The Whispered Prayer of the Devotees

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

    الثامنة : مناجاة المريدين

8. The Whispered Prayer of the Devotees

    بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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

     سُبْحانَكَ ما أَضْيَقَ الطُّرُقَ

 Glory be to Thee! How narrow are the paths

    عَلى مَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ دَلِيلَهُ!

for him whom Thou hast not guided!

    وَما أَوْضَحَ الْحَقَّ عِنْدَ مَنْ هَدَيْتَهُ سَبِيلَه!

How plain the truth for him whom Thou hast guided on his way!

 إلهِي فاسْلُكْ بِنا سُبُلَ الْوُصُولِ إلَيْكَ،

 My God, make us travel on the roads that arrive at Thee

    وَسَيِّرْنا فِي أَقْرَبِ الطُّرُقِ لِلْوُفُودِ عَلَيْكَ،

and set us into motion on the paths nearest to reaching Thee!

    قَرِّبْ عَلَيْنَا الْبَعِيدَ،

Make near for us the far,

    وَسَهِّلَ عَلَيْنَا الْعَسِيرَ الشَّدِيدَ،

and make easy for us the hard and difficult!

    وَأَلْحِقْنا بِعِبادِكَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ بِالْبِدارِ إلَيْكَ يُسارِعُونَ

Join us to Thy servants, those who hurry to Thee swiftly,

    وَبابَكَ عَلَى الدَّوامِ يَطْرُقُونَ،

knock constantly at Thy door,

    وَإيَّاكَ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهارِ يَعْبُدُونَ،

and worship Thee by night and by day,

    وَهُمْ مِنْ هَيْبَتِكَ مُشْفِقُونَ،

while they remain apprehensive in awe of Thee!

    الَّذِينَ صَفَّيْتَ لَهُمُ الْمَشارِبَ،

Thou hast purified their drinking places,

    وَبَلَّغْتَهُمُ الرَّغآئِبَ،

taken them to the objects of their desire,

    وَأَنْجَحْتَ لَهُمُ الْمَطالِبَ،

granted their requests,

    وَقَضَيْتَ لَهُمْ مِنْ فضْلِكَ الْمَآرِبَ،

accomplished their wishes through Thy bounty,

    وَمَلأْتَ لَهُمْ ضَمآئِرَهُمْ مِنْ حُبِّكَ

filled their minds with Thy love,

    وَرَوَّيْتَهُمْ مِنْ صافِي شِرْبِكَ،

and quenched their thirst with Thy pure drink.

    فَبِكَ إلى لَذِيذِ مُناجاتِكَ وَصَلُوا،

Through Thee have they reached the pleasure of whispered prayer to Thee,

    وَمِنْكَ أَقْصى مَقاصِدِهِمْ حَصَّلُوا،

and in Thee have they achieved their furthest goals.

    فَيا مَنْ هُوَ عَلَى الْمُقْبِلِينَ عَلَيْهِ مُقْبِلٌ،

O He who comes toward those who come toward Him

    وَبِالْعَطْفِ عَلَيْهِمْ عآئِدٌ مُفْضِلٌ،

and grants gifts and bestows bounty upon them through tenderness!

    وَبِالْغافِلِينَ عَنْ ذِكْرِهِ رَحِيمٌ رَؤُوفٌ،

He is compassionate and clement toward those heedless of His remembrance

    وَبِجَذْبِهمْ إلى بابِهِ وَدُودٌ عَطُوفٌ،

and loving and tender in drawing them to His door!

    أَسْأَلُكَ أَنْ تَجْعَلَنِي مِنْ أَوْفَرِهِمْ مِنْكَ حَظّاً،

I ask Thee to place me among those of them who have the fullest share from Thee,

    وَأَعْلاهُمْ عِنْدَكَ مَنْزِلاً،

the highest station with Thee,

    وَأَجْزَلِهِـمْ مِنْ وُدِّكَ قِسَمـاً،

the most plentiful portion of Thy love,

    وَأَفْضَلِهِمْ فِي مَعْرِفَتِكَ نَصِيباً،

and the most excellent allotment of Thy knowledge,

    فَقَدِ انْقطَعَتْ إلَيْكَ هِمَّتِي،

for my aspiration has been cut off from everything but Thee

    وَانْصَرَفَتْ نَحْوَكَ رَغْبَتِي،

and my desire has turned toward Thee alone.

    فَأَنْتَ لاَ غَيْرُكَ مُرادِي،

Thou art my object, none other;

    وَلَكَ لا لِسِواكَ سَهَرِي وَسُهادِي،

to Thee alone belongs my waking and my sleeplessness.

    وَلِقاؤُكَ قُرَّةُ عَيْني،

Meeting Thee is the gladness of my eye,

    وَوَصْلُكَ مُنى نَفْسِي،

joining Thee the wish of my soul.

    وَإلَيْكَ شَوْقِي،

Toward Thee is my yearning,

    وَفِي مَحَبَّتِكَ وَلَهِي،

in love for Thee my passionate longing,

    وَإلى هَواكَ صَبابَتِي،

in inclining toward Thee my fervent craving.

    وَرِضاكَ بُغْيَتي،

Thy good pleasure is the aim I seek,

    وَرُؤْيَتُكَ حاجَتِي،

vision of Thee my need,

    وَجِوارُكَ طَلَبِي، وَقُرْبُكَ غايَةُ سُؤْلِي،

Thy neighbourhood my request, nearness to Thee the utmost object of my asking.

    وَفِي مُنَاجَاتِكَ رَوْحِي وَراحَتِي،

In whispered prayer to Thee I find my repose and my ease.

    وَعِنْدَكَ دَوآءُ عِلَّتِي،

With Thee lies the remedy of my illness,

    وَشِفآءُ غُلَّتِي،

the cure for my burning thirst,

    وَبَرْدُ لَوْعَتِي، وَكَشْفُ كُرْبَتِي.

the coolness of my ardour, the removal of my distress.

    فَكُنْ أَنِيْسِي فِي وَحْشَتِي،

Be my intimate in my loneliness,

    وَمُقِيلَ عَثْرَتِي،

the releaser of my stumble,

    وَغافِرَ زَلَّتِي،

the forgiver of my slip,

    وَقابِلَ تَوْبَتِي،

the accepter of my repentance,

    وَمُجِيبَ دَعْوَتِي،

the responder to my supplication,

    وَوَلِيَّ عِصْمَتِي،

the patron of preserving me from sin,

    وَمُغْنِيَ فاقَتِي،

the one who frees me from my neediness!

    وَلا تَقْطَعْنِي عَنْكَ، وَلا تُبْعِدْنِي مِنْكَ

Cut me not off from Thee and keep me not far from Thee!

    يا نَعِيمِي وَجَنَّتِي،

O my bliss and my garden!

    وَيا دُنْيايَ وَآخِرَتِي،

O my this world and my hereafter!

    يا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.

O Most Merciful of the merciful!