I Am Near
Al-Baqarah 2:186. Also known as Fa inni qarib, When My servants ask you about Me, I am near, Verse about dua in Ramadan
وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌۖ أُجِيبُ دَعۡوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِۖ فَلۡيَسۡتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلۡيُؤۡمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡشُدُونَ ﴿١٨٦﴾
Waitha saalaka AAibadee AAannee fainnee qareebun ojeebu daAAwata alddaAAi itha daAAani falyastajeeboo lee walyuminoo bee laAAallahum yarshudoona
And when My servants ask you about Me, I am near; I answer the call of the caller when he calls on Me. So let them answer Me, and have faith in Me, that they may be rightly guided.
Verse 186 of Surah Al-Baqarah is the verse in which Allah says He is near and answers the one who calls on Him. It is one of the most loved verses about supplication, or dua, in the Quran.
It is placed inside the passage on fasting in Ramadan, between the verse that names the month of Ramadan and the verse that sets out the rules of the fasting night. For this reason many Muslims think of it especially during Ramadan.
What it means
When My servants ask about Me
Most questions in this part of the surah are introduced with an instruction to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to say something in reply. Here there is no such instruction. Allah answers directly in the first person, which many commentators see as a sign of how close He is.
I am near
Allah says simply that He is near. There is no need for a go-between, a special place or a special language to reach Him. Elsewhere, in 50:16, the Quran says He is nearer to a person than their jugular vein.
I answer the one who calls
He answers the call of the caller whenever they call on Him. Scholars explain that an answer may come as what was asked for, as harm turned away, or as something saved for the Hereafter.
So let them respond to Me
The verse then asks something of the people who pray: that they respond to Allah as well, and believe in Him. Prayer is a two-way relationship.
That they may be guided
The verse ends with the hope that they will be rightly guided. Calling on Allah and responding to Him is presented as the way to guidance.
Where it sits in Surah Al-Baqarah
Verses 183 to 185 prescribe fasting, explain who is excused, name Ramadan as the month in which the Quran was revealed, and say that Allah wants ease for people and not hardship. Verse 186 then turns to supplication. Verse 187 returns to the practical rules of fasting: it permits intimacy between spouses on the nights of the fast, calls spouses garments for one another, and explains that eating and drinking are allowed until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black. Placing a verse about Allah's nearness in the middle of these rules ties the effort of fasting to the closeness it brings.
How it is used
Muslims often recall this verse when making dua, especially in Ramadan. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim report that the Prophet ﷺ said Allah descends to the lowest heaven in the last third of every night and asks who is calling on Him so that He may answer. They also report, from Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, that when the Companions raised their voices loudly in remembrance on a march, the Prophet ﷺ told them to go easy on themselves, because they were not calling on someone deaf or absent but on One who hears and is near.
Questions
Where in the Quran does Allah say 'I am near'?
In Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:186, within the verses about fasting in Ramadan.
Why is this verse placed in the middle of the fasting verses?
The Quran does not explain the placement directly. Commentators suggest it links the effort of fasting with supplication, and many Muslims treat Ramadan as a special time for dua because of it.
Does Allah answer every dua?
The verse says He answers the one who calls on Him. Scholars explain that the answer can take different forms: what was asked for, a harm averted, or a reward kept for the Hereafter, and that He knows best which is good for the person.