Prayer for the Fulfillment of a Need... I will be grateful if you could tell me what time of the day or night a person can perform nemaz e hajjat [1] ? One friend of mine told me middle of the night any time after Isha and before Fajr prayers. Another friend has told me to perform it after every fardh nemaz [2] . Please tell me what is correct? Can I perform it any time of the night or day or is there a Waqt Muqurrur (time fixed). Allah hafiz, your sister in islam, Maheen Omar Reply The concept of the Sala'h al-Haajah (prayer for the fulfillment of one's needs and desires) is based on the Muslim belief that God alone is the ultimate source of all the blessings and fulfilled needs and God alone is to be feared. If God has decided to bestow a blessing upon him, no one in the world can stop him from being bestowed by such blessing. While if God has decided to test him with a difficult time, no one can save him from facing such difficult time. It is with this belief that a Muslim turns toward the Lord of the worlds and implores Him to accept his supplications and prayers and fulfill his needs and desires. The Qur'an has mentioned this attitude of the firm in belief, in the following words: [These are the people] who call upon their Lord with fear and with hope. ( Al-Sajadah 32: 16) Sala'h al-Haajah , in essence is calling upon the Lord with the hope of the fulfillment of one's desires and needs. This "calling upon" may be merely in the shape of sincere supplications. Nevertheless, the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have taught the Muslims that when they ask God to help them in their difficulty or to fulfill their needs and desires, they should start by offering two rak'ah of supererogatory ( nafl ) prayers and should then pray to their Lord for the fulfillment of their needs and desires. The supplication taught by the Prophet (pbuh) in this respect, as reported in a few of the narratives ascribed to him, is a concise and beautiful representation of the balance with which a Muslim should pray for the fulfillment of his needs and desires. According to Ibn Maajah , the Prophet is reported to have taught the following words: "There is no god except the God - the Tolerant the Honorable - I declare that God is absolutely clear of all faults, the Lord of the Huge Throne [of authority]. All gratitude is due to the God, the Lord of the whole vastness of the world. O My Lord, I ask you to grant me all that deserves your mercy, all that expands your forgiveness. I ask you to reward me for all the good deeds and to save me from all the sins. I ask you not to leave any of my sins but to grant them forgiveness, and not to leave any of my troubles, but grant me relief from them and not to leave any of my needs but, if it pleases you, grant them fulfillment for me." Then, at this point the person may ask for whatever needs that he may want fulfilled, whether pertaining to the life of this world or the hereafter. Sala'h al-Haajah is a supererogatory prayer and like other supererogatory prayers, its timing has not been fixed by the Prophet (pbuh). It may be offered at any time during the day or the night, as is also evidenced by the referred narrative ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh). I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad , Otherwise you may simply Close this Window [1] Literally translated as: "Prayer for the fulfillment of a need". [2] That is 'obligatory prayers'.