The Whispered Prayer of the Knowers

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

    الثانية عشرة : مناجاة العارفين

12. The Whispered Prayer of the Knowers

    بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

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

    1. إلهِي قَصُرَتِ الأَلْسُنُ عَنْ بُلُوغِ ثَنآئِكَ،

My God, tongues fall short of attaining praise of Thee

    كَما يَلِيقُ بِجَلالِكَ،

proper to Thy majesty,

    وَعَجَزَتِ الْعُقُولُ عَنْ إدْراكِ كُنْهِ جَمالِكَ،

intellects are incapable of grasping the core of Thy beauty,

    وَانْحَسَرَتِ الأَبْصارُ دُونَ النَّظَرِ

eyes fail before gazing

    إلى سُبُحاتِ وَجْهِكَ،

upon the glories of Thy face,

    وَلَمْ تَجْعَلْ لِلْخَلْقِ طَرِيقاً إلى مَعْرِفَتِكَ

and Thou hast assigned to Thy creatures no way to know Thee

    إلاَّ بِالْعَجْزِ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِكَ.

save incapacity to know Thee!

     إلهِي فَاجْعَلْنا مِنَ الَّذِينَ

My God, place us among those

    تَرَسَّخَتْ أَشْجارُ الشَّوقِ إلَيْكَ

within the gardens of whose breasts

    فِي حَدآئِقِ صُدُورِهِمْ،

the trees of yearning for Thee have taken firm root

    وَأَخَذَتْ لَوْعَةُ مَحَبَّتِكَ بِمَجامِعِ قُلُوبِهِمْ،

and the assemblies of whose hearts have been seized by the ardour of Thy love!

    فَهُمْ إلَى أَوْكارِ الأَفْكارِ يَأْوُونَ،

They seek shelter in the nests of meditation,

    وَفِي رِياضِ الْقُرْبِ وَالْمُكاشَفَةِ يَرْتَعُونَ،

feed upon the gardens of nearness and disclosure,

    وَمِنْ حِياضِ الْمَحَبَّةِ بِكَأْسِ الْمُلاطَفَةِ يَكْرَعُونَ،

drink from the pools of love with the cup of gentle favour,

    وَشَرايعَ الْمُصافاةِ يَرِدُونَ،

and enter into the watering-places of warm affection.

    قَدْ كُشِفَ الْغِطآءُ عَنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ،

The covering has been lifted from their eyes,

    وَانْجَلَتْ ظُلْمَةُ الرَّيْبِ عَنْ عَقآئِدِهِمْ،

the darkness of disquiet has been dispelled from their beliefs and their innermost minds,

    وَانْتَفَتْ مُخالَجَةُ الشَّكِّ

the contention of doubt has been negated

    عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَسَرآئِرِهِمْ،

from their hearts and their secret thoughts,

    وَانْشَرَحَتْ بِتَحْقِيقِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ صُدُورُهُمْ،

their breasts have expanded through the verification of true knowledge,

    وَعَلَتْ لِسَبْقِ السَّعادَةِ فِي الزَّهادَةِ هِمَمُهُمْ،

their aspirations have ascended through precedent good fortune in renunciation,

    وَعَذُبَ فِي مَعِينِ الْمُعامَلَةِ شِرْبُهُمْ

their drinking is sweet from the spring of devotion to good works,

    وَطابَ فِي مَجْلِسِ الأُنْسِ سِرُّهُمْ،

their secret thoughts are delicious in the sitting-place of intimacy,

    وَأَمِنَ فِي مَوْطِنِ الْمَخافَةِ سِرْبُهُمْ،

their minds are secure in the place of terror,

    وَاطْمَأَنَّتْ بِالرُّجُوْعِ إلى رَبِّ الأَرْبابِ أَنْفُسُهُمْ،

their souls are serene through the return to the Lord of lords,

    وَتَيَقَّنَتْ بِالْفَوْزِ وَالْفَلاحِ أَرْواحُهُمْ،

their spirits have reached certitude through triumph and prosperity,

    وَقَرَّتْ بِالنَّظَرِ إلى مَحْبُوبِهِمْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ،

their eyes have been gladdened through gazing upon their Beloved,

    وَاسْتَقَرَّ بِإدْراكِ السُّؤْلِ وَنَيْلِ الْمَأْمُولِ قَرَارُهُمْ،

their settling place has been settled through reaching the request and attaining the expectation,

    وَرَبِحَتْ فِي بَيْعِ الدُّنْيَا بِالآخِرَةِ تِجارَتُهُمْ.

and their commerce has profited through the sale of this world for the next!

     إلهِي ما أَلَذَّ خَواطِرَ الإِلْهامِ بِذِكْرِكَ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ،

My God, how agreeable for hearts are the thoughts inspiring Thy remembrance,

    وَما أَحْلَى الْمَسِيرَ إلَيْكَ

how sweet travelling to Thee

    بِالأَوْهامِ فِي مَسالِكِ الْغُيُوبِ،

through imagination upon the roads of the unseen worlds,

    وَما أَطْيَبَ طَعْمَ حُبِّكَ،

how pleasant the taste of Thy love,

    وَما أَعْذَبَ شِرْبَ قُرْبِكَ،

how delightful the drink of Thy nearness!

    فَأَعِذْنا مِنْ طَرْدِكَ وَإبْعادِكَ،

So give us refuge from Thy casting out and Thy sending far,

    وَاجْعَلْنا مِنْ أَخَصِّ عارِفِيكَ،

and place us among the most elect of Thy knowers,

    وَأَصْلَحِ عِبادِكَ،

the most righteous of Thy servants,

    وَأَصْدَقِ طآئِعِيكَ

the most truthful of Thy obeyers,

    وَأَخْلَصِ عُبَّادِكَ،

the most sincere of Thy worshipers!

    يا عَظِيمُ، يا جَلِيلُ،

O All-mighty, O Majestic,

    يا كَرِيمُ، يا مُنِيلُ،

O Generous, O Endower!

    بِرَحْمَتِكَ وَمَنِّكَ يا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.

By Thy mercy and kindness, O Most Merciful of the merciful!