English

ONE THOUSAND UNIT PRAYERS

One of the recommended acts in the month of Ramadan is to offer the one thousand unit prayer. Master scholars have referred to this prayer in their books of jurisprudence and acts of worship. However, the way of offering this prayer has been mentioned by narrations in many forms. According to the report of Ibn Abi-Qurrah from Imam Muhammad al-Jawad(a.s.) that is also adopted by Shaykh al-Mufid in his book of al-Ghariyyah wa’l-Ashraf, this prayer, in its most familiar form, is offered as follows:

As for the first twenty nights of Ramadan, twenty units of this prayer should be offered at each night with an interval between each two units. To explain, eight units should be offered after the obligatory Maghrib Prayer and the others are performed after the obligatory Isha’ Prayer. The total is thus seven hundred units and the remainder is three hundred. These three hundred units should be offered at the Qadr Nights, which are the nineteenth, the twenty-first, and the twenty-third nights of the month. One hundred units should be offered at each of these three Qadr Nights. Thus, one thousand units are completed.

It is worth mentioning that other divisions of these one thousand units have been cited. Yet, these divisions will not be mentioned in this book for fear of lengthiness.

Our virtuous readers are expected to offer this prayer so as not to miss its great rewards and merits.

It has been narrated that it is recommended to say the following supplicatory prayer after the accomplishment of every two units of the supererogatory (mustahab / nafilah) prayers (nawafil) in Ramadan:

اَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِيْـمَا تَقْضِيْ وَتُقَدِّرُ

O Allah, at the time of taking decisions

مِنَ الْاَمْرِ الْمَحْتُوْمِ،

that are inevitable

وَفِيْـمَا تَفْرُقُ مِنَ الْاَمْرِ الْحَكِيْمِ، فِيْ لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ،

and rendering possible things and events decisively, at the Destiny Night,

اَنْ تَجْعَلَنِيْ مِنْ حُجَّاجِ بَيْتِكَ الْحَرَامِ،

(please) write my name in the list of those pilgrims of Your ‘Sacred House’

الْمَبْرُوْرِ حَجُّهُمُ

whose pilgrimage receive Your approval,

الْمَشْكُوْرِ سَعْيُهُمْ،

whose efforts are appreciated,

الْمَغْفُوْرِ ذُنُوْبُهُمُ،

whose sins are forgiven.

وَاَسْاَلُكَ اَنْ تُطِيْلَ عُمْرِيْ فِيْ طَاعَتِكَ،

I pray You to make possible for me long lifetime that is spent in obedience to You,

وَتُوَسِّعَ لِيْ فِيْ رِزْقِيْ،

and grant me enough means of livelihood.

يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِيْنَ۔

O most Merciful of all those who show mercy!