Text:Thirty-seventh supplication of al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya

His Supplication when Confessing his Shortcomings in Giving Thanks	(37) وَ كَانَ مِنْ دُعَائِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِذَا اعْتَرَفَ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ عَنْ تَأْدِيَةِ الشُّكْرِ
In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.	بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ
1. O God, no one reaches a limit in thanking Thee	1. اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ أَحَداً لَا يَبْلُغُ مِنْ شُكْرِكَ غَايَةً
without acquiring that of Thy beneficence	إِلَّا حَصَلَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ إِحْسَانِكَ
which enjoins upon him thanksgiving,	مَا يُلْزِمُهُ شُكْراً .
2- nor does anyone reach a degree in obeying Thee, even if he strives,	2. وَ لَا يَبْلُغُ مَبْلَغاً مِنْ طَاعَتِكَ وَ إِنِ اجْتَهَدَ
without falling short	إِلَّا كَانَ مُقَصِّراً
of what Thou deservest because of Thy bounty.	دُونَ اسْتِحْقَاقِكَ بِفَضْلِكَ
3- The most thankful of Thy servants has not the capacity to thank Thee,	3. فَأَشْكَرُ عِبَادِكَ عَاجِزٌ عَنْ شُكْرِكَ ،
and the most worshipful of them falls short of obeying Thee.	وَ أَعْبَدُهُمْ مُقَصِّرٌ عَنْ طَاعَتِكَ
4- To none of them is due Thy forgiveness through what he himself deserves	4. لَا يَجِبُ لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ تَغْفِرَ لَهُ بِاسْتِحْقَاقِهِ ،
or Thy good pleasure for his own merit.	وَ لَا أَنْ تَرْضَى عَنْهُ بِاسْتِيجَابِهِ
5- When Thou forgivest someone, it is through Thy graciousness,	5. فَمَنْ غَفَرْتَ لَهُ فَبِطَوْلِكَ ،
and when Thou art pleased with someone, it is through Thy bounty.	وَ مَنْ رَضِيتَ عَنْهُ فَبِفَضْلِكَ
6- Thou showest gratitude for the paltry for which Thou showest gratitude	6. تَشْكُرُ يَسِيرَ مَا شَكَرْتَهُ ،
and Thou rewardest the small act in which Thou art obeyed,	وَ تُثِيبُ عَلَى قَلِيلِ مَا تُطَاعُ فِيهِ
so that it seems as if Thy servants' thanksgiving	حَتَّى كَأَنَّ شُكْرَ عِبَادِكَ
for which Thou hast made incumbent their reward and made great their repayment	الَّذِي أَوْجَبْتَ عَلَيْهِ ثَوَابَهُمْ وَ أَعْظَمْتَ عَنْهُ جَزَاءَهُمْ
is an affair from which they could have held back without Thee,	أَمْرٌ مَلَكُوا اسْتِطَاعَةَ الِامْتِنَاعِ مِنْهُ دُونَكَ
and hence Thou wilt recompense them,	فَكَافَيْتَهُمْ ،
and whose cause is not in Thy hand,	أَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ سَبَبُهُ بِيَدِكَ
and hence Thou wilt repay them.	فَجَازَيْتَهُمْ
7- Nay, my God, Thou hadst power over their affair	7. بَلْ مَلَكْتَ يَا إِلَهِي أَمْرَهُمْ
before they had power to worship Thee,	قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمْلِكُوا عِبَادَتَكَ ،
and Thou hadst prepared their reward	وَ أَعْدَدْتَ ثَوَابَهُمْ
before they began to obey Thee;	قَبْلَ أَنْ يُفِيضُوا فِي طَاعَتِكَ ،
and that because Thy wont is bestowal of bounty,	وَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ سُنَّتَكَ الْإِفْضَالُ ،
Thy custom beneficence,	وَ عَادَتَكَ الْإِحْسَانُ ،
Thy way pardon.	وَ سَبِيلَكَ الْعَفْوُ
8- So all creatures confess	8. فَكُلُّ الْبَرِيَّةِ مُعْتَرِفَةٌ
that Thou wrongest not him whom Thou punishest	بِأَنَّكَ غَيْرُ ظَالِمٍ لِمَنْ عَاقَبْتَ ،
and bear witness that Thou bestowest bounty upon him whom Thou pardonest.	وَ شَاهِدَةٌ بِأَنَّكَ مُتَفَضَّلٌ عَلَى مَنْ عَافَيْتَ ،
Each admits that he has fallen short of what Thou meritest.	وَ كُلٌّ مُقِرٌّ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ عَمَّا اسْتَوْجَبْتَ
9- Had Satan not misled them from Thy obedience,	9. فَلَوْ لَا أَنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَخْتَدِعُهُمْ عَنْ طَاعَتِكَ
no disobeyer would have disobeyed Thee,	مَا عَصَاكَ عَاصٍ ،
and had he not shown falsehood to them in the likeness of truth	وَ لَوْ لَا أَنَّهُ صَوَّرَ لَهُمُ الْبَاطِلَ فِي مِثَالِ الْحَقِّ
no strayer would have gone astray from Thy path.	مَا ضَلَّ عَنْ طَرِيقِكَ ضَالٌّ
10- So glory be to Thee!	10. فَسُبْحَانَكَ
How manifest is Thy generosity in dealing with him who obeys or disobeys Thee!	مَا أَبْيَنَ كَرَمَكَ فِي مُعَامَلَةِ مَنْ أَطَاعَكَ أَوْ عَصَاكَ
Thou showest gratitude to the obedient	تَشْكُرُ لِلْمُطِيعِ
for that which Thou undertakest for him,	مَا أَنْتَ تَوَلَّيْتَهُ لَهُ ،
and Thou grantest a respite to the disobedient	وَ تُمْلِي لِلْعَاصِي
in that within which Thou art able to hurry him.	فِيمَا تَمْلِكُ مُعَاجَلَتَهُ فِيهِ .
11- Thou givest to each of them that which is not his due,	11. أَعْطَيْتَ كُلًّا مِنْهُمَا مَا لَمْ يَجِبْ لَهُ ،
and Thou bestowest bounty upon each in that wherein his works fall short.	وَ تَفَضَّلْتَ عَلَى كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا بِمَا يَقْصُرُ عَمَلُهُ عَنْهُ .
12- Wert Thou to counterbalance for the obedient servant	12. وَ لَوْ كَافَأْتَ الْمُطِيعَ
that which Thou Thyself hadst undertaken,	عَلَى مَا أَنْتَ تَوَلَّيْتَهُ
he would be on the point of losing Thy reward	لَأَوْشَكَ أَنْ يَفْقِدَ ثَوَابَكَ ،
and seeing the end of Thy favour,	وَ أَنْ تَزُولَ عَنْهُ نِعْمَتُكَ ،
but through Thy generosity Thou hast repaid him	وَ لَكِنَّكَ بِكَرَمِكَ جَازَيْتَهُ
for a short, perishing term with a long, everlasting term,	عَلَى الْمُدَّةِ الْقَصِيرَةِ الْفَانِيَةِ بِالْمُدَّةِ الطَّوِيلَةِ الْخَالِدَةِ ،
and for a near, vanishing limit with an extended, abiding limit.	وَ عَلَى الْغَايَةِ الْقَرِيبَةِ الزَّائِلَةِ بِالْغَايَةِ الْمَدِيدَةِ الْبَاقِيَةِ .
13- Then Thou dost not visit him with a settling of accounts for Thy provision	13. ثُمَّ لَمْ تَسُمْهُ الْقِصَاصَ فِيمَا أَكَلَ مِنْ رِزْقِكَ
through which he gained strength to obey Thee,	الَّذِي يَقْوَى بِهِ عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ ،
nor dost Thou force him to make reckonings	وَ لَمْ تَحْمِلْهُ عَلَى الْمُنَاقَشَاتِ
for the organs he employed to find the means to Thy forgiveness.	فِي الْآلَاتِ الَّتِي تَسَبَّبَ بِاسْتِعْمَالِهَا إِلَى مَغْفِرَتِكَ ،
Wert Thou to do that to him,	وَ لَوْ فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ بِهِ
it would take away everything for which he had laboured	لَذَهَبَ بِجَمِيعِ مَا كَدَحَ لَهُ
and all wherein he had exerted himself	وَ جُمْلَةِ مَا سَعَى فِيهِ
as repayment for the smallest of Thy benefits and kindnesses,	جَزَاءً لِلصُّغْرَى مِنْ أَيَادِيكَ وَ مِنَنِكَ ،
and he would remain hostage before Thee for Thy other favours.	وَ لَبَقِيَ رَهِيناً بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ بِسَائِرِ نِعَمِكَ ،
So how can he deserve something of Thy reward?	فَمَتَى كَانَ يَسْتَحِقُّ شَيْئاً مِنْ ثَوَابِكَ
Indeed, how?	لَا مَتَى
14- This, my God, is the state of him who obeys Thee	14. هَذَا يَا إِلَهِي حَالُ مَنْ أَطَاعَكَ ،
and the path of him who worships Thee.	وَ سَبِيلُ مَنْ تَعَبَّدَ لَكَ ،
But as for him who disobeys Thy command and goes against Thy prohibition,	فَأَمَّا الْعَاصِي أَمْرَكَ وَ الْمُوَاقِعُ نَهْيَكَ
Thou dost not hurry him to Thy vengeance,	فَلَمْ تُعَاجِلْهُ بِنَقِمَتِكَ
so that he may seek to replace his state in disobeying Thee	لِكَيْ يَسْتَبْدِلَ بِحَالِهِ فِي مَعْصِيَتِكَ
with the state of turning back to obey Thee,	حَالَ الْإِنَابَةِ إِلَى طَاعَتِكَ ،
though he deserved from the time he set out to disobey Thee	وَ لَقَدْ كَانَ يَسْتَحِقُّ فِي أَوَّلِ مَا هَمَّ بِعِصْيَانِكَ
every punishment which Thou hast prepared for all Thy creatures.	كُلَّ مَا أَعْدَدْتَ لِجَمِيعِ خَلْقِكَ مِنْ عُقُوبَتِكَ .
15- Through each chastisement which Thou hast kept back from him	15. فَجَمِيعُ مَا أَخَّرْتَ عَنْهُ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ
and each penalty of Thy vengeance and Thy punishment which Thou hast delayed from him,	وَ أَبْطَأْتَ بِهِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ سَطَوَاتِ النَّقِمَةِ وَ الْعِقَابِ
Thou hast refrained from Thy right	تَرْكٌ مِنْ حَقِّكَ ،
and shown good pleasure in place of what Thou hast made obligatory.	وَ رِضًى بِدُونِ وَاجِبِكَ ،
16- So who is more generous, my God, than Thou?	16. فَمَنْ أَكْرَمُ يَا إِلَهِي مِنْكَ ،
And who is more wretched than he who perishes in spite of Thee?	وَ مَنْ أَشْقَى مِمَّنْ هَلَكَ عَلَيْكَ
Indeed, who?	لَا مَنْ
Thou art too blessed to be described	فَتَبَارَكْتَ أَنْ تُوصَفَ
by any but beneficence	إِلَّا بِالْإِحْسَانِ ،
and too generous for any but justice to be feared from Thee!	وَ كَرُمْتَ أَنْ يُخَافَ مِنْكَ إِلَّا الْعَدْلُ ،
There is no dread that Thou wilt be unjust toward him who disobeys Thee,	لَا يُخْشَى جَوْرُكَ عَلَى مَنْ عَصَاكَ ،
nor any fear of Thy neglecting to reward him who satisfies Thee.	وَ لَا يُخَافُ إِغْفَالُكَ ثَوَابَ مَنْ أَرْضَاكَ ،
So bless Muhammad and his Household,	فَصَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ ،
give me my hope,	وَ هَبْ لِي أَمَلِي ،
and increase me in that of Thy guidance	وَ زِدْنِي مِنْ هُدَاكَ
through which I may be successful in my works!	مَا أَصِلُ بِهِ إِلَى التَّوْفِيقِ فِي عَمَلِي ،
Surely Thou art All-kind, Generous.	إِنَّكَ مَنَّانٌ كَرِيمٌ .