English
IMAM ALI'S WHISPERED PRAYER
This whispered prayer is quoted from al-Sahifah al-Alawiyyah.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent the All-merciful.
لَكَ الْحَمْدُ يَا ذَا الْجُوْدِ وَ الْمَجْدِ وَ الْعُلٰى
To You be all praise; O Lord of magnanimity, glory, and elevation!
تَبَارَكْتَ تُعْطِيْ مَنْ تَشَاۤءُ وَ تَمْنَعُ
Blessed be You; You favor or ban whomever You wish.
اِلٰهِيْ وَ خَلَّاقِيْ وَ حِرْزِيْ وَ مَوْئِلِيْ
O my God, my Creator, my Shelter, and my Refuge!
اِلَيْكَ لَدَى الْاِعْسَارِ وَ الْيُسْرِ اَفْزَعُ
To You do I resort in hardships and in joys.
اِلٰهِيْ لَئِنْ جَلَّتْ وَ جَمَّتْ خَطِيْۤئَتِيْ
O my God, even if my sin is too grave and too big,
فَعَفْوُكَ عَنْ ذَنْبِيْۤ اَجَلُّ وَ اَوْسَعُ
Your pardoning my sin is still greater and vaster.
اِلٰهِيْ لَئِنْ اَعْطَيْتُ نَفْسِيَ سُؤْلَهَا
O my God, because I have allowed my soul to do whatever it liked,
فَهَاۤ اَنَا فِيْ رَوْضِ النَّدَامَةِ اَرْتَعُ
here I am now turning over and over on the land of remorse.
اِلٰهِيْ تَرٰى حَالِيْ وَ فَقْرِيْ وَ فَاقَتِيْ
O my God, You can see my manner, my neediness, and my poverty,
وَ اَنْتَ مُنَاجَاتِي الْخَفِيَّةَ تَسْمَعُ
so can You hear my inaudible prayers to You.
اِلٰهِيْ فَلَا تَقْطَعْ رَجَاۤئِيْ وَ لَا تُزِغْ
O my God, then (please) do not disappoint me and do not cause
فُؤَادِيْ فَلِيْ فِيْ سَيْبِ جُوْدِكَ مَطْمَعٌ
my heart to turn away, for I long for Your vast magnanimity.
اِلٰهِيْ لَئِنْ خَيَّبْتَنِيْۤ اَوْ طَرَدْتَنِيْ
O my God, if You disappoint me or throw me out,
فَمَنْ ذَا الَّذِيْۤ اَرْجُوْ وَ مَنْ ذَا اُشَفِّعُ
then for whom will I hope and whose intercession will I seek before You?
اِلٰهِيْۤ اَجِرْنِيْ مِنْ عَذَابِكَ اِنَّنِيْۤ
O my God, please redeem me from Your torture,
اَسِيْرٌ ذَلِيْلٌ خَاۤئِفٌ لَكَ اَخْضَعُ
for I am imprisoned, humble, and to You do I submit.
اِلٰهِيْ فَاٰنِسْنِيْ بِتَلْقِيْنِ حُجَّتِيْۤ
O my God, delight me by helping me submit my argument,
اِذَا كَانَ لِيْ فِيْ الْقَبْرِ مَثْوًى وَ مَضْجَعٌ
when I shall be lodged in my grave.
اِلٰهِيْ لَئِنْ عَذَّبْتَنِيْۤ اَلْفَ حِجَّةٍ
O my God, if You chastise me for one thousand years,
فَحَبْلُ رَجَاۤئِيْ مِنْكَ لَا يَتَقَطَّعُ
the rope of my hope for You shall nonetheless be cut off.
اِلٰهِيْۤ اَذِقْنِيْ طَعْمَ عَفْوِكَ يَوْمَ
O my God, please make me taste the flavor of Your pardon on that Day
لَا بَنُوْنَ وَ لَا مَالٌ هُنَالِكَ يَنْفَعُ
when neither one’s sons nor property shall promote.
اِلٰهِيْ لَئِنْ لَمْ تَرْعَنِيْ كُنْتُ ضَاۤئِعًا
O my God, if You do not guard me, I shall certainly be lost,
وَ اِنْ كُنْتَ تَرْعَانِيْ فَلَسْتُ اُضَيَّعُ
but if You guard me, I shall never be lost.
اِلٰهِيْۤ اِذَا لَمْ تَعْفُ عَنْ غَيْرِ مُحْسِنٍ
O my God, if You forgive none but the doer of good deeds,
فَمَنْ لِمُسِيْۤءٍ بِالْهَوٰى يَتَمَتَّعُ
then who shall care for the wrongdoers who plunge in their fancies?
اِلٰهِيْ لَئِنْ فَرَّطْتُ فِيْ طَلَبِ التُّقٰى
O my God, if I have been negligent in the seeking of piety,
فَهَاۤ اَنَا اِثْرَ الْعَفْوِ اَقْفُوْ وَ اَتْبَعُ
here I am now tracking the traces of Your pardon.
اِلٰهِيْ لَئِنْ اَخْطَأْتُ جَهْلًا فَطَالَمَا
O my God, if I have been wrong out of ignorance,
رَجَوْتُكَ حَتّٰى قِيْلَ مَا هُوَ يَجْزَعُ
I have begged You so much that it was said that I would never feel tired.
اِلٰهِيْ ذُنُوْبِيْ بَذَّتِ الطَّوْدَ وَ اعْتَلَتْ
O my God, although my sins have been higher than mountains,
وَ صَفْحُكَ عَنْ ذَنْبِيْۤ اَجَلُّ وَ اَرْفَعُ
Your pardon is still higher and more elevated.
اِلٰهِيْ يُنَجِّي ذِكْرُ طَوْلِكَ لَوْعَتِيْ
O my God, as I remember Your power, my agonies are abated,
وَ ذِكْرُ الْخَطَايَا الْعَيْنَ مِنِّيْ يُدَمِّعُ
and as I remember my sins, my eyes shed tears.
اِلٰهِيْۤ اَقِلْنِيْ عَثْرَتِيْ وَ امْحُ حَوْبَتِيْ
O my God, please overlook my slips and erase my wrongdoing,
فَاِنِّيْ مُقِرٌّ خَاۤئِفٌ مُتَضَرِّعٌ
for I confess of them fearfully and hopefully.
اِلٰهِيْۤ اَنِلْنِيْ مِنْكَ رَوْحًا وَ رَاحَةً
O my God, grant me rest and relax from You,
فَلَسْتُ سِوٰۤى اَبْوَابِ فَضْلِكَ اَقْرَعُ
for I knock no door save the doors of Your favor.
اِلٰهِيْ لَئِنْ اَقْصَيْتَنِيْۤ اَوْ اَهَنْتَنِيْ
O my God, if You expel me or insult me,
فَمَا حِيْلَتِيْ يَا رَبِّ اَمْ كَيْفَ اَصْنَعُ
which method shall I then take and what shall I do?
اِلٰهِيْ حَلِيْفُ الْحُبِّ فِي اللَّيْلِ سَاهِرٌ
O my God, the true lover (of You) is staying up at night,
يُنَاجِيْ وَ يَدْعُوْ وَ الْمُغَفَّلُ يَهْجَعُ
calling at You and praying to You, while the unmindful is asleep!
اِلٰهِيْ وَ هٰذَا الْخَلْقُ مَا بَيْنَ نَاۤئِمٍ
O my God, these beings are either sleeping
وَ مُنْتَبِهٍ فِيْ لَيْلِهِ يَتَضَرَّعُ
or vigilant at night, beseeching You.
وَ كُلُّهُمْ يَرْجُوْ نَوَالَكَ رَاجِيًا
Yet, all are hoping for Your rewards, wishing
لِرَحْمَتِكَ الْعُظْمٰى وَ فِيْ الْخُلْدِ يَطْمَعُ
for Your Grandest Mercy, and desiring for Eternity.
اِلٰهِيْ يُمَنِّيْنِيْ رَجَاۤئِيْ سَلَامَةً
O my God, my hope for You makes me feel safe,
وَ قُبْحُ خَطِيْۤئَاتِيْ عَلَيَّ يُشَنِّعُ
but the vice of my wrongdoings is reproaching me.
اِلٰهِيْ فَاِنْ تَعْفُوْ فَعَفْوُكَ مُنْقِذِيْ
O my God, if you pardon me, then You shall have saved me;
وَ اِلَّا فَبِالذَّنْبِ الْمُدَمِّرِ اُصْرَعُ
otherwise, I will be the prey of my offensive sins.
اِلٰهِيْ بِحَقِّ الْهَاشِمِيِّ مُحَمَّدٍ
O my God, (I beseech You) in the name of Muhammad, the Hashemite
وَ حُرْمَةِ اَطْهَارٍ هُمُ لَكَ خُضَّعٌ
and in the name of the sanctity of those Pure Ones who always submit to You.
اِلٰهِيْ بِحَقِّ الْمُصْطَفٰى وَ ابْنِ عَمِّهِ
O my God, (I beseech You) in the name of the Chosen Prophet, his cousin,
وَ حُرْمَةِ اَبْرَارٍ هُمُ لَكَ خُشَّعٌ
and the sanctity of the Pious Ones who are fearful of You.
اِلٰهِيْ فَاَنْشِرْنِيْ عَلٰى دِيْنِ اَحْمَدٍ
O my God, guide me to keep following the religion of Ahmad
مُنِيْبًا تَقِيًّا قَانِتًا لَكَ اَخْضَعُ
with full submission, piety, obedience, and surrender to You.
وَ لا تَحْرِمَنِّيْ يَاۤ اِلٰهِيْ وَ سَيِّدِيْ
Please, deprive me not, O my God and Master,
شَفَاعَتَهُ الْكُبْرٰى فَذَاكَ الْمُشَفَّعُ
of his (i.e. Muhammad) great intercession, for he is the true interceder.
وَ صَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ مَا دَعَاكَ مُوَحِّدٌ
Please, send blessings to them as long as one believing in Your Oneness prays to You
وَ نَاجَاكَ اَخْيَارٌ بِبَابِكَ رُكَّعٌ
and as long as pious people, kneeling down at Your door, implore You.
In the same book (al-Sahifah al-Alawiyyah), there is another poetic whispered prayer beginning with ya sami’a aldDua (O Hearer of prayers). Yet, I have skipped it, because it contains difficult, strange phrases, and also because I aim at briefing.
THREE MAGNIFICENT SUPPLICATORY WORDS
These words are reported to have been said by our master, Imam Ali ibn Abi-Talib(a.s.) in the form of whispered prayer (Munajat):
اِلٰهِيْ كَفٰى بِيْ عِزًّا اَنْ اَكُوْنَ لَكَ عَبْدًا
O my God, to be a servant of You is the ultimate of my honor
وَ كَفٰى بِيْ فَخْرًا اَنْ تَكُوْنَ لِيْ رَبًّا
and Your being my Lord is the ultimate of my pride.
اَنْتَ كَمَاۤ اُحِبُّ فَاجْعَلْنِيْ كَمَا تُحِبُّ
As You are as exactly as I love, please make me as exactly as You love.