Section: Introduction

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ ‎﴿١٨٦﴾‏Translation: And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided. [Al Baqarah: 186]قُلْ مَا يَعْبَأُ بِكُمْ رَبِّي لَوْلَا دُعَاؤُكُمْTranslation: Say "(O rejecters) My Lord is not concerned if you do not worship Him". [Al Furqan: 77]On the authority of Anas (Ra) who said I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, Allah the Almighty has said:"O son of Adam, as long as you call upon Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would grant you forgiveness as great as it".Imam Shafi' said:You belittle to supplicateAnd ignore its fruit It is like an arrow, greatBut! Night's arrows do not failIt has a definite spanThat is duly faint