Supplication and Litany

For those just beginning the spiritual path, it is best to start by reciting the Fifteen Whispered Prayers with attentive presence and reflection. Then begin with Supplications 12, 8, and 6 from the Ṣaḥīfa Sajjādiyya. After that, read through the entire collection from beginning to end.

The passage «یا من تجلی بکمال بهائه فتحققت عظمته من الاستواء کیف تخفی و أنت الظاهر» from the Prayer of ʿArafah speaks of the full manifestation of God’s beauty and the realization of His majesty. Divine beauty means light, beauty, and goodness; through its radiance, God’s majesty becomes manifest. How could He be hidden when He alone brings all things into view?

The phrase «یا من احتجب فی سرادقات عرشه عن أن تدرکه الأبصار» points to God’s veiling within the pavilions of His Throne, beyond the reach of eyes. God’s knowledge and power encompass all things; nothing lies beyond His all-encompassing grasp. The Creator’s knowledge and power take in every creature in a way that surpasses all forms of visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and inward perception.

In the passage “و ورعا فی إجمال” from Supplication 20 of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya, “اجمال” may be understood in two ways. First, it can mean beauty and excellence: “Lord, grant me piety in all its beauty and excellence.” Second, it can mean moderation and propriety: “Grant me piety and the strength to avoid sin in a manner that is measured and fitting.”

The phrase “مَحَقْتَ الْآثَارَ بِالْآثَارِ وَمَحَوْتَ الْأَغْيَارَ بِمُحِيطَاتِ أَفْلَاكِ الْأَنْوَارِ” points to a later effect superseding an earlier one, and to all that is other than the Real being effaced by the all-encompassing divine lights. Creation is renewed at every moment, and each new act of creation takes precedence over the one before it. When the divine lights encompass all things, nothing is perceived but the radiance of those sovereign lights; all that exists is subject to the will of God, which prevails over all.

The passage “O You whose all-embracing mercy…” from the Supplication of ʿArafah means that God has extended His mercy equally over all things, and that the Throne has become hidden in His Essence. The Throne is understood as divine knowledge of the unseen: a veil over the Essence that nonetheless unveils realities.

That our hearing and sight be our heirs means asking that they remain sound and with us until the moment of death. It also means using these faculties in ways that please God, so that they produce nothing but beauty and goodness, and their worth and standing are elevated. This inheritance may also allude to the enduring good deeds one leaves behind, or to the faculties themselves bearing witness to our good deeds on the Day of Resurrection.

Calling upon God by His names is, in essence, an expression of the Lord’s attention and care for His servant. Whoever calls upon God is answered. The first response is the Lord’s turning His attention to the servant; the fulfillment of a request, however, depends on observing the conditions of supplication, affirming God’s oneness, knowing Him, and submitting to His commands. Otherwise, the answer may come sooner or later, or take a different form.

This supplication asks God to place us in His refuge and under His protection—a sanctuary that can never be violated, corrupted or destroyed, and is beyond the reach of the unworthy. “لا یستباح” means that something is not seized, violated, unlawfully defiled or destroyed, does not fall prey to harm, and is not left open to exploitation by the unworthy.

In a supplication, for one’s eyes and ears to be heirs means that they remain in perfect health until the end of one’s life, continue to bring benefit, endure beyond physical death, and are adorned with the beauty of obedience. It may also mean becoming worthy of the eternal companionship of the Infallibles (AS), who are “the seeing eye of God and the hearing ear of God.”

The phrase “فهی بمشیتک دون قولک موتمره” in the supplication for the third day of Ramadan means that hardships and causes are brought into submission to God’s will by His will alone, without the need for a verbal command. The existence, qualities, states and changes of every thing come about solely through divine will. Likewise, things obey God—whether in response to a command or a prohibition—only through His will.

In the munajat, the phrase «ابتدع بقدرته الخلق ابتداعا» refers to creation’s beginning through God’s all-sufficient power and affirms that creation belongs exclusively to the Divine Essence. «اخترعهم علی مشیته اختراعا» likewise describes creation as brought forth in accordance with God’s will.