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(28)

His supplication on the 15th Shaban and

Thursday night (Dua-e-Kumail)

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

O Allah! Bless Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and his progeny. O Allah! I

beseech You by Your mercy, which encompasses all things. And by

Your power by which You overcome all things and submit to it all things

and humble before it all things And by Your might by which You have

conquered all things And by Your majesty against which nothing can

stand up And by Your grandeur which prevails upon all things And by

Your authority which is exercised over all things And by Your own self

that shall endure forever after all things have vanished. And by Your

Names which manifest Your power over all things. And by Your

knowledge which pervades all things. And by the light of Your

countenance which illuminates everything. O You Who are the light! O

You Who are the most holy! O You Who existed before the first! O You

Who shall exist after the last! O Allah! Forgive me my such sins as

would affront my continency O Allah! Forgive me my such sins as would

bring down calamity O Allah! Forgive me my such sins as would change

divine favours (into calamities). O Allah! Forgive me my such sins as

would hinder my supplication. O Allah! Forgive me such sins as bring

down misfortunes (or afflictions). O Allah! Forgive my such sins as would

suppress hope. O Allah! Forgive every sin that I have committed and

every error that I have erred. O Allah! I endeavour to draw myself nigh to

You through Your invocation. And I pray to You to intercede on my

behalf. And I entreat You by Your benevolence to draw me nearer to

You. And grant me that I should be grateful to You and inspire me to

remember and to invoke You. O Allah! I entreat You begging You

submissively, humbly and awestricken to treat me with clemency and

mercy, and to make me pleased and contented with what You have

allotted to me. And cause me to be modest and unassuming in all

circumstances. O Allah! I beg You as one who is passing through

extreme privation and who supplicates his needs to You and his hope

has been greatly raised by that which is with You. O Allah! Great is Your

kingdom and exalted is Your greatness Your plan is secret, Your

authority is manifest, Your might is victorious and subduing and Your

power is prevalent throughout and it is not possible to escape from Your

dominion. O Allah! Except You I do not find anyone able to pardon my

sins nor to conceal my loathsome acts. Nor have I anyone except You to

change my evil deeds into virtues. There is no god but You, glory and

praise be to You. I have made my own soul to suffer. I had the audacity

(to sin) by my ignorance relying upon my past remembrance of You and

Your grace towards me. O Allah! My Lord! How many of my loathsome

acts have You screened (from public gaze). How many of my grievous

afflictions (distresses) have You reduced in severity. And how many of

my stumbling have You protected, how many of my detestable acts has

You averted, and how many of my undeserving praises have You

spread abroad! O Allah! My trials and sufferings have increased and my

evilness has worsened, my good deeds have diminished and my yokes

(of misdeeds) have become firm. And remote hopes restrain me to profit

(by good deeds) and the world has deceived me with its allurements and

my own self has been affected by treachery and procrastination.

Therefore, my Lord! I implore You by Your greatness not to let my sins

and my misdeeds shut out access to my prayers from reaching Your

realm and not to disgrace me by exposing those (hidden ones) of which

You have knowledge nor to hasten my retribution for those vices and

misdeeds committed by me in secret which were due to

evil-mindedness, ignorance, excessive lustfulness and my negligence. O

Allah! I beg You by Your greatness to be compassionate to me in all

circumstances and well disposed towards me in all matters. My God! My

Nourisher! Have I anyone except You from whom I can seek the

dislodging of my evils and understanding of my problems? My God! My

Master! You decreed a law for me but instead I obeyed my own low

desires. And I did not guard myself against the allurements of my enemy.

He deceived me with vain hopes whereby I was led astray and fate

helped him in that respect. Thus I transgressed some of its limits set for

me by You and I disobeyed some of Your commandments; You have

therefore a (just) cause against me in all those matters and I have no

plea against Your judgment passed against me. I have therefore become

(justifiably) liable to Your judgment and afflictions. But now I have turned

to You, my Lord, after being guilty of omissions and transgressions

against my soul, apologetically, repentantly, broken heartedly, entreating

earnestly for forgiveness, yieldingly confessing (to my guilt) as I can find

no escape from that which was done by me and having no refuge to

which I could turn except seeking Your acceptance of my excuse and

admitting me into the realm of Your capacious mercy. O Allah! Accept

my apology and have pity on my intense sufferings and set me free from

my heavy fetters (of evil deeds). My Nourisher! Have mercy on the

infirmity of my body, the delicacy of my skin and the brittleness of my

bones. O' You! Who originated my creation and (accorded me) my

individuality, and (ensured) my upbringing and welfare (and provided)

my sustenance (I beg You) to restore Your favours and blessings upon

me as You did in the beginning of my life. O' my God! My master! My

Lord! And my Nourisher! What! Will You see me punished with the fire

kindled by You despite my belief in Your unity? And despite the fact that

my heart has been filled with (pure) knowledge of You and when my

tongue has repeatedly praised You and my conscience has

acknowledged Your love and despite my sincere confessions (of my

sins) and my humble entreaties submissively made to Your divinity?

Nay, You are far too kind and generous to destroy one whom Yourself

nourished and supported, or to drive away from Yourself one whom You

have kept under Your protection, or to scare away one whom Yourself

have given shelter, or to abandon in affliction one You have maintained

and to whom You have been merciful. I wish I had known O' my Master,

my God and my Lord! Will You inflict fire upon faces which have

submissively bowed in prostration to Your greatness, or upon the

tongues which have sincerely confirmed Your unity and have always

expressed gratitude to You, or upon hearts which have acknowledged

Your divinity with conviction, or upon the minds which accumulated so

much knowledge of You until they became submissive to You, or upon

the limbs which strove, at the places appointed for Your worship, to

adore You willingly and seek Your forgiveness submissively? Such sort

(of harshness) is not expected from You as it is remote from Your grace,

O' generous one! O' Lord! You are aware of my weakness to bear even

a minor affliction of this world and its consequence and adversity

affecting the denizen of this earth, although such afflictions are

momentary, short-lived and transient. How then can I bear the

retributions and the punishments of the hereafter which are enormous

and of intensive sufferings, of prolonged period and perpetual duration,

and which shall never be alleviated for those who deserve the same as

those retributions will be the result of Your wrath; and Your punishment

which neither the heavens nor the earth can withstand and bear! My

Lord! How can I, a weak, insignificant, humble, poor and destitute

creature of Yours be able to bear them? O' my God! My Lord! My King!

And Master! Which of the matters shall I complain to You and for which

of them shall I bewail and weep? Shall I bewail for the pains and pangs

of the punishment and their intensity or for the length of sufferings and

their duration? Therefore (my Lord!) If You subject me to the penalties

(of hell) in company of Your enemies and cast me with those who

merited Your punishments and tear me apart from Your friends and

those who will be near to You, then my God, my Lord and my Master,

though I may patiently bear Your punishments, how can I calmly accept

being kept away from You? I reckon that though I may patiently endure

the scorching fire of Your hell, yet how can I resign myself to the denial

of Your pity and clemency? How can I remain in the fire while I have

hopes of Your forgiveness? O' my Lord! By Your honour truly do I swear

that, if You allow my power of speech to be retained by me in the hell, I

shall amongst its inmates cry out bewailing unto You like the cry of those

who have faith in Your kindness and compassion. And I shall bemoan for

You (for being deprived of nearness to You) the lamentation of those

who are bereaved, and I shall keep on calling unto You: "Where are You

O' Friend of the believers! O' (You Who are) the last hope and resort of

those who acknowledge You and have faith in Your clemency and

kindness; O' You Who are the helper of those seeking help! O' You Who

are dear to the hearts of those who truly believe in You! And O' You

Who are the Lord of the universe. "My Lord! Glory and praise be to You,

would You (wish) to be seen (disregarding) the voice of a Muslim

bondman, incarcerated therein (the hell) for his disobedience and

imprisoned within its pits for his evildoings and misdeeds, crying out to

You the utterance of one who has faith in Your mercy and calling out to

You in the language of those who believe in Your unity and seeking to

approach You by means of Your epithet "the Creator, the Nourisher, the

Accomplisher and the Protector of the entire existence"? My Lord! Then

how could he remain in torments when he hopefully relies upon Your

past forbearance, compassion and mercy? And how can the fire cause

him suffering when he hopes for Your grace and mercy and how can its

roaring flames char him when You hear his voice and see his plight?

And how can he withstand its roaring flames when You know his frailty?

And how can he be tossed about between its layers when You know his

sincerity? And how can the guards of hell threaten him when he calls out

to You? "My Lord", and how would You abandon him therein (the hell)

when he has faith in Your grace to set him free? Alas! That is not the

concept (held by us) of You nor has Your grace such a reputation nor

does it resemble that which You have awarded by Your kindness and

generosity to those who believe in Your unity. I definitely conclude that

had You not ordained punishment for those who disbelieved in You, and

had You not decreed Your enemies to remain in hell, You would have

made the hell cold and peaceful and there would never have been an

abode or place for anyone in it. But sanctified be Your Names, You have

sworn to fill the hell with the disbelievers from amongst the jinns and

mankind together and to place forever Your enemies therein. And You,

exalted be Your praises, had made manifest, out of Your generosity and

kindness, that a believer is not like unto him who is an evil-liver. My

Lord! My Master! I, therefore implore You by that power which You

determined and by the decree which You have finalized and ordained

whereby You have prevailed upon whom You have imposed it, to

bestow upon me this night and this very hour the forgiveness for all the

transgressions that I have been guilty of, for all the sins that I have

committed, for all the loathsome acts that I have kept secret and for all

the evils done by me, secretly or openly, in concealment or outwardly

and for every evil action that You have ordered the two noble scribes to

confirm whom You have appointed to record all my actions and to be

witnesses over me along with the limbs of my body, while You observe

over me besides them and was witness to those acts concealed from

them? Which You in Your mercy have kept secret and through Your

kindness unexposed and I pray to You to make my share plentiful in all

the good that You do bestow; in all the favours that You grant; and in all

the virtues that You allow to be known everywhere; and in all the

sustenance and livelihood that You expand and in respect of all the sins

that You forgive and the wrongs that You cover up. O' Lord! O' Lord! O'

Lord! O' my God! My Lord! My King! O' Master of my freedom! O' You

Who hold my destiny and Who are aware of my suffering and poverty, O'

You Who know my destitution and starvation, O' my Lord! O' Lord, O'

Lord! I beseech You by Your glory and Your honour, by Your supremely

high attributes and by Your names to cause me to utilise my time, day

and night, in Your remembrance, by engaging myself in serving You

(Your cause) and to let my deeds be such as to be acceptable to You,

so much so that all my actions and offerings (prayers) may be

transformed into one continuous and sustained effort and my life may

take the form of constant and perpetual service to You. O' my Master! O'

You upon Whom I rely! O' You unto Whom I express my distress! O' my

Lord! My Lord! My Lord! Strengthen my limbs for Your service and

sustain the strength of my hands to persevere in Your service and

bestow upon me the eagerness to fear You and constantly to serve You.

So that I may lead myself towards You in the field with the vanguards

who are in the fore rank and be swift towards You among those who

hasten towards You and urge eagerly to be near You and draw myself

towards You like them who sincerely draw themselves towards You and

to fear You like the fear of those who believe firmly in You and thus I

may join the congregation of the faithful congregated near You (for

protection). O' Allah! Whosoever intends evil against me, let ill befall on

him and frustrate him who plots against me and assign for me a place in

Your presence with the best of Your bondsmen and nearer abode to

You, for verily that position cannot be attained except through Your

grace and treat me benevolently, and through Your greatness extend

Your munificence towards me and through Your mercy protect me and

cause my tongue to accentuate Your remembrance and my heart filled

with Your love and be liberal to me by Your gracious response and

cause my evils to appear fewer and forgive me my errors. For verily, You

have ordained for Your bondsmen Your worship and bidden them to

supplicate unto You and have assured them (of Your) response. So, my

Lord! I look earnestly towards You and towards You, my Lord! I have

stretched forth my hands therefore, by Your honour, respond to my

supplication and let me attain my wishes and, by Your bounty, frustrate

not my hopes and protect me from the evils of my enemies, from among

the jinns and mankind. O' You! Who readily pleased, forgive one who

owns nothing but supplication for You does what You will. O' You!

Whose Name is the remedy (for all ills) and Whose remembrance is a

sure cure for all ailments and obedience to Whom makes one self

sufficient; have mercy on one whose only asset is hope and whose only

armour is lamentation. O' You! Who perfects all bounties and Who

wards off all misfortunes! O' Light! Who illuminates those who are in

bewilderment! O' Omniscient! Who knows without (acquisition of)

learning! Bless Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and the Descendants of

Muhammad (s.a.w.a.) and do unto me in accordance with that which

befits You, and deal with me not in accordance to my worth. May the

blessings of Allah be bestowed upon His Apostle and the Rightful Imams

from his Descendants and His peace be upon them plentifully.