The Main Themes of Shiite and Christian Supplications

It is widely believed that supplications are means by which a person makes requests from God and one’s needs are fulfilled. However, in all religions, particularly in Abrahamic religions, supplications go beyond requests and are indicative of the beliefs held by humans and religions about God. A consideration of the supplication literature in Islam and Christianity shows that supplications have aspects over and above requests. In both Islam and Christianity, supplications are characterized as pure mystical and sacred experiences. They are inseparably tied to theology, and some Islamic and Christian theological views are represented and reconstructed in supplications. Moreover, the nature of supplications is a communication and conversation with God, and it is properly performed if the communication is not a mere utterance of spiritless words, and is, instead, a dynamic mutual connection. Such an intimate and mutual conversation goes beyond a me-him communication to a me-you relation. Thus, the human sees God as being always with him and his addressee, and such an intimate conversation is presented in the form of a supplication.