The Whispered Prayer of the Thankful

Fifteen Whispered Prayers from the Words of Sayyid al-Sajidin
مُناجاتُ خَمْسَ عَشَرَةَ مِن كلامِ سَيِّد السِّاجِدينَ
Translated by William C. Chittick

    السادسة : مناجاة الشاكرين

6. The Whispered Prayer of the Thankful

    بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the Name of God, the All-merciful, the All-compassionate

     إلهِي أَذْهَلَنِي عَنْ إقامَةِ شُكْرِكَ تَتابُعُ طَوْلِكَ،

 My God, the uninterrupted flow of Thy graciousness hast distracted me from thanking Thee!

    وَأَعْجَزَنِي عَنْ إحْصآءِ ثَنآئِكَ فَيْضُ فَضْلِكَ،

The flood of Thy bounty has rendered me incapable of counting Thy praises!

    وَشَغَلَنِي عَنْ ذِكْرِ مَحامِدِكَ تَرادُفُ عَوآئِدِكَ،

The succession of Thy kind acts has diverted me from mentioning Thee in laudation!

    وَأَعْيانِي عَنْ نَشْرِ عوارِفِكَ تَوالِي أَيدِيكَ،

The continuous rush of Thy benefits has thwarted me from spreading the news of Thy gentle favours!

    وَهذَا مَقامُ مَنِ

This is the station of him who

    اعْتَرَفَ بِسُبُوغِ النَّعْمآءِ،

confesses to the lavishness of favours,

    وَقابَلَها بِالتَّقْصِيرِ،

meets them with shortcomings,

    وَشَهِدَ عَلى نَفْسِهِ بِالإهْمالِ وَالتَّضْيِيعِ،

and witnesses to his own disregard and negligence.

    وَأَنْتَ الرَّؤُوفُ الرَّحِيمُ

Thou art the Clement, the Compassionate,

    الْبَرُّ الْكَرِيمُ،

the Good, the Generous,

    الَّذِي لا يُخَيِّبُ قاصِدِيهِ،

who does not disappoint those who aim for Him,

    وَلا يَطْرُدُ عَنْ فِنآئِهِ آمِلِيهِ،

nor cast out from His courtyard those who expect from Him!

    بِساحَتِكَ تَحُطُّ رِحالُ الرَّاجِينَ،

In Thy yard are put down the saddlebags of the hopeful

    وَبِعَرْصَتِكَ تَقِفُ آمالُ الْمُسْتَرْفِدِينَ،

and in Thy plain stand the hopes of the help-seekers!

    فَلا تُقابِلْ آمالَنا بِالتَّخْيِيبِ وَالإياسِ،

So meet not our hopes by disappointing and disheartening

    وَلا تُلْبِسْنا سِرْبالَ الْقُنُوطِ وَالإِبْلاسِ.

and clothe us not in the shirt of despair and despondency!

    إلهِي تَصاغَرَ عِنْدَ تَعاظُمِ آلائِكَ شُكْرِي،

 My God, my thanksgiving is small before Thy great boons,

    وَتَضَاءَلَ فِي جَنْبِ إكْرَامِكَ إيَّايَ ثَنآئِي وَنَشْرِي،

and my praise and news-spreading shrink beside Thy generosity toward me!

    جَلَّلَتْنِي نِعَمُكَ

Thy favours have wrapped me

    مِنْ أَنْوَارِ الإِيْمانِ حُلَلاً،

in the robes of the lights of faith,

    وَضَرَبَتْ عَلَيَّ لَطآئِفُ بِرِّكَ مِنَ الْعِزِّ كِلَلاً،

and the gentlenesses of Thy goodness have let down over me delicate curtains of might!

    وَقَلَّدَتْنِي مِنَنُكَ قَلائِدَ لا تُحَلُّ،

Thy kindnesses have collared me with collars not to be moved

    وَطَوَّقْتَنِي أَطْوَاقَاً لا تُفَلُّ،

and adorned me with neck-rings not to be broken!

    فَآلاؤُكَ جَمَّةٌ

Thy boons are abundant –

    ضَعُفَ لِسانِي عَنْ إحْصائِها،

my tongue is too weak to count them!

    وَنَعْمآؤُكَ كَثِيرَةٌ

Thy favours are many –

    قَصُرَ فَهْمِي عَنْ إدْرَاكِها

my understanding falls short of grasping them,

    فَضْلاً عَنِ اسْتِقْصآئِها،

not to speak of exhausting them!

    فَكَيْفَ لِي بِتَحْصِيلِ الشُّكْرِ،

So how can I achieve thanksgiving?

    وَشُكْرِي إيَّاكَ يَفْتَقِرُ إلى شُكْر،

For my thanking Thee requires thanksgiving.

    فَكُلَّما قُلْتُ: لَكَ الْحَمْدُ،

Whenever I say, 'To Thee belongs praise!',

    وَجَبَ عَلَيَّ لِذلِكَ أَنْ أَقُولَ: لَكَ الْحَمْدُ.

it becomes thereby incumbent upon me to say, 'To Thee belongs praise'!

    إلهِي فَكَما غَذَّيْتَنا بِلُطْفِكَ،

 My God, as Thou hast fed us through Thy gentleness

    وَرَبَّيْتَنا بِصُنْعِكَ،

and nurtured us through Thy benefaction,

    فَتَمِّمْ عَلَيْنَا سَوابِـغَ النِّعَمِ،

so also complete for us lavish favours,

    وَادْفَعْ عَنَّا مَكارِهَ النِّقَمِ،

repel from us detested acts of vengeance,

    وَآتِنا مِنْ حُظُوظِ الدَّارَيْنِ

and of the shares of the two abodes,

    أَرْفَعَهَا وَأَجَلَّها

give us their most elevated and their greatest,

    عاجِلاً وَآجِلاً،

both the immediate and the deferred!

    وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ عَلى حُسْنِ بَلاَئِكَ

To Thee belongs praise for Thy good trial

    وَسُبُوغِ نَعْمآئِكَ

and the lavishness of Thy favours,

    حَمْدَاً يُوافِقُ رِضاكَ،

a praise conforming to Thy good pleasure

    وَيَمْتَرِي الْعَظِيمَ مِنْ بِرِّكَ وَنَداكَ،

and attracting Thy great goodness and magnanimity.

    يا عَظِيمُ يا كَرِيمُ،

O All-mighty, O All-generous!

    بِرَحْمَتِكَ

By Thy mercy,

    يا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.

O Most Merciful of the merciful!