Fifteen Whispered Prayers
1- The Prayer of the Repenters
In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate
My God, offenses have clothed me in the garment of my lowliness,
separation from Thee has wrapped me in the clothing of my misery!
My dreadful crimes have deadened my heart,
so bring it to life by a repentance from Thee!
O my hope and my aim!
O my wish and my want!
By Thy might,
I find no one but Thee to forgive my sins
and I see none but Thee to mend my brokenness!
I have subjected myself to Thee in repeated turning,
I have humbled myself to Thee in abasement.
If Thou castest me out from Thy door,
in whom shall I take shelter?
If Thou repellest me from Thy side,
in whom shall I seek refuge?
O my grief at my ignominy and disgrace!
O my sorrow at my evil works and what I have committed!
I ask Thee, O Forgiver of great sins,
O Mender of broken bones,
to overlook my ruinous misdeeds
and cover my disgraceful secret thoughts!
At the witnessing place of the Resurrection,
empty me not
of the coolness of Thy pardon and forgiveness,
and strip me not
of Thy beautiful forbearance and covering!
My God, let the cloud of Thy mercy cast its shadow upon my sins
and send the billow of Thy clemency flowing over my faults!
My God,
does the runaway servant go back but to his Master?
Or does anyone grant sanctuary to him from His anger but He?
My God, if remorse for sins is a repentance,1
I – by Thy might – am one of the remorseful!
If praying forgiveness for offenses is an alleviation,
I am one of those who pray forgiveness!
To Thee I return
that Thou may be well pleased!
My God, through Thy power over me, turn toward me,
through Thy clemency toward me, pardon me,
and through Thy knowledge of me,
be gentle toward me!
My God,
Thou art He who hast opened a door to Thy pardon
and named it ‘repentance’,
for Thou said, Repent to God with unswerving repentance.2
What is the excuse of him who remains heedless of entering the door after its opening?
My God, though the sins of Thy servant are ugly,
Thy pardon is beautiful.
My God, I am not the first to have disobeyed Thee,
and Thou turned toward him,
or to have sought to attain Thy favour, and Thou wert munificent toward him.
O Responder to the distressed!
O Remover of injury!
O Great in goodness!
O Knower of everything secret!
O Beautiful through covering over!
I seek Thy munificence and Thy generosity
to intercede with Thee,
I seek Thy side and Thy showing mercy
to mediate with Thee,
so grant my supplication,
disappoint not my hope in Thee,
accept my repentance, and hide my offense,
through Thy kindness and mercy,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
إلهِي أَلْبَسَتْنِي الْخَطايا ثَوْبَ مَذَلَّتِي،
وَجَلَّلَنِي التَّباعُدُ مِنْكَ لِباسَ مَسْكَنَتِي،
وَأَماتَ قَلْبِي عَظِيمُ جِنايَتِي،
فَأَحْيِه بِتَوْبَة مِنْكَ
يا أَمَلِي وَبُغْيَتِي،
وَيا سُؤْلِي وَمُنْيَتِي،
فَوَ عِزَّتِكَ ما أَجِدُ لِذُنُوبِي سِواكَ غافِراً،
وَلا أَرى لِكَسْرِي غَيْرَكَ جابِراً،
وَقَدْ خَضَعْتُ بِالإنابَةِ إلَيْكَ
وَعَنَوْتُ بِالاسْتِكانَةِ لَدَيْكَ،
فَإنْ طَرَدْتَنِي مِنْ بابِكَ فَبِمَنْ أَلُوذُ؟
وَإنْ رَدَدْتَنِي عَنْ جَنابِكَ فَبِمَنْ أَعُوذُ؟
فَوا أَسَفاهُ مِنْ خَجْلَتِي وَافْتِضَاحِي،
وَوالَهْفاهُ مِنْ سُوءِ عَمَلِي وَاجْتِراحِي.
أَسْأَلُكَ يا غافِرَ الذَّنْبِ الْكَبِيرِ،
وَيا جابِرَ الْعَظْمِ الْكَسِيرِ،
أَنْ تَهَبَ لِي مُوبِقاتِ الْجَرآئِرِ،
وَتَسْتُرَ عَلَيَّ فاضِحاتِ السَّرآئِرِ،
وَلا تُخْلِنِي فِي مَشْهَدِ الْقِيامَةِ
مِنْ بَرْدِ عَفْوِكَ وَغَفْرِكَ،
وَلا تُعْرِنِي
مِنْ جَمِيلِ صَفْحِكَ وَسَتْرِكَ.
إلهِي ظَلِّلْ عَلَى ذُنُوبِي غَمامَ رَحْمَتِكَ،
وَأَرْسِلْ عَلى عُيُوبِي سَحابَ رَأْفَتِكَ.
إلهِي هَلْ يَرْجِعُ الْعَبْدُ الابِقُ إلاَّ إلَى مَوْلاهُ
أَمْ هَلْ يُجِيرُهُ مِنْ سَخَطِهِ أَحَدٌ سِواهُ؟
إلهِي إنْ كانَ النَّدَمُ عَلَى الذَّنْب تَوْبَةً،
فَإنِّي وَعِزَّتِكَ مِنَ النَّادِمِينَ،
وَإنْ كَانَ الاسْتِغْفارُ مِنَ الْخَطيئَةِ حِطَّةً،
فَإنِّي لَكَ مِنَ الُمُسْتَغْفِرِينَ،
لَكَ الْعُتْبى
حَتّى تَرْضى.
إلهِي بِقُدْرَتِكَ عَلَيَّ تُبْ عَلَيَّ،
وَبِحِلْمِكَ عَنِّي اعْفُ عَنِّي،
وَبِعِلْمِكَ بِي
ارْفَقْ بِي.
إلهِي أَنْتَ الَّذي فَتَحْتَ لِعِبادِكَ بَابَاً إلَى عَفْوِكَ
سَمَّيْتَهُ التَّوْبَةَ،
فَقُلْتَ: ( تُوبُوا إلَى اللَّهِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحَاً)،
فَما عُذْرُ مَنْ أَغْفَلَ دُخُولَ الْبابِ بَعْدَ فَتْحِهِ.
إلهِي إنْ كانَ قَبُحَ الذَّنْبُ مِنْ عَبْدِكَ
فَلْيَحْسُنِ الْعَفْوُ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ.
إلهِي ما أَنَا بِأَوَّلِ مَنْ عَصاكَ،
فَتُبْتَ عَلَيْهِ،
وَتَعَرَّضَ بِمَعْرُوفِكَ، فَجُدْتَ عَلَيْهِ،
يا مُجِيبَ الْمُضْطَرِّ،
يا كَاشِفَ الضُّرِّ،
يا عَظِيمَ الْبِرِّ،
يا عَليمَاً بِما فِي السِّرِّ،
يا جَمِيلَ السِّتْرِ
اسْتَشْفَعْتُ بِجُودِكَ وَكَرَمِكَ إلَيْكَ،
وَتَوَسَّلْتُ بِجَنابِكَ وَتَرَحُّمِكَ لَدَيْكَ،
فَاسْتَجِبْ دُعآئِي،
وَلا تُخَيِّبْ فِيكَ رَجآئِي
وَتَقَبَّلْ تَوْبَتِي وَكَفِّرْ خَطيئَتِي،
بِمَنِّكَ وَرَحْمَتِكَ
يا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.
2- The Prayer of the Complainers
In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate
My God, to Thee I complain of a soul
commanding to evil,
rushing to offenses,
eager to disobey Thee,
and exposing itself to Thy anger.
It takes me on the roads of disasters,
it makes me the easiest of perishers before Thee;
many its pretexts, drawn out its expectations;
when evil touches it, it is anxious,
when good touches it, grudging;
inclining to sport and diversion,
full of heedlessness and inattention,
it hurries me to misdeeds
and makes me delay repentance.
My God, I complain to Thee
of an enemy who misguides me
and a satan who leads me astray.
He has filled my breast with tempting thoughts,
and his suggestions have encompassed my heart.
He supports caprice against me,
embellishes for me the love of this world,
and separates me from obedience and proximity!
My God, to Thee I complain
of a heart that is hard,
turned this way and that by tempting thoughts,
clothed in rust and the seal,
and of an eye too indifferent to weep in fear of Thee
and eagerly seeking that which gladdens it!
My God,
there is no force and no strength
except in Thy power,
and no deliverance for me from the detested things of this world
save through Thy preservation.
So I ask Thee
by Thy far-reaching wisdom
and Thy penetrating will
not to let me expose myself to other than Thy munificence
and not to turn me into a target for trials!
Be for me a helper against enemies,
a coverer of shameful things and faults,
a protector against afflictions,
a preserver against acts of disobedience!
By Thy clemency and mercy,
O Most Merciful of the merciful!
الثانية : مناجاة الشاكين
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
إلهِي إليْكَ أَشْكُو نَفْساً بِالسُّوءِ أَمَّارَةً،
وَإلَى الْخَطيئَةِ مُبادِرَةً،
وَبِمَعاصِيكَ مُولَعَةً،
وَلِسَخَطِكَ مُتَعَرِّضَةً،
تسْلُكُ بِي مَسالِكَ الْمَهالِكِ،
وَتَجْعَلُنِي عِنْدَكَ أَهْوَنَ هالِك،
كَثِيرَةَ الْعِلَلِ طَوِيلَةَ الاَمَلِ،
إنْ مَسَّهَا الشَّرُّ تَجْزَعُ، وَإنْ مَسَّهَا الْخَيْرُ تَمْنَعُ،
مَيَّالَةً إلَى اللَّعِبِ وَاللَّهْوِ،
مَمْلُوَّةً بِالْغَفْلَةِ وَالسَّهُوِ،
تُسْرِعُ بِي إلَى الْحَوْبَةِ، وَتُسَوِّفُنِي بِالتَّوْبَةِ.
إلهِي أَشْكُو إلَيْكَ عَدُوّاً يُضِلُّنِي،
وَشَيْطانَاً يَغْوِينِي،
قَدْ مَلاَ بِالْوَسْواسِ صَدْرِي،
وَأَحاطَتْ هَواجِسُهُ بِقَلْبِي
يُعاضِدُ لِيَ الْهَوى،
وَيُزَيِّنُ لِي حُبَّ الدُّنْيَا،
وَيَحُولُ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَ الطَّاعَةِ وَالزُّلْفى.
إلهِي إلَيْكَ أَشْكُو قَلْبَاً قاسِياً
مَعَ الْوَسْواسِ مُتَقَلِّباً،
وَبِالرَّيْنِ وَالطَّبْعِ مُتَلَبِّساً،
وَعَيْنَاً عَنِ الْبُكآءِ مِنْ خَوْفِكَ جامِدَةً،
وَإلى ما تَسُرُّها طامِحَةً.
إلهِي لا حَوْلَ وَلا قُوَّةَ إلاَّ بِقُدْرَتِكَ،
وَلا نَجاةَ لِي مِنْ مَكارِهِ الدُّنْيا إلاَّ بِعِصْمَتِكَ،
فَأَسْأَلُكَ بِبَلاغَةِ حِكْمَتِكَ،
وَنَفاذِ مَشِيَّتِكَ،
أَنْ لا تَجْعَلَنِي لِغَيْرِ جُودِكَ مُتَعَرِّضاً،
وَلا تُصَيِّرَنِي لِلْفِتَنِ غَرَضاً،
وَكُنْ لِي عَلَى الأَعْداءِ ناصِرَاً،
وَعَلَى الْمَخَازِي وَالْعُيُوبِ ساتِراً،
وَمِنَ الْبَلاءِ واقِياً،
وَعَنِ الْمَعاصِي عاصِمَاً،
بِرَأْفَتِكَ وَرَحْمَتِكَ يا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ