As-Sahifa Al-Kamilah Al-Sajjadiyya

Fifteen Whispered Prayers from the Words of Sayyid al-Sajidin

1. 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!
O my hope and my aim!
O my wish and my want!
By Thy might,
I find no one but Thee to forgive my sins
and I see none but Thee to mend my brokenness!
I 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- I 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- My God,
does the runaway servant go back but to his Master?
Or does anyone grant sanctuary to him from His anger but He?

5- My God, if remorse for sins is a repentance,[^1]
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.^2
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.

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.
O Responder to the distressed!
O Remover of injury!
O Great in goodness!
O Knower of everything secret!
O Beautiful through covering over!
I seek Thy munificence and Thy generosity
to intercede with Thee,
I seek Thy side and Thy showing mercy
to mediate with Thee,
so grant my supplication,
disappoint not my hope in Thee,
accept my repentance, and hide my offense,
through Thy kindness and mercy,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

1. إلهِي أَلْبَسَتْنِي الْخَطايا ثَوْبَ مَذَلَّتِي،

2. أَسْأَلُكَ يا غافِرَ الذَّنْبِ الْكَبِيرِ،

3. إلهِي ظَلِّلْ عَلَى ذُنُوبِي غَمامَ رَحْمَتِكَ،

4. إلهِي هَلْ يَرْجِعُ الْعَبْدُ الابِقُ إلاَّ إلَى مَوْلاهُ

5. إلهِي إنْ كانَ النَّدَمُ عَلَى الذَّنْب تَوْبَةً،

6. إلهِي بِقُدْرَتِكَ عَلَيَّ تُبْ عَلَيَّ،

7. إلهِي أَنْتَ الَّذي فَتَحْتَ لِعِبادِكَ بَابَاً إلَى عَفْوِكَ

8. إلهِي إنْ كانَ قَبُحَ الذَّنْبُ مِنْ عَبْدِكَ

9. إلهِي ما أَنَا بِأَوَّلِ مَنْ عَصاكَ،

2. The Whispered Prayer of the Complainers

1. إلهِي إليْكَ أَشْكُو نَفْساً بِالسُّوءِ أَمَّارَةً،

2. إلهِي أَشْكُو إلَيْكَ عَدُوّاً يُضِلُّنِي،

3. إلهِي إلَيْكَ أَشْكُو قَلْبَاً قاسِياً

4. إلهِي لا حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إلاَّ بِقُدْرَتِكَ،

In the Name of God, the All-merciful,

the All-compassionate 1- My God, to Thee I complain of a soul
commanding to evil,[^3]
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;[^4]
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,[^5]
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 for me 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!

3. 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 humiliate it by the disdain of Your abandoment (of it)?
A heart knotted with its love for Thee –
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 All-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!^6

1. إلهِي أَتَراكَ بَعْدَ الإِيْمانِ بِكَ تُعَذِّبُنِي،

2. إلهِي هَلْ تُسَوِّدُ وُجُوهً خَرَّتْ ساجِدَةً لِعَظَمَتِكَ؟

3. إلهِي لا تُغْلِقْ عَلى مُوَحِّدِيكَ

4. إلهِي نَفْسٌ أَعْزَزْتَها بِتَوْحِيدِكَ،

5. إلهِي أَجِرْنِي مِنْ أَلِيمِ غَضَبِكَ وَعَظِيمِ سَخَطِكَ،

4. 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?[^7]
How should I expect from others,
when Thine are the creation and the command?[^8]
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!
O 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,
I 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!
O He whose door is open to His supplicators
and whose veil is lifted for those who hope in Him!
I 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!

1. يا مَنْ إذا سَأَلَهُ عَبْدٌ أَعْطَاهُ،

2. إلهِي مَنِ الَّذِي نَزَلَ بِكَ مُلْتَمِساً قِراكَ

3. إلهِي بِذَيْلِ كَرَمِكَ أَعْلَقتُ يَدِي،

5. 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.[^9]
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 am I,
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,[^10]
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!

1. إلهِي إنْ كانَ قَلَّ زادِي فِي الْمَسِيرِ إلَيْكَ،

2. إلهِي ما بَدَأْتَ بِهِ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ

3. إلهِي اسْتَشْفَعْتُ بِكَ إلَيْكَ

6. 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!

1. إلهِي أَذْهَلَنِي عَنْ إقامَةِ شُكْرِكَ تَتابُعُ طَوْلِكَ،

2. إلهِي تَصاغَرَ عِنْدَ تَعاظُمِ آلائِكَ شُكْرِي،

3. إلهِي فَكَما غَذَّيْتَنا بِلُطْفِكَ،

7. The Whispered Prayer of the Obedient Toward God

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,[^11]
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 everything^12
and disposed to respond!
By Thy mercy,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

1 ـ أَللَّهُمَّ أَلْهِمْنا طاعَتَكَ،

2 ـ أَللَّهُمَّ احْمِلْنا فِي سُفُنِ نَجاتِكَ،

3 ـ إلهِي اجْعَلْنِي مِنَ الْمُصْطَفَيْنَ الأَخْيارِ،

8. 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, 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!

1. سُبْحانَكَ ما أَضْيَقَ الطُّرُقَ

2. إلهِي فاسْلُكْ بِنا سُبُلَ الْوُصُولِ إلَيْكَ،

9. 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.

O He
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!
O Furthest Wish of the hearts of the yearners!
O Utmost Limit of the hopes of the lovers!

I 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!

1. إلهِي مَنْ ذَا الَّذِي ذَاقَ حَلاوَةَ مَحَبَّتِكَ،

2. إلهِي فَاجْعَلْنا مِمَّنِ اصْطَفَيْتَهُ

3. أَللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا مِمَّنْ دَأْبُهُمُ

10. 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!

2- O 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!

1. إلهِي لَيْسَ لِي وَسِيلَةٌ إلَيْكَ

2. يا مَنْ لا يَفِدُ الْوافِدُونَ عَلى أَكْرَمَ مِنْهُ،

11. 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!
O 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!
I 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!

1. إلهِي كَسْرِي لا يَجْبُرُهُ إلاَّ لُطْفُكَ وَحَنانُكَ،

2. فَيا مُنْتَهى أَمَلِ الآمِلِينَ،

3. إلهِي ارْحَمْ عَبْدَكَ الذَّلِيلَ،

12. 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,[^13]
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 delicious 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,[^14]
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!

1. إلهِي قَصُرَتِ الأَلْسُنُ عَنْ بُلُوغِ ثَنآئِكَ،

2. إلهِي فَاجْعَلْنا مِنَ الَّذِينَ

3 ـ إلهِي ما أَلَذَّ خَواطِرَ الإِلْهامِ بِذِكْرِكَ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ،

13. 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,[^15]
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!^16
  Thou hast said - and Thy word is true -
  Remember Me, and I will remember you!^17
  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!

1. إلهِي لَوْلا الْواجِبُ مِنْ قَبُولِ أمْرِكَ

2. إلهِي فَأَلْهِمْنا ذِكْرَكَ

3. إلهِي بِكَ هامَتِ الْقُلُوبُ الْوالِهَةُ،

4. إلهِي أَنْتَ قُلْتَ وَقَوْلُكَ الْحَقُّ:

14. The Whispered Prayer of those who Hold Fast

الرابعة عشرة : مناجاة المعتصمين (82)

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,[^18]
and to gather us under the wings of Thy preservation!
By Thy clemency and Thy mercy,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!

1 ـ أَللَّهُمَّ يا مَلاَذَ اللائِذِينَ،

15. 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!

1. إلهِي أَسْكَنْتَنا داراً

2. إلهِي فَزَهِّدْنا فِيها،

[^1]: Allusion to the saying of the Prophet: 'Remorse is a repentance.' Cf. note 131.

[^3]: Reference to 12:53

[^4]: Allusion to 70:19-21: Surely man was created fretful, when evil touches him, anxious, when good visits him, grudging.

[^5]: 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).

[^7]: 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).

[^8]: Allusion to 7:54: Verily His are the creation and the command.

[^9]: Cf. 59.8 and note 281.

[^10]: Cf. note 256.

[^11]: Allusion to 29:69.

[^13]: 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).

[^14]: Allusion to 89:28: O soul serene, return to thy Lord, well-pleased, well-pleasing!

[^15]: Allusion to 13:28: In remembering God find serenity the hearts of those who have faith and do righteous deeds.

[^18]: Allusion to the words of Lot in 11:80, Would that I had power against you, or might take shelter in a strong pillar!