Du ā 13 For Seeking Needs in the Sahīfa with two Translations 1
Translation by Dr. William C. Chittick His Supplication in Seeking Needs from Allah 1. O Allah, O ultimate object of needs! 2. O He through whom requests are attained! 3. O He whose favours are not bought by prices! 4. O He who does not muddy His gifts by the imposition of obligations! 5. O He along with whom nothing is needed and without whom nothing can be done! 6. O He toward whom desire is ever directed and never turned away! 7. O He whose treasuries cannot be exhausted by demands! 8. O He whose wisdom cannot be altered by any means! 9. O He from whom the needs of the needy are never cut off! 10. O He who is not distressed by the supplications of the supplicators! Translation by Ahmad Ali Muhani One of his prayers to the Almighty in time of need 1. O Allah, You Who do ultimately satisfy our need. 2. You with Whom lies the success of prayers, 3. Who sell not His Favors for any price, 4. Whose gifts are not accompanied by reproaches, 5. through Whom independence can be obtained and of whom none can be independent, 6. towards Whom people turn to and of Whom none can turn away, 7. Whose stores cannot be exhausted by request 8. and Whose wisdom cannot be altered by any means, 9. from Whom the needs of the needy are never cut off, 10. Who is never tired by the prayers Of those who implore! 2 Text of the Du ā in Arabic ف و ك ان م ن د ع ائ ه ع ل ي ه الس ل م ط ل ب ا ل و ائ ج إ ل الل ه ت ع ا ل 1( الل ه م ي ا م ن ت ه ى م ط ل ب ال ح اج ات 2( و ي ا م ن ع ن د ه ن ي ل الط ل ب ات 3( و ي ا م ن ل ا ي ب يع ن ع م ه ب ال أ ث م ان 4( و ي ا م ن ل ا ي ك د ر ع ط اي اه ب ال ام ت ن ان 5( و ي ا م ن ي س ت غ ن ى ب ه و ل ا ي س ت غ ن ى ع ن ه 6( و ي ا م ن ي ر غ ب إ ل ي ه و ل ا ي ر غ ب ع ن ه 7( و ي ا م ن ل ا ت ف ن ي خ ز ائ ن ه ال م س ائ ل 8( و ي ا م ن ل ا ت ب د ل ح ك م ت ه ال و س ائ ل 9( و ي ا م ن ل ا ت ن ق ط ع ع ن ه ح و ائ ج ال م ح ت اج ني 10( و ي ا م ن ل ا ي ع ن يه د ع ا ء الد اع ني
11. You have lauded Yourself for having no need for Your creatures, and it suits You to have no need for them, 12. And You have attributed to them poverty, and it suits them to be poor toward You. 13. So he who strives to remedy his lack through what is with You and wishes to turn poverty away from himself through You has sought his need in the most likely place and come to his request from the right quarter. 14. But he who turns in his need toward one of Your creatures or assigns the cause of its being granted to other than You, Has exposed himself to deprivation and deserves to miss Your beneficence. 15. O Allah, I have a need of You: My exertion has fallen short of it and my stratagems have been cut back before reaching it. My soul induced me to present it to him who presents his needs to You And can do nothing without You in his requests, But this is one of the slips of 11. You have prided Yourself on being independent of Your creatures and You are worthy of being independent of them. 12. You have called them needy and they are needy towards You. 13. Therefore, whosoever resolved upon the satisfaction of his need through You and desired that his need be removed by You, surely he demanded his request from the right place. (Surely he) approached the object of his desire the right way. 14. Whosoever directed his petition to any of Your creatures or considered him to be the one to grant its fulfillment, in preference to You, verily, He exposed himself to disappointment. (Surely he) deserved privation of blessings from You. 15. And I, O Allah, have a need toward You. My efforts have fallen short. My desires are of no avail. My soul induced me to seek the satisfaction of my need from one who is not independent of You And places his necessities before You. This was one of the slips of 3 11( ت م د ح ت ب ال غ ن اء ع ن خ ل ق ك و أ ن ت أ ه ل ال غ ن ى ع ن ه م 12( و ن س ب ت ه م إ ل ى ال ف ق ر و ه م أ ه ل ال ف ق ر إ ل ي ك 13( ف م ن ح او ل س د خ ل ت ه م ن ع ن د ك و ر ام ص ر ف ال ف ق ر ع ن ن ف س ه ب ك ف ق د ط ل ب ح اج ت ه ف ي م ظ ان ه ا و أ ت ى ط ل ب ت ه م ن و ج ه ه ا. 14( و م ن ت و ج ه ب ح اج ت ه إ ل ى أ ح د م ن خ ل ق ك أ و ج ع ل ه س ب ب ن ج ح ه ا د ون ك ف ق د ت ع ر ض ل ل ح ر م ان و اس ت ح ق م ن ع ن د ك ف و ت ال إ ح س ان 15( الل ه م و ل ي إ ل ي ك ح اج ة ق د ق ص ر ع ن ه ا ج ه د ي و ت ق ط ع ت د ون ه ا ح ي ل ي و س و ل ت ل ي ن ف س ي ر ف ع ه ا إ ل ى م ن ي ر ف ع ح و ائ ج ه إ ل ي ك و ل ا ي س ت غ ن ي ف ي ط ل ب ات ه ع ن ك و ه ي ز ل ة
the offenders, one of the stumbles of the sinners! 16. Then through Your reminding me, I was aroused from my heedlessness, through Your giving success, I stood up from my slip, And through Your pointing the way, I returned and withdrew from my stumble. 17. I said: Glory to my Lord! How can the needy ask from the needy? How can the destitute beseech the destitute? 18. So I went straight to You, my God, in beseeching, and I sent You my hope with trust in You. 19. I came to know that the many I request from You are few before Your wealth, the weighty I ask from You is vile before Your plenty; Your generosity is not constrained by anyone s asking, Your hand is higher in bestowing gifts than every hand! 20. O Allah, so bless Household, take me through Your generosity to Your the erring. One of the mistakes of sinners. 16. Then I was aroused from my ignorance by Your warning and rose by Your Grace from my fall And returned. With Your Help, I corrected my blunder 17. And said, Holy is my Lord! How can one needy creature beg from another who is in need? Why should a pauper be attracted to another pauper? 18. So I returned unto You with sincere longing and laid my hope before You with perfect trust in You. 19. I was sure that the utmost I would beg of You would be trivial in comparison with Your wealth; that the utmost that I would desire from You would be insignificant alongside of Your Prosperity; that Your Bounty is not encompassed by anyone's request; that Your Hand (Power) is exalted far above every hand in generosity. 20. O Allah, therefore, bless descendants. Deal kindly with me according to Your Grace. 4 م ن ز ل ل ال خ اط ئ ني و ع ث ر ة م ن ع ث ر ات ال م ذ ن ب ني 16( ث م ان ت ب ه ت ب ت ذ ك ري ك ل ي م ن غ ف ل ت ي و ن ه ض ت ب ت و ف يق ك م ن ز ل ت ي و ر ج ع ت و ن ك ص ت ب ت س د يد ك ع ن ع ث ر ت ي 17( و ق ل ت س ب ح ان ر ب ي ك ي ف ي س أ ل م ح ت اج م ح ت اجا و أ ن ى ي ر غ ب م ع د م إ ل ى م ع د م 18( ف ق ص د ت ك ي ا إ ل ه ي ب الر غ ب ة و أ و ف د ت ع ل ي ك ر ج ائ ي ب الث ق ة ب ك 19( و ع ل م ت أ ن ك ث ري م ا أ س أ ل ك ي س ري ف ي و ج د ك و أ ن خ ط ري م ا أ س ت و ه ب ك ح ق ري ف ي و س ع ك و أ ن ك ر م ك ل ا ي ض يق ع ن س ؤ ال أ ح د و أ ن ي د ك ب ال ع ط ايا أ ع ل ى م ن ك ل ي د 20( الل ه م ف ص ل ع ل ى م ح م د و آل ه و اح م ل ن ي
gratuitous bounty and take me not through Your justice to what I deserve! I am not the first beseecher to beseech You and You bestowed upon him while he deserved withholding, Nor am I the first to ask from You and You were bounteous toward him while he merited deprivation. 21. O Allah, bless Household, Respond to my supplication, come near my call, Have mercy on my pleading, listen to my voice, 22. cut not short my hope for You, sever not my thread to You, turn not my face in this my need, and other needs, away from You, 23. Attend for my sake to the fulfillment of my request, the granting of my need, and the attainment of what I have asked before I leave this place through Your making easy for me the difficult and Your excellent ordainment for me in all Do not deal with me in Your Justice according to my merit for I am not the first applicant who applied to You yet You did grant my request whilst I deserved refusal. I am not the first petitioner who petitioned You yet You did favor me whilst I was entitled to disappointment. 21. O Allah, bless descendants. Grant acceptance to my prayer. Hear my call. Hear my supplication. Listen to my voice. 22. Do not cut off my hope from You. Do not sever my connection with You. Do not permit me in this and other needs to turn to any other besides You. 23. Undertake the fulfillment of my request, the satisfaction of my need and the answering of my prayer before I leave this, my place, by making that which is difficult for me, easy and by bestowing upon me Your excellent decree in all matters. 5 ب ك ر م ك ع ل ى الت ف ض ل و ل ا ت ح م ل ن ي ب ع د ل ك ع ل ى ال اس ت ح ق اق ف م ا أ ن ا ب أ و ل ر اغ ب ر غ ب إ ل ي ك ف أ ع ط ي ت ه و ه و ي س ت ح ق ال م ن ع و ل ا ب أ و ل س ائ ل س أ ل ك ف أ ف ض ل ت ع ل ي ه و ه و ي س ت و ج ب ال ح ر م ا ن 21( الل ه م ص ل ع ل ى م ح م د و آل ه و ك ن ل د ع ائ ي م ج يبا و م ن ن د ائ ي ق ر يب ا و ل ت ض ر ع ي ر اح ما و ل ص و ت ي س ام عا 22( و ل ا ت ق ط ع ر ج ائ ي ع ن ك و ل ا ت ب ت س ب ب ي م ن ك و ل ا ت و ج ه ن ي ف ي ح اج ت ي ه ذ ه و غ ي ر ه ا إ ل ى س و اك 23( و ت و ل ن ي ب ن ج ح ط ل ب ت ي و ق ض اء ح اج ت ي و ن ي ل س ؤ ل ي ق ب ل ز و ال ي ع ن م و ق ف ي ه ذ ا ب ت ي س ري ك ل ي ال ع س ري و ح س ن ت ق د ير ك
affairs! 24. Bless Muhammad and his Household with a permanent, ever-growing blessing, whose perpetuity has no cutting off and whose term knows no limit, and make that a help to me and a cause for the granting of my request! You are Boundless, Generous! 25. And of my needs, My Lord, are such and such. HERE YOU SHOULD STATE YOUR NEEDS, THEN PROSTRATE YOURSELF, AND SAY IN YOUR PROSTRATION Your bounty has comforted me and Your beneficence has shown the way, So I ask You by You and by Household (Your blessings be upon them) that You send me not back in disappointment! 24. And bless Muhammad and his descendants with a blessing perpetual, growing, having no end to its duration, and no limit to its extent. Let it be a help to me and a cause for granting my request. Verily, You are Generous and Gracious. 25. And my request, O Lord, is such and such (mention it and prostrate yourself and say in the prostration) Your Grace has comforted me. Your Goodness has guided me. So I request You on Your Righteousness And that of Muhammad and his descendants, Your Blessings on them, not to turn me away disappointed. ل ي ف ي ج م يع ال أ م ور 24( و ص ل ع ل ى م ح م د و آل ه ص ل اة د ائ م ة ن ام ي ة ل ا ان ق ط اع ل أ ب د ه ا و ل ا م ن ت ه ى ل أ م د ه ا و اج ع ل ذ ل ك ع و نا ل ي و س ب با ل ن ج اح ط ل ب ت ي إ ن ك و اس ع ك ر ي م 25( و م ن ح اج ت ي ي ا ر ب ك ذ ا و ك ذ ا ]و ت ذ ك ر ح اج ت ك ث م ت س ج د و ت ق ول ف ي س ج ود ك [ ف ض ل ك آن س ن ي و إ ح س ان ك د ل ن ي ف أ س أ ل ك ب ك و ب م ح م د و آل ه ص ل و ات ك ع ل ي ه م أ ن ل ا ت ر د ن ي خ ائ با. 6