God says, “When My servants ask you about Me, indeed I am close.” Yet if He is so near, why do we sometimes feel unheard? Drawing on a narration from Imam Ridha (PBUH), we explore how despair, impatience, and even our own actions can prevent us from feeling that closeness. Sometimes what we ask for is withheld not out of neglect, but out of care. We are also reminded that knowing God requires turning to the right source: first, His own words in the Qur’an, and second, His Messenger.
We all know that God is ever-Present. So why do we sometimes behave as though He doesn’t hear our calls?
Hello and welcome to this episode of “God in His Own Words”, where we will try to get better acquainted with God through the Holy Qur’an rather than the words of others.
Today we will take a verse from the Second Part (Juz') of the Qur'an.
Sūrah Al-Baqarah (Chapter 2), Verse 186:«وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ...»
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], about Me, indeed I am close. I respond to the call of the caller when he calls upon Me..."God Almighty is always close to His people. He is close to everything and everyone He has created. In His own words, He is أَقرَبُ إلیه من حَبلِ الوَرید – that is, He is closer to us than our jugular veins. Let’s go back to the verse we are contemplating in this episode.
And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], about Me, indeed I am close.
What is this verse trying to tell us? Is it just that God is near? Maybe not. There are two subtle, but important, points in this verse. To understand the first, let us recall a narration from Imam Ridha (PBUH) .
Once upon a day, a man came to Imam Ridha (PBUH) and said:
"There is something I have been asking of God for several years now, but He has not granted it. To be honest, I am beginning to have doubts."
The Imam replied,«إیّاکَ و الشیطانَ أن یکون لَهُ عَلیکَ سبیلٌ حتی یُغَنِّطَکَ.»
"Beware of Satan! Do not allow him to make you despair of God."
The Imam continued: “Sometimes a believer asks God for something, but God does not grant that specific request in order to prevent that person from becoming preoccupied with this worldly life.”
We sometimes act like children. We ask for things without knowing whether they are good for us or not. And God, being the Kind Care-giver that He is, sometimes denies us things because they are not really good for us, or at least they may not benefit us at that particular moment in our lives, however much we like to have them. Just like a parent keeping his children from playing too much because they have to study to achieve higher goals.
The Imam went on to say: "Do not tire of calling upon God. Be patient. Ensure you earn a halal and pure livelihood, maintain ties with your relatives, and do not be hostile towards people.”
This highlights another point, that some of our own behaviorial traits might be preventing our prayers from being answered.
Then the Imam said: "We, the Ahl ol-Bayt [the Prophet's family], are a group who, if someone cuts ties with us, we restore the connection; if someone does wrong to us, we respond with kindness and goodness."
Finally, the Imam addressed the companion: "If you trust me, then your trust in God must be even greater! فکن بالله أوثق God has made a promise: when My servant calls upon Me, they will find Me close, and I will answer the call of the caller when he calls upon Me. Come to me and ask Me, have faith in Me, I will answer!"
Satan on the other hand tries to make Me despair of God, make me tired and indifferent toward prayer.
The second subtle point in the verse lies in the very opening phrase:
God says: "And when My servants ask you [O Prophet] about Me..." و إذا سألَکَ عبادی عنّی ...
My beings will only truly come to know Me, and feel My closeness to them, if they come to you o Muhammad. If they refer to others, those others might give them a wrong idea of God and lead them astray.
Tune in next time, and join us on our journey towards getting better acquainted with God through His own words. Inshā'Allāh, He Himself will lead us to the right path.