Supplication in Giving Thanks (37)

وَ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَائِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِذَا اعْتَرَفَ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ عَنْ تَأْدِيَةِ الشُّكْرِ
His Supplication when Confessing his Shortcomings in Giving Thanks
Translated by William Chittick

اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ أَحَداً لَا يَبْلُغُ مِنْ شُكْرِكَ غَايَةً

O God, no one reaches a limit in thanking Thee

إِلَّا حَصَلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ إِحْسَانِكَ

without acquiring that of Thy beneficence

مَا يُلْزِمُهُ شُكْراً .

which enjoins upon him thanksgiving,

وَ لَا يَبْلُغُ مَبْلَغاً مِنْ طَاعَتِكَ وَ إِنِ اجْتَهَدَ

nor does anyone reach a degree in obeying Thee, even if he strives,

إِلَّا كَانَ مُقَصِّراً

without falling short

دُونَ اسْتِحْقَاقِكَ بِفَضْلِكَ

of what Thou deservest because of Thy bounty.

فَأَشْكَرُ عِبَادِكَ عَاجِزٌ عَنْ شُكْرِكَ ،

The most thankful of Thy servants has not the capacity to thank Thee,

وَ أَعْبَدُهُمْ مُقَصِّرٌ عَنْ طَاعَتِكَ

and the most worshipful of them falls short of obeying Thee.

لَا يَجِبُ لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لَهُ بِاسْتِحْقَاقِهِ ،

To none of them is due Thy forgiveness through what he himself deserves

وَ لَا أَنْ تَرْضَى عَنْهُ بِاسْتِيجَابِهِ

or Thy good pleasure for his own merit.

فَمَنْ غَفَرْتَ لَهُ فَبِطَوْلِكَ ،

When Thou forgivest someone, it is through Thy graciousness,

وَ مَنْ رَضِيتَ عَنْهُ فَبِفَضْلِكَ

and when Thou art pleased with someone, it is through Thy bounty.

تَشْكُرُ يَسِيرَ مَا شَكَرْتَهُ ،

Thou showest gratitude for the paltry for which Thou showest gratitude

وَ تُثِيبُ عَلَى قَلِيلِ مَا تُطَاعُ فِيهِ

and Thou rewardest the small act in which Thou art obeyed,

حَتَّى كَأَنَّ شُكْرَ عِبَادِكَ

so that it seems as if Thy servants' thanksgiving

الَّذِي أَوْجَبْتَ عَلَيْهِ ثَوَابَهُمْ وَ أَعْظَمْتَ عَنْهُ جَزَاءَهُمْ

for which Thou hast made incumbent their reward and made great their repayment

أَمْرٌ مَلَكُوا اسْتِطَاعَةَ الِامْتِنَاعِ مِنْهُ دُونَكَ

is an affair from which they could have held back without Thee,

فَكَافَيْتَهُمْ ،

and hence Thou wilt recompense them,

أَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ سَبَبُهُ بِيَدِكَ

and whose cause is not in Thy hand,

فَجَازَيْتَهُمْ

and hence Thou wilt repay them.

بَلْ مَلَكْتَ يَا إِلَهِي أَمْرَهُمْ

Nay, my God, Thou hadst power over their affair

قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمْلِكُوا عِبَادَتَكَ ،

before they had power to worship Thee,

وَ أَعْدَدْتَ ثَوَابَهُمْ

and Thou hadst prepared their reward

قَبْلَ أَنْ يُفِيضُوا فِي طَاعَتِكَ ،

before they began to obey Thee;

وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ سُنَّتَكَ الْإِفْضَالُ ،

and that because Thy wont is bestowal of bounty,

وَ عَادَتَكَ الْإِحْسَانُ ،

Thy custom beneficence,

وَ سَبِيلَكَ الْعَفْوُ

Thy way pardon.

فَكُلُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ مُعْتَرِفَةٌ

So all creatures confess

بِأَنَّكَ غَيْرُ ظَالِمٍ لِمَنْ عَاقَبْتَ ،

that Thou wrongest not him whom Thou punishest

وَ شَاهِدَةٌ بِأَنَّكَ مُتَفَضَّلٌ عَلَى مَنْ عَافَيْتَ ،

and bear witness that Thou bestowest bounty upon him whom Thou pardonest.

وَ كُلٌّ مُقِرٌّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ عَمَّا اسْتَوْجَبْتَ

Each admits that he has fallen short of what Thou meritest.

فَلَوْ لَا أَنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَخْتَدِعُهُمْ عَنْ طَاعَتِكَ

Had Satan not misled them from Thy obedience,

مَا عَصَاكَ عَاصٍ ،

no disobeyer would have disobeyed Thee,

وَ لَوْ لَا أَنَّهُ صَوَّرَ لَهُمُ الْبَاطِلَ فِي مِثَالِ الْحَقِّ

and had he not shown falsehood to them in the likeness of truth

مَا ضَلَّ عَنْ طَرِيقِكَ ضَالٌّ

no strayer would have gone astray from Thy path.

فَسُبْحَانَكَ

So glory be to Thee!

مَا أَبْيَنَ كَرَمَكَ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ مَنْ أَطَاعَكَ أَوْ عَصَاكَ

How manifest is Thy generosity in dealing with him who obeys or disobeys Thee!

تَشْكُرُ لِلْمُطِيعِ

Thou showest gratitude to the obedient

مَا أَنْتَ تَوَلَّيْتَهُ لَهُ ،

for that which Thou undertakest for him,

وَ تُمْلِي لِلْعَاصِي

and Thou grantest a respite to the disobedient

فِيمَا تَمْلِكُ مُعَاجَلَتَهُ فِيهِ .

in that within which Thou art able to hurry him.

أَعْطَيْتَ كُلًّا مِنْهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَجِبْ لَهُ ،

Thou givest to each of them that which is not his due,

وَ تَفَضَّلْتَ عَلَى كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا بِمَا يَقْصُرُ عَمَلُهُ عَنْهُ .

and Thou bestowest bounty upon each in that wherein his works fall short.

وَ لَوْ كَافَأْتَ الْمُطِيعَ

Wert Thou to counterbalance for the obedient servant

عَلَى مَا أَنْتَ تَوَلَّيْتَهُ

that which Thou Thyself hadst undertaken,

لَأَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَفْقِدَ ثَوَابَكَ ،

he would be on the point of losing Thy reward

وَ أَنْ تَزُولَ عَنْهُ نِعْمَتُكَ ،

and seeing the end of Thy favour,

وَ لَكِنَّكَ بِكَرَمِكَ جَازَيْتَهُ

but through Thy generosity Thou hast repaid him

عَلَى الْمُدَّةِ الْقَصِيرَةِ الْفَانِيَةِ بِالْمُدَّةِ الطَّوِيلَةِ الْخَالِدَةِ ،

for a short, perishing term with a long, everlasting term,

وَ عَلَى الْغَايَةِ الْقَرِيبَةِ الزَّائِلَةِ بِالْغَايَةِ الْمَدِيدَةِ الْبَاقِيَةِ .

and for a near, vanishing limit with an extended, abiding limit.

ثُمَّ لَمْ تَسُمْهُ الْقِصَاصَ فِيمَا أَكَلَ مِنْ رِزْقِكَ

Then Thou dost not visit him with a settling of accounts for Thy provision

الَّذِي يَقْوَى بِهِ عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ ،

through which he gained strength to obey Thee,

وَ لَمْ تَحْمِلْهُ عَلَى الْمُنَاقَشَاتِ

nor dost Thou force him to make reckonings

فِي الْآلَاتِ الَّتِي تَسَبَّبَ بِاسْتِعْمَالِهَا إِلَى مَغْفِرَتِكَ ،

for the organs he employed to find the means to Thy forgiveness.

وَ لَوْ فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ بِهِ

Wert Thou to do that to him,

لَذَهَبَ بِجَمِيعِ مَا كَدَحَ لَهُ

it would take away everything for which he had laboured

وَ جُمْلَةِ مَا سَعَى فِيهِ

and all wherein he had exerted himself

جَزَاءً لِلصُّغْرَى مِنْ أَيَادِيكَ وَ مِنَنِكَ ،

as repayment for the smallest of Thy benefits and kindnesses,

وَ لَبَقِيَ رَهِيناً بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ بِسَائِرِ نِعَمِكَ ،

and he would remain hostage before Thee for Thy other favours.

فَمَتَى كَانَ يَسْتَحِقُّ شَيْئاً مِنْ ثَوَابِكَ

So how can he deserve something of Thy reward?

لَا مَتَى

Indeed, how?

هَذَا يَا إِلَهِي حَالُ مَنْ أَطَاعَكَ ،

This, my God, is the state of him who obeys Thee

وَ سَبِيلُ مَنْ تَعَبَّدَ لَكَ ،

and the path of him who worships Thee.

فَأَمَّا الْعَاصِي أَمْرَكَ وَ الْمُوَاقِعُ نَهْيَكَ

But as for him who disobeys Thy command and goes against Thy prohibition,

فَلَمْ تُعَاجِلْهُ بِنَقِمَتِكَ

Thou dost not hurry him to Thy vengeance,

لِكَيْ يَسْتَبْدِلَ بِحَالِهِ فِي مَعْصِيَتِكَ

so that he may seek to replace his state in disobeying Thee

حَالَ الْإِنَابَةِ إِلَى طَاعَتِكَ ،

with the state of turning back to obey Thee,

وَ لَقَدْ كَانَ يَسْتَحِقُّ فِي أَوَّلِ مَا هَمَّ بِعِصْيَانِكَ

though he deserved from the time he set out to disobey Thee

كُلَّ مَا أَعْدَدْتَ لِجَمِيعِ خَلْقِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ .

every punishment which Thou hast prepared for all Thy creatures.

فَجَمِيعُ مَا أَخَّرْتَ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ

Through each chastisement which Thou hast kept back from him

وَ أَبْطَأْتَ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سَطَوَاتِ النَّقِمَةِ وَ الْعِقَابِ

and each penalty of Thy vengeance and Thy punishment which Thou hast delayed from him,

تَرْكٌ مِنْ حَقِّكَ ،

Thou hast refrained from Thy right

وَ رِضًى بِدُونِ وَاجِبِكَ ،

and shown good pleasure in place of what Thou hast made obligatory.

فَمَنْ أَكْرَمُ يَا إِلَهِي مِنْكَ ،

So who is more generous, my God, than Thou?

وَ مَنْ أَشْقَى مِمَّنْ هَلَكَ عَلَيْكَ

And who is more wretched than he who perishes in spite of Thee?

لَا مَنْ

Indeed, who?

فَتَبَارَكْتَ أَنْ تُوصَفَ

Thou art too blessed to be described by any

إِلَّا بِالْإِحْسَانِ ،

but beneficence

وَ كَرُمْتَ أَنْ يُخَافَ مِنْكَ إِلَّا الْعَدْلُ ،

and too generous for any but justice to be feared from Thee!

لَا يُخْشَى جَوْرُكَ عَلَى مَنْ عَصَاكَ ،

There is no dread that Thou wilt be unjust toward him who disobeys Thee,

وَ لَا يُخَافُ إِغْفَالُكَ ثَوَابَ مَنْ أَرْضَاكَ ،

nor any fear of Thy neglecting to reward him who satisfies Thee.

فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

So bless Muhammad and his Household,

وَ هَبْ لِي أَمَلِي ،

give me my hope,

وَ زِدْنِي مِنْ هُدَاكَ

and increase me in that of Thy guidance

مَا أَصِلُ بِهِ إِلَى التَّوْفِيقِ فِي عَمَلِي ،

through which I may be successful in my works!

إِنَّكَ مَنَّانٌ كَرِيمٌ .

Surely Thou art All-kind, Generous.