In Seeking Needs
(13) وَ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَائِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي طَلَبِ الْحَوَائِجِ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
اللَّهُمَّ يَا مُنْتَهَى مَطْلَبِ الْحَاجَاتِ
O God, O ultimate object of needs!
وَ يَا مَنْ عِنْدَهُ نَيْلُ الطَّلِبَاتِ
O He through whom requests are attained!
وَ يَا مَنْ لَا يَبِيعُ نِعَمَهُ بِالْأَثْمَانِ
O He whose favours are not boughtby prices!
وَ يَا مَنْ لَا يُكَدِّرُ عَطَايَاهُ بِالِامْتِنَانِ
O He who does not muddy His giftsby the imposition of obligations!
وَ يَا مَنْ يُسْتَغْنَى بِهِ وَ لَا يُسْتَغْنَى عَنْهُ
O He along with whom nothing is neededand without whom nothing can be done!
وَ يَا مَنْ يُرْغَبُ إِلَيْهِ وَ لَا يُرْغَبُ عَنْهُ
O He toward whom desire is ever directedand never turned away!
وَ يَا مَنْ لَا تُفْنِي خَزَائِنَهُ الْمَسَائِلُ
O He whose treasuries cannot be exhaustedby demands!
وَ يَا مَنْ لَا تُبَدِّلُ حِكْمَتَهُ الْوَسَائِلُ
O He whose wisdom cannot be alteredby any means!
وَ يَا مَنْ لَا تَنْقَطِعُ عَنْهُ حَوَائِجُ الْمُحْتَاجِينَ
O He from whom the needs of the needyare never cut off!
وَ يَا مَنْ لَا يُعَنِّيهِ دُعَاءُ الدَّاعِينَ .
O He who is not distressedby the supplications of the supplicators!
تَمَدَّحْتَ بِالْغَنَاءِ عَنْ خَلْقِكَ وَ أَنْتَ أَهْلُ الْغِنَى عَنْهُمْ
Thou hast lauded Thyself for having no need for Thy creatures, and it suits Thee to have no need for them,
وَ نَسَبْتَهُمْ إِلَى الْفَقْرِ وَ هُمْ أَهْلُ الْفَقْرِ إِلَيْكَ .
and Thou hast attributed to them poverty, and it suits them to be poor toward Thee.
فَمَنْ حَاوَلَ سَدَّ خَلَّتِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ ، وَ رَامَ صَرْفَ الْفَقْرِ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ بِكَ فَقَدْ طَلَبَ حَاجَتَهُ فِي مَظَانِّهَا ، وَ أَتَى طَلِبَتَهُ مِنْ وَجْهِهَا .
So he who strives to remedy his lack through what is with Theeand wishes to turn poverty away from himself through Theehas sought his need in the most likely placeand come to his request from the right quarter.
وَ مَنْ تَوَجَّهَ بِحَاجَتِهِ إِلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْ خَلْقِكَ أَوْ جَعَلَهُ سَبَبَ نُجْحِهَا دُونَكَ فَقَدْ تَعَرَّضَ لِلْحِرْمَانِ ، وَ اسْتَحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَوْتَ الْإِحْسَانِ .
But he who turns in his need toward one of Thy creaturesor assigns the cause of its being granted to other than Thee, has exposed himself to deprivationand deserves to miss Thy beneficence.
اللَّهُمَّ وَ لِي إِلَيْكَ حَاجَةٌ قَدْ قَصَّرَ عَنْهَا جُهْدِي ، وَ تَقَطَّعَتْ دُونَهَا حِيَلِي ، وَ سَوَّلَتْ لِي نَفْسِي رَفْعَهَا إِلَى مَنْ يَرْفَعُ حَوَائِجَهُ إِلَيْكَ ، وَ لَا يَسْتَغْنِي فِي طَلِبَاتِهِ عَنْكَ ، وَ هِيَ زَلَّةٌ مِنْ زَلَلِ الْخَاطِئِينَ ، وَ عَثْرَةٌ مِنْ عَثَرَاتِ الْمُذْنِبِينَ .
O God, I have a need of Thee: My exertion has fallen short of itand my stratagems have been cut back before reaching it. My soul induced me to present it to him who presents his needs to Theeand can do nothing without Thee in his requests, but this is one of the slips of the offenders, one of the stumbles of the sinners!
ثُمَّ انْتَبَهْتُ بِتَذْكِيرِكَ لِي مِنْ غَفْلَتِي ، وَ نَهَضْتُ بِتَوْفِيقِكَ مِنْ زَلَّتِي ، وَ رَجَعْتُ وَ نَكَصْتُ بِتَسْدِيدِكَ عَنْ عَثْرَتِي .
Then through Thy reminding me, I was aroused from my heedlessness, through Thy giving success, I stood up from my slip, and through Thy pointing the way, I returned and withdrew from my stumble.
وَ قُلْتُ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّي كَيْفَ يَسْأَلُ مُحْتَاجٌ مُحْتَاجاً ؟ وَ أَنَّى يَرْغَبُ مُعْدِمٌ إِلَى مُعْدِمٍ ؟
I said: Glory to my Lord! How can the needy ask from the needy? How can the destitute beseech the destitute?
فَقَصَدْتُكَ يَا إِلَهِي ، بِالرَّغْبَةِ ، وَ أَوْفَدْتُ عَلَيْكَ رَجَائِي بِالثِّقَةِ بِكَ .
So I went straight to Thee, my God, in beseeching, and I sent Thee my hope with trust in Thee.
وَ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ كَثِيرَ مَا أَسْأَلُكَ يَسِيرٌ فِي وُجْدِكَ ، وَ أَنَّ خَطِيرَ مَا أَسْتَوْهِبُكَ حَقِيرٌ فِي وُسْعِكَ ، وَ أَنَّ كَرَمَكَ لَا يَضِيقُ عَنْ سُؤَالِ أَحَدٍ ، وَ أَنَّ يَدَكَ بِالْعَطَايَا أَعْلَى مِنْ كُلِّ يَدٍ .
I came to know thatthe many I request from Thee are few before Thy wealth, the weighty I ask from Thee is vile before Thy plenty; Thy generosity is not constrained by anyone's asking, Thy hand is higher in bestowing gifts than every hand!
اللَّهُمَّ فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ، وَ احْمِلْنِي بِكَرَمِكَ عَلَى التَّفَضُّلِ ، وَ لَا تَحْمِلْنِي بِعَدْلِكَ عَلَى الِاسْتِحْقَاقِ ، فَمَا أَنَا بِأَوَّلِ رَاغِبٍ رَغِبَ إِلَيْكَ فَأَعْطَيْتَهُ وَ هُوَ يَسْتَحِقُّ الْمَنْعَ ، وَ لَا بِأَوَّلِ سَائِلٍ سَأَلَكَ فَأَفْضَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ وَ هُوَ يَسْتَوْجِبُ الْحِرْمَانَ .
O God, so bless Muhammad and his Household, take me through Thy generosity to Thy gratuitous bountyand take me not through Thy justice to what I deserve! I am not the first beseecher to beseech Theeand Thou bestowed upon himwhile he deserved withholding, nor am I the first to ask from Theeand Thou wast bounteous toward himwhile he merited deprivation.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ، وَ كُنْ لِدُعَائِي مُجِيباً ، وَ مِنْ نِدَائِي قَرِيباً ، وَ لِتَضَرُّعِي رَاحِماً ، وَ لِصَوْتِي سَامِعاً .
O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, respond to my supplication, come near my call, have mercy on my pleading, listen to my voice,
وَ لَا تَقْطَعْ رَجَائِي عَنْكَ ، وَ لَا تَبُتَّ سَبَبِي مِنْكَ ، وَ لَا تُوَجِّهْنِي فِي حَاجَتِي هَذِهِ وَ غَيْرِهَا إِلَى سِوَاكَ
cut not short my hope for Thee, sever not my thread to Thee, turn not my face in this my need, and other needs, away from Thee,
وَ تَوَلَّنِي بِنُجْحِ طَلِبَتِي وَ قَضَاءِ حَاجَتِي وَ نَيْلِ سُؤْلِي قَبْلَ زَوَالِي عَنْ مَوْقِفِي هَذَا بِتَيْسِيرِكَ لِيَ الْعَسِيرَ وَ حُسْنِ تَقْدِيرِكَ لِي فِي جَمِيعِ الْأُمُورِ
attend for my sake tothe fulfillment of my request, the granting of my need, and the attainment of what I have asked before I leave this place through Thy making easy for me the difficultand Thy excellent ordainment for me in all affairs!
وَ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ، صَلَاةً دَائِمَةً نَامِيَةً لَا انْقِطَاعَ لِأَبَدِهَا وَ لَا مُنْتَهَى لِأَمَدِهَا ، وَ اجْعَلْ ذَلِكَ عَوْناً لِي وَ سَبَباً لِنَجَاحِ طَلِبَتِي ، إِنَّكَ وَاسِعٌ كَرِيمٌ .
Bless Muhammad and his Household with a permanent, ever-growing blessing, whose perpetuity has no cutting offand whose term knows no limit, and make that a help to meand a cause for the granting of my request! Thou art Boundless, Generous!
وَ مِنْ حَاجَتِي يَا رَبِّ كَذَا وَ كَذَا [وَ تَذْكُرُ حَاجَتَكَ ثُمَّ تَسْجُدُ وَ تَقُولُ فِي سُجُودِكَ] فَضْلُكَ آنَسَنِي ، وَ إِحْسَانُكَ دَلَّنِي ، فَأَسْأَلُكَ بِكَ وَ بِمُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ، صَلَوَاتُكَ عَلَيْهِمْ ، أَن لَا تَرُدَّنِي خَائِباً .
And of my needs, My Lord, are such and such. HERE YOU SHOULD STATE YOUR NEEDS, THEN PROSTRATE YOURSELF, AND SAY IN YOUR PROSTRATIONThy bounty has comforted meand Thy beneficence has shown the way, So I ask Thee by Theeand by Muhammad and his Household(Thy blessings be upon them)that Thou sendest me not back in disappointment!