We present two short supplications, in both ‘Arabic and their English translations, from the grandson of the Prophet of Islam, ‘Ali Ibn Husayn Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Peace be upon them all) from his collection of supplications known as as-Sahifah as-Sajjadiyyah al-Kamilah (The Psalms of Islam), which we found to be fitting with the theme of this book.

The English translation of the following Duas’ have been taken from the book as-Sahifah as-Sajjadiyyah al-Kamilah (The Psalms of Islam), printed by Muhammadi Trust of the United Kingdom, translated by Dr. William Chittick.

15. His Supplication When Sick, Or When Any Difficulties Or Problems Arose

وكان من دعائه عليه السلام إذا مرض أو نزل به كرب أو بلية

1. اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ

عَلَى مَا لَمْ أَزَلْ أَتَصَرَّفُ فِيهِ مِنْ سَلَامَةِ بَدَنِي ،

وَ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ

عَلَى مَا أَحْدَثْتَ بِي مِنْ عِلَّةٍ فِي جَسَدِي

1- O God, to Thee belongs praise

for the good health of my body

which lets me move about,

and to Thee belongs praise,

for the ailments

which Thou causest to arise in my flesh!

2. فَمَا أَدْرِي ، يَا إِلَهِي ،

أَيُّ الْحَالَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِالشُّكْرِ لَكَ ،

وَ أَيُّ الْوَقْتَيْنِ أَوْلَى بِالْحَمْدِ لَكَ

2- For I know not, my God,

which of the two states deserves more my thanking Thee

and which of the two times is more worthy for my praise of Thee:

3. أَ وَقْتُ الصِّحَّةِ

الَّتِي هَنَّأْتَنِي فِيهَا طَيِّبَاتِ رِزْقِكَ ،

وَ نَشَّطْتَنِي بِهَا لِابْتِغَاءِ مَرْضَاتِكَ وَ فَضْلِكَ ،

وَ قَوَّيْتَنِي مَعَهَا

عَلَى مَا وَفَّقْتَنِي لَهُ مِنْ طَاعَتِكَ

3- the time of health,

within which Thou makest me delight in the agreeable things of Thy provision,

through which Thou givest me the joy to seek

the means to Thy good pleasure and bounty,

and by which Thou strengthenest me

for the acts of obedience

which Thou hast given me success to accomplish;

4. أَمْ وَقْتُ الْعِلَّةِ

الَّتِي مَحَّصْتَنِي بِهَا ،

وَ النِّعَمِ الَّتِي أَتْحَفْتَنِي بِهَا ،

تَخْفِيفاً لِمَا ثَقُلَ بِهِ عَلَيَّ ظَهْرِي مِنَ الْخَطِيئَاتِ ،

وَ تَطْهِيراً لِمَا انْغَمَسْتُ فِيهِ مِنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ ،

وَ تَنْبِيهاً لِتَنَاوُلِ التَّوْبَةِ ،

وَ تَذْكِيراً لِمَحْوِ الْحَوْبَةِ بِقَدِيمِ النِّعْمَةِ

4- or the time of illness

through which Thou puttest me to the test

and bestowest upon me favours:

lightening of the offenses

that weigh down my back,

purification of the evil deeds

into which I have plunged,

incitement to reach for repentance,

reminder of the erasure of misdeeds through ancient favour;

5. وَ فِي خِلَالِ ذَلِكَ مَا كَتَبَ لِيَ الْكَاتِبَانِ

مِنْ زَكِيِّ الْأَعْمَالِ ،

مَا لَا قَلْبٌ فَكَّرَ فِيهِ ،

وَ لَا لِسَانٌ نَطَقَ بِهِ ،

وَ لَا جَارِحَةٌ تَكَلَّفَتْهُ ،

بَلْ إِفْضَالًا مِنْكَ عَلَيَّ ،

وَ إِحْسَاناً مِنْ صَنِيعِكَ إِلَيَّ .

5- and, through all that, what the two writers write for me:

blameless acts,

which no heart had thought,

no tongue had uttered,

and no limb had undertaken,

rather, as Thy bestowal of bounty upon me

and the beneficence of Thy benefaction toward me.1

6. اللَّهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

وَ حَبِّبْ إِلَيَّ مَا رَضِيتَ لِي ،

وَ يَسِّرْ لِي مَا أَحْلَلْتَ بِي ،

وَ طَهِّرْنِي مِنْ دَنَسِ مَا أَسْلَفْتُ ،

وَ امْحُ عَنِّي شَرَّ مَا قَدَّمْتُ ،

وَ أَوْجِدْنِي حَلَاوَةَ الْعَافِيَةِ ،

وَ أَذِقْنِي بَرْدَ السَّلَامَةِ ،

وَ اجْعَلْ مَخْرَجِي عَنْ عِلَّتِي إِلَى عَفْوِكَ ،

وَ مُتَحَوَّلِي عَنْ صَرْعَتِي إِلَى تَجَاوُزِكَ ،

وَ خَلَاصِي مِنْ كَرْبِي إِلَى رَوْحِكَ ،

وَ سَلَامَتِي مِنْ هَذِهِ الشِّدَّةِ إِلَى فَرَجِكَ

6- O God,

bless Muhammad and his Household,

make me love what Thou hast approved for me,

make easy for me what Thou hast sent down upon me,

purify me of the defilement of what I have sent ahead,

erase the evil of what I have done beforehand,

let me find the sweetness of well-being,

let me taste the coolness of safety,

and appoint for me

a way out from my illness to Thy pardon,

transformation of my infirmity into Thy forbearance,

escape from my distress to Thy refreshment,

and safety from this hardship in Thy relief!

7. إِنَّكَ الْمُتَفَضِّلُ بِالْإِحْسَانِ ، الْمُتَطَوِّلُ بِالِامْتِنَانِ ،

الْوَهَّابُ الْكَرِيمُ ،

ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَ الْإِكْرَامِ .

7- Thou art gratuitously bountiful in beneficence,

ever gracious in kindness,

the Generous, the Giver,

Possessor of Majesty and Munificence!

40. His Supplication When Death Was Mentioned

وَ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَائِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِذَا نُعِيَ إِلَيْهِ مَيِّتٌ ، أَوْ ذَكَرَ الْمَوْتَ

1. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،

وَ اكْفِنَا طُولَ الْأَمَلِ ،

وَ قَصِّرْهُ عَنَّا بِصِدْقِ الْعَمَلِ

حَتَّى لَا نُؤَمِّلَ اسْتِتْمَامَ سَاعَةٍ بَعْدَ سَاعَةٍ ،

وَ لَا اسْتِيفَاءَ يَوْمٍ بَعْدَ يَوْمٍ ،

وَ لَا اتِّصَالَ نَفَسٍ بِنَفَسٍ ،

وَ لَا لُحُوقَ قَدَمٍ بِقَدَمٍ

1- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household,

spare us drawn out expectations

and cut them short in us through sincerity of works,

that we may not hope expectantly for completing an hour after an hour,

closing a day after a day,

joining a breath to a breath,

or overtaking a step with a step!

2. وَ سَلِّمْنَا مِنْ غُرُورِهِ ،

وَ آمِنَّا مِنْ شُرُورِهِ ،

وَ انْصِبِ الْمَوْتَ بَيْنَ أَيْدِينَا نَصْباً ، وَ لَا تَجْعَلْ ذِكْرَنَا لَهُ غِبّاً

2- Keep us safe from the delusions of expectations,

make us secure from their evils,

set up death before us in display. and let not our remembering of it come and go!

3. وَ اجْعَلْ لَنَا مِنْ صَالِحِ الْأَعْمَالِ عَمَلًا

نَسْتَبْطِئُ مَعَهُ الْمَصِيرَ إِلَيْكَ ،

وَ نَحْرِصُ لَهُ عَلَى وَشْكِ اللَّحَاقِ بِكَ

حَتَّى يَكُونَ الْمَوْتُ مَأْنَسَنَا الَّذِي نَأْنَسُ بِهِ ،

وَ مَأْلَفَنَا الَّذِي نَشْتَاقُ إِلَيْهِ ،

وَ حَامَّتَنَا الَّتِي نُحِبُّ الدُّنُوَّ مِنْهَا

3- Appoint for us from among the righteous works a work

through which we will feel the homecoming to Thee as slow

and crave a quick joining with Thee,

so that death may be our intimate abode with which we are intimate,

our familiar place toward which we yearn,

and our next of kin whose coming we love!

4. فَإِذَا أَوْرَدْتَهُ عَلَيْنَا وَ أَنْزَلْتَهُ بِنَا

فَأَسْعِدْنَا بِهِ زَائِراً ، وَ آنِسْنَا بِهِ قَادِماً ،

وَ لَا تُشْقِنَا بِضِيَافَتِهِ ،

وَ لَا تُخْزِنَا بِزِيَارَتِهِ ،

وَ اجْعَلْهُ بَاباً مِنْ أَبْوَابِ مَغْفِرَتِكَ ،

وَ مِفْتَاحاً مِنْ مَفَاتِيحِ رَحْمَتِكَ

4- When Thou bringest it to us and sendest it down upon us,

make us happy with it as a visitor, comfort us with its arrival,

make us not wretched through entertaining it,

degrade us not through its visit,

and appoint it one of the gates to Thy forgiveness

and the keys to Thy mercy!

5. أَمِتْنَا مُهْتَدِينَ غَيْرَ ضَالِّينَ ،

طَائِعِينَ غَيْرَ مُسْتَكْرِهِينَ ،

تَائِبِينَ غَيْرَ عَاصِينَ وَ لَا مُصِرِّينَ ،

يَا ضَامِنَ جَزَاءِ الْمُحْسِنِينَ ،

وَ مُسْتَصْلِحَ عَمَلِ الْمُفْسِدِينَ .

5- Make us die guided, not astray,

obedient, not averse,

repentant, not disobedient or persisting,

O He who guarantees the repayment of the good-doers

and seeks to set right the work of the corrupt!

• 1. A believer who cannot perform the obligatory acts of worship because of illness is credited with them in any case. The commentator cites a number of hadith to this effect, e.g.: 'When the believer becomes sick, God says to the angel charged with him: "Write for him what you used to write when he was healthy".'