WELCOMING RAMADHAN WITH THIS DU'A !

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Translation of Du’a attributed to Imam Zayn-al-Abidin, Ali bin Hussein bin Ali (r.a)

- great grandson of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

from "al-Sahifah al-Kamilah al-Sajjadiyah"

http://www.al-islam.org/sahifa/dua44.html

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Supplication for the Coming

of the Month of Ramadan

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

اَلْحَمدُ لِلّهِ الَّذي هَدانا لِحَمْدِهِ

وَجَعَلَنا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ،

لِنَكُونَ لاِحْسانِهِ مِنَ الشّاكِرينَ

وَلِيَجْزِيَنا عَلى ذلِكَ جَزَاءَ الْمُحْسِنينَ

1. Praise belongs to Allah who guided us to His praise and placed us among the people of praise, that we might be among the thankful for His beneficence and that He might recompense us for that with the recompense of the good-doers!

وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذي حَبانا بِدينِهِ، وَاخْتَصَّنا بِمِلَّتِه

وَسَبَّلَنا في سُبُلِ إِحْسانِهِ

لِنَسْلُكَها بِمَنِّهِ إِلى رِضْوانِهِ

حَمْداً يَتَقَبَّلُهُ مِنّا، وَيَرْضى بِهِ عَنّا

2. And praise belongs to Allah who showed favour to us through His religion, singled us out for His creed, and directed us onto the roads of His beneficence, in order that through His kindness we might travel upon them to His good pleasure, a praise which He will accept from us and through which He will be pleased with us!

وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ الَّذي جَعَلَ مِنْ تِلْكَ السُّبُلِ شَهْرَهُ

شَهْرَ رَمَضانَ

شَهْرَ الصِّيامِ

وَشَهْرَ الاْسْلامِ

وَشَهْرَ الطَّهُورِ

وَشَهْرَ التَّمْحيصِ

وَشَهْرَ الْقِيامِ

الَّذي أُنْزِلَ فيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدىً لِلنّاسِ

وَبَيِّنات مِنَ الْهُدى وَالْفُرْقانِ

3. And praise belongs to Allah who appointed among those roads His month, the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting, the month of submission,the month of purity, the month of putting to test, the month of standing in prayer, in which the Qur'an was sent down as guidance to the people, and as clear signs of the Guidance and the Separator! [a]

فَأَبانَ فَضيلَتَهُ عَلى سائِرِ الشُّهُورِ

بِما جَعَلَ لَهُ مِنَ الْحُرُماتِ الْمَوْفُورَةِ

وَالْفَضائِلِ الْمَشْهُورَةِ

فَحَرَّمَ فيهِ ما أَحَلَّ في غَيْرِهِ إِعْظاماً

وَحَجَرَ فيهِ الْمَطاعِمَ وَالْمَشارِبَ إِكْراماً

وَجَعَلَ لَهُ وَقْتاً بَيِّناً

لايُجيزُ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ أَنْ يُقَدَّمَ قَبْلَهُ

وَلا يَقْبَلُ أَنْ يُؤَخَّرَ عَنْهُ

4. He clarified its excellence over other months by the many sacred things and well-known excellencies which He placed therein, for He made unlawful in it what He declared lawful in others to magnify it, He prohibited foods and drinks in it to honour it, and He appointed for it a clear time which He (majestic and mighty is He) allows not to be set forward and accepts not to be placed behind.

ثُمَّ فَضَّلَ لَيْلَةً وَاحِدَةً مِنْ لَياليهِ

عَلى لَيالي أَلْفِ شَهْر

وَسَمّاها لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ

تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فيها

بِإِذْنِ رَبّهِمْ مِنْ كُلِّ أَمْر سَلامٌ

دائِمُ الْبَرَكَةِ إِلى طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ

عَلى مَنْ يَشاءُ مِنْ عِبادِهِ

بِما أَحْكَمَ مِنْ قَضائِهِ

5. Then He made one of its nights surpass the nights of a thousand months and named it the Night of Decree; in it the angels and the Spirit descend by the leave of their Lord upon every command, a peace [b], constant in blessings until the rising of the dawn upon whomsoever He will of His servants according to the decision He has made firm.

أَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ

وَأَلْهِمْنا مَعْرِفَةَ فَضْلِهِ

وَإِجْلالَ حُرْمَتِهِ

وَالتَّحَفُّظَ مِمّا حَظَرْتَ فيهِ

وَأَعِنّا عَلى صِيامِهِ بِكَفِّ الْجَوارِحِ عَنْ مَعاصيكَ

وَاسْتِعْمالِها فيهِ بِما يُرْضيكَ

حَتّى لا نُصْغِىَ بِأَسْماعِنا إِلى لَغْو

وَلا نُسْرِعَ بِأَبْصارِنا إِلى لَهْو

6. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, inspire us with knowledge of its excellence, veneration of its inviolability, and caution against what Thou hast forbidden within it, and help us to fast in it by our restraining our limbs from acts of disobedience toward Thee and our employing them in that which pleases Thee, so that we lend not our ears to idle talk and hurry not with our eyes to diversion,

وَحَتّى لانَبْسُطَ أَيْدِيَنا إِلى مَحْظُور

وَلا نَخْطُوَ بِأَقْدامِنا إِلى مَحْجُور

وَحَتّى لاتَعِىَ بُطُونُنا إِلاّ ما أَحْلَلْتَ

وَلا تَنْطِقَ أَلْسِنَتُنا إِلاّ بِما مَثَّلْتَ

وَلا نَتَكَلَّفَ إِلاّ ما يُدْني مِنْ ثَوابِكَ

وَلا نَتَعاطى إِلاّ الَّذي يَقي مِنْ عِقابِكَ

ثُمَّ خَلِّصْ ذلِكَ كُلَّهُ مِنْ رِياءِ الْمُرائينَ

وَسُمْعَةِ الْمُسْمِعينَ

لانُشْرِكُ فيهِ أَحَداً دُونَكَ

وَلا نَبْتَغي بِهِ مُراداً سِواكَ

7. we stretch not our hands toward the forbidden and stride not with our feet toward the prohibited, our bellies hold only what Thou hast made lawful and our tongues speak only what Thou hast exemplified, we undertake nothing but what brings close to Thy reward and pursue nothing but what protects from Thy punishment! Then rid all of that from the false show of the false showers and the fame seeking of the fame seekers, lest we associate therein anything with Thee or seek therein any object of desire but Thee!

أَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ

وَقِفْنا فيهِ عَلى

مَواقيتِ الصَّلَواتِ الْخَمْسِ

بِحُدُودِهَا الَّتي حَدَّدْتَ

وَفُرُوضِهَا الَّتي فَرَضْتَ

وَوَظائِفِهَا الَّتي وَظَّفْتَ

وَأَوْقاتِهَا الَّتي وَقَّتَّ

8. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, in it make us attend to the appointed moments of the five prayers within the bounds Thou hast set, the obligations Thou hast decreed, the duties Thou hast assigned, and the times Thou hast specified;

وَأَنْزِلْنا فيها مَنْزِلَةَ الْمُصِيبينَ لِمَنازِلِهَا

الْحافِظينَ لاَرْكانِهَا

الْمُؤَدّينَ لَها في أَوْقاتِها عَلى ما سَنَّهُ عَبْدُكَ

وَرَسُولُكَ صَلَواتُكَ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ

في رُكُوعِها وَسُجُودِها

وَجَميعِ فَواضِلِها عَلى أَتَمِّ الطَّهُورِ وَأَسْبَغِهِ

وَأَبْيَنِ الْخُشُوعِ وَأَبْلَغِهِ

9. and in the prayers make us alight in the station of the keepers of their stations, the guardians of their pillars, their performers in their times, as Thy servant and Thy messenger set down in his Sunna (Thy blessings be upon him and his Household) in their bowings, their prostrations, and all their excellent acts, with the most complete and ample ritual purity and the most evident and intense humility!

وَوَفِّقْنا فيهِ لاَنْ نَصِلَ أَرْحامَنا بِالْبِرِّ وَالصِّلَةِ

وَأَنْ نَتَعاهَدَ جيرانَنا بِالاْ فْضالِ وَالْعَطِيَّةِ

وَأَنْ نُخَلِّصَ أَمْوالَنا مِنَ التَّبِعاتِ

وَأَنْ نُطَهِّرَها بِإِخْراجِ الزَّكَواتِ

وَأَنْ نُراجِعَ مَنْ هاجَرَنا

وَأَنْ نُنْصِفَ مَنْ ظَلَمَنا

وَأَنْ نُسالِمَ مَنْ عادانا

حاشا مَنْ عُودِىَ فيكَ وَلَكَ

فَإِنَّهُ الْعَدُوُّ الَّذي لانُواليهِ

وَالْحِزْبُ الَّذي لانُصافيهِ

10. Give us success in this month to tighten our bonds of kin with devotion and gifts, attend to our neighbours with bestowal and giving, rid our possessions from claims, purify them through paying the alms, go back to him who has gone far from us, treat justly him who has wronged us, make peace with him who shows enmity toward us (except him who is regarded as an enemy in Thee and for Thee, for he is the enemy whom we will not befriend, the party whom we will not hold dear),

وَأَنْ نَتَقَرَّبَ إِلَيْكَ فيهِ مِنَ الاْ عْمالِ الزّاكِيَةِ

بِما تُطَهِّرُنا بِهِ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ

وَتَعْصِمُنا فيهِ مِمّا نَسْتَأَنِفُ مِنَ الْعُيُوبِ

حَتّى لا يُورِدَ عَلَيْكَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ مَلائِكَتِكَ

إِلاّ دُونَ ما نورِدُ مِنْ أَبْوابِ الطّاعَةِ لَكَ

وَأَنْواعِ الْقُرْبَةِ إِلَيْكَ

11. and seek nearness to Thee through blameless works which will purify us from sins and preserve us from renewing faults, so that none of Thy angels will bring for Thee the kinds of obedience and sorts of nearness-seeking unless they be less than what we bring! [c]

أَللّهُمَّ إِنّي أَسْأَلُكَ بِحَقِّ هذَا الشَّهْرِ

وَبِحَقِّ مَنْ تَعَبَّدَ لَكَ فيهِ مِنِ ابْتِدائِهِ إِلى وَقْتِ فَنائِهِ

مِنْ مَلَك قَرَّبْتَهُ، أَوْ نَبِىٍّ أَرْسَلْتَهُ

أَوْ عَبْد صالِح اخْتَصَصْتَهُ

أَنْ تُصَلِّىَ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ

وَأَهِّلْنا فيهِ لِما وَعَدْتَ أَوْلِياءَكَ مِنْ كَرامَتِكَ

وَأَوْجِبْ لَنا فيهِ ما أَوْجَبْتَ لاِ هْلِ الْمُبالَغَةِ في طاعَتِكَ

وَاجْعَلْنا في نَظْمِ مَنِ اسْتَحَقَّ الرَّفيعَ الاْ عْلى بِرَحْمَتِكَ

12. O Allah, I ask Thee by the right of this monthand by the right of him who worships Thee within it from its beginning to the time of its passing, whether angel Thou hast brought nigh to Thee, prophet Thou hast sent, or righteous servant Thou hast singled out, that Thou bless Muhammad and his Household, make us worthy of the generosity Thou hast promised Thy friends, make incumbent for us what Thou hast made incumbent for those who go to great lengths in obeying Thee, and place us in the ranks of those who deserve through Thy mercy the highest elevation!

أَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ

وَجَنِّبْنَا الاْ لْحادَ في تَوْحيدِكَ

وَالتَّقْصيرَ في تَمْجيدِكَ

وَالشَّكَّ في دينِكَ

والْعَمى عَنْ سَبيلِكَ

وَالاْ غْفالَ لِحُرْمَتِكَ

وَالاْ نْخِداعَ لِعَدُوِّكَ الشَّيْطانِ الرَّجيمِ

13. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, turn us aside from deviation in professing Thy Unity, falling short in magnifying Thee, in Thy religion, blindness toward Thy path, heedlessness of Thy inviolability, and being deceived by Thy enemy, the accursed Satan!

أَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ

وَإِذا كانَ لَكَ في كُلِّ لَيْلَة مِنْ لَيالي شَهْرِنا هذا

رِقابٌ يُعْتِقُها عَفْوُكَ

أَوْ يَهَبُها صَفْحُكَ

فَاجْعَلْ رِقابَنا مِنْ تِلْكَ الرِّقابِ

وَاجْعَلْنا لِشَهْرِنا مِنْ خَيْرِ أَهْل وَأَصْحاب

14. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, and when in every night of this month's nights Thou hast necks which Thy pardon will release and Thy forgiveness disregard, place our necks among those necks and place us among the best folk and companions of this our month!

أَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ

وَامْحَقْ ذُنُوبَنا مَعَ إِمْحاقِ هِلالِهِ

وَاسْلَخْ عَنّا تَبِعاتِنا مَعَ انْسِلاخِ أَيّامِهِ

حَتّى يَنْقَضِىَ عَنّا وَقَدْ صَفَّيْتَنا فيهِ مِنْ الْخَطيئاتِ

وَأَخْلَصْتَنا فيهِ مِنَ السَّيِّئاتِ

15. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, efface our sins along with the effacing of its crescent moon, and make us pass forth from the ill effects of our acts with the passing of its days, until it leaves us behind, while within it Thou hast purified us of offenses and rid us of evil deeds!

أَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ

وَإِنْ مِلْنا فيهِ فَعَدِّلْنا

وَإِنْ زُغْنا فيهِ فَقَوِّمْنا

وَإِنِ اشْتَمَلَ عَلَيْنا عَدُوُّكَ الشَّيْطانُ

فَاسْتَنْقِذْنا مِنْهُ

16. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household, and should we go off to one side in this month, set us aright; should we swerve, point us straight; and should Thy enemy Satan enwrap us, rescue us from him!

أَللّهُمَّ اشْحَنْهُ بِعِبادَتِنا إِيّاكَ

وَزَيِّنْ أَوْقاتَهُ بِطاعَتِنا لَكَ

وَأَعِنّا في نَهارِهِ عَلى صِيامِهِ

وَفي لَيْلِهِ عَلَى الصَّلاةِ وَالتَّضَرُّعِ إِلَيْكَ

وَالْخُشُوعِ لَكَ، وَالذِّلَّةِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ

حَتّى لا يَشْهَدَ نَهارُهُ عَلَيْنا بِغَفْلَة

وَلا لَيْلُهُ بِتَفْريط

17. O Allah, fill this month with our worship of Thee, adorn its times with our obedience toward Thee, help us during its daytime with its fast,and in its night with prayer and pleading toward Thee, humility toward Thee, and lowliness before Thee, so that its daytime may not bear witness against our heedlessness, nor its night against our neglect!

أَللّهُمَّ وَاجْعَلْنا في سائِرِ الشُّهُورِ وَالاْ يّامِ كَذلِكَ ماعَمَّرْتَنا

وَاجْعَلْنا مِنْ عِبادِكَ الصّالِحينَ

الَّذينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فيهَا خَالِدُونَ

وَالَّذينَ يُؤْتُونَ ما آتَوْا وَقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ

إِلى رَبِّهِمْ راجِعُونَ وَمِنَ الَّذينَ

يُسارِعُونَ فِى الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَها سابِقُونَ

18. O Allah, make us like this in the other months and days as long as Thou givest us life, and place us among Thy righteous servants, those who shall inherit Paradise, therein dwelling forever, [d] those who give what they give, while their hearts quake, that they are returning to their Lord, [e] those who vie in good works, outracing to them! [f]

أَللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِهِ

في كُلِّ وَقْت وَكُلِّ أَوان

وَعَلى كُلِّ حال

عَدَدَ ما صَلَّيْتَ عَلى مَنْ صَلَّيْتَ عَلَيْهِ

وَأَضْعافَ ذلِكَ كُلِّهِ بِالاْ ضْعافِ الَّتي

لا يُحْصيها غَيْرُكَ

إِنَّكَ فَعّالٌ لِما تُريدُ

19. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household in every time, in all moments, and in every state, to the number that Thou hast blessed whomsoever Thou hast blessed and to multiples of all that, through multiples which none can count but Thee! Surely Thou art Accomplisher of what Thou desirest.

Aa-min, ya Rob-bal-'aa-lameen!

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Footnotes:

[a] Qur'an: Baqarah: 2:185

ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُرۡءَانُ هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍ۬ مِّنَ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ وَٱلۡفُرۡقَانِ‌

[b] Qur'an: al-'Alaq: 97:4-5.

تَنَزَّلُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕكَةُ وَٱلرُّوحُ فِيہَا بِإِذۡنِ رَبِّہِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمۡرٍ۬ سَلَـٰمٌ

[c] Sayyid 'Ali khan offers four interpretations for this last clause, three given by earlier commentators and the fourth his own: (i) so that the acts of obedience and nearness-seeking of the angels will be less than ours; (ii) so that none of the recording angels will bring the record of our sins except that they be less than the kinds of obedience and sorts of nearness seeking that we bring; (iii) so that none of the angels will bring the works of the servants except that they be less than the kinds of obedience and sorts of nearness seeking that we bring; (iv) so that none of the angels will bring our good works except that they be less than the good works that we ourselves bring. In support of the last reading he cites a hadith from one of the Imams: 'The angel only writes down what it hears, but God has said, Remember thy Lord in thyself, in pleading and fear (Qur'an: 7:205). So none knows the reward of the remembrance in the person's self except God.' He concludes that the best interpretation is to say that the passage includes all four of these meanings.

[d] Qur;an: al-Mu'minoon: 23:11.

ٱلَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ ٱلۡفِرۡدَوۡسَ هُمۡ فِيہَا خَـٰلِدُونَ

[e] Qur'an: al-Mu'minoon: 23:60

وَٱلَّذِينَ يُؤۡتُونَ مَآ ءَاتَواْ وَّقُلُوبُہُمۡ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّہُمۡ إِلَىٰ رَبِّہِمۡ رَٲجِعُونَ

[f] Qur'an: al-Mu'minoon: 23:61.

أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ يُسَـٰرِعُونَ فِى ٱلۡخَيۡرَٲتِ وَهُمۡ لَهَا سَـٰبِقُونَ

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