Supplication of Imam 'Ali (a) in the Mosque of Kufa

Priority: c, Quality: b
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Supplication of Imam 'Ali (a) in the Mosque of Kufa
SubjectAttributes of God and asking for mercy
Hadith-Based/Non-Hadith-BasedHadith-Based
Issued byImam Ali (a)
Shi'a sourcesAl-Mazar al-kabirAl-MazarAl-Balad al-aminBihar al-anwarZad al-ma'ad


Supplication of Imām ʿAlī (a) in the mosque of Kūfa (Arabic: مناجاة الإمام علي (ع) في مسجد الكوفة) is a supplication attributed to Imam Ali (a), recitation of which is among recommended practices in the mosque of Kufa. This supplication begins with some characteristics of the Day of Judgment and the requests for releasing from the punishment of that day. It mentions twenty-three attributes of God and ends with asking for God's mercy after mentioning every attribute.

Some Shi'a scholars have mentioned this supplication in section of the recommended practices in the mosque of Kufa. But, they have not mentioned any sources for it. Some sources claim that its content and style is in harmony with other supplications received from the Infallible Ones (a).

Naming

Shi'a scholars have mentioned this supplication among the practices of the mosque of Kufa and attributed it to Imam Ali (a).[1] However, they did not mention any source for it. Some claimed that the content and style of this supplication is similar with supplications received from Infallible Imams (a).

Content

Supplication of Imam Ali (a) in the mosque of Kufa has two sections and thirty-two parts. The first section begins with "Allahum-a inni as'aluk al-aman…" "O God, I surly ask you for refuge". Then, some of the characteristics and hardships of the Day of Judgment are mentioned and releasing from them is asked from God.[2] However, in this supplication, the name of the Judgment Day is not explicitly mentioned, but its characteristics are mentioned which are pointed in the Qur'an including the following ones:

  • No use for property and children
  • Wrongdoers' regret
  • Recognition of sinners by their faces
  • No use for apologies
  • Everyone's escape from his children, wife, father and mother
  • Sinners' wish to be able to sacrifice their children, wife, brother and tribe for themselves and release from punishment.[3]

The second section of the supplication begins with the phrase "Mawlay-a ya Mawlay" (My master! O My master!). In all parts of this section, the phrase "Mawlay-a ya Mawlay" is repeated, after each of them, God is called by one of His names or attributes and after each attribute, human's weakness is mentioned. At the end of each part, the mercy of God is requested.[4]

In this supplication, God is called by the names and attributes of:

  • "Mawla" (Master),
  • "Malik" (Owner),
  • "'Aziz" (Mighty),
  • "Khaliq" (Creator),
  • "'Azim" (Great),
  • "Qawiyy" (Powerful),
  • "Ghaniyy" (the All-Sufficient),
  • "Mu'tiyy" (the Giver),
  • "Hayy" (the Living),
  • "Baqiy" (the Everlasting),
  • "Da'im" (the Enduring),
  • "Raziq" (the Sustainer),
  • "Jawad" (Munificent),
  • "Mu'afi" (the Forgiver),
  • "Hadi" (the Guide),
  • "Kabir" (the Great),
  • "Rahman" (the All-Giving),
  • "Sultan" (the Sovereign),
  • "Dalil" (the Proof),
  • "Ghafur" (the All-Forgiving),
  • "Ghalib" (the Dominator),
  • "Rabb" (Lord),
  • "Mutakabbir" (the All-Sublime).

Against them, human being is described with attributes such as:

  • "'Abd" (servant),
  • "Mamluk" (owned"),
  • "Dhalil" (abased),
  • "Makhluq" (created),
  • "Haqir" (contemptible),
  • "Da'if" (weak),
  • "Faqir" (poor),
  • "Sa'il" (beggar),
  • "Mayyit" (dead),
  • "Fani" (mortal),
  • "Za'il" (transient),
  • "Marzuq" (provided one),
  • "Bakhil" (ungenerous),
  • "Mubtala" (afflicted),
  • "Dall" (stray),
  • "Saghir" (small),
  • "Marhum" (object of mercy),
  • "Mumtahin" (examined),
  • "Mutahayyir" (confused),
  • "Mmudhnib" (sinner),
  • "Maghlub" (dominated),
  • "Mmarbub" (nourished),
  • "Khashi'" (humble).[5]

Source and Commentary

In Shi'a sources, this supplication is mentioned in sources such as Ibn Mashhadi's al-Mazar al-kabir,[6] Shahid al-Awwal's al-Mazar,[7] al-balad al-amin,[8] Bihar al-anwar,[9] Zad al-ma'ad[10] and Mafatih al-jinan.[11]

Notes

  1. Shahīd al-Awwāl, al-Mazār, p. 248-251; Majlisī, Zād al-maʿād, p. 294-295; Majlisī, Bihār al-anwār, vol. 97, p. 419-420.
  2. Balūchī, Sharḥī bar munājāt-i ḥaḍrat-i Amīr, p. 19.
  3. See: Ibn Mashhadī, al-Mazār al-kabīr, p. 173-177.
  4. Balūchī, Sharḥī bar munājāt-i ḥaḍrat-i Amīr, p. 19.
  5. Ibn Mashhadī, al-Mazār al-kabīr, p. 173-177.
  6. Ibn Mashhadī, al-Mazār al-kabīr, p. 173-177.
  7. Shahīd al-Awwāl, al-Mazār, p. 248-251.
  8. Kafʿamī, al-Balad al-amīn, p. 319-320.
  9. Majlisī, Bihār al-anwār, vol. 91, p. 109-111.
  10. Majlisī, Zād al-maʿād, p. 494-495.
  11. Qumī, Mafātīḥ al-jinān, p. 399.

References

  • Balūchī, Firishta. Sharḥī bar munājāt-i ḥaḍrat-i Amīr dar masjid-I Kufa. Qom: Dalīl-i Mā, 1394 Sh.
  • Ibn Mashhadī. Al-Mazār al-kabīr. Edited by Jawād Qayyūmī Iṣfahānī. Qom: Daftar-i Nashr-i Islāmī, 1419 AH.
  • Kafʿamī, Ibrāhīm b. ʿAlī al-. Al-Balad al-amīn. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1418 AH.
  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Bihār al-anwār. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Zād al-maʿād. Edited by ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn Aʿlamī. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1423 AH.
  • Qumī, Shaykh ʿAbbās. Mafātīḥ al-jinān. Qom: Uswa, [n.d].
  • Shahīd al-Awwāl, Muḥammad b. Makī al-. Al-Mazār. Edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Abṭaḥī Iṣfahānī. Qom: Madrisat Imām Mahdī, 1410 AH.