of Al-Furuq, Abul Abbas Ahmad ibn Idris Ash-Shanhaji Al-Qurafi Al-Maliki stated, "It is forbidden to pray that impossible things can happen except for the prophets because they have the right to ask for extraordinary things ( khariqul adat), such as asking for food to come down from the sky and camels out of rocks, and so are the guardians. He may pray for extraordinary things to happen. " (4/268).

In principle, ordinary people should not pray for the impossible, such as the prayer of the Prophet Ibrahim AS asked to be shown how God raised the dead (Sura Al-Baqarah verse 260); the prayer of the Prophet Musa AS asked that he could see Allah (Sura Al-Araf verse 143); the prayer of Jesus the AS asked for food to come down from heaven (Surah Al-Maidah verse 114); asking to be visited by angels so that the angels preach what is happening in the supernatural; may not ask that his parents (have passed away) live again.

God determines that everything happens according to the law of cause and effect (causality). Only God has the right to change the law of causality to certain people to strengthen their da'wah, not because of the passions of ordinary people.

Now, facing the Corona virus outbreak, people who do not obey the health rules, but always pray for themselves to be protected from the Corona virus, does it include insolent people towards God? Ask yourself.

Allah knows best.

KH M Taufik Damas Lc., Deputy Katib Syuriyah PWNU DKI Jakarta

Source: https://islam.nu.or.id