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
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ أَحَداً لَا يَبْلُغُ مِنْ شُكْرِكَ غَايَةً إِلَّا حَصَلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ إِحْسَانِكَ مَا يُلْزِمُهُ شُكْراً .
O God, no one reaches a limit in thanking Thee without acquiring that of Thy beneficence which enjoins upon him thanksgiving,
وَ لَا يَبْلُغُ مَبْلَغاً مِنْ طَاعَتِكَ وَ إِنِ اجْتَهَدَ إِلَّا كَانَ مُقَصِّراً دُونَ اسْتِحْقَاقِكَ بِفَضْلِكَ
nor does anyone reach a degree in obeying Thee, even if he strives, without falling shortof what Thou deservest because of Thy bounty.
فَأَشْكَرُ عِبَادِكَ عَاجِزٌ عَنْ شُكْرِكَ ، وَ أَعْبَدُهُمْ مُقَصِّرٌ عَنْ طَاعَتِكَ
The most thankful of Thy servants has not the capacity to thank Thee, and the most worshipful of them falls short of obeying Thee.
لَا يَجِبُ لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لَهُ بِاسْتِحْقَاقِهِ ، وَ لَا أَنْ تَرْضَى عَنْهُ بِاسْتِيجَابِهِ
To none of them is due Thy forgiveness through what he himself deservesor Thy good pleasure for his own merit.
فَمَنْ غَفَرْتَ لَهُ فَبِطَوْلِكَ ، وَ مَنْ رَضِيتَ عَنْهُ فَبِفَضْلِكَ
When Thou forgivest someone, it is through Thy graciousness, and when Thou art pleased with someone, it is through Thy bounty.
تَشْكُرُ يَسِيرَ مَا شَكَرْتَهُ ، وَ تُثِيبُ عَلَى قَلِيلِ مَا تُطَاعُ فِيهِ حَتَّى كَأَنَّ شُكْرَ عِبَادِكَ الَّذِي أَوْجَبْتَ عَلَيْهِ ثَوَابَهُمْ وَ أَعْظَمْتَ عَنْهُ جَزَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مَلَكُوا اسْتِطَاعَةَ الِامْتِنَاعِ مِنْهُ دُونَكَ فَكَافَيْتَهُمْ ، أَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ سَبَبُهُ بِيَدِكَ فَجَازَيْتَهُمْ
Thou showest gratitude for the paltry for which Thou showest gratitude1and Thou rewardest the small act in which Thou art obeyed, so that it seems as if Thy servants' thanksgivingfor which Thou hast made incumbent their reward and made great their repaymentis an affair from which they could have held back without Thee, and hence Thou wilt recompense them, and whose cause is not in Thy hand, and hence Thou wilt repay them.
بَلْ مَلَكْتَ يَا إِلَهِي أَمْرَهُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمْلِكُوا عِبَادَتَكَ ، وَ أَعْدَدْتَ ثَوَابَهُمْ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُفِيضُوا فِي طَاعَتِكَ ، وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ سُنَّتَكَ الْإِفْضَالُ ، وَ عَادَتَكَ الْإِحْسَانُ ، وَ سَبِيلَكَ الْعَفْوُ
Nay, my God, Thou hadst power over their affair before they had power to worship Thee, and Thou hadst prepared their reward before they began to obey Thee; and that because Thy wont is bestowal of bounty, Thy custom beneficence, Thy way pardon.
فَكُلُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ مُعْتَرِفَةٌ بِأَنَّكَ غَيْرُ ظَالِمٍ لِمَنْ عَاقَبْتَ ، وَ شَاهِدَةٌ بِأَنَّكَ مُتَفَضَّلٌ عَلَى مَنْ عَافَيْتَ ، وَ كُلٌّ مُقِرٌّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ عَمَّا اسْتَوْجَبْتَ
So all creatures confessthat Thou wrongest not him whom Thou punishestand bear witness that Thou bestowest bounty upon him whom Thou pardonest. Each admits that he has fallen short of what Thou meritest.
فَلَوْ لَا أَنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَخْتَدِعُهُمْ عَنْ طَاعَتِكَ مَا عَصَاكَ عَاصٍ ، وَ لَوْ لَا أَنَّهُ صَوَّرَ لَهُمُ الْبَاطِلَ فِي مِثَالِ الْحَقِّ مَا ضَلَّ عَنْ طَرِيقِكَ ضَالٌّ
Had Satan not misled them from Thy obedience, no disobeyer would have disobeyed Thee, and had he not shown falsehood to them in the likeness of truthno strayer would have gone astray from Thy path.
فَسُبْحَانَكَ مَا أَبْيَنَ كَرَمَكَ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ مَنْ أَطَاعَكَ أَوْ عَصَاكَ تَشْكُرُ لِلْمُطِيعِ مَا أَنْتَ تَوَلَّيْتَهُ لَهُ ، وَ تُمْلِي لِلْعَاصِي فِيمَا تَمْلِكُ مُعَاجَلَتَهُ فِيهِ .
So glory be to Thee! How manifest is Thy generosity in dealing with him who obeys or disobeys Thee! Thou showest gratitude to the obedientfor that which Thou undertakest for him, and Thou grantest a respite to the disobedientin that within which Thou art able to hurry him.
أَعْطَيْتَ كُلًّا مِنْهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَجِبْ لَهُ ، وَ تَفَضَّلْتَ عَلَى كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا بِمَا يَقْصُرُ عَمَلُهُ عَنْهُ .
Thou givest to each of them that which is not his due, and Thou bestowest bounty upon eachin that wherein his works fall short.
وَ لَوْ كَافَأْتَ الْمُطِيعَ عَلَى مَا أَنْتَ تَوَلَّيْتَهُ لَأَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَفْقِدَ ثَوَابَكَ ، وَ أَنْ تَزُولَ عَنْهُ نِعْمَتُكَ ، وَ لَكِنَّكَ بِكَرَمِكَ جَازَيْتَهُ عَلَى الْمُدَّةِ الْقَصِيرَةِ الْفَانِيَةِ بِالْمُدَّةِ الطَّوِيلَةِ الْخَالِدَةِ ، وَ عَلَى الْغَايَةِ الْقَرِيبَةِ الزَّائِلَةِ بِالْغَايَةِ الْمَدِيدَةِ الْبَاقِيَةِ .
Wert Thou to counterbalance for the obedient servantthat which Thou Thyself hadst undertaken, he would be on the point of losing Thy rewardand seeing the end of Thy favour, but through Thy generosity Thou hast repaid himfor a short, perishing term with a long, everlasting term, and for a near, vanishing limit with an extended, abiding limit.
ثُمَّ لَمْ تَسُمْهُ الْقِصَاصَ فِيمَا أَكَلَ مِنْ رِزْقِكَ الَّذِي يَقْوَى بِهِ عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ ، وَ لَمْ تَحْمِلْهُ عَلَى الْمُنَاقَشَاتِ فِي الْآلَاتِ الَّتِي تَسَبَّبَ بِاسْتِعْمَالِهَا إِلَى مَغْفِرَتِكَ ، وَ لَوْ فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ بِهِ لَذَهَبَ بِجَمِيعِ مَا كَدَحَ لَهُ وَ جُمْلَةِ مَا سَعَى فِيهِ جَزَاءً لِلصُّغْرَى مِنْ أَيَادِيكَ وَ مِنَنِكَ ، وَ لَبَقِيَ رَهِيناً بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ بِسَائِرِ نِعَمِكَ ، فَمَتَى كَانَ يَسْتَحِقُّ شَيْئاً مِنْ ثَوَابِكَ لَا مَتَى
Then Thou dost not visit him with a settling of accounts for Thy provision through which he gained strength to obey Thee, nor dost Thou force him to make reckoningsfor the organs he employed to find the means to Thy forgiveness. Wert Thou to do that to him, it would take away everything for which he had labouredand all wherein he had exerted himselfas repayment for the smallest of Thy benefitsand kindnesses, and he would remain hostage before Theefor Thy other favours. So how can he deserve something of Thy reward? Indeed, how?
هَذَا يَا إِلَهِي حَالُ مَنْ أَطَاعَكَ ، وَ سَبِيلُ مَنْ تَعَبَّدَ لَكَ ، فَأَمَّا الْعَاصِي أَمْرَكَ وَ الْمُوَاقِعُ نَهْيَكَ فَلَمْ تُعَاجِلْهُ بِنَقِمَتِكَ لِكَيْ يَسْتَبْدِلَ بِحَالِهِ فِي مَعْصِيَتِكَ حَالَ الْإِنَابَةِ إِلَى طَاعَتِكَ ، وَ لَقَدْ كَانَ يَسْتَحِقُّ فِي أَوَّلِ مَا هَمَّ بِعِصْيَانِكَ كُلَّ مَا أَعْدَدْتَ لِجَمِيعِ خَلْقِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ .
This, my God, is the state of him who obeys Theeand the path of him who worships Thee. But as for him who disobeys Thy commandand goes against Thy prohibition, Thou dost not hurry him to Thy vengeance, so that he may seek to replacehis state in disobeying Thee with the state of turning back to obey Thee, though he deserved from the time he set out to disobey Thee every punishment which Thou hast preparedfor all Thy creatures.
فَجَمِيعُ مَا أَخَّرْتَ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ وَ أَبْطَأْتَ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سَطَوَاتِ النَّقِمَةِ وَ الْعِقَابِ تَرْكٌ مِنْ حَقِّكَ ، وَ رِضًى بِدُونِ وَاجِبِكَ ،
Through each chastisement which Thou hast kept back from himand each penalty of Thy vengeance and Thy punishment which Thou hast delayed from him, Thou hast refrained from Thy rightand shown good pleasurein place of what Thou hast made obligatory.
فَمَنْ أَكْرَمُ يَا إِلَهِي مِنْكَ ، وَ مَنْ أَشْقَى مِمَّنْ هَلَكَ عَلَيْكَ لَا مَنْ فَتَبَارَكْتَ أَنْ تُوصَفَ إِلَّا بِالْإِحْسَانِ ، وَ كَرُمْتَ أَنْ يُخَافَ مِنْكَ إِلَّا الْعَدْلُ ، لَا يُخْشَى جَوْرُكَ عَلَى مَنْ عَصَاكَ ، وَ لَا يُخَافُ إِغْفَالُكَ ثَوَابَ مَنْ أَرْضَاكَ ، فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ، وَ هَبْ لِي أَمَلِي ، وَ زِدْنِي مِنْ هُدَاكَ مَا أَصِلُ بِهِ إِلَى التَّوْفِيقِ فِي عَمَلِي ، إِنَّكَ مَنَّانٌ كَرِيمٌ .
So who is more generous, my God, than Thou? And who is more wretched than he who perishesin spite of Thee? Indeed, who? Thou art too blessed to be described by any but beneficenceand too generous for any but justice to be feared from Thee! There is no dread that Thou wilt be unjust toward him who disobeys Thee, nor any fear of Thy neglecting to rewardhim who satisfies Thee. So bless Muhammad and his Household, give me my hope, and increase me in that of Thy guidance through which I may be successful in my works! Surely Thou art All-kind, Generous.