Three Causes of Unanswered Prayers

 عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَا يَزَالُ يُسْتَجَابُ لِلْعَبْدِ مَا لَمْ يَدْعُ بِإِثْمٍ أَوْ قَطِيعَةِ رَحِمٍ مَا لَمْ يَسْتَعْجِلْ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الِاسْتِعْجَالُ قَالَ يَقُولُ قَدْ دَعَوْتُ وَقَدْ دَعَوْتُ فَلَمْ أَرَ يَسْتَجِيبُ لِي فَيَسْتَحْسِرُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ وَيَدَعُ الدُّعَاءَ 

Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:

The supplication of the servant is granted in case he does not supplicate for sin or for severing the ties of blood, or he does not become impatient. 

It was said: Allah's Messenger, what does: "If he does not grow impatient" imply? 

He said: That he should say like this: I supplicated and I supplicated but I did not find it being responded, and then he becomes frustrated and abandons supplication. 

Reference: Sahih Muslim 2735

Hadith translation obtained from: https://sunnah.com/muslim/48/127 

Lessons: 

1.  Allah answers every prayer except in three instances: 

a.  Praying to commit sin 

b.  Praying to sever ties of kinship 

c.  Showing impatience in having prayers answered 

2.  An impatient person will tend to become frustrated that their prayers has yet to be answered and tends to abandon prayer altogether.

Let us frequently pray and avoid conditions which invalidate our prayers.