A Loving Farewell to the Month of the Beloved

🌼🔆🌼The Secret of Loving Praise🌼🔆🌼

🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹

🔅🌹 “The Arena of the Race in Servitude”   “The Messenger of Seclusion”   “Imam Sajjad’s Inspired Praise, peace be upon him” “A Lover’s Farewell”   “Supplication 45 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya” and more … Summary with supplement        1404.12.28    Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903)  🌹🔅

✳️✅ ❇️ ✨💫🔆 🌷🌹🌻

❇️The month of Ramadan, from beginning to end, is a complete journey of spiritual discipline in servitude to God

💫🔆عَنِ الصَّادِقِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ ع قَالَ: خَطَبَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ ع لِلنَّاسِ يَوْمَ الْفِطْرِ فَقَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ يَوْمَكُمْ هَذَا يَوْمٌ يُثَابُ‏ فِيهِ‏ الْمُحْسِنُونَ وَ يَخْسَرُ فِيهِ الْمُسِيئُونَ وَ هُوَ أَشْبَهُ يَوْمٍ بِيَوْمِ قِيَامَتِكُمْ فَاذْكُرُوا بِخُرُوجِكُمْ مِنْ مَنَازِلِكُمْ إِلَى مُصَلَّاكُمْ خُرُوجَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ وَ اذْكُرُوا بِوُقُوفِكُمْ فِي مُصَلَّاكُمْ وُقُوفَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَبِّكُمْ وَ اذْكُرُوا بِرُجُوعِكُمْ إِلَى مَنَازِلِكُمْ رُجُوعَكُمْ إِلَى مَنَازِلِكُمْ فِي الْجَنَّةِ أَوِ النَّارِ وَ اعْلَمُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ أَنَّ أَدْنَى مَا لِلصَّائِمِينَ وَ الصَّائِمَاتِ أَنْ يُنَادِيَهُمْ مَلَكٌ فِي آخِرِ يَوْمٍ مِنْ شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ أَبْشِرُوا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ غُفِرَ لَكُمْ مَا سَلَفَ مِنْ ذُنُوبِكُمْ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ تَكُونُونَ فِيمَا تَسْتَأْنِفُونَ

 وَ قَالَ الصَّادِقُ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ ع لِبَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ إِذَا كَانَ لَيْلَةُ الْفِطْرِ فَصَلِّ الْمَغْرِبَ ثَلَاثاً ثُمَّ اسْجُدْ وَ قُلْ فِي سُجُودِكَ يَا ذَا الطَّوْلِ يَا ذَا الْحَوْلِ يَا مُصْطَفِيَ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ نَاصِرَهُ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اغْفِرْ لِي كُلَّ ذَنْبٍ أَذْنَبْتُهُ وَ نَسِيتُهُ وَ هُوَ عِنْدَكَ‏ فِي كِتابٍ مُبِينٍ

‏ ثُمَ‏ تَقُولُ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ أَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَ كَبِّرْ بَعْدَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَ الْعِشَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ وَ صَلَاةِ الْغَدَاءِ وَ صَلَاةِ الْعِيدِ كَمَا تُكَبِّرُ أَيَّامَ التَّشْرِيقِ تَقُولُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَ لِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ عَلَى مَا هَدَانَا وَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى مَا أَبْلَانَا وَ لَا تَقُلْ فِيهِ وَ رَزَقَنَا مِنْ بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعامِ‏ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ إِنَّمَا هُوَ فِي أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ.[1]

💫🔆It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq, Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his grandfather, peace be upon them, that they said:

On the day of Eid al-Fitr, the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him, addressed the people, saying:

“O people! This day of yours is a day on which the righteous are rewarded and the evildoers suffer loss. It is the day most like the Day of Resurrection.

As you leave your homes for your place of prayer, remember your departure from your graves to your Lord;

as you stand in your place of prayer, remember your standing before your Lord;

and as you return to your homes, remember your return to your homes in Paradise or Hell.

Know, servants of God, that the least reward granted to those who fast—the men and women who fast—is that, at the end of the month of Ramadan, an angel calls out to them:

‘Good tidings to you, servants of God! Your past sins have indeed been forgiven.’

So consider how you will fare in what you undertake from this point onward.”

Imam al-Sadiq, Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, peace be upon him, also said to one of his companions:

“When the night of Eid al-Fitr arrives, perform the Maghrib prayer in three rak‘ahs, then prostrate and, while prostrating, say:

“O ذَا الطَّولِ یا ذَا الحَولِ یا مُصطَفی مُحَمَّدٍ و ناصِرَهُ، صَلِّ عَلی مُحَمَّدٍ you who are the source of مُحَمَّدٍ وَ اغفِر لی کُلَّ ذَنبٍ أذنَبتُهُ وَ نَسِیتُهُ وَ هُوَ عِندَکَ فی کِتابٍ مُبینٍ”

“O Possessor of immense bounty, O Possessor of power and wisdom, O Chosen One of Muhammad and his supporter, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and forgive me every sin I have committed and forgotten, yet which is recorded with You in a clear Book.”

Then say a hundred times: “أَتوبُ إِلَی اللّهِ” (I turn in repentance to God).

And pronounce the takbīr after the Maghrib prayer, the ‘Ishā’ prayer, the Fajr prayer, and the Eid prayer, just as you pronounce it on the Days of Tashrīq. Say:

“اللّهُ أَکبَرُ، اللّهُ أَکبَرُ، لا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللّهُ، وَ اللّهُ أَکبَرُ، اللّهُ أَکبَرُ، وَ لِلّهِ الحَمدُ، اللّهُ أَکبَرُ عَلی ما هَدانا، وَ الحَمدُ لِلّهِ عَلی ما أَبلانا”

“God is greater, God is greater; there is no god but God, and God is greater, God is greater, and praise belongs to God. God is greater for having guided us, and praise is due to God for having brought us back safe and unharmed.”

Do not say in it, “وَ رَزَقَنا مِن بَهیمَةِ الأَنعامِ” (and provided us with lawful livestock), for this phrase is specific to the Days of Tashrīq.”

❇️The proving ground of human character

💫🔆وَ مَرَّ ع فِي يَوْمِ فِطْرٍ بِقَوْمٍ‏ يَلْعَبُونَ‏ وَ يَضْحَكُونَ فَوَقَفَ عَلَى رُءُوسِهِمْ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ جَعَلَ شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ مِضْمَاراً لِخَلْقِهِ‏  فَيَسْتَبِقُونَ فِيهِ بِطَاعَتِهِ إِلَى مَرْضَاتِهِ فَسَبَقَ قَوْمٌ فَفَازُوا وَ قَصَّرَ آخَرُونَ فَخَابُوا فَالْعَجَبُ كُلُّ الْعَجَبِ مِنْ ضَاحِكٍ لَاعِبٍ فِي الْيَوْمِ الَّذِي يُثَابُ فِيهِ الْمُحْسِنُونَ وَ يَخْسَرُ فِيهِ الْمُبْطِلُونَ وَ ايْمُ اللَّهِ لَوْ كُشِفَ الْغِطَاءُ لَعَلِمُوا أَنَّ الْمُحْسِنَ مَشْغُولٌ بِإِحْسَانِهِ وَ الْمُسِي‏ءَ مَشْغُولٌ بِإِسَاءَتِهِ ثُمَّ مَضَى.[2]

🔆On the day of Eid al-Fitr, he passed a group of people who were playing and laughing. He stopped above them and said: “God has made the month of Ramadan a proving ground for His creatures, in which they vie with one another, through obedience to Him, for His pleasure. Some have striven ahead and prospered; others have fallen short and suffered loss. How astonishing—how truly astonishing—that someone should play and laugh on a day when the righteous are rewarded and those who follow falsehood incur loss! By God, if the veil were lifted, they would see that the virtuous are absorbed in their virtue, while the evildoers are absorbed in their wrongdoing.” Then he went on his way.

☀️The blessed month of Ramadan is indeed a great workshop of divine making, in which that incomparable Creator nurtures His servants for Himself!

✨🔆Ṭā Hā: 41   وَ اصْطَنَعْتُكَ لِنَفْسي‏

🔆“And I fashioned you for Myself.”

❇️Conquer the fields of servitude to God

💫🔆عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ نُعَيْمٍ‏  عَنْ أَشْيَاخٍ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ أَنَّ عَلِيّاً ع كَانَ كَثِيراً مَا يَقُولُ فِي خُطْبَتِهِ‏: «أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا قَدْ أَدْبَرَتْ وَ آذَنَتْ أَهْلَهَا بِوَدَاعٍ وَ إِنَّ الْآخِرَةَ قَدْ أَقْبَلَتْ وَ آذَنَتْ‏  بِاطِّلَاعٍ أَلَا وَ إِنَّ الْمِضْمَارَ الْيَوْمَ وَ السِّبَاقَ‏ غَداً أَلَا وَ إِنَ‏ السَّبَقَ‏  الْجَنَّةُ وَ الْغَايَةَ النَّارُ أَلَا وَ إِنَّكُمْ فِي أَيَّامِ مَهَلٍ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ أَجَلٌ يَحُثُّهُ عَجَلٌ فَمَنْ عَمِلَ فِي أَيَّامِ مَهَلِهِ قَبْلَ حُضُورِ أَجَلِهِ نَفَعَهُ عَمَلُهُ وَ لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ أَمَلُه‏ … [3]

🔆‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Nu‘aym relates from one of the elders of his people that ‘Ali (AS) would often say in his sermons:

O people! This world has turned its back and announced to its people that it is bidding them farewell; the Hereafter, indeed, has drawn near and announced its coming and arrival.

Know that today is the day for training and preparation, while tomorrow is the place where the race is won.

Take heed! The prize in this contest is Paradise, and its terrible end is the Fire.

Take heed! You are living through a period of respite, followed by a set term that is hastening toward you.

So whoever does good in this time of respite, before their term arrives, will benefit from their deeds, and their hopes will not harm them…

☘️A few words explained for greater accuracy in translation:

✅“أَدْبَرَتْ”: has turned away; is nearing its end and passing away.

✅“آذَنَتْ”: has announced, has given notice. The signs that this world is departing and coming to an end have become clear.

✅“المِضْمَار”: the place where horses are trained and prepared for a race. Here it alludes to this world as the place where we train and gather provisions for the Hereafter.

✅“السِّبَاق”: the place of racing, the racecourse. Here it alludes to the Day of Resurrection, when the outcome of our deeds will be made clear.

✅“السَّبَق” (with a fatḥa): the prize awarded to the winner of a race. Here it alludes to Paradise.

✅“الغایة”: the end of a matter, its final destination. Here it alludes to Hell for those who fall short in this training ground—the world.

✅“أیام مَهَل”: days of respite and opportunity. This refers to our time in this world, the opportunity we are given to fulfil our duties.

✅“یَحُثُّهُ عَجَلٌ”: a haste that drives it on. In other words, death is hot on the heels of our worldly respite and will come for us.

❇️The Emissary of the Everlasting

💫🔆 إِلهِي وَ سَيِّدِي ما أَغَبَ‏  شَهْرَ الصِّيامِ‏ إِلى‏ جانِبِ الْفَناءِ وَ أَنْتَ‏ الْباقِي‏، وَ آذِن بِالانْقِضاءِ وَ أَنْتَ الدَّائِمُ، وَ هُوَ الَّذِي عَظَّمْتَ حَقَّهُ فَعَظُمَ، وَ كَرَّمْتَهُ فَكَرُمَ، وَ إِنَّ لِي فِيهِ الزَّلَّاتِ كَثِيرَةً وَ الْهَفَواتِ عَظِيمَةً، إِنْ قاصَصْتَنِي بِها كانَ شَهْرَ شَقاوَتِي، وَ إِنْ سَمِحْتَ لِي بِها كانَ شَهْرَ سَعادَتِي.

اللَّهُمَّ وَ كَما أَسْعَدْتَنِي بِالإِقْرارِ بِرُبُوبِيَّتِكَ مُبْدِئاً، فَأَسْعِدْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ وَ رَأْفَتِكَ وَ تَمْحِيصِكَ وَ سَماحَتِكَ مُعِيداً، فَإِنَّكَ عَلى‏ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ قَدِيرٌ، وَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلى‏ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ وَ سَلَّمَ كَثِيرا[4]

💫🔆 O God, my Master, how the month of fasting wanes, while You remain, everlasting; how it draws to a close, while You endure forever.

This is a month whose right You magnified, and so it became great and honoured; You bestowed dignity upon it, and it became dignified. Yet I have committed many slips and grave errors in this month. If You call me to account for them, this month will be one of misery and wretchedness for me; but if You pardon me for them, it will be a month of joy and felicity.

O God, just as at the beginning You made me happy by my acknowledging You as Lord, so at its return and its end make me happy through Your mercy and kindness, Your purification and forgiveness. Surely You have power over all things.

“And may God send abundant blessings and peace upon Muhammad and his family.”

✅The Messenger of Solitude

A retreat made purely for communion! To fall in love with the retreat through retreat is love itself.

This intimate prayer is a profound reflection of the noble verse, “كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ” (Everything perishes except His Face).

This magnificent month was only God’s messenger: it came, fulfilled its mission, and departed, to show that only its Lord remains, and that He alone is imperishable!

The month of fasting came with all its majesty and blessing, rekindled the remembrance of  Allah in our hearts, and departed to show us that only His remembrance lives in our hearts forever.

🔆Lord, the month of Your hospitality came and departed in all its splendour, teaching us that whatever bears the mark of change in this existence is destined to pass away; only You remain unchanged as time flows by. The month departed to turn us from ourselves and back towards You. If the month has gone, You remain; if the days have passed, You remain. So do not grieve us over the loss of what is fleeting, for we hope to attain union with You, the Everlasting.

This perspective frees a person from attachment to the “month” (a symbol of time and a means) and turns their attention to the “Worshipped One” (the goal and the end).

❇️God’s messenger bears witness on the Day of Judgement

💫🔆 أَلَا فَاعْمَلُوا [الْيَوْمَ‏] لِيَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَ أَعِدُّوا الزَّادَ لِيَوْمِ الْجَمْعِ يَوْمَ التَّنَادِ، وَ تَجَنَّبُوا الْمَعَاصِيَ، فَبِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ يُرْجَى الْخَلَاصُ، فَإِنَّ مَنْ عَرَفَ حُرْمَةَ رَجَبٍ وَ شَعْبَانَ، وَ وَصَلَهُمَا بِشَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ شَهْرِ اللَّهِ الْأَعْظَمِ، شَهِدَتْ لَهُ هَذِهِ الشُّهُورُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، وَ كَانَ رَجَبٌ وَ شَعْبَانُ وَ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ شُهُودَهُ بِتَعْظِيمِهِ لَهَا.

وَ يُنَادِي مُنَادٍ: يَا رَجَبُ وَ يَا شَعْبَانُ وَ يَا شَهْرَ رَمَضَانَ كَيْفَ عَمَلُ‏ هَذَا الْعَبْدِ فِيكُمْ وَ كَيْفَ كَانَتْ طَاعَتُهُ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ‏  فَيَقُولُ رَجَبٌ وَ شَعْبَانُ وَ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ:

يَا رَبَّنَا مَا تَزَوَّدَ مِنَّا إِلَّا اسْتِعَانَةً عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ، وَ اسْتِمْدَاداً [لِمَوَادِّ] فَضْلِكَ، وَ لَقَدْ تَعَرَّضَ بِجُهْدِهِ‏  لِرِضَاكَ، وَ طَلَبَ بِطَاقَتِهِ مَحَبَّتَكَ.[5]

💫🔆 So be aware: act today for the Day of Resurrection, and prepare provisions for the Day of Gathering, the Day of the Call and Summons. Keep away from sins, for through mindfulness of God one may hope for salvation. Whoever honours the months of Rajab and Sha‘ban and joins them to Ramadan, the great month of God, will find that these months bear witness on the Day of Resurrection; Rajab, Sha‘ban and Ramadan will testify that this person honoured them.

And a caller will cry out: “O Rajab, O Sha‘ban, O month of Ramadan! How did this servant act during you, and how did they obey God, Mighty and Majestic?”

Then Rajab, Sha‘ban and Ramadan will reply:

“Our Lord! The only provision he took from us was seeking Your help in obeying You and seeking the means to Your grace and generosity. He made every effort and devoted all his resolve to seeking Your pleasure, and with all his strength sought Your love.”

🔆The blessed month will give an account of its mission and journey. Blessed are those who kept good company with this blessed month! It will defend its companions: those who hurried aboard the ship of the blessed month in worship and obedience to God, and remained steadfast on that pure, swift journey towards God!

❇️The end of the blessed month of Ramadan is the beginning of a new journey in servitude

After learning and training comes the time to put one’s skills into practice.

The aim of the blessed month of Ramadan is to strengthen the higher skills of servitude to God.

From the heart of the blessed month of Ramadan, a life of servitude should emerge. The diamond of devotion to God must shine!

❇️The great spiritual exercise of the blessed month of Ramadan

Having completed the training and passed through Laylat al-Qadr, one must bring the fruits of one’s striving to light!

After the blessed month of Ramadan comes the time to harvest the fruit of its mighty tree.

The span from the blessed month of Ramadan to Eid al-Fitr is a complete cycle of life: journeying from this world to the Hereafter, practising «موتوا قبل ان تموتوا»!

The end of the blessed month of Ramadan marks the beginning of a celebration of a new birth into servitude.

✳️The golden charter of Supplication 45

❇️A diamond fragment from Supplication 45 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

🔶Indeed, every passage in the *Ṣaḥīfa Sajjadiyya* is a pearl, a ruby, a diamond—an incomparable jewel. Let us turn our wise gaze to one of the rarest gems from the mine of the *Ṣaḥīfa Sajjadiyya*, supplication 45!

✨فَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ مَا وُجِدَ فِي حَمْدِكَ مَذْهَبٌ، وَ مَا بَقِيَ لِلْحَمْدِ لَفْظٌ تُحْمَدُ بِهِ، وَ مَعْنًى يَنْصَرِفُ إِلَيْهِ.

🔆So praise be to You for as long as a path to praising You may be found, and for as long as a word with which to praise You remains, and a meaning to which praise may return.

💫That is, praise You with my final breath: praise of God that passes beyond words and meanings, crossing the bridge of every word and meaning!

Such praise that I may open every path of praise.

Pass beyond every path of love.

Compose the whole music of love and loving.

💫That is, with my whole being and the last strength of my soul and heart, I praise You! With all my faculties and all that I am, with all my resources and the whole world, I praise You; I spend everything in Your praise, and bring everything to its end in praising You! Let no word appear that I do not put to use and bring to fulfilment in Your praise! Whatever meaning there is, I devote to Your praise.

💫May I become the candle of Your praise; may I make the whole world Your praise; may I burn everything like incense for Your praise, until it is consumed.

❇️He commanded praise, and my soul began to speak in praise of the Giver of life

💫🔆الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الْمَعْرُوفِ مِنْ غَيْرِ رُؤْيَةٍ وَ الْخَالِقِ مِنْ غَيْرِ مَنْصَبَةٍ خَلَقَ الْخَلَائِقَ بِقُدْرَتِهِ وَ اسْتَعْبَدَ الْأَرْبَابَ بِعِزَّتِهِ وَ سَادَ الْعُظَمَاءَ بِجُودِهِ وَ هُوَ الَّذِي أَسْكَنَ الدُّنْيَا خَلْقَهُ وَ بَعَثَ إِلَى الْجِنِّ وَ الْإِنْسِ رُسُلَهُ لِيَكْشِفُوا لَهُمْ عَنْ غِطَائِهَا وَ لِيُحَذِّرُوهُمْ مِنْ ضَرَّائِهَا وَ لِيَضْرِبُوا لَهُمْ أَمْثَالَهَا وَ لِيُبَصِّرُوهُمْ عُيُوبَهَا وَ لِيَهْجُمُوا عَلَيْهِمْ بِمُعْتَبَرٍ مِنْ تَصَرُّفِ مَصَاحِّهَا وَ أَسْقَامِهَا وَ حَلَالِهَا وَ حَرَامِهَا وَ مَا أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لِلْمُطِيعِينَ مِنْهُمْ وَ الْعُصَاةِ مِنْ جَنَّةٍ وَ نَارٍ وَ كَرَامَةٍ وَ هَوَانٍ أَحْمَدُهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ كَمَا اسْتَحْمَدَ إِلَى خَلْقِهِ وَ جَعَلَ‏ لِكُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ قَدْراً وَ لِكُلِّ قَدْرٍ أَجَلًا وَ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتَابا[6]

🔆Praise belongs to God, who is “known” though unseen, and is “Creator” without need of instruments or office;

He created all creatures by His power, brought the powerful into servitude through His might, and raised the great through His generosity;

He is the One who created the world and settled His creatures in it, and sent His messengers to jinn and humankind to lift its veil from before them, warn them of its harms, offer them its examples, and show them its flaws. They confronted them with admonitions and lessons drawn from the changing fortunes of its people, its sicknesses and pains, its lawful and unlawful things, and what God has prepared for those among them who obey and disobey: Paradise and Fire, honour and abasement.

With all my soul, I praise Him with praise worthy of Him, as He commanded His creatures to praise Him. He set a measure for everything, a term for every measure, and a register for every term.

❇️He sowed the elixir of His praise in the souls of His creatures

💫🔆“أَبْتَدِئُ بِالْحَمْدِ لِمَنْ هُوَ أَوْلَى بِالْحَمْدِ وَ الْمَجْدِ وَ الطَّوْلِ» ثُمَّ قَالَتْ: «الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ عَلَى مَا أَنْعَمَ، وَ لَهُ الشُّكْرُ عَلَى مَا أَلْهَمَ، وَ الثَّنَاءُ عَلَى مَا قَدَّمَ، مِنْ عُمُومِ نِعَمٍ ابْتَدَاهَا، وَ سُبُوغِ آلَاءٍ أَسْدَاهَا، وَ إِحْسَانِ مِنَنٍ وَالاهَا، جَمَّ عَنِ الْإِحْصَاءِ عَدَدُهَا، وَ نَأَى عَنِ الْمُجَازَاةِ أَمَدُهَا، وَ تَفَاوَتَ عَنِ الْإِدْرَاكِ أَبَدُهَا، اسْتَدْعَى الشَّكُورُ بِإِفْضَالِهَا، وَ اسْتَحْمَدَ إِلَى الْخَلَائِقِ بِإِجْزَالِهَا، وَ أَمَرَ بِالنَّدْبِ إِلَى أَمْثَالِهَا.[7]

🔆“I begin by praising the One most worthy of praise, majesty, and unending grace;”

Then he said:

“Praise be to God for the blessings He bestowed, and thanks be to Him for the guidance He inspired, and glorification and praise for what He sent forth beforehand;

for the blessings He initiated in their abundance, the generous gifts He bestowed in their fullness, and the kindness of the favor He joined to them;

their number defies enumeration, their term lies beyond requital and repayment, and their eternity exceeds all comprehension;

He called upon those grateful to Him through His favors and gifts, and was praised among His creatures for their abundance and His boundless generosity; He commanded them to aspire and invite others to what is like them.”

🔶 Through His gifts, [God] moved His creatures to praise Him; through His abundant generosity, He became beloved and praised among His servants.

He made His favors the seasoning of His own gratitude, and His bounties the elixir of His praise.

❇️The fruit of praise is sweeter than praise itself

💫🔆 الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي اسْتَحْمَدَ إِلَى مَنِ اسْتَحْمَدَهُ‏ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَحَامِدِهِ لِيَحْمَدُوهُ عَلَى مَا بَذَلَ مِنْ نَوَافِلِهِ الَّتِي فَاقَ مَدْحَ الْمَادِحِينَ مَآثِرُ مَحَامِدِهِ وَ عَدَا وَصْفَ الْوَاصِفِينَ هَيْبَةُ جَلَالِهِ هُوَ أَهْلٌ لِكُلِّ حَمْدٍ وَ مُنْتَهَى كُلِّ رَغْبَةٍ الْوَاحِدُ الَّذِي لَا بَدْءَ لَه‏[8]

🔆 Praise belongs only to that Allah who, from among His praises, granted those who long to praise Him permission to praise Him for the gracious gifts of His goodness—gifts whose traces of praise surpass the praise of those who praise Him!

The awe of His majesty transcends the descriptions of those who would describe Him. He is worthy of every praise and the end of every longing. He is the One without a beginning.

❇️He praised Himself, and praise blossomed in the souls of His creatures

💫🔆الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي حَمِدَ نَفْسَهُ فَاسْتَحْمَدَ إِلَى خَلْقِهِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي حَارَتِ الْأَوْهَامُ فِي وَصْفِهِ وَ ذَهَلَتِ الْعُقُولُ عَنْ كُنْهِ عَظَمَتِهِ حَتَّى يُرْجَعَ إِلَى مَا امْتَدَحَ بِنَفْسِهِ مِنْ عِزِّ وُجُودِهِ وَ طَوْلِه‏[9]

🔆 Praise belongs to God, who praised Himself and thereby became praised among His creatures. Praise belongs only to God, before whom imaginations falter in describing Him and intellects fall short of grasping the reality of His greatness—until [the human being] returns to what he himself has praised through his own means, in the dignity of his being and his nobility.

🌟 Praise: Beyond Word and Meaning

The passage “فَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ مَا وُجِدَ…” points to a reality in which the mystic leaves the realm of language and is immersed in the boundless ocean of love.

💫Beyond the Boundaries of Language (فَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ)

Divine praise is not confined by time or place. “فَلَكَ” means “to You belongs,” but here it expresses an everlasting commitment. This praise is not a response to any particular blessing; it is praise offered in recognition of the eternal and everlasting realm of God’s Most Holy Essence. As it is said in the Du‘a of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya: “يا مَن لا یَصِفُهُ الواصِفون”—He whom those who describe are unable to describe.

☀️Words and meanings reach their limit in praising and describing Him, yet the due of His praise and description can never be fulfilled.

☀️At the end of the path of word and meaning begins the praise of the Peerless One.

 💫Knowing Without Seeing (المعروف من غير رؤية)

This phrase points to the summit of “certainty.” The believer knows God through His “signs” and “tokens,” not by direct sight. The Qur’an says: “أَفِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَفَلا تُبْصِرُونَ” (Is it not within yourselves? Do you not see?). Knowing God through contemplation of the horizons and the self is a knowledge deeper even than what the eye can see,

💫Creation Without Effort (من غیر منصبة)

“Office” means an instrument or intermediary. God needs no matter, time, place, or consultation in order to create. He says, «كُن فَيَكُونُ». This creation without an intermediary is a sign of His absolute power.

🌟 The World: A Testing Ground and a Warning

1. Those Who Unveil the World

The prophets and the saints (peace be upon them) were charged with lifting the world’s beguiling veils. With its beautiful outward appearance, the world is like an ornate robe concealing its ugliness. The prophets came to tell us that this beauty is fleeting, and that beneath it lie extinction and decay.

2. Parables and Lessons

The stories in the Qur’an and the histories of past peoples are the world’s “parables.” By showing us the fate of those who came before, God seeks to awaken people today. Illness, hardship, and even sudden death are all lessons to be heeded, reminding us that the world is not our lasting home.

3. The Law of “Measure,” “Term,” and “Record”

This statement “وَ جَعَلَ لِكُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ قَدْراً وَ لِكُلِّ قَدْرٍ أَجَلًا وَ لِكُلِّ أَجَلٍ كِتَابا” describes the precise order of existence:

Measure: the quantity and proportion of each thing.

Term: the appointed time of its end.

Record: its definitive inscription in the Preserved Tablet.

This wise order is itself a reason to praise and glorify God, for it shows that the universe is free of chaos and governed according to wisdom.

🌟 Istihmād: An Invitation to Love

The phrase “اسْتَحْمَدَ إِلَى خَلْقِه” (He desired His creatures to praise Him) expresses one of the most beautiful mystical ideas.

1. Why Does God Desire Praise?

Does God need our praise? Never. God is self-sufficient. So why has He called Himself “the Praised” and asked His servants to praise Him?

The answer is that praise is a bridge to attentiveness. Through remembrance and praise, God wants His servants to attain perfection. The sun needs no one to look at it, but whoever does will benefit from its light. Our praise benefits us: it brings us within the safe haven of servitude to God.

2. Grace and Abundant Giving: Ways of Drawing Us Near

Through His “bestowal of grace” and “abundant giving,” God draws hearts toward Him, in the hope that His servant will cast off heedlessness and remember Him. These gifts are supererogatory—that is, they go beyond what is expected or required.

🌟 The Praise of the Most Pure Fāṭima (peace be upon her)

1. Gratitude for Inspiration and the Blessing of Prior Favor

Lady Fāṭima (SA) praises God not only for material blessings, but also for “inspiration” (the gift of spiritual knowledge) and “prior favor” (the blessing bestowed beforehand). This profound outlook shows that even the capacity for gratitude and knowledge is itself a gift from God.

2. Blessings Beyond Count

The phrase “جَمَّ عَنِ الْإِحْصَاءِ عَدَدُهَا” (their number defeated counting) echoes the noble verse “وَ إِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لا تُحْصُوهَا”. By this, Lady Fāṭima means that even if we spent our whole lives counting God’s blessings, we would still have grasped no more than a drop from the sea of His mercy.

🌟 Conclusion: Complete Praise, the Beginning of the Eternal Journey

The discussion of “complete praise” is not, in truth, the end of the road, but the beginning of a journey. On this journey, the servant burns and reduces to ashes every word, meaning, and part of their very being in the fire of love for the Beloved, in the hope of finding a way to the threshold of the Reality of “He.”

“That is, with my whole being and the last of my strength, I praise You!”

This is the language of lovers, who have passed beyond the bounds of reason and descended into the realm of “Majesty” and “Beauty.” Praise offered neither in pursuit of Paradise nor out of fear of the Fire, but simply for love of Him. Such is the station of “الْخُلَّصِ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ.”

❇️The Month of Love and the Farewell of Two Lovers

The bride among the months has reached the time of her departure, and the two companions in love, held in each other’s arms, sing a song of parting.

The moon and moonlight, wrapped in each other’s embrace

Two moons in each other’s arms

Two adornments nestled together

Now comes the end of Ramadan, the time of separation and farewell

❇️Bidding Farewell to the Month of Love and Devotion

A friend should bid a friend farewell with affection, not part from them in resentment!

Separation suggests a parting marked by protest, sorrow and anger.

✨🔆Al-Kahf: 78   قالَ هذا فِراقُ بَيْني‏ وَ بَيْنِكَ سَأُنَبِّئُكَ بِتَأْويلِ ما لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ عَلَيْهِ صَبْراً

He said, “Now the time has come for you and me to part. But soon I will explain to you the meaning of what you could not bear patiently.”

❇️A Golden Charter from the Vast Treasury of Supplication 45 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

✨Insights for the Heart and Practice from Supplication 45 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

Dewdrops of the teachings on divine unity, ethics and worship in Supplication 45 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya:

💫1. The Giver Who Bestows Without Reproach

Creation was not brought into being for gain, and God’s gifts are bestowed with wisdom. He has no regret for His deeds or acts of benevolence.

His giving carries no reproach, and His withholding is never unjust; all His actions flow from grace.

His power and might are ever exercised in the spirit of forgiveness and generosity.

💫2. The Divine Attributes of Beauty and Majesty

God rewards His grateful servants, though He Himself inspired them to give thanks.

He rewards those who praise Him, though He Himself taught them how to praise.

He conceals the faults of sinners and, in His forbearance and patience, gives them time to repent.

His punishment is just, and His decree is grounded in goodness and wisdom.

💫3. The Doors of Mercy and Repentance

God has opened a door to His forgiveness and named it “repentance.”

He has placed a guide, born of revelation, at this door, so that no one will lose the way.

Once the door has been opened and a guide appointed, there is no excuse for neglecting to enter this abode of repentance.

💫4. Boundless Grace and Generosity in Reward

In His dealings with His servants, God gives them more and seeks what is best for them.

The reward for every good deed is tenfold, while the recompense for every bad deed is only its like.

Spending in God’s path is like sowing a seed that yields seven ears, each bearing a hundred grains.

Lending to God—that is, giving in charity—brings manifold increase and a generous reward.

💫5. Supplication, Worship and Communion with God

God commands His servants to pray and promises to answer them.

Supplication itself is worship; to abandon it is a sign of arrogance before God.

Remembering God (dhikr), giving thanks and supplicating are all accomplished by God’s command and through His enabling grace.

💫6. The Rank and Significance of Ramadan

Ramadan is the choicest of all months and the finest time of the year.

It is the month in which the Qur’an and light were sent down, and faith is multiplied many times over.

It is the month in which fasting was made obligatory and worship through the night was encouraged.

The month in which there is a night better than a thousand months—the Night of Decree.

Ramadan is the feast of God’s friends and the most honoured companion among all times.

💫7. The Unique Qualities of Ramadan

A month in which hopes draw near and good deeds abound.

A month in which hearts grow tender and sins grow few.

A month that helps us stand against Satan and makes the paths of goodness easy.

A month in which God frees many people from the Fire of Hell.

A month that cleanses sins and conceals faults.

A month that inspires awe in the hearts of believers and seems long to sinners.

A month whose arrival brings blessings and washes away the stains of misdeeds.

💫8. Bidding Ramadan Farewell and the Mystical States of the Heart

To bid Ramadan farewell is to part from a beloved whose absence brings sorrow and pain.

To bid farewell to a companion whose presence brings comfort and whose departure leaves us feeling forlorn.

To lose something cherished before its time, and to grieve before it is gone.

To regret one’s shortcomings and admit one’s failure to fulfil the due of worship in this month.

To express heartfelt remorse and sincerely ask forgiveness.

💫9. Hope for the Future and Seeking Divine Enablement

To ask to live until the next Ramadan and to seek help in worshipping as one ought.

To ask, through God’s grace and mercy, to make up for past shortcomings.

To ask for a reward worthy of one’s worship and for the means to attain virtue.

To ask that Eid al-Fitr be blessed and counted among the best of days.

💫10. Seeking Forgiveness and Pardon

To repent of all sins, minor and major, whether committed deliberately or inadvertently, openly or in secret.

To repent in a way that does not lead back to sin, with a heart free of doubt and uncertainty.

To ask that one’s faults be concealed and one’s sins forgiven.

To seek protection from the taunts and slander of others.

💫11. The All-Encompassing Mercy and Blessings of God

To ask that the blessings and benefits of God’s blessings upon the Prophet and his family (AS) reach us.

To ask forgiveness for our fathers and mothers, and for all the faithful until the Day of Resurrection.

To ask for a reward equal to that of those who fast and worship until the Day of Resurrection.

To believe in the inexhaustible treasuries of God’s grace and mercy, which never diminish and flow without end.

🌼Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141 (903)🌼

❇️“Cultivating Spirituality”

✅The field of contest and training ground for death (the proving ground of humankind)

💫1. Practising “Emerging from the Grave” in the Eid Prayer

The Imam (AS) says: “فَاذْكُرُوا بِخُرُوجِكُمْ مِنْ مَنَازِلِكُمْ إِلَى مُصَلَّاكُمْ خُرُوجَكُمْ مِنَ الْأَجْدَاثِ إِلَى رَبِّكُمْ”.

This is no mere comparison; it is a practical guide to “rehearsing the Resurrection.” When a person leaves home on Eid day in new clothes and in a state of purity, they should awaken within themselves the feeling that this is their emergence from the grave.

At that moment, one should ask oneself: “If I had risen from the grave right now, what would I be wearing—what good deeds would clothe me? Have my fasts sewn me that radiant garment, or am I naked?”

Conclusion: Going to the Eid prayer is, in effect, “a practice in overcoming inertia.” On this day, the believer imagines themself standing on the Day of Resurrection, and this perspective frees them from pride and attachment to worldly life.

💫2. The mechanics of “outstripping” in worship

A narration tells us that God has made the month of Ramadan a “training ground” (a horse-racing course). In worldly competitions, the champion is the one who reaches the finish line first. But in the field of worship:

Outstripping others does not mean being outwardly faster in prayer or fasting; it means the “quality of one’s presence” and the “sincerity of one’s intention.” Whoever prays with a present heart outstrips someone who has performed a thousand rak‘ahs but remains heedless.

A key point: It is astonishing if someone spends the end of this race—Eid al-Fitr—playing and amusing themselves. This shows that they have not even realised they were taking part in a race. The Imam’s (AS) sorrow stems from people’s heedlessness: they have spent an eternal opportunity in play.

✅ The secret of loving praise

Supplication 45 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, known as the “Supplication of Gratitude,” represents the pinnacle of Imam Sajjad’s (AS) practical mysticism. Here, we will explore several hidden dimensions of this supplication:

💫1. Why does God love “praise”? (The philosophy of seeking praise)

God is self-sufficient. So why has He called Himself “the Praiseworthy” and asked His servants to praise Him?

A mystical perspective: Praise is a “bridge of connection.” The sun does not need anyone to look at it, but when someone gazes at the sun, its light shines in their eyes. Our praise kindles the light of spiritual knowledge in our hearts. Through praise, God seeks to enlarge His servant’s capacity to receive greater grace.

Praise: an antidote to arrogance. The greatest obstacle to drawing near to God is the commanding self and pride. When a servant begins to praise, they are, in effect, humbling themselves and magnifying God. This “humility” and “reverence” are the keys to the doors of mercy.

💫2. Beyond the bounds of language (فَلَکَ الحَمدُ)

The Imam (AS) says: “فَلَکَ الحَمدُ ما وُجِدَ فی حمدکَ مذهبٌ…” (Praise is Yours for as long as there remains a way to offer praise).

This sentence points to “self-effacement in praise.” The mystic draws on every word in the language to describe God’s beauty; then, when words run out, the tongue falls silent and the “language of the heart” begins.

For example, it is like someone trying to describe the beauty of a rose. They offer a thousand descriptions, but in the end they say, “Look, and judge for yourself!” True praise comes when the mystic can say no more and simply dissolves in the presence of the Beloved.

💫3. The praise of Fatima (SA): a model of gratitude

A passage in the text referred to the sermon of Lady Fatima (SA) on Fadak. She speaks of gratitude in three forms: for a blessing bestowed, for a blessing inspired, and for a blessing granted in advance—the felicity ordained beforehand.

Lady Fatima (SA) teaches us that we must even give thanks for our “ability to give thanks.” This is an upward cycle: God gives a blessing -> we give thanks -> and, in return for our gratitude, God bestows an even greater blessing (لَئِن شَکَرتُم لَأَزیدَنَّکُم). Lady Fatima (SA) is a master of this spiritual song.

✅ A loving farewell and a messenger of seclusion

The month of Ramadan is like a “messenger of seclusion”: an envoy sent by the Beloved to cleanse our hearts of the dust of worldly life, then return.

💫1. The difference between “separation” and “farewell”

“Farewell” is for a friend.

“Separation” is usually involuntary and accompanied by pain, as in death. “Farewell,” by contrast, is a loving ritual. Two lovers who know they will not see each other for a while say goodbye with a warm embrace and a promise to return.

In practice: When we bid farewell to Ramadan, we should not be like someone who has lost hope.

💫2. Ramadan: a witness on the Day of Judgment

It is related in a narration that, on the Day of Resurrection, the months of Rajab, Sha‘ban, and Ramadan will stand as witnesses.

This is at once a sobering and a hopeful image. Imagine that, on the Day of Gathering, three radiant beings—these months—stand before you. One asks: “What did this servant do in you?”

If the answer is positive, they will be your finest advocates.

If the answer is negative, their silence will leave you with no excuse.

The message: As we bid Ramadan farewell, let us ask it not to expose our failings before God, but to conceal our sins (seeking forgiveness as we take leave).

✅From Ramadan to Eternity: The Continuity of Devotion

The end of Ramadan is not the end of devotion; it is a showcase of what Ramadan has brought forth.

💫1. The Principle of “موتوا قبل ان تموتوا” (die before you die)

Ramadan was an exercise in letting the ego die. Fasting means putting our selfish desires to death. Now that the month has ended, will the ego come back to life?

The aim is for the state of being a fasting person to continue even when we are not fasting. The eyes that fasted—refraining from forbidden sights—should keep fasting after Ramadan. The ears that fasted—refraining from backbiting—should keep fasting after Ramadan.

The motto is: “Ramadan has gone, but let its spirit remain.” This means living throughout the year as though fasting—not by abstaining from food and water, but by turning away from sin and observing God’s limits.

💫2. Eid al-Fitr: A Celebration of the Birth of a New Self

Eid al-Fitr is not a celebration of hunger’s end; it is the celebration of a person reborn—melted down in Ramadan’s furnace and formed anew.

The person before Ramadan is not the same as the person after it. If nothing has changed, then no true Eid has come to pass for them. Eid belongs to those who have received “God-consciousness” as this month’s gift: «لَعَلَّکُمْ تَتَّقُونَ».

✨ Dear believers!

The month of lovers, like a noble envoy, packed its bags and set out for the heavenly realm. Now, as we stand on the threshold of farewell, let us take stock of ourselves. Did we surge ahead in this contest, or fall behind? Did our “praise” go beyond our tongues and reach our hearts?

Ramadan came to teach us that we can live without food and water, yet with remembrance of God. Now that the month is leaving, our mission grows more demanding: we must prove that we have learned the lesson of devotion. Let us bid it farewell with tears and repentance, not with frivolity and distraction. And let us know that this farewell is not the end of friendship, but the beginning of an everlasting meeting throughout every moment of our lives—if we are truly devoted.

❇️ Concluding Reflections

✨ Farewell to the Blessed Month of Ramadan and the Transience of This World

O God, this beautiful month honoured You and upheld Your majesty, and so it too became magnificent. It preserved Your honour and generosity, and itself attained nobility. This month came and went, and this was a field of striving for Your sake.

✨ Glad Tidings of Forgiveness and the Rebirth of Devotion

This month was an exercise in devotion to God. Within it, we passed through Laylat al-Qadr so that we might become Ghadiris, rise through the thousand manifestations of devotion, and unleash a storm of devotion.

 In this field, we must break through the boundaries of time and enter a realm beyond time; become God’s servant alone, and the servant of a hundred gods—and more.

 The blessed month has come to its close, and the time to reap the harvest has arrived. The tree of Ramadan has passed through its season; now it is time to gather its ripe fruit.

The celebration of our birth into devotion to God is beginning; at the end of this month, we will be born anew. We will experience “موتوا قبل ان تموتوا” (die before you die). The month has passed and faded away, and now the time has come to bid it farewell.

✨How to Bid Farewell to the Month of Divine Hospitality

What does it mean to bid farewell to the blessed month? Imam Sajjad (AS) teaches us how to take our leave. Farewell does not mean severing our ties; rather, we are seeing off a traveler who came to us from beyond this world. He spread before us a table from the unseen realm and the highest heaven, and now that table is being cleared so the traveler may return to his true home and find repose. Farewell means coming to rest.

If we have been good companions to this month, parting from it will weigh heavily on us. But if we have not, it will leave us easily. At this final moment, as we say goodbye, how should we part from this beautiful month? We should speak heart to heart with the month of God. We came to know God and His month, and stayed close to them: «من الله مع الله الی الله».

This month departs, but its Creator and Master remains. We must consider what we were like before it arrived, what we became during it, and what we will be at its end. The feeling of servitude to God must emerge within us. Our state must be multiplied by this month, so that on the day of Eid al-Fitr we are born anew from within this time. The nerve of servitude within us must reach its peak and grow stronger. We must feel servitude with our whole being. May parting from this month never come easily to us, for that would be a sign of loss and indifference—like the parting of Khidr from Moses (AS). May we never be such companions that, when the month draws away, it is relieved to leave us, for tomorrow it will bear witness.

✨The testimony of the months and God’s attributes in Supplication 45

“O my God and Lord! You are the One who seeks no reward and expects nothing in return from Your servants. You make no bargain with them except one whose benefit is theirs alone: the gain is all on one side, and it is Your servant who profits. You are the One who never regrets giving. Regret belongs to those who err; whatever You give, You give with wisdom, for You are both the All-Merciful and the Ever-Merciful. You do not reward Your servant in equal measure: if they do good, You lavish Your grace upon them many times over; if they do evil, You requite them only with its like, never wronging them in any way.

O God, Your blessings are without beginning, and no one is entitled to any gift. No one can do anything that would make You give in return. Your blessings are freely bestowed, and Your forbearance is kindness. Your pardon is grace, and Your goodness is generosity. If You give, You do not hold it over anyone; if You withhold, it is not out of injustice. O God, when someone gives thanks to You, You Yourself give thanks to them, even though You are the One who inspired them to be grateful. You are the teacher of praise and love. What are Your servants beside the Lord of lords? Yet You make Your servants love You and teach them how to praise You, until they become nightingales of divine unity.

✨Concealing faults, forgiveness, and divine forbearance

O God, You are the One who conceals misdeeds; had You wished, You could have exposed them. You forgive those whom, had You wished, You could have denied forgiveness. No one is entitled to Your pardon. Many may deserve punishment, yet You reward them instead. You have extended Your kindness to them when they deserved disgrace and the loss of blessings. You have founded all Your actions upon grace, and directed Your power toward pardon and generosity. You meet the disobedient with forbearance. You do not merely refrain from hastening their punishment; with patience, You open the arms of love to them.

O God, You gave respite to those who wronged themselves—not merely allowing them time, but waiting for them to repent. You did not hasten to punish them, lest those deserving destruction be destroyed. You watched over those who were throwing themselves into the pit of ruin, so that they might be saved. You did not want the wretched to reach eternal misery through Your blessings; You wanted them to find happiness through them, not to be disgraced. Only after the proof had been made clear and opportunity after opportunity had been given were those deserving destruction destroyed. None of this kindness and care was something they deserved; it was Your generosity and pardon. O Generous One, O Forbearing One, O You who do not hasten to punish! You opened a door to pardon for Your servants and named it repentance.

✨The majesty of praise and glorification in the fourteenth passage

In the fourteenth passage of this supplication, can anything in the universe be found as beautiful as Imam Sajjad’s (AS) praise of God? No—the beauty of this praise cannot be described. It is as if Imam Sajjad (AS) opened a distinct path in praising God and outstripped all others. Praise belongs to You alone, to the point that no path can be found within Your praise.

O God, I praise You in such a way that I traverse every path of praise and pass through every gate of praise, until no gate remains and I reach what lies beyond praising You.

 How beautiful this praise is—and more than beautiful! Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) says: With all my being and all my strength, I will praise You for as long as a word of gratitude remains. Until no meaning of praise is left, I will exhaust every word and meaning and go beyond them. O God, I will first open the gates of the words of praise, then hasten toward the opening of its meanings. I will praise You with my final breath and outstrip every word and meaning.

What mysteries this supplication contains! With all that I am and with the whole universe, I praise You.

 I spend all my praise on You; I become a candle of praise for You and the fragrance of praise for You.

✨Praise’s sanctuary in the believer’s heart, and the final farewell

Praise belongs to God, who showed His lovers the way to praise Him and taught those who thirst to praise Him. The traces of His praise surpass the praise of those who extol Him. Praise belongs to God, before whose description the imagination is bewildered, and whose innermost majesty lies beyond the reach of reason.

In these passages, Imam Sajjad (AS) unveils profound mysteries. This blessed month established within us a station and sanctuary of praise. What a momentous mission it fulfilled! This month pitched a tent of praise in our hearts, built a sanctuary for praise, and departed. May the banner of praise never fall; it must remain raised forever. Through this month’s blessing, our very being has become a sanctuary for praising God.

This month was a good companion to us, and nowhere in existence can a better companion be found. It brought us the greatest profit of all the worlds and brought to completion the most exalted business of servitude. Now, its mission accomplished and its promise fulfilled, after hosting a beautiful feast and making us God’s guests, it is ready to depart. So we bid it farewell—a farewell to one whose departure is so painful, sorrowful, and frightening. It left us a pledge and a covenant. With every mark of respect and courtesy, we call out: “Peace be upon you, O month of God, the greatest; O feast of God’s friends, O most honored companion, O finest of months among all days and hours.”

🌼Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903)🌼

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