Main Difference
The main difference between Prayer and Supplication is that Prayer is bending down before God to thanks and praise God, whereas Supplication is a special prayer for a humble request.
Prayer vs. Supplication
Prayer is a way to offer gratitude to God for His blessings; on the other hand, supplication is a distinct prayer. Prayer is the praise of God. Supplication is to put a humble request before God.
Prayer focuses on personal forms of God, whereas supplication does not. In prayers, a person requests by calling names of God. Supplication does not apply epithets of God.
Prayer discusses the strength and attributes of God, while Supplication does not extoll the praises of God. Prayer is a wish or hope, and supplication is a request for a pleasure.
Comparison Chart
What is Prayer?
A prayer is an act of worship of God. It can be a form of thanksgiving or praise for the qualities and blessing of God. Prayers are of many types as they can be a ritual; it can be offered lonely or coordinated in the group. Nowadays, every religion has its terms and conditions to pray. Some allow praying for all people, while some say that prayer is not allowed for a specific person. Scientific research suggests that prayer is involved in curing the sickness of people who have faith in it.
Christian prayer has many types; sometimes, they read the whole text of the book. “Lord’s prayer” is the usual pray of Christians that is followed according to the disciplines of the lord. Lord’s pray covers confession, petition, and adoration. Christians pray to father or God. Some Roman catholic rituals include the distinct pray of reparation. This prayer is not for oneself but aims to repairs the sin of old or deceased people, such as sins of blasphemy done by others.
In Muslims, “Salah” is a word used for the prayer. Salah is the pillar of religion, Islam. In a day, a Muslim must pray five times a day. These are obligatory prayers. The directions to Salah came again and again in the holy book of the Quran. Prayer is performed when a person is facing Mecca. There is a proper call for the Salah. The call is known as “Adhan,” and a person who calls people for the prayer is called “Muezzin.”
What is Supplication?
Supplication is a prayer in which a person bends down before God to desire something. It is a humble request put in front of God either by yourself or on behalf of other people. In Christianity, the old testament verdict that supplication is a form of prayer for the health of sick people. In Catholic ritual, supplication describes “novena.” Novena means nine, a method of asking for a favor consistently nine days. The community of Christ prays for the peace of society daily is an excellent example of supplication.
In Islam, supplication means “Dua.” Dua is an Arabic term used to request a desire to Allah Almighty. Supplication is a routine after five prayers in the day. There are many duas of prophets described in the Quran. In Sikhism, the supplication stands for “Ardas.” Ardas is a Persian word meaning prayer, request, or desire. Sikhs perform the prayer before initiation of a task or after completing it. This supplication is offered before eating a meal.
Key Differences
- Prayer is a sincere way to thank God and request something, whereas supplication is a form of special prayer.
- Prayer means praise of God, while supplication is the request to God.
- Prayers mean to praise personal forms of God; on the flip side, supplication means to put a desire before God.
- Prayers provide benefits for the person who prays; on the other hand, supplication is beneficial for oneself as well as others.
- Prayers involve extolling the qualities and power of God; conversely, supplication does not include the extolling of attributes of God.
- Prayers dictate the names of God, whereas supplication does not include the name of God.
- Prayer can be applied in the sense of hope, while supplication is a humble request.
- Prayer tells about the gratitude of a person towards God; on the other hand, supplication tells about the wishes of a person.
- An example of prayer is blessing my family, while the example supplication is “cure my child.”
Conclusion
Prayer and Supplication are both a way of communication between people and God. Prayer is a way to thank God and put a request for something. Supplication is a special prayer used to place a request before God.
