Foreword
Commenting on the Qur’anic mention of
two pairs of Paradises, a great Sufi authority of our times had
remarked, “… since all the Paradises are within the aura of the divine
Essence there can be no sense of deprivation when Union gives way to a
certain differentiation of Spirits.” Otherwise expressed, the marvelous
presences which are to be encountered are too eloquent manifestations of
the Divine Essence itself to give rise to anything but joyous
wonderment. But here below Saints are no longer in the Paradise of Eden,
and as things are and have been throughout historic times, the sense of
separation from God and the return to the intrusive imperfections of
this lower world can be overwhelming, despite the certitude of the Saint
that the state of Union cannot be lost and that every apparent absence
is within the framework of Presence. The soul spontaneously seeks a
means of relief, and the chief means, needless to say is prayer. Another
means of relief, not altogether unconnected with prayer, is “to give
birth to a poem.” A parallel and no less frequent means of relief is
“supplication” (munajat).
In a civilization that did not promote
the writing down of inner experiences and in which autobiography was a
relatively rare genre of literature, it is difficult to find windows
into peoples’ souls. However, there is one genre of writing where people
do open themselves up; not to others, but to God. This is
“supplication” (munajat), the personal calling upon God. Supplications
voice the concerns that Muslims have in trying to establish a right
relationship with God; and it is rooted in the Prophetic practice being
an important subgenre already in the Hadith literature. Many of the
Prophet’s personal prayers were remembered and written down. In many
cases, he taught others how to call upon God, and in other cases, people
heard him repeating the same prayer on several occasions and memorized
it. All this was meticulously recorded and in later Islamic tradition
gave rise to a vast body of literature known as “supplication” (munajat)
which provides unparalleled insight into the world of Muslim personal
relationships with God and which has been loved as one of the great
poetic assets of Muslim devotional life and supreme treasures of Sufism.
The recitation of the supplications that
have been transmitted from the Prophet and other great Muslims is also
one way for people to imitate their predecessors in talking with God and
in trying to establish the right attitudes toward God. In addition,
they may feel that they are establishing a personal nearness to the
author of the prayers.
One of the first things that one notices
in reading supplications is that the abstract language and the typical
perspective of early Muslim theological writings are totally lacking.
God is not a distant monarch who simply issues commands to his slaves
and expects them to be obeyed.
Quite the contrary, He is present with
the worshiper, listening to the supplications, and responding to them.
Does He not say in the Qur’an, “Supplicate Me, and I will respond to
you” (40: 60)? The God of supplication is, in short, a God who is
conceived predominantly in terms of nearness and tashbih. It is a God to
whom people can relate through love and intimacy. This is a God who is
concerned with every detail of human life. People cannot have two
domains, one for unimportant things that God does not care about, and
another for God’s affairs: Tawhid demands that God cares about all human
affairs.
In many forms of modern Islam, the depth
of the personal relationship with God that is encouraged by the Qur’an
and the Islamic tradition is pushed into the background. This is natural
as soon as we remember that modernist Islam typically stresses the
rational side of Islamic teachings, partly as an apologetic device to
fend off Western criticisms of Islam, and partly as a theological
principle to allow the integration of modern forms of
knowledge—technology in particular—into Islamic countries. We must
always remember that theological rationality, by its very nature,
stresses incomparability (tanzih) and hence the impersonal and distant
sides of God’s reality. Nevertheless, supplication still plays a major
role in the religious life of Muslims, especially those who have not had
the traditional worldview altered by modern education. In keeping with
the earliest examples, supplication is eminently personal and allows
people to see their intimate relationship with God in every dimension of
life.
The unusual and absorbing texts of
supplications (munajat), selected and translated from the Arabic in this
volume, come from the pen of “A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century”,
Shaykh Ahmad al-‘Alawi whose sanctity recalled the golden age of
medieval mystics. It is a valuable document not only for students of
Islam but for all who are attracted to spiritual matters and may serve
as a key to a deeper understanding of Islam as a whole and of Muslim
piety and spiritual life in particular.
Muhammad Suheyl Umar Director Iqbal Academy . Lahore, Pakistan.
A word from the translator
This effort at translating a munajat,
written by a great Muslim Saint, who lived at the turn of the century
about hundred years ago, should not be judged pedantically or
academically. I do not claim to be a scholar, nor do I claim sufficient
knowledge of the languages as would qualify me for this kind of work.
However, I have relied less on my ability as a translator and more on
the grace (barakah) of the author of this munajat and above all on the
Mercy of God to whom it is addressed. If the readers observe any
shortcomings or faults, I squarely accept the responsibility for these.
I was introduced to the munajat a few
years ago by Seyyed Muhammad Farooq Ahmad Sahib, a venerable saint
himself, for whom I have great love and regard. He made a gift to me of a
copy of the munajat which contained the Arabic text as well as its Urdu
translation.
It was a fortuitous introduction since
the author of the munajat was no other than Shaykh of my own late Shaykh
‘Issa Nur ed-Din Ahmad (may God sanctify his secret). Later, Farooq
Ahmad Sahib asked me to translate it into English. Without his blessings
and encouragements, I would not have been able to complete this work.
Nor could this effort have been completed without blessings and prayers
of my late Shaykh, other saintly patrons and last but not the least my
own parents. For the translation, I frequently kept in view the
excellent Urdu translation of learned Dr. Muhammad Habibullah Mukhtar.
Nevertheless, the present English translation of the munajat is not a
translation of the Urdu translation. I have translated it from the
Arabic but I admit having taken extensive help from the Urdu translation
without which I may not have been able to do this work. Whatever the
quality of translation of this kind of work, a great deal of the beauty
and effectiveness tends to get lost in the process. The play of words,
which creates the effect by their sounds, is very difficult to reproduce
especially when the languages are so very different as Arabic and
English. Even the word munajat itself cannot be succinctly translated in
a single English word. It has been translated as intimate prayer,
intimate discourse, whispered prayer, and so forth; all of which are at
the best approximations of the original. When my learned friend Muhammad
Suheyl Umar used ‘Intimate Supplication’ for it, I also settled for it.
It is strange that this writing of
Shaykh Ahmad Al-Alawi was not mentioned in the excellent biography of
the Shaykh written by Martin Lings (late Shaykh Abu Bakr Seraj ed-Din).
Anyhow, my effort not being of an academic nature, I neither felt the
need for a thoroughly conclusive research to resolve this issue, nor
indeed had the time and resources to carry it out. However, while
searching the sources on internet, twice did I come across this munajat
in Arabic and it had been attributed to the Shaykh. One of these
websites, which is in French, is associated with Shaykh’s grandson (from
his adopted daughter’s side, as Shaykh did not have any issue of his
own). That this is not a full fledged book might explain why it did get
not mentioned by S. Abu Bakr Seraj ed-Din (may Allah sanctify his
secret) in his biography of the saint. I had considered asking S. Abu
Bakr about this but, as the Providence would have it, he passed away to
the eternal abode before I could do so.
Judging by the words and tone of this
short work, and the circumstances which led me to it, I personally have
little doubt as to its authorship. Also the fact that I was able to
complete the translation despite my apparent lack of ability, for me, is
a proof in itself that the munajat has been penned by the Saint to
whose spiritual lineage I am connected.
I have tried that the translation,
without being very literal, should stay close to the original. Thus it
is neither literal nor a free rendering—it is something in between. I
have tried to remain close to the meaning without compromising the
spontaneous flow of the prayer. It is evident that in such cases one
rendering always leaves room for other possible renderings, which may
even be better. If someone, with greater knowledge of the language and
the subject, finds that my rendering has failed to do justice to the
original, such a person has perfect right to use such better rendering
that he can come up with. And at the same time I seek forgiveness for
such unintended lapses on my part and ask you to pray for me.
For the passages of Qur’an, I have
referred to various translations and modified these as and where I felt
necessary. References are made to the relevant Chapter and Verse in the
format [Chapter: Verse]. In the Arabic section I have left out
references because these can be easily checked with references in
English section. While quotes of English translation are in italics, the
quotes from Qur’an in Arabic are put in parenthesis to set these apart
from rest of the text and also to facilitate its correspondence with
English translation on the opposite page. An effort has all along been
made to match the English rendering on each page with the Arabic
original text on the opposite page.
We are deeply indebted to venerable
saint Seyyed Raziuddin Ahmed Fakhri, on whose express desire this little
known gem was translated into Urdu and thus introduced to the
interested circle of readers in the Indo-Pak sub continent. But for his
initiative, this present effort may not have been possible. May God
bless his pious soul.
I am thankful to Professor Nicholas Heer
who, having reviewed the Arabic transcript as well as the English
translation, gave useful suggestions to improve it. I am grateful to
Muhammad Suheyl Umar, whose piety and erudition need little
introduction, for having penned the foreword, which is an enlightening
as well as thought provoking piece by itself.
I deeply thank my family for the support
and help extended to me in this effort, especially my sons,
Abdul-Musavir, Abdul-Basit and Abdul-Bari who, by making me free from
financial concerns, and by insisting that I busy myself with that which I
enjoyed most, made this possible. I pray to God that He may grant them
best in this world and the next.
I hope that despite my limitations, but
through the blessing and grace of the venerable author, the readers will
benefit from this English translation in achieving nearness to the
Truth—a loftier goal than which does not exist.
The Shaykh Ahmad Ben Mustafa al-Alawî
About the Author and the Way In this
brief introduction I only wish to add a short biographical note about
the life of the author and say a few words about the Way or Tasawwuf.
For those who wish to learn more about the life and teachings of the
author I suggest reading “A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century” by
Martin Lings. It is not only an authoritative biography of the Shaykh,
but a work of immense value so far in as it discusses the spiritual
heritage and legacy of the Shaykh.
The Shaykh was born in the year 1869 at
Mostaganem, a small town in Algeria. His name, as it appears on the
title pages of most of his books is Abu al-Abbâs Ahmad Ben Mustafa
al-Alawî. He was only son of his father who had two daughters before
him. His father had importuned God not to leave him without a male heir.
Some time before he was born, his mother Fatimah saw in her sleep the
Prophet with a jonquil in his blessed hand. He looked at her full in the
face, smiled at her and threw the flower to her, whereupon she took it
up with humble modesty. On waking up, she related the blessed dream to
her husband who knew that his prayers for a son had been answered. He
rightly interpreted it as meaning that they would be blessed with a
pious son.
The Shaykh belonged to a very pious and
noble family. He did not attend any formal school and his only education
came from Qur’an lessons that his father used to give him. The family
lived in poor financial conditions. He learnt the craft of cobbling and
took it up to support his family. When he was 16, his father passed
away. His mother lived till the Shaykh was 46.
He was attracted to Tasawwuf, the
Islamic Esoteric path, since his early years. After his father’s passing
away, he became head of the household, and despite his mother’s initial
protests and those of his wife, he attended nightly classes of
religious science and gathering for Dhikr. As he studied the doctrine of
Tasawwuf and came to know Sufi Masters, his mind opened up and he began
to have breadth of knowledge and understanding. In his initial years he
was attracted towards practicing wonders and marvels and even attained
some proficiency in that. Later, by the grace of God, a saying of the
Prophet caused him to draw away from these practices till he completely
gave these up and broke away from the company of friends who believed
that these wonders were a means of drawing near to God. And then he met
his Shaykh, Sîdî Muhammad al-Buzîdî, and was attached to his Sufi order.
He was transmitted the litanies to practice and the Dhikr.
The Shaykh used to attend lessons of
theology but his Master told him to stop attending these lessons,
saying: “You had better busy yourself now with purifying your innermost
soul until the Lights of your Lord dawn in it and you come to know the
real meaning of Unity. But as for scholastic theology, it will only
serve to increase your doubts and pile up illusion upon illusion. Give
up the rest of lessons until you are through with your present task, for
it is an obligation to put what is more important before what is of
lesser importance.” It was very hard for him to accept this order of his
spiritual Master, but having made the covenant with the master, he did
obey it. Then he started spending the hours, which he previously devoted
to reading, to solitary sessions of Dhikr till he realized the station
that God had reserved for him.
Following excerpt from the Shaykh’s autobiographical notes very succinctly describes his spiritual journey:
“As to the Shaykh al-Buzîdî’s way of guiding his disciple stage wise, it varied. He would talk to some about the form in which Adam was created and to others about the cardinal virtues and others about the Divine Actions, each instruction being especially suited to the disciple. But the course which he most often followed, and which I also followed after him, was to enjoin upon the disciple the invocation of the single Name with distinct visualization of its letters until they were written in his imagination. Then he would tell him to spread them out and enlarge them until they filled the entire horizon. The Dhikr would continue in this form until the letters became like light. Then the Shaykh would show the way out of this standpoint—it is impossible to express in words how he did so—and by means of this indication the Spirit of the disciple would quickly reach beyond the created universe provided that he had sufficient preparation and aptitude—otherwise there would be need for further purification and other spiritual training. At the above mentioned indication the disciple would find himself able to distinguish between the Absolute and the relative, and he would see the Universe as a ball or lamp suspended in a beginning less, endless void. Then it would grow dimmer in his sight as he persevered in the invocation to the accompaniment of meditation, until it seemed no longer a definite object but a mere trace. Then it would become not even a trace, until at length the disciple was submerged in the World of the Absolute and his certainty was strengthened by Its Pure Light. In all this the Shaykh would watch over him and ask him about his states and strengthen him in the Dhikr degree by degree until he finally reached a point of being conscious of what he perceived through his own power. The Shaykh would not be satisfied until this point was reached, and he used to quote the words of God which refer to: One whom his Lord has made certain, and whose certainty He has then followed up with direct evidence. [11:17]
“As to the Shaykh al-Buzîdî’s way of guiding his disciple stage wise, it varied. He would talk to some about the form in which Adam was created and to others about the cardinal virtues and others about the Divine Actions, each instruction being especially suited to the disciple. But the course which he most often followed, and which I also followed after him, was to enjoin upon the disciple the invocation of the single Name with distinct visualization of its letters until they were written in his imagination. Then he would tell him to spread them out and enlarge them until they filled the entire horizon. The Dhikr would continue in this form until the letters became like light. Then the Shaykh would show the way out of this standpoint—it is impossible to express in words how he did so—and by means of this indication the Spirit of the disciple would quickly reach beyond the created universe provided that he had sufficient preparation and aptitude—otherwise there would be need for further purification and other spiritual training. At the above mentioned indication the disciple would find himself able to distinguish between the Absolute and the relative, and he would see the Universe as a ball or lamp suspended in a beginning less, endless void. Then it would grow dimmer in his sight as he persevered in the invocation to the accompaniment of meditation, until it seemed no longer a definite object but a mere trace. Then it would become not even a trace, until at length the disciple was submerged in the World of the Absolute and his certainty was strengthened by Its Pure Light. In all this the Shaykh would watch over him and ask him about his states and strengthen him in the Dhikr degree by degree until he finally reached a point of being conscious of what he perceived through his own power. The Shaykh would not be satisfied until this point was reached, and he used to quote the words of God which refer to: One whom his Lord has made certain, and whose certainty He has then followed up with direct evidence. [11:17]
“When the disciple had reached this
degree of independent perception, which was strong or weak according to
his capability, the Shaykh would bring him back again to the world of
outward forms after he had left it, and it would seem to him the inverse
of what it had been before, simply because the light of his inward eye
had dawned. He would see it as Light upon Light, and so it had been
before in reality. “In this degree the disciple may mistake the
bowstring for the arrow as has happened to many of those who are
journeying to God, and he may say as many have said: ‘I am He whom I
love, and He whom I love is I’, and the like—enough to make anyone who
has no knowledge of the attainments of the mystics and is unfamiliar
with their ejaculations throw at him the first thing that he can lay his
hands on. But the master of this degree comes before long to
distinguish between the spiritual points of view and to give to each of
the different degrees of existence its due and to each of the spiritual
stations what rightly belongs to it. This station took hold of me, and
it has been my home for many years, and I have become as it were an
expert in it, and make known its obligations, and my followers have had
what I wrote about it when I was first in its grip, and some of them now
have knowledge of its obligations, and some of them fall short of this
knowledge. The acuteness of this state still comes back to me sometimes,
but it does not compel me to write about it. True, it prompts me to
speak about it, but it is easier to live with than it was, something
that I feel rather than something that I am submerged in. “This path
which I have just described as being that of my Master is the one that I
have followed in my own spiritual guidance, leading my own followers
along it, for I have found it the nearest of the paths which lead to
God.”
After passing away of his spiritual
master, he was prevailed upon by the disciples of the master to take
Shaykh’s place and continue guiding them on the spiritual path. He did
some traveling to Istanbul, which was capital of the Ottoman Caliphate,
at its last legs then. He also traveled to the holy lands of Mecca and
Medina to perform pilgrimage.
The Shaykh continued guiding seekers of
Truth on this path till he passed away in the year 1934 at the age of
65. By that time he had thousands of disciples all around the world.
This lofty Shaykh belonged to the Darqawiya branch of the Shadhiliya
order founded by great Sufi Saint of Egypt Abul Hassan ash-Shadhili.
The question, “What is Sufism or
Tasawwuf?” has been frequently asked and as frequently answered by minds
far loftier and profounder than mine. I do not expect to come up with a
better answer, still I would attempt one.
A sage who lived in the last century
wrote: “... in fact everything has been said already, though it is far
from being the case that everyone has always understood it. There can
therefore be no question of presenting ‘new truths’; what is needed in
our time, and indeed in every age remote from the origins of Revelation,
is to provide some people with keys fashioned afresh—keys no better
than the old ones but merely more elaborated—in order to help them to
rediscover the truths written in an eternal script in the very substance
of man’s spirit.” (Understanding Islam: Frithjof Schuon) My attempt
should also be judged in the same vein as I hope that what I write may
help some people understand the subject better.
Before asking the question “What is
Sufism?” one needs to pose a more basic question: “What is purpose of
creation of man?”, and then attempt to find the answer in the light of
Qur’an and Prophetic tradition.
In Qur’an, God says: “And I have not
created jinn and man except that they know Me.” 51:55. The Arabic word
translated as “know Me” can also be taken to mean “worship Me”, but
according to Hazrat Ibn Abbas the word is used here in the sense “know
Me”. Hazrat Ben Abbâs was the one who had been granted profound
knowledge of interpretation of Qur’an by God as a result of a prayer by
the Prophet himself.
Then there is this well known Hadith Qudsi: “I was a hidden treasure and I wished to be known hence I created the creation.”
It is not difficult anymore to reach the
obvious conclusion that God created man so that he may know Him. How to
know God and where to find Him? God says: “Nothing in the vast and wide
Universe can contain Me but the heart of My servant.” (Hadith Qudsi)
In the passage quoted earlier, when the
sage talks about rediscovering “the truths written in an eternal script
in the very substance of man’s spirit”, he is evidently referring to the
heart, for in Islamic tradition it is the heart that is ‘the very
substance of man’s spirit’.
Venerable saint, Shaykh Sharafuddin
Ahmad Yehya Maneri writes, “Your worth is that which you desire for. If
you desire for a dog, your worth is not more than a dog. Likewise are
the other objects of desire. The dog of the People of Cave is an example
in question.
This dog desired for Truth and the Truth
became its worth! We all are nothing but children of our own desires.”
(Hundred Letters: Letter 80) Just as our objects of desire determine our
worth, so do the objectives of our activities determine the worth of
these activities. Having said this, let us now reflect if there can be
any object of desire greater than the Truth or God? If not, then epitome
of human perfection verily lies in desiring God and directing all one’s
activities towards this sole object.
Human heart, being the very substance of
man’s spirit, is the organ of intellect which alone can reflect this
Truth. But, to use the Sufi terminology, we have piled upon it the rust
of desires for other than God.
This rust or dirt needs to be removed if we wish to behold the Divine Truth, Beauty and Bliss within ourselves.
Thus the highest goal in life, and
indeed the sole purpose of creation of man, is to attain the greatest
state of bliss and happiness by desiring that which is the Best and
striving with one’s whole being to witness the Divine Truth and Beauty
within. The messengers were sent and the religions were established only
so that each and every individual could realize the Truth according to
one’s capacity and desire Sufism is nothing but the esoteric path within
the framework of Islamic tradition, so that we can rediscover the Truth
indelibly scribed in our very substance. Sufism is living the religion
not by the letter alone but by the spirit as well. It requires that we
perform all rituals and acts with excellence that is with full awareness
and mindfulness of being in the Divine Presence for if we do not see
God, God nevertheless sees us. Accordingly our behavior and demeanor
must, under all circumstances and conditions, reflect this awareness and
conform to it. Pursued under vigilant guidance of a teacher who has
witnessed the Truth, and has been duly authorized to transmit the
guidance, Sufism can help sincere seekers attain the ultimate certainty.
Sufism, like all esoteric paths, does
demand the commitment of one’s whole being, and it can never be learnt
without guidance of a teacher who has himself traversed the path and
received guidance from a genuine link of orthodox teachers going all the
way back to the source of this teaching: which in Islamic tradition is
none other than the Prophet himself.
Transmitting guidance is what the author
of this munajat did: having realized the Truth and having been divinely
entrusted with the task of guiding others on the path that he himself
had already traversed, he guided the aspirants of Truth so that they too
could fulfill the purpose of their creation by attaining and knowing
the Truth.
One of the first steps on the path of
realization of Truth is to produce this state of Ihsân or excellence
where one is constantly aware of being in the Divine Presence, so that
all his activities reflect this awareness.
Among the Sufi literature, munajat,
being an intimate supplication addressed directly to God, has this
unique quality of mellowing the heart and immersing the supplicator in
deep and fully realized awareness of conversing with the Creator and
being in the Divine Presence. Its greatest value therefore lies in
producing this state of awareness which, if God so wills, can extend and
prolong into the moments beyond those actually spent in reciting the
munajat.
Need it be said that the sincerity of
purpose and an open mind are prerequisites for drawing most benefit from
such works of piety! I conclude this introduction with the words of the
venerable author regarding this munajat:
“I will be pleased if my disciples
recite it in solitude every day with full attentiveness and sincerity
and reflect deeply on its meanings. If a one cannot recite it every day,
let him recite it once a week and Friday night is superior choice for
this. May God give us the strength to act by it so that we do not remain
deprived of the blessing of this Divine favor.”
May God grant that we benefit from the
spiritual radiance of the Prophet, to whose spiritual progeny the lovers
and friends of God belong, and whose message and spiritual light they
transmit to the seekers and lovers of Truth. Amen.
Blessing of Crown
O my Allah
Bless our noble lord
And master Muhammad
Possessor is he of:
The crown celestial,
The ascension ethereal,
The steed supernal,
And the Standard of
Truth and discernment eternal.
Dispeller is he of:
Tribulations inescapable,
Plagues incurable,
Famines horrible,
Ailments unbearable,
And tragedies terrible.
Whose name—
Scribed eternally,
Elevated incomparably,
Interceding unfailingly—
Is Etched indelibly
On the Tablet heavenly.
Lord is he alike of
The Arab and
The non-Arab.
His earthly form—
Sacred and Fragrant,
Pure and Radiant—
Adorns the House
And the Sanctuary.
Like the bright Sun at midday,
And like the full Moon at midnight,
Established at the heights of zenith,
Our Guiding Light,
Haven for the hapless,
He is the lamp dispelling the darkness.
Adorned with qualities most beautiful,
Intercessor is he for all people.
Possessor of majesty is he,
And also of generosity bountiful.
And Allah is his Protector,
Gabriele his valet,
The steed supernal, his ride,
The ascension sublime his journey,
Loftiest height his station,
Intimacy with Truth his desire,
His desire his Objective,
And one with his Objective, he already is.
Leader of the messengers from heaven,
Seal of the prophets,
Intercessor for the sinners,
Friend of the poor,
Mercy for worlds,
Bliss for the lovers,
Goal of the aspirants,
Sun among the Gnostics,
Beaconing light for the seekers of Truth,
Illuminating lamp for the ones up and close,
Beloved of the poor, of the needy,
And of the downtrodden too, Is he.
Master of worlds: the seen and the unseen,
Prophet of the two Sanctuaries,
Leader of the two directions of prayer,
Means of felicity is he in both abodes:
Here and the Hereafter.
Possessor of proximity to the Truth,
Beloved of the Lord of the east’s and the west’s,
Grandfather of Hassan and Hussain,
Our liege lord is he,
And also the lord of all beings:
Seen and unseen.
Father of Qasim,
Muhammad, the son of Abdullah,
Is verily Light from the Light of Allah.
O ye, who are eager to behold
His radiant beauty eternal,
Send blessings on him galore,
And also on his family,
And on his companions;
And say the greetings of peace
Unto them all.
Intimate Supplication
And whose utterance excels than his who
invites to Allah and acts with integrity, saying, “I am surely of those
who submit to Allah” [41:33]
O Allah,
I ask You in the name of the Prophet,
the most honored of those who engaged in intimate conversations with
You, and the best of those who beseeched You, that may You shower the
rain of Your Mercy and the clouds of Your sweet Pleasure on my heart—
making it rejoice in Your remembrance, awakening it from the slumber of
forgetfulness— so that it beholds none but You, remains steadfast in
Your obedience and firm in piety.
O You, whose Splendor Divine lends
beauty to the things of this world, and whose Radiance Sublime makes
these visible, favor us too with Your Mercy and grant us a light that
illuminates the road tricky and winding, dispels the darkness endless
and blinding, and opens up the pathways of bliss and goodness, abiding.
O Allah, forgive us and our believing
brethren the sins of days bygone, and grant us the ability to abide by
the truth in the times ahead.
By the Name of Allah the Benevolent, the Merciful
Believers, be mindful of Allah and believe in the Messenger of Allah:
Allah gives you a double portion of
Mercy Divine, and provides you a light by which to walk, and Allah
forgives you for Allah is sublimely forgiving and merciful. [57:28]
The Most Beautiful are the Names of
Allah, so call on Allah by His Names and reject those who abuse these
names— such shall be recompensed for what they have been doing. [7:180]
And be not like those who forgot Allah, so Allah made them forget their own souls: they are the ones who are dissolute.
Not alike are the inmates of the fire
and the dwellers of the garden: the dwellers of the garden are they that
are the triumphant.
Had We sent this Recital down on a
mountain, you would see it humbled, and break apart in awe of Allah—
such are the parables that We set forth for human beings that they might
reflect.
Allah is He, other than Whom there is no god, Knower of the hidden and of the manifest; the Benevolent, the Merciful.
Allah is He, other than whom there is no
god, the Sovereign, the Holy, the Source of Peace, the Giver of Safety,
the Protector, the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the Overwhelming.
Glory be to Allah beyond any association they attribute.
Allah is He, the Creator, the Evolver, the Shaper, to Whom belong the Names, Most Beautiful.
Each being in the heavens and earth
glorifies Him: the Almighty, the Perfectly Wise. [59:19-24] And surely
to our Lord we will be returned. [43:14]
In Your Remembrance sweet, Blissful pleasure do we seek.
The believers are those whose hearts
throb when Allah is mentioned, whose certainty increases as Allah’s
signs are revealed to them, and who place their trust in their Lord.
[8:2]
On the Ever Living do I rely, Whom death never comes nigh.
Praise be to Allah, Who has not begotten
a son and has no partner in dominion, and needs no protector from
abasement: proclaim His greatness great.” [17:111]
Allah, Greatest of the great,
His is praise, best of the best,
Glorify Him, day and night,
From early morn till late sunset.
So glory be to the One
Who holds sovereignty over all things and to Whom you shall all be returned. [36:83]
Glory be to You!
Duly recount Your praise, I can never do!
You have recounted Your praise by Your own Self.
Glory be to You!
None can duly recount Your praise, but You.
Glory be to You!
None can affirm Your Oneness, but You.
Glory be to You!
None can comprehend Your Essence, but You.
Glory be to You!
None can know You, but You.
Glory be to You!
None can fathom Your station, but You.
Glory to your Sustainer, the Lord of Power—
Who transcends all description!
And peace be upon all the messengers!
And praise to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. [37:180-182]
All praise belongs to Allah,
Who created the heavens and the earth,
and set up the darkness and the light; yet those who disbelieve equate
others with their Lord. [6:1]
Can there be a god besides Allah? Allah transcends any association that they may aGribute. [27:63]
No god but Allah is the Loftiest of all things.
No god but Allah is the Dearest of all things.
No god but Allah is the Sweetest of all things.
No god but Allah is the Nearest of all things.
No god but Allah is the Greatest of all things.
No god but Allah is the Visible through all things.
No god but Allah is comparable to nothing.
No god but Allah is preceded by nothing.
No god but Allah is succeeded by nothing.
No god but Allah is below nothing.
No god but Allah is above nothing.
No god but Allah is alongside nothing.
No god but Allah is the One without any partner.
To Him belong the Kingdom and the Praise, and He has power over everything.
None is Powerful but Allah.
None wills but Allah.
None is Hearing but Allah.
None is Seeing but Allah.
None is Knowing but Allah.
None is Merciful but Allah.
None is Reckoned but Allah.
None is Watchful but Allah.
There is no Inward but Allah.
There is no Outward but Allah.
There is no Being but Allah.
There is no Existent but Allah.
There is no god but Allah: in earth and in heavens.
There is no god but Allah: in sleep and in wakefulness.
There is no god but Allah: in life and in death.
There is no god but Allah: in the states of sobriety and of intoxication.
There is no god but Allah: in the states of lapses—the deliberate and the inadvertent.
There is no god but Allah: at all times and all moments.
There is no god but Allah: in all conditions.
O Allah, just as You have inspired us to utter La ilaaha il Allah, so now accept our faith in La ilaaha il Allah.
O Allah, just as You have safeguarded our lives and belongings through
La ilaaha il Allah, so safeguard our faith and certainty in La ilaaha il Allah.
O Allah, just as You have exposed us to
the abundant grace of La ilaaha il Allah, so now set us up as the
dwellers of La ilaaha il Allah.
You have said:
And then there was Younus: when he went away in wrath, he thought that We had no power over him.
But then he called out among afflictions, “There is no god but You, glory be to You; surely I am from the transgressors.”
So We answered him and rescued him from the affliction: and thus do We rescue the believers. [21:87-88]
I too call out to You, from within the dark recesses of my ego and through the awareness granted by You:
There is no god but You, glory be to You, while I am from the transgressors.
There is no god but You, glory be to You, while I am from the ignorant.
There is no god but You, glory be to You, while I am from the wayward.
There is no god but You, glory be to You, while I am from the ruined.
May You grant my prayer just as You granted the prayer of Younus:
O You, Who when He desires a thing, all that He has to say is “Be”, and it becomes.
Did Younus need Your Mercy more than we do?
No! By Lord, no!
The tribulations of us, the sinners, are far more severe than his.
Our sins graver, have made us needier and poorer.
And have You not so promised:
Charities are only for the needy and the poor. [9:60]
O Allah, if Your Forgiveness is for sinners, then who deserves it better than we do?
And if it is for the virtuous, then who needs it lesser than they do?
O Allah,
You are the One Who forgives: but forgiveness does not take place unless a wrongdoing has first occurred.
And You are the Merciful: but mercy cannot be shown unless a lapse has already occurred.
Lo! We have already wronged and lapsed, as is our wont.
Now You must forgive and show mercy, As is Your wont.
So by the Lord of the heavens and the earth, this is the plain Truth, as self-evident as the fact that you can speak. [51:23]
O Allah, if a portion of Your boundless
Mercy has been set apart for the sinners, then, knowing that a portion
so held in trust by You is never lost, we have already earned it by our
sins.
O Allah,
You know that I love repentance and
those who repent, for I know that You too love those who repent, and
those who cleanse themselves.
But I fear that I may break the vows of repentance, as is my nature and my wont.
O Allah, if this fear prevents me from
coming to the door of Your Mercy, and from trusting Your Munificence and
Generosity, then O my Lord! grant me the strength to turn to You in
repentance, till You are pleased with me mercifully.
And why would You not accept my repentance, when You, the True One, have yourself said:
Repentance with Allah is only for those
who err in ignorance, then turn in repentance to Allah soon, so they are
the ones to whom Allah turns mercifully… [4:17]
O Allah, make me of such people, for I too repent my sins sincerely.
Verily I will perish into nothingness, unless You favor me with Your Forgiveness.
O my Allah, have You not, in the Book given to the noblest of them all, so said:
Say to those who scoff,
“If you desist, that which is past shall be forgiven you…” [8:38]
You were pleased with them just because they uttered Kalima.
You being so Kind, our deliverance is
immensely assured: for we not only sincerely believe in the Kalima, but
this Kalima we have repeatedly uttered.
Verily it is the nature of Kalima that it severs polytheism at its very roots.
We have disobeyed You, but never denied You!
We have opposed Your commands, but never challenged these!
Our Lord, we believe in what You have revealed and we follow the messenger; so count us among those who bore witness. [3:53]
Our Lord, whomsoever You make enter the
fire, him You have indeed brought to disgrace, and there shall be no
saviors for the unjust.
Our Lord, indeed we have heard a crier invite to the faith—
‘Believe in your Lord’—and we did believe.
Our Lord, forgive us our sins, efface our evil deeds, and make us die with the righteous. [3:192-193]
O my Allah,
You have commanded us to ask, and obligated Yourself to grant.
As per Your command we ask, as per Your promise You must now grant.
Have You not so promised in the Qur’an:
I hearken to the prayer of the supplicant when one calls on Me. [2:186]
O my Allah!
Were You to grant the prayers of the obedient alone!
What door would we sinners knock?
Who responds to the distressed soul when it calls out to Him? [27:62]
Their pleas rejected by the Infinitely Generous, the servants would grind under their sins grievous.
Totally lost and doomed they would be, but for Your reassurance bounteous:
Despair not of Allah's Mercy. [12:87]
O Allah, my sins have turned me speechless, forgetfulness has plunged me into pits— dark and fathomless.
“If You do not forgive me and have mercy
on me, I would be amongst the losers.” [11:47] Lord, I am aware that my
sins have left me unworthy for Your Presence; my lapses,
transgressions, and disregard of Your rights, have left me utterly
destitute.
Wretched me! Oft I repent, and then I recant!
Many a vice I stay away from, yet end up falling prey to them all.
How so very Forgiving and Relenting You are, and how so very insolent I am!
Lo my Allah!
I seek forgiveness for all my sins of past and present, and turn to You, leaning on Your promise:
Nor is Allah going to chastise them while yet they ask for forgiveness. [8:33]
O my Allah,
I seek Your Forgiveness for my insolence
and my sinfulness, and I turn to You and repent for all my deeds sinful
and the acts woeful.
“If You wished, You could have already destroyed them (the errants); and me as well.” [7:155]
How very Glorified You rein Your loving Kindness!
And how very insolent I am, in my defying ungratefulness!
Acting towards me out of Your Pleasure goodly,
You overlook my misdeeds, woeful and lowly.
But lo and behold,
I persist in these unabashedly!
Your Generosity Boundless has made me habitual transgressor, shameless.
I err and You honor;
I confront You, but You give me respite; and despite this all,
You never fail to grant whenever I ask!
Your relenting Benevolence has verily made me forgetful of Your severe Vengeance.
My Allah, apprehend me not for this forgetfulness, nor plunge me into adversity hapless.
Our Lord!
Please do not take us to task if we forget or err.
And please our Lord, do not place on us a burden like that You put on those who lived before us.
And please our Lord, do not impose on us what we cannot bear.
And pardon us.
And forgive us.
And bestow Your Mercy on us.
You are our Protector; so help us against people oblivious of Truth. [2:286]
Our Lord!
Do not let our hearts deviate after You have guided us.
And grant us mercy from Yourself; for You are the most Generous. [3:8]
My Allah,
You granted us faith, a precious gift, even before we asked for it.
What an honor, what a favor!
And the generous never take back that which they once gift!
And once adorned with generosity,
You, my Lord, can never be without it!
My Allah,
You are the Witness: of my faith and my
conviction, of my submission and its spiritual excellence, of that which
is in my heart, and also of that which is on my tongue.
Our Lord, complete our illumination for us, and forgive us; for You have power over all things. [66:8]
My Allah,
Who in the worlds vast and wide needs Your Mercy more than I do?
By the Truth of Your Essence, and by the Light of Your Countenance too,
I am as much needy of You as independent You are of me!
I ask for Your Mercy Immense, which You are obliged to dispense:
He has ordained mercy for Himself. [6:12]
If Your Mercy is for the sinners, then, having sinned, this Mercy we have already earned.
And if it is for the virtuous alone, then we would be doomed, but for our best hopes in You.
And whoever trusts in Allah, Allah suffices for him. [65:3]
So let the believers trust in Allah. [3:160]
My Allah,
I considered my sins great, till I compared these with Your Mercy Infinite.
And then I beheld, that by Your Mercy Your Wrath is far outweighed.
My Allah,
If You wished to keep me away from the
door of Your Mercy, why would You inform me of Your Munificence through
this sublimely Generous assurance:
I am most displeased with the one who sins and then holds that sin greater than my Mercy and Forgiveness. (Hadith Qudsi)
Thus I came to know how improper it is
that a believer consider great, that which is of no import, in view of
Your Supreme Generosity and Benevolence.
I am afraid of Your wrath, yet I entreat You, otherwise how dare a sinner even as much as lift his head before You!
How dare I sin, in Your all-encompassing Omnipresence?
How dare I challenge You, when all comforts of my life I owe to Your Munificence?
How dare I ask You favors, forgetting my opposition to You, and my insolence?
How very strange for a fleeing slave, to ask his master the way to deliverance?
And most ironic is that a sinner asks for strength from his Lord, so that he can persist in disobedience!
The truth is: that we are insolent and
shameless but not because we dare deem You powerless, but because Your
Benevolence Boundless has made us forget Your retribution Relentless!
It is like an ungrateful slave becoming insolent, just because master is exceedingly benevolent.
My Allah,
Forbearance being Your attribute since
pre-eternity and through times endless, how can there be any decrease in
It on the day of Recompense?
My Allah, when You informed us that all rests on Your Will and Decree,
You also made it known that to You alone
must we direct all our complaints and pleas; and that in You alone, is
the Refuge for us the sinners.
So O You, who are the best of witnesses,
be Witness to that which is in my heart: that my best hopes lie in You,
that Sufficient for me are You, and the best Caretaker of my affairs
too; even though my vices abound, as do my failings in my obligations
towards You.
My Allah,
But for my lapses, Your Compassion could not be displayed; but for my sins, Your Forgiveness could not be manifested.
My acts of disobedience thus brought to light, that which the obedience of others had kept out of sight.
My Allah,
You command me to reform my heart and gather it unto You.
But how can You ask me to reform that which is in Your Hand?
By Your Truth I swear, were I to become master of my heart for a single moment, I would hand it over to You.
And were You to give me control over it for a single moment,
I would gather it unto none but You.
True that I have erred, but if You so wish,
You can any time gather my heart unto Yourself—for verily You have all the Power.
My Allah,
I know that I have been insolent towards You, and that I have failed in my obligations too.
But You know that despite my insolence, never did I cross the limit and associate false gods with You!
Nor did I attribute falsities to You!
I may have faltered in obedience, but never have I faltered in my faith in You; or forgotten my utter dependence on You.
My Lord,
I am in need of anything good You send me. [28:24]
And You are the One who grants supplications; verily You have the absolute power over all creation.
My Allah, if I fear You, that is how it should be for You are the Powerful Tremendous; and if I hopefully turn towards You,
I am justified in that too, for You are the Forbearing, the Generous.
My Allah,
What good would I miss if I only knew You; and what blessing would I lack if I only feared You?
How very amazing that I disobey You despite my fear, and You forgive me despite my disobedience!
How very Limitless Your Bounty,
How very Sublime Your Graciousness!
My Allah!
I beseech You by Your Honor to veil my dishonor;
I implore you in the name of Your Knowledge to overlook my ignorance.
Have You not said this of those who have knowledge:
And when the ignorant address them, they say, “Peace”. [25:63]
And now that You have heard my prayer,
I beg You to favor me with Your answer.
My Allah, if You judge me by my acts,
You can only denounce me.
But if You consider my attributes, helpless You will pronounce me.
My acts begin and end in time, but my attributes remain with me.
Would You judge me by that which is passing, or by that which is lasting?
Enough of a punishment for a sinner, would be the disgrace that he has to suffer, on account of his sins and errors.
O my Lord, by your Truth and by those whom You honor,
I implore You to forgive my ignorance and save me from disgrace piled upon disgrace.
I complain of my sorrow and grief to Allah alone. [12:86]
I complain of my infirmity and weakness to none but Allah:
And I leave my concern to Allah, for Allah watches over all His servants. [40:44]
O my Allah, would it agree with Your Compassion Infinite that You defile a face that has bowed before You in prostration?
Or, torment a body that has kneeled before You in devotion?
Or, burn a tongue that has sung Your Name in celebration?
Or, snatch a sight that has beheld for Your Pleasure alone?
Or, distraught a heart that has known You and been Your abode?
Or, turn away a servant who has held You in awe?
If such be the demands of justice, then Your Benevolence will counter it and override it readily.
For Your Mercy prevails over Your Wrath, verily!
My Allah!
How can Your Mercy leave me out, while it encompasses all things and all conditions?
Even if it be said that Your Mercy is
for the pious, would there be no portion in it for the rest of the
believers, of which I too am an ignoble part?
O my Allah!
You granted me faith: a gift priceless.
Then You tested me through my sins of forgetfulness.
Will You deal with me according to what You gave me as a gift, or by that through which You put me to test?
Whatever You decide, it will be perfectly right.
And whatever we receive from You is not
only acceptable, but enjoyable too— as long as it does not drive us away
from Your door, or prevent us from addressing You.
My Allah!
You made it incumbent upon us to respond to the oppressed when they call out for help.
Lo, we too cry out for Your help and equally incumbent it is upon You to help,
O You, the Helper Best.
Allah is indeed kind and merciful to humanity. [22:65]
O Lord, come to our aid, lest sins remove us from the
Door of Your Benevolence, and deny us the fragrant
Whiff of Your Mercy.
Would that I rather be dead before this, and be forgotten of the forgotten!
My Allah,
I know that in Your Majestic Court
I have earned no rank and no hope.
Nor have I forwarded any deeds to earn Your Pleasure indeed— except for my affirmation of Your Oneness!
Lo, I bear witness to Your Oneness.
So You be Witness: of witnesses all, you are the best.
My Allah, make me die in this life as a believer and raise me with the righteous in the next.
O my Allah!
How can I seek reward for my testimony
of affirmation, and use it as an intercession, when it is actually You
Who made me testify?
How can I seek proximity to You as a compensation, for my acts of devotion, when it is actually You Who made me Your devotee?
How can I seek Union, as a recompense for Remembrance, when it is actually You,
Who instilled this Remembrance in me?
Sufficient for me is the recompense that worthy You found me for these acts noble!
Now, whether You accept these acts or not, either way, I am Your slave ignoble.
Try to fulfill, to the best of my capacity, I will, the covenants and promises that I made with You.
And no power have I to either benefit or harm myself, except what Allah desires. [8:18]
O Allah,
You know well that our hearts are inclined towards You and in You these find rest.
These may not be fully gathered unto You, but if You so wish, O Powerful One,
You can gather these unto You!
O You, Who will doubtlessly gather all creation on the judgment day, please do gather our hearts unto You!
O Allah, sinning is abominable, but never have we intended to alienate ourselves from You through it.
O Allah forgive us our sins, as lapses
unintended, for has not Your Prophet so assured, that by the underlying
intent, will the acts be judged?
My Allah,
You command us to forgive those who transgress us.
But in our case we are the ones who have transgressed ourselves.
So there is none but You who can forgive us this transgression:
And if You forgive us not, and have mercy on us not, we shall certainly be among the losers. [7:23]
O Allah, if my virtuous acts lack the strength to join me with You, how can my ugly sins separate me from You?
My Allah, howsoever ardently may the
worshippers worship, none can worship You as is Your due; howsoever
thoroughly may the Gnostics know You, none can know You as You are;
howsoever vehemently may the affirmers affirm, none can affirm Your
Oneness as is Its due; howsoever exhaustively may the raconteurs
recount, none can recount Your Praise fully!
How can the creature comprehend Him to Whom it owes its very creation?
How can the devotee discharge his due, to the One Who endowed him this very devotion?
Glory be to Him,
Who gave the Hidden command over the Manifest.
In this interplay Divine,
He is the Manifest displaying the Hidden, and the Hidden veiled by the Manifest.
My Allah,
You command me to affirm Your Oneness and bear witness to It.
How can he bear witness who cannot exist alongside Your Oneness?
Or then how can he not, for it is You alone Who is being witnessed through things all!
How can I affirm Your Oneness as It annihilates me to naught?
But then how can I not, for it is Your Oneness that establishes me in my form and my thought!
How can we know You
Who is hidden and ever changing too?
Or then how can we not, for in every thing does Your Truth shine through!
How can we ever experience You, as beyond our senses of perception You are?
But then how can we fail to, when closer than the vein jugular verily You are!
My Allah!
How can You be Hidden, and the Manifest too?
How can You be absent from our sight, and be the Omnipresent too?
How can You be defied, and be the Omnipotent too?
Glory be to You!
Extol You, as is Your due,
I cannot—this only You Yourself can do!
The only way I can extol is by being utterly amazed at this all.
O my Allah!
Enhance our amazement about Yourself.
Granting us generously from Your Bounty Boundless, enrich us beyond dependence on worlds, this or that!
My Allah, if amongst Your loved ones,
You have freed some from asking You,
I do not ask that You likewise make me independent of You.
Rather I simply ask: just make me independent of all but You.
My Lord, You know that I do not like asking from the mortals, nor do I like those who do.
But the needs and wants have obliged us to turn to them.
O Allah, You fulfill all our needs and
gather us all unto Your Mercy’s fold, so that depending on You alone,
none but You do we behold.
O my Allah!
I submit to You,
I believe in You,
I turn towards You, and on You alone do I rely.
My Allah,
You are my Lord and I am your servant, in all situations, past and present.
The covenants and promises that I made with You, to the best of my capacity,
I try to fulfill.
I seek Your protection all the while, from evil of my own deeds, wicked and vile.
O Allah, deal with us in a manner that befits You, and not in the manner that we deserve.
O Allah, protect our sight and insight; cleanse our hearts and our inside.
Save us, from our egos mischievous, and
take us not to task for our sins grievous. And if Allah were to take
people to task for their iniquity, not a single creature would be left
on earth. [16:61]
And indeed your Lord is full of forgiveness for people for their error. [13:6]
Our Lord, we have wronged our own
selves, and if You forgive us not, and have mercy on us not, we shall
certainly be among the losers. [7:23]
O my Allah!
If a trial has been ordained for us, let it not be in the matters of faith.
If a tribulation has been destined for us, let not our hearts be the target.
If an ordeal has been predestined, let it not be an ordeal in the lives next.
And if a disobedience has been preordained, let that not be our final end.
O my Allah,
I dare not ask that You do away with Your decrees;
I merely seek Your aid in these.
My Allah, this here is my plea: to the
destiny decreed, make us submit gleefully; and make the destiny
agreeable to us mercifully—so that we neither hurry in seeking that
which You have deferred somehow, nor desire to postpone that which You
have ordained for now.
Verily Allah does what He wills.
O Allah, inspire us not with thoughts useless, nor install on us rulers merciless, and hand us over not to our egos shameless.
And I do not absolve my ego either, for the ego compulsively commands to do evil, unless my Lord has mercy. [12:53]
O Allah,
You be my Helper and my Advisor, and make the intellect my counselor, wise.
So that we may glorify You greatly and remember You unceasingly: for You are the One Who watches over us. [20:33-35]
O my Allah, my stratagem is failing, my strength is draining, and my resolve is weakening.
My bones have become feeble and my hair has turned white, but my Lord,
I have never been disappointed in my prayer to You. [19:4]
And I seek Your blessing to attain a
certainty unending; lest in the days of my life remaining, my faith is
weakened by events challenging.
Lord,
… harm has afflicted me, and You are the most merciful of the merciful. [21:83]
O our Lord, do not test us or try us; nor throw us at the mercy of people cruel.
O my Allah,
You be the Keeper of my faith and my belief, and enlist me among the righteous.
Our Lord, complete our illumination for us, and forgive us; for You have power over all things. [66:8]
My Lord,
You gave me some authority and taught me some interpretation of the lore.
Creator of the heavens and the earth,
You are my protector in this world and
the hereafter: let me die in this life as one who surrendered himself to
You and raise me with the righteous in the next. [12:101]
Surely my guardian is Allah,
Who revealed the Book, and He befriends the righteous. [7:196]
O Allah, treat our failings like the
failings of those whom You love, and treat not our good deeds like the
good deeds of those whom You dislike.
O Allah, honor us, and abase us not;
grant us, and withhold from us not; favor us with increase and save us
from decrease; prefer us over others and prefer others over us not; make
us guided and the guides; and please us and be pleased with us.
But Allah’s goodly pleasure is the greatest of all— for this is the ultimate success. [9:72]
O Allah!
Try us not in the matters of this world and the next, nor in our life and in our death; and hand us over not to people pitiless.
O Allah, grant us Your Favors blissful, and spare us Your Wrath vengeful:
Whoever Allah guides is the guided one, and whoever Allah leaves astray, for such you will not find any guiding friend. [18:17]
O Allah, grant us: a knowledge that
becomes sufficient for us; a discernment that suffices us; an
intelligence that is sufficient for us; a patience which can carry us
through; a firm resolve that is sufficient for us; a protective shield
that is sufficient for us; a fervor that is sufficient for us; a taste
of Your love that is sufficient for us; and a strength that suffices us.
And I am given strength by none but Allah, in Whom I repose my trust, and to Whom I turn. [11:88]
O Allah, may You suffice us, and ignore us not in life and in death.
O Allah, may You suffice us, and forget us not in all situations and all matters.
O Allah, may You suffice us, and neglect us not against the evil of the created beings:
Allah will suffice you against them, for Allah is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. [2:137]
Allah is the best Protector, and the most merciful of the merciful ones. [12:64]
O Allah, keep us alive as long as the life is good for us, and give us death when that is good for us.
And protect us from the evil of our egos malicious… ego compulsively commands to do evil, unless my Lord has mercy. [12:53]
I seek Allah’s protection against cunnings of the ego and of Satan.
I seek Allah’s protection against diabolic men and jinn.
I seek refuge in Allah from Allah’s Wrath.
I seek refuge in Allah from Allah’s displeasure.
I seek refuge in Allah against Allah’s stratagems.
My Allah, I seek refuge through Your Forgiveness against Your Retribution.
I seek refuge in Your Pleased Approval against Your Displeasure.
I seek refuge in You against Your Anger.
Through Allah’s Words Perfect
I seek in Him refuge and rest: against
Allah’s fury and anger, against the mischief of His slaves, and against
evil of whisperings of Satan and from his presence rotten.
O Allah,
I present myself at Your door for deliverance;
I rely on Your Generosity and Your Benevolence; and I fortify myself in Your Names Most Beautiful against all grievance.
I say Allah’s name before everything,
I say Allah’s name after everything,
I say Allah’s name with everything,
I say Allah’s name in everything.
I say Allah’s name, with Whose Name nothing in the earth or heavens can do harm, for He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.
O Allah,
I ask You by Your Name Most Supreme
Bism illaah ir-rahmaan ir-raheem (By the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful)
O You, in Whose Majestic Presence all
faces prostrate, all voices sink, and all hearts tremble in awe: may You
shower blessings and salutations on our liege lord Muhammad, and on his
family and his companions; may You also fulfill all our needs, relieve
our anguish and pain, forgive us our lapses, pardon us our slips, firm
us in our resolve, enlighten us about the matters confusing, aid our
associates, and get us and them to the blessed abode—verily You provide
the abode, most excellent.
O Allah!
Watch over us with the Eye, Ever
Wakeful; protect us with Your Shield, Impenetrable, welcome us in Your
Fort of Mercy, Invincible, and make the abode of Peace in Paradise our
final destination, Blissful.
O Allah,
I seek Your Mercy Special, for the
believers in general, whose wherewithal has shrunk and in whose faces
the doors are being shut.
You are our Goal and to You is our return
O You, Who relieves sufferings,
O You Who grants success in endeavors.
Who answers the distressed soul when it calls out to Him, and relieves its suffering and makes you the inheritors of the earth?
Can there be god besides Allah?
How very unmindful you are! [27:62]
A messenger has come to you from among yourselves; it grieves him to see you in distress.
Exceedingly solicitous is he regarding you.
He is compassionate and merciful to the believers.
But if they turn away, then say,
“Allah is sufficient for me, there is no god but He; in Allah I put my trust, He is the Lord of lofty throne.” [9:128-129]
O my Allah!
With all my heart and all my tongue I
implore that You send blessings and salutations galore on the Prophet of
Mercy, the head of Adnan’s progeny, our noble lord and master Muhammad,
and on his family and his companions, by the count of Your Splendors—
every moment, in a unique Splendor do You shine! Just as Your Splendors
are beyond count, likewise are Your Blessings and Help.
Say: “Even if the ocean were ink for the
words of my Lord, the ocean would be exhausted sooner than the words of
my Lord would, even if another like it were added.” [18:109]
O my Allah, send blessings on the
Prophet by the count of Your words countless; and salutations equal to
the instances of Your Mercy boundless!
O Allah, in sending blessings on the
Prophet I employed all kinds of counts and numbers, then brought to
their aid sacred words of all kind; but then I was made aware and I
realized that Your words are countless; and Your aid limitless!
O my Allah,
I beseech that You send blessings on him by counts countless, and then multiply these by Your infinite aid, limitless.
O Allah, send blessings on our lord
Muhammad; grant him the exalted station of honor and of intercession;
elevate his position; and establish him in the praiseworthy station, the
one which You have promised him— verily You never go back on Your
promise.
O my Allah,
enhance the glory of the Prophet; make
his truth manifest; make his proof prevail; make his superiority shine
forth; accept his intercession; confirm his way; improve the lot of his
people; aid his followers; make strong those who tread in his footsteps;
and grant us his love.
O Allah, send blessings on our lord
Muhammad, his household, companions and followers, his spouses,
sons-in-law, and progeny, his loved ones and his people, till the
judgment day; and also on us too,
O Merciful of the merciful and O Lord of the worlds.
Ultimately, all the praises belong to Allah the Majestic who is Lord of the worlds.
O my Allah,
You Who made the blessings on the
Prophet a source of nearness to You, by every blessing sent on him from
pre-eternity till eternity, draw me near to You.
Holy is your Lord, the Lord of glory great, who is above all that they allege.
Salutations be on the prophets, and all the praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.
*****
By grace of Allah, the “Munajat
Alawiyah” has been completed—a completion that bears witness to the
Divine strength granted to its author. We are positive that whoever
recites it in the manner recommended by the blessed author, Allah will
grant him special light that will guide him to the straight path.
And this is what the learned author (may Allah be pleased with him) recommends:
“I will be pleased if my disciples
recite it in solitude every day with full attentiveness and sincerity
and reflect deeply on its meanings. If a one cannot recite it every day,
let him recite it once a week and Friday night is superior choice for
this. May Allah give us the strength to act by it so that we do not
remain deprived of the blessing of this Divine favor.”
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