Fast of the Month of Ramadhan: Philosophy and Ahkam

What ought to be repeated every night of the last ten nights of the month

An annotation on al-Kaf’ami's book Al-Misbah contains an invocation narrated through the authority of Imam al-Sadiq (as). It is recommended to be repeated on each of the last ten nights of the month. The author indicates that he (as) used to say the following on each such night:

"Lord! You have said in Your revealed Book: ‘The month of Ramadhan is that in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed, a guid­ance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the distinction,' and You glorified the sanctity of the month of Ramadhan due to the Holy Qur'an which You revealed therein, assigning Lailatul-Qadr to it and making it better than a thousand months. Lord! These are the days of the month of Ramadhan which have gone by and so have its nights. Lord!

You are more knowledgeable than I, and more aware, of the number of Your devotees; so, I pray You in whatever Your angels who are close to You, Your messen­gers, and Your righteous devotees, pray You to send blessings unto Muhammad (S) and the progeny of Muhammad, and to free me from the fire, to let me enter into Paradise by Your mercy, and to be Gracious unto me, to forgive me, to accept my endeavor to be near to You, to respond to my invocation and to grant me security on the day when everyone will be terrified, apprehensive of the horrors prepared on the Day of Judg­ment. Lord!

I seek refuge with Your Glory and Great Prestige not to let the days and nights of the month of Ramadhan pass away without forgiving me for the sins for which You intend that I should atone. O Lord, Lord, Lord! I pray You, You with Whom there is no other god, for there is no god but You, to be pleased with me in this month, and to be even more pleased with me if You were pleased with me before. So, be pleased with me, Lord, for You are the most Merciful of those who are merciful unto others, O You Who is the One and Only God, the One Independent of any need, the One Who did not beget nor is He begotten, nor is there ever the like of Him!"

Then repeat the following at least three times:

"O You Who made the iron pliant to David, peace be upon him! O You Who removed distress and the great agony from Jacob, peace be upon him! O You Who removed the distress of Joseph, peace be upon him! I pray You to send blessings unto Muhammad (S) and the progeny of Muhammad, for You are Capable of doing so, and not to punish me with the punishment that I de­serve."