16. Munajah: An Intimate Conversation With Allah

Munājāh (مناجاة) is intimate, private and heartfelt conversation with Allah. It is a form of duʿā’, but with a special quality: it is deep, sincere and personal, often whispered in the heart, expressing closeness, dependence and love for Allah.

Whilst intimate conversations occur between humans, the munājāh between a servant and Allah is completely different: it is a sacred dialogue between the Almighty and His weak, needy servant. The servant pours out their fears, anxieties, sins and longings, while Allah ﷻ responds with mercy, gentleness, and blessings beyond imagination.

The Munajah of Prophet Zakariyya (ʿalayhis-salam)

In Surah Maryam, Allah beautifully describes the munājāh of Zakariyyā (ʿalayhis-salām):

“(This is) a reminder of your Lord’s mercy to His servant Zakariyyā, when he cried out to his Lord in a low voice, saying, ‘My Lord! Surely my bones have become brittle, and grey hair has spread across my head, but I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You, my Lord! And I am concerned about (the faith of) my relatives after me. And my wife is barren. So grant me, by Your grace, an heir who will inherit (Prophethood and knowledge) from me and the family of Yaʿqūb, and make him, O Lord, pleasing (to You)!’” (19:2-6).

From this intimate conversation, we learn profound etiquettes of duʿā’:

• He supplicated privately and sincerely. Allah praises this secret form of duʿā’, as it reflects sincerity, humility and a heart free from showing off. 
• He expressed his weakness before asking. Before making his request, Zakariyyā (ʿalayhis-salām) described his frailty: his old age and declining strength. This shows an important etiquette: to begin duʿā’ by humbling yourself before Allah, acknowledging your complete dependence on Him.
• He recalled Allah’s past kindness. He said: “I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You.” This is a form of tawassul: asking Allah by recalling His past generosity. Imām al-Qurṭubī (raḥimahullāh) said: “This is a noble form of wasīlah: appealing to Allah through His past favours, and seeking further bounty from Him by invoking His generosity.” Zakariyyā (ʿalayhis-salām) was, in essence, saying: ‘O Allah, You’ve never turned me away. You’ve accustomed me to Your generosity. And the Most Generous does not disappoint the hopeful.’ Thus, it is recommended to mention Allah’s blessings upon you in duʿā’, as a way of expressing gratitude and trust
• He never lost hope. Despite every outward sign suggesting impossibility, he turned to Allah with full certainty. He knew that while human strength has limits, Allah’s mercy and power are boundless. Hope in Allah is an act of worship in itself.
• He spoke with love and humble pleading. Though Allah already knew his condition, Zakariyyā (ʿalayhis-salām) still described it in detail. This is known as tamalluq: speaking to Allah with gentle, loving words that reflect closeness, respect and deep need. Pouring your heart to Him is among the sweetest forms of worship.

Seeking Allah Through Allah

One of the central aspects of munājāh is recalling Allah’s blessings and His past kindness. This is what Prophet Zakariyyā did, when he said: “But never, my Lord, has my prayer to You remained unanswered.” 

This is the essence of reaching Allah through Allah Himself: seeking Him by His grace, relying on His help, fleeing from Him to Him, and turning to Him through Him. The Prophet ﷺ expressed this beautifully in his duʿā’: “O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, and in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot praise You enough; You are as You have praised Yourself” (Abū Dāwūd).

This is among the most beautiful things: to seek Allah through Allah, to enter upon Him with His own favours, to plead with Him using His own generosity, and to seek refuge in Him from Himself. Ibn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh) beautifully explains this in his book Ṣayd al-Khāṭir under the heading ‘Seeking Allah through Allah’:

“I once heard of a generous man who was approached by someone in need. The man said, ‘Weren’t you the one who showed me kindness on such-and-such a day?’ The generous man replied, ‘Welcome to the one who seeks our help through us!’ and he fulfilled his need.”

Ibn al-Jawzī continues:

“This struck me deeply. I took inspiration from it and whispered in prayer:

‘O Allah, You are the One who guided me from childhood, who saved me from misguidance, who protected me from countless sins. You inspired me to seek knowledge (out of Your sheer grace) and not because of my understanding at a young age, nor due to the influence of a father (for my father had passed away).

You granted me understanding, the ability to learn deeply, and provided me the means to gather knowledge. You took care of my provision without causing me fatigue or having to humiliate myself through begging others. You shielded me from enemies so no tyrant ever targeted me.

You granted me knowledge in multiple fields, a rare combination that few others possess, and You added to that a heart attached to You in love and longing. You blessed me with eloquence and beauty in speech in guiding others to You. You placed acceptance for me in the hearts of people; they are eager to listen to what I say, trust it, and long for it. They do not grow tired of my words.

You kept me away from bad company and granted me the sweetness of solitude: sometimes with knowledge, other times in intimate conversation with You.

If I were to try to count Your blessings, I wouldn’t reach even a fraction of a fraction of them. “And if you try to count the blessings of Allah, you will never be able to enumerate them” (14:34).

So, O the One who has favoured me long before I ever asked, don’t turn me away now that I ask. It is through Your past kindness that I ask You.’”

Whispers in the Night: The Lover’s Solitude With the Beloved

One of the most heartfelt times for munājāh is in the quiet, still darkness of the night. The night has always been a sanctuary for the righteous, a secret garden where intimate conversations with Allah take place. Al-Fuḍayl b. ʿIyāḍ (rhm) said about the night prayer: “I rejoice at night as it is time to converse with my Lord, and I dislike the day because it brings encounters with people.” For the lover, no time is more precious than being alone with the Beloved, as people sleep, distractions fade, and the heart speaks freely to the One who never sleeps.

When Munīfah, the great worshipper, (raḥimahullāh) rose for the night prayer, she would say: “O my soul, rejoice! The delight of the believer has arrived!” And she would : “Strive in the darkness for it is in the night that you’re given to drink from the cup of divine love and honour.” And when dawn broke, she would weep: “Oh sorrow! Oh loss! The sweetness of the night is gone. If only that darkness, with all its intimacy, could return!”

Yaḥyā b. Muʿādh (raḥimahullāh) would stand in prayer at night, conversing intimately with his Lord, saying: “O my Lord, this is my joy in being with You in the abode of estrangement, so how will my joy be when I am with You in the abode of closeness (Paradise)? My God, the night is only sweet through intimate conversation with You and obedience to You, and the day is only pleasant through persistence in Your service and worship. The world is only delightful through Your remembrance, and the Hereafter only through Your grace.”

Muslim b. Yasār (raḥimahullāh) said, “No pleasure compares to the sweetness of being alone in conversation with Allah.” Ibn Rajab (raḥimahullāh) beautifully said, “Whenever night falls, the lover yearns.” 

In life, the greatest loss is to be cut off from this closeness to Allah. What moment is sweeter than withdrawing into seclusion and whispering your love and longing to your Lord? To have a private conversation with Him and say, “O Allah, I miss You. I long to see You. I love You, O Lord.” Muslim b. Yasār would weep in sujūd, repeating, “When will I meet You while You are pleased with me?”

Humility in Munajah

The neighbour of Muhārib b. Dithār, the judge of Kufa (raḥimahullāh), said about him, “Often, in the middle of the night, I would hear him raise his voice, saying:

“I am the small one whom You raised. Praise be to You.

I am the weak one whom You strengthened. Praise be to You.

I am the poor one whom You enriched. Praise be to You.

I am the stranger whom You guided. Praise be to You.

I am the destitute one whom You provided for. Praise be to You.

I am the bachelor whom You enabled to marry. Praise be to You.

I am the hungry one whom You fed. Praise be to You.

I am the unclothed one whom You dressed. Praise be to You.

I am the traveller whom You accompanied. Praise be to You.

I am the absent one whom You returned. Praise be to You.

I am the one on foot whom You carried. Praise be to You.

I am the sick one whom You healed. Praise be to You.

I am the one who prayed and You answered. Praise be to You.

Our Lord, to You belongs all praise. Our Lord, praise belongs to You for every single blessing.!”

Pour Your Heart Out to Allah

Bring your heart to Allah: your fears, your worries, your hopes and your sins. Do not hold back. Confide in Him: O Allah, I am afraid, I am anxious, I hope, I long, I have stumbled, I need Your help. Just as the righteous humbled themselves before their Lord in the stillness of night, you too can turn to Allah with your heart. Do not let your mistakes make you think this is not for you. This is exactly what you need.

Where else can you turn if not to the door of Allah? You may feel ashamed to approach Him with your sins, yet He welcomes that very shame: “And those who, upon committing an evil deed or wronging themselves, remember Allah and seek forgiveness for their sins — and who forgives sins except Allah?” (3:135). 

Let your sins bring you back, not push you away. Let them humble you and lift your hands in sincere plea: ‘My Lord, I am the sinful, broken servant, and You are the Merciful, the Compassionate.’

Ibrāhīm b. Adham (raḥimahullāh) would supplicate: “My Lord, Your sinful servant comes to You, admitting his sins, calling out to You. If You forgive, You are worthy of that. But if You cast me away, then who else can show me mercy besides You?”

This is the true munājāh: “…And We brought him near, in private conversation” (19:52). It is the sweetness of intimacy with the One who is All-Compassionate, All-Knowing, All-Hearing, the One who delights in hearing from you and listens attentively to even the faintest whisper of your heart.