Praying Attentively
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1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ سَيْفِ بْنِ عَمِيرَةَ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لا يَسْتَجِيبُ دُعَاءً بِظَهْرِ قَلْبٍ سَاهٍ فَإِذَا دَعَوْتَ فَأَقْبِلْ بِقَلْبِكَ ثُمَّ اسْتَيْقِنْ بِالإجَابَةِ.
1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Sayf ibn ‘ Amirah from Sulayman ibn ‘ Amr who has said the following: “I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, does not accept an inattentive prayer. Whenever you may pray and plead before Allah for help, do it with an attentive heart and with certainty in its acceptance.’”
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2ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الأشْعَرِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ الْقَدَّاحِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) لا يَقْبَلُ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ دُعَاءَ قَلْبٍ لاهٍ وَكَانَ عَلِيٌّ (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) يَقُولُ إِذَا دَعَا أَحَدُكُمْ لِلْمَيِّتِ فَلا يَدْعُو لَهُ وَقَلْبُهُ لاهٍ عَنْهُ وَلَكِنْ لِيَجْتَهِدْ لَهُ فِي الدُّعَاءِ.
2. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Ash’ari from ibn al-Qaddah from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) has said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, does not accept the prayer from a thoughtless heart. Ali (a.s.) would say, ‘Whenever any of you may pray for a dead person, he must not do it frivolously but must strive to be serious in his prayer.’”
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3ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ عَنْ سَيْفِ بْنِ عَمِيرَةَ عَنْ سُلَيْمٍ الْفَرَّاءِ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ إِذَا دَعَوْتَ فَأَقْبِلْ بِقَلْبِكَ وَظُنَّ حَاجَتَكَ بِالْبَابِ.
3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from certain individuals of his people from Sayf ibn ‘Amirah from Sulaym al-Farra’ from those whom he has mentioned (in his book) from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Whenever you pray and plead before Allah for help, do it whole-heartedly and consider that what you have asked for has arrived at the door.’”
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4ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ مِهْرَانَ عَنْ سَيْفِ بْنِ عَمِيرَةَ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لا يَسْتَجِيبُ دُعَاءً بِظَهْرِ قَلْبٍ قَاسٍ.
4. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Isma’Il ibn Mehran from Sayf ibn ‘Amirah from those whom he has mentioned (in his book) from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, does not accept a prayer coming superficially from a hardhearted attitude.’”
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5ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيهِ السَّلام) قَالَ لَمَّا اسْتَسْقَى رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) وَسُقِيَ النَّاسُ حَتَّى قَالُوا إِنَّهُ الْغَرَقُ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وآلِه) بِيَدِهِ وَرَدَّهَا اللهمَّ حَوَالَيْنَا وَلا عَلَيْنَا قَالَ فَتَفَرَّقَ السَّحَابُ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ الله اسْتَسْقَيْتَ لَنَا فَلَمْ نُسْقَ ثُمَّ اسْتَسْقَيْتَ لَنَا فَسُقِينَا قَالَ إِنِّي دَعَوْتُ وَلَيْسَ لِي فِي ذَلِكَ نِيَّةٌ ثُمَّ دَعَوْتُ وَلِيَ فِي ذَلِكَ نِيَّةٌ.
5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hisham ibn al-Hakam from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “When the Messenger of Allah prayed for rain, people were drenched so much that they thought they might be drowned and the Messenger of Allah made hand gestures to scatter the cloud, saying, ‘O Lord make it to rain around us, not on us.’ The Imam said, ‘The clouds scattered and people asked, “O Messenger of Allah, how is it that once you prayed for rain it did not rain, then you prayed for rain and it rained?” The Messenger of Allah said, ‘I prayed but 1 did not have much intention, then I prayed and I did.’”