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j\u-BiihlIu Ai-Kumlluh AL-^ujjudlyyu

The Psalms of Islam

Imam All ibnAI-Husayh (Peace be Upon Him)

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Chain of Authorities

Sahifa Al-Kamilah

Addenda

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Prayers for the Week

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The Whispered Prayers

Treatise on Rights

Blessing upon

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TRANSLATOR'S INTRODUCTION

AL-SAHIFAT AL-SAJJADIYYA is the oldest prayer manual in Islamic sources and one of the
most seminal works of Islamic spirituality of the early period. It was composed by the
Prophet's great grandson, "Ali ibn al-Husayn, known as Zayn al-'Abidin ("the adornment of
the worshippers'), and has been cherished in Shi'ite sources from earliest times. Zayn
al-'Abidin was the fourth of the Shi'ite Imams, after his father Husayn, his uncle Hasan, and
his grandfather 'Ali, the Prophet's son-in-law. Shi'ite tradition considers the Sahifa a book
worthy of the utmost veneration, ranking it behind only the Qur'an and "All's Nahj al-balagha.

ALI IBN AL-HUSAYN

"Ali ibn al-Husayn was born in Medina, according to most sources in the year 38/658-9. He
may have been too small to have remembered his grandfather 'Ali, who was killed in 40/661,
but he was brought up in the presence of his uncle Hasan and his father Husayn, the Prophet's
beloved grandchildren. Many Shi'ite sources state that his mother was Shahrbanu, the
daughter of Yazdigird, the last Sasanian king of Persia. Thus he was said to be "Ibn al-
Khiyaratayn', the "son of the best two', meaning the Quraysh among the Arabs and the
Persians among the non- Arabs. According to some accounts, his mother was brought as a
captive to Medina during the caliphate of "Umar, who wanted to sell her. "Ali suggested
instead that she be offered her choice of the Muslim men as husband and that her dower be
paid from the public treasury. "Umar agreed and she chose 'All's son Husayn. She is said to
have died shortly after giving birth to her only son "Ali.

There is no need to recount here the tragedy at Karbala' in 61/680, when Husayn and many of
the male members of his family were killed by the forces of the Umayyad caliph Yazid, an
event which shook the Islamic world and precipitated the nascent Shi'ite movement. Zayn
al-'Abidin accompanied his father on the march toward Kufa, but he had fallen deathly ill and
was lying on a skin in a tent. Once the Umayyad troops had massacred Husayn and his male
followers, they looted the tents, stripped the women of their jewellery, and even took the skin
upon which Zayn al-'Abidin was prostrate. The infamous Shamir (Shimr) ibn Dhi 1-Jawshan
was about to kill Zayn al-'Abidin in spite of his helplessness, but Husayn's sister Zaynab
threw herself on top of him to save him, and "Umar ibn Sa'd, the Umayyad commander, told
Shamir to let him be. Zayn al-'Abidin was taken along with the women to the caliph in
Damascus, and eventually he was allowed to return to Medina.

Several accounts are related concerning his grief over this tragedy. It is said that for twenty
years whenever food was placed before him, he would weep. One day a servant said to him,
"O son of God's Messenger! Is it not time for your sorrow to come to an end?' He replied,
"Woe upon you! Jacob the prophet had twelve sons, and God made one of them disappear.
His eyes turned white from constant weeping, his head turned grey out of sorrow, and his

back became bent in gloom [cf. 12: 84], though his son was alive in this world. But I watched
while my father, my brother, my uncle, and seventeen members of my family were
slaughtered all around me. How should my sorrow come to an end?'

Zayn al-'Abidin resided in Medina until his death in 95/713-4 (or 94/712-3). He was the
object both of great sympathy because of the massacre of his family and of veneration as the
great grandson of the Prophet. He dedicated his life to learning and worship and became an
authority on prophetic traditions and law, but he was known mostly for his nobility of
character and his piety, which earned him his sobriquet already in his lifetime. The details that
have reached us about his life in Medina mainly take the form of anecdotes affirming his
constant preoccupation with worship and acts of devotion. He fathered fifteen children,
eleven boys and four girls.

After Karbala', there were a number of different factions in the Shi'ite community, not all of
which supported Zayn al-'Abidin as the rightful Imam of the Muslim community. Many
Shi'ites, such as those involved in the "Tawwabun' movement, felt that the Umayyads had to
be overthrown and that it was the duty of the Imam to lead a revolt. But Zayn al-'Abidin
himself refused to become involved with politics. After his death, a split occurred between his
eldest son and designated successor Muhammad al-Baqir, the fifth Imam, and his second son,
al-Baqir's half brother Zayd, who advocated active resistance to Umayyad oppression and
gained a large number of followers as a result. Al-Baqir continued to pursue his father's
policy of rejecting any sort of involvement with political movements until his death (probably
in 1 17/735). Zayd revolted toward the beginning of the imamate of al-Baqir's son Ja'far al-
Sadiq and was killed in Safar 121/January 739; his son Yahya, who plays an important role in
the preface to the Sahifa, continued in his father's path and was killed three years later at the
age of eighteen. The Zaydi Shi'ites, still strong in the Yemen today, trace the lineage of their
imams back to Zayd.

AL-SAHIFAT AL-SAJJADIYYA

The title Al-Sahifat al-Sajjadiyya means simply "The Book of al-Sajjad'. Al-Sajjad is one of
the titles given to Zayn al-'Abidin and signifies "the one who constantly prostrates himself in
prayer'. The book is often called Al-Sahifat al-Kamilat al-Sajjadiyya, that is, "The "Perfect",
or "Complete", Book of al-Sajjad'. According to its commentator Sayyid "Alikhan Shirazi, the
word kamila refers to the perfection of the style and content; some sources state that the
adjective was added to differentiate it from another, incomplete version of the work, which is
known among the Zaydis, but this seems less likely, given the manner in which the title is
employed in the preface (verse 20). The Sahifa has been called by various honorifics, such as
"Sister of the Qur'an', "Gospel of the Folk of the House', and "Psalms of the Household of
Muhammad'.

According to Shi'ite tradition, Zayn al-'Abidin had collected his supplications and taught them

to his children, especially Muhammad al-Baqir and Zayd. In later times the text became
widely disseminated among Shi'ites of all persuasions. The specialists in the science of hadith
maintain that the text is mutawatir; in other words, it was generally known from earliest times
and has been handed down by numerous chains of transmission, while its authenticity has
never been questioned. Nevertheless, the arrangement of the text allows us to draw a certain
distinction between the fifty-four supplications which make the main body of the text and the
additional supplications which make up the fourteen addenda (including the prayers for the
days of the week) and the fifteen munajat or "whispered prayers'. The original fifty-four
supplications show an undeniable freshness and unity of theme and style, while the latter,
especially the munajat, add a certain orderliness and self-conscious artistry which may
suggest the hand of an editor. The addenda are said to have been collected and added to the
text by Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Makki, known as al-Shahid al-Awwal (the "first
martyr'), the famous author of Al-Lum'at al-Dimashqiyya in jurisprudence (fiqh) who was
killed in Aleppo in 786/1384. The fifteen munajat have been added to several modern editions
of the Sahifa and seem to have been brought to the attention of the main body of Shi'ites by
" AUama Muhammad Baqir Majlisi (d. 1 1 10/1689-9 or a year later), author of the monumental
compilation of Shi'ite hadith, Bihar al- Anwar.

Many supplications have been handed down from Imam Zayn al-'Abidin in addition to those
recorded in the text of the Sahifa as given here, and various scholars have collected these
together in a series of works known as the "second Sahifa' the "third Sahifa' and so on. The
second Sahifa which is about as long as the Sahifa itself, was compiled as the "sister' of the
Sahifa by Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Hurr al-'Amili (d. 1104/1692-3), author of the famous
Wasa'il al-Shi"a in the year 1053/1643. A third Sahifa was put together by the author of Riyad
al-'ulama' Mirza 'Abd Allah ibn Mirza "Isa Tabrizi, known as Afandi and a student of Majlisi.
The longest of the published versions is Al-Sahifat al-Sajjadiyyat al-khamisa ("The Fifth
Sahifa of al-Sajjad') by Muhsin al-Amin, the well known contemporary author of A'yan al-
shi'a. It includes all the supplications included in the previous Sahifas; 130 of these are found
in the first and second Sahifas and 52 are added. In her sympathetic study of Islamic prayer
manuals, Muslim Devotions, Constance Padwick made use of this fifth recension of the text,
which fills more than six hundred pages.

Any serious attempt to sort out the relative historical reliability of the individual supplications
found in all the versions of the Sahifa on the basis of modern critical scholarship would be an
undertaking of major proportions. The result of such a study - if one can judge by studies of
other ancient texts - would probably be that, after years of toil, we would have a series of
hypotheses, leaving varying degrees of doubt. This would be of interest to Western scholars
and modernized Muslims, both of whom, in any case, have no personal involvement with the
contents and teachings of the Sahifa. But the attitude of most Muslims has been to look at the
content of the texts established by the authority of tradition and not be too concerned with
who actually wrote the words in "historical fact'. In this regard the saying of 'Ali is well
known: "Look at what has been said, not at who has said it', since only the truth or untruth of
the words is of real concern. From this point of view, if the author of the Sahifat al-kamila

was not Imam Zayn al-'Abidin, he - or they - would in any case have to have been a spiritual
authority of equal rank, so the whole exercise leaves us where we started: with a text which
expresses the highest aspirations of the Muslim soul.

However this may be, we can be satisfied to have the core text which has been attributed to
Zayn al-" Abidin by centuries of Shi'ite tradition. In other words, in the fifty-four basic prayers
of the Sahifa we have the Zayn al-'Abidin who has been known to Shi'ites for more than a
thousand years and who has helped give to Shi'ism its specific contours down to the present
day. Scholars may eventually reach the conclusion that the Zayn al-'Abidin of 'historical fact'
differs from the Zayn al-'Abidin of tradition, but this will remain a hypothesis, since at this
distance 'historical facts' are impossible to verify and as open to interpretation as literature.
Whether or not historians accept the text as completely authentic will not change the actual
influence which Zayn al-'Abidin and the Sahifa have exercised upon Islam over the centuries,
nor is it likely to change the way they continue to influence practising Muslims. The 'real'
Zayn al-'Abidin is the figure enshrined by the text as it now stands.

The opinion of the writer of these lines concerning the authenticity of the Sahifa - admittedly
based only upon an intimate acquaintance with the text gained through many months spent in
translation - is that the original fifty-four prayers go back to Zayn al-'Abidin, that the addenda
are nearly as trustworthy, and that the munajat may have been worked upon by others. But the
Sahifa in its larger forms probably contains a good deal of material from later authors. It is
interesting to note Padwick's comments on the Sahifat al-khamisa: "The great body of
devotion attributed to him is characterized by a deep humility and sense of sin, and by an
intransigent, undying resentment against the foes of his house.' Only the first half of this
statement is true about the present Sahifa. Though the Imam makes a number of allusions to
the injustice suffered by his family and the fact that their rightful heritage has been usurped,
no one can call this a major theme of the Sahifa or an 'intransigent, undying resentment'. In
the one instance where Zayn al-'Abidin speaks rather explicitly of the injustice suffered by the
Imams (48.9-1 1), this is accompanied by an admission of God's wisdom in His ordainment.

THE ARABIC TEXT

The Arabic text of the Sahifat al-kamila which forms the basis for the translation was
established by al-Shahid al-Awwal. The modern Iranian editions are based mainly on the
version of this text transmitted by the father of the above-mentioned Muhammad Baqir
Majlisi, MuUa Muhammad Taqi Majlisi (d. 1070/1659-60), also an important scholar of the
Safavid period, and another son, MuUa "Abd Allah (d. c. 1084/1673); but at least one of these
editions goes back to the famous Safavid jurist, philosopher, architect, poet, and
mathematician Shaykh-i Baha'i (d. 1031/1621-2). The elder Majlisi had at his disposal
numerous manuscripts of the text, which he had received from the foremost Shi'ite authorities
of his day. In one of his works he refers to all the chains of transmission by which he had
received the Sahifa, and, we are told, these number more than a million.

The question naturally arises as to why Majlisi chose the particular chain of transmission
mentioned in the preface out of the many he had at his disposal, especially since the chain
itself is exceedingly weak (as indicated by the commentators and recorded in the notes to the
translation). The reason for this seems to be the accuracy of this particular version going back
to al-Shahid al-Awwal, as confirmed by another 'special' route through which Majlisi received
the Sahifa. This special route is worth mentioning in detail, since it provides a good example
of the aura which has surrounded the text in Shi'ite circles.

One day, lying in bed half asleep, Majlisi saw himself in the courtyard of the 'Atiq mosque in
Isfahan, and before him stood the Mahdi, the Twelfth Imam. Majlisi asked him about a
number of scholarly problems which he had not been able to solve, and the Mahdi explained
their solutions. Then Majlisi asked him for a book which he could put into practice, and the
Mahdi directed him to seek out Mawlana Muhammad al-Taj. In his vision Majlisi found the
book, and it appeared to be a book of supplications. Waking up, he saw that his hand was
empty, and he wept until morning at his loss. At daybreak it occurred to him that perhaps the
Mahdi had meant Shaykh Muhammad Mudarris, calling him by the title "Taj' (the "crown')
because he was so famous among the scholars. Hence he went to see Shaykh Muhammad,
and, entering his circle, saw that he held a copy of the Sahifa in his hand. He went forward
and recounted his vision to Shaykh Muhammad, who interpreted it to mean that he would
reach high levels of gnostic and visionary knowledge. But Majlisi was not satisfied with this
explanation, and he wandered around the bazaar in perplexity and sorrow. Upon reaching the
melon market, he met a pious old man known as Aqa Hasan, whom the people called, Taj a
("Crown'). Majlisi greeted him, and Aqa Hasan called to him and said that he had a number of
books which were consecrated for religious purpose (waqfi) but that he did not trust most of
the students to put them to proper use. "Come', he said, "and take whichever of these books
which you think you can put into practice.'

Entering Aqa Hasan's library, Majlisi immediately saw the book he had seen in his dream, so
he said: "This is enough for me.' It was a copy of the Sahifa. He then went back to Shaykh
Muhammad and began collating his newly acquired copy with that of Shaykh Muhammad;
both of them had been made from the manuscript of al-Shahid al-Awwal. In short, Majlisi
tells us that the authenticity of his copy of the Sahifa was confirmed by the Mahdi himself.

At least forty commentaries and glosses have been written on the Sahifa mostly during the
period extending from the Safavid era (907-1125/1502-1722) to the present. Among famous
Safavid scholars who wrote commentaries are Shaykh-i Baha'i, the philosopher Mir Damad
(d. c. 1040/1630), and the younger Majlisi. The most well-known of the commentaries is
Riyad al-salikin by al-Sayyid 'Alikhan al-Husayn al-Hasan al-Shirazi (d. 1120/1708-9).

PRAYER IN ISLAM

The Sahifa has been called a "prayer manual', but this description may be misleading to

Western readers not familiar with the different varieties of prayer in Islam. The best
introduction to these - as well as to the contents of the Sahifa - is provided by Padwick's
Muslim Devotions which also analyzes the major themes common to all supplications and
explains many of the important Arabic terms employed. Given the existence of Padwick's
study, we can be excused for providing only a few comments to situate supplication in the
larger context of Muslim prayer and to suggest the importance of the Sahifa for gaining an
understanding of Islam as a religion.

Trayer' in Islam can be divided into obligatory and voluntary. The obligatory prayer includes
the daily ritual or canonical prayer (salat) which the Prophet called the "pillar of Islam', and
various occasional prayers such as the Friday congregational prayer (according to most
opinions), which need not concern us here. Nothing is more basic than the daily prayers to
Muslim practice except the testimony of faith or shahada: "There is no god but God and
Muhammad is His Messenger.' Every Muslim must perform the salat five times a day,
exceptions being made only for children and for women during periods when they cannot
fulfill the requirements of ritual purity. Even the bedridden must pray the salat if they are
conscious and coherent, though they are excused from the physical movements which
normally accompany it. Terform the salat!' is one of the most common injunctions in the
Qur'an.

Most of the many forms of recommended prayer can be classified either as salat, dhikr or
du'a'. The recommended salat involves the same movements and recitations that are contained
in the obligatory salat while the Prophet's sunna sets down various times during the day or
occasions when various specific salats may be performed. In addition, the worshiper is free to
perform salat as he desires, and thus it is related that Imam Zayn al-'Abidin used to perform
one thousand supererogatory cycles of salat every night, in imitation of his grandfather 'Ali.

Dhikr - which means literally "remembrance' or "mention' and which is frequently translated
as "invocation' - is the mention of a name or names of God, often in the form of the repetition
of a Qur'anic formula such as There is no god but God, Praise belongs to God, Glory be to
God, or God is great. Most Muslims recite such formulas a set number of times after
completing an obligatory ritual prayer. Fifteen Qur'anic verses command dhikr of Allah or the
"name of Allah', emphasizing the fact that this practice involves a verbal mention of a divine
name. If the Shari'a does not make dhikr an incumbent act, this has to do with the fact that the
Qur'anic command to remember God was not given a single, specific form by the Prophet's
sunna, in contrast to the command to perform the salat. In other words, everyone agrees that it
is important to perform dhikr and that the Prophet practiced it constantly. But the Prophet
never made any specific form of dhikr mandatory for the faithful; on the contrary, he
practiced many different forms and seems to have suggested a great variety of forms to his
Companions in keeping with their needs.

From earliest times the sources confirm the power of dhikr to provide for human
psychological and spiritual needs and to influence activity. It is not difficult to understand that

reciting ya rahman ya rahim ("O All-merciful, O All-compassionate') will have a different
effect upon the believer than reciting, la hawla wa-la quwwata ilia bi-llah al- "ali al-"azim
("There is no power and no strength save in God, the All-high, the All-mighty'). Spiritual
teachers eventually developed a science of different adhkar (plural of dhikr) appropriate for
all the states of the soul.

Du'a' or "supplication' is closely connected to dhikr, such that it is often difficult to make a
distinction between the two. The term means literally "to call upon' and it is commanded by
the Qur'an in several suggestive verses, including the following:

Supplicate your Lord humbly and secretly; He loves not transgressors. (7:55)

Supplicate Allah or supplicate the All-merciful. Whichever you supplicate - to
Him belong the most beautiful names. (17:110)

Supplicate God, making your religion His sincerely, though the unbelievers be
averse. (40:14)

Your Lord has said: "Supplicate Me and I will respond to you. Surely those
who wax too proud to worship Me shall enter Gehenna utterly abject.' (40:60)

And when My servants question thee concerning Me - 1 am near to respond to
the supplication of the supplicator when he supplicates Me. (2:186)

Collections of hadith, both Sunni and Shi'ite, devote chapters to the benefits of supplication;
the following sayings of the Prophet from Sunni sources are typical:

Supplication is the pith of worship. (TIRMIDHI)

When one of you supplicates, he should not say, "O God, forgive me if Thou wilt', but he
should be firm in his asking and make his desire great, for what God gives is nothing great for
him. (MUSLIM)

God will respond to the servant as long as he does not supplicate for anything sinful or for
breaking the ties of the womb, and as long as he does not ask for an immediate response.
(MUSLIM)

Each of you should ask your Lord for all your needs; he should even ask Him for the thong of
his sandal when it breaks. (TIRMIDHI)

Shi'ite sources provide some of the same sayings while adding many more. For example:

The Prophet related that God says: "O My servants, all of you are misguided except him
whom I guide, so ask Me for guidance, and I will guide you. All of you are poor except him
whom I enrich, so ask Me for riches, and I will provide for you. All of you are sinners except
him whom I release, so ask Me to forgive you, and I will forgive you.'

The Prophet said: "Supplication is the weapon of the man of faith, the centrepole of religion,
and the light of the heavens and the earth.'

" Ali was asked: "Which speech is best in God's eyes?' He replied: "A great amount of dhikr,
pleading (tadarru'), and supplication.'

" Ali said: "Four things work to a man's benefit and not against him: faith and thanksgiving,
for God says: What would God do with chastising you, if you are thankful and have faith?
(4:147); asking forgiveness, for He says: God would never chastise them with thee among
them; God would never chastise them while they prayed forgiveness (8:33); and supplication,
for He says: My Lord esteems you not at all were it not for your supplication (25:77).

Husayn said: "The Prophet used to raise his hands when he implored and supplicated, like a
man in misery begging for food.'

Imam Muhammad al-Baqir said: "God loves nothing better than that His servants ask from
Him.'

In short, supplicating or calling upon God is to address Him with one's praise, thanksgiving,
hopes, and needs. It is "prayer' in the personal sense commonly understood from the term by
contemporary Christians. It forms a basic part of the religious life, but like dhikr, though
commanded by the Qur'an in general terms, it does not take a specific form in the injunctions
of the Shari'a because of its personal and inward nature. Everyone must remember God and
supplicate Him, but this can hardly be legislated, since it pertains to the secret relationship
between a human being and his or her Lord. The salat, however, is the absolute minimum
which God will accept from the faithful as the mark of their faith and their membership in the
community. Its public side is emphasized by the physical movements which accompany it and
the fact that its form and contents are basically the same for all worshipers, even if its private
side is shown by the fact that it can be performed wherever a person happens to find himself.
In contrast dhikr and supplication are totally personal.

But the private devotional lives of the great exemplars of religion often become public, since
they act as models for other human beings. The "sunna' of the Prophet is precisely the
practices of the highest exemplification of human goodness made into an ideal which
everyone should emulate, and the supplications which the Prophet used to make are part of
his sunna. When he recited them aloud, his Companions would remember and memorize
them. They also used to come to him and ask him for supplications which they could recite on

various occasions and for different purposes.

To the Prophet's supplications, the Shi'ites add the supplications of the Imams, beginning with
"Ali. Nowadays the most widely employed of the comprehensive prayer manuals, which
contain a wide variety of supplications from all the Imams and for every occasion, is probably
Mafatih al-jinan (^Keys to the Gardens of Paradise') by ^ Abbas Qumi (d. 1359/1940).

THEKpLE OF Sm^PUCAT

Though many of the supplications which have been handed down from the Prophet and the
Imams were certainly spontaneous utterances of the heart, others must have been composed
with the express purpose of reciting them on specific occasions or passing them on to the
pious. Most of the prophetic supplications are short and could easily have been recited on the
spur of the moment, but some of the prayers of the Imams - such as Zayn al-'Abidin's
supplication for the Day of 'Arafa (no. 47) - are long and elaborate compositions. Even if they
began as spontaneous prayers, the very fact that they have been designated as prayers for
special occasions suggests that they were noted down and then repeated by the Imam or his
followers when the same occasion came around again.

Naturally it is not possible to know the circumstances in which supplications were composed,
but we do know a good deal about early Islam's general environment which can help suggest
the role that supplication played in the community. Many Muslims, no doubt much more so
than today, devoted a great deal of their waking lives to recitation of the Qur'an, remembrance
of God, and prayer. Even those who left Mecca and Medina to take part in the campaigns
through which Islam was spread or participate in the governing of the new empire did not
necessarily neglect spiritual practices. And for those who devoted themselves to worship,
supplication was the flesh and blood of the imagination. It provided a means whereby people
could think about God and keep the thought of Him present throughout their daily activities.
It was an intimate expression of tawhid or the "profession of God's Unity' which shaped their
sensibilities, emotions, thoughts, and concepts.

In the Islamic context, supplication appears as one of the primary frameworks within which
the soul can be moulded in accordance with the Divine Will and through which all thoughts
and concepts centered upon the ego can be discarded. The overwhelming emphasis in the
Sahifa upon doing the will of God - "Thy will be done', as Christians pray - illustrates clearly
a God-centeredness which negates all personal ambitions and individual desires opposed in
any way to the divine Will, a Will which is given concrete form by the Shari'a and the sunna.
For Muslims then as today, obeying God depended upon imitating those who had already
been shaped by God's mercy and guidance, beginning with the Prophet, and followed by the
great Companions. For the Shi'ites, the words and acts of the Imams play such a basic role in
this respect that they sometimes seem - at least to non-Shi'ites - to push the sunna of the
Prophet into the background.

The companions of the Imams constantly referred to them for guidance, while the Imams
themselves followed the Prophet's practice of spending long hours of the day and night in
salat, dhikr, and supplication. Though much of this devotional life was inward and personal,
the Imams had the duty of guiding the community and enriching their religious life. As Imam
Zayn al-'Abidin emphasizes in the "Treatise on Rights', translated in the appendix, it is the
duty of every possessor of knowledge to pass it on to others, and the Imams were
acknowledged as great authorities of Islam by their contemporaries, Sunni and Shi'ite alike.
Hence it was only natural that they would compose prayers in which their knowledge of
man's relationship with God was expressed in the most personal terms and which could be
passed around and become communal property. Many if not most of the supplications
recorded in the Sahifa seem to be of this sort. A few of them, such as "His supplication for the
Day of Fast-Breaking' (46) or "for the Day of Sacrifice' (48) seem to have been composed for
public occasions. One of them provides internal evidence to suggest that the Imam had in
mind his followers rather than himself: in the supplication for parents (24), he speaks as if his
parents were still alive, whereas this could hardly have been the case, unless we suppose that
he composed it in his youth before the events at Karbala'.

TAWHID IN DEVOTIONAL MODE

No one with any sensitivity toward human weakness and God's love can fail to be moved at
least by some of the supplications contained in the Sahifa. Here we have one of the greatest
spiritual luminaries of Islam so overawed by the sense of God's goodness, mercy, and majesty
as to express his utter nothingness before the Creator in terms that may seen surprisingly
explicit for one deemed by his followers to be the possessor of such holiness. In the Sahifa we
see Islamic spirituality - or that dimension of the religion of Islam which deals with the
practical and lived reality of the personal relationship between man and God - expressed in
the most universal of languages, that of the concrete and intimate yearning of the soul for
completion and perfection.

Muslim ideas and attitudes go back to tawhid or the "profession of God's Unity' as expressed
in the first half of the shahada: "There is no god but God.' This is the essence of the Qur'anic
message, as Muslim authorities have affirmed and reaffirmed throughout Islamic history. The
Sahifa provides a particularly striking example of what this means in personal, practical
terms, not in the abstract language of theology or metaphysics. The basic theme of the Sahifa
can be put into a series of formulas simply by taking every positive human attribute and
placing it within the context of the shahada: "There is no goodness but in God', "There is no
repentance but by God's grace', "There is no gratitude but through God', "There is no patience
without God's help', "There is no knowledge but in God', "There is no love except through
God's initiative'. The complement of this perspective is that every negative attribute belongs
to the human self: "There is no evil but in me', "There is no pride but in myself, "There is no
impatience but in my own ego', "There is none ignorant but me', "There is no hate but in
myself.'

Later authorities frequently cite the first prophet and his wife, Adam and Eve, as Qur'anic
examples of this attitude of self-deprecation demanded by the shahada. When Adam and Eve
had disobeyed their Lord's commandment, they said: "Our Lord, we have wronged
ourselves' (7:23). In contrast, Iblis - who personifies the tendency in the human soul to pride,
self-centredness, and heedlessness said to God: "Now, because Thou hast led me
astray...' (7:16). The prophetic attitude is to ascribe any evil, sin, error, stumble, slip, fall,
inadvertence, negligence, and so on to oneself, while the satanic attitude is to ascribe these to
God or to others. To suggest that God is responsible - certainly a temptation in the Islamic
context where the stress on the Divine Unity tends to negate secondary forces - is the epitome
of discourtesy and ignorance, since it is to deny one's own self precisely where it has a real
affect upon the nature of things: where evil enters into the cosmos.

In short, the shahada means in practice that the worshiper is nothing and God is all.
Everything positive that the servant possesses has been given to him by God, while every
fault and imperfection goes back to the servant's own specific attributes. If he has patience in
adversity, this was given by God, but if he lacks it, this is his own shortcoming. If he knows
anything at all, the knowledge was bestowed by God's guidance and mercy, but if he is
ignorant, that is his own limitation. If he possesses a spark of love in his heart, God has
granted it, but every coldness and hardness belongs to himself. Every good and praiseworthy
quality - life, knowledge, will, power, hearing, sight, speech, generosity, justice, and so on - is
God-given. Only when this fact shapes a person's imagination and awareness can he begin to
see things in their right proportions and be delivered from his own self-deceptions.

From the beginning of Islam, supplication has been one of the fundamental modes through
which Muslims actualized the awareness of correct proportions and trained themselves to see
God as the source of all good. In its great examples, as typified by the Sahifa, supplication is
the constant exercise of discernment by attributing what belongs to God to God and what
belongs to man to man. Once this discernment is made, man is left with his own sinfulness
and inadequacy, so he can only abase himself before his Lord, asking for His generosity and
forgiveness.

Those familiar with the writings of the later spiritual authorities may object that the
perspective of supplication as just described deals with only one-half of Islamic spirituality,
leaving out the theomorphic perfections which the friends of God (awliya') actualize by
following the spiritual path. Granted, on the one hand man is the humble and poor slave of
God, possessing nothing of his own. But is he not - at least in the persons of the prophets and
friends - God's vicegerent (khalifa) and image (sura)? In fact, this second perspective is
implicit in the first, since the more one negates positive attributes from the servant, the more
one affirms that they belong to the Lord. By denying that the creature possesses any good of
his own, we affirm that everything positive which appears within him belongs only to God.
To the extent that the servant dwells in his own nothingness, he manifests God's perfections.
This point of view is made rather explicit in the famous hadith qudsi in which God says: "My

servant continues drawing near to Me through supererogatory works [such as supplication],
until I love him, and when I love him, I am the hearing through which he hears, the sight
through which he sees, the hand through which he grasps, and the foot through which he
walks.' But the early Islamic texts leave the mystery of "union with God' or "supreme identity'
largely unvoiced, since it is far too subtle to be expressed in the relatively straightforward
terms which characterize these texts. In any case, identity is alien to the perspective of
supplication, which keeps in view the dichotomy between Lord and servant, a dichotomy
which remains valid on one level at least in all circumstances and for all human beings, even
in the next world.

ASKING FORGIVENESS

As is well known, the Shi'ites hold that the Imams are "inerrant' or "sinless' (ma' sum, from the
verb "isma, which means to be preserved by God from sins). The reader of the Sahifa will be
struck by how often Zayn al-'Abidin asks God to forgive his sins, employing all the standard
terms (ithm, dhanb, ma'siya, etc.). To be surprised at this or to suggest that therefore the
Shi'ites are wrong to call the Imams sinless is to miss the points which have just been made
about the shahada as the root of Islamic spirituality. It is not my concern to defend the dogma
of "isma, but I should at least point out that one cannot object to it on this level.

According to various hadiths, the Prophet used to pray for forgiveness seventy or one hundred
times a day by repeating the formula "I pray forgiveness from God' (astaghfiru Hah), a
formula which is pronounced universally by practicing Muslims. Muslims hold that all
prophets are sinless, and the Prophet Muhammad is the greatest of the prophets, yet no one
has ever seen any contradiction between his asking forgiveness and his lack of sins. One easy
but shallow way of explaining this is to say that the Prophet was the model for the whole
community, so he had to pray as if he were a sinner, since all those who followed his sunna
and recited the prayers which he taught would be sinners. But to say this is to suggest that he
was a hypocrite of sorts and to lose sight of the meaning of the shahada.

Christians have never doubted Christ's divinity because he said: "Why do you call me good?
No one is good but God alone' (Mark 10:18). Here, in Christian terms, is a concise statement
of the shahada as applied to the lives of God's creatures. In as much as anything can be called
created, it is "other than God' and less than absolutely good. God is possessor of mercy,
knowledge, love, life, power, will, patience, and so on - the "ninety-nine names of God'
provide a basic list of the divine attributes. If something "other than God' possesses any of
these attributes, it clearly does not possess them in the same way that God possesses them.
They belong to God by the fact that He is God, but if they belong to the creatures in any
sense, it is by His bestowal, just as the creatures have received their existence through His
creation.

This basic teaching of the shahada means that nothing and no one - not even the greatest of

the prophets - stand on a par with God. Since goodness is a divine attribute, "None is good but
God alone', and everything other than God is evil at least in respect of being "other'. "Evil'
here may be another name for "lesser good', and no one in the Islamic context would dream of
attributing evil to the prophets. Nevertheless, the prophets in as much as they are human
beings cannot be placed on the same level as God. The respect in which human beings differ
from God is all important for the spiritual life. It is man's clinging to the difference his own
servanthood, his own createdness, his own inadequacy, his own sinfulness - which allows him
to fulfill what is required of him as the creature of his Lord. Just as the Prophet is first
"abduhu, "His servant', and only then rasuluhu, "His messenger', so also every human being
must first actualize the fullness of his own servanthood before he can hope to manifest
anything on behalf of his Lord.

The greater a person's awareness and knowledge of God, the greater his awareness of the gulf
between the "I' and the Divine Reality. As the Qur'an says: Only those of His servants fear
God who have knowledge (35:28). The greater the knowledge of God and self, the greater the
understanding of the claims of independence and pride that are involved with saying "I', and
so also the greater the fear of the consequences. Those nearest to God fear Him more than
others because they have grasped the infinite distance that separates their created nature from
their Creator; hence also they are the most intense in devotion to Him, since they see that only
through devotion and worship can they fulfill His claims upon them. No Muslim can think
that he has reached a point where he no longer has need for God's forgiveness, so no Muslim
can stop praying for it. Moreover, the overriding goodness of God and the nothingness of the
creatures demands that a pious act can never belong to the servant. To the extent that a human
being is able to do what God wants from him, this is because God has granted him the power
to do so. The well-known formula wa ma tawfiqi ilia bi-Uah, "I have no success except
through God', is of universal application. In the last analysis, no good act can be attributed to
the servant - the merit is always God's (for example. Supplication 74.2). It is here that the
mystery of God's ever-present and immanent reality manifests itself, such that there is nothing
left of the creature but a face of God turned toward creation.

If the Prophet and the Imams constantly prayed for forgiveness with the utmost sincerity, this
does not contradict the idea that they were "sinless', since the sins envisaged here entail a
willful disobedience to the divine command, not the "creaturely sin' of being other than God.
Later authorities invariably distinguish among levels of sinfulness as also among levels of
virtue, a doctrine epitomized in the oft-quoted saying, "The good qualities of the pious are the
bad qualities of those brought near to God' (hasanat al-abrar sayiyyat al-muqarrabin). At least
three basic levels are distinguished for every positive human quality, though these levels are
not exclusive and may coexist in various degrees within a single person depending upon his
spiritual maturity. The examples of "repentance' (tawba) and "asking forgiveness' (istighfar)
can illustrate these points.

In the Sahifa the Imam often asks God for success in repentance, which may be defined as
turning toward God through acts of obedience and avoiding disobedience. The later

authorities speak of a first level of repentance belonging to the faithful in general, who sin by
breaking the commands of the Shari'a and who repent by asking God to forgive their sins and
trying their best not to repeat the sin. In other words, their repentance pertains basically to the
level of the activities governed by the Shari'a while the forgiveness they seek means that they
ask God to pardon any act of commission or omission which is contrary to the Shari'a.

On the second level of repentance there are those who have dedicated their lives to God and
spend their waking moments in careful observance of the details of the Shari'a and following
the recommended acts of the sunna. Such people, who might be called the "pious' in keeping
with the above saying, have no difficulty following the practical commands and prohibitions
of the Shari'a, so they turn their attention toward the inward attitudes which should
accompany the outward activities. They repent of the heedlessness (ghafla) of their own souls,
which are unable to remember God with perfect presence. They see their acts of obedience as
falling short of the ideal because of their inward weaknesses and the various forms of
blindness and hypocrisy which Satan is able to instill into their hearts, such as the temptation
to ascribe their piety and diligence in observing the Shari'a to themselves. They repent not of
sinful acts, since they observe the Shari'a with exactitude and do not "sin' according to the
Shari'ite definitions. Rather, they repent of inappropriate thoughts and intentions and ask God
to forgive these whenever they occur.

The third level is that of "those brought near to God'. They have passed beyond outward and
inward sins, since they see nothing but God's will, guidance, and mercy in every act and every
thought, but they are still faced with the greatest of all barriers, that of their own self, the
"supreme veil' between man and God. God has given them knowledge of Himself and of
themselves, so they have come to understand that the "!' can never be totally innocent or
sinless. They repent of their own inadequacies as creatures and ask forgiveness for their own
existence as separate beings.

Western readers may object that there is something artificial about this division of
"repentance' into levels. How can one "repent' of one's own existence? How can one ask
forgiveness for something which is not one's own fault? These objections might be valid if the
texts had originally been written in English, but in fact the objection arises because of the
difficulty of translating the concepts of one religious universe into another. The original
Arabic words translated as "repentance' and "forgiveness' convey meanings far broader than
the English terms, both of which are connected with a sentimental and moralistic sense of
guilt. (Similar problems, it should be remarked, exist with much of the terminology which is
normally used to translate Islamic texts and which has also been employed - because there is
no other real choice - in the present translation of the Sahifa.)

The word tawba or "repentance' means literally to "turn' or "return' from one thing to another.
One of God's Qur'anic names is al-tawwab, "He who turns', and the verb from this root is used
both for God's turning toward man and man's turning toward God. Man's "repentance' refers
to every level of turning away from self and towards God; it makes no difference whether the

self is conceived of as a tissue woven of sins or as the veil of ignorance and heedlessness that
pertains to one's creaturely situation. There may be a moralistic sense attached to the word in
a particular context, and there may not.

In a similar way, maghfira in Arabic is far richer than the term "forgiveness' in English. To
begin with, the Qur'an attributes three different divine names to God from this root, al-ghafur,
al-ghaafir, and al-ghaffar, and subtle distinctions are often drawn to differentiate the different
modes of "forgiveness' which they imply. More importantly the root meaning of maghfira is
"to cover over', "to veil', "to conceal'. Hence the "Forgiver' is He who veils human sins and
inadequacies. In Arabic the literal sense of saying "I pray forgiveness from God' is "I ask God
for concealment.' Most people may understand that they are asking God to conceal their "sins',
but "those brought near to God' will see that they have need for the concealment of something
much deeper and more radical since it is inherent to every created thing.

When the Prophet or Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ask God to "forgive their sins, they are perfectly
sincere in this request, but this does not necessarily imply that their sins lie at the same level
as our own. As Islamic texts frequently remind us, qiyas bi 1-nafs, "judging others by one's
own self, is always misleading, especially if the others happen to have been the recipients of
God's special favours.

SPIRITUAL ATTITUDES AND NAMES OF GOD

Muslim thinkers have often divided the names of God into two broad categories by
contrasting attributes such as wrath (ghadab) and mercy (rahma), justice ("adl) and bounty
(fadl), severity (qahr) and gentleness (lutf), majesty (jalal) and beauty (jamaal), or majesty
and munificence (ikram). The "names of wrath' are connected to God's distance and
transcendence, while the "names of mercy' are connected to His nearness and immanence.
The Shari'a and kalam (dogmatic theology) tend to emphasize God's severity and
incomparability (tanzih), while Islamic spirituality and the devotional literature put more
stress on His gentleness and similarity (tashbih).

The Shari'a is not particularly concerned with speaking about God, since its function is to set
down guidelines for the domain of activity. To the extent that God is taken into account. He is
conceived of primarily as the Commander and the Lawgiver. In respect of laying down the
Law, He is a monarch who must be obeyed. A monarch - and especially the Eternal King -
stands far above his subjects, who are in fact his slaves, and he enforces his edicts by means
of scourges, dungeons, and executions. Hence the Shari'a naturally calls to mind the God of
transcendence and justice, and the "jurists' (fuqaha'), generally speaking, present Islam with a
stern and severe countenance.

The God of the jurists shares many of the attributes of the God described by the proponents of
kalam, who concerned themselves mainly with bolstering the authority of the Shari'a while

employing the tools of rational thought. Moreover, kalam has never played the same
important role in Islam that theology plays in Christianity, since its concerns are far
overshadowed by the dedication of all Muslims to the Shari'a. Kalam sets out to defend the
Shari'a and the tenets of the faith against rational criticisms, so the theologians have
approached their subject by employing reason ("aql or al-nazar al-'aqli). As a result, they
singled out for their consideration certain subjects which were of no interest to the community
at large. For most people, it makes no difference if the Qur'an is eternal or created, so long as
God speaks to them through it. Though kalam performs a necessary function in the Islamic
universe, the vast majority of the faithful had no knowledge of the rational criticisms against
which kalam was defending them, so they had no use for kalam. It was simply irrelevant to
the religious life of most people.

Since the theologians called upon reason to bear witness to their endeavors, they affirmed
God's transcendence with great fervour. Reason cannot accept the literal sense of many details
of the Qur'an and the hadith, such as God's face, eyes, hand, feet, sitting, laughter, smiling,
wavering, yearning, joy at man's repentance, surprise at the lack of sensual desire in a young
man of piety, and so on. Hence the theologians felt compelled to explain such descriptions in
terms of abstract qualities. Thus, for example, God's "hand' is interpreted as a reference to an
impersonal quality such as power. This is not to question the validity of these interpretations,
only to point out that the relatively concrete words and images found in the Qur'an and the
hadith provide food for the imagination; through them human beings gain the ability to think
about God in personal terms and establish an intimate, inward relationship with their Lord.
An inconceivable God - or a God who can only be known through abstract creedal statements
- is of no use to the vast majority of people.

Imagination feeds upon the concrete, not the abstract. When God speaks in a language that
appeals to the imagination. He thereby addresses all the faithful, bypassing reason and
appealing to something far more universal in human hearts. But when the theologians employ
a disciplined rational methodology, they are addressing intellectuals like themselves. As a
result, the faithful found spiritual nourishment not in the dry and abstract depictions of a far-
away God provided by kalam but in the warm and concrete imagery of the Qur'an, the hadith,
and the spiritual authorities. No one could love the God of the theologians.

In short, by the nature of their disciplines, the jurists and the theologians lay stress on the God
of remoteness and transcendence. In contrast, the spiritual authorities speak of the God
described in the Qur'an and the hadith as He describes Himself, not neglecting His nearness to
all creatures. Since the God of the Qur'an is pre-dominantly a God of mercy and tenderness, a
God of intimacy and concern, the spiritual authorities emphasize the personal dimension of
the human/divine relationship. They stress God's nearness and immanence, and they often
remind us of Qur'anic verses such as. Whithersoever you turn - there is the face of God
(2:1 15); He is with you wherever you are (57:3); We indeed created man; We know what his
soul whispers within him; and We are nearer to him than the jugular vein (50:16).

Since the Shari'a concerns itself basically with activity, it is directed toward the outward
affairs which are governed by the laws of the remote King. Kalam is polemical and rational,
concerning itself mainly with the divine attributes of the transcendent God, not with the
human dimensions of the relationship with a God who is also immanent. The Qur'an and the
hadith provide the seeds from which the Shari'a and kalam grew up, but they also provide the
seeds for the subsequent attention that was paid by the spiritual authorities to all the
dimensions of the soul. Devotional literature addresses this inward domain in an eminently
practical way, attempting to shape the soul according to the revealed models.

There is, of course, no contradiction between thinking of God as transcendent and perceiving
Him as immanent, any more than there is a contradiction between perceiving Him as Merciful
and as Wrathful. God reveals Himself under a variety of guises, and these in turn demand
different rational perceptions and psychological responses. One cannot think in exactly the
same terms about the Glorified (al-subbuh), who transcends everything that man can
conceive, and the Near (al-qarib), who is closer than the jugular vein; nor can one feel the
same toward the Gentle, the Kind, and the Compassionate as one feels toward the Vengeful
and the Severe in Punishment. Once codified and institutionalized, the human responses to
God's self-revelations in the Qur'an came to emphasize certain divine attributes rather than
others. One response was called "jurisprudence', another "kalam', another "Sufism', and so on.
All of these points of view coexist in the great representatives of Islam, just as they coexist in
the Qur'an and in the soul of the Prophet. But in the early period, it is difficult to disentangle
the different strands, since the institutional forms which highlight them have not yet come
into existence. However, it is easy to see that certain manifestations of early Islam tend in one
direction or another. The particular characteristic of the devotional literature such as the
Sahifa is to emphasize the personal quality of God's relationship with His servants and His all-
pervading love.

THE PREDOMINANCE OF MERCY

Some modern day Muslims and many Western scholars have looked at the Qur'an wearing the
eyeglasses of the jurists and theologians. As a result, they see a God who is a just and stern
Commander, concerned only with beating His servants into shape so that they will follow His
Law. They tend to ignore the fact that practically every chapter of the Qur'an begins with the
words. In the name of God, the All-merciful, the All-compassionate, and that the Qur'an
mentions God's names of mercy, compassion, kindness, generosity, forgiveness, and love
about ten times as often as it mentions His names of wrath and severity. The overwhelming
Qur'anic picture is that of a God deeply concerned with the well-being of His creatures and
ready to forgive almost anything, if only they will repent and acknowledge His sovereignty.

Faced with the reality of both mercy and wrath, the worshiper seeks out the one and does
everything he can to avoid the other. This is a constant theme in the devotional literature in
general and the Sahifa in particular. The Prophet set the pattern in his well-known

supplication: "I seek refuge in Thy good pleasure from Thy displeasure and in Thy pardon
from Thy punishment. I seek refuge in Thee from Thee.' God is both He who becomes
pleased and He who becomes displeased, He who pardons and He who punishes. Hence the
worshiper prays to God for protection against God Himself, since there is no other significant
threat. Moreover, the servant can be confident that God's mercy will in fact overcome His
wrath, since God is essentially merciful and only accidentally wrathful. The Qur'an tells us in
two verses that God's mercy embraces all things (7:156, 40:7), but it never suggests that His
wrath is so universal. According to a famous hadith qudsi, God says: "My mercy precedes My
wrath', or "has precedence over My wrath', or "predominates over My wrath.' God appears to
His creatures as harsh and domineering only in certain circumstances and for specific
purposes - purposes which themselves are defined by mercy. The Prophet expressed this point
with his remark: "Hellfire is a whip with which God drives His servants to Paradise.' God's
mercy is so overwhelmingly real that He will certainly overlook the sins of those who open
themselves up to it.

Padwick refers to the "mosaic' quality of Muslim supplications. She writes: "While the prayers
of some of the great saints show a spiritual individuality, the great mass of these devotions is
built up of well-tried small items arranged in ever new patterns - traditional prayers of the
Prophet, Qur'an verses, blessings of the Prophet, forgiveness-seekings, cries of praise, all on
known and authorized forms.' The Sahifa is strongly marked by the individuality of the Imam,
while also displaying this mosaic quality. But this quality itself reflects the Qur'an, which is a
mosaic of God's names and activities, stories of the prophets, legal injunctions, and promises
and warnings about the Last Day.

It was said above that one of the purposes of supplication is to shape the imagination of the
worshiper in accordance with Islamic norms. A well-known hadith tells us that Muslims can
know the "character' (khuluq) of the Prophet through studying the Qur'an. By following the
Prophet's sunna the worshiper absorbs the Qur'an on all levels of his being, and in turn he is
absorbed by the Qur'an, the Divine Word and the divine model of his own soul. If some early
authorities referred to the Sahifa as the "Sister of the Qur'an', part of the reason for this may
lie in the fact that its mosaic quality expresses a variety of spiritual attitudes that reflect
accurately the Qur'anic and prophetic model for human perfection. Every element in the
Sahifa's mosaic corresponds to elements of the Qur'anic text and the Prophet's soul.

The connection between the spiritual attitudes expressed in the Sahifa and the Qur'anic
statements about God and His relationship to His servants can most clearly be perceived in
the Imam's constant recourse to God's names and his always appropriate expression of the
corresponding human attitude. On the one hand the Imam places great emphasis upon his own
inadequacy and sinfulness, acknowledging that he deserves nothing but God's wrath. On the
other, he repeatedly takes refuge in God's mercy and in God's own Qur'anic statements
concerning the primacy of forgiveness, asking God to do with him as is worthy of such a
merciful Being, not as he himself deserves.

Act toward me with the forgiveness and mercy of which Thou art worthy! Act not toward me
with the chastisement and vengeance of which I am worthy! (73.3)

In short, through the mosaic of the supphcation, the worshiper moves from viewpoint to
viewpoint in keeping with the different relationships which exist between himself and God as
described in the Qur'an. Man's point of view changes because each of the divine names points
to a different face of God turned toward him. Yet all are faces of God, and "There is no god
but God', so the apparent multiplicity of names and faces dissolves into the divine Unity.

Human inadequacy and sin are real enough on their own level, and the Sahifa among others
shows a remarkable awareness of the depth of human imperfection. But the great spiritual
authorities of Islam hold that in responding to human weakness, God's overwhelming mercy
takes charge and the divine wrath pales by comparison. The more that human beings admit to
their own inadequacy, the more they call down upon themselves God's pity and
commiseration. Supplication and pleading are the natural human response to the shahada the
fact that man is nothing compared to God, and that God - who is fundamentally mercy - is the
only true reality. Supplication responds to God's command. Despair not of God's mercy!
Surely God forgives all sins (39:53).

A hadith is related concerning Imam Zayn al-'Abidin which is worth recounting because it is
so completely in character with the Sahifa's emphasis upon God's mercy and forgiveness. One
day he was told that Hasan al-Basri (d. 110/728), the famous ascetic, had said: "It is not
strange if a person perishes as he perishes. It is only strange that a person is saved as he is
saved.' The Imam replied, "But I say that it is not strange if a person is saved as he is saved; it
is only strange that a person perishes as he perishes, given the scope of God's mercy.'

The supplicant who responds to the God of the Qur'an never forgets the wrath of God, but he
remains confident that God's essential nature will show itself, in spite of his own weaknesses.
Padwick was so struck with the devaluation of human sins that seems to result from this
attitude that she displays a rare instance of Christian bias, objecting that it "leads to a certain
moral shallowness in some forgiveness-seeking prayers' and is unable "to attribute any moral
cost to God's forgiveness', alluding here and in the rest of the passage to the Christian doctrine
of atonement. Among three examples of "moral shallowness' she cites the following lines
from Imam Zayn al-'Abidin, found in Al-Sahifat al-khamisa:

My God my sins do not harm Thee and Thy pardon does not impoverish Thee. Then forgive
me what does not harm Thee and give me what Thou wilt not miss.

in order to understand the attitude expressed here, one needs to put it into its larger context.
The specific attitude expressed by the Imam corresponds precisely to the reality of God's
infinite mercy and forgiveness as revealed in various Qur'anic verses. Many passages from
the Sahifa present the same point of view. Moreover, when the Imam says: "Thou art the

Generous Lord for whom the forgiveness of great sins is nothing great' (31.10), or Tardoning
great sin is nothing great for Thee, overlooking enormous misdeeds is not difficult for Thee,
putting up with indecent crimes does not trouble Thee' (12.13), he is merely echoing the
command of the Prophet mentioned above: The worshiper "should be firm and make his
desire great, for what God gives is nothing great for Him.'

In any case, the context of these prayers shows that the accompanying moral attitude is hardly
shallow, since it demands "refraining from arrogance, pulling aside from persistence [in sin],
and holding fast to praying forgiveness' (12.13). Moral shallowness could only follow if the
worshiper remembered God's mercy and forgot His wrath, but both are always kept in view.

THE SAHIFA AND ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY

In spite of studies that have rejected the idea, many people in the West still believe that "true
Islam' lies in simplicity, austerity, legalism, formalism, and a God perceived as Just and
Transcendent. Hence those elements of Islamic civilization which demonstrate complexity,
subtlety, warmth, love, inwardness, spirituality, and a God of mercy, compassion, and
immanence are seen as largely extraneous to or reactions against Qur'anic Islam. Scholars
such as Massignon have pointed out that a person of spiritual sensitivity only needs to read
the Qur'an for such ideas to be dissolved. But few people who have adopted the old
stereotypes possess this sort of sensitivity or would be interested in changing their
preconceived ideas, lest sympathy be stirred up in their hearts. It is not my aim here to reject,
as so many have done before me, these common biases concerning the nature of "true Islam',
but I would like to point out that a work like the Sahifa brings out an inward dimension of
Islam which may be much more difficult to perceive in other early texts.

When scholars and other outsiders look at Islam, they naturally perceive what can be seen at
first glance, that is, events, written reports and records, social relationships, and so on. It is
not easy to look into people's hearts or to investigate their personal relationship with God, nor
are most people interested in doing so. If there is a way into hearts, it must come by studying
the most inward concerns of individuals as reflected in their outward activities and writings.
But those dimensions of Islam which have caught the most attention of outside observers are
external and obvious, and they also happen to be relatively devoid of the love and warmth
normally associated in the West with spirituality.

Islamic civilization as a whole is much like a traditional Muslim city: The outer walls make it
appear dull and sombre, and it is not easy to gain access to the world behind the walls. But if
one becomes an intimate with the city's inhabitants, one is shown into delightful courtyards
and gardens, full of fragrant flowers, fruit trees, and sparkling fountains. Those who write
about Islamic history, political events, and institutions deal with the walls, since they have no
way into the gardens. Some of the gardens are opened up through the study of Sufism, art and
architecture, poetry, and music, but since all of these have appeared in specific historical

forms influenced by the surrounding environment, their deep Islamic roots can easily be lost
to sight. The most traditional and authentic gardens of the city, and the most difficult of
access, are the hearts of the greatest representatives of the civilization. It is here that the
supplications handed down from the pillars of early Islam can open up a whole new vision of
Islam's animating spirit, since they provide direct access to the types of human attitudes that
are the prerequisite for a full flowering of the Islamic ideal.

OTHER DIMENSIONS

This introduction may seem to be suggesting that the Sahifa deals exclusively with Islamic
spirituality. But the Sahifa deals with other domains as well. As was pointed out above, the
great representatives of Islam bring together all levels of Islamic teachings, just as these are
brought together by the Qur'an and the hadith. If spirituality has been emphasized in
discussing the Sahifa, this has to do with the fact that the work is a collection of supplications,
and these presuppose certain attitudes toward the Divine Reality which cannot be understood
outside spirituality's context.

But the Sahifa also provides teachings that are applicable on many different levels, from the
theological (in the broadest sense of the term) to the social. A thorough analysis of these
would demand a book far longer than the Sahifa itself. It is hoped that the publication of this
translation will encourage scholars to study the content of the prayers contained in the Sahifa
(as well as the prayers left by other pillars of early Islam, the Shi'ite Imams in particular) to
bring out the whole range of teachings they contain. The most that can be done here is to
allude to some of the other important topics touched upon by the Sahifa and mention a few of
the significant questions which these bring up.

Islam is an organic reality possessing three basic dimensions: practice or the Shari'a (al-islam)
faith (al-iman which includes doctrine and intellectual teachings), and spirituality (al-ihsan).
In the lived experience of the community, these dimensions are intimately interrelated, even if
various institutional forms tend to deal with them separately. The earliest sources, such as the
prophetic hadith or "All's Nahj al-balagha deal with all three of these dimensions, though
different passages can be isolated which stress one specific epic rather than another. But a
work like the Nahj al-balagha converges profoundly from the Sahifa in that it brings together
sayings on all sorts of matters, from metaphysics, to the nature of correct government, to the
personal flaws of some of "All's contemporaries. There is no stress on spirituality, since this is
clearly one dimension of Islam among others, though a deep spirituality and holiness underly
everything that 'All says.

In contrast, the Sahifa by its supplicatory form and content, stresses the innermost dimension
of Islam. But at the same time, it also touches upon Islam's other dimensions. For example,
the traditional category of "faith' is concerned with God, the angels, the prophets, the
scriptures, the Last Day, and the "measuring' (qadar) of both good and evil. These objects of

faith form the basic subject matter of most of Islamic thought as developed in kalam
philosophy, and theoretical Sufism. Imam Zayn al-'Abidin discusses all of these in the Sahifa
sometimes briefly and sometimes in detail. Thus he often mentions the angels, while his
"Blessing upon the Bearers of the Throne' (3) provides the best available summary of Muslim
beliefs concerning them.

The Imam also refers frequently to the domain of Islamic practices, or the Shari'a in the wide
sense. He emphasizes the absolute necessity of following God's guidelines as set down in the
Qur'an and the hadith in both individual and social life. Hence the Sahifa provides many
specific social teachings as well as general injunctions, such as the necessity of establishing
justice in society. But since the social teachings deal with the domain of practice, the
outermost dimension of Islam, they need to be viewed within the context of the Imam's
doctrinal and spiritual teachings. As he makes eminently clear in his "Treatise on Rights', a
hierarchy of priorities must always be observed: The individual comes before the social, the
spiritual before the practical, and knowledge before action. Each human being has a long
series of social duties, but these depend upon his more essential duties, which are first, faith in
God, and second, placing one's own person into the proper relationship with the Divine
Reality.

THE TRANSLATION

The present translation of the Sahifa follows the Arabic original with as much literal accuracy
as could be contrived while maintaining a readable and understandable English text. I have
kept Arberry's Koran Interpreted in view as the model of how this might be done. I have been
particularly concerned with maintaining consistency in rendering terms and preserving the
concreteness of the original terminology, feeling that the "meaning' of the text cannot be
grasped without due regard for its form. It has already been suggested that one of the virtues
of the early devotional literature is its ability to speak in a relatively concrete, pre-theological
language of great universality. As a result, any move in the direction of rendering concrete
terms abstractly, by paying attention to the rational meaning rather than the images conjured
up by the linguistic form, will take us in the direction of kalam and away from the universe of
the Qur'an, the hadith and the intimacy of the supplications themselves. This explains why I
have usually preferred more literal terms such as "Garden' to relatively abstract terms such as
"Paradise'.

Where difficulties arose in interpreting the meaning of the text, I have followed the
commentary of Sayyid 'Alikhan Shirazi. I have also profited from the excellent Persian
translation and commentary by 'Ali Naqi Fayd al-Islam and the less useful Persian translation
of Mirza Abu 1-Qasim Sha'rani. I have not tried to be exhaustive in the notes, aiming only to
identify proper names, clarify obscurities, and point to a few of the Qur'anic references in
order to suggest how thoroughly the text is grounded in the revealed book. In a few cases I
have mentioned relevant hadith or discussed the different interpretations offered by the

commentators.

The translation of the Sahifa is followed by a translation of Imam Zayn al-Abidin's "Treatise
on Rights', which is the only work attributed to him other than supplications or relatively
short sayings and letters. This treatise is especially important for the manner in which it deals
with many of the same themes as the Sahifa in a different style and language.

The Arabic text printed here was copied from the Sha'rani edition by Tehzib Husayn Naqvi. It
was proof-read by the dedicated and diligent efforts of S. Ata Muhammad Abidi Amrohvi.
Agha Ahsan Abbas is also to be thanked for his efforts in coordinating the production of the
Arabic text.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my dear friend Wing Commander (ret'd) Qasim Husain, the
moving spirit behind the Muhammadi Trust. He caught me in a weak moment and pushed me
into accepting a project which I never would have undertaken otherwise. His gentle but
always firm and forceful pressure has made it possible for me to complete the translation
practically on schedule. Without his intervention I would have been deprived of the
opportunity to gain an intimate acquaintance with one of the deepest veins of Islamic
spirituality. Anyone who comes to appreciate the contents of the Sahifa through the present
work would do well to offer a prayer of thanks for the sake of Commander Husain. I also
thank Sayyid Ali Mohammad Naqavi, who read the translation and offered a number of useful
suggestions for its improvement, and Sayyid Muhammad Husain al-Husaini al-Jalali, who
placed at my disposal a useful bibliography of works concerning the Sahifa.

Foreword by S.H.M. Jafri

:'^ 3^^?^??^ '::^^T^^:'^^i> '^^•^^^S:'^ '^'y^-=r^:^!'i> "^-.^t^s:^ ""y^-rr^S!^ '^^rr^:'^:^ ■"':^^^^?;f^ 3*^^?^

C oncerning the C hain of Authorities of the Sahifa

Al-Sahifa al-Kamilah al-Sajjadiyya
(The Perfect Book of al-Sajjad)

In the Name of God, the All-merciful, the All-compassionate [Preface: Concerning the
Chain of Authorities of the Sahifa]

1-The greatest sayyid, Najm al-Din Baha' al-Sharaf Abu 1-Hasan Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn

lar
2

1
'Ali ibn Muhammad ibn 'Umar ibn Yahya al-'Alawi al-Hasani (God have mercy upon him)

related to us:'

2-He said: The felicitous shaykh, Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Shahriyar , the
treasurer of the treasure-house of our master, the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali ibn Abi
Talib (upon him be peace) told us in the month of Rabi' I in the year 516 [May- June 1 122 CE]
while [the Sahifa] was being read before him and I was listening.

3 -He said: I heard it [being read] before the truthful shaykh Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn

4
Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-'Ukbari the Just (God have mercy upon him) by

Abu 1-Mufaddal Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Muttalib al-Shaybani.

4-He said: Al-Sharif Abu 'Abd Allah Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Ja'far ibn al-Hasan ibn Ja'far

ibn al-Hasan
related to us.

ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Amir al-Mu'minin 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (upon them be peace)

5-He said: 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar ibn Khattab al-Zayyat related to us in the year 265 [878-9].

o

6-He said: My maternal uncle 'Ali ibn al-Nu'man al-A'lam related to me.

7-He said: 'Umayr ibn Mutawakkil al-Thaqafi al-Balkhi related to us from his father

9
Mutawakkil ibn Harun.

8-He said: I met Yahya ibn Zayd ibn 'Ali (upon him be peace) when he was going to

10
Khurasan after his father was slain and I greeted him.

9-He said to me: From whence are you coming? I said: From the hajj.

10-He asked me about his household and the sons of his paternal uncle in Medina and he
pressed me urgently about [Imam] Ja'far ibn Muhammad (upon him be peace), so I gave him
news of him and of them and of their sorrow over his father Zayd ibn 'Ali (upon him be
peace).

11 -He said to me: My paternal uncle [Imam] Muhammad [al-Baqir] ibn 'Ali (upon him be
peace) advised my father not to revolt and he let him know what would be the outcome of his
affair if he revolted and left Medina. Have you met the son of my paternal uncle, Ja'far ibn
Muhammad (upon him be peace)?

I said: Yes.

12-He said: Did you hear him mention anything about my affair?

I said: Yes.

13-He said: What did he say about me? Tell me!

I said: May I be made your sacrifice! I do not want to confront you with what I heard from
him.

14-So he said: Will you frighten me with death? Tell me what you heard!

I said: I heard him saying that you would be slain and crucified as your father was slain and
crucified.

15 -His face changed colour and he said: God erases whatsoever He will, and He establishes,

11
and with Him is the Mother of the Book! O Mutawakkil! God has supported this affair

through us and appointed for us knowledge and the sword. These two are combined in us,

while the sons of our paternal uncle have been singled out only for knowledge.

16-1 said: May I be made your sacrifice! Surely I see people inclining more to the son of your
paternal uncle, Ja'far (upon him be peace) than to you and your father.

17-He said: Surely my paternal uncle Muhammad ibn 'Ali and his son Ja'far (upon them both
be peace) summon people to life, but we summon them to death.

18-1 said: O son of the Messenger of God! Have they more knowledge, or have you?

19-He looked toward the ground for a time. Then he Hfted his head and said: All of us have
knowledge, but they know everything we know, and we do not know everything they know.
Then he said to me: Have you written anything from the son of my paternal uncle?

I said: Yes.

20-He said: Show it to me. So I brought out various kinds of knowledge, and I brought out for
him a supplication which had been dictated to me by Abu 'Abd Allah (upon him be peace).
He had related to me that his father, Muhammad ibn 'All (upon them both be peace) had
dictated it to him and had told him that it was one of the supplications of his father, ' Ali ibn al-

12
Husayn (upon them both be peace), from Al-Sahifat al-Kamila.

21-Yahya looked at it until he came to its end. He said to me: Will you permit me to copy it?

I said: O son of the Messenger of God! Do you ask permission for that which belongs to all of
you?

22-He said: Truly I will bring out for you a sahifa with the Perfect Supplications, which my
father had in safekeeping from his father. My father counselled me to safeguard it and to
withhold it from those unworthy of it.

23-'Umayr said: My father [Mutawakkil] said: So I stood up before him, kissed him on the
head, and said to him: By God, O son of the Messenger of God! I profess the religion of God
through love for you and obedience toward you! I hope that He will favour me in my life and
my death with your friendship.

24-So he tossed the page of mine which I had given to him to a servant who was with him and
said: Write this supplication with a beautiful, clear script, and give it to me. Perhaps I will
memorize it, for I had been seeking it from Ja'far (God safeguard him) and he withheld it
from me.

25 -Mutawakkil said: So I regretted what I had done and did not know what I should do. Abu
'Abd Allah had not ordered me not to hand it over to anyone.

13
26-Then he called for a box and brought out from it a sahifa locked and sealed. He looked

at the seal, kissed it, and wept. Then he broke it and undid the lock. He opened the sahifa,

placed it upon his eyes, and passed it across his face.

27-He said: By God, O Mutawakkil, were it not for the words you mentioned from the son of
my paternal uncle - that I will be slain and crucified - 1 would not hand this over to you and
would be niggardly with it.

28-But I know that his word is the truth which he has taken from his fathers and that it will be
verified. So I fear lest knowledge like this fall to the Umayyads and they hide it and store it in
their treasuries for themselves.

29-So take it, guard it for me, and wait with it. Then, when God has accomplished in my
affair and the affair of those people what He will accomplish, it will be a trust from me with

14
you to be taken to the sons of my paternal uncle, Muhammad and Ibrahim, the two sons of

'Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali (upon the [last] two of them be peace). They

will undertake this affair after me.

30-Mutawakkil said: So I took the Sahifa. when Yahya ibn Zayd was slain, I went to Medina
and met [Imam] Abu 'Abd Allah [Ja'far al-Sadiq] (upon him be peace). I related to him the
news of Yahya. He wept and his feeling for him was intense. "? ■ . ^ ' - : "H'^^'-

Sl-He said: God have mercy on the son of my paternal uncle and join him to his fathers and
grandfathers!

32-By God, O Mutawakkil, the only thing that prevented me from handing the supplication
over to him was what he feared for the Sahifa of his father. Where is the Sahifa? I said: Here
it is. He opened it and said:

This, by God, is the handwriting of my paternal uncle Zayd and the supplications of my
grandfather 'Ali ibn al-Husayn (upon both of them be peace).

15
3 3 -Then he said to his son: Stand up, O Isma'il, and bring out the supplications which I

commanded you to memorize and safeguard!

34-So Isma'il stood up, and he brought out a Sahifa just like the Sahifa which Yahya ibn Zayd
had handed over to me. Abu 'Abd Allah kissed it and placed it upon his eyes. He said: This is
the handwriting of my father and the dictation of my grandfather (upon both of them be
peace), while I was a witness.

35-1 said: O son of the Messenger of God! Would it be proper for
me to compare it to the Sahifa of Zayd and Yahya?

He gave me permission to do that and said: I consider you worthy of that.

36-1 looked, and I found the two to be a single thing. I did not find a single letter to differ
from what was in the other Sahifa.

3 7 -Then I asked permission from Abu 'Abd Allah to hand over the Sahifa to the two sons of
Abd Allah ibn al-Hasan.

1 fi

He said: God commands you to deliver trusts back to their owners. Yes, hand it over to
them.

38-When I rose to go and meet them, he said to me: Stay in your place.

39-Then he sent for Muhammad and Ibrahim, and they came. He said: This is the inheritance
of the son of your paternal uncle, Yahya, from his father. He has singled you out for it instead
of his own brothers. But we place upon you a condition concerning it.

40-They said: God have mercy upon you! Tell us, for your word is accepted.

41 -He said: Leave not Medina with this Sahifa!

42-They said: And why is that?

43-He said: The son of your paternal uncle feared for it what I fear for you.

44-They said: He only feared for it when he came to know he would be slain.

45- Abu 'Abd Allah (upon him be peace) said: As for you - feel not secure! By God, I know
that you will revolt as he revolted, and you will be slain as he was slain!

46-They arose, while they were saying: There is no force and no strength save in God, the
All-high, the All-mighty !'-^^

47-When they revolted Abu 'Abd Allah (upon him be peace) said to me: O Mutawakkil! What
did Yahya say to you? 'Surely my paternal uncle Muhammad ibn 'Ali and his son Ja'far
summon the people to life, but we summon them to death.'

48-1 said: Yes, God set you right! The son of your paternal uncle Yahya said that to me.

49-He said: God have mercy upon Yahya! My father related from his father from his
grandfather from 'Ali (upon him be peace) that the Messenger of God (God bless him and his
Household) was seized from his senses for an instant while he was on the pulpit.

50-He saw in a vision some men leaping upon his pulpit like monkeys and making the people
retrace their steps.

51 -So the Messenger of God sat down (God bless him and his Household), and sorrow was
apparent on his face.

52-Then Gabriel (upon him be peace) came to him with this verse: And We made the vision
that We showed thee and the tree cursed in the Qur'an, that is, the Umayyads, to be only a

18
trial for men; and We frighten them, but it only increases them in great insolence.

■ y fcr:
53-He said: O Gabriel! Will they be in my period and my time?

54-He said: No, but the mill of Islam will turn from your migration, and it will come to a halt
ten [years] after that. Then it will begin turning exactly thirty-five years after your migration,
and come to a halt five [years] after that. Then there is no avoiding a mill at whose axis stands
error. Then there will be the kingdom of the pharoahs.

55-He said: God sent down concerning that: Surely We sent it down on the Night of Decree.
And what will teach thee what is the Night of Decree? The Night of Decree is better than a

19
thousand months in which the Umayyads rule, during which time there will be no Night of

Decree.

56-He said: So God gave news to His Prophet (upon him be peace) that the Umayyads would
own sovereignty over this community and that their kingdom would last this period of time.

57-Were the mountains to vie with them, they would tower over the mountains until God
(exalted is He) gave permission for the disappearance of their kingdom; and during this time
they have made their banner enmity and hatred for us, the Folk of the House.

58-God gave news to His Prophet concerning what the Folk of the House of Muhammad, the
people of love for them, and their partisans would meet from the Umayyads during their days
and their kingdom.

59-He said: God sent down concerning them: Hast thou not seen those who exchanged the
favour of God for unbelief, and caused the people to dwell in the abode of ruin? Gehenna,

20
wherein they are roasted; an evil resting place!

60-The 'favour of God' is Muhammad and the People of his House. Love for them is a faith
that takes into the Garden, and hate for them is an unbelief and a hypocrisy that takes into the
Fire.

61 -So the Messenger of God (God bless him and his Household) confided that to 'Ali and the
Folk of his House. ■■■^:-''" . ■^

21
62-He said: Then Abu 'Abd Allah said (upon him be peace): Before the rise of our Qa'im

not one of us Folk of the House has revolted or will revolt to repel an injustice or to raise up a

right, without affliction uprooting him and without his uprising increasing the adversity of us

and our partisans.

63-Al-Mutawakkil ibn Harun said: Then Abu 'Abd Allah dictated to me the supplications,
which are seventy-five chapters. Of them eleven chapters have escaped me, while I have
safeguarded sixty- some.

22
64- Abu 1-Mufaddal related to us. He said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ruzbih Abu Bakr

23
al-Mada'ini the scribe, who lived in Rahba, related to us in his house.

24
65-He said: Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muslim al-Mutahhari related to me.

66-He said: My father related to me from 'Umayr ibn Mutawakkil al-Balkhi from his father al-
Mutawakkil ibn Harun.

67-He said: I met Yahya ibn Zayd ibn 'Ali (upon them both be peace). Then he mentioned the
whole hadith including the vision of the Prophet (God bless him and his Household) which
was mentioned by Ja'far ibn Muhammad from his fathers (God's blessings be upon them).

68-In al-Mutahhari' s version, the chapter headings are mentioned. They are:

1. In Praise of God

2. Blessing upon Muhammad and his Household

3. Blessing upon the Bearers of the Throne

4. Blessing upon the Attesters of the Throne

5. His Supplication for himself and his Special Friends

6. His Supplication in the Morning and Evening

7. His Supplication in Worrisome Tasks

8. His Supplication in Seeking Refuge

9. His Supplication in Yearning

10. His Supp

11. His Supp

12. His Supp

13. His Supp

14. His Supp

15. His Supp

16. His Supp

17. His Supp

18. His Supp

cation in Seeking Asylum with God

cation for Good Outcomes

cation in Confession

cation in Seeking Needs

cation in Acts of Wrongdoing

cation When Sick

cation in Asking for Release from Sins

cation Against Satan

cation in Perils

19.

His Suppli

20.

His Suppli

21.

His Suppli

22.

His Suppli

24.

His Suppli

25.

His Suppli

26.

His Suppli

27.

His Suppli

28.

His Suppli

29.

His Suppli

30.

His Suppli

31.

His Suppli

32.

His Suppli

33.

His Suppli

34.

His Suppli

35.

His Suppli

36.

His Suppli

37.

His Suppli

38.

His Suppli

39.

His Suppli

40.

His Suppli

41.

His Suppli

42.

His Suppli

43.

His Suppli

44.

His Suppli

45.

His Suppli

46.

His Suppli

47.

His Suppli

48.

His Suppli

49.

His Suppli

50.

His Suppli

51.

His Suppli

52.

His Suppli

53.

His Suppli

54.

His Suppli

cation in Asl<ing for Rain during a Drought

cation on Noble Moral Traits

cation when Something made him Sorrowful

cation in Hardship 23. His Supplication for Weil-Being

cation for his Parents

cation for his Children

cation for his Neighbours and Friends

cation for the People of the Frontiers

cation in Fleeing

cation when his Provision was Stinted

cation for Help in Repaying Debt

cation in Repentance

cation in the Night Prayer

cation in Asking for the Best

cation when Afflicted

cation in Satisfaction with the Decree of God

cation upon Hearing Thunder

cation in Giving Thanks

cation in Asking for Pardon

cation in Seeking Pardon

cation when Death was Mentioned

cation in Asking for Covering and Protection

cation upon completing a Reading of the Qur'an

cation when he looked at the New Crescent Moon

cation for the Coming of the Month of Ramadan

cation in Bidding Farewell to the Month of Ramadan

cation for the Day of Fast-Breaking and Friday

cation on Day of 'Arafa

cation on the Day of Sacrifice and Friday

cation in Repelling the Trickery of Enemies

cation in Fear .-...„

cation in Pleading and Abasement

cation in Imploring

cation in Abasing himself

cation for the Removal of Worries

69-The remaining chapter headings are in the words of Abu 'Abd Allah al-Hasani (God have

mercy upon him).

25

70- Abu 'Abd Allah Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Hasani related to us.

26

71 -He said: 'Abd Allah ibn 'Umar ibn Khattab al-Zayyat related to us.

72-He said: Khali ibn al-Nu'man al-Alam related to us.

73-He said: 'Umayr ibn Mutawakkil al-Thaqafi al-Balkhi related to us from his father
Mutawakkil ibn Harun.

74-He said: My truthful master, Abu 'Abd Allah Ja'far ibn Muhammad dictated to me.

75-He said: My grandfather 'Ali ibn al-Husayn dictated to my father Muhammad ibn 'Ali
(upon them all be peace) while I was witness:

THE SUPPLICATIONS BEGIN FROM HERE ONWARDS. RETURN TO THE
CONTENTS PAGE AND CLICK ON "SAHIFA AL-KAMILAH".

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These 54 Supplications make up the Sahifa of Imam AH ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him.

English Translation

In Praise of God

Blessing upon Muhammad and his Household

Blessing upon the Bearers of the Throne

Blessing upon the Attesters of the Throne

His Supplication for himself and his Special Friends

. His Supplication in the Morning and Evening

His Supplication in Worrisome Tasks

His Supplication in Seeking Refuge

His Supplication in Yearning

His Supplication in Seeking Asylum with God

His Supplication for Good Outcomes

His Supplication in Confession

His Supplication in Seeking Needs

His Supplication in Acts of Wrongdoing

His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
His Supp

ication When Sicl<

ication in Asl<ing for Release from Sins

ication Against Satan

ication in Perils

ication in Asking for Rain during a Drought

ication on Noble Moral Traits

ication when Something made him Sorrowful

ication in Hardship

ication for Weil-Being

ication for his Parents

ication for. his Children

ication for his Neighbours and Friends

ication for the People of the Frontiers

ication in Fleeing

ication when his Provision was Stinted

" ■. . . . ;.--^ ;-; ■ " - ■""" .Z ' / ^ .

- ". -■ "■ n. '"' >.' _v ■"" .'•■" ■

ication for Help in Repaying Debt
ication in Repentance
ication in the Night Prayer

ication in Asking for the Best

ication when Afflicted

y^'^jf

^->7"-

His Supp
His Supp
His Supp
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ication in Satisfaction with the Decree of God

ication upon Hearing Thunder

ication in Giving Thanl<s

ication in Asl<ing for Pardon

ication in Seel<ing Pardon

ication when Death was Mentioned

ication in Asl<ing for Covering and Protection

ication upon completing a Reading of the Qur'an

ication when he lool<ed at the New Crescent Moon

ication for the Conning of the Month of Ramadan

ication in Bidding Farewell to the Month of Ramadan

ication for the Day of Fast-Breaking and Friday

ication on Day of 'Arafa

ication on the Day of Sacrifice and Friday

ication in Repelling the Trickery of Enemies

ication in Fear

ication in Pleading and Abasement

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ication in Imploring

ication in Abasing himself

ication for the Removal of Worries

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Addenda

These seven additional supplications are appended in some copies of the Sahifa.

55. One of his Glorifications of God

56. A Supplication and Magnification

57. His Supplication for the Household of Muhammad

58. Blessings upon Adam

59. His Supplication in Distress and in Seeking Release

60. His Supplication Against what he Feared

61. His Supplication in Abasing himself

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Supplications for Each Day of the Week

Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him.

62. His Supplication for Sunday

63. His Supplication for Monday

64. His Supplication for Tuesday

65. His Supplication for Wednesday

66. His Supplication for Thursday

67. His Supplication for Friday

68. His Supplication for Saturday

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Fifteen Whispered Prayers

Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn, peace be upon him.

69. The Whispered Prayer of the Repenters

70. The Whispered Prayer of the Complainers

71 . The Whispered Prayer of the Fearful

72. The Whispered Prayer of the Hopeful

73. -The Whispered Prayer of the Beseechers

74. The Whispered Prayer of the Thankful

75. The Whispered Prayer of the Obedient toward God

76. The Whispered Prayer of the Devotees

77. The Whispered Prayer of the Lovers

78. The Whispered Prayer of those Asking for Mediation

79. The Whispered Prayer of the Utterly Poor

80. The Whispered Prayer of the Knowers

81 . The Whispered Prayer of the Rememberers

82. The Whispered Prayer of Those who Hold Fast

83. The Whispered Prayer of the Abstainers

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TREATISE ON RIGHTS (RISALAT AL-HUQUQ)

INTRODUCTION

KNOW - God have mercy upon you - that God has rights against you and that these
encompass you in every movement through which you move, every rest through which you
rest, every waystation in which you reside, every limb which you employ, and every
instrument which you put to work. Some of these rights are greater and some less.

[A] [1] The greatest of God's rights against you is the right which He has made incumbent
upon you for Himself and which is the root of all rights, then [2] those which He has made
incumbent upon you in yourself, from your crown to your foot, in keeping with the diversity
of your organs. He has given [3] your tongue a right against you, [4] your hearing a right
against you, [5] your sight a right against you, [6] your hand a right against you, [7] your leg a
right against you, [8] your stomach a right against you, [9] and your private part a right
against you. These are the seven organs through which acts (afal) take place.

[B] Then He gave your acts rights against you: He gave [10] your ritual prayer a right against
you, [12] your fasting a right against you, [13] your charity a right against you, [14] your
offering a right against you, and your acts a right against you.

[C] Then these rights extend out from you to others who have rights against you. The most
incumbent of them against you are the rights toward your leaders {a'imma), then the rights
toward your subjects {ra'iyya), then the rights toward your womb [relatives] (rahim).

From these rights branch out other rights. [CI] The rights of your leaders are three: The most
incumbent upon you is [15] the right of him who trains you through authority, then [16] of
him who trains you through knowledge, then [17] of him who trains you through property.

[C2] The rights of your subjects are three: The most incumbent upon you is [18] the right of
those who are your subjects through authority, then [19] the right of those who are your
subjects through knowledge for the man of ignorance is the subject of the man of knowledge
then the right of those who are your subjects through property, such as [20] wives and [21]
what is owned by the right hand.

[C3] The rights of your womb relatives are many; they are connected to you in the measure of
the connection of the womb relationship. The most incumbent upon you is [22] the right of
your mother, then [23] the right of your father, then [24] the right of your child, then [25] the

right of your brother, then the next nearest, then the next nearest - the most worthy, then the
next most worthy.

[D] Then there is [26] the right of your master who favours you [by freeing you from
slavery], then [27] the right of the slave whose favours reach you [by the fact that you free
him], then [28] the right of him who does a kindly act toward you, then [29] the right of the
muezzin who calls you to the ritual prayer, then [30] the right of the imam who leads the
prayer, then [31] the right of your sitting companion, then [32] the right of your neighbour,
then [33] the right of your companion, then [34] the right of your partner, then [35] the right
of your property, then the right of him who has a debt he must pay back to you, then [36] the
right of him to whom you owe a debt, then [37] the right of your associate, then [38] the right
of your adversary who has a claim against you, then [39] the right of your adversary against
whom you have a claim, then [40] the right of him who asks you for advice, then [41] the
right of him whom you ask for advice, then [42] the right of him who asks your counsel, then
[43] the right of him who counsels you, then [44] the right of him who is older than you, then
[45] the right of him who is younger than you, then [46] the right of him who asks from you,
then [47] the right of him from whom you ask, then the right of [48] him who does something
evil to you through word or deed, or [49] him who makes you happy through word or deed,
intentionally or unintentionally, then [50] the right of the people of your creed, then [51] the
right of the people under your protection, then all rights in the measure of the causes of the
states and the occurrence of events.

Therefore happy is he whom God aids in the rights which He has made incumbent upon him
and whom He gives success therein and points in the proper direction!

[A. RIGHTS OF GOD AGAINST ONESELF]

[1] The greatest right of God against you is that you worship Him without associating
anything with Him. When you do that with sincerity (ikhlas), He has made it binding upon
Himself to give you sufficiency in the affair of this world and the next.

[2] The right of your self (nafs) against you is that you employ it in obeying God; then you
deliver to your tongue its right, to your hearing its right, to your sight its right, to your hand
its right, to your leg its right, to your stomach its right, to your private part its right, and you
seek help from God in all that.

[3] The right of the tongue is that you consider it too noble for obscenity, accustom it to good,
refrain from any meddling in which there is nothing to be gained, express kindness to the
people, and speak well concerning them.

[4] The right of hearing is to keep it pure from listening to backbiting (ghiba) and listening to
that to which it is unlawful to listen.

[5] The right of sight is that you lower it before everything which is unlawful to you and that
you take heed whenever you look at anything.

[6] The right of your hand is that you stretch it not toward that which is unlawful to you.

[7] The right of your two legs is that you walk not with them toward that which is unlawful to
you. You have no escape from standing upon the narrow bridge (al-sirat [over hell]), so you
should see to it that your legs do not slip and cause you to fall into the Fire.

[8] The right of your stomach is that you make it not into a container for that which is
unlawful to you and you eat no more than your fill (shib').

[9] The right of your private part (farj) is that you protect it from fornication and guard it
against being looked upon.

[B. RIGHT OF ACTS]

[10] The right of your ritual prayer (salat) is that you know that it is an arrival before God and
that through it you are standing before Him. When you know that, then you will stand in the
station of him who is lowly, vile, beseeching, trembling, hopeful, fearful, and abased, and you
will magnify Him who is before you through stillness and dignity. You will approach the
prayer with your heart and you will perform it according to its bounds and its rights.

[11] The right of the hajj is that you know it is an arrival before your Lord and a flight to Him
from your sins; through it your repentance is accepted and you perform an obligation made
incumbent upon you by God.

[12] The right of fasting is that you know it is a veil which God has set up over your tongue,
your hearing, your sight, your stomach, and your private part to protect you from the Fire. If
you abandon the fast, you will have torn God's protective covering away from yourself.

[13] The right of charity (sadaqa) is that you know it is a storing away with your Lord and a
deposit for which you will have no need for witnesses. If you deposit it in secret, you will be
more confident of it than if you deposit it in public. You should know that it repels afflictions
and illnesses from you in this world and it will repel the Fire from you in the next world.

[14] The right of the offering (hady) is that through it you desire God and you not desire His
creation; through it you desire only the exposure of your soul to God's mercy and the
deliverance of your spirit on the day you encounter Him.

[CI. RIGHTS OF LEADERS]

[15] The right of the possessor of authority (sultan) is that you know that God has made you a
trial (fitna) for him. God is testing him through the authority He has given him over you. You
should not expose yourself to his displeasure, for thereby you cast yourself by your own
hands into destruction and become his partner in his sin when he brings evil down upon you.

[16] The right of the one who trains you (sa'is) through knowledge is magnifying him,
respecting his sessions, listening well to him, and attending to him with devotion. You should
not raise your voice toward him. You should never answer anyone who asks him about
something, in order that he may be the one who answers. You should not speak to anyone in
his session nor speak ill of anyone with him. If anyone ever speaks ill of him in your
presence, you should defend him. You should conceal his faults and make manifest his
virtues. You should not sit with him in enmity or show hostility toward him in friendship. If
you do all of this, God's angels will give witness for you that you went straight to him and
learned his knowledge for God's sake, not for the sake of the people.

[17] The right of him who trains you through property is that you should obey him and not
disobey him, unless obeying him would displease God, for there can be no obedience to a
creature when it is disobedience to God.

[C2. RIGHTS OF SUBJECTS]

[18] The right of your subjects through authority is that you should know that they have been
made subjects through their weakness and your strength. Hence it is incumbent upon you to
act with justice toward them and to be like a compassionate father toward them. You should
forgive them their ignorance and not hurry them to punishment and you should thank God for
the power over them which He has given to you.

[19] The right of your subjects through knowledge is that you should know that God made
you a caretaker over them only through the knowledge He has given you and His storehouses
which He has opened up to you. If you do well in teaching the people, not treating them
roughly or annoying them, then God will increase His bounty toward you. But if you withhold
your knowledge from people or treat them roughly when they seek knowledge from you, then
it will be God's right to deprive you of knowledge and its splendour and to make you fall from
your place in people's hearts.

[20] The right of your wife (zawja) is that you know that God has made her a repose and a
comfort for you; you should know that she is God's favour toward you, so you should honour
her and treat her gently. Though her right toward you is more incumbent, you must treat her
with compassion, since she is your prisoner (asir) whom you feed and clothe. If she is
ignorant, you should pardon her.

[21] The right of your slave (mamluk) is that you should know that he is the creature of your
Lord, the son of your father and mother, and your flesh and blood. You own him, but you did-
not make him; God made him. You did not create any one of his limbs, nor do you provide
him with his sustenance; on the contrary, God gives you the sufficiency for that. Then He
subjugated him to you, entrusted him to you, and deposited him with you so that you may be
safeguarded by the good you give to him. So act well toward him, just as God has acted well
toward you. If you dislike him, replace him, but do not torment a creature of God. And there
is no strength save in God.

[C3. RIGHTS OF WOMB RELATIVES]

[22] The right of your mother is that you know that she carried you where no one carries
anyone, she gave to you of the fruit of her heart that which no one gives to anyone, and she
protected you with all her organs. She did not care if she went hungry as long as you ate, if
she was thirsty as long as you drank, if she was naked as long as you were clothed, if she was
in the sun as long as you were in the shade. She gave up sleep for your sake, she protected
you from heat and cold, all in order that you might belong to her. You will not be able to
show her gratitude, unless through God's help and giving success.

[23] The right of your father is that you know that he is your root. Without him, you would
not be. Whenever you see anything in yourself which pleases you, know that your father is
the root of its blessing upon you. So praise God and thank Him in that measure. And there is
no strength save in God.

[24] The right of your child is that you should know that he is from you and will be ascribed
to you, through both his good and his evil, in the immediate affairs of this world. You are
responsible for what has been entrusted to you, such as educating him in good conduct (husn
al-adab), pointing him in the direction of his Lord, and helping him to obey Him. So act
toward him with the action of one who knows that he will be rewarded for good doing toward
him and punished for evildoing.

[25] The right of your brother is that you know that he is your hand, your might, and your
strength. Take him not as a weapon with which to disobey God, nor as equipment with which
to wrong God's creatures. Do not neglect to help him against his enemy or to give him good
counsel. If he obeys God, well and good, but if not, you should honour God more than him.
And there is no strength save in God.

[D. RIGHTS OF OTHERS]

[26] The right of your master (mawla) who has favoured you [by freeing you from slavery] is
that you know that he has spent his property for you and brought you out of the abasement
and estrangement of bondage to the exaltation and comfort of freedom. He has freed you from

the captivity of possession and loosened the bonds of slavehood from you. He has brought
you out of prison, given you ownership of yourself, and given you leisure to worship your
Lord. You should know that he is the closest of God's creatures to you in your life and your
death and that aiding him with your life and what he needs from you is incumbent upon you.
And there is no strength save in God.

[27] The right of the slave (mawla) whom you have favoured [by freeing him] is that you
know that God has made your freeing him a means of access to Him and a veil against the
Fire. Your immediate reward is to inherit from him-if he does not have any maternal relatives-
as a compensation for the property you have spent for him, and your ultimate reward is the
Garden.

[28] The right of him who does a kindly act (dhu l-ma'ruf) toward you is that you thank him
and mention his kindness; you reward him with beautiful words and you supplicate for him
sincerely in that which is between you and God. If you do that, you have thanked him secretly
and openly. Then, if you are able to repay him one day, you repay him.

[29] The right of the muezzin is that you know that he is reminding you of your Lord, calling
you to your good fortune, and helping you to accomplish what God has made obligatory upon
you. So thank him for that just as you thank one who does good to you.

[30] The right of your imam in your ritual prayer is that you know that he has taken on the
role of mediator between you and your Lord. He speaks for you, but you do not speak for
him; he supplicates for you, but you do not supplicate for him. He has spared you the terror of
standing before God. If he performs the prayer imperfectly, that belongs to him and not to
you; but if he performs it perfectly, you are his partner, and he has no excellence over you. So
protect yourself through him, protect your prayer through his prayer, and thank him in that
measure.

[31] The right of your sitting companion (jalis) is that you treat him mildly, show fairness
toward him while vying with him in discourse, and do not stand up from sitting with him
without his permission. But it is permissible for him who sits with you to leave without
asking your permission. You should forget his slips and remember his good qualities, and you
should tell nothing about him but good.

[32] The right of your neighbour (jar) is that you guard him when he is absent, honour him
when he is present, and aid him when he is wronged. You do not pursue anything of his that is
shameful; if you know of any evil from him, you conceal it. If you know that he will accept
your counsel, you counsel him in that which is between him and you. You do not forsake him
in difficulty, you release him from his stumble, you forgive his sin, and you associate with
him generously. And there is no strength save in God.

[33] The right of the companion (sahib) is that you act as his companion with bounty and in
fairness. You honour him as he honours you and you do not let him be the first to act with
generosity. If he is the first, you repay him. You wish for him as he wishes for you and you
restrain him from any act of disobedience he might attempt. Be a mercy for him, not a
chastisement. And there is no strength save in God.

[34] The right of the partner (sharik) is that if he should be absent, you suffice him in his
affairs, and if he should be present, you show regard for him. You make no decision without
his decision and you do nothing on the basis of your own opinion, but you exchange views
with him. You guard his property for him, and you do not betray him in that of his affair
which is difficult or of little importance, for God's hand is above the hands of two partners as
long as they do not betray each other. And there is no strength save in God.

[35] The right of your property (mal) is that you take it only from what is lawful and you
spend it only in what is proper. Through it you should not prefer above yourself those who
will not praise you. You should act with it in obedience to your Lord and not be miserly with
it, lest you fall back into regret and remorse while suffering the ill consequence. And there is
no strength save in God.

[36] The right of him to whom you owe a debt (al-gharim alladhi yutalibuka) is that, if you
have the means, you pay him back, and if you are in straitened circumstances, you satisfy him
with good words and you send him away with gentleness.

[37] The right of the associate (khalit) is that you neither mislead him, nor act dishonestly
toward him, nor deceive him, and you fear God in his affair.

[38] The right of the adversary (khasm) who has a claim against you is that, if what he claims
against you is true, you give witness to it against yourself. You do not wrong him and you
give him his full due. If what he claims against you is false, you act with kindness toward him
and you show nothing in his affair other than kindness; you do not displease your Lord in his
affair. And there is no strength save in God.

[39] The right of the adversary against whom you have a claim is that, if your claim against
him is true, you maintain polite moderation in speaking to him and you do not deny his right.
If your claim is false, you fear God, repent to Him, and abandon your claim.

[40] The right of him who asks you for advice (mustashir) is that, if you consider that he has a
correct opinion, you advise him to follow it, and if you do not consider it so, you direct him to
someone who does consider it so.

[41] The right of him whom you ask for advice (mushir) is that you do not make accusations
against him for an opinion which does not conform to your own opinion. If it conforms to it.

you praise God.

[42] The right of him who asks your counsel {mustansih) is that you give him your counsel,
but you conduct yourself toward him with compassion and kindness.

[43] The right of your counsellor (nasih) is that you act gently toward him and give ear to
him. If he presents you with the right course, you praise God, but if he does not agree with
you, you show compassion toward him and make no accusations against him; you consider
him to have made a mistake, and you do not take him to task for that, unless he should be
deserving of accusation. Then attach no more importance to his affair. And there is no
strength save in God.

[44] The right of him who is older than you (kabir) is that you show reverence toward him
because of his age and you honour him because he entered Islam before you. You leave off
confronting him in a dispute, you do not precede him in a path, you do not go ahead of him,
and you do not consider him foolish. If he should act foolishly toward you, you put up with
him and you honour him because of the right of Islam and the respect due to it.

[45] The right of him who is younger (saghir) is that you show compassion toward him
through teaching him, pardoning him, covering his faults, kindness toward him, and helping
him.

[46] The right of him who asks (sa'il) from you is that you give to him in the measure of his
need.

[47] The right of him from whom you ask is that you accept from him with gratitude and
recognition of his bounty if he gives, and you accept his excuse if he withholds.

[48] The right of him through whom God makes you happy (surur) is that you first praise
God, then you thank the person.

[49] The right of him who does evil to you is that you pardon him. But if you know that your
pardon will harm him, you defend yourself. God says. Whosoever defends himself after he has
been wronged - against them there is no way (42:41).

[50] The right of the people of your creed (milla) is harbouring safety for them, compassion
toward them, kindness toward their evildoer, treating them with friendliness, seeking their
well-being, thanking their good-doer, and keeping harm away from them. You should love for
them what you love for yourself and dislike for them what you dislike for yourself. Their old
men stand in the place of your father, their youths in the place of your brothers, their old
women in the place of your mother, and their young ones in the place of your children.

[51] The right of the people under the protection [of Islam] (dhimma) is that you accept from
them what God has accepted from them and you do no wrong to them as long as they fulfil
God's covenant.

Translator's Introduction to the "Treatise on Rights"

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Blessing upon Muhammad and his Household

After this praise of God he (upon him be peace) would supplicate by calling down
blessings upon God's IVIessenger (God bless him and his Household)

1- Praise belongs to God who was kind to us through Muhammad
(God bless him and his Household)

to the exclusion of past communities and bygone generations,

displaying thereby His power,

which nothing can render incapable,

though it be great,

and nothing can escape,

though it be subtle.

2- He sealed through us all He created,
appointed us witnesses over those who deny,

and increased us by His kindness over those who are few.

3- O God, bless Muhammad,
entrusted by Thee with Thy revelation,
distinguished by Thee among Thy creatures,
devoted to Thee among Thy servants,

the imam of mercy,
the leader of good,
the key to blessing,

4- who wearied his soul
for Thy affairs,

5- exposed his body to detested things
for Thy sake,

6- showed open enmity toward his next of kin
by summoning to Thee,

7- fought against his family
for Thy good pleasure,

8- cut the ties of the womb
in giving life to Thy religion,

9- sent far those close
because of their denial,

10- brought near those far
because of their response to Thee,

1 1 - showed friendship to the most distant
for Thy sake,

12- displayed enmity toward the nearest
for Thy sake,

13- made his soul persevere
in delivering Thy message,

14- tired it in summoning
to Thy creed,

15- busied it in counselling
those worthy of Thy summons,

16- migrated to the land of exile and the place of remoteness from
the home of his saddlebags,

the walkway of his feet,

the ground of his birth,

and the intimate abode of his soul,

desiring to exalt Thy religion

and seeking help

against those who disbelieved in Thee,

■"■ r' '

17- until what he attempted against Thy enemies
went well with him

18- And what he arranged for Thy friends
was accomplished.

-?/

19- He rose up against them seeking victory

through Thine aid, becoming strong in spite of his weakness

with Thy help.

20- He fought against them
in the centre of their cities

21 - and attacked them

in the midst of their dwellings,

: *■,'•■ •-; ^

22- until Thy command prevailed,
and Thy word rose up,

though the idolaters were averse.

23- O God, so raise him, because of his labours for Thy sake,
to the highest degree of Thy Garden,

24- That none may equal him in station,
none may match him in level,

and no angel brought nigh or prophet sent out
may parallel him in Thy sight.

25- And inform him concerning his Household the pure
and his community the faithful

of an excellent intercession,

greater than what Thou hast promised him!

26- O Keeper of promises! O Faithful to Thy word!

O He who changes evil deeds into manifold good deeds! Thou art of bounty
abounding!

Blessing upon the Attestors to the Messengers

His Supplication in Calling down Blessings upon the Followers of, and Attestors to,
the Messengers

1-0 God, as for the followers of the messengers

and those of the people of the earth

who attested to them unseen

(while the obstinate resisted them through crying lies) -

they yearned for the emissaries through the realities of faith,

2- in every era and time in which Thou didst send a messenger

and set up for the people a director

from the period of Adam down to Muhammad

(God bless him and his Household)

from among the imams of guidance

and the leaders of the god-fearing

(upon them all be peace) -

remember them with forgiveness and good pleasure!

3- O God, and as for the Companions of Muhammad specifically,
those who did well in companionship,

who stood the good test in helping him,

responded to him

when he made them hear his messages' argument,

4- separated from mates and children
in manifesting his word,

fought against fathers and sons
in strengthening his prophecy,
and through him gained victory;

5- those who were wrapped in affection for him,
hoping for a commerce

that comes not to naught in love for him;

6- those who were left by their clans
when they clung to his handhold
and denied by their kinsfolk

when they rested in the shadow of his kinship;

7- forget not, O God, what they abandoned for Thee and in Thee,
and make them pleased with Thy good pleasure

for the sake of the creatures they drove to Thee
while they were with Thy Messenger,
summoners to Thee for Thee.

8- Show gratitude to them for leaving the abodes of their people for Thy sake
and going out from a plentiful livelihood to a narrow one,

and [show gratitude to] those of them who became objects of wrongdoing
and whom Thou multiplied in exalting Thy religion.

9- O God, and give to those

who have done well in following the Companions,

who say, Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers
who went before us in faith.
Thy best reward;

10- Those who went straight to the Companions' road,

sought out their course,

and proceeded in their manner.

11 - No doubt concerning their sure insight diverted them

and no uncertainty shook them

from following in their tracks

and being led by the guidance of their light.

12- As their assistants and supporters,

they professed their religion,

gained guidance through their guidance,

came to agreement with them,

and never accused them in what they passed on to them.

-f^--!f

13- O God, and bless the Followers,
from this day of ours to the Day of Doom, ' ' '
their wives,

their offspring,

and those among them who obey Thee,

14- with a blessing through which

Thou wilt preserve them from disobeying Thee,

make room for them in the plots of Thy Garden,

defend them from the trickery of Satan,

help them in the piety in which they seek help from Thee,

protect them from sudden events that come by night and day

- except the events which come with good -

15- And incite them to

tie firmly the knot of good hope in Thee,
what is with Thee,

and refrain from ill thoughts [toward Thee]
because of what the hands of Thy servants' hold.

16- Thus Thou mayest restore them to beseeching Thee and fearing Thee,
induce them to renounce the plenty of the immediate,

make them love to

work for the sake of the deferred

and prepare for what comes after death,

1 7- make easy for them every distress that comes to them
on the day when souls take leave from bodies,

18- release them from

that which brings about the perils of temptation
and being thrown down in the Fire
and staying forever within it,

19- And take them to security,

the resting place of the god-fearing.

Blessing upon the Bearers of the Throne

A Supplication in Calling down Blessings upon the Bearers of the Throne and Every
Angel Brought Nigh

1 - O God, as for the Bearers of Thy Throne, who

never flag in glorifying Thee, : v ;.,

never become weary of calling Thee holy,

never tire of worshipping Thee,

never prefer curtailment over diligence in Thy command,

and are never heedless of passionate love for Thee;

2- Seraphiel,

the Owner of the Trumpet,

fixed in his gaze,

awaiting Thy permission

and the descent of the Command,

that he may arouse through the Blast

the hostages thrown down in the graves;

3- Michael,

possessor of standing with Thee

and a raised up place in Thy obedience;

4- Gabriel,

entrusted with Thy revelation.

obeyed by the inhabitants of Thy heavens,
distinguished in Thy Presence, brought nigh to Thee;

5- the spirit who is over the angels of the veils;

6- and the spirit

who is of Thy command-
bless them and the angels below them:
the residents in Thy heavens,
those entrusted with Thy messages,

7- those who become not wearied by perseverance,
or exhausted and flagged by toil,

whom passions distract not from glorifying Thee,
and whose magnification of Thee is never cut off
by the inattention of heedless moments;

8- their eyes lowered,

they do not attempt to look at Thee;
their chins bowed,

they have long desired what is with Thee;
unrestrained in mentioning Thy boons,
they remain humble before Thy mightiness
and the majesty of Thy magnificence;

9- Those who say when they look upon Gehenna
roaring over the people who disobeyed Thee:
'Glory to Thee,

we have not worshipped Thee
with the worship Thou deserves!'

10- Bless them, and Thy angels who are the Reposeful,
those of proximity to Thee,

those who carry the unseen to Thy messengers,
those entrusted with Thy revelation,

11 - the tribes of angels

whom Thou hast singled out for Thyself,

freed from need for food and drink by their calling Thee holy,

and made to dwell inside Thy heavens' layers,

12- those who will stand upon the heavens' borders

when the Command descends to complete Thy promise,

13- the keepers of the rain,
the drivers of the clouds,

14- him at whose driving's sound is heard the rolling of thunder,
and when the reverberating clouds swim before his driving,
bolts of lightning flash;

15- the escorts of snow and hail,

the descenders with the drops of rain when they fall,

the watchers over the treasuries of the winds,

those charged with the mountains lest they disappear,

1 6- those whom Thou hast taught the weights of the waters
and the measures contained by torrents and masses of rain;

17- the angels who are Thy messengers to the people of the earth
with the disliked affliction that comes down

and the beloved ease;

18- the devoted, noble scribes,
the watchers, noble writers,

the angel of death and his helpers,

Munkar and Nakir,

Rumaan, the tester in the graves,

the circlers of the Inhabited House,

Malik and the guardians,

Ridwan and the gatekeepers of the gardens,

19- those who disobey not God in What He commands them
and do What they are commanded;

20- those who say. Peace be upon you, for that you were patient
- and fair is the Ultimate Abode;

21 - the Zabaniya, who, when it is said to them,

take him, and fetter him,

then roast him in hell,

hasten to accomplish it,

nor do they give him any respite; '■■^(.

22- him whom we have failed to mention,
not l<nowing his place with Thee,

nor with which command Thou hast charged him;

23- and the residents in the air, the earth, and the water,
and those of them charged over the creatures;

24- bless them on the day when every soul will come,
with it a driver and a witness,

25- and bless them with a blessing that will add
honour to their honour

and purity to their purity.

26- O God, and when Thou blessest Thy angels and Thy messengers
and Thou extendest our blessings to them,

bless us through the good words about them
which Thou hast opened up for us!
Thou art Munificent, Generous.

His Supplication Against Satan

His Supplication when he Mentioned Satan and Sought Refuge from him and from
his Enmity and Trickery

1-0 God, we seek refuge in Thee

from the instigations of the accursed Satan,

his trickery, and his traps,

from trust in his false hopes, his promises,

his delusions, and his snares,

2- and lest he should make himself crave
to lead us away from Thy obedience

and to degrade us through our disobeying Thee,

and lest what he has shown us as beautiful be beautiful for us

and what he has shown us as detestable weigh down upon us.

3- O God, drive him away from us through Thy worship,
throw him down through our perseverance in Thy love,
and place between him and us a covering

that he cannot tear away

and a solid barrier

that he cannot cut through!

4- O God, bless IVIuhammad and his Household,
distract Satan from us with some of Thy enemies,
preserve us from him through Thy good guarding,
spare us his treachery,

turn his back toward us,
and cut off from us his trace!

5- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
give us to enjoy guidance

the like of his misguidance,

increase us in piety

against his seduction,

and make us walk in reverential fear

contrary to his path of ruin!

6- O God, assign him no place of entrance into our hearts
and do not allow him to make his home in that which is with us!

7- O God, cause us to recognize the falsehood with which he tempts us,
and once Thou hast caused us to recognize it,

protect us from it!

Make us see what will allow us to outwit him,

inspire us with all that we can make ready for him,

awaken us from the heedless slumber of relying upon him,

and help us well, through Thy giving success, against him!

8- O God, saturate our hearts with the rejection of his works
and be gentle to us by destroying his stratagems!

9- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
turn his authority away from us,

cut off his hope from us,

and keep him from craving for us!

10- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
and place our fathers, our mothers,

our children, our wives,
our siblings, our relatives.

and the faithful among our neighbours,

male and female,

in a sanctuary impregnable to him,

a guarding fortress,

a defending cave!

Clothe them in shields protective against him

and give them arms that will cut him down!

11-0 God, include in that everyone who

witnesses to Thee as Lord,

devotes himself sincerely to Thy Unity,

shows enmity toward him

through the reality of servanthood,

and seeks help from Thee against him

through knowledge of the divine sciences!

12- O God, undo what he ties,
unstitch what he sews up,
dislocate what he devises,

frustrate him when he makes up his mind,
and destroy what he establishes!

13- O God, rout his troops,
nullify his trickery,

make his cave collapse,

and rub his nose in the ground!

14- O God, place us in the ranks of his enemies
and remove us from the number of his friends,
that we obey him not when he entices us

and answer him not when he calls to us!

We command everyone who obeys our command

to be his enemy

and we admonish everyone who follows our prohibition

not to follow him!

15- O God, bless Muhammad,

the Seal of the prophets and lord of the emissaries,

and the folk of his house,

the good, the pure!

Give refuge to us, our families, our brothers,

and all the faithful, male and female,

from that from which we seek refuge,

and grant us sanctuary from that through fear of which

we seek sanctuary in Thee!

16- Hear our supplication to Thee,

bestow upon us that of which we have been heedless,

and safeguard for us what we have forgotten!

Through all this bring us into the ranks of the righteous

and the degrees of the faithful!

Amen, Lord of the worlds!

His Supplication for Good Outcomes

1- O He remembering whom brings honour to those who remember!
O He thanking whom brings triumph

to those who give thanks!

O He obeying whom brings deliverance

to those who obey!

Bless Muhammad and his Household,

and divert our hearts through remembering Thee

from every act of remembrance,

our tongues through thanking Thee

from every act of thanksgiving,

our limbs through obeying Thee

from every act of obedience!

2- If Thou hast ordained for us idleness from these occupations,
make it an idleness of safety, within which

no ill consequence visits us

or weariness overtakes us!

Then the writers of evil deeds may depart from us

with a page empty of the mention of our evil deeds,

and the writers of good deeds may turn away from us

happy with the good deeds of ours which they have written.

3- And when the days of our life have passed by,
the terms of our lifetimes have elapsed,

and Thy call, which must come and be answered,

summons us forth,

then bless Muhammad and his Household

and make the outcome of what the writers of our works

count against us

an accepted repentance,

which afterwards gave us no rest

in a sin that we committed

or an act of disobedience that we performed!

4- Remove not from us any covering

with which Thou hast covered over the heads of the witnesses
on the day when the records of Thy servants are tried!

5- Verily Thou art compassionate to him who supplicates Thee,
the responder to him who calls upon Thee!

His Supplication for himself and the People under his Guardianship

1- O He the wonders of whose mightiness will never end!
Bless Muhammad and his Household

and prevent us from deviation concerning Thy mightiness!

2- O He the term of whose kingdom will never cease!
Bless Muhammad and his Household

and release our necks from Thy vengeance!

3- O He the treasuries of whose mercy will never be exhausted!
Bless Muhammad and his Household

and appoint for us a portion of Thy mercy!

4- O He whom eyes fall short of seeing! Bless Muhammad and his Household
and bring us close to Thy nearness!

5- O He before whose greatness all great things are small!
Bless Muhammad and his Household

and give us honour with Thee!

6- O He to whom all hidden tidings are manifest!
Bless Muhammad and his Household

and expose us not before Thee!

7- O God, remove our need for the gifts of the givers

through Thy gift,

spare us the loneliness of those who break off

through Thy joining,

that we may beseech no one

along with Thy free giving,

that we may feel lonely at no one's absence

along with Thy bounty!

8- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
scheme for us, not against us,

devise to our benefit, not to our loss, give the turn to prevail to us, not to others!

9- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
protect us from Thyself,

safeguard us through Thyself,

guide us to Thyself,

and take us not far from Thyself!

he whom Thou protectest stays safe,

he whom Thou guidest knows,

and he whom Thou bringest near Thyself

takes the spoils.

10- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

and spare us the cutting edge of time's turning changes,

the evil of Satan's snares,

and the bitterness of the sovereign's aggression!

11-0 God, the spared are spared only through the bounty of Thy strength,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and spare us!

The givers give only through the bounty of Thy wealth,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and give to us! . ,- .... .•;.:,..-

The guided are guided only by the light of thy face,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and guide us!

12- O God, he whom Thou befriendest will not be injured

by the abandonment of the abandoners,

he to whom Thou givest will not be diminished

by the withholding of the withholders,

he whom Thou guidest will not be misled

by the misguidance of the misguiders.

13- So bless Muhammad and his Household, defend us from Thy servants
through Thy might, ""•'■•

free us from need for other than Thee
through Thy support,
and make us travel the path of the Truth
through Thy right guidance!

14- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and put

the soundness of our hearts

into the remembrance of Thy mightiness,

the idleness of our bodies

into giving thanks for Thy favour,

and the flow of our tongues

into the description of Thy kindness!

15- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and make us one of

Thy summoners who summon to Thee,

Thy guiders who direct to Thee,

and Thy special friends whom Thou hast singled out!

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

His Supplication in Acts of Wrongdoing

His Supplication when Hostility was Shown to Him or when he Saw what he did not
Like in Wrongdoers

1- O He from whom is not concealed news of the aggrieved!

2- O He who has no need to be told about them
by the witnessing of the witnesses!

■ r.^'

3- O He who whose help is near to the wronged!

4- O He whose aid is far from the wrongdoers!

5- Thou knowest, my God, how so-and-so, son of so-and-so, has harmed me

in that which Thou hast forbidden,

and how he has violated me

in that which Thou hast prohibited,

showing thereby ingratitude toward Thy favour upon him

and delusion concerning what Thou hast denied him.

6- O God, so bless IVIuhammad and his Household,

keep my wrongdoing enemy from wronging me through Thy strength,

blunt his blade toward me through Thy power,

and assign to him

a diversion in that which is close to him

and the inability to reach his enemy!

7-0 God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

let the wrongdoer not find it easy to wrong me,

give me good help against him,

preserve me from the like of his acts,

and place me not in the like of his situation!

8- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
and assist me with an immediate assistance
that will heal my rage toward him

and redeem my fury toward him!

9- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
compensate me for his wronging me with Thy pardon
and replace his evil action toward me with Thy mercy,
for every detested thing less than Thy anger is slight
and every disaster next to Thy rancour indifferent!

10- O God, just as Thou hast made me detest being wronged,
so also protect me from doing wrong!

11-0 God, I complain to no one but Thee,

and I seek help from no ruler other than Thee -

how could I?

So bless Muhammad and his Household,

join my supplication to response,

and unite my complaint with change!

1 2- O God, tempt me not with despair of Thy just treatment
and tempt him not with feeling secure from Thy disapproval.

lest he persist in wronging me

and constrain me in my rights.

Let him soon recognize

what Thou hast promised the wrongdoers

and let me recognize --c?^-

Thy promised response to the distressed!

13- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
give me success in accepting Thy decrees

for me and against me,

make me pleased with what Thou takest

for me and from me,

guide me to that which is most upright

and employ me in that which is safest!

14- O God, if the best for me with Thee lies
in delaying the taking to task for my sake
of him who has wronged me

and in refraining from vengeance toward him

until the Day of Decision and

the Gathering of Disputants,

then bless Muhammad and his Household,

strengthen me from Thee

with true intention

and lasting patience,

1 5- give me refuge
from evil desire

and the impatience of the greedy,

and form in my heart the image of

Thy reward

which Thou hast stored away for me

and the repayment and punishment

which Thou has prepared for my disputant!

Make this a cause of my contentment

with what Thou hast decreed

and my trust

in what Thou hast chosen!

16- Amen, Lord of the worlds!
Thou art of bounty abounding

and Thou art powerful over everything.

His Supplication in Asl^ing for Water during a Drought

1- O God, water us with rain,
unfold upon us Thy mercy
through Thy copious rain
from the driven clouds,

so that Thy goodly earth may grow
on all horizons!

2- Show kindness to Thy servants
through the ripening of the fruit,
revive Thy land

through the blossoming of the flowers,

and let Thy angels - the noble scribes - be witness

to a beneficial watering from Thee,

lasting in its abundance,

plenty in its flow,

heavy, quick, soon,

3- through which Thou revivest what has vanished,
bringest forth what is coming,

and providest plentiful foods,

through heaped up, wholesome, productive clouds,

in reverberating layers,

the rain's downpour

not without cease,

the lightning's flashes

not without fruit!

4- O God, give us water
through rain,

helping, productive, fertilizing,
widespread, plentiful, abundant,
bringing back the risen,
restoring the broken!

5- O God, give us water with a watering through which Thou wilt
make the stone hills pour,

fill the cisterns,
flood the rivers,

make the trees grow,

bring down prices in all the lands,

invigorate the beasts and the creatures,

perfect for us the agreeable things of provision,

make grow for us the fields,

let flow for us the teats,

and add for us strength to our strength!

6- O God, make not the cloud's shadow over us a burning wind,
allow not its coldness to be cutting,

let not its pouring down upon us be a stoning,
and make not its waters for us bitter!

7- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

and provide us with the blessings of the heavens and the earth!
Thou art powerful over everything!

His Supplication in Asking Release

His Supplication when he Asked Release from his Sins or Pleaded in Seeking
Pardon for his Defects

1- O God, O He through whose Mercy sinners seek aid!

2- O He to the remembrance of whose beneficence the distressed flee!

3- O He in fear of whom the offenders weep!

4- O Comfort of every lonely stranger!

O Relief of all who are downcast and distressed!
O Aid of everyone abandoned and alone!
O Support of every needy outcast!

5- Thou art He who embracest everything in mercy and knowledge!

6- Thou art He

who hast appointed for each creature a share of Thy favours!

7- Thou art He

whose pardon is higher than His punishment!

8- Thou art He

whose mercy runs before His wrath!

9- Thou art He

whose bestowal is greater than His withholding!

10- Thou art He

by whose mercy all creatures are embraced!

11 -Thou art He

who desires no repayment by him upon whom He bestows!

12- Thou art He

who does not overdo the punishment of him who disobeys Thee!

13- And I, my God, am Thy servant whom Thou commanded to supplicate

and who said:

I am at Thy service and disposal!

Here am I, my Lord,

thrown down before Thee.

14- 1 am he

whose back offenses have weighed down!

I am he ■•:-•••

whose lifetime sins have consumed!

I am he

who was disobedient in his ignorance,

while Thou didst not deserve that from him!

15- Wilt Thou, my God, be merciful toward him who supplicates Thee,
that I should bring my supplication before Thee?

Wilt Thou forgive him who weeps to Thee

that I should hurry to weep?

Wilt Thou show forbearance toward

him who puts his face in the dust before Thee in lowliness?

Wilt Thou free from need

him who complains to Thee of his indigent need with confidence?

16- My God, disappoint not him who finds no bestower
other than Thee,

and abandon not him who cannot be freed from his need for Thee

through less than Thee!

17- My God, so bless Muhammad and his Household,
turn not away from me

when I have turned my face toward Thee,

deprive me not

when 1 have besought Thee,

and slap not my brow with rejection

when I have stood before Thee!

18- Thou art He who has described Himself by mercy,
so bless Muhammad and his Household

and have mercy upon me! r- .:

Thou art He who has named Himself by pardon,

so pardon me!

19- Thou hast seen, my God, the flow of my tears
in fear of Thee,

the throbbing of my heart
in dread of Thee,
and the infirmity of my limbs
in awe of Thee.

20- All this from my shame before Thee
because of my evil works!

So my voice has become silent,
no longer crying to Thee,
and my tongue has gone dumb,
no longer whispering in prayer.

21- My God, so to Thee belongs praise!

How many of my haws Thou hast covered over

without exposing me!

How many of my sins Thou hast cloaked

without making me notorious!

How many faults I have committed, yet Thou didst not

tear away from me their covering,

collar me with their detested disgrace,

or make their dishonour plain

to those of my neighbours who search for my defects

and to those who envy Thy favour toward me!

22- But that did not prevent me from passing on
to tine evil tiiat Tiiou knowest from me!

23- So who is more ignorant than I, my God,
of his own right conduct? ' : .' .:
Who is more heedless than I

of his own good fortune?

Who is further than I

from seeking to set himself right?

For I spend the provision Thou deliverest to me

in the disobedience Thou hast prohibited to me!

Who sinks more deeply into falsehood

and is more intensely audacious in evil than I?

For I hesitate between Thy call and the call of Satan

and then follow his call

without being blind in my knowledge of him

or forgetful in my memory of him,

24- while I am certain that Thy call takes to the Garden
and his call takes to the Fire!

25- Glory be to Thee! How marvellous the witness I bear against my own soul
and the enumeration of my own hidden affairs! ^

26- And more marvellous than that is Thy lack of haste with me,
Thy slowness in attending to me!

That is not because I possess honour with Thee,

but because Thou waitest patiently for me

and art bountiful toward me

that I may refrain from disobedience displeasing to Thee

and abstain from evil deeds that disgrace me,

and because Thou lovest to pardon me more than to punish!

27- But I, my God, am more numerous in sins,
uglier in footsteps,

more repulsive in acts,

more reckless in rushing into falsehood,

weaker in awakening to Thy obedience,

and less attentive and heedful toward Thy threats,

than that I could number for Thee my faults

or have the power to recount my sins.

28- 1 only scold my own soul,

craving Thy gentleness,

through which the affairs of sinners are set right,

and hoping for Thy mercy,

through which the necks of the offenders are freed.

29- O God,
this is my neck,
enslaved by sins,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and release it through Thy pardon!

This is my back,

weighed down by offenses,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and lighten it through Thy kindness!

30- My God, were I to weep to Thee until my eyelids drop off,
wail until my voice wears out,

stand before Thee until my feet swell up,

bow to Thee until my backbone is thrown out of joint,

prostrate to Thee until my eyeballs fall out,

eat the dirt of the earth for my whole life,

drink the water of ashes till the end of my days,

mention Thee through all of that until my tongue fails,

and not lift my glance to the sky's horizons in shame before Thee,

yet would I not merit through all of that

the erasing of a single one of my evil deeds!

31 - Though Thou forgivest me when I merit Thy forgiveness

and pardonest me when I deserve Thy pardon,

yet I have no title to that through what I deserve,

nor am I worthy of it through merit,

since my repayment from Thee

from the first that I disobeyed Thee

is the Fire!

So if Thou punishest me.

Thou dost me no wrong.

32- My God, since Thou hast shielded me with Thy covering

and not exposed me,

waited patiently for me through Thy generosity,

and not hurried me to punishment,

and shown me clemency through Thy bounty.

and not changed Thy favour upon me
or muddied Thy kindly acts toward me,
have mercy on my drawn out pleading,
my intense misery,
and my evil situation!

33- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
protect me from acts of disobedience,

employ me in obedience,

provide me with excellent turning back [to Thee],

purify me through repentance,

strengthen me through preservation from sin,

set me right through well being,

let me taste the sweetness of forgiveness,

make me the freedman of Thy pardon

and the slave released by Thy mercy,

and write for me a security

from Thy displeasure!

Give me the good news of that

in the immediate, not the deferred

- a good news I recognize - ^■'^^-

and make known to me therein a sign

which I may clearly seel

34- That will not constrain Thee in Thy plenty,
distress Thee in Thy power,

ascend beyond Thy lack of haste,
or tire Thee in Thy great gifts,
which are pointed to by Thy signs.
Verily Thou dost what Thou wilt.
Thou decreest what Thou desirest.
Thou art powerful over everything.

His Supplication in Confession

His Supplication in Confession and in Seeking Repentance toward God

1-0 God, three traits have prevented me from asking Thee
and one trait has urged me on:

2- 1 am prevented by a command Thou hast commanded

in which I have been slow,

a prohibition Thou hast prohibited

toward which I have hurried,

and a favour through which Thou hast favoured

for which I have not given sufficient thanks.

3- 1 am urged to ask Thee by Thy gratuitous bounty upon him who

turns his face toward Thee

and comes to Thee with a good opinion,

since all Thy beneficence is gratuitous bounty

and every one of Thy favours a new beginning!

4- So here I am, my God, standing at the gate of Thy might,
the standing of the lowly, the surrendered,

asking Thee in my shame,

the asking of the destitute, the pitiful,

5- admitting to Thee that

at the time of Thy beneficence I surrendered not
save through abstaining from disobedience toward Thee
and in none of my states was I ever without
Thy Kindness.

His Supplication in Perils

His Supplication when Perils were Repelled or Requests quickly granted

1-0 God, to Thee belongs praise for Thy excellent accomplishment

and for Thy trial which Thou hast turned away from me!

But make not my share of Thy mercy

the well-being which Thou hast quickly granted to me,

lest I become wretched through what I have loved

and someone else gain felicity through what I have disliked!

2- If this well-being in which 1 pass the day or night should precede

a trial that does not cease

and a burden that does not pass away,

then set before me what Thou hadst set behind

and set behind me what Thou hadst set before!

3- For that which ends in annihilation is not great
and that which ends in subsistence is not little.
And bless IVIuhammad and his Household!

1 - O God, if Thou wiliest, v;->/ ..

Thou wilt pardon us through Thy bounty

and if Thou wiliest.

Thou wilt chastise us through Thy justice.

2- So make our ways smooth to Thy pardon through Thy kindness
and grant us sanctuary from Thy chastisement

through Thy forbearance,

for none of us has the endurance for Thy justice

and none of us can reach deliverance without Thy pardon!

3- O Richest of the rich! Here we are. Thy servants, before Thee.
I am the neediest of the needy toward Thee,

so redress our neediness

through Thy plenty

and cut us not off from our hopes

through Thy withholding,

lest Thou makest wretched him who seeks felicity through Thee

and deprivest him who seeks help from Thy bounty!

4- Then to whom would we return after Thee?
Where would we go from Thy gate?

Glory be to Thee!

We are the distressed,

the response to whom

Thou hast made incumbent,

the people from whom

Thou hast promised to remove the evil.

5- That thing most resembling Thy will and that affair most worthy for Thee in Thy
mightiness

is showing mercy to him who asks Thee for mercy

and helping him who seeks help from Thee.

So show mercy upon our pleading with Thee

and free us from need when we throw ourselves before Thee!

6- O God, Satan will gloat over us if we follow him

in disobeying Thee,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and let him not gloat over us

after we have renounced him for Thee

and beseeched Thee against him!

His Supplication in Seeking Needs from God

1-0 God, O ultimate object of needs!

2- O He through whom requests
are attained!

3- O He whose favours are not bought
by prices!

4- O He who does not muddy His gifts
by the imposition of obligations!

5- O He along with whom nothing is needed
and without whom nothing can be done!

6- O He toward whom desire is ever directed
and never turned away!

7- 6 He whose treasuries cannot be exhausted
by demands!

8- O He whose wisdom cannot be altered
by any means!

9- O He from whom the needs of the needy
are never cut off!

10- O He who is not distressed

by the supplications of the supplicators!

1 1 - Thou hast lauded Thyself for having no need for Thy creatures,

and it suits Tiiee to have no need for them,

1 2- and Thou hast attributed to them poverty,
and it suits them to be poor toward Thee.

13- So he who strives to remedy his lacl^ through what is with Thee
and wishes to turn poverty away from himself through Thee

has sought his need in the most likely place
and come to his request from the right quarter.

His Supplication in Seeking Refuge

His Supplication in Seeking Refuge from Hateful Things, Bad Moral Qualities, and
Blameworthy Acts

1-0 God, I seek refuge in Thee from the agitation of craving,

the violence of wrath,

the domination of envy,

the frailty of patience,

the lack of contentment,

surliness of character,

urgency of passion,

the disposition to vehemence,

2- following caprice,
opposing guidance,

the sleep of heedlessness,
undertaking the toilsome,
preferring falsehood over truth,
persisting in sin,
making little of disobedience,
making much of obedience,

3- vying with the wealthy,
disparaging the poor,

guarding badly over those in our hands,

failing to thank those who have done good to us,

4- Aiding a wrongdoer,
abandoning someone troubled,

wanting what is not rigiitfully ours,

and speal<ing about knowledge witliout knowing.

5- We seek refuge in Thee from harbouring dishonesty toward anyone,
being pleased with our works,

and stretching out our expectations.

6- We seek refuge in Thee from ill-mindedness,
looking down on the small,

Satan's gaining mastery over us,

time's afflicting us,

and the sovereign's oppressing us.

7- We seek refuge in Thee from acting with prodigality
and not having sufficiency.

8- We seek refuge in Thee from the gloating of enemies,
indigent need for equals,

living in hardship,

and dying without readiness.

9- We seek refuge in Thee from the most dreadful remorse,
the greatest affliction,

the most wretched wretchedness,
the evil end to the journey,
the deprivation of reward,
and the advent of punishment.

10- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

and through Thy mercy, give to me refuge from all of that,
and to all the faithful, both men and women!
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

His Supplication in the Morning and Evening

1- Praise belongs to God, who created night and day
through His strength,

2- set them apart
through His power.

3- and appointed for each
a determined limit

and a drawn-out period.

4- He makes eacii of the two enter into its companion,
and makes its companion enter into it,

as an ordainment from Him for His servants
in that through which He feeds them
and with which He makes them grow.

5- He created for them the night, that they might rest in it
from tiring movements

and wearisome exertions

and He made it a garment for them

that they might be clothed

in its ease and its sleep,

that it might be for them refreshment and strength,

that they might reach therein pleasure and passion.

6- He created for them the daytime, giving sight,

that they might seek within it of His bounty, find the means to His provision,

and roam freely in His earth,

searching for that through which

to attain the immediate in their life in this world

and to achieve the deferred in their life to come.

7- Through all of this He sets right their situation,
tries their records,

and watches their state in

the times for obeying Him,

the waystations of His obligations,

and the places of His ordinances,

that He may repay those who do evil with what they have done

and repay those who do good with goodness.

8- O God, to Thee belongs praise

for the sky Thou hast split into dawn for us,
giving us to enjoy thereby the brightness of daytime,
showing us sought-after nourishments,
and protecting us from the striking of blights.

9- In the morning we and all things, every one, rise for Thee,
the heaven and the earth

and what Thou hast scattered in each,

the still and the moving,

the resident and the journeying,

what towers up in the air and what hides under the ground.

10- We rise in the morning in Thy grasp: Thy kingdom and authority contain us
and Thy will embraces us.

We move about by Thy command

and turn this way and that through Thy governing.

1 1 - We own nothing of the affair
except what Thou hast decreed
and nothing of the good
except what Thou hast given.

12- This is a fresh, new day,
over us a ready witness.

If we do good,

it will take leave from us with praise,

and if we do evil,

it will part from us in blame.

13- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
provide us with the day's good companionship
and preserve us against parting from it badly

by doing a misdeed

or committing a sin, whether small or great!

14- Make our good deeds within it plentiful
empty us therein of evil deeds,

and fill what lies between its two sides for us
with praise and thanksgiving,
wages and stores,
bounty and beneficence!

15- O God, ease our burden on the Noble Writers,
fill our pages for us

with our good deeds,

and degrade us not before them

with our evil works!

16- O God, appoint for us in each of the day's hours
a share from Thy servants,

a portion of giving thanks to Thee,

and a truthful witness among Thy angels!

17- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and safeguard us from before us and behind us,
from our right hands and our left hands

and from all our directions, a safeguarding that will preserve from disobeying Thee,

guide to obeying Thee,

and be employed for Thy love!

18- O God, bless IVIuhammad and his Household
and give us success in this day of ours,

this night of ours,

and in all our days,

to employ the good,

stay away from the evil,

give thanks for favours,

follow the Sunna's norms,

avoid innovations,

enjoin good behaviour,

forbid the disapproved,

defend Islam,

diminish falsehood and abase it,

help the truth and exalt it,

guide the misguided,

assist the weak,

and reach out to the troubled!

19- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and make this

the most fortunate day we have known,

the most excellent companion we have accompanied,

and the best time in which we have lingered!

20- Place us among

the most satisfied of all Thy creatures
whom night and day have passed by,
the most thankful of them
for the favours Thou hast done,
the firmest of them

in the laws Thou hast set down in the Shari'a,
and the most unyielding of them
toward the prohibited acts
against which Thou hast cautioned!

21 - O God, I call Thee to witness

- and Thou art sufficient witness -

and I call Thy heaven and Thy earth to witness

and Thy angels and Thy other creatures who inhabit them

in this my day,

this my hour,

this my night,

and this my resting place,

that I bear witness

that Thou art God,

other than whom there is no god.

Upholding justice,

Equitable in judgement,

Clement to the servants.

Master of the kingdom.

Compassionate to the creatures,

22- and that Muhammad is Thy servant and Thy messenger.
Thy chosen from among Thy creatures.

Thou didst charge him with Thy message

and he delivered it;

Thou didst command him to counsel his community

and he counselled it.

23- O God, so bless Muhammad and his Household
more than Thou hast blessed any of Thy creatures!

Give him for our sake the best Thou hast given any of Thy servants,
and repay him on our behalf better and more generously
than Thou hast repaid any of Thy prophets
on behalf of his community!

24- Thou art All-kind with immensity, the Forgiver of the great,
and Thou art more merciful

than every possessor of mercy!

So bless Muhammad and his Household,

the good, the pure, the chosen, the most distinguished!

His Supplication in Worrisome Tasks

His Supplication when Faced with a Worrisome Task or when Misfortune Descended
and at the Time of Distress

1- O He through whom the knots of detested things are untied!
O He through whom the cutting edge of hardships is blunted!
O He from whom is begged the outlet to the freshness of relief!

2- Intractable affairs yield to Thy power,
means are made ready by Thy gentleness,
the decree goes into effect through Thy power,
and all things proceed according to Thy desire.

3- By Thy desire they follow Thy command without Thy word
and by Thy will they obey Thy bans

without Thy prohibition.

4- Thou art the supplicated in worries and the place of flight in misfortunes;
none of them is repelled unless Thou repellest,

none is removed unless Thou removest.

5- Upon me has come down, My Lord, something whose weight burdens me
and upon me has fallen

something whose carrying oppresses me.

6- Through Thy power Thou hast brought it down upon me
and through Thy authority

Thou hast turned it toward me.

7- None can send away what Thou hast brought,
none can deflect what Thou hast turned,

none can open what Thou hast closed,

none can close what Thou hast opened,

none can make easy what Thou hast made difficult,

none can help him whom Thou hast abandoned.

8- So bless Muhammad and his Household, open for me, my Lord, the door of relief
through Thy graciousness,

break from me the authority of worry by Thy strength.

confer the beauty of Thy gaze upon my complaint,
let me taste the sweetness of benefaction in what I ask,
give me from Thyself mercy and wholesome relief,
and appoint for me from Thyself a quick way out!

9- Distract me not through worry from observing Thy obligations
and acting in accordance with Thy prescriptions.

10- My capacity has been straitened, my Lord,
by what has come down on me,

and I am filled with worry

by carrying what has happened to me,

while Thou hast power to remove what has afflicted me

and to repel that into which I have fallen.

So do that for me

though I merit it not from Thee,

O Possessor of the Mighty Throne!

His Supplication in Yearning

His Supplication in Yearning to Ask Forgiveness from God

1-0 God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
make us go to the repentance that Thou lovest
and make us leave the persistence that Thou hatest!

2- O God, when we halt before two decreases,
in religion or in this world,

let the decrease fall upon that which passes quickly
and relent in that which lasts the longer!

3- When we set out after two concerns,
one of which makes Thee pleased with us
and the other of which displeases Thee,

incline us toward that which makes Thee pleased

and weaken our strength in that which displeases Thee!

4- Leave not our souls alone to choose in that,
for they choose falsehood

except inasmuch as Thou givest success.

and they command to evil

except inasmuch as Thou hast mercy!

5- O God, thou created us from frailty,
built us up from feebleness,

and began us from a mean water; we have no force except through Thy strength
and no strength except through Thy help.

6- So confirm us

by giving us success,

point us the right way

by Thy pointing,

blind the eyes of our hearts

toward everything opposed to Thy love,

and set not in any of our limbs

passage to disobeying Thee!

7- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and assign

the whisperings of our hearts,

the movements of our members,

the glances of our eyes,

and the idioms of our tongues,

to that which makes incumbent Thy reward, lest

a good deed slip by us,

through which we might deserve Thy repayment,

or an evil deed remain with us,

by which we might merit Thy punishment!

His Supplication on Noble IVIoral Traits

His Supplication on Noble Moral Traits and Acts Pleasing to God

1-0 God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
cause my faith to reach the most perfect faith,
make my certainty the most excellent certainty,
and take my intention to the best of intentions
and my works to the best of works!

2- O God, complete my intention through Thy gentleness,

rectify my certainty tlirougli wliat is witii Tiiee,

and set rigiit wliat is corrupt in me tlirough Thy power!

3- O God, bless IVIuhammad and his Household,
spare me the concerns

which distract me,

employ me

in that about which Thou wilt ask me tomorrow,

and let me pass my days

in that for which Thou hast created me!

Free me from need,

expand Thy provision toward me,

and tempt me not with ingratitude!

Exalt me

and afflict me not with pride!

Make me worship Thee

and corrupt not my worship with self-admiration!

Let good flow out from my hands upon the people

and efface it not by my making them feel obliged!

Give me the highest moral traits

and preserve me from vainglory!

4- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
raise me not a single degree before the people
without lowering me its like in myself

and bring about no outward exaltation for me

without an inward abasement in myself to the same measure!

5- O God, bless Muhammad and Muhammad's Household,
give me to enjoy

a sound guidance

which I seek not to replace,

a path of truth

from which I swerve not,

and an intention of right conduct

in which I have no doubts!

Let me live as long as my life is a free gift in obeying Thee,

but if my life should become a pasture for Satan,

seize me to Thyself

before Thy hatred overtakes me

or Thy wrath against be becomes firm!

6- O God, deposit in me no quality for which I will be faulted,

unless Thou settest it right,
no flaw for which I will be blamed,
unless Thou makest it beautiful,
no deficient noble trait,
unless Thou completest it!

7- O God, bless Muhammad and Muhammad's Household
and replace for me

the animosity of the people of hatred

with love,

the envy of the people of insolence

with affection,

the suspicion of the people of righteousness

with trust, .... : .,y ..-

the enmity of those close

with friendship,

the disrespect of womb relatives

with devotion,

the abandonment of relatives

with help,

the attachment of flatterers

with love set right,

the rejection of fellows

with generous friendliness,

and the bitterness of the fear of wrongdoers

with the sweetness of security!

8- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
appoint for me

a hand against him who wrongs me,

a tongue against him who disputes with me,

and a victory over him who stubbornly resists me!

Give me

guile against him who schemes against me,

power over him who oppresses me,

refutation of him who reviles me,

and safety from him who threatens me!

Grant me success to

obey him who points me straight

and follow him who guides me right!

9- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and point me straight to

resist him wiio is disiionest toward me

witii good counsel,

repay iilm who separates from me

with gentle devotion,

reward him who deprives me

with free giving,

recompense him who cuts me off

with joining,

oppose him who slanders me

with excellent mention,

give thanks for good,

and shut my eyes to evil!

10- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

adorn me with the adornment of the righteous,

and clothe me in the ornaments of the godfearing, through

spreading justice,

restraining rage,

quenching the flame of hate,

bringing together the people of separation,

correcting discord,

spreading about good behaviour,

covering faults,

mildness of temper,

lowering the wing, beauty of conduct,

gravity of bearing,

agreeableness in comportment,

precedence in reaching excellence,

preferring bounteousness,

refraining from condemnation,

bestowing bounty on the undeserving,

speaking the truth,

though it be painful,

making little of the good in my words and deeds,

though it be much,

and making much of the evil in my words and deeds,

though it be little!

Perfect this for me through

lasting obedience,

holding fast to the community,

and rejecting

the people of innovation

and those who act in accordance with original opinions!

11-0 God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

appoint for me

Thy widest provision in my old age

and Thy strongest strength when I am exhausted,

try me not with

laziness in worship of Thee,

blindness toward Thy path,

undertaking what opposes love for thee,

joining with him who has separated himself from Thee,

and separating from him who has joined himself to Thee!

12- O God, make me

leap to Thee in times of distress,

ask from Thee in needs,

and plead to Thee in misery!

Tempt me not

to seek help from other than Thee

when I am distressed,

to humble myself in asking from someone else

when I am poor,

or to plead with someone less than Thee

when I fear,

for then I would deserve

Thy abandonment,

Thy withholding,

and Thy turning away,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

13- O God, make the wishing, the doubt, and the envy
which Satan throws into my heart

a remembrance of Thy mightiness,

a reflection upon Thy power,

and a devising against Thy enemy!

Make everything he causes to pass over my tongue,

- the indecent or ugly words,

the maligning of good repute,

the false witness,

the speaking ill of an absent man of faith

or the reviling of one present, r'^'fe^t

and all things similar - a speech in praise of Thee,

a pursual of eulogizing Thee,

an excursion in magnifying Thee,

a thanksgiving for Tiny favour,

an acknowledgement of Tiny beneficence,

and an enumeration of Tiny kindnesses!

14- O God, bless IVIuhammad and his Household,
let me not be wronged

while Thou canst repel from me,

let me not do wrong

while Thou art powerful over holding me back,

let me not be misguided

while Thou art able to guide me,

let me not be poor

while with Thee is my plenty,

let me not be insolent

while from Thee comes my wealth!

15- O God, I come to Thy forgiveness,
I go straight to Thy pardon,

I yearn for Thy forbearance,

and I trust in Thy bounty,

but there is nothing with me

to make me warrant Thy forgiveness,

nothing in my works

to make me merit Thy pardon,

and nothing on my behalf

after I judge my soul

but Thy bounty,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and bestow Thy bounty upon me!

16- O God, make my speech be guidance,
inspire me with reverential fear,

give me success in that which is most pure,
and employ me in what is most pleasing to Thee!

17- O God, let me tread the most exemplary path
and make me live and die in Thy creed!

18- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
give me to enjoy moderation,

make me into one of

the people of right behaviour,

the proofs of right conduct,
and the servants of righteousness,
and provide me with
triumph at the place of Return
and safety from the Ambush!

19- O God, take to Thyself from my soul
what will purify it

and leave for my soul that of my soul
that will set it right,
for my soul will perish
unless Thou preservest it!

20- O God, Thou art my stores when I sorrow.
Thou art my recourse when I am deprived,
from Thee I seek aid when troubled

and with Thee is

a substitute for everything gone by,

a correction for everything corrupted,

and a change from everything Thou disapprovest.

So show kindness to me with

well-being before affliction,

wealth before asking,

right conduct before misguidance;

suffice me against the burden of shame toward the servants,

give me security on the Day of Return,

and grant me excellent right guidance!

21- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
repel from me through Thy gentleness,

feed me through Thy favour,

set me right through Thy generosity,

heal me through Thy benefaction,

shade me in Thy shelter,

wrap me in Thy good pleasure,

and give me success to reach

the most guided of affairs when affairs confuse me,

the purest of works when works seem similar,

and the most pleasing to Thee of creeds when creeds conflict!

22- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
crown me with sufficiency,

place in me excellent guardianship.

give me to guide correctly,

tempt me not witii plenty,

grant me excellent ease,

make not my life toil and trouble,

and refuse not my supplication in rejection,

for I make none rival to Thee

and I supplicate none with Thee as equal!

23- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
hold me back from prodigality,

fortify my provision against ruin,
increase my possessions through blessing them,
and set me upon the path of guidance
through piety in what I spend!

24- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
spare me the burden of earning,

and provide for me without reckoning,

lest I be distracted from Thy worship through seeking

and carry the load of earning's ill results!

-?/

25- O God, bestow upon me what I seek
through Thy power

and grant me sanctuary from what I fear
through Thy might!

26- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
save my face through ease,

and demean not my dignity through neediness,

lest I seek provision from those whom Thou hast provided

and asks for bestowal from the worst of Thy creatures!

Then I would be tried

by praising him who gave to me

and afflicted s:?- ..:

with blaming him who held back from me,

while Thou - not they - art patron of giving and holding back.

27- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and provide me with

soundness in worship,
detachment in renunciation,
knowledge put into action,

and abstinence in measure!

28- O God, seal my term with Thy pardon,
verify my expectation in hoping for Thy mercy,
smooth my paths to reach Thy good pleasure,
and make my works good in all my states!

29- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
incite me to remember Thee

in times of heedlessness,

employ me in Thy obedience

in days of disregard,

open a smooth road for me

to Thy love,

and complete for me thereby the good

of this world and the next!

30- O God, and bless Muhammad and his Household
the best Thou hast blessed

any of Thy creatures before him

and wilt bless

any of them after him,

and give to us in this World good,

and in the next world good,

and protect me

through Thy mercy

from the chastisement of the Fire!

His Supplication when Sick

His Supplication when Sick or Visited by Distress or an Affliction

1-0 God, to Thee belongs praise for the good health of my body

which lets me move about,

and to Thee belongs praise,

for the ailments

which Thou causest to arise in my flesh!

2- For I know not, my God, which of the two states deserves more my thanking Thee
and which of the two times is more worthy for my praise of Thee:

3- the time of health,

within which Thou makest me delight

in the agreeable things of Thy provision,

through which Thou givest me the joy to seek

the means to Thy good pleasure and bounty,

and by which Thou strengthenest me

for the acts of obedience

which Thou hast given me success to accomplish;

4- or the time of illness

through which Thou puttest me to the test

and bestowest upon me favours:

lightening of the offenses

that weigh down my back,

purification of the evil deeds

into which I have plunged,

incitement to reach

for repentance,

reminder of the erasure of misdeeds

through ancient favour;

5- and, through all that, what the two writers write for me:
blameless acts,

which no heart had thought,

no tongue had uttered,

and no limb had undertaken,

rather, as Thy bestowal of bounty upon me

and the beneficence of Thy benefaction toward me.

6- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
make me love

what Thou hast approved for me,

make easy for me

what Thou hast sent down upon me,

purify me of the defilement

of what I have sent ahead,

erase the evil

of what I have done beforehand,

let me find the sweetness

of well-being,

let me taste the coolness

of safety.

and appoint for me

a way out from my illness to Thy pardon,
transformation of my infirmity into Tiny forbearance,
escape from my distress to Thy refreshment,
and safety from this hardship in Thy relief!

7- Thou art gratuitously bountiful in beneficence,

ever gracious in kindness,

the Generous, the Giver,

Possessor of majesty and munificence!

In Praise of God

When he (upon him be peace) began to supplicate, he would begin with praise and
laudation of God (Mighty and Majestic is He). He would say:

1- Praise belongs to God, the First, without a first before Him,
the Last, without a last behind Him.

2- Beholders' eyes fall short of seeing Him,
describers' imaginations are not able to depict Him.

3- He originated the creatures through His power with an origination;
He devised them in accordance with His will with a devising.

4- Then He made them walk on the path of His desire.
He sent them out on the way of His love.

They cannot keep back

from that to which He has sent them forward,

nor can they go forward

to that from which He has kept them back.

5- He assigned from His provision to each of their spirits
nourishment known and apportioned.

No decreaser decreases those whom He increases,

no increaser increases those of them whom He decreases.

6- Then for each spirit He strikes a fixed term in life,
for each He sets up a determined end;

he walks toward it through the days of his span.

he overtakes it through the years of his time.

Then, when he takes his final step

and embraces the reckoning of his span,

God seizes him to the abundant reward

or the feared punishment

to which He has called him,

That He may repay those who do evil for what they have done

and repay those who do good with goodness.

7- as justice from Him
(holy are His names,
and manifest His boons).

He shall not be questioned as to what He does,
but they shall be questioned.

8- Praise belongs to God, for, had He withheld from His servants the knowledge to
praise Him

for the uninterrupted kindnesses

with which He has tried them

and the manifest favours

which He has lavished upon them,

they would have moved about in His kindnesses

without praising Him,

and spread themselves out in His provision

without thanking Him.

9- Had such been the case,

they would have left the bounds of humanity

for that of beastliness

and become as He has described in the firm text of His Book:

They are but as the cattle-nay, but they are further astray from the way!.

10- Praise belongs to God, for the true knowledge of Himself He has given to us,
the thanksgiving He has inspired us to offer Him,

the doors to knowing His Lordship He has opened for us,

the sincerity towards Him in professing His Unity

to which He has led us,

and the deviation and doubt in His Command

from which He has turned us aside;

11- a praise through

which we may be given long life

among those of His creatures who praise Him,
and overtake those who have gone ahead
toward His good pleasure and pardon;

12- a praise through which

He will illuminate for us the shadows of the interworld, ease for us the path of the

Resurrection,

and raise up our stations

at the standing places of the Witnesses

on the day when every soul will be repaid

for what it has earned -

they shall not be wronged;

the day a master shall avail nothing a client,

and they shall not be helped;

13- a praise

which will rise up from us to the highest of the 'llliyun in a book inscribed,
witnessed by those brought nigh,

14- a praise whereby

our eyes may be at rest when sight is dazzled,
our faces whitened when skins are blackened,

15- a praise through which

we may be released from God's painful Fire
and enter God's generous neighbourhood.

. ' *■-■-■ -

16- a praise by which

we may jostle the angels brought nigh

and join the prophets, the envoys,

in a House of Permanence that does not remove,

the Place of His Generosity that does not change.

17- Praise belongs to God, who chose for us the good qualities of creation,
granted us the agreeable things of provision,

18- and appointed for us excellence
through domination over all creation;
every one of His creatures submits to us
through His power

and comes to obey us
through His might

19- Praise belongs to God, who locked for us the gate of need
except toward Him.

So how can we praise Him?
When can we thank Him?
Indeed, when?

20- Praise belongs to God, who placed within us the organs of expansion,
assigned for us the agents of contraction,

gave us to enjoy the spirits of life,

fixed within us the limbs of works,

nourished us with the agreeable things of provision,

freed us from need through His bounty,

and gave us possessions through His kindness.

21 - Then He commanded us that He might test our obedience

and prohibited us that He might try our thanksgiving.

So we turned against the path of His commandments

and mounted the backs of His warnings.

Yet He hurried us not to His punishment,

nor hastened us on to His vengeance.

No, He went slowly with us through His mercy,

in generosity,

and awaited our return through His clemency,

in mildness.

22- Praise belongs to God, who showed us the way to repentance,
which we would not have won save through His bounty.

Had we nothing to count as His bounty but this,
His trial of us would have been good,
His beneficence toward us great,
His bounty upon us immense.

23- For such was not His wont in repentance
with those who went before us. : li :
He has lifted up from us

what we have not the strength to bear, charged us only to our capacity

imposed upon us nothing but ease,

and left none of us with an argument or excuse.

24- So the perisher among us is he who perishes in spite of Him
and the felicitous among us he who beseeches Him.

25- And praise belongs to God with all the praises of
His angels closest to Him,

His creatures most noble in His eyes,
and His praisers most pleasing to Him;

26- a praise that may surpass other praises
as our Lord surpasses all His creatures.

27- Then to Him belongs praise, in place of His every favour upon us
and upon all His servants, past and still remaining,

to the number of all things His knowledge encompasses,
and in place of each of His favours,
their number doubling and redoubling always and forever,
to the Day of Resurrection;

28- a praise whose bound has no utmost end, r^i
whose number has no reckoning,

whose limit cannot be reached,
whose period cannot be cut off;

29- a praise which will become

a link to His obedience and pardon,

a tie to His good pleasure,

a means to His forgiveness,

a path to His Garden,

a protector against His vengeance,

a security against His wrath,

an aid to obeying Him,

a barrier against disobeying Him,

a help in fulfilling His right and His duties;

30- A praise that will make us felicitous
among His felicitous friends,

and bring us into the ranks

of those martyred by the swords of His enemies.

He is a Friend, Praiseworthy!

His Supplication in Sorrow

His Supplication when Something Made him Sorrow and Offenses Made him Worry

1- O God, O Sufficer of the isolated and weak
and Protector against terrifying affairs!
Offenses have isolated me,

so there is none to be my companion.

I am too weak for Thy wrath

and there is none to strengthen me.

I have approached the terror of meeting Thee

and there is none to still my fear.

2- Who can make me secure from Thee when Thou hast filled me with terror?
Who can come to my aid

when Thou hast isolated me?

Who can strengthen me

when Thou hast weakened me?

3- None can grant sanctuary to a vassal, my God,
but a lord,

none can give security to one dominated

but a dominator,

none can aid him from whom demands are made

but a demander.

4- In Thy hand, my God, is the thread of all that,
in Thee the place of escape and flight,

so bless Muhammad and his Household,
give sanctuary to me in my flight,
and grant my request!

i5- O God, if Thou shouldst

turn Thy generous face away from me,

withhold from me Thy immense bounty,

forbid me Thy provision,

or cut off from me Thy thread,

I will find no way to anything of my hope

other than Thee

nor be given power over what is with Thee

through another's aid,

for I am Thy servant and in Thy grasp;

my forelock is in Thy hand.

6- 1 have no command along with Thy command.
'Accomplished is Thy judgement of me.

just Thy decree for me!

I have not the strength to emerge from Thy authority

nor am I able to step outside Thy power.

I cannot win Thy inclination,

arrive at Thy good pleasure,

or attain what is with Thee

except through obeying Thee

and through the bounty of Thy mercy.

7- O God, I rise in the morning and enter into evening
as Thy lowly slave.

I own no profit and loss for myself

except through Thee.

I witness to that over myself

and I confess to the frailty of my strength

and the paucity of my stratagems.

So accomplish what Thou hast promised me

and complete for me what Thou hast given me,

for I am Thy slave,

miserable, abased,

frail, distressed, vile,

despised, poor, fearful,

and seeking sanctuary!

8- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and let me not

forget to remember Thee in what Thou hast done for me,

be heedless of Thy beneficence in Thy trying me,

or despair of Thy response to me,

though it keep me waiting,

whether I be in prosperity or adversity,

hardship or ease,

well-being or affliction,

misery or comfort,

wealth or distress,

poverty or riches!

9- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

make me laud Thee, extol Thee, and praise Thee in all my states
so that I rejoice not over what Thou givest me of this world
nor sorrow over that of it which Thou withholdest from me!
Impart reverential fear of Thee to my heart,
employ my body in that which Thou acceptest from me.

and divert my soul through obedience to Thee

from all that enters upon me,

so that I love nothing that displeases Thee

and become displeased at nothing that pleases Thee!

10- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

empty my heart for Thy love,

occupy it with remembering Thee,

animate it with fear of Thee and quaking before Thee,

strengthen it with beseeching Thee,

incline it to Thy obedience,

set it running in the path most beloved to Thee,

and subdue it through desire for what is with Thee

all the days of my life!

11 - Let my provision in this world

be reverential fear of Thee,

my journey

be toward Thy mercy,

and my entrance

be into Thy good pleasure!

Appoint for me a lodging

in Thy Garden,

give me strength to bear

everything that pleases Thee,

make me flee to Thee

and desire what is with Thee,

clothe my heart in estrangement

from the evil among Thy creatures,

and give me intimacy with Thee,

Thy friends,

and those who obey Thee!

12- Assign to no wicked person or unbeliever

a kindness toward me

or a hand that obliges me,

nor to me a need for one of them !

Rather make '"'^^'

the stillness of my heart,

the comfort of my soul,

my independence and my sufficiency

lie in Thee and the best of Thy creatures!

13- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

make me their comrade,

make me their helper,

and oblige me with yearning for Thee

and doing for Thee what Thou lovest and approvest!

Thou art powerful over everything

and that is easy for Thee.

His Supplication in Hardship

His Supplication in Hardship, Effort, and Difficult Affairs

1- O God, Thou hast charged me concerning myself
with that which belongs more to Thee than to me.

Thy power over it and over me is greater than my power,

so give me in myself

what will make Thee pleased with me

and take for Thyself

Thy good pleasure in my self's well-being!

2- O God, I have

no endurance for effort,

no patience in affliction,

no strength to bear poverty.

So forbid me not my provision

and entrust me not to Thy creatures,

but take care of my need alone

and Thyself attend to sufficing me!

3- Look upon me and look after me in all my affairs,
for if Thou entrustest me to myself,

I will be incapable before myself

and fail to undertake that in which my best interest lies.

If Thou entrustest me to Thy creatures,

they will frown upon me, ;.,; ,:

and if Thou makest me resort to my kinsfolk,

they will refuse to give to me;

if they give,

they will give little and in bad temper,

making me feel long obliged

and blaming me much.

4- So through Thy bounty, O God,
free me from need,

through Thy mightiness, '^'^^-^

lift me up,

through Thy boundless plenty,

open my hand,

and with that which is with Thee,

suffice me!

5- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
rid me of envy,

encircle me against sins,

make me abstain from things unlawful,

give me not the boldness of disobedient acts,

assign me love for that which is with Thee

and satisfaction with that which comes to me from Thee,

bless me in

that which Thou providest me,

that which Thou conferrest upon me,

and that through which Thou favourest me,

and make me in all my states

safeguarded, watched,

covered, defended,

given refuge, and granted sanctuary!

6- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and let me accomplish everything which

Thou hast enjoined upon me

or made obligatory for me toward Thee,

in one of the ways of Thy obedience,

or toward one of Thy creatures,

though my body be too frail for that,

my strength too feeble,

my power not able to reach it,

and my possessions and what my hand owns

not encompass it,

and whether I have remembered it or forgotten it.

7- It, my Lord, is among that which Thou hast counted against me
while I have been heedless of it in myself.

Let me perform it

through Thy plentiful giving

and the abundance which is with Thee

- for Thou art Boundless, Generous - so that nothing of

it may remain against me,

lest Thou wouldst wish

to settle accounts for it from my good deeds

or to compound my evil deeds

on the day I meet Thee, my Lord!

8- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and provide me with desire to serve Thee

for the sake of my state in the hereafter,

such that I know the truthfulness of that [desire] in my heart,

be dominated by renunciation while in this world,

do good deeds with yearning,

and remain secure from evil deeds in fright and fear!

And give me a light whereby I may walk among the people,

be guided in the shadows,

and seek illumination in doubt and uncertainty!

9- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and provide me with fear of the threatened gloom
and yearning for the promised reward,

such that I may find

the pleasure of that for which I supplicate Thee

and the sorrow of that from which I seek sanctuary in Thee!

10- O God, Thou knowest what will set my affairs right
in this world and the next,

so be ever gracious toward my needs!

11-0 God, bless Muhammad and Muhammad's Household

and provide me with what is Thy right

when I fall short in thanking Thee

for that through which Thou hast favoured me

in ease and difficulty,

health and sickness,

such that I may come to know in myself

repose in satisfaction

and serenity of soul

in that which Thou hast made incumbent upon me

in whatever states may occur:

fear and security,

satisfaction and displeasure,
loss and gain!

12- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and provide me with a breast safe from envy,
such that I envy none of Thy creatures

and in anything of Thy bounty

and such that I see none of Thy favours

toward any of Thy creatures

in religion or this world,

well-being or reverential fear,

plenty or ease,

without hoping for myself better than it

through and from Thee alone,

who hast no associate!

13- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and provide me in this world and the next

with caution against offenses

and wariness against slips

in the state of satisfaction and wrath,

such that I may

remain indifferent toward that which enters upon me

from the two states,

work toward Thy obedience,

and prefer it and Thy good pleasure over all else

in both friends and enemies.

Then my enemy may stay secure

from my wrongdoing and injustice

and my friend may despair

of my inclination

and the bent of my affection.

14- Make me one of those who supplicate Thee with sincerity in ease
with the supplication of those

who supplicate Thee with sincerity in distress!
Verily Thou art Praiseworthy, Glorious.

His Supplication for Weil-Being ' " "■

His Supplication when he Asked God for Weil-Being and Thanked Him for it

1- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
clothe me in Thy well-being,

wrap me in Thy well-being,

fortify me through Thy well-being,

honour me with Thy well-being,

free me from need through Thy well-being,

donate to me Thy well-being,

bestow upon me Thy well-being,

spread out for me Thy well-being,

set Thy well-being right for me,

and separate me not from Thy well-being

in this world and the next!

2- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and make me well with

a well-being sufficient, healing, sublime, growing,

a well-being that will give birth to well-being in my body,

a well-being in this world and the next!

3- Oblige me through

health, security, and safety in my religion and body,

insight in my heart,

penetration in my affairs,

dread of Thee,

fear of Thee,

strength for the obedience

which Thou hast commanded for me,

and avoidance of the disobedience

which Thou hast prohibited for me!

4- O God, oblige me through
the hajj,

the umra,

and visiting the graves of Thy Messenger

(Thy blessings, mercy, and benedictions upon him

and upon his Household)

and the Household of Thy Messenger

(upon them be peace)

for as long as Thou causest me to live,

in this year of mine and in every year,

and make that accepted, thanked, and mentioned before Thee

and stored away with Thee!

5- Make my tongue utter Thy praise, Thy thanksgiving,
Thy remembrance, and Thy excellent laudation,

and expand my heart

toward the right goals of Thy religion!

6- Give me and my progeny refuge from
the accursed Satan,

the evil of venomous vermin, threatening pests,

swarming crowds, and evil eyes,

the evil of every rebel satan,

the evil of every refractory sovereign,

the evil of everyone living in ease and served,

the evil of everyone weak or strong,

the evil of everyone born high or low,

the evil of everyone small or great,

the evil of everyone near or far,

the evil of everyone, jinn or man,

who declares war on Thy Messenger and his Household,

and the evil of every crawling creature

that Thou hast taken by the forelock!

Surely Thou art on a straight path.

7- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and if someone desires ill for me

turn him away from me,

drive away from me his deception,

avert from me his evil,

send his trickery back to his own throat,

8- and place before him a barricade, so that Thou mayest
blind his eyes toward me,

deafen his ears toward my mention,

lock his heart toward recalling me,

silence his tongue against me,

restrain his head,

abase his exaltation,

break his arrogance, . ....

abase his neck, '-"-^■-

disjoint his pride,

and make me secure from all his injury,

his evil, his slander.

his backbiting, ills faultfinding,

his envy, his enmity,

his snares, his traps,

his foot soldiers, and his cavalry!

Surely Thou art Mighty, Powerful!

His Supplication for his Parents (upon the two of them be peace)

1- O God, bless Muhammad, Thy slave and Thy messenger,
and his Household, the pure,

and single them out for the best of Thy blessings. Thy mercy.
Thy benedictions, and Thy peace!

2- And single out my parents, O God, for honour with Thee and blessings from Thee,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

3- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
teach me through inspiration

knowledge of everything incumbent upon me toward them,

and gather within me

knowledge of all that completely!

Then make me act in accordance

with what Thou hast inspired me

and give me the success to put into practice

the knowledge Thou hast shown to me,

lest I fail to act

according to something Thou hast taught me

or my limbs feel too heavy to perform

that with which Thou hast inspired me!

4- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
as Thou hast ennobled us through him,

and bless Muhammad and his Household,
as Thou hast made incumbent upon us
rights toward the creatures because of him!

5- O God, fill me with awe of my parents,

the awe one has toward a tyrannical sovereign,

and let me be devoted to them,

with the devotion of a compassionate mother!

Make my obedience and devotion to tiiem

more gladdening to my eyes

than sleep to the drowsy

and more refreshing to my breast

than drink to the thirsty,

so that I may prefer their inclination

to my inclination,

set their satisfaction

before my satisfaction, ^^?r;.

make much of their devotion to me

though it be little,

and make little of my devotion to them

though it be great.

6- O God, lower before them my voice,
make agreeable to them my words,
make mild before them my temper,
make tender toward them my heart,
and turn me into their kind companion,
their loving friend!

7- O God, thank them for my upbringing,
reward them for honouring me,

and guard them as they guarded me in my infancy!

8- O God, and whatever harm has touched them from me,
detested thing has reached them from me,

or right of theirs which has been neglected by me,
allow it to alleviate their sins,
raise them in their degrees,
and add to their good deeds!

He who changes evil deeds into manifold good deeds!

9- O God, whatever word through which they have transgressed against me,
act through which they have been immoderate with me,

right of mine which they have left neglected,

or obligation toward me in which they have fallen short,

1 grant it to them

and bestow it upon them,

and I beseech Thee

to remove from them its ill consequence,

for I do not accuse them concerning myself,

find them slow in their devotion toward me.

or dislike tine way tiiey have attended to my affairs, my Lord!

10- They have rights against me which are more incumbent,

precedence in beneficence toward me that is greater,

and kindness toward me that is mightier

than that I should settle accounts with justice

or repay them with equivalents.

Where then, my God, would be their long occupation

with bringing me up?

Where the hardship of their toil

in taking care of me?

Where the stinting of themselves

to provide me with plenty?

11- What an ideal

I can never discharge their right against me,

fulfil my obligations toward them,

or accomplish the duty of serving them.

So bless Muhammad and his Household

and help me, O Best of those whose help we seek!

Give me success, O Most Guiding of those whom we beseech!

Place me not among the people of disrespect to fathers and mothers

on the day when every soul will be repaid ■:. '^ '

for what it has earned,

they shall not be wronged.

12- O God, bless Muhammad, his Household, and his progeny
and single out my parents for the best

which Thou hast singled out

for the fathers and mothers of Thy faithful servants,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

13- O God, let me not forget to remember them after my ritual prayers,
at every time throughout my night,

and in each of the hours of my day!

14- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
forgive me through my supplication for my parents,
forgive them through their devotion toward me
with unfailing forgiveness,

be well pleased with them through my intercession for them
with resolute good pleasure,

and make them reach through Thy generosity
the abodes of safety!

15- O God, if Thy forgiveness reaches them first,

mal^e them my intercessors,

and if Thy forgiveness reaches me first,

mal^e me their intercessors,

so that we may gather together through Thy gentleness

in the house of Thy generosity

and the place of Thy forgiveness and mercy!

Verily Thou art Possessor of abounding bounty

and ancient kindness,

and Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful!

His Supplication for his Children

1- O God, be kind to me through
the survival of my children,
setting them right for me,

and allowing me to enjoy them!

2- My God, make long their lives for me,
increase their terms,

bring up the smallest for me,

strengthen the weakest for me,

rectify for me

their bodies,

their religious dedication,

and their moral traits,

make them well in

their souls,

their limbs,

and everything that concerns me of their affair,

and pour out for me and upon my hand

their provisions!

3- Make them

pious, fearing, insightful, hearing, and obedient

toward Thee,

loving and well-disposed

toward Thy friends,

and stubbornly resistant and full of hate

toward all Thy enemies!

Amen!

4- O God, through them
strengthen my arm,
straighten my burdened back,
multiply my number,

adorn my presence,

keep alive my mention,

suffice me when I am away,

help me in my needs,

and make them

loving toward me,

affectionate, approaching,

upright, obedient,

never disobedient, disrespectful,

opposed, or offenders!

5- Help me in their upbringing,
their education,

and my devotion toward them,

give me among them from Thyself male children,

make that a good for me,

and make them a help for me

in that which I ask from Thee!

6- Give me and my progeny refuge from the accursed Satan,
for Thou hast created us, commanded us, and prohibited us,
and made us

desire the reward of what Thou hast commanded,

and fear its punishment!

Thou assigned to us an enemy

who schemes against us,

gave him an authority over us

in a way that Thou didst not give us authority over him,

allowed him to dwell in our breasts

and let him run in our blood vessels;

he is not heedless,

though we be heedless,

he does not forget,

though we forget;

he makes us feel secure from Thy punishment
and fills us with fear toward other than Thee.

7- If we are about to commit an indecency,
he gives us courage to do so,

and if we are about to perform a righteous work,

he holds us back from it.

He opposes us through passions,

and sets up for us doubts.

If he promises us, he lies,

and if he raises our hopes, he fails to fulfil them.

If Thou dost not turn his trickery away from us,

he will misguide us, ,vv...:.,. . .•>.:■.';-;,•>

and if Thou dost not protect us from his corruption,

he will cause us to slip.

8- O God,

so defeat his authority over us through Thy authority,

such that Thou holdest him back from us

through the frequency of our supplication to Thee

and we leave his trickery

and rise up among those preserved by Thee from sin!

9- O God, grant me my every request,
accomplish for me my needs,
withhold not from me Thy response

when Thou hast made Thyself accountable for it to me,

veil not my supplication from Thyself,

when Thou hast commanded me to make it,

and be kind to me through everything that will set me right

in this world and the next,

in everything that I remember or forget,

display or conceal,

make public or keep secret!

10- In all of this, place me through my asking Thee among
those who set things right,

those who are answered favourably
when they request from Thee
and from whom is not withheld
when they put their trust in Thee,

1 1 - those accustomed to seek refuge in Thee,

those who profit through commerce with Thee,

those granted sanctuary

through Thy might,

those given lawful provision in plenty from Thy boundless bounty

through Thy munificence and generosity,

those who reach exaltation after abasement

through Thee,

those granted sanctuary from wrong

through Thy justice,

those released from affliction

through Thy mercy,

those delivered from need after poverty

through Thy riches,

those preserved from sins, slips, and offenses

through reverential fear toward Thee,

those successful in goodness, right conduct, and propriety

through obeying Thee,

those walled off from sins

through Thy power,

the refrainers from every act of disobedience toward Thee,

the dwellers in Thy neighbourhood!

12- O God, give me all of that through Thy bestowal of success and Thy mercy,
grant us refuge from the chastisement of the burning,

and give to

all the Muslims, male and female,

and all the faithful, male and female,

the like of what I have asked for myself and my children,

in the immediate of this world

and the deferred of the next!

Verily Thou art the Near, the Responder,

the All-hearing, the All-knowing,

the Pardoner, the Forgiving,

the Clement, the Merciful!

13- And give to us in this world good,
and in the next world good,

and protect us from the chastisement of the Fire!

His Supplication for his Neighbours and Friends

His Supplication for his Neighbours and Friends when he Mentioned them.

1- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
and attend to me with Thy best attending

in my neighbours and friends
who recognize our right
and war against our enemies!

2- Give [my neighbours and friends] success in
performing Thy prescriptions

and taking on the beauties of Thy courtesy through

acting gently with their weak,

remedying their lacks,

visiting their sick,

guiding their seeker of right guidance,

giving good counsel to their seeker of advice,

attending to the one among them who returns from travel,

hiding their secrets,

covering over their shameful things,

helping their wronged,

sharing kindly with them in goods,

turning toward them with wealth and bestowal of bounty,

and giving what is due to them before they ask!

3- Let me, O God, repay their evildoer
with good-doing,

turn away from their wrongdoer

with forbearance.

have a good opinion

of every one of them,

attend to all of them

with devotion,

lower my eyes before them

in continence,

make mild my side toward them

in humility,

be tender toward the afflicted among them

in mercy,

make them happy in absence

through affection, '

love that they continue to receive favour

through good will,

grant them

what I grant my next of kin,

and observe for them

what I observe for my special friends!

4- O God, bless IVIuhammad and his Household,

provide me the like of that from them,

appoint for me the fullest share of what is with them,

increase them

in insight toward my right

and knowledge of my excellence

so that they will be fortunate through me

and I fortunate through them!

Amen, Lord of the worlds!

His Supplication for the People of the Frontiers

1-0 God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
fortify the frontiers of the Muslims through Thy might,
support their defenders through Thy strength,
and lavish upon them gifts through Thy wealth!

2- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
increase their number,

hone their weapons,

guard their territory,

defend their midst,

unite their throng,

arrange their affair,

send them supplies in a steady string,

undertake Thyself to suffice them with provisions,

support them with victory,

help them with patience,

and give them subtlety in guile!

3- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

give them the knowledge of that of which they are ignorant,
teach them what they do not know,
and show them what they do not see!

4- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
make them forget when they meet the enemy

to remember this cheating and delusive world of theirs,

erase from their hearts the thought of enchanting possessions,

place the Garden before their eyes,

and display to their sight that part of it

which Thou hast prepared for them

- the homes of everlastingness and mansions of honour,

the beautiful houris,

the rivers gushing forth with all sorts of drinks,

the trees hanging, low with all kinds of fruits -

lest any of them think of turning his back

or suggest to himself to flee his opponent!

5- O God, defeat their enemy through that,
trim their nails from them,

separate them from their weapons,

pull out the firm ties from their hearts,

keep them far away from their stores,

bewilder them in their roads,

turn them astray from their direction,

cut off reinforcements from them,

chop them down in numbers,

fill their hearts with terror,

hold back their hands from stretching forth,

tie back their tongues from speaking,

scatter by them the ones behind them

make them a lesson for those beyond them,

and through their degradation

cut off the hopes of those who come after them!

6- O God, make the wombs of their women barren,
dry up the loins of their men,

cut off the breeding of their mounts and their cattle,
and permit not their sky to rain
or their earth to grow!

7- O God, through that strengthen the prowess of the People of Islam,
fortify their cities,

increase their properties,
give them ease
from their fighting
to worship Thee

and from their warfare

to be alone with Thee,

so that none will be worshipped

in the regions of the earth but Thee

and no forehead of theirs may be rubbed in dust

for less than Thee!

8- O God, send out the Muslims of every region on raids against
the idolaters who face them!

Reinforce them with angels in ranks from Thee,

till the idolaters are routed by them to the end of the land,

slain in Thy earth or taken captive,

or till they admit that Thou art God,

other than whom there is no god,

Thou alone, who hast no associate!

9- O God, include in this Thy enemies in the regions of the lands,
the Indians, the Byzantines, the Turks,

the Khazars, the Abyssinians, the Nubians,
the Zanjis, the Slavs, the Daylamites,
and the rest of the idol-worshipping nations,
those whose names and attributes are concealed,
but whom Thou countest in Thy cognizance
and overseest through Thy power!

10- O God, distract the idolaters from reaching for the borders of the Muslims
through the idolaters,

bar them from cutting them down

through being cut down,

and hold them back from massing together against them

through dissension!

11-0 God, empty their hearts of security

and their bodies of strength,

distract their hearts from thinking of stratagems,

make their limbs too feeble for clashing with men,

make them too cowardly for contending with champions,

send against them a troop of Thy angels

with some of Thy severity

as Thou didst on the Day of Badr,

so that through it Thou mayest

cut off their roots,

harvest their thorns,

and disperse their number!

12- O God, mix tiieir waters with pestilence
and their foods with maladies,

hurl down their cities,

harass them with peltings,

hinder them through drought,

place their supplies in the most ill-omened part of Thy earth

and the farthest from them,

bar them from its fortresses,

and strike them with constant hunger and painful illness!

13- O God, if a warrior from the people of Thy creed
wars against them

or a struggler from the followers of Thy prescriptions

struggles against them

so that Thy religion may be the highest.

Thy party the strongest,

and Thy share the fullest,

cast ease to him,

arrange his affair,

attend to him by granting success,

select for him his companions,

strengthen his back,

lavish upon him livelihood,

give him enjoyment of joyous vitality,

cool for him the heat of yearning,

give him sanctuary from the gloom of loneliness,

make him forget the remembrance of wife and child,

14- pass along to him an excellent intention,
attend to him with well-being,

make safety his companion,

release him from cowardice,

inspire him with boldness,

provide him with strength,

support him with help,

teach him right conduct and the norms of the Sunna,

point him straight in judgement,

remove from him hypocrisy,

purify him from seeking fame,

and make his thinking and remembrance,

his departing and his staying.

be in Thee and for Thee!

15- When he stands in ranks before Thy enemy and his enemy,
make them few in his eye,

diminish their importance in his heart,

give him a turn to prevail over them,

not them a turn to prevail over him!

But if Thou sealest him with felicity

and decreest for him martyrdom,

then let it be after

he has exterminated Thy enemies by slaying,

captivity has afflicted them,

the borders of the Muslims are secure,

and Thy enemy has turned his back in flight!

16- O God, and if a Muslim should

take the place of a warrior or a soldier in his home,

attend to those left behind in his absence,

help him with a portion of his property,

assist him with equipment,

hone him for the struggle,

send along with him a supplication for his purpose,

or guard his honour in his absence,

reward him with the like of his reward

measure for measure,

like for like,

and recompense him for his act with an immediate compensation

through which he will hasten to

the profit of what he has sent forth

and the joy of what he has given,

till the present moment takes him to

the bounty Thou hast granted to him

and the generosity Thou hast prepared for him!

17- O God, and if the affair of Islam
should worry a Muslim

and the alliance of the idolaters' against Islam
should grieve him, '

so that he has the intention to go to war
and is about to enter the struggle,
but frailty keeps him seated,
neediness keeps him waiting,
a mishap delays him.

-?/

or an obstruction prevents him from liis wisli,

write liis name

among tine worshipers,

mal<e incumbent for him

the reward of the strugglers,

and place him among the ranks

of the martyrs and the righteous!

18- O God, bless IVIuhammad, Thy slave and Thy messenger,

and the Household of Muhammad,

with a blessing high above all other blessings,

towering beyond all other salutations,

a blessing whose end is never reached

and whose number is never cut off,

like the most perfect of Thy blessings that has passed

to any one of Thy friends!

Thou art All-kind, Praiseworthy,

the Originator who takes back again,

Accomplisher of what Thou desirest.

His Supplication in Fleeing to God

1- O God, I showed sincerity by cutting myself off from everything but Thee.

2- 1 approached Thee with my whole self.

3- 1 averted my face from everyone who needs Thy support.

4- 1 ceased to ask from any who cannot do without Thy bounty.

5- 1 saw that the needy who seeks from the needy

is foolish in his opinion,

and misguided in his intellect.

6- How many people have I seen, my God, who sought exaltation through other than

Thee

and were abased,

who wanted wealth from someone else

and became poor,

who tried to rise high

and fell down low!

7- Observing the likes of them
corrects a prudent man;

his taking heed '■^^^-^

gives him success;
his choosing the best
guides him to the path of right.

8- So Thou, my Master, art the object of my asking
to the exclusion of all those who are asked

and the patron of my need

to the exclusion of all those from whom requests are made.

9- Thou art singled out for my call before all who are called;
none is associated with Thee in my hope,

none comes along with Thee in my supplication,
nor does any join with Thee within it,
for to Thee is my appeal.

10- To Thee, my God, belongs the Unity of number,
the property of eternal power,

the excellence of force and strength,
the degree of sublimity and elevation.

1 1 - Everyone other than Thee is the object of compassion in his lifetime,

overcome in his affair, '■''-<'-^. ';:-^.^'%''''\-'

overwhelmed in his situation,

diverse in states,

constantly changing in attributes.

12- So Thou art high exalted above likenesses and opposites,

proudly magnified

beyond similitudes and rivals!

Glory be to Thee!

There is no God but Thou.

His Supplication when his Provision was Stinted

1- O God, Thou hast tried us with

distrust in our provisions
and tine expectation of long lives,
until we begged for provisions
from those who are provided
and craved in our expectations
the life-spans of the long-lived!

2- So bless IVIuhammad and his Household, give us a true certainty
that will suffice us the burden of seeking,

and inspire us with a sincere trust

that will release us from the hardship of exertion!

3- Let Thy clear promise in Thy Revelation

which Thou hast followed in Thy Book with Thy oath

cut off our worry

about the provision for which

Thou hast made Thyself responsible

and sever our occupation

with everything

whose sufficiency Thou hast guaranteed!

4- For Thou hast said - and Thy word is the most truthful truth -
and Thou hast sworn

- and Thy oath is the most kept and fulfilled -

In the heaven are your provision and everything you are promised!

5- And then Thou hast said. So by the Lord of heaven and earth,
it is as surely true as that you have speech!

His Supplication for Help in Repaying Debts

1- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household

and release me from a debt

which makes me lose face,

confuses my mind,

disrupts my thinking, ."o:.; :;/

and prolongs my occupation" with attending to it!

2- 1 seek refuge in Thee, my Lord, from worry and thought about debt,
from the distraction and sleeplessness of debt;

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and give me refuge from it!

I seek sanctuary in Thee, my Lord, from

debt's abasement in life

and its ill effects after death,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and give me sanctuary from it through

a bountiful plenty

or a continually arriving sufficiency!

3- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
prevent me from extravagance and excess,

put me on the course of generous spending and moderation,

teach me excellent distribution,

hold me back through Thy gentleness from squandering,

allow me to attain my provisions through lawful means,

direct my spending toward the gateways of devotion,

and take away from me any possession

which will bring forth pride in me,

lead to insolence,

or drag me in its heels to rebellion!

4- O God, make me love the companionship of the poor
and help me be their companion with excellent patience!

5- Whenever Thou takest away from me
the goods of this perishing world,

store them for me in Thy abiding treasuries!

6- Make this world's broken pieces
which Thou hast conferred upon me
and its goods

which Thou hast quickly granted to me

a way to reach Thy neighbourhood,

a link to Thy nearness,

and a means to Thy Garden!

Verily Thou art Possessor of bounty abounding,

and Thou art the Munificent, the Generous.

His Supplication in Repentance

His Supplication in Mentioning and Asking for Repentance

1- O God, O He whom the depiction of the describers
fails to describe!

2- O He beyond whom passes not
the hope of the hopers!

3- O He with whom is not lost
the wage of the good-doers!

4- O He who is the ultimate object
of the fear of the worshipers!

5- O He who is the utmost limit
of the dread of the godfearing!

6- This is the station of him

whom sins have passed from hand to hand.

Offenses' reins have led him on,

and Satan has gained mastery over him.

He fell short of what Thou hast commanded

through neglect

and he pursued what Thou hast prohibited

in delusion,

7- like one ignorant of Thy power over him

or one who denies the bounty of Thy beneficence toward him,

until, when the eye of guidance was opened for him

and the clouds of blindness were dispelled,

he reckoned that through which he had wronged himself

and reflected upon that in which he had opposed his Lord.

He saw his vast disobedience as vast

and his great opposition as great.

8- So turned to Thee, hoping in Thee
and ashamed before Thee,

and he directed his beseeching toward Thee,

having trust in Thee.

He repaired to Thee in his longing

with certitude

and he went straight to Thee in fear

with sincerity.

His longing was devoid of every object of longing but Thee,

and his fright departed from every object of fear but Thee.

~~'^ " . ~" ■
■'';-->--:^ >

9- So he stood before Thee pleading, his eyes turned toward the ground in
humbleness,

his head bowed before Thy might in lowliness;

he revealed to Thee in meekness

those secrets of his which Thou knowest better than he;

he numbered for Thee in humility

those sins of his which Thou countest better than he;

he sought help from Thee

before the dreadful into which he has fallen

in Thy knowledge

and the ugly which has disgraced him

in Thy judgement:

the sins

whose pleasures have turned their backs

and gone

and whose evil consequences have stayed

and stuck fast.

1 0- He will not deny Thy justice, my God, if Thou punishest him,
nor will he consider Thy pardon great

if Thou pardonest him and hast mercy upon him,

for Thou art the Generous Lord

for whom the forgiveness of great sins

is nothing great!

11-0 God, so here I am:

I have come to Thee

obeying Thy command

(for Thou hast commanded supplication)

and asking the fulfilment of Thy promise,

(for Thou hast promised to respond)

Thou hast said.

Supplicate Me and I will respond to you.

12- O God, so bless Muhammad and his Household,

meet me with Thy forgiveness

just as I have met Thee with my confession,

lift me up from the fatal infirmities of sins

just as I have let myself down before Thee,

and cover me with Thy covering

just as Thou hast shown no haste to take vengeance on me!

13- O God, make firm my intention to obey Thee,
strengthen my insight in worshipping Thee,

give me the success of works

which will wash away the defilement of offenses,

and take me when Thou takest me

in the creed of Thy prophet Muhammad

(upon him be peace).

14- O God, I repent to Thee in this my station from
my sins,

great and small,

my evil deeds,

inward and outward,

my lapses,

past and recent,

with the repentance of one who does not

tell himself that he might disobey

or secretly think that he might return to an offense.

15- Thou hast said, my God, in the firm text of Thy Book,
that Thou acceptest repentance from Thy servants,
pardonest evil deeds, 7>-:' ?.

and lovest the repenters,

so accept my repentance

as Thou hast promised,

pardon my evil deeds

as thou hast guaranteed,

and make obligatory toward me Thy love

as Thou hast stipulated!

16- To thee, my Lord, belongs my stipulation
that I will not return

to what is disliked by Thee,

my guarantee

that I will not go back

to what Thou blamest,

and my covenant

that I will stay away

from acts of disobedience to Thee.

17- O God, Thou knowest better what Ihave done,
so forgive me what Thou knowest

and turn me through Thy power to what Thou lovest!

18- O God, counted against me are
claims that stay in my memory
and claims that I have forgotten,
while all of them remain in

Thy eye that does not sleep

and Thy knowledge that does not forget!

So compensate their owners,

lighten their load upon me,

lift up their weight from me,

and preserve me from approaching their like!

19- O God, but I can not be faithful to my repentance
without Thy preservation,

nor can I refrain from offenses

without Thy strength.

So strengthen me with a sufficient strength

and attend to me with a defending preservation!

20- O God, if any servant repents to Thee,
while in Thy knowledge of the Unseen he
will break his repentance

and return to his sin and offense,

I seek refuge in Thee lest I be like that!

So make this my repentance

a repentance

after which I will need no repentance

and a repentance

which will obligate the erasing of what has gone by

and safety in what remains!

21 - O God, I ask pardon from Thee for my ignorance,

and I ask Thee to disregard my evil acts!

So join me to the shelter of Thy mercy

through graciousness

and cover me with the covering of Thy well-being

through bounteousness!

22- O God, I repent to Thee from everything opposed to Thy wil

or far from Thy love

- the thoughts of my heart,

the glances of my eye,

the tales of my tongue -

with a repentance through which each bodily part will by itself

stay safe from ill consequences with Thee

and remain secure from Thy painful penalties

feared by transgressors!

23- O God, so have mercy on
my being alone before Thee,

the pounding of my heart in dread of Thee,

the trembling of my limbs in awe of Thee!

My sins, my God, have stood me in the station

of degradation in Thy courtyard.

If I remain silent,

none will speak for me;

if I seek an intercessor,

I am not worthy for intercession.

24- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,
make Thy generosity intercede for my offenses,
follow up my evil deeds with Thy pardon,

repay me not with the punishment that is my proper repayment,

spread over me Thy graciousness,

wrap me in Thy covering,

and do with me what is done

by a mighty man,

when a lowly slave pleads to him

and he shows him mercy,

or a rich man,

when a poor slave submits himself

and he raises him to wealth!

25- O God, I have no protector against Thee,
so let Thy might be my protector!

I have no intercessor with Thee,
so let Thy bounty be my intercessor!
My offenses have set me quaking,
so let Thy pardon give me security!

26- Not all that I have said rises up from
my ignorance of my evil footsteps

or forgetfulness of my blameworthy acts in the past,

but in order that Thy heaven and those within it

and Thy earth and those upon it

may hear the remorse which I have professed to Thee

and the repentance through which I have sought asylum with Thee.

27- Then perhaps one of them, through Thy mercy,
may show mercy upon my evil situation

or be seized by tenderness for my evil state.

There may come from him for my sake

a supplication to which Thou givest ear

more than to my supplication

or an intercession surer with Thee

than my intercession

through which I may be delivered from Thy wrath

and attain to Thy good pleasure!

28- O God, if remorse is a repentance toward Thee,
then I am the most remorseful of the remorseful!

If refraining from disobedience is a turning back to Thee,

then I am the first of those who turn back!

If praying for forgiveness alleviates sins,

surely I am one of those who pray for Thy forgiveness!

29- O God, as Thou hast commanded repentance
and guaranteed acceptance,

as Thou hast urged supplication,

and promised to respond,

so also bless Muhammad and his Household,

accept my repentance,

and return me not to the returning place

of disappointment in Thy mercy!

Surely Thou art Ever-turning toward the sinners.

All-compassionate toward the offenders who turn back!

30- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
just as Thou hast guided us by him!

Bless Muhammad and his Household
just as Thou hast rescued us through him!
Bless Muhammad and his Household,
with a blessing that will intercede for us
on the Day of Resurrection,
the day of neediness toward Thee!

Thou art powerful over everything,
and that is easy for Thee!

His Supplication in the Night Prayer

His Supplication for himself in Confessing Sins after Finishing the Night Prayer

1- O God, O Possessor of
kingdom perpetual in everlastingness,

'•/- • _ --.■_.
V- ■>••:■""/

2- authority invincible without armies or helpers,

3- might abiding through aeons past,
years gone by,

times and days elapsed!

4- Thy authority is mighty

with a might that knows no bound by being first
nor utmost end by being last!

5- Thy kingdom towers high with a towering

before which all things fall down without reaching its term;

6- the least of it which Thou hast kept to Thyself is not reached
by the furthest description of the describers!

7- Attributes go astray in Thee,
descriptions fall apart below Thee,

the subtlest of imaginations are bewildered
by Thy magnificence!

§- So art Thou:

God, the First in Thy firstness,
and so art Thou everlastingly.
Thou dost not pass away.

9- But I am the slave,
feeble in works,
immense in hopes.

The tying links are outside my liand,

except wiiat is tied by Tiny mercy;

tine bonds of iiopes liave been cut away from me,

except tine pardon to wiiicli I lioid fast.

1 0- Little on my part is

the obedience toward Thee upon which I count,

and great against me

the disobedience toward Thee to which I have reverted.

But pardoning Thy slave will not constrain Thee,

even if he be bad,

so pardon me!

11-0 God,

Thy knowledge watches over hidden works, -;o. ;.
every covered thing is exposed before Thy awareness,
the intricacies of things are not concealed from Thee,
and unseen mysteries slip not away from Thee.

12- But over me Thy enemy has gained mastery:
He asked a delay from Thee to lead me astray,
and Thou gavest him the delay!

He asked a respite from Thee until the Day of Doom to misguide me,
and Thou gavest him the respite!

13- So he threw me down,
though I had fled to Thee from
small, ruinous sins

and great, deadly works,

until, when I had yielded to disobeying Thee

and merited Thy anger through my bad efforts,

he turned the bridle of his treachery away from me,

met me with the word of his ingratitude,

undertook to be quit of me,

turned his back to flee from me,

threw me to the desert of Thy wrath alone,

and sent me as an outcast

into the courtyard of Thy vengeance.

14- There is no intercessor to intercede for me with Thee,
no protector to make me feel secure against Thee,

no fortress to veil me from Thee,

no shelter in which to seel< asylum apart from Thee!

15- This is the station of him who takes refuge with Thee,
the place of the confessor to Thee:

Let not Thy bounty be too narrow for me,

let not Thy pardon fall short of me!

Let me not be the most disappointed

of Thy repentant servants,

nor the most despairing

of those who come to Thee with expectations!

Forgive me,

surely Thou art the best of the forgivers!

16- O God, Thou commanded me,
and I refrained.

Thou prohibited me,

and I committed.

evil thoughts tempted me to offend,

and I was negligent.

17- 1 cannot call upon daytime to witness my fasting,

nor can I seek sanctuary in night because of my vigil;

no Sunna praises me for keeping it alive,

only Thy obligations,

he who neglects which has perished.

1 8- 1 cannot seek access to Thee

through the excellence of a supererogatory work,

given the many duties of Thy obligations

of which I have been heedless

and the stations of Thy bounds which I have transgressed,

thereby violating sacred things and committing great sins,

though Thou hast given me safety from their disgraces as a covering.

19- This is the station of him who is

ashamed of himself before Thee,

angry with himself,

and satisfied with Thee.

He meets Thee

with a humble soul,

a neck bent down,

a back heavy with offenses,

hesitating between longing for Thee and fear of Thee.

20- Thou art the most worthy of those in whom he might hope,

the most deserving for him to dread and fear.

So give me, my Lord, what I hope for,

mal^e me secure against what frightens me,

and act kindly toward me with the kindly act of mercy!

Surely Thou art the most generous

of those from whom are asked!

21 - O God, since Thou hast covered me with Thy pardon

and shielded me with Thy bounty

in the abode of annihilation and the presence of equals,

grant me sanctuary from the disgraces of the Abode of Subsistence

at the standing places of the Witnesses

(the angels brought nigh,

the messengers honoured,

the martyrs, the righteous)

before the neighbour

from whom I have hidden my evil deeds

and the womb relative

before whom I feel ashamed in my secret thoughts!

22- 1 trust them not, my Lord,

to cover me over,

but I trust Thee, my Lord,

to forgive me!

Thou art the most worthy of those in whom confidence is had,

the most giving of those who are besought,

and the most clement of those from whom mercy is asked.

So have mercy upon me!

23- O God, Thou caused me to descend as mean water

from loins of narrow bones and tight passages

into a constricted womb

which Thou hadst covered with veils;

Thou turned me about from state to state

until Thou tookest me to the completion of the form

and fixed within me the bodily parts,

as Thou hast described in Thy Book:

a drop, :::' ;:^.-

then a clot,

then a tissue,

then bones,

then Thou garmented the bones with flesh,
then Thou produced me as another creature
as Thou willed.

24- Then, when I needed Thy provision,

and could not do without the aid of Thy bounty,
Thou appointed for me a nourishment
from the bounty of the food and drink
which Thou bestowed upon Thy handmaid
in whose belly Thou gavest me to rest
and in the lodging of whose womb
Thou deposited me.

25- Hadst Thou entrusted me in those states, my Lord,
to my own force ,- ... y.^,-^ . ;, ,-,. .... . - .-.

or driven me to have "recourse to my own strength,
force would have been removed from me
and strength taken far away.

26- So Thou hast fed me through Thy bounty with the food of the Good, the Gentle;
Thou hast done that for me in graciousness toward me

up to this my present point.

I do not lack Thy goodness,

nor does Thy benefaction keep me waiting.

Yet with all that,

my trust has not become firm enough

that I might free myself

for that which is more favoured by Thee.

27- Satan has taken possession of my reins through my distrust and frail certainty.
I complain of his evil neighbourhood with me

and my soul's obedience toward him!

I ask Thee to preserve me against his domination,

and I plead with Thee to turn his trickery away from me!

28- 1 ask Thee to make the path to my provision easy,

since to Thee belongs praise for

Thy beginning with immense favours

and Thy inspiring gratitude

for beneficence and bestowing favour!

Bless Muhammad and his Household,

and make the way to my provision easy for me!

[I ask Tiiee] to make me content

witii Thy ordainment for me,

to make me satisfied with my lot

in that which Thou hast apportioned for me

and to place what has gone of my body and my life-span

into the path of Thy obedience!

Surely Thou art the Best of providers!

29- O God, I seek refuge in Thee from the Fire
through which Thou art harsh

toward him who disobeys Thee

and by which Thou hast threatened

him who turns away from Thy good pleasure;

from the Fire

whose light is darkness,

whose ease is pain,

and whose far is near;

from the Fire

parts of which devour parts

and parts of which leap upon parts;

30- from the Fire which
leaves bones decayed

and lets its people drink boiling water;

from the Fire which

'does not spare him who pleads to it,

has no mercy on him who seeks sympathy from it,

and has no power to relieve him

who humbles himself before it

and yields himself to it;

it meets its inhabitants with the hottest that it possesses:

painful punishment and intense noxiousness.

31 - 1 seek refuge in Thee from

its gaping-jawed scorpions,

its scraping-toothed serpents,

and its drinks, which

tear apart the intestines and hearts of its inhabitants

and root out their marrows.

I ask guidance from Thee

to that which will keep far from it

and make it retreat!

32- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

grant me sanctuary from it through the bounty of Thy mercy,
release me from my stumbles through Thy good releasing,
and abandon me not,
O Best of the sanctuary-granters!

33- O God, Thou protectest from the disliked,
givest the good,

dost what Thou wilt,

and Thou art powerful over everything.

34- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household
when the pious are mentioned

and bless Muhammad and his Household

as long as night and day come and go

with a blessing

whose replenishment is never cut off

and whose number cannot be counted,

a blessing

that will fill up the air

and crowd the earth and the heaven!

35- God bless him
until he is well pleased

and God bless him and his Household

after good pleasure

with a blessing that has neither bound

nor utmost limit!

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

^^ 3^^?^??^ 'yy^:-rr^S^^ 3^^^-^v^ '^y^:^^^'^!'^ '^■-^^^S:'^^ '^^:V^S^ 'yy^:^'^S^ "T^V.^^^??^ '^^."^"^S^

FOREWORD

THE present volume contains the supplications transmitted from one of the most venerated
religious authorities of early Islam, " Ali b. al-Husayn b. " Ali b. Abi Talib, better known as
Zayn al-'Abidin ("the ornament of the worshipers'). His grandfather, "Ali b. Abi Talib, the
Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, was adopted by the Prophet in his childhood, and grew up
under the personal care and guardianship of the recipient of the divine Revelation, the
Founder of Islam. His grandmother, Fatima, was not only the most beloved daughter of the
Prophet, but also a partner in her father's mission. His father, al-Husayn, and his uncle, al-
Hasan, the only grandsons that the Prophet had, were brought up by the Prophet, who
showered his deepest love and affection upon them. Thus Zayn al-'Abidin derived his
religious and spiritual authority and his divine knowledge in the closest and most intimate
way through his father and grandfather from the Founder of Islam, the Apostle of God.

Zayn al-'Abidin was held in special regard not only by the adherents of the Household of the
Prophet, who considered him their fourth Imam and the only religious authority of his time,
but also by the learned circles of the Muslims in general. His period in Medina was that of a
growing interest in the Traditions of the Prophet, especially those which dealt with legal
matters. It was the time of the "seven lawyers of Medina', who were engaged in collecting
these Traditions and formulating legal opinions. Among the Medinan scholars, we find that
Zayn al-'Abidin was considered to be an eminent traditionist. The famous Medinese lawyer of
this period Sa'id b. al-Musayyab, regarded the Imam with the highest esteem. Another great
jurist and traditionist of the period, al-Zuhri though he was attached to the court of the
Umayyads, was also a great friend and admirer of the Imam. His honourific, Zayn al-'Abidin
(the Ornament of the Worshipers), which refers to his devotion to prayer, was given him by al-
Zuhri. Thus, from the overwhelming number of reports recorded by both Shi'a and Sunni
authorities, it would seem that Zayn al-'Abidin was widely respected by the community in
general for his extraordinary qualities, such as the long duration of his prayer, his piety, his

-_.. Ti -■ _- -,V -V- ■ -

forebearance, his learning, and his generosity. "'\ :^">; " '"■^:v

Perhaps the most eloquent testimony to his exalted position is the famous ode composed in
his praise by Farazdaq, an eminent poet of his time. In it, Farazdaq refers to the occasion
when the Caliph Hisham b. 'Abd al-Malik was overshadowed by the respect which the people
showed towards the great-grandson of the Prophet. It was at the time of the hajj when both of
them were trying to reach through the crowds around the Ka'ba to get to the Black Stone. The
people gave way to Zayn al-'Abidin while the Caliph struggled desperately. This deeply
offended the Caliph, and, in a sarcastic tone, he enquired who the person had been to whom
the people had shown such preference. Farazdaq, who was present at the scene, thereupon
composed an ode and recited it, addressing himself to Hisham. It is worth quoting a few lines
from this ode, a masterpiece not only of Farazdaq's output but of Arabic literature in general.

It is someone whose footsteps are known by every place,
And it is he who is known to the bayt in Mecca,
the most frequented sanctuary;
It is he who is the son of the best of all men of God (i.e. the Prophet (s)),
and it is he who is the most pious and devout,
the purest and most unstained,

the chastest and most righteous,
a symbol [for Islam]
This is 'Ali [b. al-Husayn] whose parent is the Prophet,

This is the son of Fatima, if you do not know who he is;
Whosoever recognizes his God knows also

the primacy and superiority of this man.
Because the religion has reached the nations

through his House.

It was this "Ali b. al-Husayn, the Zayn al-'Abidin of Islam, who, as well as through other
means, taught the Muslims the essence of Islamic spirituality through his supplications. They
are not, however, merely supplications; they embody comforting answers to many questions
with which the man of his time and the man of our time are confronted. They deal with the
crises through which any Muslim or the follower of any religious persuasion has to pass,
which result from a variety of stresses and strains, and which arise from sources both inward
and outward.

I do not wish to discuss here the authenticity, validity, textual history, or even the literary
beauty of these supplications, as these points have all been dealt with by the translator in his
comprehensive introduction. Indeed, there is no space in a foreword such as this in which to
conduct such a discussion. Instead, I should like to say a word about the relevance of these
supplications to modern readers, irrespective of their race or religion, or of whether they are
from the east or from the west. The author, as has been pointed out, was a man of purity and
piety, sincerity and trustworthiness, who was committed to God and the cause of a suffering
humanity. He had a bond of pain with the men of his time, as also with those who came after
him. So let me start by asking the following question: Do these supplications, composed and
taught in the seventh century, have any relevance for those who live in the twentieth century,
or indeed those who are yet to be born? To answer this we have to ask a number of other
questions. Is man to be regarded only in biological terms as the most cunning of animals? Is
he to be seen as an economic beast controlled by the laws of supply and demand and class
conflict? Is he to be regarded as a political animal, with a crude and excessive politicism
occupying the centre of his mind, displacing all knowledge, religion, and wisdom? Or does he
have a spiritual element which requires him to subordinate the temporal and the merely
expedient to the Eternal and the True? Are human beings to be understood in terms of
biology, politics, or economics, or are we to take into account their sublime nature, the spirit
of God infused in them, and the ultimate ideal which they should endeavour to realize?

The essence of every epoch, age, or civilization, whether ancient, medieval, or modern, lies
not in any biological unity of race, material achievement, or political order, but in the values
that create and sustain that epoch, age, or civilization. Our achievements in perfecting the
material aspects of life has led us to exploit matter instead of informing, humanizing, and
spiritualizing it. Our social life has given us the means, but has denied us the ends. A terrible
blindness has afflicted the people of our civilization. The exclusion of the element of
spirituality from humanity is the primary cause of the supremacy of matter, which has become
so burdensome and oppressive. The defeat of the human by the material is thus the central
weakness of the man of today.

Religion is rooted in a sense of wonderment at the eternal mystery of life itself. We feel a
sense of awe and amazement at the mystery of the universe (ghayba), and move in an endless
quest for answers to the perennial riddle with an eager longing to discover the truth of
everything, the truth which is universal and absolute in the sense that it is valid for all men in
all places and at all times. The experience of the mysterious is the fundamental quality
underlying all religions. We must, however, make a clear distinction between religion as a
personal concern, as man's encounter with the divine, and religion as a part of history, as a
social phenomenon, and as the commitment to a group. Religion at the personal level is a
commitment to a belief in the conservation of values and is based on the discovery of the
essential worth and dignity of the individual and his relation to a higher world of reality. Thus
the crisis comes at a personal level when the forces of evil, hatred, injustice, tyranny, betrayal,
and falsehood prevail over love, justice, mercy, loyalty, goodness, and truth.

The supplications of the Imam Zayn al-'Abidin must be read against this background of man's
crisis at the personal and individual level. Seen from this angle, they address themselves, in
their essence, to the inner problems of the men of every epoch and age, every region and race,
every persuasion and religion. Here was a person, an individual, confronted with hostile
forces arising from both within and without, realizing his own limits, crying in the intense
passion of devotional prayer, seeking communion with God, and entrusting the secrets of his
innermost life to Him. Here was a person who found himself caught up in the din and clamour
of life, in the clash of emotions and interests, in the stress and strain of immediate impulses,
in the tensions and calamities of existence, and, above all, in the search for spiritual
satisfaction, a man who was lonely and helpless, who stood before his Creator in direct
communion, and called Him from the very depths of his heart.

Before closing this foreword, something must be said about the translation of something
which is untranslatable. Among all the varieties of Arabic literature, supplications, especially
those of the Imam Zayn al-'Abidin, are perhaps the most difficult to translate into an alien
tongue. Dr. Chittick must be congratulated on his courage and vision, and on his grasp of the
inner meanings of such an emotionally charged and subtle Arabic text. He has admirably
rendered into English not only the meaning but also the feelings enshrined in these
spontaneous utterances of the heart. The Muhammadi Trust of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland is also to be thanked for presenting this beautiful treasure of Islamic spirituality.

Syed Husain M. Jafri

Karachi

17 January 1988

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Endnotes

1. Sayyid Najm al-Din is not known other than in this text, but the commentators point out
that this has no negative effect on the chain since the text is mutawatir and of unquestioned
authority. This is a chain of permission and not of transmission; in other words, the text itself
has reached us by many different routes, but permission to teach the present text in this exact
form was handed down by the figures being mentioned. The reason this particular chain is
mentioned was suggested in the introduction. I would add that it is inconceivable that this
chain is a deliberate forgery, since no forger can have been so incompetent. Of the twelve
figures mentioned (at the beginning and in the second chain toward the end of the preface),
five are unknown, four cannot be identified with certainty, and one is known to have been
unreliable.

2. There is some confusion as to the identity of the 'us' at the beginning of this chain, because
it might be either of two scholars who figure in the various chains of transmission of the
Sahifa. Shaykh-i Baha'i, one of the many authors of commentaries on the Sahifa, maintains
that 'us' refers to 'Ali ibn al-Sukun (i.e., Abu l-Hasan 'Mi ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn 'All
ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Sukun al-Hilli, (d. c. 606/1209). In his glosses on the
Sahifa, Mir Damad writes that it is 'Amid al-Ru'asa' Hibat Allah ibn Hamid ibn Ahmad ibn Ayyub
al-Hilli (d. 610/1213-14). To prove his point he quotes from the manuscript of al-Shahid al-
Awwal, who had collated his copy with that of Ibn al-Sukun, on which 'Amid al-Ru'asa' had
made certain annotations in the year 603/1206. Cf. Aqa Buzurg, al-Dhari'a, s.v. Al-Sahifat al-
Sajjadiyya.

3. He was the son-in-law of Shaykh al-Ta'ifa Abu Ja'far al-Tusi (d. 460/1067-8) and an official
at the shrine of 'All in Najaf.

4. Sayyid "Alikhan writes that al-'Ukbari does not seem to be mentioned in the books of Shi'ite
biographies, but al-Sam'ani mentions him in al-Ansab (adding ibn al-Husayn to his name after
ibn Ahmad) and gives his date of death as 472/1079-80.

5. Sayyid '"Alikhan quotes four sources on Abu l-Mufaddal as a muhaddith, all of which
question his reliability: Najashi, Shaykh al-Ta'ifa al-Tusi, Ibn al-Ghada'iri, and Ibn Dawud.

6. Najashi praises his reliability and mentions a number of works by him. He died in 308/921 at
the age of more than ninety (Sayyid '"Alikhan).

7. According to Sayyid '"Alikhan, nothing is known about him. In his notes on his Persian
translation, Sha'rani suggests that here some of the authorities originally mentioned in the text
may have been dropped, since only three figures are mentioned over a period of 251 years.

8. Najashi mentions an Ali ibn al-Nu'man al-A'lam al-Nakhai who was a companion of the
eighth Imam, Ridha (d. 203/818).

9. Neither 'Umayr ibn Mutawakkil nor his father Mutawal<l<il ibn Harun are known. However
both Najashi and Shaykh al-Tusi speak of al-|V|utawakkil ibn 'Umayr ibn al-Mutawakkil as the
transmitter of the Sahifa from Yahya ibn Zayd, and they provide a chain of authority leading
from him to themselves different from that in the present text. As Sha'rani points out (Sahifa,
p. 5), given their early dates and their agreement, the name they provide is to be preferred
over the Present text.

10. This would have been in the year 122/740. As explained in the introduction, after the
death of Zayn al-Abidin's son and successor, Muhammad al-Baqir, his son Zayd revolted
against the Umayyad authorities and was killed. According to the account being related here,
iviutawakkil ibn Harun (or more properly, iviutawakkil ibn 'Umayr) met Zayd's son Yahya shortly
before he was killed while continuing his father's revolt

11. 13:39. According to Sayyid "Alikhan, by quoting this verse, Yahya is suggesting that even if
this is the divine command known to al-Sadiq, God may change it. This is the Shi'ite doctrine of
bad'a, according to which God may appear to change His decree for His creatures. I mam J a'far
himself quotes this verse to prove the possibility of bad'a.

12. As noted in the introduction, the use here of the expression Al-Sahifat al-kamila suggests
that the Sahifa was called by this term from earliest times. In explaining the expression, Sayyid
'"Alikhan quotes a passage employing it from Ma'alim al-ulama of Ibn Shahrashub (d.
588/1192).

13. In notes to his Persian translation, Sha'rani tells us that the term meant a scroll wound
around an iron rod, on the ends of which were placed iron locks, often sealed with wax.

14. Muhammad is better known as al-Nafs al-Zakiyya. He was designated as the Mahdi by his
father and many swore allegiance to him, including al-Mansur, who later became the first
Abbasid caliph. Muhammad and Ibrahim revolted with a good deal of popular support when
the Abbasids tried to make them accept their authority. Muhammad, who was supported by
the people of Medina, was killed in a fierce battle in 145/762, and Ibrahim, who was supported
by the Zaydite and Mu'tazilite circles of Kufa and Basra, was killed a few months later. Cf.
Ja'fari, The Origins and Early Development, pp. 269-71, .275-6.

15. Isma'il was the eldest son of Imam J a'far and his designated successor. However, he died
before his father, who then appointed his second son Musa as the Imam after himself. The
Isma'ilis follow Isma'il as Imam rather than Musa maintaining that the former's appointment
was valid and that the imamate remained in his family.

16. 4:58.

17. An oft-repeated formula found in many hadith. .^^y

' f.--^'

18. 17:60. The Qur'an commentators offer at least three possible interpretations for this vision.
Concerning the third, Baydawi writes 'It is also said that the Prophet saw a group of the
Umayyads climbing his pulpit and jumping upon it like monkeys. So he said "This is their share

of this world; they will be given it for accepting Islam". According to this interpretation, what is
meant by a trial for men is what happened during their time' (Anwar al-tanzil, commentary on
17:60). The Shi'ite commentator Tabarsi also offers this as a third possibility, providing two
hadith to support it (Majma' al-bayan). Sayyid '"Alikhan quotes from Baydawi and others to
support this interpretation, while offering Ibn 'Abbas among others as authority for the
statement that the 'accursed tree' refers to the Umayyads.

19. 97:1-3. Tirmidhi offers a hadith going back to al-Hasan ibn 'All that supports this
interpretation of one thousand months as referring to the Umayyads (Tafsir sura 97, 1).

20. 14:28-9.

21. i.e., the Twelfth I mam, he who will 'stand up' (Qa'im) in the Truth for the Truth and defeat
the enemies of the Truth.

22. The speaker here is al-'Ukbari (above, verse 3), who is now relating another chain through
which he received the Sahifa from Abu l-Mufaddal (verse 3).

23. He is unknown in the books of biography.

24. He is also unknown.

25. In other words, the chapter headings as mentioned in the text, which are often slightly
different from the chapter headings mentioned above, are in al-Hasani's words (that is, al-
Sharif Aba 'Abd Allah, mentioned in verse 4).

26. Here again by 'us' is meant al-'Ukbari.

27. 53:31.

28. 21:23.

29. Allusion to 89:15: As for man, whenever his Lord tries him, and honours him, and favours
him....

30. 25:46.

31. The interworld (barzakh) is the abode in which a person dwells between death and the
Day of Resurrection.

32. The Witnesses, mentioned in 11:20 and 40:54, are the angels, prophets. Imams, and
faithful whom God appoints to give witness concerning the deeds of men at the Resurrection.

33. 45:21.

34. 44:41.

35. 'Illiyun', mentioned in 83:18 and 19, and deriving from a root meaning 'liigli' or 'exalted', is
said to be tine highest level of paradise, or a bool< in paradise wherein the deeds of the
righteous are recorded.

36. 83:20-21.

37. Cf. 75:7.

38. Cf. 3:106.

39. Several Qur'anic verses mention the fact that God has subjected everything in the heavens
and the earth to mankind, e.g., 14:33, 16:12, 31:20, 45:13.

40. Cf. 2:286: Our Lord, charge us not with a load such as Thou didst lay upon those before
us.

41. 2:286.

42. Allusion to such passages as 2:286: God charges no soul save to its capacity.

43. Allusion to 9:33 and 61:9: It is He who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the
religion of truth, that He may uplift it above every religion though the idolaters be averse.

44. As Sayyid '"Alikhan points out, there is an allusion here to the hadith of 'mediation' (wasila)
according to one version of which the Prophet said: 'Mediation is a degree with God in the
Garden, and there is no degree higher than it, so pray to God to give me the

mediation' (Ahmad III, 83). The fact that this is what the I mam has in mind is confirmed by his
reference to 'intercession' in verse 25 (on the relationship between these two, cf. note 172).

45. On the Prophet's intercession, cf. Padwick, Muslim Devotions pp. 37 ff. and Encyclopaedia
of Islam (old edition), 'Shafa'a'. The commentator points out here that the Prophet's
intercession alluded to in the Qur'an as his 'praiseworthy station' (17:79) - will be of several
types, including the raising of those who are already in paradise to higher degrees. Hence
there is no contradiction between the sinlessness of the I mams on the one hand and the
Prophet's interceding for them on the other.

46. Cf. 25:70: On Resurrection Day... God will change the evil deeds [of those who repent,
have faith, and do righteous works] into good deeds.

47. The bearers of the Throne are said to be four angels, one on each corner of the Throne,
who will be aided by four more on the Day of Resurrection. Hence the Qur'an says: Upon that

day eight shall bear above them the Throne of thy Lord (69: 17). On the various kinds of
angels, see S. Murata, The Angels,' in S.H. Nasr (ed.). Islamic Spirituality: Foundations New
York, 1987, pp. 324-44.

48. Cf. 81:20.

49. The veils meant here are those referred to in the hadith often quoted in Sunni sources:
'God has seventy' - or 'seventy thousand' - 'veils of light and darkness; were they to be
removed, the glories of His face would incinerate everything perceived by the creatures' eyes.'
Shi'ite sources add several parallel hadith from the Prophet and the Imams (see Bihar al-Anwar
V, 39-47, Bab al-hujub wa l-astar wa l-suradiqat). Cf. Supplication 50.5, where mention is made
of God's 'splendour masked by the veils'.

50. Cf. 17:85.

51. Cf. 69:17.

52. Cf. 80:16.

53. i.e., the scribes and writers who record peoples' deeds in this world, cf. 82:11.

54. The two angels, mentioned in many hadith who question the dead on the first night in the
grave.

55. An angel who, according to some hadith is the first to enter the grave with the dead
person, telling him to write out his deeds on his shroud with his saliva as ink and his finger as
pen.

56. A house in the celestial spheres mentioned in 52:4 and located directly above the Ka'ba.

57. The angel in charge of the Fire.

58. The angel in charge of paradise.

59. 66:6.

60. 13:24.

61. 69:30.

62. Cf. 16:85.

63. 50:21; the driver and witness are also angels.

64. 35:29.

65. 59:10.

66. The Qur'an often mentions God's scheming and devising, usually in answer to the tricl<ery
and deception of the evildoers. For example: They are scheming, and I am scheming. So
respite the unbelievers; delay with them for a time (86:15); They devised, and God devised,
and God is the best of devisers (3:54). \" ■-''

67. God's protecting the servant from Himself is for Him to guard him against His wrath.
'Guidance to God' is guidance to His mercy, while being taken 'far from Him' is to be subjected
to wrath. Cf. the introduction and passages such as 48.13 and 73.1.

68. 10:67.

69. 17:12.

70. Allusion to 47:31: We shall assuredly try you until We know those of you who struggle and
are steadfast, and try your records.

71. 53:31.

72. Allusion to 6:96: He splits the sky into dawn.

73. Cf. above, 3.18.

74. Allusion to Satan's words in the Qur'an (7:17): I shall come on them from before them and
from behind them, from their rights hands and their left hands; Thou wilt not find most of
them thankful.

75. 2:207.

76. 3:26.

77. The term 'caprice' denotes any desire that is opposed to the truth or turns man away from
the divine guidance. Who is further astray than he who follows his own caprice without
guidance from God? (28:50) Obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our
remembrance, so that he follows his own caprice (18:28). God addresses David with the
command: J udge among men by the truth, and follow not caprice (38:26).

78. Reference to 12:53: Surely the soul of man commands to evil, except inasmuch as my
Lord has mercy.

79. Allusion to 30:54: God is He who created you of frailty.

80. 77:20.

81. Reference to 27:62: He who responds to the distressed when he supplicates Him, and
removes the evil.

82. Allusion to the principle enunciated in the well known hadith: 'God's mercy precedes His
wrath', a constant theme of the Sahifa, as pointed out in the introduction.

83. Allusion to such Qur'anic verses as Whosoever does evil, or wrongs himself, and then
prays God's forgiveness, he shall find God is All-forgiving, All-compassionate (4:110).

84. Reference to such Qur'anic verses as Supplicate Me and I will respond to you (40:60), and
When My servants ask from Me, I am near: I respond to the. supplication of the supplicator
when he supplicates Me (2: 186). ■^- . -.;-- :'--^-:^^".

85. Cf. the hadith mentioned in the introduction: 'When one of you supplicates, he should not
say: "0 God, forgive me if Thou wilt", but he should be firm in his asking and make his desire
great, for what God gives is nothing great for Him' (Muslim, Dhikr 8).

86. 74:56.

87. 3:26.

88. Reference to such Qur'anic verses as: people, you are the poor toward God, and He is
without need, praiseworthy (35:15).

89. A case can be made for translating the word dhalim (wrongdoer) in the context of the
present supplication as 'oppressor' or 'tyrant', especially if we read the text as expressing the
Imam's relationships with the Umayyad authorities. However, the word dhulm along with its
derivatives is an important and frequently used term in the Qur'an, and only the Qur'anic
context can provide us with a reliable insight into the way the word must have been
understood by Zayn al-'Abidin and his contemporaries. In the Qur'an, it is obvious that terms
like 'oppression' and 'tyranny', with their narrow political connotations, cannot begin to do
justice to the wide range of meanings included in the primary Qur'anic significance, since
oppression is merely one of many forms of human 'wrongdoing', an English term which is
sufficiently vague and concrete to render the Qur'anic idea rather closely. According to the
Qur'an, the basic meaning of dhulm is to deny the reality of God and the truth of His revelation
and then to transgress the bounds, limits, laws, and statutes He has set down. This Qur'anic
concept can clearly be perceived in such typical verses as the following: Who does greater
wrong than he who bars God's places of worship, so that His Name be not rehearsed in them,
and strives to destroy them? (2:114); Who does greater wrong than he who conceals a
testimony received from God? (2:140); Whosoever transgresses the bounds of God - those are
the wrongdoers (2:229); And the unbelievers - they are the wrongdoers (2:254); Whoso

judges not according to what God has sent down - they are the wrongdoers (5:45); Who does
greater wrong than he who forges against God a lie, or cries lies to His signs? (7:37, 10:17);
Who does greater wrong than he who, being reminded of the signs of his Lord, turns away
from them? (18:57, 32:22); None denies Our signs but the wrongdoers (29:49); Do not
associate others with God; to associate others with God is a mighty wrong (31:13); And whoso
repents not, those - they are the wrongdoers (49:11); Whoso trespasses the bounds of God has
done wrong to himself (65: 1). In most of the cases in which the I mam employs the term in the
Sahifa, the Qur'anic context is clear, and this is sufficient reason to maintain consistency of
translation in the present supplication, where 'oppression' might also be a valid translation.
(For uses of the term in obvious Qur'anic contexts, cf. 1.12, 4.8, 8.4, 12.7, 12.11, 16.31, 24.11,
31.7, 37.8, 39.9, 42.16, 45.9, 45.47, 47.62, 47.132, 48.15, 51.14, 60.3, 63.8, 71.5; contexts
which suggest 'oppression' as a valid rendering include 20.7, 51.4, 68.1). The term dhulm is
often used as the opposite of 'adi or 'justice'; the Sahifa also provides a few instances where
'injustice' would translate the term well, such as 22.13 (where it is used as a synonym for jawr,
translated there as 'injustice'), 25.11, 44.10.

90. Some editions read yuhadirani for yuhasirani. The translation then becomes: 'and
overcome me in my rights.'

91. Allusion to such Qur'anic verses as: We shall surely destroy the wrongdoers (14:13); We
have prepared for the wrongdoers a painful chastisement (25:37)

92. Again reference to 27:62: He who responds to the distressed when he supplicates Him,
and removes the evil.

93. A believer who cannot perform the obligatory acts of worship because of illness is credited
with them in any case. The commentator cites a number of hadith to this effect, e.g.: 'When
the believer becomes sick, God says to the angel charged with him: "Write for him what you
used to write when he was healthy".'

94^40:7.

95. 3:26.

96. The terms 'wretchedness' (shiqa') and 'felicity' (sa'ada) refer to heaven and hell, not to the
misery or happiness of this world.

97. 3:26.

98. Reference to the principle enunciated in 2:264: believers, void not your freewill offerings
with obligation and harm, as one who expends of his substance to show off to men and
believes not in God and the Last Day.

99. i.e., 'Being gentle'. The expression is employed in 15:88 and 26:215.

100. That is, the return to God, alluded to with verbs from the same root in many Qur'anic
verses, such as He originates creation, then He makes it return (10:4). The word ma'ad
becomes a standard term in Islamic thought for 'eschatology' and discussion of affairs having
to do with the next world.

101. Allusion to 78: 21-23: Behold, Gehenna has become an ambush, for the insolent a resort,
therein to tarry for ages....

102. Here the word 'guardianship' (wilaya) probably does not have a technical sense (on
which, see note 219), but is employed in a more general sense as in the title to Supplication 5.

103. 2:201.

104. Cf. 11:56: There is no creature that crawls, but He takes it by the forelock.

105. This sentence goes back to a prophetic saying (Ahmad, 1, 391 and 402).

106. Allusion to 2:197: Take provision, but the best provision is reverent fear.

107. 3:26.

108. 6:122.

109. i.e., unaffected by my own good pleasure or wrath in a given situation.

110. That is, the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, made outside of the season of the hajj.

111. 22:3.

112. 11:56.

113. This passage can be read in two ways: In the more general interpretation, the 'us' in
'ennobled us' and 'made incumbent upon us' refers to all Muslims, while in the more specific
interpretation, it refers to the Imams. In the first case, the 'rights' are those which all Muslims
have in relationship to other Muslims, as explained, for example, in the Imam's 'Treatise on
Rights'. In the second case, the rights are those of the Imams in respect to other Muslims. The
commentator quotes among others the Prophet's hadith of 'seven rights' (see the introduction
to the 'Treatise on Rights') to illustrate the first interpretation. If we read it the second way,
then 'the rights of the I mams are obvious, since all the rights which God has made obligatory
upon the creatures for the Messenger of God are also obligatory for the I mams. Sufficient
proof of this is provided by the Qur'anic verse: Obey God, and obey the Messenger and those
in authority among you (4:59)' (Sayyid '"Alikhan).

114. Cf. note 46.

115. 45:22.

116. 7:151.

117. One is tempted to translate shahawat as 'lusts', but the Qur'anic context shows that the
objects of desire in themselves are not necessarily negative; the Qur'an blames only the fact
that man allows himself to be occupied by them in lieu of God. For example, Decl<ed out fair to
men is the love of passions - women, children, heaped-up heaps of gold and silver, horses of
mark, cattle, and tillage. That is the enjoyment of the present life; but God - with Him is the
fairest resort (3:14). Arberry translates the term here as 'lusts', Pickthall as 'joys'.

118. Cf. 12.10.

119. These four lines refer to 2:186 and 40:60.

120. 2:201.

121. That is, those who recognize the Imamate of Zayn al-'Abidin and the other Imams. Cf.
47.64.

122. Sayyid '"Alikhan explains the expression as meaning: 'Give them lutf (gracefulness,
gentleness, subtlety) in their makr (guile, stratagem) so that their enemy will not become
aware of their guile, for then it will be too subtle and fine to be perceived by the intellect and
the understanding; so the meaning is that God should inspire them with careful watchfulness
and excellence of artful stratagems.' He suggests that the text may also be interpreted to
mean: Be kind and gentle to them in relation to the guile of their enemy, so that his guile will
not harm them.

123. 8:57.

124. The commentator devotes a long discussion to the word mihal, which occurs in the
Qur'anic name of God, shadid al-mihal (13:13). It may signify, among others, cunning, guile,
stratagem, planning, managing, power, strength, dispute, enmity, punishment, vengeance,
chastisement.

125. This victory of a small army of Muslims over a much larger contingent of unbelievers took
place in the year 2/623. Many accounts are given of how the angels also took part in the
fighting, and it is said to be in reference to Badr that God says in the Qur'an, When thy Lord
was revealing to the angels: 'I am with you, so strengthen the faithful. I shall cast terror into
the hearts of the unbelievers' (8:12).

126. 51:22-3.

127. 40:60.

128. 9:104, 42:25.

129. 42:25.

■■-^■■-■^ >■

130. 2:222.

131. Allusion to the well-known prophetic saying: 'Remorse is a repentance' (Ibn Maja, Zuhd
30; Ahmad I, 376,423; VI, 264).

132. 2:128.

133. There is probably an allusion here to 3:103: You were upon the brink of a pit of Fire, and
He rescued you from it.

134. 3:26.

135. Reference to the Qur'anic account of Iblis, in which Iblis asks from God and is given
permission to try to lead His servants astray until the Day of Resurrection (7:14-18, 15:36-43,
38:79-86).

136. Reference to 59:16: Like Satan, when he said to man, 'Disbelieve!' Then, when he
disbelieved, he said: 'Surely I am quit of you. Surely I fear God, the Lord of the worlds.'

137. Reference to 32:7: He originated the creation of man out of clay, then He fashioned his
progeny of an extraction of mean water, then He shaped him and breathed His spirit into him.

138. Reference to a number of Qur'anic passages, especially 23:12-14: We created man of an
extraction of clay, then We set him, a drop, in a receptacle secure, then We created of the
drop a clot, then We created of the clot a tissue, then We created of the tissue bones, then We
garmented the bones with flesh; thereafter We produced him as another creature.

139. As the commentators point out, this 'placing' is connected to the Qur'anic doctrine of the
transformation of evil deeds into good deeds, e.g.: Whosoever does that shall meet the price
of sin... save him who repents, has faith, and does righteous works - those, God will change
their evil deeds into good deeds (25:68-70).

140. This is part of a hadith; cf. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon, s.v. ibqa'.
141,3:26.

142. 3:26.

143. Allusion to 4:59: you who have faith, obey God, and obey the Messenger and those in
authority among you! ■>■'■■.

144. 112.

145. Allusion to 25:40.

146. Literally, those who 'deviate' from the right way.

147. 2:285.

148. The commentator suggests that the expression shakartahu, 'for which Thou showest
gratitude', which is found in most texts, means qabaltahu, 'which Thou acceptest'. He adds
that another ancient text has shukir bihi, 'for which Thou art thanked', and that this is clearer
and more appropriate in the context. Cf. the similar passages in 46.6-7.

149. Allusion to such Qur'anic verses as Whoso brings a good deed shall have ten the like of
it; and whoso brings an evil deed shall only be recompensed the like of it; they shall not be
wronged Cf. 40:40.

150. Allusion to 2:222: Truly God loves those who repent.

151. The Persian translators read this as meaning, 'pardon me (mara bibakhsh) in spite of my
wrongdoing against myself, and Mohani's English translation agrees:

152. Reference to several Qur'anic names for the people of paradise. The Companions of the
Right Hand are mentioned in 56:27, 38, 90, 91, and 74:39; the Secure in 27:89, 34:37, etc.;
the Triumphant in 9:20, 23:111, 59:20; the Righteous in 2:130, 12:101, etc.

153. Allusion to 4:174: We have sent down to you a manifest light.

154. Allusion to 5:48: We have sent down to thee the Book with the truth, confirming the
Book that was before it, and guarding over it.

155. There are allusions here to several Qur'anic verses, including 4:174, 5:48, and 39:23.

156. The Qur'an calls itself a 'separator' in 2:185, 3:4, and 25:1.

157. Allusion to the title given to itself by the Qur'an: 'the Arabic recitation' (12:2, 20:113, et
al.). To 'make plain' (i'rab) also means to 'express in Arabic'.

158. Cf. 41:3: A book whose signs have been distinguished as an Arabic Qur'an for a people
having knowledge.

159. Cf. 76:23: Surely We have sent down the Qur'an on thee, a sending down.

160. Cf. 14:1: A book We have sent down to thee that thou mayest bring forth mankind from
the shadows to the light by the leave of their Lord; cf. also 57:9, 65: 11.

161. For the name 'healing', cf. 10:57 and 17:82.

162. Cf. 57:25.

163. According to Sayyid "Alikhan, by 'witnesses' the Imam means either those who bear
witness to God's Unity and to the prophets, since the Qur'an is their greatest proof, or the
Prophet and his Household, who are (according to the Shi'ite interpretation) the witnesses
referred to in the verse Thus We appointed you a midmost nation that you might be witnesses
to the people, and that the Messenger might be a witness to you (2:143).

164. Here the prayer's specific reference to the Imam's own situation leads the commentators
to suggest altering the text when it is recited. Sayyid "Alikhan suggests that one should make
the following changes: warrathtana -> warrathta awsiya'ahu; faddaltana -> faddaltahum;
qawwaytana -> qawwaytahum; tarfa'ana -> tarfa'ahum. The meaning would then be: 'Thou
madest his executors the heirs of its knowledge as interpreters. Thou preferred them over him
who is ignorant of its knowledge, and Thou gavest them strength to lift them above...'.

165. Allusion to 20:130: Proclaim thy Lord's praise.... in the watches of the night, and at the
ends of the day.

166. Allusion to 59:21: If We had sent down the Qur'an upon a mountain, thou wouldst have
seen it humbled, split asunder out of the fear of God.

167. Allusion to two Qur'anic verses: They shall be secure from terror on that day (27:89) and
The Greatest Terror shall not grieve them (21:103).

168. Allusion to 8: 6: As though they were being driven into death with their eyes open and
50:21: And death's agony comes in truth.... And every soul will come, with it a driver and a
witness.

169. 75:26-7.

170. Allusion to 17:13: And every man - We have fastened to him the bird of omen upon his
neck.

171. Cf. 1.14 and 3:106.

172. The 'mediation' is mentioned in 5:35: you who have faith, fear God and seek the
mediation to Him. 'Mediation' may mean simply the means of access to God, defined in terms

of any work of obedience or pious act. But most commentators point out tlie verse's
connection to a well-l<nown saying of tlie Prophet concerning 'mediation' as the highest station
of Paradise, and this in turn is normally defined as the permission God will give to the Prophet
at the Resurrection to intercede for his community. The Prophet said: 'When you hear the
muezzin, repeat what he says, then call down blessings upon me. If someone calls down a
blessing upon me, God will call down ten upon him. Then ask that I be given the mediation, for
it is a station in the Garden suited only for one of God's servants, and I hope to be that one. If
anyone asks that I be given the mediation, my intercession for him will become
lawful' (Muslim, Salat 11; Tirmidhi, Manaqib I; Abu Dawud, Salat 36; Ahmad II, 168, 265; III
83). Padwick discusses the connection between mediation and intercession in Muslim
Devotions, Ch. 2, 'The Prayer of Mediation' (the relationship between the two can be seen in
the present work in 65.4-5, 66.3-4, 78.1). On the mediation of the Imams, see note 217.

173. Allusion to the 'Pool of Abundance' in Paradise, which, according to several hadith, is the
meaning of the 'Abundance' which God gave to the Prophet as mentioned in 108:1.

174. Allusion to 36:39: And the moon - We have determined it by mansions, till it returns like
an aged palm-bough.

175. 2:185.

176. 97:4-5.

177. Sayyid "Alikhan offers four interpretations for this last clause, three given by earlier
commentators and the fourth his own: (a) so that the acts of obedience and nearness-seeking
of the angels will be less than ours; (b) so that none of the recording angels will bring the
record of our sins except that they be less than the kinds of obedience and sorts of nearness
seeking that we bring; (c) so that none of the angels will bring the works of the servants
except that they be less than the kinds of obedience and sorts of nearness seeking that we
bring; (d) so that none of the angels will bring our good works except that they be less than
the good works that we ourselves bring. In support of the last reading he cites a hadith from
one of the Imams: 'The angel only writes down what it hears, but God has said. Remember thy
Lord in thyself, in pleading and fear (7:205). So none knows the reward of the remembrance in
the person's self except God.' He concludes that the best interpretation is to say that the
passage includes all four of these meanings.

178. 23:11.

179. 23:60.

180. 23:61.

181. In other words. Thou art kind without the servants having done anything to deserve it.
Cf. 12.3.

182. 66:8.

183. 6:160.

184. 2:261.

185. 2:245.

186. 2:152.

187. 14:7.

188. 40:60.

189. 97:3.

190.97:3. -^^^z

191. That is, the Ramadan of the year that has just passed and that of the conning year.

192. That is, we have been afflicted by the hardship of having to fast. This interpretation
follows Sayyid "Alikhan's reading; the Persian translators interpret the sentence to mean: 'our
being afflicted by grief at the passing of our month', a reading which Sayyid "Alikhan rejects.

193. i.e., that good pleasure and mercy.

194. Allusion to Qur'anic verses such as Truly God loves the repenters (2:222) and God is He
who accepts repentance from His servants (9:104; cf. 42:25).

195. 3:26.

196. Allusion to 8:53: God would never change His favour that He conferred on a people until
they changed what was within themselves.

197. 3:26.

198. An oft-repeated formula found in many hadith.

199. The ninth of Dhu l-Hijja, the last day of the hajj, when the pilgrims occupy themselves
with prayer at Mount 'Arafa. Cf. Imam Husayn's long supplication for the day, translated in
Chittick, A Shi'ite Anthology, pp. 93-113.

200. 1:2.

201. Cf. 15: 21-23: Naught is there, but its treasuries are with Us, and We send it not down
but in a l<nown measure... It is We who give life, and mal<e to die, and it is We who are the
inheritors.

202. 42:11.

203. Reference to 10:61: Not so much as the weight of an ant in earth or heaven escapes
from thy Lord...

204. 41:54.

205. 33:52.

206. Reference to 25:2: He created everything, then He ordained it with an ordination.

207. Allusion to 80:20: He created him [man] and determined him then the way eased for
him.

208. Perhaps an allusion to 32:5: He governs the affair from the heaven to the earth.

209. Reference to 72:28: He has counted everything in numbers.

210. The terms 'howness' and 'whereness' are found already in hadith attributed to the
Prophet in Shi'ite sources, as well as to some of the Imams (cf. Chittick, A Shi'ite Anthology
index under ayniyyah and kayfiyyah. The term 'selfness' (dhatiyya) is certainly more rare. Lane
in his Lexicon points out that it is a post-classical term used in philosophy, but in the present
context it has no such philosophical sense and seems to be a coinage built on the analogy of
the other two terms.

211. Reference to sura 112.

212. The 'Separator' is the Qur'an (cf. Supplication 42.2). There is an allusion here to 15:94:
Therefore cleave [0 Muhammad] by means of that which thou art commanded [i.e. the
Qur'anic injunctions] and turn away from the idolaters.

213. Reference to 6: lis.'

214. The guardians or writers are the recording angels. Cf. Supplication 3.18. The 'book'
mentioned here is referred to in such verses as: The Book shall be set in place; and thou wilt
see the sinners fearful at what is in it and saying: 'Alas for us! How is it with this Book that it
leaves nothing behind, small or great but it has numbered it?' (18:49).

215. Allusion to 18: 109: Say: 'If the sea were ink for the words of my Lord, the sea would be

spent before the words of my Lord are spent.'

216. Reference to 33:33: Folk of the House God only desires to put away from you
uncleanness and to purify you.

217. Muslims hold that 'mediation' will be given to the Prophet (see note 172), while Shi'ite
tradition adds that it will also belong to the Imams. Cf. the chapter in Majlisi's Bihar al-Anwar
'The Mediation, and the station of the Prophet and the Folk of his House which will become
manifest at the resurrection' (VII, 326-40). Among relevant sayings quoted in both Shi'ite and
Sunni sources is that of 'All: 'In the Garden there are two pearls within the Throne, one of
them white and the other yellow. In each there are 70,000 rooms whose gates and cups come
from a single root. The white is the Mediation which belongs to Muhammad and his Household,
while the yellow belongs to Abraham and his household' (commentary on 5:35: al-Tabarsi,
Majma' al-bayan; Maybudi, Kashf al-Asrar).

218. Cf. Supplication'L'4.

219. The 'Friend' or wall is the Imam, who, in keeping with the various meanings of the root,
is 'friend' of God, 'guardian' of the people under his care, and 'authority' in all matters of
religious teaching. His function, known as wilaya (or walaya) and derived from the same Arabic
root, is discussed in most books on Shi'ism; in the present text the word is mentioned, not
always in the technical sense, in Supplications 5 (title); 8.3; 20.7, 22; 26.1; 47.64; and 77.2.

220. Allusion to 17:80: And say [0 Muhammad]: '... grant me authority from Thee to help me.'

221. Cf. 48:1: Surely We have given thee a manifest opening.

222. Cf. Moses' supplication in 20:31: Appoint for me of my folk a familiar, Aaron, my brother;
by him brace up my back.

223. Like the previous clause, this is an allusion to the story of Moses and Aaron in the Qur'an,
and more specifically, to God's words to Moses: We shall strengthen thy arm by means of thy
brother (28:35).

224. Cf. 37:173: Our troops - they are the victors.

225. Wilaya - which may be translated as friendship, authority, guardianship, rule - is the
office or function of the 'Friend' or wall mentioned above in note 219.

226. 2:128.

227. Cf. 10:25: And God summons to the Abode of Peace. Cf. also 6:127.

228. As indicated in note 77, 'caprice' denotes any desire opposed to the divine guidance.

229. This may be an allusion to 17:16.

230. Allusion to 4:108: They hide themselves from men but hide themselves not from God.

231. Allusion to 7:182: We will draw them on little by little from whence they know not; and I
grant them respite - surely My guile is firm. I mam J a'far al-Sadiq says: 'When God desires good
for a servant who commits a sin, He causes the sin to be followed by a punishment so that he
remembers to ask forgiveness. But when He desires evil for a servant who commits a sin, He
causes the sin to be followed by a favour so that he forgets to ask forgiveness and persists in
the sin. This is indicated by God's words We draw them on little by little from whence they
know not. (Sayyid "Alikhan)

232. Cf. above, 47.'96.

233. In other words: Do not allow me to become diverted from the worship and obedience
which please Thee by my seeking after the things of this world, which come only through
Thee.

234. Allusion to 5:35: you who have faith fear God and seek the mediation to Him. Cf. note
172.

235. The commentator suggests that this is an allusion to the principle enunciated in 18:103-
104: Say: Shall I tell you who will be the greatest losers in their works? Those whose striving
goes astray in the present life while they think that they are working good deeds .

236. 75:56.

237. Reference to 66:8: Upon the day when God will not degrade the Prophet and those who
believe with him their light running before them and on their right hands.

238. Allusion to 19:75: Say: Whoever is in error, let the All-merciful prolong his term for
him!....

239. Cf. above, 47.60, where mention is made of the 'radiance' of the Imam.

240. Cf. the following hadith: 'God has left no excuses for him who has reached sixty or
seventy years of age. God has left him no excuses, no excuses!' (Ahmad II, 275). See also
Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon s.v. i'dhar.

241. Reference to 7:186: Whomsoever God leads astray no guide has he; He leaves them in
their insolence blindly wandering.

242. Reference to 23:54: So leave them in their perplexity for a time.

243. The commentator offers three possible interpretations: remove not my name from the
register of the felicitous, writing it in the register of the wretched; change my name not for the
worse, after it had been an elevated name; change not the name by which Thou hadst named
us before (alluding to the Qur'anic verse: He named you Muslims aforetime and in this
[22:78]). The meaning thus becomes: Name me not an unbeliever after Thou hast named me
a Muslim.

244. The commentator explains this to mean: Transform it not through an affliction in this
world or through making it ugly in the next.

245. Reference to 56:88-9: Then if he be of those brought nigh to the Throne, there shall be
repose and ease, and a garden of bliss.

246. Allusion to 2:16: Those are they who have bought error at the price of guidance, and
their commerce has not profited them.

247. Reference to 79:6-12: Upon the day when the first blast shivers,... They shall say, 'What,
are we being restored as we were before?... That then is a return with loss!'

248. Allusion to 15:47: We shall root out all rancour that is in their breasts (cf. 7:43).

249. 26:84, part of a prayer of Abraham.

250. The commentator sees this as a reference to the first Muslims, as in 9:100: And the
foremost, the first, who are the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them in
good-doing - God will be well-pleased with them...; He has prepared for them gardens... The
'plain' of the first is the place where they are brought together at the Resurrection.

251. 86:9.

252. That is, the tenth of Dhu l-Hijja, which marks the end of the hajj and is one of the two
major festivals (along with the feast of fastbreaking) celebrated universally throughout the
Islamic world.

253. 3:26.

254. By 'this station' is meant the leading of the prayer of Friday and of the Day of Sacrifice.
The latter of these prayers is obligatory according to the Shi'ites, in contrast to the Sunnis.
Zayn al-Abidin alludes to the Shi'ite view that the Imams are the rightful leaders of these
prayers for all Islam, not the Umayyad caliphs and their representatives. In explaining the
meaning of this passage, Sayyid "Alikhan quotes a hadith from Ja'far al-Sadiq: 'Both festivals of
the Muslims, that of fastbreaking and that of sacrifice, renew the sorrow of the Household of
Muhammad, for they see therein their right in the hands of others.'

255. i.e., those who actually put the profession of Unity, faith,, and attestation into practice.

256. Allusion to the Prophet's supplication quoted in the introduction: 'I seek refuge in Thy
good pleasure from Thy displeasure and in Thy pardon from Thy punishment. I seek refuge in
Thee from Thee.'

257. Allusion to 43:11: [We] sent down out of heaven water in measure; and We revived
thereby a land that was dead; even so you shall be brought forth [on the Day of Resurrection].

258. Allusion to 21:23: He is not questioned as to what He does, but they shall be questioned.

259. For 'so and so' the supplicant should supply words appropriate to his own situation.

260. 3:26.

261. 39:53.

262. This is the Book of Records on the Day of judgement, mentioned, for example, in 18:49:
And the Book shall be set in place; and thou wilt see the sinners fearful at what is in it, saying:
'Alas for us! How is it with this Book, that it leaves nothing behind, small or great, but it has
counted it?' Cf. 17:13-14.

263. Allusion to such Qur'anic verses as: Not so much as the weight of an ant in heaven and
earth escapes from Him, neither is aught smaller than that, or greater, but it is in a Manifest
Book (34:3).

264. Allusion to 4:6, 33:39: God suffices as a reckoner.

265. Cf. the following sentence from a supplication of the Prophet: 'I ask Thee by every one of
Thy names by which Thou hast named Thyself, which Thou hast taught to one of Thy
creatures, which Thou hast sent down in Thy Book, or which Thou hast kept to Thyself in the
knowledge of the Unseen' (Ahmad I, 391, 402). A passage from the same hadith is quoted in
Supplication 21.6.

266. 2:128.

267. 20:8.

268. Allusion to 35:28: Only those of His servants fear God who have knowledge.

269. Reference to 29: 57: Every soul shall taste death, then unto Us you shall be returned.

270. The commentator suggests that the 'stillness of his veins' alludes to the health of his
body, which in turn brings about comfort and ease, making him heedless of God and the next

world.

271. Another allusion to the Prophet's supplication; cf. 48.13.

272. Sura 112.

273. Allusion to such verses as 8:68: Had it not been for a prior writ from God, there had
afflicted you, for what you took, a dreadful chastisement.

274. This verse and the following allude to the well-known hadith qudsi: 'Might is My loincloth
and mightiness My cloak. If anyone contends with Me in either of these, I will cast him into
Gehenna.' Cf. W. Graham, Divine Word and Prophetic Word, pp. 162-3.

275. This is probably an allusion to the Highest Assembly, the angels mentioned in 37:8 and
38:69.

276. Cf. 20:6.

277. Cf. 9:78: Know they not that God knows their secret and their whispered conversation,
and that God knows the things unseen? See also 43:80, 58:7.

278. Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d. 124/742) was a well known jurist and traditionist and, as
mentioned in the introduction, is credited with being the first to call the Imam by the title 'Zayn
al-'Abidin'. Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib (d. 94/712-713), one of the 'seven jurists' of Medina, was
known as the 'Chief of the Followers' (sayyid al-tabi'in), that is, those who followed the
generation of the Prophet's Companions.

279. On the 'mediation' given to the I mams, see the note on 47.56.

280. 3:26.

281. Allusion to the hadith qudsi, 'I am with My servant's opinion of Me'; in some versions,
there occurs the phrase, 'so let him think about Me what he will' (Graham, Divine Word, pp.
127-130).

282. Again reference to 40:60: Supplicate Me and I will respond to you.

283. Allusion to Qur'anic verses such as: Surely God will not fail in His promise (13:31), and
There is no change for the words of God (10:64).

284. Allusion to 27:62. Cf. Supplication 10.4. :-^^'--

285. 7:156.

286. This supplication seems to be another version of 48.13 ff.

287. Cf. note 256.

288. Cf. note 257.

289. Part of the hadith quoted in the introduction and note 256.

290. 12:64.

291. Allusion to 20:111: Faces shall be humbled unto the Living, the Subsistent.

292. 12:53.

293. 37:173.

294. 58:22.

295. 10:62.

296. 25:47.

297. There are a number of Qur'anic allusions in this passage, including: He created, then
proportioned (87:2), and He sat upon the Throne (7:54 etc.).

298. 7:151.

299. Ibid.

300. Allusion to such verses as: They forgot God, so He forgot them (9:67); Today We forget
you, just as you forgot the meeting on this your Day (45:34; cf. 7:51).

301. Allusion to 14:7: If you are thankful, surely I will increase you, but if you are thankless.
My chastisement is surely terrible.

302. Cf. 59.9 and note 283.

303. Reference to 22:78: Struggle for God as is His due!

304. 3:8.

305. 2:129.

306. Allusion to the saying of the Prophet: 'Remorse is a repentance.' Cf. note 131.

307. 66:8.

308. Reference to 12:53.

309. Allusion to 70:19-21: Surely man was created fretful, when evil touches him, anxious,
when good visits him, grudging.

310. Allusion to the Qur'anic verse: No indeed, but what they were earning has rusted upon
the hearts (83:14), as well as to the several instances where the Qur'an refers to the sealing of
the unbelievers' hearts, e.g.: God has set a seal on their hearts, so they know not (9:93).

311. 3:25.

312. Allusion to a well known formula found in many hadith; in one version, the Prophet says
in supplication: 'The good - all of it - is in Thy hands, and evil does not return to Thee' (Muslim,
Musafirin 201; Nasa'i, Iftitah 17).

313. Allusion to 7:54: Verily His are the creation and the command.

314. Cf. 59.8 and note 281.

315. Cf. note 256.

316. Allusion to 29:69.
.>■; '•■^;';^''

317. 3:26.

318. Allusion to the clarity of vision that the soul experiences at death: Thou wast heedless of
this; therefore We have now removed from thee thy covering, and so thy sight today is
piercing (50:22).

319. Allusion to 89:28: soul serene, return to thy Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing!

320. Allusion to 13:28: I n remembering God find serenity the hearts of those who have faith
and do righteous deeds.

321. 33:41.

322. 2:152.

323. Allusion to the words of Lot in 11:80, Would that I had power against you, or might take
shelter in a strong pillar!

-f^--!f

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In Praise of God

When he (upon him be peace) began to suppHcate, he would begin with praise and laudation
of God (Mighty and Majestic is He). He would say:

1 Praise belongs to God,

the First, without a first before Him,
the Last, without a last behind Him.

2 Beholders' eyes fall short of seeing Him,

describers' imaginations are not able to depict Him.

3 He originated the creatures through His power with an origination.

He devised them in accordance with His will with a devising.

4 Then He made them walk on the path of His desire.

He sent them out on the way of His love.
They cannot keep back

from that to which He has sent them forward,
nor can they go forward

to that from which He has kept them back.

5 He assigned from His provision to each of their spirits

a nourishment known and apportioned.
No decreaser decreases those whom He increases,

no increaser increases those of them whom He decreases.

6 Then for each spirit He strikes a fixed term in life,

for each He sets up a determined end;

he walks toward it through the days of his span,

he overtakes it through the years of his time.

Then, when he takes his final step

and embraces the reckoning of his span,

God seizes him to the abundant reward

or the feared punishment

to which He has called him.
That He may repay those who do evil for what they have done

and repay those who do good with goodness,^^

7 as justice from Him

(holy are His names,
and manifest His boons).
He shall not be questioned as to what He does,
but they shall be questioned,^^

8 Praise belongs to God, for,

had He withheld from His servants the knowledge to praise Him
for the uninterrupted kindnesses

with which He has tried them^^
and the manifest favours

which He has lavished upon them,
they would have moved about in His kindnesses

without praising Him,
and spread themselves out in His provision
without thanking Him.

9 Had such been the case,

they would have left the bounds of humanity

for that of beastliness
and become as He has described in the firm text of His Book:
They are but as the cattle — nay, but they are further astray from the way!,^^

1 0Praise belongs to God, for

the true knowledge of Himself He has given to us,
the thanksgiving He has inspired us to offer Him,
the doors to knowing His Lordship He has opened for us,
the sincerity towards Him in professing His Unity

to which He has led us,
and the deviation and doubt in His Command

from which He has turned us aside;

11 a praise through

which we may be given long life

among those of His creatures who praise Him,
and overtake those who have gone ahead

toward His good pleasure and pardon;

■'^jf

12 a praise through which

He will illuminate for us the shadows of the interworld,^!
ease for us the path of the Resurrection,
and raise up our stations

at the standing places of the Witnesses^^
on the day when every soul will be repaid

for what it has earned -

they shall not be wronged;^^
the day a master shall avail nothing a client,

and they shall not be helped; ^4

13 a praise

which will rise up from us to the highest of the llliyun^^
in a book inscribed^

witnessed by those brought nigh,^^

14 a praise whereby

our eyes may be at rest when sight is dazzled, ^^
our faces whitened when skins are blackened,^^

15 a praise through which

we may be released from God's painful Fire
and enter God's generous neighbourhood,

16 a praise by which

we may jostle the angels brought nigh

and join the prophets, the envoys,

in a House of Permanence that does not remove,

the Place of His Generosity that does not change.

1 yPraise belongs to God,

who chose for us the good qualities of creation,
granted us the agreeable things of provision,

1 8 and appointed for us excellence

through domination over all creation;

every one of His creatures submits to us
through His power

and comes to obey us

through His might.^^

1 9Praise belongs to God,

who locked for us the gate of need

except toward Him.
So how can we praise Him?
When can we thank Him?
Indeed, when?

20Praise belongs to God,

who placed within us the organs of expansion,

assigned for us the agents of contraction,

gave us to enjoy the spirits of life,

fixed within us the limbs of works,

nourished us with the agreeable things of provision,

freed us from need through His bounty,

and gave us possessions through His kindness.

21 Then He commanded us that He might test our obedience

and prohibited us that He might try our thanksgiving.
So we turned against the path of His commandments

and mounted the backs of His warnings.
Yet He hurried us not to His punishment,
nor hastened us on to His vengeance.
No, He went slowly with us through His mercy,

in generosity,
and awaited our return through His clemency,
in mildness.

22Praise belongs to God,

who showed us the way to repentance,
which we would not have won save through His bounty.
Had we nothing to count as His bounty but this.
His trial of us would have been good.
His beneficence toward us great.
His bounty upon us immense.

23 For such was not His wont in repentance

with those who went before us. 40
He has lifted up from us

what we have not the strength to bear,^^
charged us only to our capacity,42
imposed upon us nothing but ease,

and left none of us with an argument or excuse.

24 So the perisher among us is he who perishes in spite of Him
and the felicitous among us he who beseeches Him.

25And praise belongs to God

with all the praises of

His angels closest to Him,

His creatures most noble in His eyes,

and His praisers most pleasing to Him;

26 a praise that may surpass other praises

as our Lord surpasses all His creatures.

27Then to Him belongs praise,

in place of His every favour upon us

and upon all His servants, past and still remaining,

to the number of all things His knowledge encompasses,

and in place of each of His favours,

their number doubling and redoubling always and forever,

to the Day of Resurrection;

28 a praise whose bound has no utmost end,

whose number has no reckoning,
whose limit cannot be reached,
whose period cannot be cut off;

29 a praise which will become

a link to His obedience and pardon,

a tie to His good pleasure,

a means to His forgiveness,

a path to His Garden,

a protector against His vengeance,

a security against His wrath,

an aid to obeying Him,

a barrier against disobeying Him,

a help in fulfilling His right and His duties;

30 a praise that will make us felicitous

among His felicitous friends,
and bring us into the ranks

of those martyred by the swords of His enemies.
He is a Friend, Praiseworthy!

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V- •■^-■-

Blessing upon Muhammad and his Household

After this praise of God he (upon him be peace) would suppHcate by calling down blessings
upon God's Messenger (God bless him and his Household)

1 Praise belongs to God

who was kind to us through Muhammad
(God bless him and his Household)

to the exclusion of past communities and bygone generations,
displaying thereby His power,

which nothing can render incapable,

though it be great,
and nothing can escape,
though it be subtle.

2 He sealed through us all He created,

appointed us witnesses over those who deny,

and increased us by His kindness over those who are few.

3 OGod,

bless Muhammad,

entrusted by Thee with Thy revelation,
distinguished by Thee among Thy creatures,
devoted to Thee among Thy servants,
the imam of mercy,
the leader of good,
the key to blessing,

4 who wearied his soul

for Thy affairs,

5 exposed his body to detested things

for Thy sake,

6 showed open enmity toward his next of kin

by summoning to Thee,

7 fought against his family

for Thy good pleasure,

8 cut the ties of the womb

in giving life to Thy religion,

9 sent far those close

because of their denial,

1 brought near those far

because of their response to Thee,

1 1 showed friendship to the most distant

for Thy sake,

1 2 displayed enmity toward the nearest

for Thy sake,

1 3 made his soul persevere

in delivering Thy message,

1 4 tired it in summoning

to Thy creed,

1 5 busied it in counselling

those worthy of Thy summons,

1 6 migrated to the land of exile and the place of remoteness from

the home of his saddlebags,
the walkway of his feet,
the ground of his birth,
and the intimate abode of his soul,
desiring to exalt Thy religion
and seeking help
against those who disbelieved in Thee,

1 7 until what he attempted against Thy enemies

went well with him

1 8 and what he arranged for Thy friends

was accomplished.

19 .. He rose up against them seeking victory

7^. : I! through Thine aid, becoming strong in spite of his weakness

with Thy help.

20 He fought against them

in the centre of their cities

21 and attacked them

in the midst of their dwellings,

22 until Thy command prevailed,

and Thy word rose up,

though the idolaters were averse. 43

23 God,

so raise him, because of his labours for Thy sake,
to the highest degree of Thy Garden,44

24 that none may equal him in station,

none may match him in level,
and no angel brought nigh or prophet sent out
may parallel him in Thy sight.

25 And inform him concerning his Household the pure

and his community the faithful

of an excellent intercession,

greater than what Thou hast promised him 1^5

II -^^^

26 O Keeper of promises!

O Faithful to Thy word!

O He who changes evil deeds into manifold good deeds! 46

Thou art of bounty abounding !

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Blessing upon the Bearers of the Throne

A Supplication in Calling down Blessings upon the Bearers of the Throne and Every Angel
Brought Nigh

1 OGod,

as for the Bearers of Thy Throne, 4 7 who

never flag in glorifying Thee,

never become weary of calling Thee holy,

never tire of worshipping Thee,

never prefer curtailment over diligence in Thy command,

and are never heedless of passionate love for Thee;

2 Seraphiel,

the Owner of the Trumpet,

fixed in his gaze,

awaiting Thy permission

and the descent of the Command,

that he may arouse through the Blast

the hostages thrown down in the graves;

3 Michael,

possessor of standing with Thee

and a raised up place in Thy obedience;

4 Gabriel,

entrusted with Thy revelation,
obeyed by the inhabitants of Thy heavens,
distinguished in Thy Presence, 48
brought nigh to Thee;

5 the spirit who is over the angels of the veils ;49

6 and the spirit

who is of Thy command^^ _
bless them and the angels below them:
the residents in Thy heavens,
those entrusted with Thy messages.

7 those who become not wearied by perseverance,

or exhausted and flagged by toil,
whom passions distract not from glorifying Thee,
and whose magnification of Thee is never cut off

by the inattention of heedless moments;

8 their eyes lowered,

they do not attempt to look at Thee;
their chins bowed,

they have long desired what is with Thee;
unrestrained in mentioning Thy boons,

they remain humble before Thy mightiness

and the majesty of Thy magnificence;

9 those who say when they look upon Gehenna

roaring over the people who disobeyed Thee:

'Glory be to Thee,

we have not worshipped Thee

with the worship Thou deservest!'

1 Bless them,

and Thy angels who are the Reposeful,
those of proximity to Thee,
those who carry the unseen to Thy messengers,
those entrusted with Thy revelation,

1 1 the tribes of angels

whom Thou hast singled out for Thyself,

freed from need for food and drink by their calling Thee holy,

and made to dwell inside Thy heavens' layers,

1 2 those who will stand upon the heavens' borders^i

when the Command descends to complete Thy promise,

1 3 the keepers of the rain,
the drivers of the clouds,

1 4 him at whose driving's sound is heard the rolling of thunder,

and when the reverberating clouds swim before his driving,
bolts of lightning flash;

1 5 the escorts of snow and hail,

the descenders with the drops of rain when they fall,

the watchers over the treasuries of the winds,

those charged with the mountains lest they disappear,

1 6 those whom Thou hast taught the weights of the waters

and the measures contained by torrents and masses of rain;

1 7 the angels who are Thy messengers to the people of the earth

with the disliked affliction that comes down
and the beloved ease;

1 8 the devoted, noble scribes, ^ 2
the watchers, noble writers, ^^
the angel of death and his helpers,
Munkar and Nakir,^^

Rumaan, the tester in the graves, ^^

the circlers of the Inhabited House, ^^

Malik^^ and the guardians,

Ridwan^s and the gatekeepers of the gardens,

1 9 those who disobey not God in What He commands them

and do What they are commanded;^^

20 those who say. Peace be upon you, for that you were patient

- and fair is the Ultimate Abode;^^

21 the Zabaniya, who, when it is said to them,

take him, and fetter him,

then roast him in hell,^i
hasten to accomplish it,

nor do they give him any respite;^^

22 him whom we have failed to mention,

not knowing his place with Thee,

nor with which command Thou hast charged him;

23 and the residents in the air, the earth, and the water,

and those of them charged over the creatures;

24 bless them on the day when every soul will come,

with it a driver and a witness, ^^

25 and bless them with a blessing that will add

honour to their honour
and purity to their purity.

26 O God,

and when Thou blessest Thy angels and Thy messengers
and Thou extendest our blessings to them,
bless us through the good words about them

which Thou hast opened up for us !
Thou art Munificent, Generous.

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Blessing upon the Attesters to the Messengers

His Supplication in Calling down Blessings upon the Followers of, and Attesters to, the
Messengers

1 OGod,

as for the followers of the messengers

and those of the people of the earth
who attested to them unseen

(while the obstinate resisted them through crying lies) -
they yearned for the emissaries through the realities of faith,

2 in every era and time in which Thou didst send a messenger

and set up for the people a director

from the period of Adam down to Muhammad
(God bless him and his Household)
from among the imams of guidance

and the leaders of the godfearing
(upon them all be peace) -
remember them with forgiveness and good pleasure!

3 OGod,

and as for the Companions of Muhammad specifically,
those who did well in companionship,
who stood the good test in helping him,
responded to him

when he made them hear his messages' argument,

4 separated from mates and children

in manifesting his word,
fought against fathers and sons

in strengthening his prophecy,
and through him gained victory;

5 those who were wrapped in affection for him,

hoping for a commerce

that comes not to naught^^ j^ love for him;

6 those who were left by their clans

when they clung to his handhold
and denied by their kinsfolk

when they rested in the shadow of his kinship;

7 forget not, O God,

what they abandoned for Thee and in Thee,
and make them pleased with Thy good pleasure

for the sake of the creatures they drove to Thee
while they were with Thy Messenger,
summoners to Thee for Thee.

8 Show gratitude to them for leaving the abodes of their people for Thy sake

and going out from a plentiful livelihood to a narrow one,
and [show gratitude to] those of them who became objects of wrongdoing
and whom Thou multiplied in exalting Thy religion.

9 OGod,

and give to those

who have done well in following the Companions,
who say. Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers

who went before us in faith,^^
Thy best reward;

1 those who went straight to the Companions' road,

sought out their course,

and proceeded in their manner.

11 No doubt concerning their sure insight diverted them

and no uncertainty shook them

from following in their tracks

and being led by the guidance of their light.

12 As their assistants and supporters,

they professed their religion,

gained guidance through their guidance,

came to agreement with them,

and never accused them in what they passed on to them.

13 God,

and bless the Followers,

from this day of ours to the Day of Doom,
their wives,
their offspring,
and those among them who obey Thee,

1 4 with a blessing through which

Thou wilt preserve them from disobeying Thee,
make room for them in the plots of Thy Garden,
defend them from the trickery of Satan,
help them in the piety in which they seek help from Thee,
protect them from sudden events that come by night and day
- except the events which come with good -

1 5 and incite them to

tie firmly the knot of good hope in Thee,

what is with Thee,

and refrain from ill thoughts [toward Thee]

because of what the hands of Thy servants' hold.

1 6 Thus Thou mayest

restore them to beseeching Thee and fearing Thee,
induce them to renounce the plenty of the immediate,
make them love to

work for the sake of the deferred

and prepare for what comes after death,

1 7 make easy for them every distress that comes to them

on the day when souls take leave from bodies,

1 8 release them from

that which brings about the perils of temptation
and being thrown down in the Fire
and staying forever within it,

1 9 and take them to security,

the resting place of the godfearing.

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His Supplication for himself and the People under his

G uardianship

1 O He the wonders of whose mightiness will never end!

Bless Muhammad and his Household

and prevent us from deviation concerning Thy mightiness!

2 O He the term of whose kingdom will never cease!

Bless Muhammad and his Household

and release our necks from Thy vengeance!

3 O He the treasuries of whose mercy will never be exhausted!

Bless Muhammad and his Household
and appoint for us a portion of Thy mercy!

4 O He whom eyes fall short of seeing!

Bless Muhammad and his Household
and bring us close to Thy nearness!

5 O He before whose greatness all great things are small!

Bless Muhammad and his Household
and give us honour with Thee!

6 O He to whom all hidden tidings are manifest!

Bless Muhammad and his Household
and expose us not before Thee!

7 OGod,

remove our need for the gifts of the givers
through Thy gift,
spare us the loneliness of those who break off
through Thy joining,
that we may beseech no one

along with Thy free giving,
that we may feel lonely at no one's absence
along with Thy bounty!

8 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
scheme for us, not against us,
devise to our benefit, not to our loss,^^
give the turn to prevail to us, not to others!

9 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

protect us from Thyself,

safeguard us through Thyself,

guide us to Thyself,

and take us not far from Thyself !^^

he whom Thou protectest stays safe,
he whom Thou guidest knows,
and he whom Thou bringest near Thyself
takes the spoils.

10 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and spare us the cutting edge of time's turning changes,

the evil of Satan's snares,

and the bitterness of the sovereign's aggression!

11 OGod,

the spared are spared only through the bounty of Thy strength,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and spare us !
The givers give only through the bounty of Thy wealth,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and give to us!
The guided are guided only by the light of Thy face,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and guide us !

12 OGod,

he whom Thou befriendest will not be injured
by the abandonment of the abandoners,

he to whom Thou givest will not be diminished
by the withholding of the withholders,

he whom Thou guidest will not be misled
by the misguidance of the misguiders.

1 3 So bless Muhammad and his Household,

defend us from Thy servants

through Thy might,
free us from need for other than Thee

through Thy support,
and make us travel the path of the Truth

through Thy right guidance!

14 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and put

the soundness of our hearts

into the remembrance of Thy mightiness,
the idleness of our bodies

into giving thanks for Thy favour,
and the flow of our tongues

into the description of Thy kindness!

15 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and make us one of

Thy summoners who summon to Thee,

Thy guiders who direct to Thee,

and Thy special friends whom Thou hast singled out!
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

'^/

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His Supplication in the Morning and Evening

1 Praise belongs to God,

who created night and day
through His strength,

2 set them apart

through His power,

3 and appointed for each

a determined limit
and a drawn-out period.

4 He makes each of the two enter into its companion,

and makes its companion enter into it,
as an ordainment from Him for His servants
in that through which He feeds them
and with which He makes them grow.

5 He created for them the night,

that they might rest in it^^

from tiring movements

and wearisome exertions
and He made it a garment for them

that they might be clothed

in its ease and its sleep,
that it might be for them refreshment and strength,

that they might reach therein pleasure and passion.

6 He created for them the daytime, giving sight,

that they might seek within it of His bounty, ^^

find the means to His provision,

and roam freely in His earth,

searching for that through which

to attain the immediate in their life in this world
and to achieve the deferred in their life to come.

7 Through all of this He sets right their situation,

tries their recordsj^
and watches their state in

the times for obeying Him,

the waystations of His obligations,

and the places of His ordinances,
that He may repay those who do evil with what they have done

and repay those who do good with goodness 7 ^

8 OGod,

to Thee belongs praise

for the sky Thou hast split into dawn for us, ^2

giving us to enjoy thereby the brightness of daytime,

showing us sought-after nourishments,

and protecting us from the striking of blights.

9 In the morning we and all things, every one, rise for Thee,

the heaven and the earth

and what Thou hast scattered in each,

the still and the moving,

the resident and the journeying,

what towers up in the air and what hides under the ground.

1 We rise in the morning in Thy grasp:

Thy kingdom and authority contain us

and Thy will embraces us.
We move about by Thy command

and turn this way and that through Thy governing.

1 1 We own nothing of the affair

except what Thou hast decreed
and nothing of the good

except what Thou hast given.

1 2 This is a fresh, new day,

over us a ready witness.
If we do good,

it will take leave from us with praise,
and if we do evil,

it will part from us in blame. ''^ ■'

13 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
provide us with the day's good companionship
and preserve us against parting from it badly

by doing a misdeed

or committing a sin, whether small or great!

1 4 Make our good deeds within it plentiful

empty us therein of evil deeds,

and fill what lies between its two sides for us

with praise and thanksgiving,

wages and stores,

bounty and beneficence!

15 God,

ease our burden on the Noble Writers, ^^
fill our pages for us

with our good deeds,
and degrade us not before them

with our evil works !

16 God,

appoint for us in each of the day's hours
a share from Thy servants,
a portion of giving thanks to Thee,
and a truthful witness among Thy angels!

17 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and safeguard us from before us and behind us,

from our right hands and our left hands

and from all our directions, ^4
a safeguarding that will preserve from disobeying Thee,

guide to obeying Thee,

and be employed for Thy love!

18 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and give us success in this day of ours,

this night of ours,

and in all our days,
to employ the good,
stay away from the evil,
give thanks for favours,
follow the Sunna's norms,
avoid innovations,
enjoin good behaviour,
forbid the disapproved,
defend Islam,

diminish falsehood and abase it,
help the truth and exalt it,
guide the misguided,
assist the weak,

and reach out to the troubled!

19 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and make this

the most fortunate day we have known,

the most excellent companion we have accompanied,

and the best time in which we have lingered!

20 Place us among

the most satisfied of all Thy creatures

whom night and day have passed by,

the most thankful of them

for the favours Thou hast done,

the firmest of them

in the laws Thou hast set down in the Shari'a,

and the most unyielding of them
toward the prohibited acts
against which Thou hast cautioned!

21 O God,

I call Thee to witness

- and Thou art sufficient witness -

and I call Thy heaven and Thy earth to witness

and Thy angels and Thy other creatures who inhabit them
in this my day,
this my hour,
this my night,
and this my resting place,
that I bear witness

that Thou art God,

other than whom there is no god.
Upholding justice.
Equitable in judgement,
Clement to the servants, ^^
Master of the kingdom, ^^
Compassionate to the creatures,

22 and that Muhammad is Thy servant and Thy messenger.

Thy chosen from among Thy creatures.
Thou didst charge him with Thy message

and he delivered it;
Thou didst command him to counsel his community

and he counselled it.

23 O God,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

more than Thou hast blessed any of Thy creatures!
Give him for our sake the best Thou hast given any of Thy servants,
and repay him on our behalf better and more generously
than Thou hast repaid any of Thy prophets
on behalf of his community!

24 Thou art All-kind with immensity,

the Forgiver of the great,
and Thou art more merciful

than every possessor of mercy!
So bless Muhammad and his Household,

the good, the pure, the chosen, the most distinguished!

.??^ 3^^?^??^ 'yy^:-rr^S^^ ■;>^^^-?^^ yy^:^7^S^i^ y:--^.v^S^ 'y>^:^7^Sr^.'^'^^^!^S?^ "^^i-^^S^ 'Vy^.'^^S^^

His Supplication in Worrisome Tasks

His Supplication when Faced with a Worrisome Task or when Misfortune Descended and at
the Time of Distress

1 O He through whom the knots of detested things are untied!

O He through whom the cutting edge of hardships is blunted!
O He from whom is begged the outlet to the freshness of relief!

2 Intractable affairs yield to Thy power,

means are made ready by Thy gentleness,
the decree goes into effect through Thy power,
and all things proceed according to Thy desire.

3 By Thy desire they follow Thy command

without Thy word
and by Thy will they obey Thy bans
without Thy prohibition.

4 Thou art the supplicated in worries

and the place of flight in misfortunes;
none of them is repelled unless Thou repellest,
none is removed unless Thou removest.

5 Upon me has come down. My Lord,

something whose weight burdens me
and upon me has fallen

something whose carrying oppresses me.

6 Through Thy power

Thou hast brought it down upon me
and through Thy authority

Thou hast turned it toward me.

7 None can send away what Thou hast brought,

none can deflect what Thou hast turned,

none can open what Thou hast closed,

none can close what Thou hast opened,

none can make easy what Thou hast made difficult,

none can help him whom Thou hast abandoned.

8 So bless Muhammad and his Household,

open for me, my Lord, the door of relief through Thy graciousness,

break from me the authority of worry by Thy strength,

confer the beauty of Thy gaze upon my complaint,

let me taste the sweetness of benefaction in what I ask,

give me from Thyself mercy and wholesome relief,

and appoint for me from Thyself a quick way out!

9 Distract me not through worry

from observing Thy obligations

and acting in accordance with Thy prescriptions.

1 My capacity has been straitened, my Lord,

by what has come down on me,
and I am filled with worry

by carrying what has happened to me,
while Thou hast power to remove what has afflicted me

and to repel that into which I have fallen.
So do that for me

though I merit it not from Thee,

O Possessor of the Mighty Throne!

■'^jf

Sis Supplication in Seeking Refuge

His Supplication in Seeking Refuge from Hateful Things, Bad Moral Qualities, and
Blameworthy Acts

O God, I seek refuge in Thee

from the agitation of craving,
the violence of wrath,
the domination of envy,
the frailty of patience,
the lack of contentment,
surliness of character,
urgency of passion,
the disposition to vehemence,

following caprice, ^^

opposing guidance,

the sleep of heedlessness,

undertaking the toilsome,

preferring falsehood over truth,

persisting in sin,

making little of disobedience,

making much of obedience,

vying with the wealthy,

disparaging the poor,

guarding badly over those in our hands,

failing to thank those who have done good to us,

aiding a wrongdoer,

abandoning someone troubled,

wanting what is not rightfully ours,

and speaking about knowledge without knowing.

We seek refuge in Thee from

harbouring dishonesty toward anyone,
being pleased with our works,
and stretching out our expectations.

6 We seek refuge in Thee from

ill-mindedness,

looking down on the small,

Satan's gaining mastery over us,

time's afflicting us,

and the sovereign's oppressing us.

7 We seek refuge in Thee from

acting with prodigality
and not having sufficiency.

8 We seek refuge in Thee from

the gloating of enemies,
indigent need for equals,
living in hardship,
and dying without readiness.

9 We seek refuge in Thee from

the most dreadful remorse,
the greatest affliction,
the most wretched wretchedness,
the evil end to the journey,
the deprivation of reward,
and the advent of punishment.

10 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and through Thy mercy, give to me refuge from all of that,

and to all the faithful, both men and women!
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

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His Supplication in Yearning

His Supplication in Yearning to Ask Forgiveness from God

1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

make us go to the repentance that Thou lovest

and make us leave the persistence that Thou hatest!

2 O God,

when we halt before two decreases,

in religion or in this world,
let the decrease fall upon that which passes quickly

and relent in that which lasts the longer!

3 When we set out after two concerns,

one of which makes Thee pleased with us
and the other of which displeases Thee,
incline us toward that which makes Thee pleased

and weaken our strength in that which displeases Thee!

4 Leave not our souls alone to choose in that,

for they choose falsehood

except inasmuch as Thou givest success,
and they command to evil

except inasmuch as Thou hast mercy !^^

5 O God,

thou created us from frailty,^^
built us up from feebleness,

and began us from a mean water;^^
we have no force except through Thy strength

and no strength except through Thy help.

6 So confirm us

by giving us success,
point us the right way

by Thy pointing,
blind the eyes of our hearts

toward everything opposed to Thy love,
and set not in any of our limbs

passage to disobeying Thee!

7 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and assign

the whisperings of our hearts,

the movements of our members,

the glances of our eyes,

and the idioms of our tongues,
to that which makes incumbent Thy reward, lest
a good deed slip by us,

through which we might deserve Thy repayment,
or an evil deed remain with us,

by which we might merit Thy punishment!

■'^jf

1 O God,

if Thou wiliest,

Thou wilt pardon us through Thy bounty
and if Thou wiliest.

Thou wilt chastise us through Thy justice.

2 So make our ways smooth to Thy pardon

through Thy kindness
and grant us sanctuary from Thy chastisement

through Thy forbearance,
for none of us has the endurance for Thy justice
and none of us can reach deliverance without Thy pardon!

30 Richest of the rich!

Here we are. Thy servants, before Thee.
I am the neediest of the needy toward Thee,
so redress our neediness

through Thy plenty
and cut us not off from our hopes

through Thy withholding,
lest Thou makest wretched him who seeks felicity through Thee
and deprivest him who seeks help from Thy bounty!

4 Then to whom would we return after Thee?

Where would we go from Thy gate?

Glory be to Thee!
We are the distressed,

the response to whom

Thou hast made incumbent,
the people from whom

Thou hast promised to remove the evil.^i

5 That thing most resembling Thy will

and that affair most worthy for Thee in Thy mightiness
is showing mercy to him who asks Thee for mercy

and helping him who seeks help from Thee.
So show mercy upon our pleading with Thee

and free us from need when we throw ourselves before Thee!

60 God,

Satan will gloat over us if we follow him
in disobeying Thee,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and let him not gloat over us

after we have renounced him for Thee
and beseeched Thee against him!

■'^jf

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His Supplication for Good Outcomes

1 O He remembering whom brings honour

to those who remember!
O He thanking whom brings triumph

to those who give thanks!
O He obeying whom brings deliverance

to those who obey!
Bless Muhammad and his Household,
and divert our hearts through remembering Thee

from every act of remembrance,
our tongues through thanking Thee

from every act of thanksgiving,
our limbs through obeying Thee

from every act of obedience!

2 If Thou hast ordained for us idleness from these occupations,

make it an idleness of safety, within which

no ill consequence visits us

or weariness overtakes us!
Then the writers of evil deeds may depart from us

with a page empty of the mention of our evil deeds,
and the writers of good deeds may turn away from us

happy with the good deeds of ours which they have written.

3 And when the days of our life have passed by,

the terms of our lifetimes have elapsed,

and Thy call, which must come and be answered,

summons us forth,
then bless Muhammad and his Household
and make the outcome of what the writers of our works

count against us

an accepted repentance,

which afterwards gave us no rest
in a sin that we committed
or an act of disobedience that we performed!

4 Remove not from us any covering

with which Thou hast covered over the heads of the witnesses
on the day when the records of Thy servants are tried!

5 Verily Thou art compassionate to him who supplicates Thee,

the responder to him who calls upon Thee!

■'^jf

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His Supplication in Confession

His Supplication in Confession and in Seeking Repentance toward God

1 O God,

three traits have prevented me from asking Thee
and one trait has urged me on:

2 1 am prevented by

a command Thou hast commanded

in which I have been slow,
a prohibition Thou hast prohibited

toward which I have hurried,
and a favour through which Thou hast favoured

for which I have not given sufficient thanks.

3 1 am urged to ask Thee

by Thy gratuitous bounty upon him who

turns his face toward Thee

and comes to Thee with a good opinion,
since all Thy beneficence is gratuitous bounty

and every one of Thy favours a new beginning !

4 So here I am, my God,

standing at the gate of Thy might,

the standing of the lowly, the surrendered,
asking Thee in my shame,

the asking of the destitute, the pitiful,

5 admitting to Thee that

at the time of Thy beneficence I surrendered not

save through abstaining from disobedience toward Thee

and in none of my states was I ever without
Thy Kindness.

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His Supplication in Seeking Needs from G od

1 O God,

O ultimate object of needs!

2 O He through whom requests

are attained!

3 O He whose favours are not bought

by prices!

4 O He who does not muddy His gifts

by the imposition of obhgations!

5 O He along with whom nothing is needed

and without whom nothing can be done!

6 O He toward whom desire is ever directed

and never turned away!

7 O He whose treasuries cannot be exhausted

by demands!

8 O He whose wisdom cannot be altered

by any means !

9 O He from whom the needs of the needy

are never cut off!

10 O He who is not distressed

by the supplications of the supplicators !

1 1 Thou hast lauded Thyself for having no need for Thy creatures,

and it suits Thee to have no need for them,

1 2 and Thou hast attributed to them poverty,

and it suits them to be poor toward Thee.^^

13 So he who strives to remedy his lack through what is with Thee

and wishes to turn poverty away from himself through Thee
has sought his need in the most likely place

and come to his request from the right quarter.

■'^jf

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His Supplication in Acts of Wrongdoing

His Supplication when Hostility was Shown to Him or when he Saw what he did not Like in
Wrongdoers^^

1 O He from whom is not concealed

news of the aggrieved!

2 O He who has no need to be told about them

by the witnessing of the witnesses!

3 O He who whose help is near to the wronged!

4 O He whose aid is far from the wrongdoers!

5 Thou knowest, my God,

how so-and-so, son of so-and-so, has harmed me

in that which Thou hast forbidden,
and how he has violated me

in that which Thou hast prohibited,
showing thereby ingratitude toward Thy favour upon him

and delusion concerning what Thou hast denied him.

6 OGod,

so bless Muhammad and his Household,

keep my wrongdoing enemy from wronging me through Thy strength,

blunt his blade toward me through Thy power,

and assign to him

a diversion in that which is close to him

and the inability to reach his enemy!

7 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

let the wrongdoer not find it easy to wrong me,

give me good help against him,

preserve me from the like of his acts,

and place me not in the like of his situation!

8 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
and assist me with an immediate assistance

that will heal my rage toward him

and redeem my fury toward him!

9 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

compensate me for his wronging me with Thy pardon

and replace his evil action toward me with Thy mercy,
for every detested thing less than Thy anger is slight

and every disaster next to Thy rancour indifferent!

10 OGod,

just as Thou hast made me detest being wronged,
so also protect me from doing wrong !

,11 OGod,

I complain to no one but Thee,

and I seek help from no ruler other than Thee -

how could I?
So bless Muhammad and his Household,
join my supplication to response,

and unite my complaint with change!

12 OGod,

tempt me not with despair of Thy just treatment

and tempt him not with feeling secure from Thy disapproval,
lest he persist in wronging me

and constrain me in my rights. ^^
Let him soon recognize

what Thou hast promised the wrongdoers^ i
and let me recognize

Thy promised response to the distressed! ^2

■'^jf

13 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
give me success in accepting Thy decrees

for me and against me,
make me pleased with what Thou takest

for me and from me,
guide me to that which is most upright

and employ me in that which is safest!

14 God,

if the best for me with Thee lies

in delaying the taking to task for my sake
of him who has wronged me

and in refraining from vengeance toward him

until the Day of Decision and

the Gathering of Disputants,
then bless Muhammad and his Household,
strengthen me from Thee

with true intention

and lasting patience,

1 5 give me refuge

from evil desire

and the impatience of the greedy,
and form in my heart the image of

Thy reward

which Thou hast stored away for me

and the repayment and punishment

which Thou has prepared for my disputant!
Make this a cause of my contentment

with what Thou hast decreed
and my trust

in what Thou hast chosen!

'W

1 6 Amen, Lord of the worlds !

Thou art of bounty abounding

and Thou art powerful over everything.

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His Supplication when Sick

His Supplication when Sick or Visited by Distress or an Affliction

1 O God, to Thee belongs praise

for the good health of my body
which lets me move about,
and to Thee belongs praise,
for the ailments
which Thou causest to arise in my flesh!

2 For I know not, my God,

which of the two states deserves more my thanking Thee

and which of the two times is more worthy for my praise of Thee:

3 the time of health,

within which Thou makest me delight

in the agreeable things of Thy provision,
through which Thou givest me the joy to seek

the means to Thy good pleasure and bounty,
and by which Thou strengthenest me

for the acts of obedience

which Thou hast given me success to accomplish;

4 or the time of illness

through which Thou puttest me to the test
and bestowest upon me favours:
lightening of the offenses

that weigh down my back,
purification of the evil deeds

into which I have plunged,
incitement to reach

for repentance,
reminder of the erasure of misdeeds
through ancient favour;

5 and, through all that, what the two writers write for me:

blameless acts,

which no heart had thought,

no tongue had uttered,

and no limb had undertaken,
rather, as Thy bestowal of bounty upon me
and the beneficence of Thy benefaction toward me.^^

6 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
make me love

what Thou hast approved for me,
make easy for me

what Thou hast sent down upon me,
purify me of the defilement

of what I have sent ahead,
erase the evil

of what I have done beforehand,
let me find the sweetness

of well-being,
let me taste the coolness

of safety,
and appoint for me

a way out from my illness to Thy pardon,

transformation of my infirmity into Thy forbearance,

escape from my distress to Thy refreshment,

and safety from this hardship in Thy relief!

7 Thou art gratuitously bountiful in beneficence,

ever gracious in kindness,

the Generous, the Giver,

Possessor of majesty and munificence!

■'^jf

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V ■■'"■- \

His Supplication in Asking Release

His Supplication when he Asked Release from his Sins or Pleaded in Seeking Pardon for his
Defects

1 OGod,

O He through whose Mercy sinners seek aid!

2 O He to the remembrance of whose beneficence the distressed flee!

3 O He in fear of whom the offenders weep !

4 O Comfort of every lonely stranger!

O Relief of all who are downcast and distressed!
O Aid of everyone abandoned and alone!
O Support of every needy outcast!

5 Thou art He

who embracest everything in mercy and knowledge! ^4

6 Thou art He

who hast appointed for each creature a share of Thy favours !

7 Thou art He

whose pardon is higher than His punishment!

8 Thou art He

whose mercy runs before His wrath!

9 Thou art He

whose bestowal is greater than His withholding!

1 Thou art He

by whose mercy all creatures are embraced!

1 1 Thou art He

who desires no repayment by him upon whom He bestows!

1 2 Thou art He

who does not overdo the punishment of him who disobeys Thee!

1 3 And I, my God, am Thy servant

whom Thou commanded to suppHcate
and who said:

I am at Thy service and disposal!
Here am I, my Lord,

thrown down before Thee.

14 I am he

whose back offenses have weighed down!
I am he

whose hfetime sins have consumed!
I am he

who was disobedient in his ignorance,

while Thou didst not deserve that from him!

1 5 Wilt Thou, my God,

be merciful toward him who supplicates Thee,

that I should bring my supplication before Thee?
Wilt Thou forgive him who weeps to Thee

that I should hurry to weep?
Wilt Thou show forbearance toward

him who puts his face in the dust before Thee in lowliness?
Wilt Thou free from need

him who complains to Thee of his indigent need with confidence?

1 6 My God,

disappoint not him who finds no bestower

other than Thee,
and abandon not him who cannot be freed from his need for Thee

through less than Thee!

y^'^jf

17 My God,

so bless Muhammad and his Household,
turn not away from me

when I have turned my face toward Thee,
deprive me not

when 1 have besought Thee,
and slap not my brow with rejection

when I have stood before Thee!

1 8 Thou art He who has described Himself by mercy,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and have mercy upon me!
Thou art He who has named Himself by pardon,

so pardon me!

1 9 Thou hast seen, my God,

the flow of my tears

in fear of Thee,
the throbbing of my heart

in dread of Thee,
and the infirmity of my limbs

in awe of Thee.

20 All this from my shame before Thee

because of my evil works!
So my voice has become silent,

no longer crying to Thee,
and my tongue has gone dumb,

no longer whispering in prayer.

21 My God,

so to Thee belongs praise!

How many of my haws Thou hast covered over

without exposing me!
How many of my sins Thou hast cloaked

without making me notorious!
How many faults I have committed, yet Thou didst not

tear away from me their covering,

collar me with their detested disgrace,

or make their dishonour plain

to those of my neighbours who search for my defects
and to those who envy Thy favour toward me!

22 But that did not prevent me from passing on

to the evil that Thou knowest from me!

23 So who is more ignorant than I, my God,

of his own right conduct?
Who is more heedless than I

of his own good fortune?
Who is further than I

from seeking to set himself right?
For I spend the provision Thou deliverest to me

in the disobedience Thou hast prohibited to me!
Who sinks more deeply into falsehood

and is more intensely audacious in evil than I?
For I hesitate between Thy call and the call of Satan

and then follow his call

without being blind in my knowledge of him
or forgetful in my memory of him,

24 while I am certain that Thy call takes to the Garden
and his call takes to the Fire!

25 Glory be to Thee!

How marvellous the witness I bear against my own soul
and the enumeration of my own hidden affairs !

26 And more marvellous than that is Thy lack of haste with me.

Thy slowness in attending to me!

That is not because I possess honour with Thee,
but because Thou waitest patiently for me

and art bountiful toward me

that I may refrain from disobedience displeasing to Thee

and abstain from evil deeds that disgrace me,
and because Thou lovest to pardon me more than to punish!

27 But I, my God, am

more numerous in sins,

uglier in footsteps,

more repulsive in acts,

more reckless in rushing into falsehood,

weaker in awakening to Thy obedience,

and less attentive and heedful toward Thy threats,
than that I could number for Thee my faults

or have the power to recount my sins.

28 I only scold my own soul,

craving Thy gentleness,

through which the affairs of sinners are set right,
and hoping for Thy mercy,

through which the necks of the offenders are freed.

29 O God,

this is my neck,

enslaved by sins,
bless Muhammad and his Household

and release it through Thy pardon!
This is my back,

weighed down by offenses,
bless Muhammad and his Household

and lighten it through Thy kindness!

30 My God,

were I to weep to Thee until my eyelids drop off,

wail until my voice wears out,

stand before Thee until my feet swell up,

bow to Thee until my backbone is thrown out of joint,

prostrate to Thee until my eyeballs fall out,

eat the dirt of the earth for my whole life,

drink the water of ashes till the end of my days,

mention Thee through all of that until my tongue fails,

and not lift my glance to the sky's horizons in shame before Thee,

yet would I not merit through all of that

the erasing of a single one of my evil deeds !

31 Though Thou forgivest me when I merit Thy forgiveness

and pardonest me when I deserve Thy pardon,
yet I have no title to that through what I deserve,

nor am I worthy of it through merit,
since my repayment from Thee

from the first that I disobeyed Thee

is the Fire!
So if Thou punishest me.

Thou dost me no wrong.

32 My God, since Thou hast

shielded me with Thy covering

and not exposed me,
waited patiently for me through Thy generosity,

and not hurried me to punishment,
and shown me clemency through Thy bounty,

and not changed Thy favour upon me

or muddied Thy kindly acts toward me,
have mercy on my drawn out pleading,

my intense misery,

and my evil situation!

33 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

protect me from acts of disobedience,

employ me in obedience,

provide me with excellent turning back [to Thee],

purify me through repentance,

strengthen me through preservation from sin,

set me right through well being,

let me taste the sweetness of forgiveness,

make me the freedman of Thy pardon

and the slave released by Thy mercy,
and write for me a security

from Thy displeasure!
Give me the good news of that

in the immediate, not the deferred

- a good news I recognize -
and make known to me therein a sign

which I may clearly see!

34 That will not constrain Thee in Thy plenty,

distress Thee in Thy power,
ascend beyond Thy lack of haste,
or tire Thee in Thy great gifts,

which are pointed to by Thy signs.
Verily Thou dost what Thou wilt.

Thou decreest what Thou desirest.
Thou art powerful over everything. ^^

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His Supplication Against Satan

His Supplication when he Mentioned Satan and Sought Refuge from him and from his
Enmity and Trickery

1 O God,

we seek refuge in Thee

from the instigations of the accursed Satan,

his trickery, and his traps,
from trust in his false hopes, his promises,

his delusions, and his snares,

2 and lest he should make himself crave

to lead us away from Thy obedience
and to degrade us through our disobeying Thee,
and lest what he has shown us as beautiful be beautiful for us

and what he has shown us as detestable weigh down upon us.

3 OGod,

drive him away from us through Thy worship,

throw him down through our perseverance in Thy love,

and place between him and us a covering

that he cannot tear away
and a solid barrier

that he cannot cut through!

4 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

distract Satan from us with some of Thy enemies,

preserve us from him through Thy good guarding,

spare us his treachery,

turn his back toward us,

and cut off from us his trace!

5 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
give us to enjoy guidance

the like of his misguidance,
increase us in piety

against his seduction,
and make us walk in reverential fear

contrary to his path of ruin!

6 OGod,

assign him no place of entrance into our hearts

and do not allow him to make his home in that which is with us!

7 OGod,

cause us to recognize the falsehood with which he tempts us,
and once Thou hast caused us to recognize it,
protect us from it!
Make us see what will allow us to outwit him,
inspire us with all that we can make ready for him,
awaken us from the heedless slumber of relying upon him,
and help us well, through Thy giving success, against him!

8 OGod,

saturate our hearts with the rejection of his works
and be gentle to us by destroying his stratagems!

9 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
turn his authority away from us,
cut off his hope from us,
and keep him from craving for us!

y^'^jf

10 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
and place our fathers, our mothers,
our children, our wives,
our siblings, our relatives,
and the faithful among our neighbours,
male and female,
in a sanctuary impregnable to him,
a guarding fortress,
a defending cave!
Clothe them in shields protective against him
and give them arms that will cut him down!

1 1 O God,

include in that everyone who

witnesses to Thee as Lord,

devotes himself sincerely to Thy Unity,

shows enmity toward him

through the reality of servanthood,
and seeks help from Thee against him

through knowledge of the divine sciences!

12 God,

undo what he ties,

unstitch what he sews up,

dislocate what he devises,

frustrate him when he makes up his mind,

and destroy what he establishes!

13 God,

rout his troops,

nullify his trickery,

make his cave collapse, -^-iV

and rub his nose in the ground!

14 God,

place us in the ranks of his enemies

and remove us from the number of his friends,
that we obey him not when he entices us

and answer him not when he calls to us!
We command everyone who obeys our command

to be his enemy
and we admonish everyone who follows our prohibition

not to follow him!

15 God,

bless Muhammad,

the Seal of the prophets and lord of the emissaries,
and the folk of his house,

the good, the pure!
Give refuge to us, our families, our brothers,

and all the faithful, male and female,

from that from which we seek refuge,
and grant us sanctuary from that through fear of which

we seek sanctuary in Thee!

1 6 Hear our supplication to Thee,

bestow upon us that of which we have been heedless,
and safeguard for us what we have forgotten!

Through all this bring us into the ranks of the righteous
and the degrees of the faithful!

Amen, Lord of the worlds !

His Supplication in Perils

His Supplication when Perils were Repelled or Requests quickly granted

1 O God,

to Thee belongs praise for Thy excellent accomplishment

and for Thy trial which Thou hast turned away from me!

But make not my share of Thy mercy

the well-being which Thou hast quickly granted to me,

lest I become wretched through what I have loved

and someone else gain felicity through what I have disliked !^^

2 If this well-being in which 1 pass the day or night should precede

a trial that does not cease

and a burden that does not pass away,
then set before me what Thou hadst set behind

and set behind me what Thou hadst set before!

3 For that which ends in annihilation is not great

and that which ends in subsistence is not little.
And bless Muhammad and his Household!

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■1 !"■"■ .:

His Supplication in Asking for Water during a Drought

1 O God,

water us with rain,
unfold upon us Thy mercy

through Thy copious rain

from the driven clouds,
so that Thy goodly earth may grow
on all horizons !

2 Show kindness to Thy servants

through the ripening of the fruit,
revive Thy land

through the blossoming of the flowers,
and let Thy angels - the noble scribes - be witness
to a beneficial watering from Thee,
lasting in its abundance,
plenty in its flow,
heavy, quick, soon,

3 through which Thou revivest what has vanished,

bringest forth what is coming,

and providest plentiful foods,
through heaped up, wholesome, productive clouds,

in reverberating layers,
the rain's downpour

not without cease,
the lightning's flashes

not without fruit!

4 O God,

give us water
through rain,

helping, productive, fertilizing,

widespread, plentiful, abundant,
bringing back the risen,
restoring the broken!

5 O God,

give us water with a watering through which Thou wilt
make the stone hills pour,
fill the cisterns,
flood the rivers,
make the trees grow,
bring down prices in all the lands,
invigorate the beasts and the creatures,
perfect for us the agreeable things of provision,
make grow for us the fields,
let flow for us the teats,
and add for us strength to our strength!

6 O God,

make not the cloud's shadow over us a burning wind,
allow not its coldness to be cutting,
let not its pouring down upon us be a stoning,
and make not its waters for us bitter!

7 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and provide us with the blessings of the heavens and the earth!

Thou art powerful over everything !^^

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His Supplication on Noble Moral Traits

His Supplication on Noble Moral Traits and Acts Pleasing to God

1 O God, -^^y

bless Muhammad and his Household,
cause my faith to reach the most perfect faith,
make my certainty the most excellent certainty,
and take my intention to the best of intentions
and my works to the best of works !

2 OGod,

complete my intention through Thy gentleness,
rectify my certainty through what is with Thee,
and set right what is corrupt in me through Thy power!

3 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
spare me the concerns

which distract me,
employ me

in that about which Thou wilt ask me tomorrow,
and let me pass my days

in that for which Thou hast created me!
Free me from need,

expand Thy provision toward me,

and tempt me not with ingratitude!
Exalt me

and afflict me not with pride!
Make me worship Thee

and corrupt not my worship with self- admiration!
Let good flow out from my hands upon the people

and efface it not by my making them feel obliged !^s
Give me the highest moral traits

and preserve me from vainglory!

4 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

raise me not a single degree before the people

without lowering me its like in myself
and bring about no outward exaltation for me

without an inward abasement in myself to the same measure!

5 OGod,

bless Muhammad and Muhammad's Household,
give me to enjoy

a sound guidance

which I seek not to replace,
a path of truth

from which I swerve not,
and an intention of right conduct
in which I have no doubts !
Let me live as long as my life is a free gift in obeying Thee,
but if my life should become a pasture for Satan,
seize me to Thyself

before Thy hatred overtakes me

or Thy wrath against be becomes firm!

6 O God, deposit in me

no quality for which I will be faulted,

unless Thou settest it right,
no flaw for which I will be blamed,

unless Thou makest it beautiful,
no deficient noble trait,

unless Thou completest it!

7 OGod,

bless Muhammad and Muhammad's Household
and replace for me

the animosity of the people of hatred

with love,
the envy of the people of insolence

with affection,
the suspicion of the people of righteousness

with trust,
the enmity of those close -'^"'■'''':'

with friendship,
the disrespect of womb relatives

with devotion.

the abandonment of relatives

with help,
the attachment of flatterers

with love set right,
the rejection of fellows

with generous friendliness,
and the bitterness of the fear of wrongdoers

with the sweetness of security!

8 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

appoint for me

a hand against him who wrongs me,

a tongue against him who disputes with me,

and a victory over him who stubbornly resists me!

Give me

guile against him who schemes against me,
power over him who oppresses me,
refutation of him who reviles me,
and safety from him who threatens me!

Grant me success to

obey him who points me straight
and follow him who guides me right!

9 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and point me straight to

resist him who is dishonest toward me

with good counsel,
repay him who separates from me

with gentle devotion,
reward him who deprives me

with free giving,
recompense him who cuts me off

with joining,
oppose him who slanders me

with excellent mention,
give thanks for good,
and shut my eyes to evil!

10 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

adorn me with the adornment of the righteous,

and clothe me in the ornaments of the godfearing, through

spreading justice,

restraining rage,

quenching the flame of hate,

bringing together the people of separation,

correcting discord,

spreading about good behaviour,

covering faults,

mildness of temper,

lowering the wing,^^

beauty of conduct,

gravity of bearing,

agreeableness in comportment,

precedence in reaching excellence,

preferring bounteousness,

refraining from condemnation,

bestowing bounty on the undeserving,

speaking the truth,

though it be painful,

making little of the good in my words and deeds,
though it be much,

and making much of the evil in my words and deeds,
though it be little!
Perfect this for me through

lasting obedience,

holding fast to the community,

and rejecting

the people of innovation

and those who act in accordance with original opinions!

1 1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

appoint for me

Thy widest provision in my old age

and Thy strongest strength when I am exhausted,

try me not with

laziness in worship of Thee,

blindness toward Thy path,

undertaking what opposes love for Thee,

joining with him who has separated himself from Thee,

and separating from him who has joined himself to Thee!

12 God,

make me

leap to Thee in times of distress,
ask from Thee in needs,
and plead to Thee in misery!
Tempt me not

to seek help from other than Thee

when I am distressed,
to humble myself in asking from someone else

when I am poor,
or to plead with someone less than Thee

when I fear,
for then I would deserve

Thy abandonment.

Thy withholding,

and Thy turning away,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

1 3 O God, make

the wishing, the doubt, and the envy

which Satan throws into my heart
a remembrance of Thy mightiness,
a reflection upon Thy power,
and a devising against Thy enemy !
Make everything he causes to pass over my tongue,
- the indecent or ugly words,
the maligning of good repute,
the false witness,
the speaking ill of an absent man of faith

or the reviling of one present,
and all things similar - a speech in praise of Thee,

a pursual of eulogizing Thee,

an excursion in magnifying Thee,

a thanksgiving for Thy favour,

an acknowledgement of Thy beneficence,

and an enumeration of Thy kindnesses!

14 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
let me not be wronged

while Thou canst repel from me,
let me not do wrong

while Thou art powerful over holding me back,
let me not be misguided

while Thou art able to guide me,
let me not be poor

while with Thee is my plenty,
let me not be insolent

while from Thee comes my wealth!

15 God,

I come to Thy forgiveness,
I go straight to Thy pardon,
I yearn for Thy forbearance,

and I trust in Thy bounty,
but there is nothing with me

to make me warrant Thy forgiveness,
nothing in my works

to make me merit Thy pardon,
and nothing on my behalf

after I judge my soul

but Thy bounty,
so bless Muhammad and his Household

and bestow Thy bounty upon me!

16 God,

make my speech be guidance,

inspire me with reverential fear,

give me success in that which is most pure,

and employ me in what is most pleasing to Thee!

17 God,

let me tread the most exemplary path
and make me live and die in Thy creed!

18 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
give me to enjoy moderation,
make me into one of

the people of right behaviour,

the proofs of right conduct,

and the servants of righteousness,
and provide me with

triumph at the place of Returni^o

and safety from the Ambush l^^i

19 God,

take to Thyself from my soul

what will purify it
and leave for my soul that of my soul

that will set it right,
for my soul will perish

unless Thou preservest it!

20 O God,

Thou art my stores when I sorrow.

Thou art my recourse when I am deprived,
from Thee I seek aid when troubled
and with Thee is

a substitute for everything gone by,
a correction for everything corrupted,
and a change from everything Thou disapprovest.
So show kindness to me with

well-being before affliction,
wealth before asking,
right conduct before misguidance;
suffice me against the burden of shame toward the servants,
give me security on the Day of Return,
and grant me excellent right guidance!

21 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

repel from me through Thy gentleness,

feed me through Thy favour,

set me right through Thy generosity,

heal me through Thy benefaction,

shade me in Thy shelter,

wrap me in Thy good pleasure,

and give me success to reach

the most guided of affairs when affairs confuse me,

the purest of works when works seem similar,

and the most pleasing to Thee of creeds when creeds conflict!

22 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

crown me with sufficiency,

place in me excellent guardianship, 102

give me to guide correctly,

tempt me not with plenty,

grant me excellent ease,

make not my life toil and trouble,

and refuse not my supplication in rejection,

for I make none rival to Thee

and I supplicate none with Thee as equal!

23 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
hold me back from prodigality,
fortify my provision against ruin,
increase my possessions through blessing them,
and set me upon the path of guidance
through piety in what I spend!

24 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

spare me the burden of earning,

and provide for me without reckoning,

lest I be distracted from Thy worship through seeking

and carry the load of earning's ill results!

:-^-^'/

25 O God,

bestow upon me what I seek

through Thy power
and grant me sanctuary from what I fear

through Thy might!

26 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

save my face through ease,

and demean not my dignity through neediness,

lest I seek provision from those whom Thou hast provided

and asks for bestowal from the worst of Thy creatures!
Then I would be tried

by praising him who gave to me

and afflicted

with blaming him who held back from me,

while Thou - not they - art patron of giving and holding back.

27 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and provide me with

soundness in worship,

detachment in renunciation,

knowledge put into action,

and abstinence in measure!

28 O God,

seal my term with Thy pardon,
verify my expectation in hoping for Thy mercy,
smooth my paths to reach Thy good pleasure,
and make my works good in all my states!

29 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
incite me to remember Thee

in times of heedlessness,
employ me in Thy obedience

in days of disregard,
open a smooth road for me

to Thy love,
and complete for me thereby the good

of this world and the next!

30 O God,

and bless Muhammad and his Household
the best Thou hast blessed

any of Thy creatures before him
and wilt bless

any of them after him,
and give to us in this World good,
and in the next world good,
and protect me

through Thy mercy

from the chastisement of the Firel^^^

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His Supplication in Sorrow

His Supplication when Something Made him Sorrow and Offenses Made him Worry

1 O God,

Sufficer of the isolated and weak

and Protector against terrifying affairs !
Offenses have isolated me,

so there is none to be my companion.

1 am too weak for Thy wrath

and there is none to strengthen me.
I have approached the terror of meeting Thee
and there is none to still my fear.

2 Who can make me secure from Thee

when Thou hast filled me with terror?
Who can come to my aid

when Thou hast isolated me?
Who can strengthen me

when Thou hast weakened me?

3 None can grant sanctuary to a vassal, my God,

but a lord,
none can give security to one dominated

but a dominator,
none can aid him from whom demands are made

but a demander.

4 In Thy hand, my God, is the thread of all that,

in Thee the place of escape and flight,
so bless Muhammad and his Household,
give sanctuary to me in my flight,
and grant my request!

5 OGod,

if Thou shouldst

turn Thy generous face away from me,

withhold from me Thy immense bounty,

forbid me Thy provision,

or cut off from me Thy thread,
I will find no way to anything of my hope

other than Thee
nor be given power over what is with Thee

through another's aid,
for I am Thy servant and in Thy grasp;

my forelock is in Thy hand. 1^4

6 I have no command along with Thy command.

'Accomplished is Thy judgement of me,
just Thy decree for mel'^^^
I have not the strength to emerge from Thy authority

nor am I able to step outside Thy power.
I cannot win Thy inclination,

arrive at Thy good pleasure,
or attain what is with Thee
except through obeying Thee
and through the bounty of Thy mercy.

7 OGod,

I rise in the morning and enter into evening

as Thy lowly slave.
I own no profit and loss for myself

except through Thee.
I witness to that over myself
and I confess to the frailty of my strength

and the paucity of my stratagems.
So accomplish what Thou hast promised me

and complete for me what Thou hast given me,
for I am Thy slave,

miserable, abased,

frail, distressed, vile,

despised, poor, fearful,
and seeking sanctuary!

8 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and let me not

forget to remember Thee in what Thou hast done for me,
be heedless of Thy beneficence in Thy trying me,
or despair of Thy response to me,
though it keep me waiting,
whether I be in prosperity or adversity,
hardship or ease,
well-being or affliction,
misery or comfort,
wealth or distress,
poverty or riches!

9 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

make me laud Thee, extol Thee, and praise Thee in all my states

so that I rejoice not over what Thou givest me of this world

nor sorrow over that of it which Thou withholdest from me!
Impart reverential fear of Thee to my heart,
employ my body in that which Thou acceptest from me,
and divert my soul through obedience to Thee

from all that enters upon me,
so that I love nothing that displeases Thee

and become displeased at nothing that pleases Thee!

10 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
empty my heart for Thy love,
occupy it with remembering Thee,
animate it with fear of Thee and quaking before Thee,
strengthen it with beseeching Thee,
incline it to Thy obedience,
set it running in the path most beloved to Thee,
and subdue it through desire for what is with Thee
all the days of my life!

11 Let

my provision in this world

be reverential fear of Thee, 1^6
my journey

be toward Thy mercy,
and my entrance

be into Thy good pleasure!
Appoint for me a lodging

in Thy Garden,
give me strength to bear

everything that pleases Thee,
make me flee to Thee

and desire what is with Thee,
clothe my heart in estrangement

from the evil among Thy creatures,
and give me intimacy with Thee,
Thy friends,
and those who obey Thee!

1 2 Assign to no wicked person or unbeliever

a kindness toward me
or a hand that obliges me,

nor to me a need for one of them!

Rather make

the stillness of my heart,

the comfort of my soul,

my independence and my sufficiency

lie in Thee and the best of Thy creatures !

13 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
make me their comrade,
make me their helper,
and oblige me with yearning for Thee

and doing for Thee what Thou lovest and approvest!
Thou art powerful over everything^^^

and that is easy for Thee.

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2

His Supplication in Hardship

His Supplication in Hardship, Effort, and Difficult Affairs

OGod,

Thou hast charged me concerning myself

with that which belongs more to Thee than to me.
Thy power over it and over me is greater than my power,
so give me in myself

what will make Thee pleased with me
and take for Thyself
->;: : Thy good pleasure in my self's well-being!

OGod,

I have

no endurance for effort,

no patience in affliction,

no strength to bear poverty.
So forbid me not my provision

and entrust me not to Thy creatures,
but take care of my need alone

and Thyself attend to sufficing me!

Look upon me and look after me in all my affairs,
for if Thou entrustest me to myself,
I will be incapable before myself
and fail to undertake that in which my best interest lies.
If Thou entrustest me to Thy creatures,

they will frown upon me,
and if Thou makest me resort to my kinsfolk,

they will refuse to give to me;
if they give,

they will give little and in bad temper,
making me feel long obliged
and blaming me much.

So through Thy bounty, O God,

free me from need,
through Thy mightiness,

lift me up,
through Thy boundless plenty,

open my hand,
and with that which is with Thee,

suffice me!

5

OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
rid me of envy,
encircle me against sins,
make me abstain from things unlawful,
give me not the boldness of disobedient acts,
assign me love for that which is with Thee

and satisfaction with that which comes to me from Thee,
bless me in

that which Thou providest me,

that which Thou conferrest upon me,

and that through which Thou favourest me,
and make me in all my states

safeguarded, watched,

covered, defended,

given refuge, and granted sanctuary!

6

OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and let me accomplish everything which
Thou hast enjoined upon me
or made obligatory for me toward Thee,
in one of the ways of Thy obedience,
or toward one of Thy creatures,
though my body be too frail for that,
my strength too feeble,
my power not able to reach it,
and my possessions and what my hand owns
not encompass it,
and whether I have remembered it or forgotten it.

7

It, my Lord, is among that which Thou hast counted against me

while I have been heedless of it in myself.

Let me perform it

through Thy plentiful giving

and the abundance which is with Thee

- for Thou art Boundless, Generous - so that nothing of

it may remain against me,

lest Thou wouldst wish

to settle accounts for it from my good deeds

or to compound my evil deeds

on the day I meet Thee, my Lord!

8

OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and provide me with desire to serve Thee

for the sake of my state in the hereafter,
such that I know the truthfulness of that [desire] in my heart,

be dominated by renunciation while in this world,

do good deeds with yearning,

and remain secure from evil deeds in fright and fear!
And give me a light whereby I may walk among the people,^^^

be guided in the shadows,

and seek illumination in doubt and uncertainty!

^ OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and provide me with fear of the threatened gloom

and yearning for the promised reward,
such that I may find

the pleasure of that for which I supplicate Thee

and the sorrow of that from which I seek sanctuary in Thee!

^^OGod,

Thou knowest what will set my affairs right

in this world and the next,
so be ever gracious toward my needs!

11

OGod,

bless Muhammad and Muhammad's Household
and provide me with what is Thy right
when I fall short in thanking Thee
for that through which Thou hast favoured me
in ease and difficulty,
health and sickness,
such that I may come to know in myself
repose in satisfaction
and serenity of soul

in that which Thou hast made incumbent upon me
in whatever states may occur:
fear and security,
satisfaction and displeasure,
loss and gain!

12

OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and provide me with a breast safe from envy,

such that I envy none of Thy creatures

and in anything of Thy bounty
and such that I see none of Thy favours
toward any of Thy creatures

in religion or this world,
well-being or reverential fear,
plenty or ease,
without hoping for myself better than it
through and from Thee alone,
who hast no associate!

13

OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and provide me in this world and the next
with caution against offenses
and wariness against slips
in the state of satisfaction and wrath,
such that I may

remain indifferent toward that which enters upon me

from the two states, lo^
work toward Thy obedience,
and prefer it and Thy good pleasure over all else

in both friends and enemies.
Then my enemy may stay secure

from my wrongdoing and injustice
and my friend may despair
of my inclination
and the bent of my affection.

^4 Make me one of those who supplicate Thee with sincerity in ease
with the supplication of those
who supplicate Thee with sincerity in distress!
Verily Thou art Praiseworthy, Glorious.

His Supplication for Weil-Being

His Supplication when he Asked God for Well-Being and Thanked Him for it

1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
clothe me in Thy well-being,
wrap me in Thy well-being,
fortify me through Thy well-being,
honour me with Thy well-being,
free me from need through Thy well-being,
donate to me Thy well-being,
bestow upon me Thy well-being,
spread out for me Thy well-being,
set Thy well-being right for me,
and separate me not from Thy well-being
in this world and the next!

20 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household

and make me well with

a well-being sufficient, healing, sublime, growing,

a well-being that will give birth to well-being in my body,

a well-being in this world and the next!

3 Oblige me through

health, security, and safety in my religion and body,

insight in my heart,

penetration in my affairs,

dread of Thee,

fear of Thee,

strength for the obedience

which Thou hast commanded for me,
and avoidance of the disobedience

which Thou hast prohibited for me!

40 God,

oblige me through
thehajj,
the umra,iio

and visiting the graves of Thy Messenger

(Thy blessings, mercy, and benedictions upon him
and upon his Household)
and the Household of Thy Messenger

(upon them be peace)
for as long as Thou causest me to live,
in this year of mine and in every year,
and make that accepted, thanked, and mentioned before Thee
and stored away with Thee!

5 Make my tongue utter Thy praise. Thy thanksgiving.

Thy remembrance, and Thy excellent laudation,
and expand my heart

toward the right goals of Thy religion!

6 Give me and my progeny refuge from

the accursed Satan,

the evil of venomous vermin, threatening pests,

swarming crowds, and evil eyes,
the evil of every rebel satan,m
the evil of every refractory sovereign,
the evil of everyone living in ease and served,
the evil of everyone weak or strong,
the evil of everyone born high or low,
the evil of everyone small or great,
the evil of everyone near or far,
the evil of everyone, jinn or man,

who declares war on Thy Messenger and his Household,
and the evil of every crawling creature

that Thou hast taken by the forelock!

Surely Thou art on a straight path. ^ 12

■'^jf

70 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and if someone desires ill for me

turn him away from me,

drive away from me his deception,

avert from me his evil,

send his trickery back to his own throat,

8 and place before him a barricade, so that Thou mayest

blind his eyes toward me,

deafen his ears toward my mention,

lock his heart toward recalling me,

silence his tongue against me,

restrain his head,

abase his exaltation,

break his arrogance,

abase his neck,

disjoint his pride,

and make me secure from all his injury,
his evil, his slander,
his backbiting, his faultfinding,
his envy, his enmity,
his snares, his traps,
his foot soldiers, and his cavalry!
Surely Thou art Mighty, Powerful!

'^/

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His Supplication for his Parents (upon the two of them be

peace)

1 O God,

bless Muhammad, Thy slave and Thy messenger,

and his Household, the pure,
and single them out for the best of Thy blessings. Thy mercy.

Thy benedictions, and Thy peace!

2 And single out my parents, O God,

for honour with Thee and blessings from Thee,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

3 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
teach me through inspiration

knowledge of everything incumbent upon me toward them,
and gather within me

knowledge of all that completely!
Then make me act in accordance

with what Thou hast inspired me
and give me the success to put into practice

the knowledge Thou hast shown to me,
lest I fail to act

according to something Thou hast taught me
or my limbs feel too heavy to perform

that with which Thou hast inspired me!

4 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

as Thou hast ennobled us through him,

and bless Muhammad and his Household,
as Thou hast made incumbent upon us
rights toward the creatures because of him!ii3

5 OGod,

fill me with awe of my parents,

the awe one has toward a tyrannical sovereign,
and let me be devoted to them,

with the devotion of a compassionate mother!
Make my obedience and devotion to them
more gladdening to my eyes

than sleep to the drowsy
and more refreshing to my breast

than drink to the thirsty,
so that I may prefer their inclination

to my inclination,
set their satisfaction

before my satisfaction,
make much of their devotion to me

though it be little,
and make little of my devotion to them
though it be great.

6 OGod,

lower before them my voice,
make agreeable to them my words,
make mild before them my temper,
make tender toward them my heart,
and turn me into their kind companion,
their loving friend!

7 OGod,

thank them for my upbringing,
reward them for honouring me,
and guard them as they guarded me in my infancy !

8 OGod,

and whatever harm has touched them from me,
detested thing has reached them from me,

or right of theirs which has been neglected by me,
allow it to alleviate their sins,

raise them in their degrees,

and add to their good deeds !
O He who changes evil deeds into manifold good deeds !i 14

9 OGod,

whatever word through which they have transgressed against me,
act through which they have been immoderate with me,
right of mine which they have left neglected,

or obligation toward me in which they have fallen short,
I grant it to them

and bestow it upon them,
and I beseech Thee

to remove from them its ill consequence,
for I do not accuse them concerning myself,

find them slow in their devotion toward me,

or dislike the way they have attended to my affairs, my Lord!

1 They have rights against me which are more incumbent,

precedence in beneficence toward me that is greater,

and kindness toward me that is mightier
than that I should settle accounts with justice

or repay them with equivalents.
Where then, my God, would be their long occupation

with bringing me up?
Where the hardship of their toil

in taking care of me?
Where the stinting of themselves

to provide me with plenty?

1 1 What an idea!

I can never discharge their right against me,

fulfil my obligations toward them,
.:■/', or accomplish the duty of serving them.
So bless Muhammad and his Household

and help me, O Best of those whose help we seek!

Give me success, O Most Guiding of those whom we beseech!
Place me not among the people of disrespect to fathers and mothers

on the day when every soul will be repaid
for what it has earned,
they shall not be wronged. ^^^

12 God,

bless Muhammad, his Household, and his progeny
and single out my parents for the best

which Thou hast singled out

for the fathers and mothers of Thy faithful servants,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

13 God,

let me not forget to remember them after my ritual prayers,
at every time throughout my night,
and in each of the hours of my day!

14 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

forgive me through my supplication for my parents,

forgive them through their devotion toward me

with unfailing forgiveness,
be well pleased with them through my intercession for them

with resolute good pleasure,
and make them reach through Thy generosity

the abodes of safety!

15 God,

if Thy forgiveness reaches them first,

make them my intercessors,
and if Thy forgiveness reaches me first,

make me their intercessors,
so that we may gather together through Thy gentleness

in the house of Thy generosity

and the place of Thy forgiveness and mercy!
Verily Thou art Possessor of abounding bounty

and ancient kindness,
and Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful !ii^

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His Supplication for his Children

1 OGod,

be kind to me through

the survival of my children,
setting them right for me,
and allowing me to enjoy them!

2 My God,

make long their lives for me,
increase their terms,
bring up the smallest for me,
strengthen the weakest for me,
rectify for me

their bodies,

their religious dedication,
and their moral traits,
make them well in
their souls,
their limbs,

and everything that concerns me of their affair,
and pour out for me and upon my hand
their provisions!

3 Make them

pious, fearing, insightful, hearing, and obedient

toward Thee,
loving and well-disposed

toward Thy friends,
and stubbornly resistant and full of hate

toward all Thy enemies!
Amen!

4 OGod,

through them

strengthen my arm,
straighten my burdened back,
multiply my number,
adorn my presence,
keep alive my mention,
suffice me when I am away,
help me in my needs,
and make them

loving toward me,

affectionate, approaching,

upright, obedient,

never disobedient, disrespectful,

opposed, or offenders!

5 Help me in their upbringing,

their education,

and my devotion toward them,
give me among them from Thyself male children,
make that a good for me,
and make them a help for me

in that which I ask from Thee!

6 Give me and my progeny refuge from the accursed Satan,

for Thou hast created us, commanded us, and prohibited us,

and made us

desire the reward of what Thou hast commanded,
and fear its punishment!
Thou assigned to us an enemy

who schemes against us,
gave him an authority over us

in a way that Thou didst not give us authority over him,
allowed him to dwell in our breasts

and let him run in our blood vessels;
he is not heedless,

though we be heedless,
he does not forget,

though we forget;
he makes us feel secure from Thy punishment

and fills us with fear toward other than Thee.

7 If we are about to commit an indecency,

he gives us courage to do so,
and if we are about to perform a righteous work,

he holds us back from it.
He opposes us through passions, ^^^

and sets up for us doubts.
If he promises us, he lies,

and if he raises our hopes, he fails to fulfil them.
If Thou dost not turn his trickery away from us,

he will misguide us,
and if Thou dost not protect us from his corruption,

he will cause us to slip.

8 O God,

so defeat his authority over us through Thy authority,
such that Thou boldest him back from us

through the frequency of our supplication to Thee
and we leave his trickery

and rise up among those preserved by Thee from sin!

9 OGod,

grant me my every request,
accomplish for me my needs,
withhold not from me Thy response

when Thou hast made Thyself accountable for it to me,ii^
veil not my supplication from Thyself,

when Thou hast commanded me to make it,ii^
and be kind to me through everything that will set me right
in this world and the next,

in everything that I remember or forget,

display or conceal,

make public or keep secret!

10 In all of this, place me through my asking Thee among

those who set things right,

those who are answered favourably

when they request from Thee
and from whom is not withheld

when they put their trust in Thee,

1 1 those accustomed to seek refuge in Thee,
those who profit through commerce with Thee,
those granted sanctuary

through Thy might,
those given lawful provision in plenty from Thy boundless bounty

through Thy munificence and generosity,
those who reach exaltation after abasement

through Thee,
those granted sanctuary from wrong

through Thy justice,
those released from affliction

through Thy mercy,
those delivered from need after poverty

through Thy riches,
those preserved from sins, slips, and offenses

through reverential fear toward Thee,
those successful in goodness, right conduct, and propriety

through obeying Thee,
those walled off from sins
through Thy power,
the refrainers from every act of disobedience toward Thee,
the dwellers in Thy neighbourhood!

12 God,

give me all of that through Thy bestowal of success and Thy mercy,
grant us refuge from the chastisement of the burning,
and give to

all the Muslims, male and female,

and all the faithful, male and female,
the like of what I have asked for myself and my children,
in the immediate of this world
and the deferred of the next!
Verily Thou art the Near, the Responder,
the All-hearing, the All-knowing,
the Pardoner, the Forgiving,
the Clement, the Merciful!

1 3 And give to us in this world good,

and in the next world good,
and protect us from the chastisement of the Fire!i20

:-^->/

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His Supplication for his Neighbours and Friends

His Supplication for his Neighbours and Friends when he Mentioned them.

1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and attend to me with Thy best attending

in my neighbours and friends

who recognize our right^^i

and war against our enemies !

2 Give [my neighbours and friends] success in

performing Thy prescriptions

and taking on the beauties of Thy courtesy through

acting gently with their weak,

remedying their lacks,

visiting their sick,

guiding their seeker of right guidance,

giving good counsel to their seeker of advice,

attending to the one among them who returns from travel,

hiding their secrets,

covering over their shameful things,

helping their wronged,

sharing kindly with them in goods,
turning toward them with wealth and bestowal of bounty,

and giving what is due to them before they ask!

3 Let me, O God,

repay their evildoer

with good-doing,
turn away from their wrongdoer

with forbearance,
have a good opinion

of every one of them,
attend to all of them

with devotion,
lower my eyes before them

in continence,
make mild my side toward them

in humility.

be tender toward the afflicted among them

in mercy,
make them happy in absence

through affection,
love that they continue to receive favour

through good will,
grant them

what I grant my next of kin,
and observe for them

what I observe for my special friends!

4 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

provide me the like of that from them,

appoint for me the fullest share of what is with them,

increase them

in insight toward my right
and knowledge of my excellence
so that they will be fortunate through me

and I fortunate through them!
Amen, Lord of the worlds !

■'^jf

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His Supplication for the People of the Frontiers

1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

fortify the frontiers of the Muslims through Thy might,

support their defenders through Thy strength,

and lavish upon them gifts through Thy wealth!

2 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

increase their number,

hone their weapons,

guard their territory,

defend their midst,

unite their throng,

arrange their affair,

send them supplies in a steady string,

undertake Thyself to suffice them with provisions,

support them with victory,

help them with patience,

and give them subtlety in guile l^^ 2

3 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

give them the knowledge of that of which they are ignorant,
teach them what they do not know,
and show them what they do not see!

4 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
make them forget when they meet the enemy

to remember this cheating and delusive world of theirs,
erase from their hearts the thought of enchanting possessions,
place the Garden before their eyes,
and display to their sight that part of it

which Thou hast prepared for them

- the homes of everlastingness and mansions of honour,

the beautiful houris,

the rivers gushing forth with all sorts of drinks,

the trees hanging, low with all kinds of fruits -

lest any of them think of turning his back
or suggest to himself to flee his opponent!

5 OGod,

defeat their enemy through that,

trim their nails from them,

separate them from their weapons,

pull out the firm ties from their hearts,

keep them far away from their stores,

bewilder them in their roads,

turn them astray from their direction,

cut off reinforcements from them,

chop them down in numbers,

fill their hearts with terror,

hold back their hands from stretching forth,

tie back their tongues from speaking,

scatter by them the ones behind them^^^

make them a lesson for those beyond them,

and through their degradation

cut off the hopes of those who come after them!

6 OGod, '-^^^'^

make the wombs of their women barren,
dry up the loins of their men,
cut off the breeding of their mounts and their cattle,
and permit not their sky to rain
or their earth to grow !

7 O God, through that

strengthen the prowessi24 of the People of Islam,
fortify their cities,
increase their properties,
give them ease

from their fighting

to worship Thee

and from their warfare

to be alone with Thee,
so that none will be worshipped

in the regions of the earth but Thee
and no forehead of theirs may be rubbed in dust

for less than Thee!

8 OGod,

send out the Muslims of every region on raids against

the idolaters who face them!
Reinforce them with angels in ranks from Thee,

till the idolaters are routed by them to the end of the land,

slain in Thy earth or taken captive,
or till they admit that Thou art God,

other than whom there is no god.
Thou alone, who hast no associate!

9 OGod,

include in this Thy enemies in the regions of the lands,
the Indians, the Byzantines, the Turks,
the Khazars, the Abyssinians, the Nubians,
the Zanjis, the Slavs, the Daylamites,
and the rest of the idol-worshipping nations,

those whose names and attributes are concealed,
but whom Thou countest in Thy cognizance
and overseest through Thy power!

10 OGod,

distract the idolaters from reaching for the borders of the Muslims

through the idolaters,
bar them from cutting them down

through being cut down,
and hold them back from massing together against them

through dissension!

1 1 O God,

empty their hearts of security

and their bodies of strength,
distract their hearts from thinking of stratagems,
make their limbs too feeble for clashing with men,
make them too cowardly for contending with champions,
send against them a troop of Thy angels

with some of Thy severity

as Thou didst on the Day of Badr,i25
so that through it Thou mayest

cut off their roots,

harvest their thorns,

and disperse their number!

12 God,

mix their waters with pestilence

and their foods with maladies,
hurl down their cities,

harass them with pelting s,

hinder them through drought,
place their supplies in the most ill-omened part of Thy earth

and the farthest from them,
bar them from its fortresses,
and strike them with constant hunger and painful illness!

13 God,

if a warrior from the people of Thy creed

wars against them
or a struggler from the followers of Thy prescriptions

struggles against them
so that Thy religion may be the highest.

Thy party the strongest,

and Thy share the fullest,
cast ease to him,

arrange his affair,

attend to him by granting success,

select for him his companions,

strengthen his back,

lavish upon him livelihood,

give him enjoyment of joyous vitality,

cool for him the heat of yearning,

give him sanctuary from the gloom of loneliness,

make him forget the remembrance of wife and child,

1 4 pass along to him an excellent intention,

attend to him with well-being,
make safety his companion,
release him from cowardice,
inspire him with boldness,
provide him with strength,
support him with help,

teach him right conduct and the norms of the Sunna,
point him straight in judgement,
remove from him hypocrisy,
purify him from seeking fame,
and make his thinking and remembrance,
his departing and his staying.

be in Thee and for Thee!

1 5 When he stands in ranks before Thy enemy and his enemy,

make them few in his eye,

diminish their importance in his heart,

give him a turn to prevail over them,

not them a turn to prevail over him!

But if Thou sealest him with felicity
and decreest for him martyrdom,

then let it be after

he has exterminated Thy enemies by slaying,

captivity has afflicted them,

the borders of the Muslims are secure,

and Thy enemy has turned his back in flight!

16 God,

and if a Muslim should

take the place of a warrior or a soldier in his home,
attend to those left behind in his absence,
help him with a portion of his property,
assist him with equipment,
hone him for the struggle,

send along with him a supplication for his purpose,
or guard his honour in his absence,
reward him with the like of his reward
measure for measure,
like for like,
and recompense him for his act with an immediate compensation
through which he will hasten to

the profit of what he has sent forth
and the joy of what he has given,
till the present moment takes him to

the bounty Thou hast granted to him

and the generosity Thou hast prepared for him!

17 O God,

-" and if the affair of Islam

should worry a Muslim
and the alliance of the idolaters' against Islam

should grieve him,
so that he has the intention to go to war

and is about to enter the struggle,
but frailty keeps him seated,

neediness keeps him waiting,

a mishap delays him,

or an obstruction prevents him from his wish,
write his name

among the worshipers,
make incumbent for him

the reward of the strugglers,
and place him among the ranks

of the martyrs and the righteous!

18 God,

^'■■" . bless Muhammad, Thy slave and Thy messenger,

and the Household of Muhammad,
with a blessing high above all other blessings,

towering beyond all other salutations,
a blessing whose end is never reached

and whose number is never cut off,
like the most perfect of Thy blessings that has passed

to any one of Thy friends !
Thou art All-kind, Praiseworthy,

the Originator who takes back again,
Accomplisher of what Thou desirest.

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His Supplication in Fleeing to G od

1 O God,

I showed sincerity by cutting myself off from everything but Thee.

2 I approached Thee with my whole self.

3 I averted my face from everyone who needs Thy support.

4 I ceased to ask from any who cannot do without Thy bounty.

5 I saw that the needy who seeks from the needy

is foolish in his opinion,
and misguided in his intellect.

6 How many people have I seen, my God,

who sought exaltation through other than Thee

and were abased,
who wanted wealth from someone else

and became poor,
who tried to rise high

and fell down low !

7 Observing the likes of them

corrects a prudent man;
his taking heed

gives him success;
his choosing the best

guides him to the path of right.

8 So Thou, my Master,

art the object of my asking

to the exclusion of all those who are asked
and the patron of my need

to the exclusion of all those from whom requests are made.

9 Thou art singled out for my call before all who are called;
none is associated with Thee in my hope,

none comes along with Thee in my supplication,
nor does any join with Thee within it,
for to Thee is my appeal.

1 To Thee, my God, belongs

the Unity of number,

the property of eternal power,

the excellence of force and strength,

the degree of sublimity and elevation.

1 1 Everyone other than Thee is

the object of compassion in his lifetime,
overcome in his affair,

overwhelmed in his situation,
diverse in states,
constantly changing in attributes.

1 2 So Thou art high exalted

above likenesses and opposites,
proudly magnified

beyond similitudes and rivals!
Glory be to Thee!

There is no God but Thou.

■'^jf

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His Supplication when his Provision was Stinted

1 O God,

Thou hast tried us with

distrust in our provisions

and the expectation of long lives,
until we begged for provisions

from those who are provided
and craved in our expectations

the life-spans of the long-lived!

2 So bless Muhammad and his Household,

give us a true certainty

that will suffice us the burden of seeking,
and inspire us with a sincere trust

that will release us from the hardship of exertion!

3 Let Thy clear promise in Thy Revelation

which Thou hast followed in Thy Book with Thy oath
cut off our worry

about the provision for which

Thou hast made Thyself responsible
and sever our occupation

with everything

whose sufficiency Thou hast guaranteed!

4 For Thou hast said

- and Thy word is the most truthful truth -
and Thou hast sworn

- and Thy oath is the most kept and fulfilled -

In the heaven are your provision and everything you are promised!

5 And then Thou hast said.

So by the Lord of heaven and earth,

it is as surely true as that you have speech !126

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His Supplication for Help in Repaying Debts

1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and release me from a debt

which makes me lose face,

confuses my mind,

disrupts my thinking,

and prolongs my occupation with attending to it!

2 1 seek refuge in Thee, my Lord,

from worry and thought about debt,
from the distraction and sleeplessness of debt;
so bless Muhammad and his Household

and give me refuge from it!

I seek sanctuary in Thee, my Lord, from

debt's abasement in life

and its ill effects after death,

so bless Muhammad and his Household

and give me sanctuary from it through
a bountiful plenty
or a continually arriving sufficiency !

3 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
prevent me from extravagance and excess,
put me on the course of generous spending and moderation,
teach me excellent distribution,

hold me back through Thy gentleness from squandering,
allow me to attain my provisions through lawful means,
direct my spending toward the gateways of devotion,
and take away from me any possession
which will bring forth pride in me,

lead to insolence,

or drag me in its heels to rebellion!

4 God,

make me love the companionship of the poor

and help me be their companion with excellent patience!

5 Whenever Thou takest away from me

the goods of this perishing world,

store them for me in Thy abiding treasuries!

6 Make this world's broken pieces

which Thou hast conferred upon me
and its goods

which Thou hast quickly granted to me
a way to reach Thy neighbourhood,

a link to Thy nearness,

and a means to Thy Garden!
Verily Thou art Possessor of bounty abounding,
and Thou art the Munificent, the Generous.

■'^jf

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His Supplication in Repentance

His Supplication in Mentioning and Asking for Repentance

1 OGod,

O He whom the depiction of the describers
fails to describe!

2 O He beyond whom passes not

the hope of the hopers !

3 O He with whom is not lost

the wage of the good-doers !

„ f^'- ■-; ■"

4 O He who is the ultimate object

of the fear of the worshipers!

5 O He who is the utmost limit

of the dread of the godfearing!

6 This is the station of him

whom sins have passed from hand to hand.
Offenses' reins have led him on,

and Satan has gained mastery over him.
He fell short of what Thou hast commanded
through neglect
and he pursued what Thou hast prohibited
in delusion,

7 like one ignorant of Thy power over him

or one who denies the bounty of Thy beneficence toward him,
until, when the eye of guidance was opened for him

and the clouds of blindness were dispelled,
he reckoned that through which he had wronged himself

and reflected upon that in which he had opposed his Lord.
He saw his vast disobedience as vast

and his great opposition as great.

8 So turned to Thee,

hoping in Thee

and ashamed before Thee,
and he directed his beseeching toward Thee,

having trust in Thee.
He repaired to Thee in his longing
with certitude

and he went straight to Thee in fear
with sincerity.
His longing was devoid of every object of longing but Thee,

and his fright departed from every object of fear but Thee.

9 So he stood before Thee pleading,

his eyes turned toward the ground in humbleness,

his head bowed before Thy might in lowliness;
he revealed to Thee in meekness

those secrets of his which Thou knowest better than he;
he numbered for Thee in humility

those sins of his which Thou countest better than he;
he sought help from Thee ""■^ "

before the dreadful into which he has fallen

in Thy knowledge
and the ugly which has disgraced him

in Thy judgement:
the sins

whose pleasures have turned their backs

and gone
and whose evil consequences have stayed
and stuck fast.

1 He will not deny Thy justice, my God,

if Thou punishest him,
nor will he consider Thy pardon great

if Thou pardonest him and hast mercy upon him,
for Thou art the Generous Lord

for whom the forgiveness of great sins
is nothing great!

■'^jf

1 1 O God,

so here I am:

I have come to Thee

obeying Thy command

(for Thou hast commanded suppHcation)
and asking the fulfilment of Thy promise,
(for Thou hast promised to respond)
Thou hast said.

Supplicate Me and I will respond to you.i27

120 God,

so bless Muhammad and his Household,
meet me with Thy forgiveness

just as I have met Thee with my confession,
lift me up from the fatal infirmities of sins

just as I have let myself down before Thee,
and cover me with Thy covering

just as Thou hast shown no haste to take vengeance on me!

130 God,

make firm my intention to obey Thee,
strengthen my insight in worshipping Thee,
give me the success of works

which will wash away the defilement of offenses,
and take me when Thou takest me

in the creed of Thy prophet Muhammad
(upon him be peace).

140 God,

I repent to Thee in this my station from
my sins,

great and small,
my evil deeds, -^-iV

inward and outward,
my lapses,

past and recent,
with the repentance of one who does not
tell himself that he might disobey
or secretly think that he might return to an offense.

1 5 Thou hast said, my God,

in the firm text of Thy Book,

that Thou acceptest repentance from Thy servants, ^28

pardonest evil deeds, ^29
^^^' and lovest the repenters,!^^
so accept my repentance

as Thou hast promised,
pardon my evil deeds

as thou hast guaranteed,
and make obligatory toward me Thy love

as Thou hast stipulated!

1 6 To Thee, my Lord, belongs

my stipulation

that I will not return

to what is disliked by Thee,
my guarantee

that I will not go back

to what Thou blamest,
and my covenant

that I will stay away

from acts of disobedience to Thee.

170 God,

Thou knowest better what I have done,
so forgive me what Thou knowest
and turn me through Thy power to what Thou lovest!

180 God,

counted against me are

claims that stay in my memory

and claims that I have forgotten,
while all of them remain in

Thy eye that does not sleep

and Thy knowledge that does not forget!
So compensate their owners,

lighten their load upon me,

lift up their weight from me,

and preserve me from approaching their like!

190 God,

but I can not be faithful to my repentance

without Thy preservation,
nor can I refrain from offenses

without Thy strength.
So strengthen me with a sufficient strength

and attend to me with a defending preservation!

20 O God,

if any servant repents to Thee,

while in Thy knowledge of the Unseen he
will break his repentance
and return to his sin and offense,
I seek refuge in Thee lest I be like that!
So make this my repentance
a repentance

after which I will need no repentance
and a repentance

which will obligate the erasing of what has gone by
and safety in what remains !

21 O God,

I ask pardon from Thee for my ignorance,

and I ask Thee to disregard my evil acts !

So join me to the shelter of Thy mercy
through graciousness

and cover me with the covering of Thy well-being
through bounteousness!

220 God,

I repent to Thee from everything opposed to Thy will
or far from Thy love

- the thoughts of my heart,
the glances of my eye,
the tales of my tongue -
with a repentance through which each bodily part will by itself
stay safe from ill consequences with Thee
and remain secure from Thy painful penalties
feared by transgressors!

230 God,

so have mercy on

my being alone before Thee,

the pounding of my heart in dread of Thee,

the trembling of my limbs in awe of Thee!

My sins, my God, have stood me in the station
of degradation in Thy courtyard.

If I remain silent,

none will speak for me;

if I seek an intercessor,

I am not worthy for intercession.

240 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
make Thy generosity intercede for my offenses,
follow up my evil deeds with Thy pardon,
repay me not with the punishment that is my proper repayment,
spread over me Thy graciousness,
wrap me in Thy covering,
and do with me what is done
by a mighty man,

when a lowly slave pleads to him
and he shows him mercy,
or a rich man,

when a poor slave submits himself
and he raises him to wealth!

250 God,

I have no protector against Thee,

so let Thy might be my protector!
I have no intercessor with Thee,

so let Thy bounty be my intercessor!
My offenses have set me quaking,

so let Thy pardon give me security !

26 Not all that I have said rises up from

my ignorance of my evil footsteps

or forgetfulness of my blameworthy acts in the past,
but in order that Thy heaven and those within it

and Thy earth and those upon it
may hear the remorse which I have professed to Thee

and the repentance through which I have sought asylum with Thee.

27 Then perhaps one of them, through Thy mercy,

may show mercy upon my evil situation
or be seized by tenderness for my evil state.
There may come from him for my sake

a supplication to which Thou givest ear

more than to my supplication
or an intercession surer with Thee

than my intercession
through which I may be delivered from Thy wrath

and attain to Thy good pleasure!

280 God,

if remorse is a repentance toward Thee,!^!

then I am the most remorseful of the remorseful!
If refraining from disobedience is a turning back to Thee,

then I am the first of those who turn back!
If praying for forgiveness alleviates sins,

surely I am one of those who pray for Thy forgiveness!

290 God,

as Thou hast commanded repentance

and guaranteed acceptance,
as Thou hast urged supplication,
and promised to respond,
so also bless Muhammad and his Household,
accept my repentance,
and return me not to the returning place
of disappointment in Thy mercy!
Surely Thou art Ever-turning toward the sinners,

All-compassionatei32 toward the offenders who turn back!

30 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household

just as Thou hast guided us by him!
Bless Muhammad and his Household

just as Thou hast rescued us through him! 1^3
Bless Muhammad and his Household,

with a blessing that will intercede for us
on the Day of Resurrection,
the day of neediness toward Thee!
Thou art powerful over everything, 1^4
and that is easy for Thee!

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His Supplication in the Night Prayer

His Supplication for himself in Confessing Sins after Finishing the Night Prayer

1 OGod,

O Possessor of

kingdom perpetual in everlastingness,

2 authority invincible without armies or helpers,

3 might abiding through aeons past,

years gone by,

times and days elapsed!

4 Thy authority is mighty

with a might that knows no bound by being first
nor utmost end by being last!

5 Thy kingdom towers high with a towering

before which all things fall down without reaching its term;

6 the least of it which Thou hast kept to Thyself is not reached

by the furthest description of the describers!

7 Attributes go astray in Thee,

descriptions fall apart below Thee,
the subtlest of imaginations are bewildered
by Thy magnificence!

8 So art Thou:

God, the First in Thy firstness,
and so art Thou everlastingly.
Thou dost not pass away.

9 But I am the slave,

feeble in works,

immense in hopes.
The tying links are outside my hand,

except what is tied by Thy mercy;
the bonds of hopes have been cut away from me,

except the pardon to which I hold fast.

1 Little on my part is

the obedience toward Thee upon which I count,
and great against me

the disobedience toward Thee to which I have reverted.
But pardoning Thy slave will not constrain Thee,

even if he be bad,

so pardon me!

1 1 O God,

Thy knowledge watches over hidden works,
every covered thing is exposed before Thy awareness,
the intricacies of things are not concealed from Thee,
and unseen mysteries slip not away from Thee.

12 But over me Thy enemy has gained mastery:
He asked a delay from Thee to lead me astray,

and Thou gavest him the delay!
He asked a respite from Thee until the Day of Doom to misguide me,
and Thou gavest him the respite! ^^^

13 So he threw me down,

though I had fled to Thee from

small, ruinous sins

and great, deadly works,
until, when I had yielded to disobeying Thee

and merited Thy anger through my bad efforts,
he turned the bridle of his treachery away from me,
met me with the word of his ingratitude,
undertook to be quit of me,!^^
turned his back to flee from me,
threw me to the desert of Thy wrath alone,
and sent me as an outcast

into the courtyard of Thy vengeance.

1 4 There is no intercessor to intercede for me with Thee,

no protector to make me feel secure against Thee,

no fortress to veil me from Thee,

no shelter in which to seek asylum apart from Thee!

1 5 This is the station of him who takes refuge with Thee,

the place of the confessor to Thee:
Let not Thy bounty be too narrow for me,

let not Thy pardon fall short of me!
Let me not be the most disappointed

of Thy repentant servants,
nor the most despairing

of those who come to Thee with expectations!
Forgive me,

surely Thou art the best of the forgivers!

160 God,

Thou commanded me,

and I refrained.
Thou prohibited me,

and I committed,
evil thoughts tempted me to offend,
and I was negligent.

17 I cannot call upon daytime to witness my fasting,

nor can I seek sanctuary in night because of my vigil;
no Sunna praises me for keeping it alive,
only Thy obligations,

he who neglects which has perished.

18 I cannot seek access to Thee

through the excellence of a supererogatory work,

given the many duties of Thy obligations
of which I have been heedless

and the stations of Thy bounds which I have transgressed,

thereby violating sacred things and committing great sins,
though Thou hast given me safety from their disgraces as a covering.

1 9 This is the station of him who is

ashamed of himself before Thee,
angry with himself,
and satisfied with Thee.
He meets Thee

with a humble soul,

a neck bent down,

a back heavy with offenses,

hesitating between longing for Thee and fear of Thee.

20 Thou art the most worthy of those in whom he might hope,

the most deserving for him to dread and fear.
So give me, my Lord, what I hope for,

make me secure against what frightens me,

and act kindly toward me with the kindly act of mercy!
Surely Thou art the most generous

of those from whom are asked!

210 God,

since Thou hast covered me with Thy pardon
and shielded me with Thy bounty

in the abode of annihilation and the presence of equals,
grant me sanctuary from the disgraces of the Abode of Subsistence
at the standing places of the Witnesses
(the angels brought nigh,
the messengers honoured,
the martyrs, the righteous)
before the neighbour

from whom I have hidden my evil deeds
and the womb relative

before whom I feel ashamed in my secret thoughts !

22 I trust them not, my Lord,

to cover me over,
but I trust Thee, my Lord,

to forgive me!
Thou art the most worthy of those in whom confidence is had,

the most giving of those who are besought,

and the most clement of those from whom mercy is asked.
So have mercy upon me!

230 God,

Thou caused me to descend as mean water

from loins of narrow bones and tight passages
into a constricted womb

which Thou hadst covered with veils; ^^^
Thou turned me about from state to state

until Thou tookest me to the completion of the form
and fixed within me the bodily parts,
as Thou hast described in Thy Book:
a drop,
then a clot,
then a tissue,
then bones,

then Thou garmented the bones with flesh,
then Thou produced me as another creature
as Thou willed. 13^

24 Then, when I needed Thy provision,

and could not do without the aid of Thy bounty.
Thou appointed for me a nourishment

from the bounty of the food and drink
which Thou bestowed upon Thy handmaid
in whose belly Thou gavest me to rest
and in the lodging of whose womb
Thou deposited me.

25Hadst Thou entrusted me in those states, my Lord,

to my own force
or driven me to have recourse to my own strength,
force would have been removed from me
and strength taken far away.

26 So Thou hast fed me through Thy bounty

with the food of the Good, the Gentle;
Thou hast done that for me in graciousness toward me

up to this my present point.
I do not lack Thy goodness,

nor does Thy benefaction keep me waiting.
Yet with all that,

my trust has not become firm enough

that I might free myself

for that which is more favoured by Thee.

27Satan has taken possession of my reins

through my distrust and frail certainty.
I complain of his evil neighbourhood with me

and my soul's obedience toward him!
I ask Thee to preserve me against his domination,

and I plead with Thee to turn his trickery away from me!

281 ask Thee

to make the path to my provision easy,
since to Thee belongs praise for

Thy beginning with immense favours

and Thy inspiring gratitude

for beneficence and bestowing favour!
Bless Muhammad and his Household,

and make the way to my provision easy for me!
[I ask Thee] to make me content

with Thy ordainment for me,
to make me satisfied with my lot

in that which Thou hast apportioned for me ,:■■..;■

and to place what has gone of my body and my life-span
into the path of Thy obedience !i^^

Surely Thou art the Best of providers!

290 God, I seek refuge in Thee
from the Fire

through which Thou art harsh

toward him who disobeys Thee
and by which Thou hast threatened

him who turns away from Thy good pleasure;
from the Fire

whose Hght is darkness,
whose ease is pain,
and whose far is near;
from the Fire

parts of which devour parts

and parts of which leap upon parts;

30 from the Fire which

leaves bones decayed
and lets its people drink boiling water;
from the Fire which

'does not spare him who pleads to it,'i40

has no mercy on him who seeks sympathy from it,

and has no power to relieve him

who humbles himself before it

and yields himself to it;
it meets its inhabitants with the hottest that it possesses:

painful punishment and intense noxiousness.

31 I seek refuge in Thee from

its gaping-jawed scorpions,
its scraping-toothed serpents,
and its drinks, which

tear apart the intestines and hearts of its inhabitants

and root out their marrows.
I ask guidance from Thee

to that which will keep far from it
and make it retreat!

320 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

grant me sanctuary from it through the bounty of Thy mercy,
release me from my stumbles through Thy good releasing,
and abandon me not,
O Best of the sanctuary-granters !

330 God,

Thou protectest from the disliked,

givest the good,

dost what Thou wilt,

and Thou art powerful over everything. 14 1

340 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household

when the pious are mentioned
and bless Muhammad and his Household

as long as night and day come and go
with a blessing

whose replenishment is never cut off

and whose number cannot be counted,
a blessing

that will fill up the air

and crowd the earth and the heaven!

35 God bless him

until he is well pleased
and God bless him and his Household

after good pleasure
with a blessing that has neither bound

nor utmost limit!
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

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His Supplication in Asking for the Best

1 O God,

I ask from Thee the best in Thy knowledge,
so bless Muhammad and his Household
and decree for me the best!

2 Inspire us with knowledge to chose the best
and make that a means to

being pleased with what Thou hast decreed for us
and submitting to what Thou hast decided!
Banish from us the doubt of misgiving

and confirm us with the certainty of the sincere!

3 Visit us not with incapacity

to know what Thou hast chosen, lest we
despise Thy measuring out,
dislike the place of Thy good pleasure,
and incline toward that which is
further from good outcome
and nearer to the opposite of well-being!

4 Make us love what we dislike

in Thy decree
and make easy for us what we find difficult
in Thy decision!

5 Inspire us to yield

to that which Thou bringest upon us by Thy will,
lest we

love the delay of what Thou hast hastened

and the hastening of what Thou hast delayed,

dislike what Thou lovest,

and choose what Thou dislikest!

Seal us with that which is most praised in outcome

and most generous in issue!
Surely Thou givest generous gain,

bestowest the immense,

dost what Thou wilt,

and Thou art powerful over every thing A"^^

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His Supplication when Afflicted

His Supplication when he was Afflicted or saw Someone Afflicted with the Disgrace of Sin

1 O God,

to Thee belongs praise for

Thy covering over after Thy knowledge
and Thy pardon after Thy awareness!
Each of us has committed faults,

but Thou hast not made him notorious,
done indecencies,

but Thou hast not disgraced him,
and covered over evil deeds,

but Thou hast not pointed to him.

2 How many are Thy prohibited acts

which we have performed.
Thy commandments of which Thou hast told us

which we have transgressed,
the evil deeds

which we have earned,
the offenses

which we have committed!
Thou seest them

to the exclusion of all observers;
Thou hast the power to make them public

above all the powerful!
By giving us safety

Thou hast veiled their eyes
and stoppled their ears.

3 So make

the shameful things Thou hast covered over
and the inward reality Thou hast concealed
our admonisher,

a restrainer upon bad character traits and committing offenses,
and a striving toward the repentance that erases [sins]
and the praiseworthy path!

4 Bring the time of striving near

and visit us not with heedlessness of Thee!
Surely we are Thy beseechers,
the repenters of sins.

5 And bless Thy chosen, O God, from Thy creation,

Muhammad and his descendants,

the friends selected from among Thy creatures, the pure,
and make us listeners to them and obeyers,
as Thou hast commanded! ^43

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His Supplication in Satisfaction with the Decree

His Supplication in Satisfaction when he Looked upon the Companions of this World

1 Praise belongs to God

in satisfaction with God's decision!
I bear witness that

God has apportioned the livelihoods of His servants with justice
and undertaken bounty for all His creatures.

20 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

tempt me not with what Thou hast given to Thy creatures

and tempt them not with what Thou hast withheld from me.

Lest I envy Thy creatures

and despise Thy decision!

30 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

delight my soul through Thy decree,

expand my breast through the instances of Thy decision,

give to me a trust through which I may admit

that Thy decree runs only to the best,
and let my gratitude to Thee

for what Thou hast taken away from me
be more abundant than my gratitude to Thee
for what Thou hast conferred upon me!

4 Preserve me from imagining any meanness

in someone who is destitute
or imagining any superiority

in someone who possesses wealth,
for the noble is he

whom obedience to Thee has ennobled
and the exalted is he

whom worship of Thee has exalted!

5 So bless Muhammad and his Household,
give us to enjoy a wealth

which does not run out,
confirm us with an exaltation

which will never be lost,
and let us roam freely

in the kingdom of everlastingness!
Surely Thou art the One, the Unique, the Eternal Refuge;

Thou hast not begotten,

nor hast Thou been begotten,

and equal to Thee is not any one!i44

■'^jf

His Supplication upon Hearing Thunder

His Supplication when he Looked upon Clouds and Lightening and Heard the Sound of
Thunder

1 O God,

these are two of Thy signs

and these are two of Thy helpers.

They rush to obey Thee

with beneficial mercy

or injurious vengeance,

so rain not down upon us from them
the evil rain 145

and clothe us not through them
in the garment of affliction!

2 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

send down upon us the benefit of these clouds

and their blessing,

turn away from us their harm and their injury,

strike us not through them with blight,

and loose not upon our livelihoods any bane!

3 O God,

if Thou hast incited them as vengeance

and loosed them in anger,
we seek sanctuary with Thee from Thy wrath
and implore Thee in asking Thy pardon!
So incline with wrath

toward the idolaters
and set the millstone of Thy vengeance
turning upon the heretics '1^6

4 O God,

take away the barrenness of our lands

with Thy watering,
dislodge the malice from our breasts

with Thy providing,
distract us not from Thee

through other than Thee,
and cut none of us off

from the stuff of Thy goodness,
for the rich is he to whom Thou hast given riches,

and the safe he whom Thou hast protected!

5 No one has any defense against Thee,

nor any means to bar Thy penalty.
Thou decidest what Thou wilt

for whom Thou wilt
and Thou decreest what Thou desirest

for any whom Thou desirest!

6 So to Thee belongs prsaise

for protecting us from affliction
and to Thee belongs thanks

for conferring upon us blessings,
a praise which will leave behind the praise of the praisers,

a praise which will fill the earth and the heaven!

7 Surely Thou art the All-kind through immense kindnesses,

the Giver of abounding favours,
the Accepter of small praise,
the Grateful for little gratitude,
the Beneficent, the Benevolent,
Possessor of graciousness!
There is no god but Thou;

unto Thee is the homecoming- 1^7

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His Supplication in G iving Thanks

His Supplication when Confessing his Shortcomings in Giving Thanks

1 OGod,

no one reaches a limit in thanking Thee

without acquiring that of Thy beneficence
which enjoins upon him thanksgiving,

2 nor does anyone reach a degree in obeying Thee,

even if he strives,

without falling short of what Thou deservest

because of Thy bounty.

3 The most thankful of Thy servants

has not the capacity to thank Thee,
and the most worshipful of them
falls short of obeying Thee.

4 To none of them is due

Thy forgiveness through what he himself deserves
or Thy good pleasure for his own merit.

5 When Thou forgivest someone,

it is through Thy graciousness,
and when Thou art pleased with someone,
it is through Thy bounty.

6 Thou showest gratitude

for the paltry for which Thou showest gratitude^^s
and Thou rewardest

the small act in which Thou art obeyed,
so that it seems as if Thy servants' thanksgiving

for which Thou hast made incumbent their reward

and made great their repayment
is an affair

from which they could have held back without Thee,

and hence Thou wilt recompense them,
and whose cause is not in Thy hand,

and hence Thou wilt repay them.

7 Nay, my God, Thou hadst power over their affair

before they had power to worship Thee,
and Thou hadst prepared their reward

before they began to obey Thee;
and that because Thy wont is bestowal of bounty.

Thy custom beneficence.

Thy way pardon.

8 So all creatures confess

that Thou wrongest not him whom Thou punishest
and bear witness

that Thou bestowest bounty upon him whom Thou pardonest.
Each admits :;; ^^ ■_ .

that he has fallen short of what Thou meritest.

9 Had Satan not misled them from Thy obedience,

no disobeyer would have disobeyed Thee,
and had he not shown falsehood to them in the likeness of truth
no stray er would have gone astray from Thy path.

1 So glory be to Thee!

How manifest is Thy generosity

in dealing with him who obeys or disobeys Thee!
Thou showest gratitude to the obedient

for that which Thou undertakest for him,
and Thou grantest a respite to the disobedient

in that within which Thou art able to hurry him.

1 1 Thou givest to each of them

that which is not his due,
and Thou bestowest bounty upon each

in that wherein his works fall short.

1 2 Wert Thou to counterbalance for the obedient servant

that which Thou Thyself hadst undertaken,
he would be on the point of losing Thy reward

and seeing the end of Thy favour,
but through Thy generosity Thou hast repaid him
for a short, perishing term

with a long, everlasting term,
and for a near, vanishing limit

with an extended, abiding limit.

1 3 Then Thou dost not visit him with a settling of accounts

for Thy provision

through which he gained strength to obey Thee,
nor dost Thou force him to make reckonings
for the organs he employed

to find the means to Thy forgiveness.
Wert Thou to do that to him,
it would take away

everything for which he had laboured
and all wherein he had exerted himself
as repayment for the smallest of Thy benefits

and kindnesses,
and he would remain hostage before Thee
for Thy other favours.
So how can he deserve something of Thy reward?
Indeed, how?

'^/

1 4 This, my God, is the state of him who obeys Thee

and the path of him who worships Thee.
But as for him who disobeys Thy command

and goes against Thy prohibition.

Thou dost not hurry him to Thy vengeance,
so that he may seek to replace

his state in disobeying Thee

with the state of turning back to obey Thee,
though he deserved from the time he set out to disobey Thee

every punishment which Thou hast prepared

for all Thy creatures.

1 5 Through each chastisement

which Thou hast kept back from him
and each penalty of Thy vengeance and Thy punishment

which Thou hast delayed from him.
Thou hast refrained from Thy right

and shown good pleasure

in place of what Thou hast made obligatory.

16 So who is more generous, my God, than Thou?

And who is more wretched than he who perishes

in spite of Thee?
Indeed, who?
Thou art too blessed to be described
by any but beneficence
and too generous for any but justice
to be feared from Thee!
There is no dread that Thou wilt be unjust

toward him who disobeys Thee,
nor any fear of Thy neglecting to reward
him who satisfies Thee.i49
So bless Muhammad and his Household,
give me my hope,
and increase me in that of Thy guidance

through which I may be successful in my works!
Surely Thou art All-kind, Generous. '^'^l. ?

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His Supplication in Asking Pardon

His Supplication in Asking Pardon for Misdeeds to God's Servants and for Falling Short in
their Rights and that his Neck be Set Free from the Fire

1 O God,

I ask pardon from Thee for

the person wronged in my presence

whom I did not help,
the favour conferred upon me

for which I returned no thanks,
the evildoer who asked pardon from me

and whom I did not pardon,
the needy person who asked from me

and whom I preferred not over myself,
the right of a believer who possesses a right incumbent upon me

which I did not fulfil,
the fault of a believer which became evident to me

and which I did not conceal,
and every sin which presented itself to me

and which I failed to avoid.

2 1 ask pardon, my God,

for all of these and their likes,
with an asking of pardon in remorse
which may act as an admonisher
against similar things ahead of me.

3 So bless Muhammad and his Household
and make
my remorse for the slips

into which I have fallen
and my determination to refrain from the evil deeds

which present themselves to me
a repentance which will make Thy love for me obligatory
O lover of those who repent! i^o

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His Supplication in Seeking Pardon and Mercy

1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
break my passion for every unlawful thing,
take away my craving for any sin,
and bar me from harming any believer, male or female,
and any Muslim, male or female!

2 OGod, /:-^-^=%- /.:vv

if any of Thy servants should harm me in what Thou hast forbidden

or violate me in what Thou hast interdicted,
and if he should pass into death with my complaint

or I come to have a complaint against him while he is alive,
forgive him what he did to me

and pardon him that through which he turned his back on me!
Inquire not from him about what he committed toward me

and expose him not through what he earned by me!
Make my open-handedness in pardoning such servants

and my contribution in charity toward them
the purest charity of the charitable

and the highest gift of those seeking nearness to Thee!

3 Recompense me for my pardoning them with Thy pardon

and for my supplicating for them with Thy mercy
so that each one of us may gain felicity through Thy bounty
and each may attain deliverance through Thy kindness!

4 OGod,

if there is a servant from among Thy servants whom

an ill visits on my account,

a harm touches from my direction,

or a wrong overtakes through me or because of me,
and should I fail to take care of his right

or go before him [in death] with his complaint,
bless Muhammad and his Household,

satisfy him toward me through Thy wealth,

and give him his full right from Thyself!

5 Then protect me from what Thy decision mandates

and save me from what Thy justice decides,
for my strength cannot bear Thy vengeance

and my obedience cannot stand up to Thy displeasure!
If Thou recompensest me with the right,

Thou wilt destroy me,
and if Thou dost not shield me in Thy mercy.

Thou wilt lay me waste.

6 OGod,

I ask Thee to grant, my God,

that whose giving will not decrease Thee,
and I ask Thee to carry

that whose carrying will not weigh Thee down:

7 My God, I ask Thee to give my soul,

which Thou didst not create

to keep Thyself from evil

nor to find the way to profit.
No, Thou brought it forth

to demonstrate Thy power over its like

and to provide an argument against its similar.

8 I ask Thee to carry those of my sins

whose carrying weighs me down
and I seek help from Thee in

that whose heaviness oppresses me.

9 So bless Muhammad and his Household,

give to me my soul in spite of its wrongdoing, i^i
and appoint Thy mercy to carry my burden!

How many evildoers Thy mercy has overtaken!

How many wrongdoers Thy pardon has embraced!

■'^jf

1 So bless Muhammad and his Household

and make me the model of him whom Thou hast
aroused through Thy forbearance

from the deadly infirmities of the Senders
and saved through Thy giving success

from the tangled plights of the sinners,
so that I may rise up

freed by Thy pardon from the bonds of Thy displeasure
and released by Thy benefaction from the ties of Thy justice!

1 1 Surely if Thou dost that, my God,

Thou wilt do it to one who does not
deny deserving Thy punishment
or acquit himself from merit for Thy vengeance.

12 Do that, my God, for one

whose fear of Thee is greater

than his craving from Thee,
whose hopelessness of deliverance

is firmer than his hope for salvation!
Not that his hopelessness is despair,

nor that his expectation is deluded.
No, rather his good deeds are few

among his evil deeds
and his arguments are frail

in face of everything due from his acts.

1 3 But Thou, my God, art worthy that

the righteous not be deluded concerning Thee
and the sinners not lose hope in Thee,

for Thou art the All-mighty Lord who
holds back His bounty from none
and takes His full right from no one.

1 4 High exalted is Thy mention

above those mentioned!
Holy are Thy names

beyond those described!
Spread is Thy favour

among all creatures !
Thine is the praise for that,

O Lord of the worlds !

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His Supplication when Death was Mentioned

His Supplication when Someone's Death was Announced to him or when he Remembered
Death

1 O God,

Bless Muhammad and his Household,
spare us drawn out expectations

and cut them short in us through sincerity of works,
that we may not hope expectantly for

completing an hour after an hour,

closing a day after a day,

joining a breath to a breath,

or overtaking a step with a step!

2 Keep us safe from the delusions of expectations,

make us secure from their evils,

set up death before us in display.

and let not our remembering of it come and go !

3 Appoint for us from among the righteous works a work

through which we will feel the homecoming to Thee as slow
and crave a quick joining with Thee,

so that death may be

our intimate abode with which we are intimate,
our familiar place toward which we yearn,
and our next of kin whose coming we love!

4 When Thou bringest it to us

and sendest it down upon us,
make us happy with it as a visitor,
comfort us with its arrival,
make us not wretched through entertaining it,
degrade us not through its visit,
and appoint it one of the gates to Thy forgiveness
and the keys to Thy mercy!

Make us die

guided, not astray,

obedient, not averse,

repentant, not disobedient or persisting,
O He who guarantees the repayment of the good-doers

and seeks to set right the work of the corrupt!

■'^jf

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His Supplication in Asking for Covering and Protection

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1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

spread for me the bed of Thy honour,

bring me to the wateringholes of Thy mercy,

set me down in the midst of Thy Garden,

stamp me not with rejection by Thee,

deprive me not through disappointment by Thee,

2 settle not accounts with me for what I have committed,
make no reckoning with me for what I have earned,
display not what I have hidden,

expose not what I have covered over,

weigh not my works on the scales of fairness,

and make not my tidings known to the eyes of the crowd!

3 Conceal from them

everything whose unfolding would shame me
and roll up before them

all which would join me to disgrace with Thee!

4 Ennoble my degree through Thy good pleasure,
perfect my honour through Thy forgiveness,
rank me among the companions of the right hand,
direct me to the roads of the secure,

place me in the throng of the triumphant,

and through me let the sessions of the righteous thrive !152
Amen, Lord of the worlds !

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His Supplication upon Completing a Reading of the Qur'an

1 O God,

Thou hast helped me complete Thy Book,

which Thou sent down as a light ^^^ and appointed as

a guardian over every book Thou hast sent down, 1^4

preferring it over every narrative

which Thou hast recounted, ^^^

2 a separator, through which Thou hast separated

Thy lawful from Thy unlawful, ^^^
a Qur'an, through which Thou hast made plain

the approaches to Thy ordinances, ^^^
a book, which Thou hast distinguished very distinctly

for Thy servants, ^^^
a revelation, which Thou hast sent down,
a sending down,

upon Thy prophet Muhammad^^^

(Thy blessings be upon him and his Household).

3 Thou appointed it

a light through following which

we may be guided from the shadows

of error and ignorance, ^^^
a healing for him

who turns ear toward hearing it

with the understanding of attestation, i^i
a just balance

whose tongue does not incline away from truth, ^^2
a light of guidance

whose proof is not extinguished before
the witnesses, 1^^
and a guidepost of deliverance, so that

he who repairs straightway to its prescription
will not go astray

and he who clings to its preservation's handhold

will not be touched by the hands of disasters.

4 OGod,

since Thou hast given us help to recite it

and made smooth the roughness of our tongues

through the beauty of its expression,
place us among those who

observe it as it should be observed,
serve Thee by adhering in submission

to the firm text of its verses,
and seek refuge in admitting both its ambiguous parts
and the elucidations of its clear signs!

5 OGod,

Thou sent it down upon Thy prophet Muhammad

(God bless him and his household) in summary form.

Thou inspired him with the science of its wonders
to complement it.

Thou made us the heirs of its knowledge
as interpreters, 1^4

Thou made us to surpass

him who is ignorant of its knowledge,
and Thou gave us strength over it

to raise us above those not able to carry it.

6 OGod,

just as Thou hast appointed our hearts

as its carriers
and made known to us through Thy mercy

its nobility and excellence,
so also bless Muhammad, its preacher,

and his Household, its guardians,
and place us among those who confess that it has come from Thee,

lest doubt about attesting to it assail us,

or deviation from its straightforward path shake us !

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7 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and make us one of those who

hold fast to its cord,

seek haven from its ambiguities in its
fortified stronghold,

rest in the shadow of its wing,

find guidance in the brightness of its morning,

follow the shining of its disclosure,

acquire light from its lamp,

and beg not guidance from any other!

8 OGod,

just as through it

Thou hast set up Muhammad as a guidepost to point to Thee
and through his Household

Thou hast made clear Thy good pleasure's roads to Thee,
so also bless Muhammad and his Household
and make the Qur'an

our mediation to the noblest stations

of Thy honour,
a ladder by which we may climb

to the place of safety,
a cause for our being repaid

with deliverance at the Plain of Resurrection,
and a means whereby we may reach

the bliss of the House of Permanence!

9 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

lessen for us through the Qur'an the weight of heavy sins,

give to us the excellent qualities of the pious,

and make us follow the tracks of those who stood before Thee

in the watches of the night and the ends of the day,i^^
such that Thou purifiest us from every defilement

through its purification
and makest us to follow the tracks of those

who have taken illumination from its light

and whom expectation has not distracted from works,

cutting them off through its delusions' deceptions!

10 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and appoint the Qur'an
for us an intimate

in the shadows of nights
and a guardian

against the instigations of Satan
and confusing thoughts,
for our feet an obstruction

from passing to acts of disobedience,
for our tongues a silencer without blight

preventing a plunge into falsehood,
for our limbs a restrainer

from committing sins,
and for the scrutiny of heedfulness
rolled up in heedlessness
an unroUer,
such that Thou attachest to our hearts

the understanding of the Qur'an's wonders
and its restraining similitudes

which immovable mountains in all their solidity
were too weak to carry l^^^

1 1 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and through the Qur'an

make permanent the rightness

of our outward selves,
veil the ideas of confusing thoughts

from the soundness of our innermost minds,
wash away the dirt of our hearts

and the ties of our heavy sins,
gather our scattered affairs,
quench the thirst of our burning heat

in the standing place of the presentation to Thee,
and clothe us in the robes of security

on the Day of the Greatest Terror at our uprising l^^^

12 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and through the Qur'an

redress our lack - our destitution in poverty -
drive toward us the comforts of life

and an abundance of plentiful provisions,
turn aside blameworthy character traits

and base moral qualities,
and preserve us from the pit of unbelief
and the motives for hypocrisy,
such that the Qur'an may be

for us at the resurrection a leader

to Thy good pleasure and Thy gardens,
for us in this world a protector

against Thy displeasure and transgressing
Thy bounds
and for what is with Thee a witness

by its declaring lawful the lawful

and its declaring unlawful the unlawful!

13 God, :^t

bless Muhammad and his Household

and through the Qur'an make easy for our souls at death

the distress of the driving, ^^^

the effort of the moaning,

and the succession of the rattling,
when souls reach the throats

and it is said, 'Where is the enchanter?' ;i^^
when the angel of death discloses himself

to seize them from behind the veils of unseen things,

letting loose at them from the bow of destinies

the arrows of the terror of lonesome separation,

and mixing for them from sudden death
a cup poisoned to the taste;
and when departure and release for the hereafter come close to us,

works become collars around the necks, ^^^

and the graves become the haven

until the appointed time of the Day of Encounter!

14 O God,

-" bless Muhammad and his Household,

make blessed for us the arrival at the house of decay

and the drawn out residence between the layers of the earth,
appoint the graves, after separation from this world,

the best of our way stations,
make roomy for us through Thy mercy the narrowness of our tombs,
and disgrace us not among those present at the Resurrection

through our ruinous sins !

1 5 Through the Qur'an

have mercy upon the lowliness of our station

at the standing place of presentation to Thee,
make firm the slips of our feet

during the shaking of the bridge across hell

on the day of passage over it,
illuminate the darkness of our graves

before the Uprising,
and deliver us from every distress on the Day of Resurrection

and from the hardships of terrors on the Day of Disaster!

1 6 Whiten our faces

on the day when the faces of wrongdoers are blackened^^i

during the Day of Regret and Remorse,
appoint love for us in the breasts of the faithful,
and make not life for us troublesome!

17 God,

bless Muhammad, Thy servant and Thy messenger,
just as He delivered Thy message,

executed Thy command,

and counselled Thy servants !

18 God,

on the Day of Resurrection make our Prophet

(Thy blessings be upon him and his Household)
the nearest of the prophets to Thee in seat,
the ablest of them before Thee with intercession,
the greatest of them with Thee in measure,
and the most eminent of them with Thee in rank!

19 God,

bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,

ennoble his edifice,

magnify his proof,

make weighty his balance,

accept his intercession,

bring near his mediation, 1^2

whiten his face,

complete his light,

and raise his degree!

20 Make us live according to his Sunna,

make us die in his creed,

take us on his road,
make us travel his path,
place us among the people who obey him,

muster us in his band,

lead us to up his pool,!^^

and give us to drink of his cup!

21 And bless Muhammad and his Household,

with a blessing ' ^- '"

through which Thou wilt take him to the most excellent
of Thy good. Thy bounty, and Thy generosity
for which he hopes !
Thou art Possessor of boundless mercy
and generous bounty.

22 O God,

repay him for .^^Pjr^

Thy messages which he delivered.

Thy signs which he passed on,

the good counsel he gave to Thy servants,

and the struggle he undertook in Thy way,
with the best Thou hast repaid any of Thy angels brought nigh

and Thy prophets sent out and chosen!
And upon him and his Household,

the good, the pure,

be peace, God's mercy, and His blessings!

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His Supplication when he Looked at the New Crescent Moon

1 O obedient creature,

speedy and untiring,

frequenter of the mansions of determination, 1^4

moving about in the sphere of governance!

2 1 have faith in Him who

Hghts up darknesses through thee,
illuminates jet-black shadows by thee,
appointed thee one of the signs of His kingdom

and one of the marks of His authority,
and humbled thee through increase and decrease,

rising and setting,

illumination and eclipse.
In all of this thou art obedient to Him,

prompt toward His will.

3 Glory be to Him!

How wonderful is what He has arranged in thy situation!
How subtle what He has made for thy task!
He has made thee the key

to a new month

for a new situation.

4 So I ask God, my Lord and thy Lord,

my Creator and thy Creator,

my Determiner and thy Determiner,

my Form-giver and thy Form-giver,
that He bless Muhammad and his Household
and appoint thee

a crescent of blessings not effaced by days
and of purity not defiled by sins;

5 a crescent of security from blights

and of safety from evil deeds;
a crescent of auspiciousness containing no misfortune,

of prosperity accompanied by no adversity,

of ease not mixed with difficulty,

of good unstained by evil;
a crescent of security and faith,

favour and good-doing,

safety and submission!

6 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
place us among

the most satisfied of those

over whom the crescent has risen,
the purest of those

who have looked upon it,
the most fortunate of those

who have worshipped Thee under it;
give us the success during [the new month] to repent,
preserve us within it from misdeeds,
guard us therein from pursuing disobedience to Thee,

7 allot to us within it thanksgiving for Thy favour,
clothe us during it in the shields of well-being,
and complete for us Thy kindness

by perfecting therein obedience to Thee!
Surely Thou art All-kind, Praiseworthy.
And bless Muhammad and his Household, the good, the pure.

■'^jf

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His Supplication for the Coming of the Month of Ramadan

1 Praise belongs to God who guided us to His praise

and placed us among the people of praise,
that we might be among the thankful for His beneficence
and that He might recompense us for that

with the recompense of the good-doers!

2 And praise belongs to God who

showed favour to us through His religion,
singled us out for His creed,

and directed us onto the roads of His beneficence,
in order that through His kindness we might travel upon them

to His good pleasure,
a praise which He will accept from us

and through which He will be pleased with us !

3 And praise belongs to God who appointed among those roads His month,

the month of Ramadan, ■ "- ■' ' • " = ' " ■' "- ' '

the month of fasting,

the month of submission,

the month of purity,

the month of putting to test,

the month of standing in prayer,

in which the Qur'an was sent down as guidance to the people,

and as clear signs of the Guidance and the Separator !^'^^

4 He clarified its excellence over other months

by the many sacred things and well-known excellencies

which He placed therein,
for He made unlawful in it what He declared lawful in others

to magnify it.
He prohibited foods and drinks in it

to honour it,
and He appointed for it a clear time which He

(majestic and mighty is He)

allows not to be set forward

and accepts not to be placed behind.

5 Then He made one of its nights surpass the nights

of a thousand months
and named it the Night of Decree;

in it the angels and the Spirit descend

by the leave of their Lord upon every command,

apeace^~^^ constant in blessings

until the rising of the dawn
upon whomsoever He will of His servants
according to the decision He has made firm.

6 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
inspire us -r,- -r

with knowledge of its excellence,
veneration of its inviolability,

and caution against what Thou hast forbidden within it,
and help us to fast in it

by our restraining our limbs

from acts of disobedience toward Thee
and our employing them

in that which pleases Thee,
so that we lend not our ears to idle talk

and hurry not with our eyes to diversion,

7 we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden

and stride not with our feet toward the prohibited,
our bellies hold only what Thou hast made lawful
and our tongues speak only what Thou
hast exemplified,
we undertake nothing but what brings close to
Thy reward
and pursue nothing but what protects from
Thy punishment!
Then rid all of that from the false show of the false showers
and the fame seeking of the fame seekers,
lest we associate therein anything with Thee

or seek therein any object of desire but Thee!

-^/

8 OGod,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
in it make us attend

to the appointed moments of the five prayers within

the bounds Thou hast set,

the obligations Thou hast decreed,

the duties Thou hast assigned,

and the times Thou hast specified;

9 and in the prayers make us alight in the station of

the keepers of their stations,

the guardians of their pillars,

their performers in their times,

as Thy servant and Thy messenger set down in his Sunna
(Thy blessings be upon him and his Household)

in their bowings, their prostrations, and all their
excellent acts,
with the most complete and ample ritual purity
and the most evident and intense humility!

1 Give us success in this month to

tighten our bonds of kin with devotion and gifts,

attend to our neighbours with bestowal and giving,

rid our possessions from claims,

purify them through paying the alms,

go back to him who has gone far from us,

treat justly him who has wronged us,

make peace with him who shows enmity toward us

(except him who is regarded as an enemy
in Thee and for Thee,

for he is the enemy whom we will not befriend,
the party whom we will not hold dear),

1 1 and seek nearness to Thee through blameless works

which will purify us from sins
and preserve us from renewing faults,
so that none of Thy angels will bring for Thee
the kinds of obedience and sorts of

nearness-seeking
unless they be less than what we bring l^^^

12 God,

I ask Thee by the right of this month

and by the right of him who worships Thee within it

from its beginning to the time of its passing,

whether angel Thou hast brought nigh to Thee,

prophet Thou hast sent,

or righteous servant Thou hast singled out,
that Thou bless Muhammad and his Household,
make us worthy of the generosity Thou hast promised

Thy friends,
make incumbent for us

what Thou hast made incumbent

for those who go to great lengths in obeying Thee,
and place us in the ranks of those

who deserve through Thy mercy the highest elevation!

13 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
turn us aside from

deviation in professing Thy Unity,

falling short in magnifying Thee,

in Thy religion,

blindness toward Thy path,

heedlessness of Thy inviolability,

and being deceived by Thy enemy, the accursed Satan!

14 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
and when in every night of this month's nights

Thou hast necks
which Thy pardon will release

and Thy forgiveness disregard,
place our necks among those necks
and place us among the best folk and companions
of this our month!

15 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,
efface our sins

along with the effacing of its crescent moon,
and make us pass forth from the ill effects of our acts

with the passing of its days,
until it leaves us behind,

while within it Thou hast purified us of offenses

and rid us of evil deeds!

16 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

and should we go off to one side in this month,

set us aright;
should we swerve,

point us straight;
and should Thy enemy Satan enwrap us,

rescue us from him!

17 God,

fill this month with our worship of Thee, " ■■ ■ ' -
adorn its times with our obedience toward Thee,
help us during its daytime with its fast,

and in its night with prayer and pleading toward Thee,
humility toward Thee,
and lowliness before Thee,
so that its daytime may not bear witness
against our heedlessness,
nor its night against our neglect!

18 God,

make us like this in the other months and days

as long as Thou givest us life,
and place us among Thy righteous servants,
those who shall inherit Paradise,

therein dwelling for ever, ^'^^
those who give what they give,

while their hearts quake,

that they are returning to their Lord,^^^
those who vie in good works,

outracing to them!^^^

19 God,

bless Muhammad and his Household

in every time, in all moments, and in every state,
to the number that Thou hast blessed whomsoever

Thou hast blessed
and to multiples of all that, through multiples
which none can count but Thee!
Surely Thou art Accomplisher of what Thou desirest.

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His Supplication in Bidding Farewell to the Month of

Ramadan

1 OGod,

O He who desires no repayment!

2 O He who shows no remorse at bestowal!

3 O He who rewards not His servant tit for tat!

4 Thy kindness is a new beginning,

Thy pardon gratuitous bounty, i^i

Thy punishment justice.

Thy decree a choice for the best!

5 If Thou bestowest.

Thou stainest not Thy bestowal with obligation,
and if Thou withholdest.

Thou withholdest not in transgression.

6 Thou showest gratitude to him who thanks Thee,

while Thou hast inspired him to thank Thee.

7 Thou rewardest him who praises Thee,

while though Thou hast taught him Thy praise.

8 Thou coverest him whom,

if Thou willed.

Thou wouldst expose,
and Thou art generous toward him from whom,

if Thou willed.

Thou wouldst withhold.
.. Bpth are worthy of Thy exposure and withholding,
^'r:Ll but Thou hast

founded Thy acts upon gratuitous bounty,

channelled Thy power into forbearance.

9 received him who disobeyed Thee with clemency,

and disregarded him who intended wrongdoing against himself.
Thou awaitest their turning back without haste

and refrainest from rushing them toward repentance,
so that the perisher among them may not perish

because of Thee

and the wretched may not be wretched through

Thy favour,

but only after Thy prolonged excusing him

and successive arguments against him,
as an act of generosity through Thy pardon, O Generous,

and an act of kindliness through Thy tenderness, O Clement!

1 It is Thou who hast opened for Thy servants

a door to Thy pardon,

which Thou hast named 'repentance'.
Thou hast placed upon that door

a pointer from Thy revelation,

lest they stray from it:
Thou hast said (blessed are Thy names).

Repent toward God with unswerving repentance!

It may be that Thy Lord will acquit of your evil deeds
and will admit you into gardens
beneath which rivers flow,

1 1 upon the day when God will not degrade the Prophet

and those who have faith along with him,
their light running before them

and on their right hands,

and they say:
'Our Lord, complete for us our light, and forgive us!

Surely Thou art powerful over everything.' ^^2
What is the excuse

of him who remains heedless of entering that house
after the opening of the door
and the setting up of the pointer?

■'^jf

1 2 It is Thou who hast raised the price against Thyself

to the advantage of Thy servants,
desiring their profit in their trade with Thee,

their triumph through reaching Thee,

and their increase on account of Thee,
for Thou hast said

(blessed is Thy Name and high art Thou exalted).

Whoso brings a good deed

shall have ten the like of it,

and whoso brings an evil deed

shall only be recompensed the like of it.^^^

1 3 Thou hast said.

The likeness of those who expend their wealth

in the way of God
is as the likeness of a grain of corn

that sprouts seven ears,

in every ear a hundred grains;
so God multiplies unto whom He wills. ^^4
Thou hast said.

Who is he that will lend to God a good loan,

and He will multiply it for him manifold? ^^^
And Thou hast sent down in the Qur'an

similar verses on the multiplying of good deeds.

1 4 It is Thou who hast pointed them

through Thy speech from Thy Unseen
and Thy encouragement in which lies their good fortune
toward that which

- hadst Thou covered it from them -
their eyes would not have perceived,
their ears would not have heard,

and their imaginations would not have grasped,
for Thou hast said.
Remember Me

and I will remember you
be thankful to Me,

and be you not thankless towards Mel^^^
Thou hast said.

If you are thankful,

surely I will increase you,
but if you are thankless.

My chastisement is surely terrible; ^^^

1 5 And Thou hast said,

SuppHcate Me

and I will respond to you,
surely those who wax too proud to worship Me
shall enter Gehenna utterly abject. ^^^
Hence Thou hast named supplicating Thee 'worship'

and refraining from it 'waxing proud',
and Thou hast threatened that the refraining from it

would yield entrance into Gehenna in utter abjection.

16 So they remember Thee for Thy kindness,

they thank Thee for Thy bounty,

they supplicate Thee by Thy command,

and they donate for Thee

in order to seek Thy increase;
in all this lies their deliverance from Thy wrath

and their triumph through Thy good pleasure.

1 7 Were any creature himself to direct another creature

to the like of that to which

Thou Thyself hast directed Thy servants,

he would be described by beneficence,
qualified by kindness,
and praised by every tongue.

So to Thee belongs praise

as long as there is found a way to praise Thee
and as long as there remains for praising

words by which Thou may be praised

and meanings which may be spent in praise!

1 8 O He who shows Himself praiseworthy to His servants

through beneficence and bounty,
flooding them with kindness and graciousness!
How much Thy favour has been spread about among us.
Thy kindness lavished upon us,
and Thy goodness singled out for us!

1 9 Thou hast guided us to

Thy rehgion which Thou hast chosen,
Thy creed with which Thou art pleased,
and Thy path which Thou hast made smooth,
and Thou hast shown us proximity to Thee
and arrival at Thy generosity!

20 O God,

among the choicest of those duties

and the most special of those obligations
Thou hast appointed the month of Ramadan,

which Thou hast singled out from other months,
chosen from among all periods and eras,
and preferred over all times of the year
through the Qur'an and the Light

which Thou sent down within it,
the faith

which Thou multiplied by means of it,
the fasting

which Thou obligated therein,
the standing in prayer

which Thou encouraged at its time,
and the Night of Decree

which Thou magnified therein,

the night which is better than a thousand months. ^^^

21 Through it Thou hast preferred us

over the other communities
and through its excellence Thou hast chosen us

to the exclusion of the people of the creeds.
We fasted by Thy command in its daylight,

we stood in prayer with Thy help in its night,

presenting ourselves by its fasting and its standing

to the mercy which Thou hast held up before us,
and we found through it the means to Thy reward.
And Thou art full of what is sought from Thee,

munificent with what is asked of Thy bounty,
and near to him who strives for Thy nearness.

22 This month stood among us

in a standing place of praise,
accompanied us

with the companionship of one approved,
and profited us

with the most excellent profit of the world's creatures.
Then it parted from us at the completion of its time,

the end of its term,

and the fulfilment of its number.

23 So we bid farewell to it with the farewell of one

whose parting pains us,

whose leaving fills us with gloom and loneliness,
and to whom we have come to owe
a safeguarded claim,
an observed inviolability,
and a discharged right.
We say:

Peace be upon thee,

O greatest month of God!
O festival of His friends!

24 Peace be upon thee,

O most noble of accompanying times!
O best of months in days and hours!

25 Peace be upon thee,

month in which

expectations come near

and good works are scattered about!

26 Peace be upon thee,

comrade

who is great in worth when found

and who torments through absence when lost,

anticipated friend

whose parting gives pain!

27 Peace be upon thee,

familiar

who brought comfort in coming,

thus making happy,
who left loneliness in going,

thus giving anguish!

28 Peace be upon thee,

neighbour in whom

hearts became tender
and sins became few !

29 Peace be upon thee,

helper

who aided against Satan,
companion

who made easy the paths of good-doing !

30 Peace be upon thee -

How many became freedmen of God within thee!
How happy those who observed the respect due to thee!

31 Peace be upon thee -

How many the sins thou erased!

How many the kinds of faults thou covered over!

32 Peace be upon thee -

How drawn out wert thou for the sinners!

How awesome wert thou in the hearts of the faithful!

33 Peace be upon thee,

month with which no days compete!

34 Peace be upon thee,

month which is peace in all affairs !

35 Peace be upon thee,

thou whose companionship is not disliked,
thou whose friendly mixing is not blamed!

36 Peace be upon thee,

just as thou hast entered upon us with blessings
and cleansed us of the defilement of offenses!

37 Peace be upon thee -

Thou art not bid farewell in annoyance
nor is thy fasting left in weariness!

38 Peace be upon thee,

object of seeking before thy time,
object of sorrow before thy passing!

39 Peace be upon thee -

How much evil was turned away from us through thee!
How much good flowed upon us because of thee!

40 Peace be upon thee

and upon the Night of Decree

which is better than a thousand months !i^o

41 Peace be upon thee -

How much we craved thee yesterday!

How intensely we shall yearn for thee tomorrow !

42 Peace be upon thee

and upon thy bounty

which has now been made unlawful to us
and upon thy blessings gone by

which have now been stripped away from us !

43 O God,

we are the people of this month.

Through it Thou hast ennobled us
and given us success

because of Thy kindness,
while the wretched are ignorant of its time.
Made unlawful to them is its bounty

because of their wretchedness.

:-^-^'/

44 Thou art the patron

of the knowledge of it by which Thou hast preferred us,
and its prescribed practices to which Thou hast guided us.
We have undertaken, through Thy giving success,
its fasting and its standing in prayer,
but with shortcomings,
and we have performed little of much.

45 O God,

so to Thee belongs praise,

in admission of evil doing

and confession of negligence,
and to Thee belongs

remorse firmly knitted in our hearts

and seeking of pardon sincerely uttered by our tongues.
Reward us,

in spite of the neglect that befell us in this month,

with a reward through which

we may reach the bounty desired from it
and win the varieties of its craved stores !

46 Make incumbent upon us Thy pardon

for our falling short of Thy right in this month
and make our lives which lie before us

reach the coming month of Ramadan!
Once Thou hast made us reach it,

help us perform the worship of which Thou art worthy,
cause us to undertake the obedience which Thou deservest,
and grant us righteous works

that we may fulfil Thy right
in these two months of the months of time. ^^^

47 O God,

as for the small and large sins

which we have committed in this our month,

the misdeeds into which we have fallen,

and the offenses which we have earned
purposefully or in forgetfulness,
wronging ourselves thereby
or violating the respect due to others,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

cover us over with Thy covering,

pardon us through Thy pardoning,

place us not before the eyes of the gloaters because of that,

stretch not toward us the tongues of the defamers,

and employ us in that which will alleviate and expiate
whatever Thou disapprovest from us within it
through Thy clemency which does not run out,
and Thy bounty which does not diminish!

48 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

redress our being afflicted by our month, 1^2

bless us in this day of our festival and our fast-breaking,

make it one of the best of days that have passed over us,

the greatest in attracting Thy pardon,

and the most effacing toward sins,
and forgive us our sins, both the concealed and the public!

49 O God,

with the passing of this month ::f s^/

make us pass forth from our offenses,
with its departure

make us depart from our evil deeds,
and appoint us thereby among its most felicitous people,

the most plentiful of them in portion,

and the fullest of them in share!

50 O God,

when any person observes this month as it should be observed,
safeguards its inviolabihty as it should be safeguarded,
attends to its bounds as they should be attended to,
fears its misdeeds as they should be feared,
or seeks nearness to Thee with any act of nearness-seeking

which
makes incumbent upon him Thy good pleasure
and bends toward him Thy mercy,
give to us the like [of that]!^^ from Thy wealth

and bestow it upon us in multiples through Thy bounty,
for Thy bounty does not diminish.

Thy treasuries do not decrease but overflow,
the mines of Thy beneficence are not exhausted,
and Thy bestowal is the bestowal full of delight!

51 O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household
and write for us the like of the wages

of him who fasted in it

or worshipped Thee within it

until the Day of Resurrection!

52 O God,

we repent to Thee in our day of fast-breaking,
which Thou hast appointed
for the faithful

a festival and a joy
and for the people of Thy creed

a time of assembly and gathering,
from every misdeed we did,
ill work we sent ahead,
or evil thought we secretly conceived,
the repentance of one who does not harbour a return to sin

and who afterwards will not go back to offense,
an unswerving repentance rid of doubt and wavering.
So accept it from us, '' '" ': '-^ •"
be pleased with us,
and fix us within it!

53 O God,

provide us with fear of the threatened punishment
and yearning for the promised reward,

so that we may find --■-

the pleasure of that for which we supplicate Thee

and the sorrow of that from which we seek sanctuary in Thee!

54 And place us with Thee among the repenters,

those upon whom Thou hast made Thy love obligatory
and from whom Thou hast accepted
the return to obeying Theel^^^
O Most Just of the just!

55 O God,

show forbearance toward our fathers and our mothers
and all the people of our religion,

those who have gone and those who will pass by,
until the Day of Resurrection!

56 O God,

bless our prophet Muhammad and his Household,
as Thou hast blessed Thy angels brought nigh,

bless him and his Household,

as Thou hast blessed Thy prophets sent out,

bless him and his Household,

as Thou hast blessed Thy righteous servants
- and better than that, O Lord of the worlds ! -

a blessing whose benediction will reach us,
whose benefit will attain to us,
and through which our supplication may be granted!

Thou art the most generous of those who are beseeched,

the most sufficient of those in whom confidence is had,
the most bestowing of those from whom bounty is asked,
and Thou art powerful over everything !i^5

.??^ 3^^?^??^ 3"^^^?^.^^ 3^^^-^v^ t>^r^^?^?-^ yy^.^^S^ ^-^f^'Sv^ ^■^^'^-^v^ "r^v^^^??^ ^'^'^^

His Supplication on the Day of Fast-Breaking and on Friday

When he finished his prayer, He would stand in place, face the qibla, and say:

1 O He who has mercy upon him toward whom the servants show no mercy!

2 O He who accepts him whom the cities will not accept!

3 O He who looks not down upon those who have need of Him!

4 O He who disappoints not those who implore Him!

5 O He who slaps not the brow of the people of boldness toward Him

with rejection!

6 O He who collects the little that is given to Him

and shows gratitude for the paltry that is done for Him!

7 O He who shows gratitude for the small and rewards with the great!

8 O He who comes close to him who comes close to Him!

9 O He who invites to Himself him who turns his back on Him!

10 O He who changes not favour^^^ and rushes not to vengeance!

, .1. 1 O He who causes the good deed to bear fruit

" so that He may make it grow,

and overlooks the evil deed

so that He may efface it!

1 2 Hopes turn back with needs fulfilled

short of the extent of Thy generosity,
the cups of requests fill up

with the overflow of Thy munificence,
and attributes fall apart

without reaching Thy description.
For to Thee belongs the highest highness

above everything high,
and the most glorious majesty

beyond every majesty!

1 3 Everything majestic before Thee is small,

everything eminent beside Thy eminence vile!
Those who reach other than Thee are disappointed,

those who present themselves to other than Thee

have lost,
those who stay with other than Thee have perished,
and those who retreat

- except those who retreat to Thy bounty -
are desolate!

1 4 Thy door is open to the beseechers.

Thy munificence free to the askers.
Thy help near to the help-seekers!

1 5 The expectant are not disappointed by Thee,

those who present themselves

despair not of Thy bestowal,
the forgiveness-seekers

become not wretched through Thy vengeance!

1 6 Thy provision is spread among those who disobey Thee,

Thy clemency presents itself to those hostile toward Thee,
Thy habit is beneficence toward the evildoers,

and Thy wont is to spare the transgressors,
so much so that Thy lack of haste deludes them from returning,

and Thy disregard bars them from desisting!

■'^jf

1 7 Thou actest without haste toward them

so that they will come back to Thy command
and Thou disregardest them

confident in the permanence of Thy kingdom,
so Thou sealest him who is worthy of it with felicity,

and Thou abandonest him who is worthy of it to wretchedness!

1 8 All of them come home to Thy decree,

their affairs revert to Thy command;
Thy authority grows not feeble through their drawn out term.

Thy proof is not refuted by the failure to hurry after them.

1 9 Thy argument is established, never refuted.

Thy authority fixed, never removed.
Permanent woe belongs ,^t:,-)^

to him who inclines away from Thee,
forsaking disappointment

to him who is disappointed by Thee,
and the most wretched wretchedness

to him who is deluded about Thee!

20 How much he will move about in Thy chastisement!

How long he will frequent Thy punishment!

How far his utmost end from relief!

How he will despair of an easy exit!
[All of this] as justice from Thy decree

(Thou art not unjust in it!),
and equity from Thy judgement

(Thou dost not act wrongfully against him!).

21 Thou supported the arguments,

tested the excuses,

began with threats,

showed gentleness with encouragement,

struck similitudes,

made long the respite,

delayed,

while Thou art able to hurry,
and acted without haste,

while Thou art full of quick accomplishment!

22 Not because of

incapacity is Thy slowness,

feebleness Thy giving respite,

heedlessness Thy showing restraint,
dissemblance Thy waiting!

But that Thy argument be more conclusive.
Thy generosity more perfect.
Thy beneficence more exhaustive.
Thy favour more complete!
All of this has been and always was,

is and ever will be.

23 Thy argument is greater

than that its totality be described.
Thy glory more elevated

than that it be limited in its core.
Thy favour more abundant

than that its entirety be counted.
Thy beneficence more abundant

than that thanks be given for its least amount!

24 Speechlessness has made me fall short of praising Thee,

restraint has made me powerless to glorify Thee,
and the most I can do is admit to inability,

not out of desire, my God,

but out of incapacity.

25 So here I am:

I repair to Thee by coming forward,

and I ask from Thee good support

So bless Muhammad and his Household,
hear my whispered words,
grant my supplication,
seal not my day with disappointment,
slap not my brow by rejecting my request,
and make noble my coming from Thee
and my going back to Thee!

Surely Thou art not constrained by what Thou desirest,
nor incapable of what Thou art asked!

Thou art powerful over everything, i^^

and There is no force and no strength save in God,
the All-high, the All-mighty! '1^8

:-^->/

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His Supplication on the Day of ' Arafai^^

1 Praise belongs to God, Lord of the worlds! 200

2 O God,

to Thee belongs praise!

Originator of the heavens and the earth!

Possessor of majesty and munificence!

Lord of lords !

Object of worship of every worshiper!

Creator of every creature!

Inheritor of all things !20i

There is nothing like Him, 2 02

knowledge of nothing escapes Him,203

He encompasses every thing, 204

and He is watchful over everything. 2 05

3 Thou art God,

■ " " ' there is no god but Thou,
the Unique, the Alone,
the Single, the Isolated.

4 Thou art God,

there is no god but Thou,

the Generous, the Generously Bestowing,

the All-mighty, the Mightily Exalted,

the Magnificent, the Magnificently Magnified.

5 Thou art God,

there is no god but Thou,

the All-high, the Subhmely High,

the Strong in prowess.

6 ... _.Thou art God,

there is no god but Thou,

the All-merciful, the All-compassionate,

the All-knowing, the All-wise.

7 Thou art God,

there is no god but Thou,

the All-hearing, the All- seeing,

the Eternal, the All-aware.

8 Thou art God,

there is no god but Thou,

the Generous, the Most Generous,

the Everlasting, the Most Everlasting.

9 Thou art God,

there is no god but Thou,
the First before every one,
the Last after every number.

1 Thou art God,

there is no god but Thou,
the Close in His highness,
the High in His closeness.

1 1 Thou art God,

there is no god but Thou,
Possessor of radiance and glory,
magnificence and praise.

12 Thou art God,

"-"• there is no god but Thou.

Thou hast brought forth the things without root,

formed what Thou hast formed without exemplar,
and originated the originated things without limitation.

13 It is Thou

who hast ordained each thing with an ordination, 2 06

eased each thing with an easing, 2 07

and governed everything below Thyself with a governing. 208

14 It is Thou

whom no associate helps with Thy creation
and no vizier aids in Thy command.
Thou hast no witness and no equal.

15 It is Thou

who willed,

and what Thou willed was unfailing,
who decreed,

and what Thou decreed was just,
who decided,

and what Thou decided was fair.

16 It is Thou

whom place does not contain,
before whose authority no authority stands up,
and whom no proof or explication can thwart.

17 It is Thou

who hast counted everything in numbers, 209

appointed for everything a term,

and ordained everything with an ordination.

18 It is Thou

before whose selfness imaginations fall short,

before whose howness understandings have no incapacity,

and the place of whose whereness eyes perceive not. 210

19 It is Thou

who hast no bounds,

lest Thou be bounded,
who art not exemplified,

lest Thou be found,
who dost not beget,

lest Thou be begotten.211

20 It is Thou

with whom there is no opposite,

lest it contend with Thee,
who hast no equal,

lest it vie with Thee,
who hast no rival,

lest it resist Thee.

21 It is Thou

who art He who began, devised,

brought forth, originated,

and made well all that He made.

22 Glory be to Thee!

How majestic is Thy station!

How high Thy place among the places!

How cleanly Thy Separator cleaves with the truth! 2 12

23 Glory be to Thee!

The Gentle - how gentle Thou art!
The Clement - how clement Thou art!
The Wise - how knowing Thou art!

24 Glory be to Thee!

The King - how invincible Thou art!
The Munificent - how full of plenty Thou art!
The Elevated - how elevated Thou art!
Possessor of radiance and glory,
magnificence and praise!

25 Glory be to Thee!

Thou hast stretched forth Thy hand with good things,
and from Thee guidance has come to be known,

so he who begs from Thee religion or this world
will find Thee.

26 Glory be to Thee!

Whatever passes in Thy knowledge is subjected to Thee,
all below Thy Throne are humbled before Thy mightiness,
and every one of Thy creatures follows Thee in submission.

27 Glory be to Thee!

Thou art not sensed, nor touched,
nor felt, nor beguiled,
nor held back, nor challenged,
nor kept up with, nor resisted,
nor deceived, nor circumvented.

28 Glory be to Thee!

Thy path is smooth ground,

Thy command right guidance,

and Thou art a living, eternal refuge.

29 Glory be to Thee!

Thy word is decisive.
Thy decree unfailing.
Thy will resolute.

30 Glory be to Thee!

None can reject Thy wish,
none can change Thy words. 213

31 Glory be to Thee,

Outdazzling in signs.
Creator of the heavens.
Author of the spirits !

32 To Thee belongs praise,

a praise that will be permanent with Thy permanence!

33 To Thee belongs praise,

a praise everlasting through Thy favour!

34 _To Thee belongs praise,

"' ''^ a praise that will parallel Thy benefaction!

35 To Thee belongs praise,

a praise that will increase Thy good pleasure!

36 To Thee belongs praise,

a praise along with the praise of every praiser

and a thanksgiving before which falls short
the thanksgiving of every thanksgiver;

37 a praise which is suitable for none but Thee

and through which nearness is sought to none but Thee;

38 a praise which will make permanent the first [bounty]

and call forth the permanence of the last;

39 a praise which will multiply through recurrence of times

and increase through successive doublings;

40 a praise which the guardians will not be able to number

and which exceeds what the writers number in Thy Book;2i4

41 a praise which will counterbalance Thy glorious Throne

and equal Thy elevated Footstool;

42 a praise whose reward with Thee will be complete

and whose recompense will comprise every recompense;

43 a praise whose outward conforms to its inward,

and whose inward conforms to correct intention;

44 a praise with whose like no creature has praised Thee

and whose excellence none knows but Thou;

45 a praise in which he who strives to multiply Thy praise

will be helped

and he who draws the bow to the utmost in fulfilling it
will be confirmed;

46 a praise which will

gather all the praise which Thou hast created

and tie together all which Thou wilt afterwards create;

47 a praise than which no praise is nearer to Thy word

and than which none is greater from any who praise Thee;

48 a praise whose fullness will obligate increase

through Thy generosity
and to which Thou wilt join increase after increase
as graciousness from Thee;

49 a praise that will befit the generosity of Thy face

and meet the might of Thy majesty!

50 My Lord,

bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
the distinguished, the chosen,
the honoured, the brought nigh,
with the most excellent of Thy blessings,
benedict him

with the most complete of Thy benedictions,
and have mercy upon him

with the most enjoyable of Thy mercies!

51 My Lord,

bless Muhammad and his Household
with a fruitful blessing,

more fruitful than which there is no blessing!
Bless him
with a growing blessing,

more growing than which there is no blessing!
And bless him
with a pleasing blessing,

beyond which there is no blessing!

52 My Lord,

bless Muhammad and his Household
with a blessing

which will please him

and increase his good pleasure!
Bless him
with a blessing

which will please Thee

and increase Thy good pleasure toward him!
And bless him
with a blessing

through other than which Thou wilt not be pleased for him,

and for which Thou seest no one else worthy!

53 My Lord,

bless Muhammad and his Household
with a blessing which will

pass beyond Thy good pleasure,
be continuous in its continuity
through Thy subsistence,
and never be spent,

just as Thy words will never be spent! 2 15

54 My Lord,

bless Muhammad and his Household
with a blessing which will

tie together the blessings of

Thy angels. Thy prophets. Thy messengers,
and those who obey Thee,

comprise the blessings of Thy servants,
jinn or mankind,
and those worthy of Thy response,

and bring together the blessings

of every one of the kinds of Thy creatures
which Thou hast sown and authored!

55 My Lord,

bless Muhammad and his Household
with a blessing

which will encompass every blessing,
bygone and new !
Bless him and his Household
with a blessing which

is pleasing to Thee

and everyone below Thee
and will bring forth with all that
a blessing

with which Thou wilt multiply those blessings
and increase them through the recurrence of days
with an increasing in multiples
which none can count but Thou!

:-^-^'/

56 My Lord,

bless the best of his Household,
those whom Thou hast

chosen for Thy command,

appointed the treasurers of Thy knowledge,

the guardians of Thy religion.

Thy vicegerents in Thy earth,

and Thy arguments against Thy servants,
purified from uncleanness and defilement

through a purification by Thy desire,2i6
and made the mediation to Thee^i^

and the road to Thy Garden!

57 My Lord,

bless Muhammad and his Household
with a blessing which

makes plentiful Thy gifts and generosity,
perfects for them Thy bestowals and awards,
and fills out their share of Thy kindly acts and benefits !

58 My Lord,

bless him and his Household
with a blessing

whose first has no term,

whose term has no limit,

and whose last has no utmost end!

59 My Lord,

bless them to

the weight of Thy Throne and all below it,
the amount that fills the heavens and all above them,
the number of Thy earths and all below and between them,

a blessing that will bring them near to Thee in proximity,
please Thee and them,
and be joined to its likes forever!

60 OGod,

surely Thou hast confirmed Thy rehgion in all times

with an Imam whom Thou hast set up
as a guidepost to Thy servants
and a lighthouse in Thy lands,
after his cord has been joined to Thy cord!
Thou hast appointed him the means to Thy good pleasure,

made obeying him obligatory,

cautioned against disobeying him,

and commanded

following his commands,

abandoning his prohibitions,

and that no forward-goer go ahead of him

or back-keeper keep back from himl^is

So he is the preservation of the shelter- seekers,
the cave of the faithful,
the handhold of the adherents,
and the radiance of the worlds!

61 OGod,

so inspire Thy guardian^i^ to give thanks

for that in which Thou hast favoured him,
inspire us with the like concerning him,
grant him an authority from Thee to help him,220
open for him an easy opening,22i
aid him with Thy mightiest pillar,
brace up his back,222
strengthen his arm, 22 3
guard him with Thy eye,
defend him with Thy safeguarding,
help him with Thy angels,
and assist him with Thy most victorious troops 1224

62 Through him

establish Thy Book, Thy bounds, Thy laws,

and the norms of Thy Messenger's Sunna
(Thy blessings, O God,
be upon him and his Household),
bring to life the guideposts of Thy religion,

deadened by the wrongdoers,
burnish the rust of injustice from Thy way,
sift the adversity from Thy road,
eliminate those who deviate from Thy path,
and erase those who seek crookedness in Thy straightness!

63 Make his side mild toward Thy friends,

stretch forth his hand over Thy enemies,
give us

his clemency, his mercy,
his tenderness, his sympathy,
and make us

his hearers and obeyers,
strivers toward his good pleasure,
assistants in helping him and defending him,
and brought near through that to Thee
and Thy Messenger
(Thy blessings, O God,
be upon him and his Household).

64 OGod,

and bless

the friends [of the Imams],

the confessors of their station,

the keepers to their course,

the pursuers of their tracks,

the dingers to their handhold,

the adherents to their guardianship,225

the followers of their imamate,

the submitters to their command,

the strivers to obey them,

the awaiters of their days,

the directors of their eyes toward them,
with blessings blessed, pure, growing,

fresh, and fragrant!

65 Give them and their spirits peace,

bring together their affair in reverential fear,
set right their situations,
turn toward them.

Surely Thou art Ever-turning, All-compassionate226

and the Best of forgivers,
and place us with them in the Abode of Peace,227

through Thy mercy,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

66 OGod,

this is the Day of 'Arafa,

a day which Thou hast made noble, given honour, and magnified.
Within it Thou hast spread Thy mercy,

showed kindness through Thy pardon,

and made plentiful Thy giving,

and by it Thou hast been bounteous toward Thy servants.

67 I am Thy servant whom Thou favoured before creating him

and after creating him.
Thou madest him one of those whom Thou
guided to Thy religion,
gavest success in fulfilling Thy right,
preserved through Thy cord,
included within Thy party,
and directed aright to befriend Thy friends
and show enmity to Thine enemies.

68 Then Thou commanded him,

but he did not follow Thy commands.
Thou restricted Him,

but he did not heed Thy restrictions.
Thou prohibited him from disobedience toward Thee,

but he broke Thy command by doing what Thou hadst prohibited,
not in contention with Thee,

nor to display pride toward Thee;
on the contrary, his caprice228 called him

to that which Thou hadst set apart and cautioned against,

and he was helped in that by Thy enemy and his enemy.
So he went ahead with it

knowing Thy threat,

hoping for Thy pardon,

and relying upon Thy forbearance.

though he was the most obhgated of Thy servants
- given Thy kindness toward him -
not to do so.

69 Here I am, then, before Thee,

despised, lowly, humble, abject, fearful,

confessing the dreadful sins with which I am burdened

and the great offenses that I have committed,
seeking sanctuary in Thy forgiveness,
asking shelter in Thy mercy, '^^C

and certain that

no sanctuary-giver will give me sanctuary from Thee
and no withholder will hold me back from Thee.

70 So act kindly toward me,

just as Thou actest kindly

by Thy shielding him who commits sins,

be munificent toward me,

just as Thou art munificent

by pardoning him who throws himself before Thee,

and show kindness to me,

just as it is nothing great for Thee to show kindness
by forgiving him who expectantly hopes in Thee!

71 Appoint for me in this day an allotment

through which I may attain
a share of Thy good pleasure,
and send me not back destitute

of that with which Thy worshipers return
from among Thy servants !

72 Though I have not forwarded

the righteous deeds

which they have forwarded,
I have forwarded the profession of Thy Unity

and the negation from Thee

of opposites, rivals, and likenesses,
I have come to Thee by the gateways

by which Thou hast commanded

that people come,
and I have sought nearness to Thee

through that without seeking nearness through which

none gains nearness to Thee.

73 Then I followed all this

with repeated turning toward Thee,
lowliness and abasement before Thee,
opinion of Thee,
and trust in what is with Thee;
and to that I coupled hope in Thee,

since the one who hopes in Thee
is seldom disappointed!

74 I asked Thee with the asking of one

vile, lowly,

pitiful, poor,

fearful, seeking sanctuary;
all that in fear and pleading

seeking refuge and asking shelter,
not presumptuous through the pride of the proud,

nor exalting myself with the boldness of the obedient,

nor presumptuous of the intercession of the interceders.

75 For I am still the least of the least

and the lowliest of the lowly,
like a dust mote or less!
O He who does not hurry the evildoers

nor restrain those living in ease! 229
O He who shows kindness through releasing the stumblers

and gratuitous bounty through respiting the offenders !

76 I am the evildoer, the confessor, the offender, the stumbler!

77 I am he who was audacious toward Thee as one insolent!

78 I am he who disobeyed Thee with forethought!

79 I am he who hid myself from Thy servants

and blatantly showed myself to Thee! 230

80 I am he who was awed by Thy servants

and felt secure from Thee!

81 I am he who dreaded not Thy penalty

and feared not Thy severity!

82 I am the offender against himself!

83 I am the hostage to his own affliction!

84 I am short in shame!

-*. * >-■

85 I am long in suffering!

86 By the right of him whom Thou hast distinguished

among Thy creation
and by him whom Thou hast chosen
for Thyself!
By the right of him whom Thou hast selected
from among Thy creatures
and by him whom Thou hast picked
for Thy task!
By the right of him the obeying of whom Thou hast joined
to obeying Thee,
and by him the disobeying of whom Thou hast made
like disobeying Thee!
And by the right of him whose friendship Thou hast bound
to Thy friendship
and by him whose enmity Thou hast linked
to Thine enmity!
Shield me in this day of mine,

by that through which Thou shieldest
him who prays fervently to Thee

while disavowing
and him who seeks refuge in Thy forgiveness
while repenting !

87 Attend to me

with that through which Thou attendest to the people of
obedience toward Thee, -^^^-ry/
proximity to Thee,
and rank with Thee!

88 Single me out,

as Thou singlest him out who
fulfils Thy covenant,
fatigues himself for Thy sake alone,
and exerts himself in Thy good pleasure!

89 Take me not to task for

my neglect in respect to Thee,

my transgressing the limit in Thy bounds,

and stepping outside Thy ordinances!

90 Draw me not on little by little by granting me a respite, 231

like the drawing on little by little

of him who withholds from me the good he has

by not sharing with Thee in letting favour down upon me!

91 Arouse me from

the sleep of the heedless,
the slumber of the prodigal,
and the dozing of the forsaken!

92 Take my heart to that in which Thou hast

employed the devout,
enthralled the worshipers,
and rescued the remiss!

93 Give me refuge from that which will

keep me far from Thee,

come between me and my share from Thee,

and bar me from that which I strive for in Thee!

94 Make easy for me

the road of good deeds toward Thee,

racing to them from where Thou hast commanded,

and coveting them as Thou desirest!

95 Efface me not along with

those whom Thou effacest

for thinking lightly of what Thou hast promised!

96 Destroy me not with

those whom Thou destroy est

for exposing themselves to Thy hate!

97 Annihilate me not among -^^^ r

those whom Thou annihilatest
for deviating from Thy roads !

98 Deliver me from the floods of trial,

save me from the gullets of affliction,

and grant me sanctuary from being seized by respite 1^32

99 Come between me and the enemy who misguides me,

the caprice which ruins me,

and the failing which overcomes me!

1 00 Turn not away from me

with the turning away in wrath

from one with whom Thou art not pleased!

1 01 Let me not lose heart in expecting from Thee,

lest I be overcome by despair of Thy mercy!

1 02 Grant me not that which I cannot endure,

lest Thou weighest me down

with the surplus of Thy love which Thou loadest upon me!

1 03 Send me not from Thy hand,

the sending of him who possesses no good,
toward whom Thou hast no need,
and who turns not back [to Thee] !

1 04 Cast me not with the casting of him who has

fallen from the eye of Thy regard

and been wrapped in degradation from Thee!

Rather take my hand [and save me] from

the falling of the stumblers,

the disquiet of the de viators,

the slip of those deluded,

and the plight of the perishers !

1 05 Release me from that with which Thou hast afflicted

the ranks of Thy servants and handmaids
and make me reach the utmost degrees of him
about whom Thou art concerned,
towards whom Thou showest favour,

and with whom Thou art pleased,
so that Thou lettest him live as one praiseworthy

and takest him to Thee as one felicitous!

1 06 Collar me with the collar of abstaining from that which

makes good deeds fail
and takes away blessings!

1 07 Impart to my heart restraint before

ugly works of evil

and disgraceful misdeeds !

1 08 Divert me not

by that which I cannot reach except through Thee

from doing that which alone makes Thee pleased with me! 233

1 09 Root out from my heart the love of this vile world,

which keeps from everything which is with Thee,
bars from seeking the mediation to Thee,234
and distracts from striving for nearness to Thee!

110 Embellish for me solitude

in prayer whispered to Thee
by night and by day!

1 1 1 Give me a preservation which will

bring me close to dread of Thee,

cut me off from committing things made unlawful by Thee,

and spare me from captivation by dreadful sins!

112 Give me purification from the defilement of disobedience,

take away from me the filth of offenses,

dress me in the dress of Thy well-being,

cloak me in the cloak of Thy release,

wrap me in Thy ample favours,

and clothe me in Thy bounty and Thy graciousness!

1 1 3 Strengthen me with Thy giving success

and Thy pointing the right way,
help me toward righteous intention,

pleasing words,

and approved works, and entrust me not to my force and my strength

in place of Thy force and Thy strength!

114 Degrade me not on the day Thou raisest me up to meet Thee,
disgrace me not before Thy friends,

make me not forget remembering Thee,
take not away from me thanking Thee,

but enjoin it upon me in states of inattention

when the ignorant are heedless of Thy boons,
and inspire me to

laud what Thou hast done for me

and confess to what Thou hast conferred upon me!

115 Place my beseeching Thee above the beseeching of the beseechers
and my praise of Thee above the praise of the praisers !

116 Abandon me not with my neediness for Thee,

destroy me not for what I have done for Thee, 235
and slap not my brow with that with which

Thou slappest the brow of those who contend with Thee,

for I am submitted to Thee.
I know

that the argument is Thine,
that Thou art closest to bounty,

most accustomed to beneficence,

worthy of reverent fear, •_;.■ ' _ -•-

and worthy of forgiveness, 236
that Thou art closer to pardoning

than to punishing,
and that Thou art nearer to covering over

than to making notorious!

1 1 7 Let me live an agreeable life

that will tie together what I want

and reach what I love

while I not bring what Thou dislikest
and not commit what Thou hast prohibited;
and make me die the death of him

whose light runs before him and on his right hand! 237

118 Abase me before Thyself

and exalt me before Thy creatures,
lower me when I am alone with Thee

and raise me among Thy servants,
free me from need for him who has no need of me

and increase me in neediness and poverty toward Thee!

119 Give me refuge from

the gloating of enemies,
the arrival of affliction,
lowliness and suffering!
Shield me in what Thou seest from me,
the shielding of him who

would have power over violence
had he no clemency,
:^^' and would seize for misdeeds
had he no lack of haste!

1 20 When Thou desirest for a people a trial or an evil,

deliver me from it, for I seek Thy shelter;
and since Thou hast not stood me in the station of disgrace

in this world of Thine,
stand me not in such a station

in the next world of Thine!

1 21 Couple for me the beginnings of Thy kindnesses with their ends

and the ancient of Thy benefits with the freshly risen!
Prolong not my term with a prolonging

through which my heart will harden! 238
Strike me not with a striking

that will take away my radiance! 239
Visit me not with

a meanness that will diminish my worth

or a decency that will keep my rank unknown!

1 22 Frighten me not

with a fright by which I will despair
or a terror through which I will dread,
but make me

stand in awe of Thy threat,

take precautions against Thy leaving no excuses240

and Thy warning,
and tremble at the recitation of Thy verses!

1 23 Fill my night with life by keeping me awake therein for

worshipping Thee,

solitude with vigil for Thee,

exclusive devotion to reliance upon Thee,

setting my needs before Thee,

and imploring that Thou wilt

set my neck free from the Fire
and grant me sanctuary from Thy chastisement,
within which its inhabitants dwell!

1 24 Leave me not

blindly wandering in my insolence24i

or inattentive in my perplexity for a time, 2 42
make me not

an admonition to him who takes admonishment,

a punishment exemplary for him who takes heed,

a trial for him who observes,
devise not against me along with those against whom Thou devisest,
replace me not with another,
change not my name, 243
transform not my body, 244 -O''':-

appoint me not

a mockery for Thy creatures,

a laughing-stock for Thyself,

a follower of anything but Thy good pleasure,
a menial servant for anything but avenging Thee!

1 25 Let me find

I...- -; -

^ :;; the coolness of Thy pardon

and the sweetness of
Thy mercy,
Thy repose.
Thy ease,

and the garden of Thy bliss! 245
Let me taste,

through some of Thy boundless plenty,
the flavour of .■../ >

being free for what Thou lovest
and striving in what brings about proximity
with Thee and to Thee,
and give me a gift from among Thy gifts !

1 26 Make my commerce profitable246

and my return without loss, 247
fill me with fear of Thy station,
make me yearn for the meeting with Thee,
and allow me to repent with an unswerving repentance

along with which Thou lettest no sins remain,
small or large,

and leavest no wrongs, open or secret!

1 27 Root out rancour toward the faithful from my breast,248

bend my heart toward the humble,
be toward me as Thou art toward the righteous,
adorn me with the adornment of the godfearing,
appoint for me

a goodly report249 among those yet to come
and a growing remembrance among the later folk,
and take me to the plain of those who came first! 2 50

1 28 Complete the lavishness of Thy favour upon me,

clothe me in its repeated generosities,
fill my hand with Thy benefits,
drive Thy generous gifts to me,
make me the neighbour of the best of Thy friends

in the Gardens which Thou hast adorned for Thy chosen,
and wrap me in Thy noble presents

in the stations prepared for Thy beloveds !

1 29 Appoint for me

a resting place with Thee

where I may seek haven in serenity,

and a resort to which I may revert
and rest my eyes,
weigh not against me my dreadful misdeeds,
destroy me not on the day the secrets are tried,25i
eliminate from me every doubt and uncertainty,
appoint for me a way in the truth from every mercy,
make plentiful for me the portions of gifts

from Thy granting of awards,
and fill out for me the shares of beneficence

from Thy bestowal of bounty!

130 Make my heart trust in what is with Thee

and my concern free for what is Thine,
employ me in that in which Thou employ est Thy pure friends,
drench my heart with Thy obedience when intellects are distracted,
and combine within me

independence, continence,

ease, release,

health, plenty,

tranquillity, and well being!

131 Make not fail

my good deeds

through my disobedience that stains them
or my private times of worship

through the instigations of Thy trial!
Safeguard my face from asking

from anyone in the world,
and drive me far from begging

for that which is with the ungodly!

1 32 Make me not an aid to the wrongdoers,

: !^; p nor their hand and helper in erasing Thy Book!

Defend me whence I know not with a defense

through which Thou protectest me!
Open toward me the gates of Thy repentance. Thy mercy.

Thy clemency, and Thy boundless provision!

Surely I am one of those who beseech Thee!
And complete Thy favour toward me!

Surely Thou art the best of those who show favour!

1 33 Place the rest of my life in the hajj and the 'umra

seeking Thy face,

O Lord of the worlds !
And may God bless Muhammad and his Household, the good,
the pure,

and peace be upon him and them always and forever!

.??^ 3^^?^??^ 'yy^:-r^S^^ 3^^^-^v^ t>^ri^^^?v^ yy^.^^S^ ^-^f^"??^ ^-^^^^S;:^ "r^V.^^^??^ ^'^'^^

His Supplication on the Day of Sacrifice252 and on Friday

1 OGod,

this is a blessed and fortunate day,
within which the MusHms are gathered

in the quarters of Thy earth.
Among them are present the asker, the seeker,
the beseecher, the fearful,

while Thou art looking upon their needs.
So I ask Thee by Thy munificence and generosity

and easy upon Thee is what I ask Thee! -
that Thou blessest Muhammad and his Household.

2 And I ask Thee, O God, our Lord -

for Thine is the kingdom and Thine is the praise;

there is no god but Thou,

the Clement, the Generous,

the All-loving, the All-kind,

Possessor of majesty and munificence.

Originator of the heavens and the earth -
whenever Thou apportionest among Thy faithful servants

good, well being,

blessing, guidance,

works in obedience to Thee,

or good through which

Thou art kind to them by guiding them to Thee,
or raisest them up a degree with Thee,
or givest them the good of this world or the next,
that Thou givest me amply my share and allotment of it.

3 And I ask Thee, O God -

for Thine is the kingdom and the praise;

there is no god but Thou -
that Thou blessest Muhammad,

Thy servant and Thy messenger.

Thy beloved and Thy selected friend.

Thy chosen from among Thy creation,

and the Household of Muhammad,
the pious, the pure, the chosen,

with a blessing no one has strength to count but Thou,
that Thou associatest us with

the most righteous of Thy faithful servants

who supplicate Thee today

- O Lord of the worlds! —
and that Thou forgivest us and them!
Surely Thou art powerful over everything. 2 53

S4 O God,

toward Thee I aim with my need

and before Thee I set my poverty, my neediness, my misery,
for I have more trust in Thy forgiveness and Thy mercy

than in my own works.
Thy forgiveness and Thy mercy are vaster than my sins.
So bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
and attend to the accomplishment of every need of mine through

Thy power over it,

its easiness for Thee,

my poverty toward Thee,

and Thy freedom from need for me!
I will come upon no good whatsoever unless through Thee,

no one other than Thou will turn any evil away from me,

and I have hope in none but Thee for my affair
in the next world and in this world.

■'^jf

5 OGod,

if anyone has ever

arranged,

made ready,

prepared,

and drawn himself up
to be received by a creature
in hope of his support and awards,
then today toward Thee, my Master, is

my arrangement,

my making ready,

my preparation,

and my drawing up,
in hope of Thy pardon and support
and in seeking to attain to Thee and Thy prize.

6 OGod,

so bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad
and disappoint not my hope in that today!

He who is not troubled by those who ask

and diminished by those who attain their desire!

1 come not before Thee trusting

in a righteous work I have sent ahead,
nor in the intercession of any creature in whom

I have hope,
except the intercession of Muhammad
and the Folk of his House
(upon him and upon them be Thy peace).

7 I come to Thee admitting sin and evildoing toward myself.
I come to Thee hoping for Thy abounding pardon

through which Thou hast pardoned the offenders,
while their long persistence in dreadful sin
did not prevent Thee
from returning toward them with mercy and forgiveness!

8 O He whose mercy is wide

and whose pardon is abounding!

O All-mighty!

O All-mighty!

O All-generous!

O All-generous!
Bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
return toward me through Thy mercy,
be tender toward me through Thy bounty,
and spread out Thy forgiveness upon me!

9 OGod,

this station belongs to Thy vicegerents. Thy chosen,
while the places of Thy trusted ones

in the elevated degree which Thou hast singled out for them

have been forcibly stripped! 254
But Thou art the Ordainer of that -

Thy command is not overcome,

the inevitable in Thy governing is not overstepped!

However Thou wiliest and whenever Thou wiliest!

In that which Thou knowest best.

Thou art not accused for Thy creation or Thy will!
Then Thy selected friends. Thy vicegerents,

were overcome, vanquished, forcibly stripped;
they see Thy decree replaced.

Thy Book discarded.

Thy obligations distorted from the aims of Thy laws,
and the Sunna of Thy Prophet abandoned!

lOOGod,

curse their enemies among those of old and the later folk,
and all those pleased with their acts,
and their adherents and followers !

1 1 O God,

bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad

(surely Thou art All-laudable, All-glorious)

like Thy blessing, benedictions, and salutations

upon Thy chosen Abraham and the people of Abraham!
And hasten for them relief,

ease,

help,

strengthening,

and confirmation!

120 God,

and make me

one of the people who profess Thy Unity,
have faith in Thee,
and attest to Thy Messenger

and the Imams toward whom Thou hast enjoined obedience,
and one of those through whom and at whose hands
this takes place !2 55
Amen, Lord of the worlds !

13 God,

nothing repels Thy wrath but Thy clemency,
nothing repels Thy displeasure but Thy pardon,
nothing grants sanctuary from Thy punishment but

Thy mercy,
and nothing will deliver me from Thee

except pleading to Thee before Thee, 256
so bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
and give us on Thy part, my God, relief by means of the power
through which Thou bringest the dead servants to life
and revivest the dead lands. ^ 57

1 4 Destroy me not through gloom, my God,
before Thou respondest to me

and givest me the knowledge of Thy response to

my supplication!
Let me taste the flavour of well-being to the end of my term!
And let not my enemy gloat over me, ■' ■ "^

place not my neck in his power,

and give him not authority over me!

15 My God,

if Thou raisest me up,

who is there to push me down?
If Thou pushest me down,

who is there to raise me up?
If Thou honourest me,

who is there to humihate me?
If Thou humihatest me,

who is there to honour me?
If Thou chastisest me,

who is there to have mercy upon me?
If Thou destroyest me,

who is there to stand up for Thy servant against Thee
or ask Thee about his affair?
But I know that there is no wrong in Thy decree
and no hurry in Thy vengeance.
He alone hurries who fears to miss,

and only the weak needs to wrong.
But Thou art exalted, my God,
high indeed above all that!

160 God,

bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
make me not the target of affliction

nor the object of Thy vengeance,
respite me,
comfort me,

release me from my stumble,
and afflict me not with an affliction

in the wake of an affliction,
for Thou hast seen my frailty,

the paucity of my stratagems,

and my pleading to Thee!

171 seek refuge in Thee today, my God, from Thy wrath,
so bless Muhammad and his Household
and give me refuge!

18 I seek sanctuary in Thee today from Thy displeasure,

so bless Muhammad and his Household,
and give me sanctuary!

19 I ask Thee security from Thy chastisement,

so bless Muhammad and his Household,
and give me security!

20 I seek guidance from Thee,

so bless Muhammad and his Household
and guide me!

21 I seek help from Thee,

so bless Muhammad and his Household
and help me!

22 I ask Thee for mercy,

so bless Muhammad and his Household
and have mercy upon me!

23 I seek sufficiency from Thee, J .- ;.

so bless Muhammad and his Household
and suffice me!

24 I seek provision from Thee,

so bless Muhammad and his Household
and provide for me!

25 I seek assistance from Thee,

so bless Muhammad and his Household
and assist me!

26 I pray forgiveness for my past sins,

so bless Muhammad and his Household
and forgive me!

27 I ask Thee to preserve me from sin,

so bless Muhammad and his Household
and preserve me,

for I will not return to anything Thou dislikest from me,
if Thou wiliest that!

28 My Lord!

My Lord!
O All-loving!

O All-kind!
O Possessor of majesty and munificence!

Bless Muhammad and his Household,
and grant me everything that I
ask from Thee,
seek from Thee,
and beseech from Thee!
Will it, ordain it, decree it, and accomplish it!
Give me good in that of it which Thou decreest!
Bless me in that,

be gratuitously bountiful toward me through it,
make me happy in that of it which Thou givest to me,
and increase me in Thy bounty

and the plenty of what is with Thee,
for Thou art Boundless, Generous! ■=' ' '
And link that to the good and the bliss of the next world,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

THEN YOU SUPPLICATE AS SEEMS PROPER TO YOU AND YOU CALL DOWN
BLESSINGS ON MUHAMMAD AND HIS HOUSEHOLD ONE THOUSAND TIMES.
THIS IS WHAT HE USED TO DO (UPON HIM BE PEACE)

:-^-^'/

.??^ 3^^?^??^ 'yy^:-r^S^^ "T^^^^.^!^ 't^^:v^S^^ Vy^v^S^ ^I^-^f^"??^ '^y^i-^^^S^ "^y^i-^^S^ 'y>^:'

His Supplication in Repelling Enemies

His Supplication in Repelling the Trickery of Enemies and Driving away their Severity

1 My God,

Thou guided me

but I diverted myself,
Thou admonished me

but my heart became hardened.
Thou tried me graciously
but I disobeyed.
Then, when Thou caused me to know it,

I came to know that from which Thou hadst turned
[me] away,
so I prayed forgiveness

and Thou released,
and I returned

and Thou covered over.
So Thine, my God,
is the praise!

2 I plunged into the valleys of destruction

and settled in the ravines of ruin,
exposing myself to Thy chastisements

and the descent of Thy punishments !

3 My mediation with Thee is the profession of Unity,

my way of coming to Thee that I associate nothing with Thee,
nor do I take along with Thee a god;
I have fled to Thee with my soul -
in Thee is the place of flight

for the evildoer,
the place of escape

for him who has squandered the share of his soul

and seeks asylum.

4 How many an enemy has

unsheathed the sword of his enmity toward me,

honed the cutting edge of his knife for me,

sharpened the tip of his blade for me,

mixed his killing potions for me,

pointed toward me his straight-flying arrows,

not allowed the eye of his watchfulness to sleep toward me,

and secretly thought of

visiting me with something hateful

and making me gulp down the bitter water of his bile!

5 So Thou looked my God, at

my weakness in bearing oppressive burdens,

my inability to gain victory over him who aims to war

against me,
and my being alone before the great numbers
of him who is hostile toward me
and lies in wait for me
with an affliction
about which I have not thought.

6 Thou set out at once to help me

and Thou braced up my back!
Thou blunted for me his blade,

made him, after a great multitude, solitary,

raised up my heel over him,

and turned back upon him what he had pointed straight.
So Thou sent him back,

his rage not calmed,

his burning thirst not quenched!

Biting his fingers,

he turned his back in flight,

his columns having been of no use.

■'^jf

7 How many an oppressor has oppressed me with his tricks,

set up for me the net of his snares,

appointed over me the inspection of his regard,

and lay in ambush for me,

the lying in ambush of a predator for its game,
waiting to take advantage of its prey,

while he showed me the smile of the flatterer

and looked at me with the intensity of fury!

8 So when Thou saw, my God,

(blessed art Thou and high exalted)
the depravity of his secret thoughts
and the ugliness of what he harboured.

Thou threw him on his head into his own pitfall

and dumped him into the hole of his own digging.

So he was brought down low, after his overbearing,
by the nooses of his own snare,
wherein he had thought he would see me;

and what came down upon his courtyard
- had it not been for Thy mercy -
was on the point of coming down upon me!

9 How many an evier has

choked upon me in his agony,
fumed over me in his rage,
cut me with the edge of his tongue,

showed malice toward me by accusing me of his own faults,
made my good repute the target of his shots,
collared me with his own constant defects,
showed malice toward me with his trickery,
and aimed at me with his tricks !

'^/

10 So I called upon Thee, my God,

seeking aid from Thee,

trusting in the speed of Thy response,

knowing that

he who seeks haven in the shadow of Thy wing

will not be mistreated,
and he who seeks asylum in the stronghold of
Thy victory
will not be frightened.
So Thou fortified me against his severity through Thy power.

1 1 How many

a cloud of detested things Thou hast dispelled from me,

a cloud of favour Thou hast made rain down upon me,

a stream of mercy Thou hast let flow,

a well-being in which Thou hast clothed me,

an eye of mishap Thou hast blinded,

and a wrap of distress Thou hast removed!

1 2 How many

a good opinion Thou hast verified,
a destitution Thou hast redressed,
an infirmity Thou hast restored to health,
and a misery Thou hast transformed!

1 3 All of that was favour and graciousness from Thee,

and in all of it I was occupied

with acts of disobeying Thee.
My evildoing did not hinder Thee

from completing Thy beneficence,
nor was I stopped

from committing acts displeasing to Thee.
Thou art not questioned as to what Thou dost! 258

1 4 Thou wert asked,

and Thou bestowed.
Thou wert not asked,

and Thou began.
Thy bounty was requested,

and Thou didst not skimp.
Thou refused, my Master, everything but

beneficence,

kindness,

graciousness,

and favour,
and I refused everything

but plunging into what Thou hast made unlawful,

transgressing Thy bounds,

and paying no heed to Thy threat!
So Thine is the praise, my God,

the All-powerful who is not overcome,

and the Possessor of patient waiting who does not hurry!

1 5 This is the station of one who confesses to lavishness of favours,

counters them with shortcomings,

and bears witness to his own negligence.

16 God,

so I seek nearness to Thee through

the elevated rank of Muhammad

and the radiant degree of 'Ali,
and I turn to Thee through them

so that Thou wilt give me refuge
.L ... from the evil of [so and so],259
for that will not constrain Thee in Thy wealth,

nor trouble Thee in Thy power,

and Thou art powerful over everything! 2 60

1 7 So give me, my God,

by Thy mercy and Thy lasting bestowal of success,
that which I may take as a ladder

with which to climb to Thy good pleasure

and be secure from Thy punishment,
O Most merciful of the merciful!

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His Supplication in Fear

1 O God,

Thou created me without fault,

nurtured me when small,

and provided me with sufficiency.

20 God,

I found in the Book

which Thou sent down

and through which Thou gave good news to Thy servants,
that Thou said,

My servants who hare been prodigal against yourselves,
do not despair of God's mercy,

surely God forgives all sins,^^^
but there has gone ahead from me what Thou knowest

(and of which Thou knowest more than I) !
O the shame of what Thy Book has counted against me! 262

3 Were it not for the places

where I expectantly hope for Thy pardon,
which enfolds all things,

1 would have thrown myself down [in despair] !
Were anyone able to flee from his Lord,

I would be the most obligated to flee from Thee!
But not a secret in earth and heaven is concealed from Thee,

except that Thou bringest it.263
Thou sufficest as a recompenser!

Thou sufficest as a reckoner! 2 64

4 O God,

surely Thou wouldst seek me if I flee
and catch me if I run.
So here I am before Thee,

abject, lowly, abased.
If Thou chastisest me,

I am worthy of that,

and it would be, my Lord, an act of justice from Thee.
But if Thou pardonest me,

anciently has Thy pardon enfolded me

and Thy well-being garmented me!

5 So I ask Thee, O God,

by Thy names stored in Thy treasury^^s
and Thy splendour masked by the veils !
If Thou hast no mercy upon this anxious soul

and these uneasy, decaying bones -
he cannot endure the heat of Thy sun,

so how can he endure the heat of Thy Fire?
He cannot endure the sound of Thy thunder,

so how can he endure the sound of Thy wrath?

6 So have mercy upon me, O God,

for I am a vile man

and my worth is little.
Chastising me will not add the weight of a dust mote

to Thy kingdom.
Were chastising me something that would add to Thy kingdom,

I would ask Thee for patience to bear it

and would love for it to belong to Thee;
but Thy authority, my God, is mightier,

and Thy kingdom more lasting,
than that the obedience of the obeyers should increase it

or the disobedience of the sinners diminish it!

7 So have mercy upon me,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!
Show me forbearance,

O Possessor of majesty and munificence!
And turn toward me.

Surely Thou art Ever-turning, All-compassionate!^^^

'^/

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His Supplication in Pleading and Abasement

1 My God,

I praise Thee,

- and Thou art worthy of praise -
for Thy benefaction toward me,

the lavishness of Thy favours toward me,

and Thy plentiful bestowal upon me,
and for showing bounty toward me through Thy mercy

and lavishing Thy favour upon me.
Thou hast done well toward me

and I am incapable of thanking Thee.

2 Were it not for Thy beneficence toward me

and the lavishness of Thy favours upon me,
I would not have reached the taking of my share

nor would my soul have been set right,
but Thou began with beneficence toward me,
provided me sufficiency in all my affairs,
turned away from me the toil of affliction,
and held back from me the feared decree.

3 My God,

how many a toilsome affliction

which Thou hast turned away from me!

How many a lavish favour

with which Thou hast gladdened my eye!

How many a generous benefaction of Thine
which is present with me!

4 It is Thou who

responded to my supplication at the time of distress,

released me from my slip in stumbling,

and took my enemies to task for doing wrong to me.

5 My God,

I did not find Thee a miser when I asked of Thee

nor a withholder when I desired from Thee.
No, 1 found Thee a hearer of my suppHcation

and a bestower of my requests;
I found Thy favours toward me lavish in my every situation

and in my every time.
So Thou art praised by me

and Thy benefaction honoured.

6 My soul, my tongue, and my intelligence praise Thee,

a praise that reaches fulfilment and the reality of thanksgiving,

a praise that attains to Thy good pleasure with me -
so deliver me from Thy displeasure!

7 O my cave when the ways thwart me!

O He who releases me from my stumble!

Were it not for Thy covering my shameful defects,

I would be one of the disgraced.
O my confirmer through help!

Were it not for Thy helping me,

I would be one of the overcome!
O He before whom kings place the yoke of lowliness

around their necks,

fearing His penalties!

worthy of reverent fear!

O He to whom belong the names most beautiful! 2^7

1 ask Thee to pardon me

and to forgive me,
for I am not innocent

that I should offer excuses,
nor a possessor of strength

that I should gain victory,
nor have I any place of flight

that I should flee!

■'^jf

8 I ask Thee to release me from my stumbles,

and before Thee I disavow my sins,

which have laid me waste,

encompassed me,

and destroyed me!
I flee from them to Thee, my Lord,
turning repentantly,

so turn toward me,
seeking refuge,

so grant me refuge,
asking sanctuary,

so abandon me not,
requesting,

so deprive me not,
holding fast,

so leave me not,
supplicating,

so send me not back disappointed!

9 I have supplicated Thee, my Lord, as one

miserable, abased,
apprehensive, fearful,
quaking, poor,
driven to have recourse to Thee!

10 I complain to Thee, my God,

of my soul

- which is too weak
to hurry to

that which Thou hast promised Thy friends
or to avoid

that against which Thou hast cautioned Thy enemies
and of the multitude of my concerns,
and of my soul's confusing thoughts.

1 1 My God,

Thou hast not disgraced me through my secret thoughts

or destroyed me because of my misdeeds!
I call upon Thee,

and Thou respondest,

even if I am slow when Thou callest upon me.
I ask Thee everything I want of my needs,

and I deposit with Thee my secret

wherever I may be.
I supplicate no one besides Thee,

and I hope for no one other than Thee.

12 At Thy service! At Thy service!

Thou hearest him who complains to Thee!

Thou receivest him who has confidence in Thee!

Thou savest him who holds fast to Thee!

Thou givest relief to him who seeks shelter in Thee!

13 My God,

so deprive me not of the good

of the last world and the first

because of the paucity of my thanksgiving

and forgive me the sins of mine which Thou knowest!

1 4 If Thou chastisest,

I am the wrongdoer, the neglecter,
the negligent, the sinner,
the derelict, the sluggard,
the heedless of the share of my soul!
And if Thou forgivest -

Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful!

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His Supplication in Imploring G od

1 O God, from whom nothing is concealed in earth or heaven!

How should what Thou hast created, my God,

be concealed from Thee?
How shouldst Thou not number

what Thou hast made?
How should what Thou governest

be absent from Thee?
How should one who has no life

except through Thy provision

have the ability to flee from Thee?
How should one who has no road

except in Thy kingdom

escape from Thee?

2 Glory be to Thee!

He among Thy creatures who fears Thee most

knows Thee best,^^^
he among them most bent in humility

is most active in obeying Thee,
and he among them whom Thou providest

while he worships another

is most contemptible before Thee!

3 Glory be to Thee!

He who associates others with Thee and denies Thy messengers

diminishes not Thy authority.
He who dislikes Thy decree

cannot reject Thy command.
He who denies Thy power

keeps himself not away from Thee.
He who worships other than Thee

escapes Thee not.
He who dislikes meeting Thee

will not be given endless life in this world.

4 Glory be to Thee!

How mighty is Thy station,

overpowering Thy authority,
intense Thy strength,
penetrating Thy command!

5 Glory be to Thee!

Thou hast decreed death for all Thy creatures,
both him who professes Thy Unity

and him who disbelieves in Thee;
each one will taste death,269

each one will come home to Thee.
Blessed art Thou and high exalted!

There is no god but Thou, Thou alone,
who hast no associate.

6 I have faith in Thee,

I attest to Thy messengers,

I accept Thy Book,

I disbelieve in every object of worship other than Thee,

I am quit of anyone who worships another!

7 OGod,

I rise in the morning and enter the evening

making little of my good works,

confessing my sins,

admitting my offenses;
I am abased because of my prodigality against myself.

My works have destroyed me,

my caprice has ruined me,

my passions have deprived me.

■'^jf

8 So I ask Thee, my Master,

the asking of him

whose soul is diverted

by his drawn out expectations,
whose body is heedless

because of the stillness of his veins, 270
whose heart is entranced

by the multitude of favours done for him,
whose reflection is little

concerning that to which he is coming home;

9 the asking of him whom

false expectation has overcome,

caprice has entranced,

and this world has mastered,

and over whom death has cast its shadow;
the asking of him who

makes much of his sins

and confesses his offense;
the asking of him who has

no Lord but Thou,

no friend besides Thee,

no one to deliver him from Thee,

and no asylum from Thee except in Thee.^^i

1 My God, I ask Thee

by Thy right incumbent upon all Thy creatures,
by Thy mighty name

with which Thou commanded Thy messenger to glorify Thee,
and by the majesty of Thy generous face,

which ages not,

nor changes,

nor alters,

nor passes away,
that Thou blessest Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
that Thou freest me from need for all things

through worshipping Thee,
that Thou distractest my soul from this world

through fear of Thee,
and that Thou turnest me back toward Thy abundant generosity

through Thy mercy!

1 1 To Thee I flee,

Thee I fear,

from Thee I seek aid,

in Thee I hope.

Thee I suppUcate,

in Thee I seek asylum,

in Thee I trust,

from Thee I ask help,

in Thee I have faith,

in Thee I have placed my confidence,

and upon Thy munificence and Thy generosity I rely.

='■■'?;''. -^.'"^■..

His Supplication in Abasing himself

His Supplication in Abasing himself before God (Mighty and Majestic is He)

1 My Lord,

my sins have silenced me,

and my words have been cut off.
I have no argument,
for I am the prisoner of my own affliction,

the hostage to my works,

the frequenter of my own offense,

the confused in my intended way,

the thwarted.

2 I have brought myself to a halt

in the halting place of the abased sinners,

the halting place of the wretched and insolent, ^^-i^y

those who think lightly of Thy promise. '" ■'

3 Glory be to Thee!

What insolence I have insolently shown toward Thee!
What delusion with which I have deluded myself!

4 My Master,

have mercy on

my falling flat on my face

the slipping of my foot, ''^■:-'

grant me

my ignorance through Thy clemency,

and my evildoing through Thy beneficence,
for I admit my sin

and I confess my offense:
Here are my hand and my forelock!

I am resigned to retaliation against my soul!
Have mercy on

my white hair,

the depletion of my days,

the nearing of my term, C^;" V-'^^'-^Sv : 5:--? V/

my frailty,

my misery,

and the paucity of my stratagems!

5 My Master,

and have mercy upon me when

my trace is cut off from this world,

my mention is effaced among the creatures,

and I join the forgotten, like the forgotten ones!

My Master,

and have mercy upon me at the change of my form and state when
my body decays,
my limbs are scattered,
and my joints are dismembered!
O my heedlessness toward what was wanted from me!
My Master,

have mercy upon me at my mustering and uprising
and on that day, appoint
my standing place

with Thy friends,
my place of emergence

with Thy beloveds,
and my dwelling

in Thy neighbourhood!
O Lord of the worlds!

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His Supplication for the Removal of Worries

1 Reliever of worry!

O Remover of grief!

O Merciful in this world and the next

and Compassionate in both!
Bless Muhammad and his Household,
relieve my worry,

and remove my grief!

20 One, O Unique, O Eternal Refuge!

He Who has not begotten,

nor has been begotten,
and equal to Him is not any one! 272
Preserve me,

purify me,

and take away my affliction!

HERE YOU SHOULD RECITE THE THRONE VERSE (2:255), THE TWO SURAS OF
TAKING REFUGE (113-114), AND UNITY (112).
THEN SAY:

30 God,

1 ask Thee

with the asking of him

whose neediness is intense,

whose strength is frail,

whose sins are many,
the asking of one who finds

no helper in his neediness,

no strengthener in his frailty,

no forgiver of his sin
other than Thee,
O Possessor of majesty and munificence!
I ask of Thee

a work through which Thou wilt love him who works it
and a certainty by which Thou wilt profit him who is certain

with the truth of certainty

concerning the execution of Thy command!

40 God,

bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
take my soul while it is firm in sincerity,
cut off my need for this world,
make my desire for what is with Thee

become a yearning to meet Thee,
and give me true confidence in Thee!

51 ask of Thee

the good of the writ that has been made

and I seek refuge with Thee

from the evil of the writ that has been made. 273

I ask of Thee

the fear of The worshipers,

the worship of those humbly fearful of Thee,

the certainty of those who have confidence in Thee,

and the confidence of those who have faith in Thee.

60 God, make

my desire in my asking

like the desire of Thy friends in their asking,
and my fear

like the fear of Thy friends !
Employ me in Thy good pleasure through works

in which I will not leave aside anything of Thy religion
fearing any of Thy creatures!

70 God,

this is my need,

so make my desire for it great,

within it make manifest my excuse,
through it instil me with my argument,
and by means of it make well my body!

■'^jf

80 God,

some rise in the morning

having trust or hope in other than Thee.
I rise in the morning,

and Thou art my trust and my hope in all affairs,
so decree for me those which are best in outcome

and deliver me from misguiding trials,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

9And God bless our chief,

Muhammad the Messenger of God, the chosen,
and his Household, the pure!

'^/

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ne of his G lorifications of Allah

1 Glory be to Thee, O God,

and I beg Thy loving care!

2 Glory be to Thee, O God,

and high art Thou exalted!

3 Glory be to Thee, O God,

and might is Thy loincloth! 274

4 Glory be to Thee, O God,

and mightiness is Thy cloak!

5 Glory be to Thee, O God,

and magnificence is Thy authority!

6 Glory be to Thee, All-Mighty !

How mighty Thou art!

7 Glory be to Thee!

Thou art glorified in the highest! 275

Thou hearest and seest what is under the soil! 276

8 Glory be to Thee!

Thou art witness over every whispered conversation! 277

9 Glory be to Thee,

the place where every complaint is put down!

1 Glory be to Thee,

present in every assembly!

1 1 Glory be to Thee,

object of great hopes!

12 Glory be to Thee!

Thou seest what is at the lowest depth of the water!

13 Glory be to Thee!

Thou hearest the breaths of the fish
in the lowest depths of the oceans!

14 Glory be to Thee!

Thou knowest the weight of the heavens!

1 5 Glory be to Thee!

Thou knowest the weight of the earths!

1 6 Glory be to Thee!

Thou knowest the weight of the sun and the moon!

1 7 Glory be to Thee!

Thou knowest the weight of the darkness and the light!

18 Glory be to Thee!

Thou knowest the weight of the shadow and the air!

19 Glory be to Thee!

Thou knowest the weight of the wind,

how many times it is greater than the weight of a dust mote!

20 Glory be to Thee,

All-holy, All-holy, All-holy!

21 Glory be to Thee!

I wonder how any who knows Thee could fear Thee not!

22 Glory be to Thee, O God,

and Thine is the praise!

23 Glory be to God, the All-high, the All-Mighty!

1 ,2A1-Zuhri related from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib.278 He said: The people were not going out
of Mecca until Ali ibn al-Husayn, the chief of the worshippers (upon him be peace) went
out.

3 So he went out, and they went out with him. He stopped in one of the way stations and
prayed two rak'as. Then he glorified God - 1 mean with this glorification - during his
prostration.

4 There was no tree and no clod of earth that did not glorify along with him, so we were
frightened. He raised his head.

5 He said: O Sa'id, are you frightened? I said: Yes, O son of the Messenger of God!

6 He said: This is the greatest glorification. It was related to me by my father from his
grandfather from the Messenger of God (God bless him and his Household). No sins
remain with this glorification. When God (majestic is His majesty) created Gabriel, He
inspired him with this glorification. It is God's greatest name.

'^/

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A Supplication and Magnification by him (upon him be

peace)

\1 Praise belongs to God, who

disclosed Himself to hearts through mightiness,

veiled Himself from eyes through might,

and exercises power over the things through power!

2 Eyes are not firm enough to see Him

and imaginations reach not the core of His mightiness.

3 He displays His overwhelming power in mightiness and magnificence,

robes Himself in might, goodness, and majesty,

is far removed from imperfection through comeliness and beauty,

assumes His glory in pride and splendour,

puts on His majesty through glory and boons,

and has chosen for Himself light and radiance.

4 He is a Creator who has no equal,

a Unique who has no rival,

a One who has no opposite,

an Eternal Refuge who has no match,

a God who has no second,

an Initiator who has no partner,

a Provider who has no helper.

5 He is the First without disappearance,

the Everlasting without annihilation,

the Standing without difficulty,

the Security-giver without end,

the Originator without term,

the Maker without anything,

the Lord without partner,

the Initiator without discomfort,

the Accomplisher without incapacity.

6 He has no bound in space

and no limit in time;
He ever was,

He ever is,

He ever will be the same,

endlessly.
He is God,

the Living, the Self-subsistent,

the Everlasting, the Eternal,

the All-powerful, the All-wise.

7 My God,

Thy little slave is in Thy courtyard.
Thy beggar is in Thy courtyard.
Thy poor one is in Thy courtyard!

THIS VERSE SHOULD BE SAID THREE TIMES

8 My God,

before Thee tremble the pious tremblers,
to Thee devote themselves the lamenters,

in fear of Thee,

in hope of Thee!

9 O God of Truth,

have mercy upon the supplication

of those who cry for help!
Pardon the sins

of the heedless!
And increase beneficence

toward those who keep turning [to Thee]

on the Day they arrive before Thee,
O Generous God!

y^'^jf

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His Supplication in Mentioning the Household of
Muhammad (upon them be peace)

1 O God, O He who

singled out Muhammad and his Household for honour,
showed favour toward them with messengerhood,
specified them for the mediation, 2 79
appointed them the heirs to the prophets,
sealed with them the executors and the Imams,
taught them the knowledge of what has been

and what remains to be,
and made the hearts of the people incline toward them!

2 Bless Muhammad and his Household, the pure,

and act toward us with that of which Thou art worthy
in religion, in this world, and in the next world!
Thou art powerful over every thing. 2 80

His Supplication in Calling down Blessings upon Adam

1 O God,

as for Adam,

the marvel of Thy creation,

the first made of clay to confess Thy Lordship,

the beginning of Thy argument

against Thy servants and creatures,
the guide to seeking sanctuary in Thy pardon

from Thy punishment,
the opener of the paths of repentance toward Thee,
the giver of the creatures access to knowledge of Thee,

2 the one concerning whom Thou hast conveyed Thy good pleasure

through Thy kindness and Thy mercy toward him,

3 the one who turned back and did not persist in disobeying Thee,
the forerunner

among the self-abasers,

who shaved his head in Thy sacred precinct,
and among the seekers of access to Thy pardon,

through obedience after disobedience,
and the father of the prophets,

who were made to suffer for Thy sake

and who strove more than all the earth's inhabitants

in obeying Thee -

4 bless him. Thou - O All-merciful -

Thy angels ..... :

and the inhabitants of Thy heavens

and Thy earth,
just as he magnified Thy inviolable commands

and guided us upon the path of Thy good pleasure,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

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His Supplication in Distress

His Supplication in Distress and Seeking Release

1 My God,

let not my enemy gloat over me

and torment not my dear kinsman or friend through me!

2 My God,

of Thy glances, give me one glance, and thereby
remove from me

that by which Thou hast afflicted me
and return me to

the best of Thy customs with me!
Respond to my supplication

and the supplication of him who devotes his supplication

sincerely to Thee,
for my power has become frail,

my stratagems few,

my situation severe,
and I despair of what is with Thy creatures,

so nothing remains for me but hope in Thee!

3 My God,

surely Thy power to remove

that in which I dwell
is like Thy power in

that with which Thou hast afflicted me!
And surely the remembrance of Thy acts of kindliness

comforts me
and hope in Thy showing favour and Thy bounty
strengthens me,
for I have not been without Thy favour

ever since Thou created me.

4 And Thou, my God, art

my place of flight,
my asylum,
my protector,
my defender,

5 the loving toward me,
the compassionate,

and the guarantor of my provision.
In Thy decree lay what has settled upon me

and in Thy knowledge that to which I have come home.

6 So, my Patron and Master,

place within that which Thou hast

ordained,

decreed,

and made unavoidable for me,
my well-being
and that wherein lies

my soundness

and my deliverance from that in which I am!

7 I hope for none to repel this other than Thee,

and I rely in it only upon Thee.

8 O Possessor of majesty and munificence,

be with my best opinion of Thee! 281

9 Have mercy upon my frailty and the paucity of my stratagems,
remove my distress,

grant my supplication,
ease me from my stumble,
and show kindness to me in that

and to everyone who supplicates Thee!
My Master, Thou hast commanded me to supplicate
and undertaken to respond, 2 82
and Thy promise is the truth

in which there is no failing,

nor any change. ^83 ...

1 So bless Muhammad, Thy prophet and servant,

and the pure, the Folk of his House,
and help me,

surely Thou art

the help of him who has no help
and the stronghold of him who has no stronghold,
while I am the distressed

the response to whom and the removal of evil from whom
Thou hast made obligatory! 284

11 So respond to me,

remove my concern,
relieve my gloom,

return my state to the best it has been,
and repay me not according to what I deserve,
but according to Thy mercy
which embrace St all thing Sy^^^
O Possessor of majesty and munificence!
Bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
hear, and respond,
O All-mighty!

'^/

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His Supplication in Fear

His Supplication against that which he Feared and Dreaded^^e

1 My God,

nothing repels Thy wrath but Thy clemency,

nothing delivers from Thy punishment but Thy pardon,

nothing rescues from Thee but Thy mercy and pleading to Thee! 287

2 So give me, my God, relief by means of the power

through which Thou bringest the dead lands to life

and revivest the spirits of the servants l^ss
Destroy me not,

and give me the knowledge of Thy response,

my Lord!
Raise me up and push me not down,

help me,

provide for me,

and release me from every blight!

3 My Lord,

if Thou raisest me up,

who will push me down?
If Thou pushest me down,
who will raise me up?
But I know, my God, that there is no wrong in Thy decree,
and no hurry in Thy vengeance.
He alone hurries who fears to miss,

and only the weak needs to wrong.
But Thou art exalted, my Master,
high indeed above all that!

4 My Lord,

make me not the target of affliction

nor the object of Thy vengeance,

respite me,

comfort me,

release me from my stumble,

and send not affliction after me,

for Thou hast seen my frailty,

and the paucity of my stratagems.

So give me patience,

for I, my Lord, am weak,
and I plead to Thee, my Lord!

5 'I seek refuge in Thee from Thee',

so give me refuge! 289

6 I seek sanctuary in Thee from every affliction,

so grant me sanctuary!

7 I cover myself through Thee,

so cover me, my Master,
from what I fear and dread!

8 Thou art the All-mighty,

mightier than every mighty thing !

9 Through Thee,

through Thee,

through Thee,
I cover myself.

10 O God, O God, O God,

O God, O God, O God,

O God, O God, O God,
OGod!
Bless Muhammad and his Household,
the good, the pure!

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His Supplication in Abasing himself

1 My Master, my Master!

Thou art the Master and I the servant!

Has anyone mercy upon the servant
but the master?

2 My Master, my Master!

Thou art the Exalted and I the abased!

Has anyone mercy upon the abased
but the exalted?

3 My Master, my Master!

,,. .Thou art the Creator and I the creature!
■■■'- Has anyone mercy upon the creature

but the creator?

4 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Giver and I the asker!

Has anyone mercy upon the asker
but the giver?

5 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Helper and I the seeker of help!

Has anyone mercy upon the seeker of help
but the helper?

6 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Subsistent and I the perishing!
Has anyone mercy upon the perishing
but the subsistent?

7 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Everlasting and I the vanishing !
Has anyone mercy upon the vanishing
but the everlasting?

8 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Living and I the dead!

Has anyone mercy upon the dead
but the Hving?

9 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Strong and I the weak!

Has anyone mercy upon the weak
but the strong?

10 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Rich and I the poor!

Has anyone mercy upon the poor
but the rich?

1 1 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Great and I the small!

Has anyone mercy upon the small
but the great?

12 My Master, My Master!

Thou art the Owner and I the owned!

Has anyone mercy upon the owned
but the owner?

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The Supplication for Sunday

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 In the name of God,

from whom I hope for nothing but bounty,
and from whom I fear nothing but justice!
I rely only upon His word,

and I cling only to His cord!

2 In Thee I seek sanctuary - .: .

- O Possessor of pardon and good pleasure -

from wrong and enmity,

from the changes of time and the recurrence of sorrows,

from the striking of mishaps,

and from the expiration of my term

before preparation and readiness.

3 From Thee I seek guidance

to that wherein is righteousness and being set right.

4 From Thee I seek help

in that which is linked to success and favourable response.

5 Thee I beseech

for the garment of well-being

and its completion
and for the covering of health
and its permanence.
I seek refuge in Thee, my Lord,

from the goadings of the satans,
and I seek protection in Thy sovereignty
from the injustice of the sovereigns.
So accept my past prayers and fasting

and make my tomorrow and what is after
better than my present hour and my today!
Exalt me in my clan and my people

and protect me in my waking and my sleeping!

For Thou art God, the Best Guardian,

and Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful^^^

6 O God,

I am quit before Thee

on this day of mine
and on all Sundays that follow it
of associating others with Thee and of heresy,
and I devote my supplication sincerely to Thee,
addressing myself to Thy response.

7 So bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,

the best of Thy creation,

the summoner to Thy truth,
exalt me with Thy exaltation,

which is never made to suffer loss,
protect me with Thy eye,

which never sleeps,
and seal

my affairs by cutting me off from everything but Thee

and my life with forgiveness!
Surely Thou art the All-forgiving,

the All-compassionate!

-^/

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The Supplication for Monday

sin the Name of God, the All-Merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 Praise belongs to God,

who allowed none to witness

when He created the heavens and the earth,
and who took no helper

when He authored the spirits !

2 He has no associate in Divinity

and no support in Unity.

3 Tongues fall silent before the limit of describing Him,

intellects fail before the core of knowing Him,
tyrants fall low in awe of Him,
faces are humbled in fear of Him,29i
and everything mighty

yields to His mightiness!

4 So to Thee belongs praise,

again and again, well-measured,
continually, methodically!

5 And may His blessings be upon His Messenger endlessly.

His salutation everlastingly, eternally!

6 O God, make

the beginning of this day of mine righteousness,
its middle prosperity,

and its end success!
I seek refuge in Thee

from a day whose beginning is fright,

whose middle is anxiety,

and whose end is pain!

7 OGod,

I pray forgiveness from Thee

for every vow I have vowed,
every promise I have promised,

and every pledge I have pledged
and then failed to keep for Thee.

8 I ask Thee concerning the complaints of Thy servants against me:

If there is a servant from among Thy servants

or a handmaid from among Thy handmaids,
who has against me

a complaint because I have wronged him in respect to

himself,

his reputation,

his property,

his wife or his child,
evil words I have spoken about him in his absence,
an imposition upon him through inclination,

caprice,

scorn,

zeal,

false show,

bigotry,
whether he be absent or present,

alive or dead,
such that my hand has fallen short

and my capacity has been too narrow

to make restitution to him

or to annul my obligation to him,

9 I ask Thee,

O He who owns all objects of need
- which are granted by His will
and hasten to His desire -
that Thou blessest Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
makest [the one I have wronged] satisfied with me

in the manner that Thou wiliest,
and givest me mercy from Thee!
Forgiveness decreases Thee not

and giving injures Thee not, :>0"C

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

10 O God,

give me on every Monday two favours from Thee:
the felicity to obey Thee

at its beginning
and the favour of Thy forgiveness
at its end!
O He who is God

and none other than whom grants forgiveness for sins!

'^/

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The Supplication for Tuesday

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 Praise belongs to God

- and praise is His right, since He deserves it -
abundant praise!

2 I seek refuge in Him from the evil of my soul,

for surely the soul commands to evil
except as my Lord has mercy. ^ 92

3 I seek refuge in Him from the evil of Satan

who adds sins to my sin.

4 I seek protection with Him from every wicked tyrant,

unjust sovereign,

and conquering enemy.

5 O God,

place me among Thy troops,

for Thy troops - they are the victors, 293
place me in Thy party,

for Thy party - they are the ones who prosper,294
and place me among Thy friends,

for Thy friends - no fear shall be upon them,

nor shall they sorrow.^^s

6 O God,

set right for me my religion,

for it is the preserving tie of my affair,

set right for me my hereafter,

for it is the abode of my permanent lodging

and to it I flee from the neighbourhood of the vile!

Make life an increase for me in every good

and death an ease for me from every evil!

7 O God, bless

Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets

and the completion of the number of the envoys,
his Household, the good, the pure,

and his Companions, the distinguished,
and give me on the Tuesday three things:

8 Leave

no sin for me unless Thou forgivest it,
no grief unless Thou takest it away,
and no enemy unless Thou repellest him!
By means of 'in the name of "God" ', the best of the Names,
in the name of God, Lord of earth and heaven,

9 I seek to repulse every hateful thing,

the first of which is His anger,
and I seek to attract every loveable thing,

the first of which is His good pleasure!

10 So seal me with forgiveness from Thee,

O Patron of beneficence!

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The Supplication for Wednesday

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 Praise belongs to God,

who appointed the night to be a garment,
and sleep for a rest,
and day He appointed for a rising! 296

2 To Thee belongs praise,

for Thou roused me from my sleep,
- and hadst Thou willed.
Thou wouldst have made it everlasting -

an everlasting praise that will never be cut off

and whose number the creatures will never count!

3 O God,

to Thee belongs praise,

for Thou created, then proportioned,

ordained and decreed,

gave death and bestowed life,

made sick and healed,

made well and afflicted,

sat upon the Throne and encompassed the Kingdom! 297

4 1 supplicate Thee with the supplication of one
whose mediation is weak,
whose stratagems have been cut off,
whose term has drawn near,
whose expectation from this world has shrunk,
whose neediness for Thy mercy has intensified,
whose remorse for his neglect has become great,
whose slips and stumbles have become many,
and whose repentance is devoted sincerely to Thy face.

5 So bless Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets,

and his Household, the good, the pure,
provide me with the intercession of Muhammad

(God bless him and his Household)
and deprive me not of his companionship!
Surely Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful! 298

6 O God,

decree for me on Wednesday four things:
Induce me

to be strong in obedience to Thee,

to be joyful in worshipping Thee,

to be desirous of Thy reward,

and to abstain from that which would make incumbent

upon me

Thy painful punishment!
Thou art Gentle to whom Thou wilt!

■'^jf

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the Supplication for Thursday

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 Praise belongs to God,

who has taken away the shadowy night by His power

and brought the sight-giving day through His mercy.

He has clothed me in its brightness
and given me its favour.

2 O God,

just as Thou hast spared me for this day,

so also spare me for its likes,

bless the prophet Muhammad and his Household,

torment me not in it and in other nights and days

by allowing me to commit unlawful acts

and to clothe myself in sins;
provide me with its good,

the good of all within it,

and the good of everything after it;
and turn away from me its evil,

the evil of all within it,

and the evil of everything after it!

3 O God,

by the protective compact of Islam,

I seek mediation with Thee!
By the inviolability of the Qur'an,

I rely upon Thee!
By Muhammad the chosen (God bless him and his Household)

I seek intercession with Thee!
So recognize my protective compact

by which I hope my need will be granted,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

4 O God,

decree for me on Thursday five things

which none embraces but Thy generosity

and none supports but Thy favours:
health through which I may have the strength to obey Thee,
worship by which I may deserve Thy plentiful reward,
plenty in my state through lawful provision,
and that Thou

makest me secure in the places of fear
through Thy security,

and placest me in Thy fortress

against the striking of worries and sorrows!
Bless Muhammad and his Household,

and make my seeking his mediation as an intercessor

give profit on the Day of Resurrection!
Surely Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful! 299

■'^jf

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-. . C „'-'!

The Supplication for Friday

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 All Praise belongs to God,

the First before the bringing forth and the giving of life,

and the Last after the annihilation of all things,
the All-knowing who forgets not him who remembers Him,300

decreases not him who thanks Him,^^!

disappoints not him who supplicates Him,

and cuts not off the hope of him who hopes in Him!

20 God,

I call Thee to witness

- and Thou art sufficient witness - and I call to witness
all Thy angels,

the inhabitants of Thy heavens,
the bearers of Thy Throne,

Thy prophets and Thy messengers whom Thou hast sent out,
and the various kinds of creatures Thou hast brought forth,
that I bear witness

that Thou art God;

there is no god but Thou, Thou alone,
who hast no associate nor any equal,
and Thy word has no failing,
nor any change ;^02

and that Muhammad (God bless him and his Household)

is Thy servant and Thy messenger;
he delivered to the servants

that with which Thou charged him,
he struggled for God as is His due,^^^
he gave the good news of the truth of reward,
and he warned of the veracity of punishment.

30 God,

make me firm in Thy religion

as long as Thou keepest me alive,
make not my heart to swerve

after Thou hast guided me,
and give me mercy from Thee,

surely Thou art the Giver. '^^^
Bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
make me one of his followers and his partisans,
muster me in his band,
and give me the success of

accomplishing the obligatory observance of Friday,
performing the acts of obedience

which Thou has made incumbent upon me within it,
and [receiving] the bestowal

which Thou hast apportioned for its people
on the Day of Recompense!
Surely Thou art Mighty, All-wise!^^^

■'^jf

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The Supplication for Saturday

In the Name of God, the All-merciful
the All-compassionate

1 'In the name of God',

the word of those who hold fast to Him,

the speech of those who seek His protection!
I seek refuge in God (high exalted is He) from

the injustice of the unjust,

the trickery of the enviers,

and the oppression of the wrongdoers,
and I praise Him beyond the praise of the praisers!

20 God,

Thou art the One without partner,

and the King without having been made sovereign;
no one opposes Thee in Thy decree

and no one contests Thee in Thy kingdom!

3 1 ask Thee to

bless Muhammad and his Household,

Thy servant and Thy messenger,
inspire me with a thanksgiving for Thy favours

which will take me to the utmost limit of Thy good pleasure,
help me through the gentleness of Thy solitude to obey Thee,

hold fast to worshipping Thee,

and deserve Thy reward,
have mercy upon me,
bar me from acts of disobedience toward Thee

as long as Thou keepest me alive,
give me success in what profits me

as long as Thou sparest me,
expand my breast through Thy Book,
lessen my burden through its recitation,
bestow upon me health in my religion and my soul,
estrange not my intimates from me,
and complete Thy beneficence in what is left of my lifetime,

just as Thou hast shown beneficence

in that of it which has passed!
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

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•1 f-""" .: '■ 7 ' ... ■

The Whispered Prayer of the Repenters

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God, offenses have clothed me

in the garment of my lowliness,
separation from Thee has wrapped me
in the clothing of my misery !
My dreadful crimes have deadened my heart,

so bring it to life by a repentance from Thee!

my hope and my aim!

my wish and my want!
By Thy might,

1 find no one but Thee to forgive my sins

and I see none but Thee to mend my brokenness!

1 have subjected myself to Thee in repeated turning,

I have humbled myself to Thee in abasement.
If Thou castest me out from Thy door,

in whom shall I take shelter?
If Thou repellest me from Thy side,

in whom shall I seek refuge?
O my grief at my ignominy and disgrace!

O my sorrow at my evil works and what I have committed!

2 1 ask Thee, O Forgiver of great sins,

O Mender of broken bones,
to overlook my ruinous misdeeds

and cover my disgraceful secret thoughts !
At the witnessing place of the Resurrection,
empty me not

of the coolness of Thy pardon and forgiveness,
and strip me not

of Thy beautiful forbearance and covering !

3 My God,

let the cloud of Thy mercy cast its shadow

upon my sins
and send the billow of Thy clemency

flowing over my faults !

4 Verse 4 translation missing in original book!

5 My God,

if remorse for sins is a repentance, ^^^

I - by Thy might - am one of the remorseful!

If praying forgiveness for offenses is an alleviation,
I am one of those who pray forgiveness!

To Thee I return

that Thou may be well pleased!

6 My God,

through Thy power over me,

turn toward me,
through Thy clemency toward me,

pardon me,
and through Thy knowledge of me,

be gentle toward me!

7 My God,

Thou art He who hast opened a door to Thy pardon

and named it 'repentance',
for Thou said.

Repent to God with unswerving repentance. ^ 07
What is the excuse

of him who remains heedless of entering the door

after its opening?

8 My God,

though the sins of Thy servant are ugly.
Thy pardon is beautiful.

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9 My God,

I am not the first

to have disobeyed Thee,

and Thou turned toward him,
or to have sought to attain Thy favour,

and Thou wert munificent toward him.

Responder to the distressed!

O Remover of injury!
O Great in goodness!
O Knower of everything secret!

Beautiful through covering over!

1 seek Thy munificence and Thy generosity

to intercede with Thee,

1 seek Thy side and Thy showing mercy

to mediate with Thee,
so grant my suppUcation,

disappoint not my hope in Thee,

accept my repentance,

and hide my offense,
through Thy kindness and mercy,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

'^/

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The Whispered JPrayer of the Complainers

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

to Thee I complain of a soul

commanding to evil,^^^

rushing to offenses,

eager to disobey Thee,

and exposing itself to Thy anger.
It takes me on the roads of disasters,

it makes me the easiest of perishers before Thee;
many its pretexts,

drawn out its expectations;
when evil touches it,

it is anxious,

when good touches it,
grudging;309

inclining to sport and diversion,

full of heedlessness and inattention,

it hurries me to misdeeds

and makes me delay repentance.

2 My God,

I complain to Thee

of an enemy who misguides me

and a satan who leads me astray.
He has filled my breast with tempting thoughts,

and his suggestions have encompassed my heart.
He supports caprice against me,

embellishes for me the love of this world,

and separates me from obedience and proximity!

3 My God,

to Thee I complain

of a heart that is hard,

turned this way and that by tempting thoughts,

clothed in rust and the seal,^!^
and of an eye

too indifferent to weep in fear of Thee

and eagerly seeking that which gladdens it!

4 My God,

there is no force and no strength

except in Thy power,
and no deliverance for me from the detested things of this world

save through Thy preservation.
So I ask Thee

by Thy far-reaching wisdom

and Thy penetrating will
not to let me expose myself to other than Thy munificence

and not to turn me into a target for trials !
Be forme '"'^ ■'-

a helper against enemies,

a coverer of shameful things and faults,

a protector against afflictions,

a preserver against acts of disobedience!
By Thy clemency and mercy,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

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The Whispered Prayer of the Fearful

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

what thinkest Thou?

Wilt Thou chastise me after my faith in Thee,

drive me far away after my love for Thee,

deprive me while I hope for Thy mercy and forgiveness,
forsake me while I seek sanctuary in Thy pardon?

How could Thy generous face disappoint me?!
Would that I knew - Did my mother bear me for wretchedness?

Did she nurture me for suffering?
Would then that she had not borne me

and had not nurtured me!
Would that I had knowledge -

Hast Thou appointed me one of the people of felicity?

Hast Thou singled me out for Thy nearness and neighbourhood?
Then would my eyes be gladdened,

and in that my soul reach serenity.

2 My God,

dost Thou blacken faces which fall down in prostration

before Thy mightiness?
Dost Thou strike dumb tongues which speak in laudation

of Thy glory and majesty?
Dost Thou seal hearts which harbour Thy love?
Dost Thou deafen ears which take pleasure in hearing

Thy remembrance according to Thy will?
Dost Thou manacle hands which expectations have raised to Thee

in hope of Thy clemency?
Dost Thou punish bodies which worked to obey Thee

until they grew thin in struggling for Thee?
Dost Thou chastise legs which ran to worship Thee?

3 My God,

lock not toward those who profess Thy Unity

the doors of Thy mercy,
and veil not those who yearn for Thee

from looking upon the vision of Thy beauty!

4 My God,

a soul which Thou hast exalted by its professing Thy Unity
how wilt Thou burn it in the heat of Thy fires?

5 My God,

give me sanctuary

from Thy painful wrath
and Thy mighty anger!
O All-loving, O All-kind!

O Compassionate, O Merciful!
O Compeller, O Subduer!

O AU-forgiver, O All-covering!
Deliver me through Thy mercy

from the chastisement of the Fire
and the disgrace of shame
when the good are set apart from the evil,
forms are transformed,

terrors terrify,
the good-doers are brought near,

the evildoers taken far,
and every soul is paid in full what it has earned,
and they shall not be wronged!^^^

■'^jf

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The Whispered Prayer of the Hopeful

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 O He who

gives to a servant

who asks from Him,
takes him to his wish

when he expectantly hopes for what is with Him,
brings him near and close

when he approaches Him,
covers over his sin and cloaks it

when he shows it openly,
and satisfies and suffices him

when he has confidence in Him!

2 My God,

who is the one who has come before Thee

seeking hospitality,

and whom Thou hast not received hospitably?
Who is the one who has dismounted at Thy door

hoping for magnanimity,

and to whom Thou hast not shown it?
Is it good that I come back from Thy door,

turned away in disappointment,

while I know of no patron qualified by beneficence but Thee?
How should I have hope in other than Thee,

when the good - all of it - is in Thy hand?^i2
How should I expect from others,

when Thine are the creation and the command?^!^
Should I cut off my hope for Thee,

when Thou hast shown me of Thy bounty

that for which I have not asked?
Wouldst Thou make me have need for my like?

But I hold fast to Thy cord!

He through whose mercy

the strivers reach felicity
and through whose vengeance

the seekers of forgiveness are not made wretched!
How should I forget Thee,

while Thou never ceasest remembering me?
How should I be diverted from Thee

while Thou art my constant watcher?

3 My God,

1 have fastened my hand

to the skirt of Thy generosity,
I have stretched forth my expectation

toward reaching Thy gifts,
so render me pure through the purest profession of Thy Unity,
and appoint me one of Thy choice servants !
O He who is the asylum of every fleer,

the hope of every seeker!
O Best Object of hope!

O Most Generous Object of supplication!
O He who does not reject His asker
or disappoint the expectant!

He whose door is open to His supplicators

and whose veil is lifted for those who hope in Him!

1 ask Thee by Thy generosity to show kindness toward me

through Thy gifts,

with that which will gladden my eye,
through hope in Thee,

with that which will give serenity to my soul,
and through certainty

with that which

will make easy for me the afflictions of this world
and lift from my insight the veils of blindness!
By Thy mercy,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

^^^''i^ -"^^^^r^^s:"^ -^'^^-T^'^'^i^r^ -"^-"i-s^^^^^i^ -^-^^T^rtn-^^^ -"^-^ ^T^^-^-^i- ■"S^^?:^-=^-^ -"^-^ T^^?:ri ^s'^

the Whispered Prayer of the Beseechers

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

though my stores for travelling to Thee are few,

my confidence in Thee has given me a good opinion. ^^^
Though my sin has made me fear Thy punishment,

my hope has let me feel secure from Thy vengeance.
Though my misdeed has exposed me to Thy penalty,

my excellent trust has apprised me of Thy reward.
Though heedlessness has put to sleep my readiness to meet Thee,
knowledge has awakened me to Thy generosity and boons.
Though excessive disobedience and rebellion
have estranged me from Thee,
the glad tidings of forgiveness and good pleasure
have made me feel intimate with Thee.
I ask Thee by

the splendours of Thy face
and the lights of Thy holiness,
and I implore Thee by

the tenderness of Thy mercy
and the gentleness of Thy goodness,
to verify my opinion in expecting
Thy great generosity
and Thy beautiful favour,

through nearness to Thee,
proximity with Thee,
and enjoyment of gazing upon Thee!
Here ami, -■ " ■

addressing myself to the breezes

of Thy freshness and tenderness,
having recourse to the rain

of Thy generosity and gentleness,
fleeing from Thy displeasure to Thy good pleasure

and from Thee to Thee,^i^
hoping for the best of what is with Thee,

relying upon Thy gifts,

utterly poor toward Thy guarding!

2 My God,

Thy bounty which Thou hast begun - complete it!
Thy generosity which Thou hast given me - strip it not away!
Thy cover over me through Thy clemency - tear it not away !
My ugly acts which Thou hast come to know - forgive them!

3 My God,

I seek intercession from Thee with Thee,

and I seek sanctuary in Thee from Thee!
I have come to Thee

craving Thy beneficence,

desiring Thy kindness,

seeking water from the deluge of Thy graciousness,

begging rain from the clouds of Thy bounty,

requesting Thy good pleasure,

going straight to Thy side,

arriving at the watering-place of Thy support,

seeking exalted good things from Thy quarter,

reaching for the presence of Thy beauty,

wanting Thy face,

knocking at Thy door,

abasing myself before Thy mightiness and majesty!
So act toward me with the forgiveness and mercy

of which Thou art worthy!
Act not toward me with the chastisement and vengeance

of which I am worthy !
By Thy mercy,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

^■'^i- -"^^^^5^^^-^ ■'^■^^??:^>?-^i> -"^^^^r^^s:"^ ■"^-''^T?:tn^^^^ -"^-'' i~5^ ^^^^:> -^^^r^:i>r^^ -"^-^ ^r^^ -^-^i- ""S^^?:^ ■=^-^ -"^-^ T^^?:ri ^s'^

The Whispered Prayer of the Thankful

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

the uninterrupted flow of Thy graciousness

hast distracted me from thanking Thee!

The flood of Thy bounty has rendered me incapable
of counting Thy praises!

The succession of Thy kind acts has diverted me
from mentioning Thee in laudation!

The continuous rush of Thy benefits has thwarted me
from spreading the news of Thy gentle favours!
This is the station of him who

confesses to the lavishness of favours,

meets them with shortcomings,

and witnesses to his own disregard and negligence.
Thou art the Clement, the Compassionate,

the Good, the Generous,

who does not disappoint those who aim for Him,

nor cast out from His courtyard those who expect from Him!
In Thy yard are put down the saddlebags of the hopeful

and in Thy plain stand the hopes of the help- seekers!
So meet not our hopes by disappointing and disheartening

and clothe us not in the shirt of despair and despondency!

2 My God,

my thanksgiving is small

before Thy great boons,
and my praise and news-spreading shrink
beside Thy generosity toward me!
Thy favours have wrapped me

in the robes of the lights of faith,
and the gentlenesses of Thy goodness have let down over me
delicate curtains of might!
Thy kindnesses

have collared me with collars not to be moved
and adorned me with neck-rings not to be broken!
Thy boons are abundant -

my tongue is too weak to count them!
Thy favours are many -

my understanding falls short of grasping them,

not to speak of exhausting them!
So how can I achieve thanksgiving?
For my thanking Thee requires thanksgiving.
Whenever I say, To Thee belongs praise!',

it becomes thereby incumbent upon me to say.

To Thee belongs praise'!

3 My God,

as Thou hast fed us through Thy gentleness

and nurtured us through Thy benefaction,
so also complete for us lavish favours,
repel from us detested acts of vengeance,
and of the shares of the two abodes,

give us their most elevated and their greatest,
both the immediate and the deferred!
To Thee belongs praise

for Thy good trial and the lavishness of Thy favours,
a praise

conforming to Thy good pleasure
and attracting Thy great goodness and magnanimity.
O All-mighty,

O All-generous !
By Thy mercy,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

The Whispered Prayer of the Obedient Toward G od

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 O God,

inspire us to obey Thee,

turn us aside from disobeying Thee,

make it easy for us to reach

the seeking of Thy good pleasure which we wish,
set us down in the midst of Thy Gardens,
dispel from our insights the clouds of misgiving,
uncover from our hearts the wrappings of doubt and the veil,
make falsehood vanish from our innermost minds,

and fix the truth in our secret thoughts,
for doubts and opinions fertilize temptations

and muddy the purity of gifts and kindnesses!

2 O God,

carry us in the ships of Thy deliverance,

give us to enjoy the pleasure of whispered prayer to Thee,

make us drink at the pools of Thy love,

let us taste the sweetness of Thy affection and nearness,

allow us to struggle in Thee,^i^

preoccupy us with obeying Thee,

and purify our intentions in devoting works to Thee,
for we exist through Thee and belong to Thee,
and we have no one to mediate with Thee but Thee!

3 My God,

place me among the chosen, the good.

Join me to

the righteous,

the pious,

the first to reach generous gifts,

the swift to come upon good things,

the workers of the abiding acts of righteousness,

the strivers after elevated degrees !

Thou art powerful over every thing^^^
and disposed to respond!

By Thy mercy,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

-^/

The Whispered Prayer of the Devotees

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 Glory be to Thee!

How narrow are the paths

for him whom Thou hast not guided!
How plain the truth

for him whom Thou hast guided on his way!

2 My God,

so make us travel

on the roads that arrive at Thee
and set us into motion

on the paths nearest to reaching Thee!
Make near for us the far,

and make easy for us the hard and difficult!
Join us to Thy servants, those who
hurry to Thee swiftly,
knock constantly at Thy door,
and worship Thee by night and by day,
while they remain apprehensive in awe of Thee!
Thou hast purified their drinking places,

taken them to the objects of their desire,
granted their requests,

accomplished their wishes through Thy bounty,
filled their minds with Thy love,
and quenched their thirst with Thy pure drink.
Through Thee have they reached

the pleasure of whispered prayer to Thee,
and in Thee have they achieved
their furthest goals.
O He who

comes toward those who come toward Him
and grants gifts and bestows bounty upon them

through tenderness!
He is compassionate and clement toward those
heedless of His remembrance

and loving and tender in drawing them to His door!

I ask Thee to place me among those of them who have
the fullest share from Thee,
the highest station with Thee,
the most plentiful portion of Thy love,
and the most excellent allotment of Thy knowledge,

for my aspiration has been cut off from everything but Thee
and my desire has turned toward Thee alone.
Thou art my object, none other;

to Thee alone belongs my waking and my sleeplessness.
Meeting Thee is the gladness of my eye,

joining Thee the wish of my soul.
Toward Thee is my yearning,

in love for Thee my passionate longing,

in inclining toward Thee my fervent craving.
Thy good pleasure is the aim I seek,

vision of Thee my need.

Thy neighbourhood my request,

nearness to Thee the utmost object of my asking.
In whispered prayer to Thee

I find my repose and my ease.
With Thee lies the remedy of my illness,

the cure for my burning thirst,

the coolness of my ardour,

the removal of my distress.
Be my intimate in my loneliness,

the releaser of my stumble,

the forgiver of my slip,

the accepter of my repentance,

the responder to my supplication,

the patron of preserving me from sin,

the one who frees me from my neediness!
Cut me not off from Thee

and keep me not far from Thee!
O my bliss and my garden!

O my this world and my hereafter!

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

:^ 3^^^^:^ 'yy^:-r^S^^ "^^i-^^S^ 't^^jv^S^^ yy^v^S^ ^I^-^f^"??^ ^■^^'^-^v^ "^y^i-^^S^ '^y^.'^^S^

The Whispered Prayer of the Lovers

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

who can have tasted the sweetness of Thy love,

then wanted another in place of Thee?
Who can have become intimate with Thy nearness,

then sought removal from Thee?

2 My God, place us with him

whom Thou hast

chosen for Thy nearness and Thy friendship,

purified through Thy affection and Thy love,

given yearning for the meeting with Thee,

made pleased with Thy decree,

granted gazing upon Thy face,

shown the favour of Thy good pleasure,

given refuge from separation from Thee and Thy loathing,

settled in a sure sitting place in Thy neighbourhood,

singled out for true knowledge of Thee,

made worthy for worship of Thee,
whose heart Thou hast captivated with Thy will,
whom Thou hast picked for contemplating Thee,
whose look Thou hast made empty for Thee,
whose breast Thou hast freed for Thy love,
whom Thou hast made

desirous of what is with Thee,

inspired with Thy remembrance,

allotted thanksgiving to Thee,

occupied with obeying Thee,

turned into one of Thy righteous creatures,

chosen for whispered prayer to Thee,
and from whom Thou hast cut off all things

which cut him off from Thee!

3 O God,

place us among those

whose habit is rejoicing in Thee and yearning for Thee,
whose time is spent in sighing and moaning!
Their foreheads are bowed down before Thy mightiness,
their eyes wakeful in Thy service,
their tears flowing in dread of Thee,
their hearts fixed upon Thy love,
their cores shaken with awe of Thee.
OHe

the lights of whose holiness

induce wonder in the eyes of His lovers,
the glories of whose face

arouse the longing of the hearts of His knowers!

Furthest Wish of the hearts of the yearners!

O Utmost Limit of the hopes of the lovers!

1 ask from Thee love for Thee,

love for those who love Thee,

love for every work which will join me to Thy nearness,

and that Thou makest Thyself more beloved to me

than anything other than Thee
and makest

my love for Thee

lead to Thy good pleasure,

and my yearning for Thee

-..; ,.. protect against disobeying Thee!
Oblige me by allowing me to gaze upon Thee,

gaze upon me with the eye of affection and tenderness,

turn not Thy face away from me,

and make me one of the people of happiness with Thee

and favoured position!
O Responder,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

'>''■•■} .»--^: ■. '■•■■.--■-0.! ■■■^■^^^.i ..

The Whispered Prayer of those Asking for Mediation

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

I have no mediation with Thee

but the tender acts of Thy clemency,
nor any way to come to Thee

but the gentle favours of Thy mercy
and the intercession of Thy Prophet,
the prophet of mercy,

who rescued the community from confusion.
Make these two my tie to attaining Thy forgiveness

and let them take me to triumph through Thy good pleasure!
My hope has dismounted

in the sacred precinct of Thy generosity,
my craving has alighted

in the courtyard of Thy munificence.
So actualize my expectation from Thee,
seal my works with good,
and place me among Thy selected friends, those
whom Thou hast set down

in the midst of Thy Garden,
and settled in the abode of Thy honour,
whose eyes Thou hast gladdened
by gazing upon Thee
on the day of meeting Thee,
and whom Thou hast made heirs to

the sure stations in Thy neighbourhood!

20 He

none more generous than whom is reached by the reachers

and none more merciful than whom is found by the aimers !
O Best of those with whom the lonely are alone,

O Tenderest of those with whom outcasts seek haven!
Toward the expanse of Thy pardon have I extended my hand,

upon the skirt of Thy generosity have I fastened my grasp!
Show me no deprivation

and afflict me not with disappointment and loss!
O Hearer of supplications!

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

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The Whispered Prayer of the Utterly Poor

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

nothing will

mend my fracture but Thy gentleness and loving care,
free me of my poverty but Thy affection and beneficence,
still my fright but Thy security,
exalt my abasement but Thy sovereignty,
take me to my hope but Thy bounty,
remedy my lack but Thy graciousness,
accomplish my need other than Thou,
relieve my distress other than Thy mercy,
remove my injury other than Thy clemency,
cool my burning thirst but reaching Thee,
quench my ardour but meeting Thee,
damp my yearning but gazing upon Thy face,
settle my settling place without closeness to Thee,
allay my worry but Thy repose,
cure my illness but Thy medicine,
eliminate my grief but Thy nearness,
heal my wound but Thy forgiveness,
remove the rust on my heart but Thy pardon,
banish the confusing thoughts from my breast but

Thy command!

2 O Utmost Hope of the hopers!

O Ultimate Demand of the askers!

O Furthest Request of the requesters !

O Highest Desire of the desirers !

O Patron of the righteous!

O Security of the fearful!

O Responder to the supplication of the distressed!

O Storehouse of the destitute!

O Treasure of the pitiful!

O Help of the help- seekers!

O Accomplisher of the needs of the poor and the miserable!

Most Generous of the most generous!

O Most Merciful of the merciful!
To Thee is my humble subjection and request,
to Thee my pleading and imploring !

1 ask Thee

to let me attain

the repose of Thy good pleasure,
and to make constant toward me

the favours of Thy kindness!
Here am I,

standing before the gate of Thy generosity,
opening myself up to the breezes of Thy goodness,
holding fast to Thy strong cord,
clinging to Thy firm handle!

3 My God,

have mercy upon Thy lowly slave

of silent tongue and few good works,

obligate him through Thy plentiful graciousness,
shelter him under Thy plenteous shade!

O Generous, O Beautiful,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

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The Whispered Prayer of the Knowers

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

tongues fall short of attaining

praise of Thee proper to Thy majesty,
intellects are incapable of grasping

the core of Thy beauty,
eyes fail before gazing

upon the glories of Thy face,
and Thou hast assigned to Thy creatures

no way to know Thee

save incapacity to know Thee!

2 My God,

place us among those

within the gardens of whose breasts

the trees of yearning for Thee have taken firm root

and the assemblies of whose hearts

have been seized by the ardour of Thy love!
They seek shelter

in the nests of meditation,
feed upon the gardens

of nearness and disclosure,
drink from the pools of love

with the cup of gentle favour,
and enter into the watering-places

of warm affection.
The covering has been lifted

from their eyes,^i^
the darkness of disquiet has been dispelled

from their beliefs and their innermost minds,
the contention of doubt has been negated

from their hearts and their secret thoughts,
their breasts have expanded

through the verification of true knowledge,
their aspirations have ascended

through precedent good fortune in renunciation.

their drinking is sweet

from the spring of devotion to good works,
their secret thoughts are dehcious

in the sitting-place of intimacy,
their minds are secure

in the place of terror,
their souls are serene

through the return to the Lord of lords, ^^^
their spirits have reached certitude

through triumph and prosperity,
their eyes have been gladdened

through gazing upon their Beloved,
their settling place has been settled

through reaching the request and attaining the expectation,
and their commerce has profited

through the sale of this world for the next!

3 My God,

how agreeable for hearts are

the thoughts inspiring Thy remembrance,
how sweet

travelling to Thee through imagination
upon the roads of the unseen worlds,
how pleasant

the taste of Thy love,
how delightful

the drink of Thy nearness!
So give us refuge from Thy casting out and Thy sending far,
and place us among

the most elect of Thy knowers,
the most righteous of Thy servants,
the most truthful of Thy obeyers,
the most sincere of Thy worshipers!
O All-mighty, O Majestic,

O Generous, O Endower!
By Thy mercy and kindness,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

■'^jf

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the Whispered Prayer of the Rememberers

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

were it not incumbent to accept Thy command,

I would declare Thee far too exalted for me to remember Thee,
for I remember Thee in my measure,

not in Thy measure,
and my scope can hardly reach the point

where I may be a locus for calling Thee holy!
Among Thy greatest favours to us

is the running of Thy remembrance across our tongues
and Thy permission to us
to supplicate Thee,
declare Thee exalted,
and call Thee holy!

2 My God,

inspire us with Thy remembrance

alone and in assemblies,

by night and day,

publicly and secretly,

in prosperity and adversity!
Make us intimate with silent remembrance,

employ us in purified works and effort pleasing to Thee,

and reward us with the full balance!

3 My God,

love-mad hearts are enraptured by Thee,

disparate intellects are brought together by knowing Thee,

hearts find no serenity except in remembering Thee,320

souls find no rest except in seeing Thee.
Thou art the glorified in every place,

the worshipped at every time,

the found at every moment,

the called by every tongue,

the magnified in every heart!
I pray forgiveness from Thee for

every pleasure but remembering Thee,

every ease but intimacy with Thee,

every happiness but nearness to Thee,

every occupation but obeying Thee!

4 My God,

Thou hast said - and Thy word is true -

O you who have faith,

remember God with much remembrance

and glorify Him at dawn and in the evening!^^^
Thou hast said - and Thy word is true -

Remember Me, and I will remember you!^^^
Thou hast commanded us to remember Thee,

and promised us that Thou wilt remember us thereby,

in order to ennoble, respect, and honour us.
Here we are, remembering Thee as Thou hast commanded us!

So accomplish what Thou hast promised,
O Rememberer of the rememberers !

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

-^/

^■'^i- -"^^^^5^^^-^ ■'^■^^??:^>?-^^i- -"^^^^r^^s:"^ ■"^-'^^T^itn^^^^ -"^-"ttS^^^^^i^ -^-^^T^rtn-^^^ -"^-^ ^T^^-^-^i- ■"S^^?:^-=^-^ -"^-^ T^^?:ri ^s'^

The Whispered Prayer of those who Hold Fast

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 O God,

O Shelter of the shelter- seekers!

O Refuge of the refuge- seekers!

O Deliverer of the perishing!

O Preserver of the pitiful!

O Merciful toward the miserable!

O Responder to the distressed!

O Treasure of the utterly poor!

O Mender of the broken!

O Haven of the cut off!

O Helper of the abased!

O Granter of sanctuary to the fearful!

O Aider of the troubled!

O Fortress of the refugees!
If I seek not refuge in Thy might,

in whom shall I seek refuge?
If I seek not shelter in Thy power,

in whom shall I seek shelter?
Sins have made me seek asylum in laying hold

on the skirts of Thy pardon,
offenses have compelled me to beg the opening

of the doors of Thy forgiveness,
evildoing has summoned me to dismount

in the courtyard of Thy might,
fear of Thy vengeance has prompted me

to cling to the handhold of Thy tenderness!
It is not right for him who holds fast to Thy cord
to be abandoned,

nor proper for him who seeks the sanctuary of Thy might
to be surrendered or disregarded.
My God,

empty us not of Thy defending,

strip us not of Thy guarding,

and protect us from the roads of destruction,

for we are in Thy eye and under Thy wing !

I ask Thee

by those whom Thou hast singled out,

Thy angels and the righteous among Thy creatures,
to assign over us a protector through which Thou wilt
deliver us from destructions,
turn aside from us blights,
and hide us from the striking of great afflictions,
to send down upon us some of Thy tranquillity,
to wrap our faces in the lights of love for Thee,
to give us haven in Thy strong pillar,323
<; .:; aud to gather us under the wings of Thy preservation!
By Thy clemency and Thy mercy,

O Most Merciful of the merciful!

y^'^jf

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■>■".

The Whispered Prayer of the Abstainers

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1 My God,

Thou hast settled us in an abode

which has dug for us pits of deception,
and Thou hast fastened us by the hands of death
in the snares of that abode's treachery!
In Thee we seek asylum

from the tricks of its guile,
and to Thee we hold fast, lest we be deluded
by the glitter of its ornaments !
It destroys its pursuers

and ruins its settlers,
it is stuffed with blights

and loaded with calamities.

2 My God,

induce us to renounce it
and keep us safe from it

by Thy giving success and Thy preservation from sin.
Strip from us

the robes of opposing Thee,
attend to our affairs

through Thy good sufficiency,
amplify our increase

from the boundless plenty of Thy mercy,
be liberal in our gifts

from the overflow of Thy grants,
plant in our hearts

the trees of Thy love,
complete for us

the lights of Thy knowledge,
give us to taste

the sweetness of Thy pardon

and the pleasure of Thy forgiveness,
gladden our eyes

on the day of meeting Thee

with the vision of Thee,
dislodge the love of this world
from our spirits,

just as Thou hast done for the righteous.
Thy selected friends,
and for the pious,

those whom Thou hast singled out!
O Most Merciful of the merciful,

O Most Generous of the most generous!

■'^jf

.??^ 3^^?^??^ 'yy^:-rr^S^^ '^^:'^^S;^'^:^^ '^■-^^^S:^ "^^-rr^Sf^ '^^:^'^S^ "T^V.^^^??^ '^^r^^^Sy-

AM INTRODUCTION TO

THE TREATISE ON RIGHTS

(RISALATAL-HUQUQ)

IMAM Zayn al-'Abidin's "Treatise on Rights' is the only work attributed to him other than
supplications or relatively short sayings and letters. The fact that it was a written document
from the first may support the suggestion that at least some of the supplications were
originally written compositions.

The "Treatise on Rights' elaborates on a well-known saying of the Prophet, which has been
transmitted in a rather large number of versions, no doubt because he repeated it in many
different contexts. A typical version can be rendered as follows: "Surely your Lord has a right
against you, your self has a right against you, and your wife has a right against you.' Other
versions of the hadith add guest, body, eye, and friend to those who have rights. In some of
the versions, another clause is added: "So give to everyone who possesses a right {hull dhi
haqq) his right. Another hadith tells us that "God has given to everyone who possesses a right
his right.'

Shi'ite sources provide many relevant hadith. For example, the Prophet said:

God has made seven rights incumbent upon the person of faith (al-mu'min) toward the person
of faith: To respect him in his person, love him in his breast, share with him in his property,
consider backbiting against him unlawful, visit him in his illness, escort his coffin, and say
nothing but good about him after his death.

Zayn al-'Abidin's "Treatise on Rights' seems to have been written at the request of a disciple,
since, in one of its two versions, it is prefaced by the words: "This is the treatise of 'Ali ibn al-
Husayn to one of his companions.' In it the Imam explains in more or less exhaustive fashion
what is meant by "everyone who possesses a right' as mentioned in the above hadith.
Throughout he provides specific examples, basing himself upon the Qur'an, the sunna, and
the actions and sayings of the earlier Imams.

Though in the present context the word haqq translates best as "right', it has a number of
closely related meanings which should be kept in mind, such as suitableness, justice, truth,
reality, correctness, properness, appropriateness, necessity, incumbency, obligation, due, and
duty. A glance at the "Treatise on Rights' will quickly show that the word "rights' might better
have been translated as duties, obligations, or responsibilities, since the treatise is not directly
concerned with the rights of the individual, but rather with the rights of others which the

individual must observe. Nevertheless, I think it is important to preserve the term "rights', if
only to show that in considering human rights primarily in terms of responsibilities, Islam
diverges profoundly from most modern Western views, though it has deep kinships with other
religious traditions of East and West.

Islam views the individual in his total context, which means that it considers first his
relationship with God, then his relationship with God's creatures. What is important for the
individual in his relationship with God is that he attain to salvation, or in other words, that he
follow God's guidance, which is based upon mercy and directed toward his own best interest.
In short, Islam devalues the individual's perspective, since human beings on their own can see
no further than their immediate interests during life. But this devaluation of individualism is
not a devaluation of the individual; on the contrary, it raises him to the ultimate pinnacle of
importance, since everything is directed toward his happiness in the next world. Islam merely
recognizes the ignorance of human beings and their inability to perceive their own ultimate
good without divine guidance. Then it sets about to undermine and destroy individual
ignorance, a process which involves deflating the ego and eliminating all self-centered
desires. As a result, the human self or soul (nafs) has few "rights', but many duties and
responsibilities. Or rather, the soul has only one true right - the right to salvation.

The individual's right to salvation follows naturally upon God's right, which is to be
worshiped without any partner (i.e., tawhid). The way to salvation is to obey God, and hence
it is the soul's right to be employed in obedience toward Him. By His very nature since "His
mercy precedes His wrath' - God displays compassion and guidance, and through obedience
the servant opens himself up to the full range of this compassion. In other words, partaking of
God's mercy and compassion depends upon following His guidance, and following His
guidance means following the SharVa as revealed through the Qur'an and the sunna. Hence
the Imam speaks of "being employed in obedience' as the self s key right, since only that can
bring about its deliverance.

As soon as this wide context for attaining to the right of the self is envisaged, dozens of duties
become obligatory upon the individual. The Imam makes clear that the primary duties are
toward the various organs and activities of the self, since these determine man's relationship
to God. The organs have "rights' because they share in the individual's destiny; the
"resurrection of the body' is taken for granted (cf. Supplication 31.22). Activities have rights
because they shape the destiny of the soul. And other human beings have rights because they
form the context within which activity occurs. Human actions can only be correct if the rights
of all of God's creatures are observed. This, in short, is the theme of the "Treatise on Rights', a
theme which is reinforced by many of the supplications of the Sahifa, number 24 being a
prime example.

The treatise has been transmitted in two versions, one in Al-Khisal and Al-Amali, both by
Shaykh al-Saduq (d. 581/991), and the other in Tuhaf al-^uqul, by his contemporary Ibn
Shu'ba. Perhaps one half of the text of the two versions is identical, but Ibn Shu'ba's version

adds a good deal of material that shows it to be a later recension, perhaps by the Imam
himself, or more likely by a later author trying to clarify the meaning. The translation follows
the earlier version, with a minor addition from the second version which seems to be
demanded by the context.

'^/