Supplication in Seeking Pardon and Mercy (39)

وَ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَائِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي طَلَبِ الْعَفْوِ وَ الرَّحْمَةِ
His Supplication in Seeking Pardon and Mercy
Translated by William Chittick

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

وَ اكْسِرْ شَهْوَتِي عَنْ كُلِّ مَحْرَمٍ ،

break my passion for every unlawful thing,

وَ ازْوِ حِرْصِي عَنْ كُلِّ مَأْثَمٍ ،

take away my craving for any sin,

وَ امْنَعْنِي عَنْ أَذَى كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ وَ مُؤْمِنَةٍ ،

and bar me from harming any believer, male or female,

وَ مُسْلِمٍ وَ مُسْلِمَةٍ .

and any Muslim, male or female!

اللَّهُمَّ وَ أَيُّمَا عَبْدٍ نَالَ مِنِّي مَا حَظَرْتَ عَلَيْهِ ،

O God, if any of Thy servants should harm me in what Thou hast forbidden

وَ انْتَهَكَ مِنِّي مَا حَجَزْتَ عَلَيْهِ ،

or violate me in what Thou hast interdicted,

فَمَضَى بِظُلَامَتِي مَيِّتاً ،

and if he should pass into death with my complaint

أَوْ حَصَلَتْ لِي قِبَلَهُ حَيّاً

or I come to have a complaint against him while he is alive,

فَاغْفِرْ لَهُ مَا أَلَمَّ بِهِ مِنِّي ،

forgive him what he did to me

وَ اعْفُ لَهُ عَمَّا أَدْبَرَ بِهِ عَنِّي ،

and pardon him that through which he turned his back on me!

وَ لَا تَقِفْهُ عَلَى مَا ارْتَكَبَ فِيَّ ،

Inquire not from him about what he committed toward me

وَ لَا تَكْشِفْهُ عَمَّا اكْتَسَبَ بِي ،

and expose him not through what he earned by me!

وَ اجْعَلْ مَا سَمَحْتُ بِهِ مِنَ الْعَفْوِ عَنْهُمْ ،

Make my open-handedness in pardoning such servants

وَ تَبَرَّعْتُ بِهِ مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ عَلَيْهِمْ

and my contribution in charity toward them

أَزْكَى صَدَقَاتِ الْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ ،

the purest charity of the charitable

وَ أَعْلَى صِلَاتِ الْمُتَقَرِّبِينَ

and the highest gift of those seeking nearness to Thee!

وَ عَوِّضْنِي مِنْ عَفْوِي عَنْهُمْ عَفْوَكَ ،

- Recompense me for my pardoning them with Thy pardon

وَ مِنْ دُعَائِي لَهُمْ رَحْمَتَكَ

and for my supplicating for them with Thy mercy

حَتَّى يَسْعَدَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَّا بِفَضْلِكَ ،

so that each one of us may gain felicity through Thy bounty

وَ يَنْجُوَ كُلٌّ مِنَّا بِمَنِّكَ .

and each may attain deliverance through Thy kindness!

اللَّهُمَّ وَ أَيُّمَا عَبْدٍ مِنْ عَبِيدِكَ

O God, if there is a servant from among Thy servants whom

أَدْرَكَهُ مِنِّي دَرَكٌ ،

an ill visits on my account,

أَوْ مَسَّهُ مِنْ نَاحِيَتِي أَذًى ،

a harm touches from my direction,

أَوْ لَحِقَهُ بِي أَوْ بِسَبَبِي ظُلْمٌ

or a wrong overtakes through me or because of me,

فَفُتُّهُ بِحَقِّهِ ،

and should I fail to take care of his right

أَوْ سَبَقْتُهُ بِمَظْلِمَتِهِ ،

or go before him [in death] with his complaint,

فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

bless Muhammad and his Household,

وَ أَرْضِهِ عَنِّي مِنْ وُجْدِكَ ،

satisfy him toward me through Thy wealth,

وَ أَوْفِهِ حَقَّهُ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ

and give him his full right from Thyself!

ثُمَّ قِنِي مَا يُوجِبُ لَهُ حُكْمُكَ ،

Then protect me from what Thy decision mandates

وَ خَلِّصْنِي مِمَّا يَحْكُمُ بِهِ عَدْلُكَ ،

and save me from what Thy justice decides,

فَإِنَّ قُوَّتِي لَا تَسْتَقِلُّ بِنَقِمَتِكَ ،

for my strength cannot bear Thy vengeance

وَ إِنَّ طَاقَتِي لَا تَنْهَضُ بِسُخْطِكَ ،

and my power cannot stand up to Thy displeasure!

فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ تُكَافِنِي بِالْحَقِّ تُهْلِكْنِي ،

If Thou recompensest me with the right, Thou wilt destroy me,

وَ إِلَّا تَغَمَّدْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ تُوبِقْنِي .

and if Thou dost not shield me in Thy mercy, Thou wilt lay me waste.

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَوْهِبُكَ يَا إِلَهِي

O God, I ask Thee to grant, my God,

مَا لَا يُنْقِصُكَ بَذْلُهُ ،

that whose giving will not decrease Thee,

وَ أَسْتَحْمِلُكَ ، مَا لَا يَبْهَظُكَ حَمْلُهُ .

and I ask Thee to carry that whose carrying will not weigh Thee down:

أَسْتَوْهِبُكَ يَا إِلَهِي نَفْسِيَ

My God, I ask Thee to give my soul,

الَّتِي لَمْ تَخْلُقْهَا لِتَمْتَنِعَ بِهَا مِنْ سُوءٍ ،

which Thou didst not create to keep Thyself from evil

أَوْ لِتَطَرَّقَ بِهَا إِلَى نَفْعٍ ،

nor to find the way to profit.

وَ لَكِنْ أَنْشَأْتَهَا

No, Thou brought it forth

إِثْبَاتاً لِقُدْرَتِكَ عَلَى مِثْلِهَا ،

to demonstrate Thy power over its like

وَ احْتِجَاجاً بِهَا عَلَى شَكْلِهَا .

and to provide an argument against its similar.

وَ أَسْتَحْمِلُكَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِي مَا قَدْ بَهَظَنِي حَمْلُهُ ،

- I ask Thee to carry those of my sins whose carrying weighs me down

وَ أَسْتَعِينُ بِكَ عَلَى مَا قَدْ فَدَحَنِي ثِقْلُهُ .

and I seek help from Thee in that whose heaviness oppresses me.

فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

So bless Muhammad and his Household,

وَ هَبْ لِنَفْسِي عَلَى ظُلْمِهَا نَفْسِي ،

give to me my soul in spite of its wrongdoing,

وَ وَكِّلْ رَحْمَتَكَ بِاحْتِمَالِ إِصْرِي ،

and appoint Thy mercy to carry my burden!

فَكَمْ قَدْ لَحِقَتْ رَحْمَتُكَ بِالْمُسِيئِينَ ،

How many evildoers Thy mercy has overtaken!

وَ كَمْ قَدْ شَمِلَ عَفْوُكَ الظَّالِمِينَ .

How many wrongdoers Thy pardon has embraced!

فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

So bless Muhammad and his Household

وَ اجْعَلْنِي أُسْوَةَ مَنْ قَدْ أَنْهَضْتَهُ بِتَجَاوُزِكَ

and make me the model of him whom Thou hast aroused through Thy forbearance

عَنْ مَصَارِعِ الْخَاطِئِينَ ،

from the deadly infirmities of the Senders

وَ خَلَّصْتَهُ بِتَوْفِيقِكَ مِنْ وَرَطَاتِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ ،

and saved through Thy giving success from the tangled plights of the sinners,

فَأَصْبَحَ طَلِيقَ عَفْوِكَ مِنْ إِسَارِ سُخْطِكَ ،

so that I may rise up freed by Thy pardon from the bonds of Thy displeasure

وَ عَتِيقَ صُنْعِكَ مِنْ وَثَاقِ عَدْلِكَ .

and released by Thy benefaction from the ties of Thy justice!

إِنَّكَ إِنْ تَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَا إِلَهِي

- Surely if Thou dost that, my God,

تَفْعَلْهُ بِمَنْ لَا يَجْحَدُ اسْتِحْقَاقَ عُقُوبَتِكَ ،

Thou wilt do it to one who does not deny deserving Thy punishment

وَ لَا يُبَرِّئُ نَفْسَهُ مِنِ اسْتِيجَابِ نَقِمَتِكَ

or acquit himself from merit for Thy vengeance.

تَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَا إِلَهِي بِمَنْ

Do that, my God, for one

خَوْفُهُ مِنْكَ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ طَمَعِهِ فِيكَ ،

whose fear of Thee is greater than his craving from Thee,

وَ بِمَنْ يَأْسُهُ مِنَ النَّجَاةِ أَوْكَدُ مِنْ رَجَائِهِ لِلْخَلَاصِ ،

whose hopelessness of deliverance is firmer than his hope for salvation!

لَا أَنْ يَكُونَ يَأْسُهُ قُنُوطاً ،

Not that his hopelessness is despair,

أَوْ أَنْ يَكُونَ طَمَعُهُ اغْتِرَاراً ،

nor that his expectation is deluded.

بَلْ لِقِلَّةِ حَسَنَاتِهِ بَيْنَ سَيِّئَاتِهِ ،

No, rather his good deeds are few among his evil deeds

وَ ضَعْفِ حُجَجِهِ فِي جَمِيعِ تَبِعَاتِهِ

and his arguments are frail in face of everything due from his acts.

فَأَمَّا أَنْتَ يَا إِلَهِي فَأَهْلٌ أَنْ لَا يَغْتَرَّ بِكَ الصِّدِّيقُونَ ،

But Thou, my God, art worthy that the righteous not be deluded concerning Thee

وَ لَا يَيْأَسَ مِنْكَ الْمُجْرِمُونَ ،

and the sinners not lose hope in Thee,

لِأَنَّكَ الرَّبُّ الْعَظِيمُ الَّذِي

for Thou art the All-mighty Lord who

لَا يَمْنَعُ أَحَداً فَضْلَهُ ، وَ لَا يَسْتَقْصِي مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَقَّهُ .

holds back His bounty from none and takes His full right from no one.

تَعَالَى ذِكْرُكَ عَنِ الْمَذْكُورِينَ ،

High exalted is Thy mention above those mentioned!

وَ تَقَدَّسَتْ أَسْمَاؤُكَ عَنِ الْمَنْسُوبِينَ ،

Holy are Thy names beyond those described!

وَ فَشَتْ نِعْمَتُكَ فِي جَمِيعِ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ ،

Spread is Thy favour among all creatures!

فَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ .

Thine is the praise for that, O Lord of the worlds!