Praying for Brothers (in Belief) in Their Absence

“The prayer closest to acceptance and the fastest to be heard is a man’s prayer for a brother (in belief) in his absence.”

“A man’s prayer for his brother (in belief) in his absence increases his sustenance and repulses misfortune.”

“About the words of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, ‘He answers the prayers of the righteously striving believers and grants them increasing favors . . . ,’ (42:26) the Imam said, ‘This is a reference to a believing person who prays for his brother (in belief) in his absence and the angel says, “Amin.” Allah, the Majestic and the Most dominant says, ‘You will have twice as much you asked for you brother (in belief) and I have already granted him what you asked for due to your love for him.’”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘The prayer quickest to success and acceptance is one’s prayer for his brother (in belief) in his absence where one starts praying for him and the angels guarding say, ‘Amin’ You will have twice as much you asked for him.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Any believing person who prays for the believing people male and female, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, returns to such person a reward equal to the reward for a likewise prayer with which all believing people, male and female have been praying from the beginning of time and all who will do so in future up to the Day of Judgment. A servant will be ordered and dragged to the fire and the believing people male and female will say, ‘O Lord, this is the one who prayed for us, accept our intercession for him and Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will accept their intercession about him and he will be saved.’”

“Once I saw ‘Abd Allah ibn Jundab in ‘Arafat but I had not seen any stay (spending the ninth day of Dulhajj) in ‘Arafat better than that. He continued stretching his hands to the sky and his tears flow on his both cheeks all the way to the ground. When people left I said to him, ‘O abu Muhammad, I have never seen a wonderful performance in ‘Arafat such as yours.’ He said, ‘By Allah I did not pray for anything but for my brothers (in belief) and that is because of abu al-Hassan Musa (a.s.) who told me that whoever prays for his brothers (in belief) in his absence is called from the Throne, ‘(O servant of Allah) you will have one hundred thousand times as much reward as one may for his prayer receive,’ thus, I did not like to leave one hundred thousand guaranteed for only one of mine, of which I am uncertain whether it is accepted or not.’”

“I heard Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) saying, ‘When the angels hear the believing person praying for his brother (in belief) in his absence or speak of him good, they say, “You are a good brother (in belief). You pray for him in his absence and speak good of him. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has granted you double of what you asked for him and He has praised you double of your praising him and you have excellence over him, but if they (angels) hear him speak evil of his brother (in belief), and pray against him, they will say, ‘You are a bad brother for him! Stop, O you whose sins and privacy are covered, reduce your burden. Praise and thank Allah, Who has covered you, and notice that Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, knows more about His servant than you do.’”