Transgression in supplication is dispraised
29-12-2017 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalaamu alaykum. A person wants to supplicate to get a righteous and practicing wife who has praiseworthy qualities like Taqwah (piety), knowledge, good manners, etc., and at the same time he asks Allah to make this wife have physically attractive features and specifies them in detail, like by saying, "Oh Allah bless me with a pious and righteous wife who has beautiful nails, hair, and such-and-such part of the body," for example. Firstly, is the second part of this supplication allowed? Secondly, is this kind of speech suitable with the Lord of all creation? The person feels shy and a little uncomfortable asking Allah for these things since they pertain to his desires, but he does so anyway because he sincerely believes in Allah's promise of replacing what he gave up with something better. The person used to look at prohibited images and videos, but he has stopped doing so and hopes that Allah will replace all that filth with an Allah-fearing wife. Please shed some light on the issue. May Allah reward you.
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Supplicating is one of the greatest acts of worship that draw the person closer to Allah, the Exalted, as he admits his utter poverty and desperate need of his Lord. It was authentically narrated that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, "Supplication is (the essence of) worship." [Abu Daawood and Ibn Maajah] Allah, the Exalted, says (what means): {And your Lord says: Call upon Me; I will respond to you.} [Quran 40:60]
The Muslim should supplicate Allah, the Exalted, for whatever he needs, regardless of the significance of his needs in his view. One of the most important needs for the Muslim is marriage, so he should supplicate Allah to bless him with a good wife. It is sufficient to say in his supplication, for example, "O Allah, bless me with a righteous wife who is religious, well-mannered, and beautiful; who would be a comfort to my eye and a source of happiness for me in this life and in the Hereafter," without specifying further details that are feared to fall under the category of transgression in supplicating.
Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqaas, may Allah be pleased with him, heard his son supplicating Allah, saying, "O Allah, I ask You for Paradise, its bliss, its pleasure, its silk, and such-and-such, and such-and-such; I seek refuge in You from Hellfire, from its chains, from its iron collars, and from such-and-such, and from such-and-such." So he (Sa‘d) said, "You have asked Allah for much good and sought refuge in Him from much evil, and I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, say, 'There will be people who will transgress in supplication.' And he recited the verse: {Call upon your Lord in humility and privately; indeed, He does not like transgressors.} [Quran 7:55] It is sufficient for you to say, 'O Allah! I ask You for Paradise and what brings one closer to it of word and deed, and I seek refuge in You from Hellfire and what brings one closer to it of word and deed.'" [Ahmad]
Therefore, the detailed description mentioned in the question may fall under the category of transgression in supplication, and there is no need for it, especially from a person who has repented to Allah, wants to draw closer to Him, and aspires to have his repentance and good deeds accepted.
Allah knows best.