Spirituality & Practice

Praise be to Allah Whose determination cannot be repelled by anything,
Whose gifts cannot be stopped by anything,
And Whose making cannot be resembled by the making of anyone.
He is the All-magnanimous, the All-liberal.
He originated the genus of the wonderfully created things
And He perfected the made things by His wisdom.
All growing things cannot be hidden from Him
And all things deposited with Him shall never be wasted.
He is the Repayer on every deed,
The Enricher of every satisfied one,
The Merciful toward every supplicant,
And the Revealer of the benefits,
And the All-comprehensive Book with the glaring light.
He is also the Hearer of prayers,
The Warder-off of anguishes,
The Raiser of ranks,
And the Suppressor of the tyrants.
There is no god other than Him,
And there is nothing equivalent to Him,
And nothing like a likeness of Him,
And He is the all-Hearing, the All-seeing,
The All-gentle, the All-aware,
And He has power of all things.
O Allah, I willingly desire for You
And I testify to the Lordship of You,
attesting that You are verily my Lord,
and to You shall be my return.
You had begun bestowing on me
Before I was anything worth mentioning,
And You created me from dust.
You then put me up in the loins,
(making me) saved from vicissitudes of time,
and change of ages and years.
I was moving from a loin to a womb
throughout the passage of the past days
and the ancient ages;
as You have not taken me out (to this world) — on account of Your sympathy to me,
Your kindness to me,
and Your compassion to me —
in the government of the heads of unbelief
who breached their covenant with You
and denied Your messengers.
However, You took me out on account of the guidance that You have already known about me
and You have made easy the way to it
and You have brought me up in it.
Even before that, You had compassion on me,
through Your excellent conferral
and Your affluent bestowals.
So, You fashioned my creation from semen that gushed forth
and put me up in triple darkness
among flesh, blood, and skin.
You have not made me witness my creation,
and You have not referred any part of my creation to me.
You then took me out on account of the guidance that You have already known about me
to the world, perfect and in sound health.
You have safeguarded me in the cradle as small child.
You have provided me with wholesome milk as food.
You have made the hearts of the nursemaids tender.
You have given me into the charge of merciful mothers.
You have saved me from the visits of the Jinn.
You have delivered me from increase and decrease.
So, Exalted be You, O All-merciful, O All-beneficent.
When I commenced (my life) by pronouncing words,
You perfected for me the affluent bestowals,
and brought me up with an increase every year.
When my creation was accomplished,
and my power became straight,
You put me under the obligation of Your Claim,
which is that You inspired me with recognition of You
and alarmed me by the wonders of Your wisdom,
and You aroused in me that which You created in Your heavens and lands,
which is the excellent creation of You.
You attracted my attentions to thank and mention You.
You made obligatory on me to obey and worship You.
You made me understand that with which Your Apostles came.
You made easy for me to find agreeable Your pleasure.
You bestowed upon me with the favor of all that,
out of Your aid and Your gentleness.
As You created me from the best of soil,
You, my God, have not wanted for me to have a certain favor (and to be deprived of another)
and You therefore provided me with the various kinds of living
and types of wealth,
out of Your great and grand conferral upon me,
and Your eternal kindness to me.
As You perfected for me all the graces
and warded off all misfortunes,
my ignorance of You and challenge have not stopped You
from showing me that which takes me near to You,
and from leading me to that which grants me proximity to You.
So, if I pray You, You will respond to me;
and if I beg You, You will give me;
and if I obey You, You will thank me;
and if I thank You, You will give me more.
All that is completion of Your favors for me,
and Your kindness to me.
So, all glory be to You; all glory be to You.
You are verily Originator and Reproducer (of the creation)
and worthy of all praise and full of all glory.
Holy be Your Names
as Your bounties are so immeasurable.
Which of Your favors, O my God, can I count in numbers and examples?
Or which of Your gifts can I thank properly?
They are, O my Lord, too numerous to be counted by counters
or to be realized by memorizers.
Moreover, that which You have warded off and repelled,
O Allah, from (the various kinds of) harm and mischief
is more than that which came to me from wellbeing and joy.
And I bear witness, O my God, with my true belief,
and the fortitude of the determinations of my conviction
and the purity of my open belief in Your Oneness
and the essence of the secret of my conscience,
and the ties of the canals of the light of my sight,
and the lines of my forehead
and the hallows of the courses of my breath,
and the (nasal) cavities of my nose,
and the courses of the meatus of my hearing,
and whatever my two lips hide and cover up,
and the motions of the vocalization of my tongue,
and the socket of the palate of my mouth and jaw,
and the matrices of my dents,
and the tasting of my food and my drink,
and the carrier of my skill,
and the tube of the tissues of my neck
and what is included by the cloak of my chest,
and the carriers of the cord of my aorta,
and the cords of the pericardium of my heart,
and the pieces of the retinues of my liver,
and that which is included by the cartilages of my ribs,
and the cavities of my joints,
and the interactings of my organisms,
and the extremes of my fingertips,
and my flesh, and my blood,
and my hair, and my skin,
and my nerve, and my sinews,
and my bones, and my brain, and my veins,
and all of my organs,
and that which was pieced together during the days of my suckling,
and whatever of my body that the ground carries,
and my sleeping, and my wakefulness, and my motionlessness,
and the movements of my bowing and prostration;
(by all that I bear witness) that if I try my best and strive throughout all ages
and all times, if I live them,
to thank properly only one of Your favors,
I will not be able to do that,
except through a favor of You, which also requires me to thank You for it,
once again with new thanking
and with praise that is newly acquired and newly prepared.
True is this! And if I try hard,
as well as the counters from Your creatures,
to count the scope of Your favoring,
both the past and the present,
we shall never be able to calculate it in number,
or count it in time.
Too far is this! How can it be!
While it is You Who have informed in Your rational Book
and true news:
“And if you count Allah's favors, you will not be able to number them.”
True is Your Book, O Allah, and Your informing.
Your Prophets and Messengers have conveyed
what You revealed to them, from Your Revelation,
and what You have made plain for them and through them Your religion.
Nevertheless, O my God,
I bear witness by my ultimate possibility and my diligence
and the scope of my vigor and my capacity,
and I say with full faith and conviction:
All praise be to Allah Who has not taken to Himself a son
to be inherited,
and Who does not have a partner in His kingdom,
to oppose Him in what He fashions,
and Who does not have a helper to save Him from disgrace,
to help Him in what He makes.
So, glory be to Him, glory be to Him.
If there had been in them any gods except Allah, they would both have certainly been in a state of disorder and destruction.
All glory be to Allah, the One, the Only One, the Besought of all,
Who begets not nor is He begotten,
and there is none like Him.
All praise be to Allah—praise that is equal to the praise of His Favorite Angels,
and His missioned Prophets.
May Allah send blessings to His Select,
Muhammad, the Seal of Prophets,
and upon his Household, the pure, immaculate, and well-chosen, and may He send benedictions upon them.

[Imam al-Husayn then besought Almighty Allah so earnestly that his eyes shed tears. He then said the following:]
O Allah, (please) make me fear You as if I can see You.
Make me happy by fearing You.
Do not make me unhappy by disobeying You.
Choose for me through Your decree.
Bless me through Your determination,
so that I will not long for hastening that which You have delayed
or delaying that which You would hasten.
O Allah, (please) make my richness in my conscience,
conviction in my hearing,
sincerity in my deeds,
light in my sight,
and insight in my religion.
Make me find enjoyment in my organs.
Make my hearing and my sight sound until I am inherited.
Grant me victory over him who wrongs me,
make me witness my avenge and objective in him,
and make it the delight of my eye.
O Allah, (please) relieve my agony,
conceal my flaws,
forgive my sin,
drive away my devil from me,
redeem my mortgage,
and decide for me, O my God, the supreme rank
in the Hereafter and in the former (life).
O Allah, all praise be to You for You have created me
and made me hear and see.
All praise be to You for you have created me
and made my creation perfect, on account of Your having mercy on me,
and You could dispense with creating me.
O my Lord, as You gave rise to me and perfected my creation;
O my Lord, as You originated me and did well my form;
O my Lord, as You conferred favors on me and granted me wellbeing in my self;
O my Lord, as You saved me and led me to success;
O my Lord, as You bestowed favors on me and guided me;
O my Lord, as You presented me and gave me from every good;
O my Lord, as you fed me and watered me;
O my Lord, as You enriched me and gave me to hold;
O my Lord, as You helped me and braced me;
O my Lord, as you clothed me from Your pure cover
and made easy for me Your adequate making,
so, (please) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
help me against calamities of ages
and changes of nights and days,
rescue me from the horrors of this world
and the anguishes of the Hereafter,
and save me from the evils of what the wrongdoers do in the earth.
O Allah, as to what I anticipate, (please) save me (from it).
As to what I watch out, (please) protect me (against it).
Safeguard me in my soul and religion,
watch over me in my journeys,
be in charge of my family members and properties during my absence,
bless me in that which You provide as sustenance,
make me see myself as humble,
make people see me as great,
keep me sound from the evils of the Jinn and people,
do not disclose me because of my sins,
do not disgrace me because of the secret side (of myself),
do not try me in my deeds,
do not deprive me of Your bounties,
and do not refer me to anyone other than You.
To whom do You entrust me?
To a relative, and he will rupture my relation with him!
Or to a stranger, and he will glower at me!
Or to those who deem me weak!
While You are my Lord and the master of my affairs!
I complain to You about my alienation and my foreignness
and my ignominy in the eyes of him whom You have given domination over me.
So, O my God, do not make Your wrath come upon me.
If You are not wrathful with me, then I care for nothing save You.
All glory be to You; yet, Your granting me wellbeing is more favorable for me.
So, I beseech You, O my Lord, in the name of the Light of Your Face
to which the earth and the heavens have shone,
by which all darkness has been uncovered,
and by which the affairs of the past and the coming generations are made right,
(please) do not cause me to die while You are wrathful with me
and do not inflict on me Your rage.
You have the right to scold; You have the right to scold;
until You are pleased (with me) before that.
There is no god save You;
Lord of the Holy City,
the Holy Monument,
and the Ancient House
that You have encompassed with blessing
and made security for people.
O He Who pardoned the grand sins by His forbearance!
O He Who bestowed bounties by His favoring!
O He Who gave in abundance by His generosity!
O my means in my hardship!
O my companion in my loneliness!
O my relief in my agony!
O my Benefactor in my amenities!
O my God and the God of my forefathers:
Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, and Jacob;
the Lord of Gabriel, Michael, and Seraph;
the Lord of Muhammad, the Seal of Prophets,
and his elite Household;
the Revealer of the Torah, the Gospel,
the Psalms, and the Furqan;
the Revealer of kaf-ha-ya-`ayn-sad and ta-ha, ya-sin,
and the Qur'an, full of wisdom.
You are my haven when the wide courses fail to carry me
and when the earth, despite its width, becomes too narrow to bear me.
Without Your mercy, I would have been of those perishing.
You overlook my slips;
and without Your covering me, I would have been of those exposed.
You aid me with Your support against my enemies;
and without Your support, I would have been of those overwhelmed.
O He Who gives Himself exclusively superiority and highness;
so, His friends pride themselves on account of His pride.
O He for Whom the kings put the yoke of humiliation on their necks;
for they are fearful of His authority.
He knows the stealthy looks of eyes and that which the breasts conceal
and the future of the times and ages.
O He save Whom none knows how He is!
O He save Whom none knows what He is!
O He save Whom none knows what He knows!
O He Who surfaced the earth over the water
and blocked the air with the heavens!
O He Who has the noblest of names!
O Owner of favor that is never interrupted!
O He Who directed the caravan towards Joseph in the wasteland,
took him out of the pit,
and made him king after enslavement!
O He Who had returned him to Jacob
after his eyes became white on account of the grief, and he was a repressor of grief!
O He Who removed the distress and misfortune from Job
and withheld the hands of Abraham from slaying his son
after his old age and termination of his lifetime!
O He Who responded to Zachariah
and granted him John
without leaving him alone and lonely!
O He Who took Jonah out of the belly of the big fish!
O He Who cleft the sea to the children of Israel;
so, He saved them and made Pharaoh and his army of the drowned!
O He Who sent the winds, bearing good news, before His mercy!
O He Who has no hastiness on His creatures who disobey Him!
O He Who saved the sorcerers after their long denial!
and after they had lived in His bounty,
eating from His sustenance, but serving someone else other than Him,
acting in opposition to Him, antagonizing Him,
and denying His messengers.
O Allah! O Allah! O Originator!
O Fashioner! There is no equal to You.
O Everlasting! There is no end to You.
O Ever-living when there was no living thing!
O Raiser from the dead!
O He Who watches every soul as to what it earns!
O He to Whom I rarely turned thankful; yet, He did not deprive me,
against Whom I committed grand sins; yet, He did not disclose me,
and Who saw me insisting on disobeying Him; yet, He did not divulge me.
O He Who safeguarded me in my early life!
O He Who provided me with sustenance in my old age!
O He Whose favors to me are innumerable
and Whose bounties cannot be compensated!
O He Who receives me with good turn and kindness
but I meet Him with offense and disobedience!
O He Who had guided me to faith
before I learnt showing gratitude!
O He Whom I besought in sickness; so, He restored me to health,
in bareness; so, He covered me,
in hunger; so, He satiated me,
in thirst; so, He quenched my thirst,
in humility; so, He granted me dignity,
in ignorance; so, He taught me,
in loneliness; so, He increased my number,
in foreignness absence; so, He returned me home,
in poverty; so, He enriched me,
in victory-seeking; so, He supported me,
and in richness; so, He did not deprive me.
When I withheld praying Him in all these situation, He took the initiative.
So, all praise and thanks be to You;
O He Who overlooked my slips,
relieved my agonies,
responded to my prayer,
covered my flaws,
forgave my sins,
settled my need,
and supported me against my enemy.
If I count Your bounties, favors,
and liberal gifts, I will never number them.
O my Master! It is You Who bestowed (upon me).
It is You Who conferred favors (upon me).
It is You Who did good (to me).
It is You Who treated (me) excellently.
It is You Who favored (me).
It is You Who perfected (Your blessings upon me).
It is You Who provided (me) with sustenance.
It is You Who led (me) to success.
It is You Who gave (me).
It is You Who enriched (me).
It is You Who gave (me) to hold.
It is You Who gave (me) shelter.
It is You Who saved (me).
It is You Who guided (me).
It is You Who protected (me).
It is You Who covered my faults.
It is You Who forgave (me).
It is You Who overlooked my sins.
It is You Who established (me).
It is You Who consolidated (me).
It is You Who helped (me).
It is You Who backed (me) up.
It is You Who aided (me).
It is You Who supported (me).
It is You Who restored (me) to health.
It is You Who granted (me) wellbeing.
It is You Who honored (me).
Blessed be You and Exalted be You.
So, all praise be to You permanently,
and all thanks be to You enduringly and eternally.
However, it is I, O my God, who confess of my sins;
so, (please) forgive them to me.
It is I who did badly.
It is I who did wrong.
It is I who had evil intention.
It is I who acted impolitely.
It is I who was inadvertent.
It is I who was inattentive.
It is I who leaned (on something other than You).
It is I who did wrong deliberately.
It is I who promised.
It is I who failed to fulfill it.
It is I who breached.
It is I who confessed.
It is I who testified to Your favors upon and with me,
and I now acknowledge my sins; so, (please) forgive them.
O He Who is not injured by the sins of His servants,
and Who can surely do without their obedience,
and Who inspires those of them to do good,
out of His aid and mercy.
So, all praise be to You, O my God and my Master.
O my God: You ordered me, but I disobeyed You.
You warned me, but I violated Your warning.
So, I am now lacking neither justification to apologize
nor power to support myself.
By which thing can I now meet You, O my Master?
Is it by my hearing, my sight,
my tongue, my hand, or my foot?
Are all these not Your bounties on me
and with all of them I have disobeyed You, O my Master?
You have absolute argument and claim against me.
O He Who covered me from fathers and mothers lest they might have driven me away,
from relatives and friends lest they might have gibed me,
and from rulers lest they might have punished me.
Had they, O my Master, seen
that which You knew about me,
they would certainly have granted me no respite
and they would have rejected and parted company with me.
Here I am now, O my God,
between Your hands, O my Master,
submissive, humble,
helpless, and worthless.
I am now lacking neither justification to apologize
nor power to support myself,
nor excuse to advance as a plea,
nor can I claim not committing and not acting badly.
How can denial, if I deny, O my Master, serve me?
How and in what manner can I do so,
while all my organs are witnesses for what I did?
I know for sure and without doubt
that You will interrogate me about these grand matters,
You are the Just Judge Who never wrongs,
Your justice will ruin me,
and from Your all justice I flee.
If You, O my God, chastise me,
then it is because of my sins after Your claim against me;
and if You pardon me,
then it is on account of Your forbearance, magnanimity, and generosity.
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of the wrongdoers.
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of those seeking forgiveness.
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of those professing Your Oneness.
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of the fearful.
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of the apprehensive.
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of those hoping (for You).
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of those desiring (for You).
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of those professing that there is no god save You.
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of those beseeching (You).
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of those glorifying (You).
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
I have been of those professing that You are the Greatest.
There is no god save You. All glory be to You.
You are my Lord and the Lord of my bygone fathers.
O Allah, this is my praise for You, celebrating Your glory,
my sincerity to mention You and profess Your Oneness,
and my acknowledgment of Your bounties, counting them,
although I confess that I could never count them
for they are innumerable, abundant,
continuous, and prior to a certain event.
You have been conferring upon me with these bounties
since You created and originated me
from the beginning of my age
through meeting my poverty
relieving me from harm,
giving me means of easiness,
repelling misery from me,
alleviating my agonies,
granting me wellbeing in my body,
and furnishing me with sound faith.
If all creatures assist me to be able to mention Your bounties,
including the past and the coming generations,
neither I nor will they be able to do that.
Holy be You and Exalted be You;
You are All-generous, All-great, and All-merciful Sustainer.
Your bounties are innumerable,
(proper) praise of You is unreachable,
and Your graces cannot be rewarded.
(Please) send blessings upon Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
perfect Your bounties for us,
and make us happy by obeying You.
All glory be to You. There is no god save You.
O Allah, verily, You answer the distressed,
remove the evil,
aid the anguished,
cure the ailed,
enrich the poor,
set the broken,
have mercy on the young,
help the old,
none can help against You,
none is more powerful than You,
and You are the Most High, the All-great.
O He Who release the shackled captive!
O He Who provides sustenance to the young child!
O He Who is the Preserver of the afraid seeker of refuge!
O He Who has neither partner nor assistant,
(please) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
and grant me, in this evening,
the best of what You have granted and awarded
to any of Your servants,
including a grace that You donate,
bounties that You re-offer,
a tribulation that You deter,
an anguish that You remove,
a prayer that You answer,
a good deed that You admit,
and an evildoing that You screen.
Verily, You are All-tender to whom You will, and All-aware,
and You have power over all things.
O Allah, Verily, You are the nearest of those whom are prayed,
You are the promptest of those who may respond,
the most generous of those who may pardon,
the most liberal of those who give,
and the most responding of those who are asked.
O All-beneficent of the world and the Hereafter, and All-merciful!
No besought one is like You
and none save You is hoped.
I prayed You and You answered me.
I besought You and You gave me.
I desired for You and You had mercy on me.
I had confidence in You and You saved me.
I resorted to You in awe and You delivered me.
O Allah, (please) send blessings to Muhammad,
Your servant, messenger, and prophet,
and to all of his Household, the pure and immaculate,
and perfect for us Your graces,
make us taste the pleasure of Your gifts,
and register us as thankful for You
and as oft-referring to You.
Respond, respond! O Lord of the worlds!
O Allah, Who owns; therefore, He controls,
and controls; therefore, He has absolute authority,
and is disobeyed; yet, He covers,
and is prayed for forgiveness; therefore, He forgives.
O He Who is the aim of seekers and desirers
and the ultimate purpose of the hope of hopers!
O He Who encompasses all things in knowledge
and covers those who quit (their sins) with tender, mercy, and forbearance!
O Allah, we turn our faces to You in this evening
that You deem honorable and reverential
(asking You) in the name of Muhammad, Your Prophet, Messenger,
the best of Your creation,
Your trustee on Your Revelation,
the bearer of glad tidings, the warner,
and the shining lantern,
with whom You have conferred upon the Muslims,
and whom You made mercy for the worlds.
So, O Allah, bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
forasmuch as Muhammad deserves that from You, O All-great.
So, (please) send blessings to him and his Household,
the elite, pure, and immaculate — all of them,
and encompass us with Your pardoning us.
To You are the voices of various languages clamoring;
so, decide for us, O Allah, in this evening
a share from every good item that You distribute among Your servants,
illumination by which You guide,
mercy that You spread,
blessing that You bring down,
wellbeing that You extend,
and sustenance that You stretch,
O most Merciful of all those who show mercy!
O Allah, turn us in this hour
successful, flourishing,
blessed, and gainers.
Do not include us with the despondent.
Do not leave us without Your mercy.
Do not deprive us of that which we hope from Your favor.
Do not make us deprived of Your mercy,
or despair of the favor of what we hope from Your gifts.
Do not turn us down disappointed
or driven away from Your door.
O most Magnanimous of all those who treat magnanimously
and most Generous of all those who act generously!
To You are we advancing with full conviction
and to Your Holy House are we betaking ourselves purposefully;
So, (please) help us do our rituals (perfectly)
perfect for us our pilgrimage
pardon us, and grant us wellbeing.
We are stretching our hands toward You;
so, they are marked by the humiliation of confession.
O Allah, grant us in this evening that which we have besought from You
and save us from that which we have besought You to save us;
for we have no savior but You
and we have no sustainer but You.
Your decree is prevalent on us,
Your knowledge is encompassing us,
and Your decisions about us is just.
(Please) decree for us that which is good
and make us of the people of goodness.
O Allah, decide for us, on account of Your magnanimity, a great reward,
a generous reserve,
and a permanent easiness,
and forgive us all our sins,
do not annihilate us with those annihilated,
and do not drive away from us Your tenderness and mercy;
O most Merciful of all those who show mercy!
O Allah, include us, at this hour, with them who besought You and You thus gave them,
who thanked You and You thus increased them,
who returned to You and You thus accepted them,
and who renounced all their sins before You and You thus forgave them;
O Lord of Majesty and Honor!
O Allah, purify us and lead us to success
and admit our earnest entreaty;
O He Who is the best of all those who are besought
and most Merciful of all those whose mercy is sought!
O He from Whom neither the closing of eyelids can be hidden,
nor the glances of eyes,
nor is that which settles in the unseen,
nor are things vanished under the secrets of hearts.
Verily, all that has been encompassed by Your knowledge
and covered by Your forbearance.
All glory be to You; and Exalted be You above all that the wrongdoers say,
in high exaltation!
Declaring Your glory are the seven heavens,
the (layers of the) earth, and all beings therein.
There is not a thing but celebrates Your praise.
Yours are all praise, glory,
and exaltation of majesty.
O Owner of majesty, honor,
grace, favoring,
and huge bestowals.
You are the All-magnanimous, the All-generous,
the All-tender, the All-merciful.
O Allah, provide me largely with Your legally gotten sustenance,
grant me wellbeing in my body and my faith,
secure my fears,
and release me from Hellfire.
O Allah, (please) do not plan against me,
do not draw me near to destruction,
do not overreach me,
and drive away from me the evils of the corruptive Jinn and men.

[Imam al-Husayn then raised his head and sight to the sky with teary eyes and said the following with an audible voice:]
O most Hearing of all those who can hear!
O most Seeing of all those who can see!
O swiftest of all those who call to account!
O most Merciful of all those who show mercy!
(Please) send blessings to Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,
the auspicious chiefs;
and I beseech You for my request
that if You answer, anything else that You reject will not harm me
and if You reject, anything else that You respond will not benefit me.
I beseech You for releasing me from Hellfire.
There is no god save You,
only You, there is no partner with You.
To You is the kingdom and to You is all praise,
and You have power over all things.
O my Lord! O my Lord! O my Lord…
[Imam al-Husayn uttered Ya-Rabbi (O my Lord) repeatedly.]