The Munājāt of Ibn ʿAṭāʾ Allāh

1. The intimate prayers

اِلٰهِى أَنَا الْفَقِيرُ فِى غِنَاىَ فَكَيْفَ لَا أَكُونُ فَقِيرًا فِى فَقْرِى اِلٰهِى أَنَا الْجَاهِلُ فِى عِلْمِى فَكَيْفَ لَا أَكُونُ جَهُولًا فِى جَهْلِى١ 1. Ilāhī anā l-faqīru fī ghināya fa-kayfa lā akūnu faqīran fī faqrī Ilāhī anā l-jāhilu fī ʿilmī fa-kayfa lā akūnu jahūlan fī jahlīMy God, I am the poor one even in my wealth; how then should I not be poor in my poverty? My God, I am the ignorant one even in my knowledge; how then should I not be utterly ignorant in my ignorance?اِلَهِى اِنَّ اخْتِلَافَ تَدْبِيرِكَ وَسُرْعَةَ حُلُولِ مَقَادِيرِكَ مَنَعَا عِبَادَكَ الْعَارِفِينَ بِكَ عَنِ السُّكُونِ اِلَى عَطَاءٍ وَالْيَاسِ مِنْكَ فِى بَلَاءٍ٢ 2. Ilāhī inna ikhtilāfa tadbīrika wa-surʿata ḥulūli maqādīrika manaʿā ʿibādaka l-ʿārifīna bika ʿani s-sukūni ilā ʿaṭāʾin wa-l-yāsi minka fī balāʾMy God, the shifting variety of Your disposing of things and the swiftness with which Your decrees descend have kept Your servants who know You from resting content in any gift and from despairing of You in any affliction.اِلٰهِى مِنِّى مَا يَلِيقُ بِلُؤْمِى وَمِنْكَ مَا يَلِيقُ بِكَرَمِكَ٣ 3. Ilāhī minnī mā yalīqu bi-luʾmī wa-minka mā yalīqu bi-karamikMy God, from me comes what befits my baseness, and from You comes what befits Your generosity.اِلَهِى وَصَفْتَ نَفْسَكَ بِاللُّطْفِ وَالرَّأْفَةِ بِى قَبْلَ وُجُودِ ضَعْفِى أَفَتَمْنَعُنِى مِنْهُمَا بَعْدَ وُجُودِ ضَعْفِى٤ 4. Ilāhī waṣafta nafsaka bi-l-luṭfi wa-r-raʾfati bī qabla wujūdi ḍaʿfī a-fa-tamnaʿunī minhumā baʿda wujūdi ḍaʿfīMy God, You described Yourself as gently kind and compassionate toward me before my weakness came to be; will You then withhold these two from me now that my weakness has come to be?اِلَهِى اِنْ ظَهَرَتِ الْمَحَاسِنُ مِنِّى فَبِفَضْلِكَ وَلَكَ الْمِنَّةُ عَلَىَّ وَاِنْ ظَهَرَتِ الْمَسَاوِى فَبِعَدْلِكَ وَلَكَ الْحُجَّةُ عَلَىَّ٥ 5. Ilāhī in ẓaharati l-maḥāsinu minnī fa-bi-faḍlika wa-laka l-minnatu ʿalayya wa-in ẓaharati l-masāwī fa-bi-ʿadlika wa-laka l-ḥujjatu ʿalayyMy God, if good qualities appear in me, it is by Your bounty, and Yours is the gracious gift upon me; and if evil qualities appear in me, it is by Your justice, and Yours is the decisive argument against me.اِلَهِى كَيْفَ تَكِلُنِى اِلَى نَفْسِى وَقَدْ تَوَكَّلْتَ لِى وَكَيْفَ أُضَامُ وَأَنْتَ النَّاصِرُ لِى أَمْ كَيْفَ أَخِيبُ وَأَنْتَ الْحَفِىُّ بِى هَا أَنَا أَتَوَسَّلُ اِلَيْكَ بِفَقْرِى اِلَيْكَ وَكَيْفَ أَتَوَسَّلُ اِلَيْكَ بِمَا هُوَ مُحَالٌ أَنْ يَصِلَ اِلَيْكَ أَمْ كَيْفَ أَشْكُوا اِلَيْكَ حَالِى وَهِىَ لَا تَخْفَى عَلَيْكَ أَمْ كَيْفَ أُتَرْجِمُ لَكَ بِمَقَالِى وَهُوَ مِنْكَ بَرَزَ اِلَيْكَ أَمْ كَيْفَ تَخِيبُ آمَالِى وَهِىَ قَدْ وَفَدَتْ اِلَيْكَ أَمْ كَيْفَ لَا تَحْسُنُ أَحْوَالِى وَبِكَ قَامَتْ وَاِلَيْكَ٦ 6. Ilāhī kayfa takilunī ilā nafsī wa-qad tawakkalta lī wa-kayfa uḍāmu wa-anta n-nāṣiru lī am kayfa akhību wa-anta l-ḥafiyyu bī hā anā atawassalu ilayka bi-faqrī ilayka wa-kayfa atawassalu ilayka bi-mā huwa muḥālun an yaṣila ilayka am kayfa ashkū ilayka ḥālī wa-hiya lā takhfā ʿalayka am kayfa utarjimu laka bi-maqālī wa-huwa minka baraza ilayka am kayfa takhību āmālī wa-hiya qad wafadat ilayka am kayfa lā taḥsunu aḥwālī wa-bika qāmat wa-ilaykMy God, how could You leave me to myself when You have taken charge of me? How could I be wronged when You are my helper? How could I be disappointed when You are ever solicitous of me? Here I am, seeking to draw near to You through my need of You. Yet how can I seek to draw near to You through something that cannot possibly reach You? How can I complain to You of my state when it is not hidden from You? How can I set out my case to You in words when those words came forth from You toward You? How could my hopes be disappointed when they have come to You as petitioners? How could my states not be good when they subsist through You and [return] to You…اِلٰهِى مَا أَلْطَفَكَ بِى مَعَ عَظِيمِ جَهْلِى وَمَا أَرْحَمَكَ بِى مَعَ قَبِيحِ فِعْلِى٧ 7. Ilāhī mā alṭafaka bī maʿa ʿaẓīmi jahlī wa-mā arḥamaka bī maʿa qabīḥi fiʿlīMy God, how gently kind You are to me despite the enormity of my ignorance, and how merciful You are to me despite the ugliness of my deeds!اِلٰهِى مَا أَقْرَبَكَ مِنِّى وَمَا أَبْعَدَنِى عَنْكَ٨ 8. Ilāhī mā aqrabaka minnī wa-mā abʿadanī ʿankMy God, how near You are to me, and how far I am from You!اِلٰهِى مَا أَرْأَفَكَ بِى فَمَا الَّذِى يَحْجُبُنِى عَنْكَ٩ 9. Ilāhī mā arʾafaka bī fa-mā l-ladhī yaḥjubunī ʿankMy God, how tender You are toward me! What, then, is it that veils me from You?اِلٰهِى قَدْ عَلِمْتُ بِاخْتِلَافِ الْآثَارِ وَتَنَقُّلَاتِ الْاَطْوَارِ أَنَّ مُرَادَكَ مِنِّى أَنْ تَتَعَرَّفَ اِلَىَّ فِى كُلِّ شَئٍ حَتَّى لَا أَجْهَلَكَ فِى شَئٍ١٠ 10. Ilāhī qad ʿalimtu bi-ikhtilāfi l-āthāri wa-tanaqqulāti l-aṭwāri anna murādaka minnī an tataʿarrafa ilayya fī kulli shayʾin ḥattā lā ajhalaka fī shayʾMy God, through the diversity of the traces and the successive shifts of the phases, I have come to know that what You want of me is that You make Yourself known to me in everything, so that I may not be ignorant of You in anything.اِلٰهِى كُلَّمَا اَخْرَسَنِى لُؤْمِى اَنْطَقَنِى كَرَمُكَ وَكُلَّمَا آيَسَتْنِى أَوْصَافِى أَطْمَعَتْنِى مِنَّتُكَ١١ 11. Ilāhī kullamā akhrasanī luʾmī anṭaqanī karamuka wa-kullamā āyasatnī awṣāfī aṭmaʿatnī minnatukMy God, whenever my baseness strikes me dumb, Your generosity makes me speak; and whenever my own qualities make me despair, Your gracious gift makes me hope.اِلَهِى مَنْ كَانَتْ مَحَاسِنُهُ مَسَاوِىَ فَكَيْفَ لَا تَكُونُ مَسَاوِيهِ مَسَاوِى وَمَنْ كَانَتْ حَقَائِقُهُ دَعَاوَى فَكَيْفَ لَا تَكُونُ دَعَاوِيهِ دَعَاوَى١٢ 12. Ilāhī man kānat maḥāsinuhu masāwiya fa-kayfa lā takūnu masāwīhi masāwī wa-man kānat ḥaqāʾiquhu daʿāwā fa-kayfa lā takūnu daʿāwīhi daʿāwāMy God, if a man's good deeds are evil deeds, how could his evil deeds not be evil deeds? And if a man's realities are mere claims, how could his claims not be claims?اِلٰهِى حُكْمُكَ النَّافِذُ وَمَشِيئَتُكَ الْقَاهِرَةُ لَمْ يَتْرُكَا لِذِى مَقَالٍ مَقَالًا وَلَا لِذِى حَالٍ حَالًا١٣ 13. Ilāhī ḥukmuka n-nāfidhu wa-mashīʾatuka l-qāhiratu lam yatrukā li-dhī maqālin maqālan wa-lā li-dhī ḥālin ḥālāMy God, Your decree that is carried into effect and Your overpowering will have left no word to one who has words, and no state to one who has a state.اِلَهِى كَمْ مِنْ طَاعَةٍ بَنَيْتُهَا وَحَالَةٍ شَيَّدْتُهَا هَدَمَ اعْتِمَادِى عَلَيْهَا عَدْلُكَ بَلْ أَقَالَنِى مِنْهَا فَضْلُكَ١٤ 14. Ilāhī kam min ṭāʿatin banaytuhā wa-ḥālatin shayyadtuhā hadama iʿtimādī ʿalayhā ʿadluka bal aqālanī minhā faḍlukMy God, how many an act of obedience have I built, and how many a state have I raised high, only for Your justice to tear down my reliance upon them! Nay rather, it was Your bounty that released me from them.اِلَهِى أَنْتَ تَعْلَمُ وَاِنْ لَمْ تَدُمِ الطَّاعَةُ مِنِّى فِعْلًا جَزْمًا فَقَدْ دَامَتْ مَحَبَّةً وَعَزْمًا١٥ 15. Ilāhī anta taʿlamu wa-in lam tadumi ṭ-ṭāʿatu minnī fiʿlan jazman fa-qad dāmat maḥabbatan wa-ʿazmāMy God, You know that even if obedience has not endured in me as a resolute deed, it has endured as love and as resolve.اِلٰهِى كَيْفَ أَعْزِمُ وَأَنْتَ الْقَاهِرُ وَكَيْفَ لَا أَعْزِمُ وَأَنْتَ الْآمِرُ١٦ 16. Ilāhī kayfa aʿzimu wa-anta l-qāhiru wa-kayfa lā aʿzimu wa-anta l-āmirMy God, how can I resolve, when You are the Overpowering? And how can I not resolve, when You are the One who commands?الٰهِى تَرَدُّدِى فِى الآثَارِ يُوجِبُ بُعْدَ الْمَزَارِ فَاجْمَعْنِى عَلَيْكَ بِخِدْمَةٍ تُوصِلُنِى الَيْكَ١٧ 17. Ilāhī taraddudī fī l-āthāri yūjibu buʿda l-mazāri fa-jmaʿnī ʿalayka bi-khidmatin tūṣilunī ilaykMy God, my wavering back and forth among the traces makes the place of visiting You far off; so gather me upon You through a service that brings me to arrive at You.الٰهِى كَيْفَ يُسْتَدَلُّ عَلَيْكَ بِمَا هُوَ فِى وُجُودِهِ مُفْتَقِرٌ اِلَيْكَ أَيَكُونُ لِغَيْرِكَ مِنَ الظُّهُورِ مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هُوَ الْمُظْهِرَ لَكَ مَتَى غِبْتَ حَتَّى تَحْتَاجَ اِلَى دَلِيلٍ يَدُلُّ عَلَيْكَ وَمَتَى بَعُدْتَ حَتَّى تَكُونَ الْآثَارُ هِىَ الَّتِى تُوصِلُ اِلَيْكَ١٨ 18. Ilāhī kayfa yustadallu ʿalayka bi-mā huwa fī wujūdihi muftaqirun ilayka ayakūnu li-ghayrika mina ẓ-ẓuhūri mā laysa laka ḥattā yakūna huwa l-muẓhira laka matā ghibta ḥattā taḥtāja ilā dalīlin yadullu ʿalayka wa-matā baʿudta ḥattā takūna l-āthāru hiya l-latī tūṣilu ilaykMy God, how can You be inferred from that which, in its very existence, stands in need of You? Does anything other than You possess a manifestness that You do not, such that it should be what makes You manifest? When were You ever absent, that You should need an indicator to point to You? And when were You ever far, that the traces should be what bring one to You?إِلَهِى عَمِيَتْ عَيْنٌ لَا تَرَاكَ عَلَيْهَا رَقِيبًا وَخَسِرَتْ صَفْقَةُ عَبْدٍ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مِنْ حُبِّكَ نَصِيبًا١٩ 19. Ilāhī ʿamiyat ʿaynun lā tarāka ʿalayhā raqīban wa-khasirat ṣafqatu ʿabdin lam yajʿal lahu min ḥubbika naṣībāMy God, blind is the eye that does not see You watching over it, and lost is the bargain of the servant who has not secured for himself a share of Your love.اِلٰهِى أَمَرْتَ بِالرُّجُوعِ اِلَى الْآثَارِ فَارْجِعْنِى اِلَيْهَا بِكِسْوَةِ الْاَنْوَارِ وَهِدَايَةِ الْاِسْتِبْصَارِ حَتَّى أَرْجِعَ اِلَيْكَ مِنْهَا كَمَا دَخَلْتُ اِلَيْكَ مِنْهَا مَصُونَ السِّرِّ عَنِ النَّظَرِ اِلَيْهَا وَمَرْفُوعَ الْهِمَّةِ عَنِ الْاِعْتِمَادِ عَلَيْهَا اِنَّكَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَئٍ قَدِيرٌ٢٠ 20. Ilāhī amarta bi-r-rujūʿi ilā l-āthāri fa-rjiʿnī ilayhā bi-kiswati l-anwāri wa-hidāyati l-istibṣāri ḥattā arjiʿa ilayka minhā ka-mā dakhaltu ilayka minhā maṣūna s-sirri ʿani n-naẓari ilayhā wa-marfūʿa l-himmati ʿani l-iʿtimādi ʿalayhā innaka ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīrMy God, You have commanded a return to the traces; so return me to them clothed in the garment of lights and guided by inner seeing, so that I may return to You from them just as I entered unto You from them: my innermost secret guarded from looking upon them, and my aspiration raised above relying on them. Truly, You have power over all things.اِلٰهِى هٰذَا ذُلِّى ظَاهِرٌ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ وَهٰذَا حَالِى لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْكَ مِنْكَ أَطْلُبُ الْوُصُولَ اِلَيْكَ وَبِكَ أَسْتَدِلُّ عَلَيْكَ فَاهْدِنِى بِنُورِكَ اِلَيْكَ وَأَقِمْنِى بِصِدْقِ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ٢١ 21. Ilāhī hādhā dhullī ẓāhirun bayna yadayka wa-hādhā ḥālī lā yakhfā ʿalayka minka aṭlubu l-wuṣūla ilayka wa-bika astadillu ʿalayka fa-hdinī bi-nūrika ilayka wa-aqimnī bi-ṣidqi l-ʿubūdiyyati bayna yadaykMy God, here is my abasement, laid bare before You, and here is my state, which is not hidden from You. From You I seek arrival at You, and by You I take You as my proof. So guide me by Your light to You, and establish me before You in true servanthood.اِلٰهِى عَلِّمْنِى مِنْ عِلْمِكَ الْمَخْزُونِ وَصُنِّى بِسِرِّ اسْمِكَ الْمَصُونِ٢٢ 22. Ilāhī ʿallimnī min ʿilmika l-makhzūni wa-ṣunnī bi-sirri smika l-maṣūnMy God, teach me from Your treasured-up knowledge, and keep me safe through the secret of Your well-kept Name.اِلٰهِى حَقِّقْنِى بِحَقَائِقِ أَهْلِ الْقُرْبِ وَاسْلُكْ بِى مَسَالِكَ أَهْلِ الْجَذْبِ٢٣ 23. Ilāhī ḥaqqiqnī bi-ḥaqāʾiqi ahli l-qurbi wa-sluk bī masālika ahli l-jadhbMy God, make me realize the realities of the people of nearness, and lead me along the paths of the people of divine attraction.اِلٰهِى أَغْنِنِى بِتَدْبِيرِكَ عَنْ تَدْبِيرِى وَبِاخْتِيَارِكَ لِى عَنِ اخْتِيَارِى وَأَوْقِفْنِى عَلَى مَرَاكِزِ اضْطِرَارِى٢٤ 24. Ilāhī aghninī bi-tadbīrika ʿan tadbīrī wa-bi-ikhtiyārika lī ʿani ikhtiyārī wa-awqifnī ʿalā marākizi iḍṭirārīMy God, by Your direction of my affairs make me free of need for my own self-direction, and by Your choosing for me free me of my own choosing; and set me firmly at the very centres of my dire need.اِلَهِى أَخْرِجْنِى مِنْ ذُلِّ نَفْسِى وَطَهِّرْنِى مِنْ شَكِّى وَشِرْكِى قَبْلَ حُلُولِ رَمْسِى بِكَ أَسْتَنْصِرُ فَانْصُرْنِى وَعَلَيْكَ أَتَوَكَّلُ فَلَا تَكِلْنِى وَاِيَّاكَ أَسْأَلُ فَلَا تُخَيِّبْنِى وَفِى فَضْلِكَ أَرْغَبُ فَلَا تَحْرِمْنِى وَلِجَنَابِكَ أَنْتَسِبُ فَلَا تُبْعِدْنِى وَبِبَابِكَ أَقِفُ فَلَا تَطْرُدْنِى٢٥ 25. Ilāhī akhrijnī min dhulli nafsī wa-ṭahhirnī min shakkī wa-shirkī qabla ḥulūli ramsī bika astanṣiru fa-nṣurnī wa-ʿalayka atawakkalu fa-lā takilnī wa-iyyāka asʾalu fa-lā tukhayyibnī wa-fī faḍlika arghabu fa-lā taḥrimnī wa-li-janābika antasibu fa-lā tubʿidnī wa-bi-bābika aqifu fa-lā taṭrudnīMy God, bring me out of the abasement of my self, and purify me of my doubt and my associating others with You before I come to lie in my grave. By You I seek help, so help me; on You I rely, so do not leave me to myself; You alone do I ask, so do not disappoint me; for Your bounty I long, so do not deprive me; to Your Presence I claim belonging, so do not put me far off; and at Your door I stand, so do not drive me away.اِلٰهِى تَقَدَّسَ رِضَاكَ أَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ عِلَّةٌ مِنْكَ فَكَيْفَ تَكُونُ لَهُ عِلَّةٌ مِنِّى أَنْتَ الْغَنِىُّ بِذَاتِكَ عَنْ أَنْ يَصِلَ اِلَيْكَ النَّفْعُ مِنْكَ فَكَيْفَ لَا تَكُونُ غَنِيًّا عَنِّى٢٦ 26. Ilāhī taqaddasa riḍāka an takūna lahu ʿillatun minka fa-kayfa takūnu lahu ʿillatun minnī anta l-ghaniyyu bi-dhātika ʿan an yaṣila ilayka n-nafʿu minka fa-kayfa lā takūnu ghaniyyan ʿannīMy God, Your good pleasure is too holy to have any cause arising from You; how then could it have a cause arising from me? You, by Your very Essence, are independent of any benefit reaching You from Yourself; how then should You not be independent of me?اِلَهِى اِنَّ الْقَضَاءَ وَالْقَدَرَ غَلَبَنِى وَاِنَّ الْهَوَى بِوَثَائِقِ الشَّهْوَةِ أَسَرَنِى فَكُنْ أَنْتَ النَّصِيرَ لِى حَتَّى تَنْصُرَنِى وَتَنْصُرَ بِى وَأَغْنِنِى بِفَضْلِكَ حَتَّى أَسْتَغْنِىَ بِكَ عَنْ طَلَبِى أَنْتَ الَّذِى أَشْرَقْتَ الْاَنْوَارَ فِى قُلُوبِ أَوْلِيَائِكَ حَتَّى عَرَفُوكَ وَوَحَّدُوكَ وَأَنْتَ الَّذِى أَزَلْتَ الْاَغْيَارَ مِنْ قُلُوبِ أَحْبَابِكَ حَتَّى لَمْ يُحِبُّوا سِوَاكَ وَلَمْ يَلْجَؤُا اِلَى غَيْرِكَ أَنْتَ الْمُؤْنِسُ لَهُمْ حَيْثُ أَوْحَشَتْهُمُ الْعَوَالِمُ وَأَنْتَ الَّذِى هَدَيْتَهُمْ حَتَّى اسْتَبَانَتْ لَهُمُ الْمَعَالِمُ مَاذَا وَجَدَ مَنْ فَقَدَكَ وَمَا الَّذِى فَقَدَ مَنْ وَجَدَكَ لَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ رَضِىَ دُونَكَ بَدَلًا وَلَقَدْ خَسِرَ مَنْ بَغَى عَنْكَ مُتَحَوَّلًا٢٧ 27. Ilāhī inna l-qaḍāʾa wa-l-qadara ghalabanī wa-inna l-hawā bi-wathāʾiqi sh-shahwati asaranī fa-kun anta n-naṣīra lī ḥattā tanṣuranī wa-tanṣura bī wa-aghninī bi-faḍlika ḥattā astaghniya bika ʿan ṭalabī anta l-ladhī ashraqta l-anwāra fī qulūbi awliyāʾika ḥattā ʿarafūka wa-waḥḥadūka wa-anta l-ladhī azalta l-aghyāra min qulūbi aḥbābika ḥattā lam yuḥibbū siwāka wa-lam yaljaʾū ilā ghayrika anta l-muʾnisu lahum ḥaythu awḥashathumu l-ʿawālimu wa-anta l-ladhī hadaytahum ḥattā stabānat lahumu l-maʿālimu mādhā wajada man faqadaka wa-mā l-ladhī faqada man wajadaka laqad khāba man raḍiya dūnaka badalan wa-laqad khasira man baghā ʿanka mutaḥawwalāMy God, the decree and destiny have overcome me, and caprice has bound me captive in the fetters of desire. So be You my helper, that You may help me and help others through me. Make me rich by Your bounty, that through You I may be free of need for my asking. You are the One who made the lights shine in the hearts of Your friends, until they knew You and affirmed Your oneness. And You are the One who removed the others from the hearts of Your beloved, until they loved none but You and sought refuge in none other than You. You are their intimate companion when the worlds have left them desolate, and You are the One who guided them until the waymarks became clear to them. What has he found who has lost You? And what has he lost who has found You? Disappointed indeed is he who is content with a substitute for You, and lost indeed is he who seeks to turn away from You.اِلٰهِى كَيْفَ يُرْجَى سِوَاكَ وَأَنْتَ مَا قَطَعْتَ الاِحْسَانَ وَكَيْفَ يُطْلَبُ مِنْ غَيْرِكَ وَأَنْتَ مَا بَدَّلْتَ عَادَةَ الاِمْتِنَانِ يَا مَنْ أَذَاقَ أَحِبَّاءَهُ حَلَاوَةَ مُؤَانَسَتِهِ فَقَامُوا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مُتَمَلِّقِينَ وَيَا مَنْ أَلْبَسَ أَوْلِيَاءَهُ مَلَابِسَ هَيْبَتِهِ فَقَامُوا بِعِزَّتِهِ مُسْتَعِزِّينَ أَنْتَ الذَّاكِرُ مِنْ قَبْلِ الذَّاكِرِينَ وَأَنْتَ الْبَادِئُ بِالاِحْسَانِ مِنْ قَبْلِ تَوَجُّهِ الْعَابِدِينَ وَأَنْتَ الْجَوَادُ بِالْعَطَاءِ مِنْ قَبْلِ طَلَبِ الطَّالِبِينَ وَأَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ ثُمَّ أَنْتَ لِمَا وَهَبْتَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْتَقْرِضِينَ٢٨ 28. Ilāhī kayfa yurjā siwāka wa-anta mā qaṭaʿta l-iḥsāna wa-kayfa yuṭlabu min ghayrika wa-anta mā baddalta ʿādata l-imtināni yā man adhāqa aḥibbāʾahu ḥalāwata muʾānasatihi fa-qāmū bayna yadayhi mutamalliqīna wa-yā man albasa awliyāʾahu malābisa haybatihi fa-qāmū bi-ʿizzatihi mustaʿizzīna anta dh-dhākiru min qabli dh-dhākirīna wa-anta l-bādiʾu bi-l-iḥsāni min qabli tawajjuhi l-ʿābidīna wa-anta l-jawādu bi-l-ʿaṭāʾi min qabli ṭalabi ṭ-ṭālibīna wa-anta l-wahhābu thumma anta li-mā wahabtanā mina l-mustaqriḍīnMy God, how can anyone other than You be hoped in, when You have never cut off Your beneficence? And how can anything be sought from another than You, when You have never changed Your custom of bestowing gracious gifts? O You who gave Your beloved ones a taste of the sweetness of intimacy with You, so that they stood before You in fond entreaty; and O You who clothed Your friends in the garments of Your majesty, so that they stood exalted by Your might! You are the One who remembers before those who remember; You are the One who begins with beneficence before the worshippers turn toward You; You are the One generous in giving before the seekers ask; You are the Bestower, and then, for what You have bestowed on us, You are among those who ask a loan.اِلٰهِى اُطْلُبْنِى بِرَحْمَتِكَ حَتَّى أَصِلَ اِلَيْكَ وَاجْذِبْنِى بِمِنَّتِكَ حَتَّى أُقْبِلَ عَلَيْكَ٢٩ 29. Ilāhī ṭlubnī bi-raḥmatika ḥattā aṣila ilayka wa-jdhibnī bi-minnatika ḥattā uqbila ʿalaykMy God, seek me out by Your mercy, that I may arrive at You; and draw me by Your gracious gift, that I may turn toward You.اِلَهِى اِنَّ رَجَائِى لَا يَنْقَطِعُ عَنْكَ وَاِنْ عَصَيْتُكَ كَمَا أَنَّ خَوْفِى لَا يُزَايِلُنِى وَاِنْ أَطَعْتُكَ٣٠ 30. Ilāhī inna rajāʾī lā yanqaṭiʿu ʿanka wa-in ʿaṣaytuka ka-mā anna khawfī lā yuzāyilunī wa-in aṭaʿtukMy God, my hope is not cut off from You even when I disobey You, just as my fear does not leave me even when I obey You.اِلٰهِى قَدْ دَفَعَتْنِى الْعَوَالِمُ اِلَيْكَ وَقَدْ أَوْقَفَنِى عِلْمِى بِكَرَمِكَ عَلَيْكَ٣١ 31. Ilāhī qad dafaʿatnī l-ʿawālimu ilayka wa-qad awqafanī ʿilmī bi-karamika ʿalaykMy God, the worlds have driven me to You, and my knowledge of Your generosity has brought me to stand before You.اِلٰهِى كَيْفَ أَخِيبُ وَأَنْتَ أَمَلِى أَمْ كَيْفَ أُهَانُ وَعَلَيْكَ مُتَّكَلِى٣٢ 32. Ilāhī kayfa akhību wa-anta amalī am kayfa uhānu wa-ʿalayka muttakalīMy God, how could I be disappointed when You are my hope? Or how could I be humiliated when upon You is my reliance?اِلٰهِى كَيْفَ أَسْتَعِزُّ وَأَنْتَ فِى الذِّلَّةِ أَرْكَزْتَنِى أَمْ كَيْفَ لَا أَسْتَعِزُّ وَاِلَيْكَ نَسَبْتَنِى أَمْ كَيْفَ لَا أَفْتَقِرُ وَأَنْتَ الَّذِى فِى الْفَقْرِ أَقَمْتَنِى أَمْ كَيْفَ أَفْتَقِرُ وَأَنْتَ الَّذِى بِجُودِكَ أَغْنَيْتَنِى أَنْتَ الَّذِى لَا اِلٰهَ غَيْرُكَ تَعَرَّفْتَ لِكُلِّ شَئٍ فَمَا جَهِلَكَ شَئٌ وَأَنْتَ الَّذِى تَعَرَّفْتَ اِلَىَّ فِى كُلِّ شَئٍ فَرَأَيْتُكَ ظَاهِرًا فِى كُلِّ شَئٍ فَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ لِكُلِّ شَئٍ يَا مَنِ اسْتَوَى بِرَحْمَانِيَّتِهِ عَلَى عَرْشِهِ فَصَارَ الْعَرْشُ غَيْبًا فِى رَحْمَانِيَّتِهِ كَمَا صَارَتِ الْعَوَالِمُ غَيْبًا فِى عَرْشِهِ مَحَقْتَ الْآثَارَ بِالْآثَارِ وَمَحَوْتَ الْاَغْيَارَ بِمُحِيطَاتِ أَفْلَاكِ الْاَنْوَارِ يَا مَنِ احْتَجَبَ فِى سُرَادِقَاتِ عِزِّهِ عَنْ أَنْ تُدْرِكَهُ الْاَبْصَارُ يَا مَنْ تَجَلَّى بِكَمَالِ بَهَائِهِ فَتَحَقَّقَتْ عَظَمَتَهُ الْاَسْرَارُ كَيْفَ تَخْفَى وَأَنْتَ الظَّاهِرُ أَمْ كَيْفَ تَغِيبُ وَأَنْتَ الرَّقِيبُ الْحَاضِرُ٣٣ 33. Ilāhī kayfa astaʿizzu wa-anta fī dh-dhillati arkaztanī am kayfa lā astaʿizzu wa-ilayka nasabtanī am kayfa lā aftaqiru wa-anta l-ladhī fī l-faqri aqamtanī am kayfa aftaqiru wa-anta l-ladhī bi-jūdika aghnaytanī anta l-ladhī lā ilāha ghayruka taʿarrafta li-kulli shayʾin fa-mā jahilaka shayʾun wa-anta l-ladhī taʿarrafta ilayya fī kulli shayʾin fa-raʾaytuka ẓāhiran fī kulli shayʾin fa-anta ẓ-ẓāhiru li-kulli shayʾin yā mani stawā bi-raḥmāniyyatihi ʿalā ʿarshihi fa-ṣāra l-ʿarshu ghayban fī raḥmāniyyatihi ka-mā ṣārati l-ʿawālimu ghayban fī ʿarshihi maḥaqta l-āthāra bi-l-āthāri wa-maḥawta l-aghyāra bi-muḥīṭāti aflāki l-anwāri yā mani ḥtajaba fī surādiqāti ʿizzihi ʿan an tudrikahu l-abṣāru yā man tajallā bi-kamāli bahāʾihi fa-taḥaqqaqat ʿaẓamatahu l-asrāru kayfa takhfā wa-anta ẓ-ẓāhiru am kayfa taghību wa-anta r-raqību l-ḥāḍirMy God, how can I seek might when it is You who have planted me firmly in lowliness? Or how can I not seek might when it is to You that You have related me? Or how can I not be in need when it is You who have set me firm in poverty? Or how can I be in need when it is You who, by Your generosity, have made me rich? You are the One besides whom there is no god: You have made Yourself known to every thing, so that nothing is ignorant of You; and You are the One who has made Yourself known to me in every thing, so that I have seen You manifest in every thing; for You are the Manifest to every thing. O You who are established upon Your Throne through Your all-mercifulness, so that the Throne has become hidden within Your all-mercifulness, just as the worlds have become hidden within Your Throne! You have effaced the traces by the traces, and You have erased the others by the all-encompassing spheres of the lights. O You who are veiled within the pavilions of Your might from being grasped by the eyes! O You who have disclosed Yourself in the perfection of Your splendour, so that the innermost hearts have come to realize Your majesty! How could You be hidden when You are the Manifest? Or how could You be absent when You are the Watchful, the Ever-Present?