Allah has prescribed supplication (du’a) for His servants, as He says: “And your Lord says, ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you.’” [Ghafir: 60] and “And when My servants ask you concerning Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.” [Al-Baqarah: 186]. Prostration (sujood) is a place for supplication in both obligatory and voluntary prayers. The best times for the acceptance of supplication are the last part of the night and the middle of the night. Similarly, supplication during prostration in prayer, whether obligatory or voluntary, is accepted, as well as at the end of the prayer before the salutation after the tashahhud and sending blessings upon the Prophet May God bless him and grant him peace.
Additionally, supplication on Friday when the imam sits on the pulpit until the prayer is concluded, and after the Asr prayer until sunset on Friday, are times when supplications are likely to be accepted. Therefore, those who wish to supplicate should seek these times. Similarly, the time between the adhan and the iqamah is a time when supplications are not rejected. One of the most important times is the last part of the night, as the Prophet May God bless him and grant him peace said: “Our Lord descends to the lowest heaven every night when the last third of the night remains, and says: ‘Who is calling upon Me so that I may respond to him? Who is asking Me so that I may give him? Who is seeking My forgiveness so that I may forgive him?’” In another narration, He says: “Is there anyone who is supplicating so that he may be answered? Is there anyone who is asking so that he may be given what he asks for? Is there anyone who is seeking forgiveness so that he may be forgiven?” This continues until dawn breaks.
This is a great time, and it is appropriate for the believer, both male and female, to have a portion of it for tahajjud (night prayer), supplication, and seeking forgiveness. This divine descent is a descent that befits Allah, and it does not resemble the descent of His creation. He descends in a manner that befits His Majesty, and only Allah knows its nature. He does not resemble His creation in any of His attributes, such as His rising above the Throne, His mercy, His anger, His pleasure, and so on, as He says: “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” [Ash-Shura: 11]. Among these attributes is His saying: “The Most Merciful rose over the Throne.” [Taha: 5].
The rising above the Throne befits His Majesty, and it means elevation and being above the Throne, but it is a rising that befits Allah and does not resemble His creation. Only Allah knows its nature, as He says: “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” [Ash-Shura: 11]. As Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, said: “The rising is not unknown, the how is beyond comprehension, affirming it is faith, and denying it is disbelief.” Rabi’ah ibn Abi 'Abdur-Rahman, the teacher of Imam Malik, one of the Tabi’in, said when asked about it: “The rising is not unknown, the how is beyond comprehension, the message is from Allah, the conveyance is upon the Messenger, and the acceptance is upon us.” When Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, the Imam of Dar al-Hijrah in his time in the second century, was asked about the rising, he said: “The rising is known, the how is unknown, believing in it is obligatory, and asking about it is an innovation.” Then he said to the questioner: “I do not see you except as an evil man,” and he ordered that he be expelled.
What Imam Malik, Umm Salamah, and Rabi’ah (may Allah be pleased with them) said is the stance of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah (the people of the Sunnah and the community) as a whole. They affirm Allah’s names and attributes in a manner befitting Him. Belief and acknowledgment of these attributes are obligatory, while their exact nature is unknown and only Allah knows how they are. Allah says: “And there is none comparable to Him.” [Al-Ikhlas: 4] and “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” [Ash-Shura: 11] and “So do not assert similarities to Allah. Indeed, Allah knows and you do not know.” [An-Nahl: 74].
Allah becomes angry with those who disobey Him and disbelieve in Him, and He is pleased with those who obey Him. He loves His allies and hates His enemies. These attributes of love, hate, pleasure, and anger, among others, are affirmed for Him in a manner befitting His Majesty. This is the stance of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, and it is obligatory to adhere to this stance, remain steadfast upon it, and refute those who oppose it.
Among the evidences for supplication in prostration is the saying of the Prophet May God bless him and grant him peace: “As for bowing, glorify the Lord therein, and as for prostration, strive in supplication, for it is more likely to be answered.” And he May God bless him and grant him peace said: “The closest a servant is to his Lord is when he is prostrating, so increase supplication.” Both hadiths are recorded by Muslim in his Sahih.
If a woman asks for a righteous husband in prostration or at the end of the night, or for lawful wealth, and similarly if a man asks his Lord for a righteous wife or lawful wealth, all of this is good. Marriage is an act of worship and has many benefits for both men and women. Similarly, other personal needs, such as saying: “O Allah, enrich me with Your bounty from others, O Allah, enrich me from asking Your creation, O Allah, grant me righteous offspring,” and so on.