Munajat: Difference between revisions

"Munajat" (supplication) is referred to talking secretly to someone. Supplication is mostly used for talking secretly and expressing the needs and gratitude before God; and sometimes, it contains [[repentance]] from the [[sin]]s. With regards to the [[Qur'an 9]]:78, [[Al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabrisi|al-Tabrisi]] interpreted "najwa" ({{ia|نَجْوی}}), from which "munajat" is derived, as "distance" and said that in order for supplication, supplicants keep away from people.

Sometimes, supplication is used for du'as and dhikrs recited in the dawns of the [[month of Ramadan]] to wake up people.

The word "munajat" is not mentioned in the [[Qur'an]], but its concept is mentioned in some forms such as "najwa-kum"<ref>Qur'an 58:12</ref> (your private talk), "najayt-um"<ref>Qur'an 58:12</ref>  (you conversed privately), and "nida'-an khafiyy-an"<ref>Qur'an 19:3</ref> (a secret cry). In hadith collections, there are hadiths and chapters about the importance, manners and conditions of making supplication, and also famous ones have been compiled.

The difference between "du'a" (prayer) and "munajat" is in the state of the worshiper when conversing with God; if the conversation is about admitting to the [[sin]]s or the greatness of love, and the state in which the person is, matches better intimate and calm conversation, the word "supplication" is used for it. However, the word "du'a" means calling, inviting and openly asking someone for help.

Supplication requires observing some manners and fulfilling its conditions. In commentaries, the dawns are mentioned as the best of times for making supplication. These texts refer to verses of the Qur'an in which night is considered as more suitable time for getting closer to God. Among these verses, the mention can be made for [[Qur'an 7]]:142 about the supplication of [[Moses (a)]] to God in [[Mount Sinai]] at night, [[Qur'an 25]]:64 about the time of worshiping God and [[Quran 32]]:16.

Another manner of supplication is calling God with [[attributes of beauty|names and attributes]] which better match the suppliant's need and request; for example, when there is a need for God's forgiveness, God should be called with the attributes such as al-Ghaffar ({{ia|الغَفّار}}) (the Forgiver), al-Sattar ({{ia|السَتّار}}) (the Coverer) or al-Wahhab ({{ia|الوَهّاب}}) (the Giver). Reciting supplication using the words and phrases taught by God or stated in Imams' (a) supplications is regarded among other manners of making supplication.  

In ''[[Tuhaf al-'uqul]]'', among words of God's advice to Moses (a) is having a humble heart upon making supplication.

In the books of [[exegesis]] and Qur'anic sciences, different fruits are mentioned for making supplication from God; such as the effective role of supplication in acceptance of the [[repentance]] and immunity from the [[Divine Reward and Punishment|hell's punishment]], making the spirit of [[sincerity]] in the supplicant, tenderness of the heart, the purity of the soul and the strength of spirit.

Story of Moses (a) in Mount Sinai and his forty-night supplication to God,{{enote|We made an appointment with Moses for thirty nights, and completed them with ten [more]; thus the tryst of his Lord was completed in forty nights. Qur'an 7:142}} [[Al-Yunusiyya Dhikr|Yunus's (a) supplication]] to God in the darkness of the sea and the belly of the fish,{{enote|And [remember] the Man of the fish, when he left in a rage, thinking that We would not put him to hardship. Then he cried out in the darkness, ‘There is no god except You! You are immaculate! I have indeed been among the wrongdoers!’ Qur'an 21:87}} [[Joseph (a)|Joseph's (a)]] supplication to God in the difficulties he had,{{enote|He said, ‘My Lord! The prison is dearer to me than to what they invite me. If You do not turn away their schemes from me, I will incline towards them and become one of the senseless.’ Qur'an 12:33}} Abraham's (a) supplications in the middle of divine trials and David's (a) supplications in the [[Psalms]] are among the famous supplications of the Prophets (a) in the Qur'an. Verses 38, 193 and 194 of [[Qur'an 3]] are among the famous supplications of the worshipers in the Qur'an.

Among the sayings transmitted from [[Imams (a)]], some of them have been mentioned as supplications. [[Al-Sha'baniyya Supplication]], [[supplication of Imam Ali (a) in the Mosque of Kufa]] and [[Khamsa 'ashar supplication]] of [[Imam al-Sajjad (a)]] can be mentioned among famous munajats of Imams (a).

* The material for this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/مناجات {{ia|مناجات}}] in Farsi WikiShia.

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