Supplication in Seeking Needs from God (13)

وَ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَائِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَوَائِجِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
His Supplication in Seeking Needs from God
Translated by William Chittick

   اللَّهُمَّ يَا مُنْتَهَى مَطْلَبِ الْحَاجَاتِ

O God, O ultimate object of needs!

     وَ يَا مَنْ عِنْدَهُ نَيْلُ الطَّلِبَاتِ

O He through whom requests are attained!

     وَ يَا مَنْ لَا يَبِيعُ نِعَمَهُ بِالْأَثْمَانِ

O He whose favours are not bought by prices!

     وَ يَا مَنْ لَا يُكَدِّرُ عَطَايَاهُ بِالِامْتِنَانِ

O He who does not muddy His gifts by the imposition of obligations!

     وَ يَا مَنْ يُسْتَغْنَى بِهِ وَ لَا يُسْتَغْنَى عَنْهُ

O He along with whom nothing is needed and without whom nothing can be done!

     وَ يَا مَنْ يُرْغَبُ إِلَيْهِ وَ لَا يُرْغَبُ عَنْهُ

O He toward whom desire is ever directed and never turned away!

     وَ يَا مَنْ لَا تُفْنِي خَزَائِنَهُ الْمَسَائِلُ

O He whose treasuries cannot be exhausted by demands!

     وَ يَا مَنْ لَا تُبَدِّلُ حِكْمَتَهُ الْوَسَائِلُ

O He whose wisdom cannot be altered by any means!

     وَ يَا مَنْ لَا تَنْقَطِعُ عَنْهُ حَوَائِجُ الْمُحْتَاجِينَ

O He from whom the needs of the needy are never cut off!

     وَ يَا مَنْ لَا يُعَنِّيهِ دُعَاءُ الدَّاعِينَ

O He who is not distressed by the supplications of the supplicators!

     تَمَدَّحْتَ بِالْغَنَاءِ عَنْ خَلْقِكَ

Thou hast lauded Thyself for having no need for Thy creatures,

    وَ أَنْتَ أَهْلُ الْغِنَى عَنْهُمْ

and it suits Thee to have no need for them,

     وَ نَسَبْتَهُمْ إِلَى الْفَقْرِ

and Thou hast attributed to them poverty,

    وَ هُمْ أَهْلُ الْفَقْرِ إِلَيْكَ

and it suits them to be poor toward Thee

     فَمَنْ حَاوَلَ سَدَّ خَلَّتِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ ،

So he who strives to remedy his lack through what is with Thee

    وَ رَامَ صَرْفَ الْفَقْرِ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ بِكَ

and wishes to turn poverty away from himself through Thee

    فَقَدْ طَلَبَ حَاجَتَهُ فِي مَظَانِّهَا ،

has sought his need in the most likely place

    وَ أَتَى طَلِبَتَهُ مِنْ وَجْهِهَا

and come to his request from the right quarter

     وَ مَنْ تَوَجَّهَ بِحَاجَتِهِ إِلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ

But he who turns in his need toward one of Thy creatures

    أَوْ جَعَلَهُ سَبَبَ نُجْحِهَا دُونَكَ

or assigns the cause of its being granted to other than Thee,

    فَقَدْ تَعَرَّضَ لِلْحِرْمَانِ ،

has exposed himself to deprivation

    وَ اسْتَحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَوْتَ الْإِحْسَانِ

and deserves to miss Thy beneficence

     اللَّهُمَّ وَ لِي إِلَيْكَ حَاجَةٌ

O God, I have a need of Thee:

    قَدْ قَصَّرَ عَنْهَا جُهْدِي ،

My exertion has fallen short of it

    وَ تَقَطَّعَتْ دُونَهَا حِيَلِي ،

and my stratagems have been cut back before reaching it

    وَ سَوَّلَتْ لِي نَفْسِي رَفْعَهَا إِلَى مَنْ يَرْفَعُ حَوَائِجَهُ إِلَيْكَ ،

My soul induced me to present it to him who presents his needs to Thee

    وَ لَا يَسْتَغْنِي فِي طَلِبَاتِهِ عَنْكَ ،

and can do nothing without Thee in his requests,

    وَ هِيَ زَلَّةٌ مِنْ زَلَلِ الْخَاطِئِينَ ،

but this is one of the slips of the offenders,

     وَ عَثْرَةٌ مِنْ عَثَرَاتِ الْمُذْنِبِينَ

one of the stumbles of the sinners!

     ثُمَّ انْتَبَهْتُ بِتَذْكِيرِكَ لِي مِنْ غَفْلَتِي ،

Then through Thy reminding me, I was aroused from my heedlessness, through Thy giving success,

    وَ نَهَضْتُ بِتَوْفِيقِكَ مِنْ زَلَّتِي ،

I stood up from my slip, and through Thy pointing the way,

    وَ رَجَعْتُ وَ نَكَصْتُ بِتَسْدِيدِكَ عَنْ عَثْرَتِي

I returned and withdrew from my stumble

     وَ قُلْتُ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي

I said: Glory to my Lord!

    كَيْفَ يَسْأَلُ مُحْتَاجٌ مُحْتَاجاً ؟

How can the needy ask from the needy?

     وَ أَنَّى يَرْغَبُ مُعْدِمٌ إِلَى مُعْدِمٍ ؟

How can the destitute beseech the destitute?

     فَقَصَدْتُكَ يَا إِلَهِي ، بِالرَّغْبَةِ ،

So I went straight to Thee, my God, in beseeching,

   وَ أَوْفَدْتُ عَلَيْكَ رَجَائِي بِالثِّقَةِ بِكَ

and I sent Thee my hope with trust in Thee

     وَ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ كَثِيرَ مَا أَسْأَلُكَ

  I came to know that the many I request from Thee

    يَسِيرٌ فِي وُجْدِكَ ،

are few before Thy wealth,

    وَ أَنَّ خَطِيرَ مَا أَسْتَوْهِبُكَ حَقِيرٌ فِي وُسْعِكَ ،

the weighty I ask from Thee is vile before Thy plenty;

    وَ أَنَّ كَرَمَكَ لَا يَضِيقُ عَنْ سُؤَالِ أَحَدٍ ،

Thy generosity is not constrained by anyone's asking,

    وَ أَنَّ يَدَكَ بِالْعَطَايَا أَعْلَى مِنْ كُلِّ يَدٍ

Thy hand is higher in bestowing gifts than every hand!

     اللَّهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

O God, so bless Muhammad and his Household,

    وَ احْمِلْنِي بِكَرَمِكَ عَلَى التَّفَضُّلِ ،

take me through Thy generosity to Thy gratuitous bounty

    وَ لَا تَحْمِلْنِي بِعَدْلِكَ عَلَى الِاسْتِحْقَاقِ ،

and take me not through Thy justice to what I deserve!

    فَمَا أَنَا بِأَوَّلِ رَاغِبٍ رَغِبَ إِلَيْكَ فَأَعْطَيْتَهُ وَ هُوَ يَسْتَحِقُّ الْمَنْعَ ،

I am not the first beseecher to beseech Thee and Thou bestowed upon him while he deserved withholding,

    وَ لَا بِأَوَّلِ سَائِلٍ سَأَلَكَ فَأَفْضَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ وَ هُوَ يَسْتَوْجِبُ الْحِرْمَانَ

nor am I the first to ask from Thee and Thou wast bounteous toward him while he merited deprivation

     اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

  وَ كُنْ لِدُعَائِي مُجِيباً ،

respond to my supplication,

    وَ مِنْ نِدَائِي قَرِيباً ،

come near my call,

    وَ لِتَضَرُّعِي رَاحِماً ،

have mercy on my pleading,

    وَ لِصَوْتِي سَامِعاً

listen to my voice,

     وَ لَا تَقْطَعْ رَجَائِي عَنْكَ ،

cut not short my hope for Thee,

    وَ لَا تَبُتَّ سَبَبِي مِنْكَ ،

sever not my thread to Thee,

    وَ لَا تُوَجِّهْنِي فِي حَاجَتِي هَذِهِ وَ غَيْرِهَا إِلَى سِوَاكَ

turn not my face in this my need, and other needs, away from Thee,

     وَ تَوَلَّنِي بِنُجْحِ طَلِبَتِي

attend for my sake to the fulfillment of my request,

    وَ قَضَاءِ حَاجَتِي

the granting of my need,

    وَ نَيْلِ سُؤْلِي

and the attainment of what I have asked

    قَبْلَ زَوَالِي عَنْ مَوْقِفِي هَذَا

before I leave this place

    بِتَيْسِيرِكَ لِيَ الْعَسِيرَ

through Thy making easy for me the difficult

    وَ حُسْنِ تَقْدِيرِكَ لِي فِي جَمِيعِ الْأُمُورِ

and Thy excellent ordainment for me in all affairs!

     وَ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

Bless Muhammad and his Household

    صَلَاةً دَائِمَةً نَامِيَةً

with a permanent, evergrowing blessing,

    لَا انْقِطَاعَ لِأَبَدِهَا وَ لَا مُنْتَهَى لِأَمَدِهَا ،

whose perpetuity has no cutting off and whose term knows no limit,

    وَ اجْعَلْ ذَلِكَ عَوْناً لِي

and make that a help to me

    وَ سَبَباً لِنَجَاحِ طَلِبَتِي ،

and a cause for the granting of my request!

    إِنَّكَ وَاسِعٌ كَرِيمٌ

Thou art Boundless, Generous!

     وَ مِنْ حَاجَتِي يَا رَبِّ كَذَا وَ كَذَا

And of my needs, My Lord, are such and such

    [وَ تَذْكُرُ حَاجَتَكَ ثُمَّ تَسْجُدُ وَ تَقُولُ فِي سُجُودِكَ]

HERE YOU SHOULD STATE YOUR NEEDS, THEN PROSTRATE YOURSELF, AND SAY IN YOUR PROSTRATION

    فَضْلُكَ آنَسَنِي ،

Thy bounty has comforted me

    وَ إِحْسَانُكَ دَلَّنِي ،

and Thy beneficence has shown the way,

    فَأَسْأَلُكَ بِكَ وَ بِمُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

So I ask Thee by Thee and by Muhammad and his Household

    صَلَوَاتُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ ،

(Thy blessings be upon them)

    أَن لَا تَرُدَّنِي خَائِباً

that Thou sendest me not back in disappointment!