There may be a tendency in the minds of some people to be hesitant when making supplication to Allah to make mention of their personal problems or situation when they compare their state with the larger issues in our world.

For example, as I write these words, we are weeks away from witnessing a large catastrophe in Turkey and Syria in which thousands of people have perished over the space of just a few days, tens of thousands more have been injured and millions have been rendered homeless. And this is just one part of the world that is going through very severe calamities.

As a result of this, we may view our own personal problems as being trivial and may even feel selfish for making supplication to ask Allah for help.

But this is an incorrect way of thinking. Allah is generous to His servants and He wants us to make supplications to Him on a regular basis even if the thing that we desire may seem trivial or insignificant in the eyes of others.

Currently, you may be passing through a personally difficult time in your life with regard to finances, health status, relationship issues, etc. And these issues may, as I stated, seem very small in the wider context of what is taking place in the world, and thus you may be hesitant to even make mention of these things in your prayers. But regardless of what other people are going through in other parts of the world, you must never fail to supplicate to Allah for all of your needs and relief from all the sources of your worries. Believers can both pray for themselves as well as other people who are suffering elsewhere, and Allah knows all and sees all.

Consider and reflect upon the following narration:

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Let one of you ask his Lord for his needs, all of them, even for a shoestring when his breaks.” — Sunan al-Tirmidhī

What can seemingly be so insignificant or trivial than a broken shoelace? Nevertheless, the prophet (peace be upon him)  instructed his followers to make supplications to Allah for all of their needs even if it is something as simple as a broken shoelace.

And consider this famous Hadith Qudsi:

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifaree (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from his Lord, that He said:

O My servants! I have forbidden dhulm (oppression) for Myself, and I have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except those whom I have guided, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you. O My servants, all of you are hungry except those whom I have fed, so seek food from Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except those whom I have clothed, so seek clothing from Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you commit sins by day and by night, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness from Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain benefiting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you, were all as pious as the most pious heart of any individual amongst you, then this would not increase My Kingdom an iota. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you, were all as wicked as the most wicked heart of any individual amongst you, then this would not decrease My Kingdom an iota. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, and the humans of you and the jinn of you, were all to stand together in one place and ask of Me, and I were to give everyone what he requested, then that would not decrease what I Possess, except what is decreased of the ocean when a needle is dipped into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I account for you, and then recompense you for. So he who finds good, let him praise Allah, and he who finds other than that, let him blame no one but himself. (Muslim)

The take-home message here is that as believers we should be in a continual state of supplication to Allah no matter what our situation may be, and nothing is too small or too great for Allah.

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