With what shall we pray? To whom shall we pray?

Among the signs of God’s Mercy upon His creatures is that He taught them how to invoke Him just as He taught them how to worship Him. The best of invocations are the ones formulated by His Words; they are the best invocations by which we turn toward God, for they are from Him to Him.

Among the teachings that the Holy Qur’an showed us is that we should pray for those who embraced Faith before us as of our father Adam and mother Eve (God grant them peace), then to those who transmitted to us this true Faith since we have learned Islam from them and have taken them as models. They were honest in their transmission, honest in their practical work, distinguished and guiding paragons in sincere work for God’s Cause. That is why God—Exalted be He—teaches us how to pray for them. In Sūrat al-Ḥashr (Qur’an 59:10), He—Glorified be He—says: Our Lord! Forgive us, and our brothers who came before us into the Faith, and leave not in our hearts rancor against those who believed. Our Lord! You are indeed Full of Kindness, Most Merciful.