One Whose Prayer is not Accepted

“Once I accompanied Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) between Makkah and Madinah and at a certain place a beggar came and he ordered his people to help. Another beggar came he ordered his people to help, another came and he ordered to help, then the fourth one came and abu ‘Abd Allah said, ‘May Allah satisfy you,’ and he turned to us saying, ‘We still can help but I feared becoming of the three kinds of people whose prayers are not heard: a man to whom Allah has granted wealth but he spends it on a wrong cause and then asks, “O Lord, grant me wealth.” His prayer is not accepted, a man who prays against his wife while Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has made it lawful to dissolve the marriage, and a man who prays against his neighbor while Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, has made it possible for him to move away and buy another house.’”

“The prayers of four kinds of people are not heard: a man who sits home and says, ‘O Lord, grant me sustenance,’ and it is said to him, “Have I not commanded you to work?” a man who is troubled by his wife so he prays for relief, but he will be asked, ‘Have 1 not made dissolving marriage lawful?’ A man who has destroyed his wealth and asks, ‘O Lord, grant me wealth,’ he will be asked, “Have I not commanded you to spend it moderately and have I not commanded you to make corrections?” Then the Imam read from the Holy Quran, ‘. . . who in their spending are neither extravagant nor stingy but maintain moderation,’ (25:67) and a man who lends money to others without witnesses as evidence and it is said to him, ‘Have I not commanded you to ask for witnesses as testimony?”’ Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from ‘Umar ibn abu ‘Asim from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) a similar Hadith.

“I heard Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) saying, ‘The prayer of three kinds of people is not accepted: a man to whom Allah has granted wealth but spends it improperly and then says, “O Lord, grant me wealth,” to him it is said, ‘Did I not give you wealth?’ A man who prays against his unjust wife, and it is said to him, ‘Have I not left her affairs to you (dissolving of marriage lawful)?’ A man who sits idle and prayers, ‘O Lord, grant me sustenance,’ and to him it is said, ‘Have I not made ways how to make a living?”’