Why our prayers are not answered?

Not a long time ago, I was quite upset over the situation of Muslims all over the globe. Muslims being oppressed, Muslims being killed, Muslims killing each other, the enormous gap between Islam and the Muslims of today, and the confusion in the Islamic world - these were the issues that disturbed me (and still do). I felt that being a Muslim it was my responsibility to do something about it, but I didn't know what. I'm not philosophical like Iqbal, nor am I a great leader, I have no power of any sort, and so what could a person like me do. Then it struck me that why I shouldn't do the simplest and easiest thing one can do - pray. Pray to Allah to help us, to guide us, to bless us, to unite us, and to have mercy on us.

We pray for many things on a daily basis like health, wealth, guidance etc. but I doubt that many of us pray (sincerely and devotedly) for the Muslim Ummat. Not to just raise our hands and move our lips, but to pray with the hope that Allah will accept our prayers, pray with the enthusiasm with which an FSC student prays on result day, a starved person prays for food, a mother prays for her child or a child prays for his/her dying parents.

The Prophet Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam once said, "The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body; when any limb of it aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever." (Sahih Muslim 2586).

Now just imagine if a part of your body is wounded or injured or just painful and you can't do anything about it. You can't heal it, maybe because you're weak or because you don't have the capacity to heal it. So won't you pray to Allah for help, won't you pray to Allah with tears in your eyes to remove the pain and misery? Today the Muslim Ummat is badly hurt. For some of us, we can't even feel the pain anymore and for some of us we can feel the pain but are unable to heal/cure it. That's why I request all of you on the behalf of the oppressed Muslims to pray to Allah – the Most Merciful to have mercy on us. Asna AmanUllah