--- title: "Encouraging Supplication" event: "The Art of Supplication" session_number: 3 published_at: "2025-04-12" canonical_url: "https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/encouraging-supplication" event_url: "https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-art-of-supplication" type: "event-session" scripture_reference: "Sahifa Sajjadiyyah, Prayer 7: His Supplication in Worrisome Tasks, Verse 1" --- # Encouraging Supplication *Session 3 of [The Art of Supplication](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-art-of-supplication) — 12 April 2025* Supplication is called a weapon — which raises an uncomfortable question: a weapon against what, exactly? Between multiple jobs, endless entertainment, and never having enough time, calling out to God can feel like one more thing crowded out. This session argues it need not be — dua requires no formality, and Imam Ali, peace be upon him, teaches that the one spared from hardship is no less in need of it than the one already suffering, since supplication guards against what has not yet arrived as much as it relieves what has. A narration from Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, goes further: dua and affliction wrestle with each other until the Day of Judgement, and supplication can repel a decree even after it has been firmly sealed. The session then turns outward, to the duty of encouraging others. Consider someone convinced God no longer cares for them, who refuses to pray — a friend in that state is not owed argument, but presence: listening without judgement, and gently pointing them back toward the One who can resolve what they carry. The Qur'anic verse on the duty to aid a believer in matters of religion is examined through the readings of Allamah al-Hilli, his son Fakhr al-Muhaqqiqin, and Shaykh al-Tusi, each grounding the obligation to defend a fellow believer in this same verse. What do you actually owe the believer who has stopped believing God is listening? What the evening covers Dua as intellectual necessity. Imam Ali's teaching that even the unafflicted need supplication, to guard against what is still to come. Dua versus decree. The narration that supplication wrestles with affliction until the Day of Judgement, and can repel even a sealed decree. Encouraging the despondent. How to sit with someone who has given up on prayer, without judgement or false promises. A shared Qur'anic verse. How al-Hilli, Fakhr al-Muhaqqiqin, and Shaykh al-Tusi each read the verse on aiding a fellow believer. ## Scripture > يَا مَنْ تُحَلُّ بِهِ عُقَدُ الْمَكَارِهِ، وَيَا مَنْ يَفْثَأُ بِهِ حَدُّ الشَّدَائِدِ، وَيَا مَنْ يُلْتَمَسُ مِنْهُ الْمَخْرَجُ إِلَى رَوْحِ الْفَرَجِ > > O He through whom the knots of detested things are untied! O He through whom the cutting edge of hardships is blunted! O He from whom is begged the outlet to the freshness of relief! — *Sahifa Sajjadiyyah, Prayer 7: His Supplication in Worrisome Tasks, Verse 1* ## Programme - [Watch the full session](https://youtu.be/hT_p3MJqIP8) - [Sermon: Encouraging Supplication](https://youtu.be/hT_p3MJqIP8) ## Other sessions in this event - [Session 23 — The Heart of the Matter — Part 3: The Fuel for the Heart](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-heart-of-the-matter-part-3-the-fuel-for-the-heart) — 15 November 2025 - [Session 22 — The Heart of the Matter — Part 2: The Axis of Supplication](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-heart-of-the-matter-part-2-the-axis-of-supplication) — 8 November 2025 - [Session 21 — The Heart of the Matter — Part 1: The Prerequisite of Purity](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-heart-of-the-matter-part-1-the-prerequisite-of-purity) — 1 November 2025 - [Session 20 — The Hearth, The Hub, and The Horizon](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-hearth-the-hub-and-the-horizon) — 25 October 2025 - [Session 19 — The Prison, The Portal, and The Presence](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-prison-the-portal-and-the-presence) — 18 October 2025 - [Session 18 — The Sanctuary, The Saint, and The Sacrifice](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-sanctuary-the-saint-and-the-sacrifice) — 11 October 2025 - [Session 17 — The Crucible, The Criterion, and The Citadel](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-crucible-the-criterion-and-the-citadel) — 4 October 2025 - [Session 16 — Where Earth Meets Heaven](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/where-earth-meets-heaven) — 27 September 2025 - [Session 15 — The Completion of Mercy](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-completion-of-mercy) — 20 September 2025 - [Session 14 — The Arc of Loyalty](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-arc-of-loyalty) — 13 September 2025 - [Session 13 — The Days of Wilayah](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-days-of-wilayah) — 6 September 2025 - [Session 12 — The Yearly Rhythm of Mercy](https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/the-yearly-rhythm-of-mercy) — 30 August 2025 --- _Read this session on the web: https://www.truthpromoters.com/events/encouraging-supplication_