One of the Fifteen Whispered Prayers of Imam al-Sajjad (a)
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
إِلَهِي قَصُرَتِ الْأَلْسُنُ عَنْ بُلُوغِ ثَنَائِكَ كَمَا يَلِيقُ بِجَلالِكَ وَ عَجَزَتِ الْعُقُولُ عَنْ إِدْرَاكِ كُنْهِ جَمَالِكَ وَ انْحَسَرَتِ الْأَبْصَارُ دُونَ النَّظَرِ إِلَى سُبُحَاتِ وَجْهِكَ وَ لَمْ تَجْعَلْ لِلْخَلْقِ طَرِيقا إِلَى مَعْرِفَتِكَ إِلا بِالْعَجْزِ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِكَ إِلَهِي فَاجْعَلْنَا مِنَ الَّذِينَ تَرَسَّخَتْ [تَوَشَّجَتْ ] أَشْجَارُ الشَّوْقِ إِلَيْكَ فِي حَدَائِقِ صُدُورِهِمْ وَ أَخَذَتْ لَوْعَةُ مَحَبَّتِكَ بِمَجَامِعِ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ إِلَى أَوْكَارِ الْأَفْكَارِ يَأْوُونَ وَ فِي رِيَاضِ الْقُرْبِ وَ الْمُكَاشَفَةِ يَرْتَعُونَ وَ مِنْ حِيَاضِ الْمَحَبَّةِ بِكَأْسِ الْمُلاطَفَةِ يَكْرَعُونَ،
My God, tongues fall short of reaching Your praise as befits Your majesty, minds are unable to grasp the essence of Your beauty, eyes fall back, wearied, short of gazing upon the splendours of Your face, and You have given creatures no path to knowing You except through their inability to know You. My God, so place us among those in the gardens of whose breasts the trees of longing for You have taken firm root, and the burning of whose love for You has seized the whole of their hearts. So they take shelter in the nests of reflection, they graze in the meadows of nearness and unveiling, they drink deep from the pools of love with the cup of tender kindness,
وَ شَرَائِعَ الْمُصَافَاةِ يَرِدُونَ قَدْ كُشِفَ الْغِطَاءُ عَنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَ انْجَلَتْ ظُلْمَةُ الرَّيْبِ عَنْ عَقَائِدِهِمْ وَ ضَمَائِرِهِمْ وَ انْتَفَتْ مُخَالَجَةُ الشَّكِّ عَنْ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَ سَرَائِرِهِمْ وَ انْشَرَحَتْ بِتَحْقِيقِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ صُدُورُهُمْ وَ عَلَتْ لِسَبْقِ السَّعَادَةِ فِي الزَّهَادَةِ هِمَمُهُمْ وَ عَذُبَ فِي مَعِينِ الْمُعَامَلَةِ شِرْبُهُمْ وَ طَابَ فِي مَجْلِسِ الْأُنْسِ سِرُّهُمْ وَ أَمِنَ فِي مَوْطِنِ الْمَخَافَةِ سِرْبُهُمْ وَ اطْمَأَنَّتْ بِالرُّجُوعِ إِلَى رَبِّ الْأَرْبَابِ أَنْفُسُهُمْ ،
and they come down to the watering places of pure friendship. The veil has been lifted from their eyes, the darkness of doubt has cleared from their beliefs and their consciences, the stirring of uncertainty has vanished from their hearts and their innermost secrets, their breasts have been opened wide by the realisation of knowledge, their aspirations have risen high as they race ahead to felicity through renunciation, their drink has grown sweet at the flowing spring of their dealings with You, their inmost secret has grown pure in the gathering of intimacy, their way is secure in the place of fear, their souls are at rest in returning to the Lord of lords,
وَ تَيَقَّنَتْ بِالْفَوْزِ وَ الْفَلاحِ أَرْوَاحُهُمْ وَ قَرَّتْ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَى مَحْبُوبِهِمْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ وَ اسْتَقَرَّ بِإِدْرَاكِ السُّؤْلِ وَ نَيْلِ الْمَأْمُولِ قَرَارُهُمْ وَ رَبِحَتْ فِي بَيْعِ الدُّنْيَا بِالْآخِرَةِ تِجَارَتُهُمْ إِلَهِي مَا أَلَذَّ خَوَاطِرَ الْإِلْهَامِ بِذِكْرِكَ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ وَ مَا أَحْلَى الْمَسِيرَ إِلَيْكَ بِالْأَوْهَامِ فِي مَسَالِكِ الْغُيُوبِ وَ مَا أَطْيَبَ طَعْمَ حُبِّكَ وَ مَا أَعْذَبَ شِرْبَ قُرْبِكَ فَأَعِذْنَا مِنْ طَرْدِكَ وَ إِبْعَادِكَ وَ اجْعَلْنَا مِنْ أَخَصِّ عَارِفِيكَ وَ أَصْلَحِ عِبَادِكَ وَ أَصْدَقِ طَائِعِيكَ وَ أَخْلَصِ عُبَّادِكَ يَا عَظِيمُ يَا جَلِيلُ يَا كَرِيمُ يَا مُنِيلُ بِرَحْمَتِكَ وَ مَنِّكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ
and their spirits are certain of triumph and success, their eyes are delighted by gazing upon their Beloved, their dwelling is settled by attaining what they asked and gaining what they hoped for, and their trade has profited in selling this world for the Hereafter. My God, how delightful to hearts are the inspired thoughts of remembering You! How sweet is the journey to You through the imagination along the paths of the unseen! How good is the taste of Your love! How fresh is the drink of Your nearness! So shelter us from being driven away and banished by You, and place us among the most special of those who know You, the most righteous of Your servants, the most truthful of those who obey You, and the most sincere of those who worship You. O Mighty, O Majestic, O Generous, O Bestower, by Your mercy and Your favour, O Most Merciful of the merciful.
O God, bless Muhammad and his family