The Compensation
for Zero Power

God is all-powerful, while man is powerless. True prayer guarantees compensation for man’s helplessness, for if it is made in all sincerity, it is bound to be accepted by the Almighty.

The difference between God and man is not greater or lesser power. It is one of omnipotence and no power at all. God is all-powerful, while man is powerless. One might ask what justification there could be for creating a situation in which man has not been invested with even one iota of power. Why was it legitimate for God to have created a being who was helpless, deriving power neither from within himself nor from anything in the outside world?

The only valid answer to this question will offer man full compensation for his helplessness. Nothing short of total redressal can be the answer. The answer must go as deep as the question, i.e., it must offer the key to transforming man’s helplessness into some form of recompense.

Such an answer is to be found explicitly spelt out in the Quran and the Hadith. It lies in God’s special blessing, which makes it possible for a man to secure something by merely asking for it. If a man seeks something from God, he will undoubtedly become a receiver. When a man does not possess his power, he will have it only by receiving it from God. It is something that God is ever ready to grant him. True prayer guarantees compensation for his helplessness, for if it is made in all sincerity, it is bound to be accepted by the Almighty.

It is expressed in a Hadith in terms of the sincere prayer never going unfulfilled. Therefore, if a man calls on his Creator earnestly, his prayer is never rejected. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 13357) Jesus Christ made the same assertion:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. (Matthew, 7:7-11)