Supplication and Litany

Laylat al-Raghāʾib is the first Friday night of Rajab and is considered highly meritorious. It is said that on this night, angels gather at the Kaaba and pray for the forgiveness of those who fasted during Rajab. A special prayer is also prescribed for the night, said to bring forgiveness for sins, intercession on the Day of Resurrection, and protection from punishment.

Observing recommended acts of worship fosters love and knowledge of God, helping to purify the heart, strengthen our connection with Him, and prevent the mind from becoming scattered. Sincere intention and acting for God’s sake are key to sustaining this connection. Love draws the thoughts and mind together, keeping them from distraction, while taking up recommended acts creates the conditions for the heart and soul to grow all the more.

Controlling the mind begins with entrusting it to its Creator and keeping away from sin and attachment to worldly life. The purification of the heart—a matter deserving our attention—is achieved through remembrance of God, sincere intention, and acting in accordance with it. Yoga is not suited to the mind of a believer; instead, we should draw nourishment from the twin sources of the Qur’an and the Prophet’s household.

To bring worthy gifts before God, we must remain steadfast on the path of the Two Weighty Things and worship Him with sincere intent. True love of God frees a person from every preoccupation that distracts from Him and makes them one of His most sincere servants—so much so that the angels take pride in them.

To address hearing loss, it is recommended to join the Mishkat Caregivers’ devotional prayer group and recite the first supplication of al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya. Reciting verses from the Noble Qur’an and repeating “لا اله الا الله” many times, together with blessings upon the Prophet and meditation, may also contribute to healing.

To ease anxiety about losing blessings, it is recommended that you complete a recitation of the Ṣaḥīfa Sajjādiyya with full attentiveness and regularly recite Prayers 17 and 20. You should also perform the Night Prayer, including all its recommended acts, and ask people of piety to pray for your spiritual vigilance.

For businesses that have suffered a downturn because of challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic, Supplications 6, 7 and 29 from *al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya* are recommended.

A critique of a talk on prayer and healing, highlighting a contradiction in the speaker’s claims that divine destiny cannot change yet can be affected by prayer. The true nature of prayer includes asking for things not yet decreed and seeking changes to what has already been firmly decreed. The supplication of Laylat al-Qadr is one example.

When our daily lives are crowded with responsibilities, it is recommended that we give priority to caring for our mother for the sake of God, recite Supplication 24 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya wholeheartedly, and place our trust in God. The Compassionate Lord may bless our time as a gift, and these practices can help us find room for personal matters and worship.

In the face of severe economic and social hardship and the spread of COVID-19, the most effective response is repentance, turning back to God, and humbly imploring Him. Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong is also a way of making peace with God and working to address society’s problems. Duʿāʾ 16 of al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya is recommended, together with a firm resolve to abandon wrongdoing.

The Munajat Sha‘baniyya and all fifteen whispered prayers are recommended for attaining the fullest expression of servitude to God and deepening one’s devotion. These prayers ask for nearness to God, love, knowledge of Him, freedom from sin, and attainment of the station of «قاب قوسین او ادنی». They beseech God to place the light of love and knowledge in our hearts and remove the love of this world.

To increase our capacity for devotion and worship, we should draw closer to Almighty God and seek His favor through the Ahl al-Bayt (AS). The sacred Name “Al-Wāsiʿ” (the All-Embracing) and its manifestations expand our being. Serving God’s servants and holding fast to Him with steadfastness, love and spiritual insight are also ways to enlarge the soul and one’s inner capacity.

The way you pray—trying to mention everyone by name and asking God to include those you have forgotten—is one of the finest and most thoughtful ways to pray. The angels, too, will pray for you. Your prayer is wise and will be accepted.

To move your thesis forward and overcome obstacles, it is recommended that you recite Supplications 1, 2, and 3 from *al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya* with full presence of heart, along with the supplication “لا حول و لا قوه إلا بالله” and the Supplication of Light. With God’s help, this may bring you the result you hope for.

For a pregnant woman who is anxious and worried about coronavirus, the supplication of Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq (AS) and the invocation «أعوذ بعزه الله و أعوذ بقدره الله...» are recommended. In this supplication, one seeks refuge with God from fearing anyone but Him, and asks Him to make one fear only Him, so that other fears may be overcome.

Prayer has a noble purpose, profound wisdom, and immense blessings and benefits. The very gift of prayer, bestowed by the Creator upon His creation, is an immeasurable good in itself. Even when a prayer is not answered, the servant may receive something greater than what they asked for: contentment with and submission to God’s decree.

A prayer for presence of heart in prayer and for receiving its blessings: “O God, do not leave me to myself in the finest and most beautiful of deeds—prayer. Take me into Your care and instil the spirit of prayer in my soul…” The successful believers are those who are humble in their prayers, turn away from idle talk, give zakat, and faithfully honour their trusts and promises.

Prayer is a bridge to nearness to God, and presence of heart is the key to receiving its blessings. By setting aside worldly distractions and turning our attention to God’s greatness, we can draw closer to Him and experience the delight of intimate communion. The takbīr that opens the prayer should be spoken with a heart that recognises God’s greatness and sees all creation as insignificant before Him.

The Qur’an and transmitted supplications such as al-Ṣaḥīfa al-Sajjādiyya contain profound inner meanings, allusions, subtleties, and truths that no translation can fully convey. To rely on a translation alone is to settle for only a small share of this great treasury; it does not carry the virtue of reciting the Arabic text.