Supplication
Dua Abu Hamza Thumali — The Pre-Dawn Supplication of Ramadan
Recited in the pre-dawn hours (sehri / sahur) of Ramadan — just before Fajr. Transmitted from Imam Ali ibn al-Husain Zayn al-Abidin (AS), the fourth Imam, to his companion Abu Hamza Thumali. One of the most personal and moving supplications in the tradition — a conversation between the soul and Allah in which the servant confesses sin, recounts Allah's mercy, and asks for forgiveness before dawn.
إِلَهِي لاَ تُؤَدِّبْنِي بِعُقُوبَتِكَ وَلاَ تَمْكُرْ بِي فِي حِيلَتِكَ مِنْ أَيْنَ لِيَ الْخَيْرُ يَا رَبِّ وَلاَ يُوجَدُ إِلاَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ وَمِنْ أَيْنَ لِيَ النَّجَاةُ وَلاَ تُسْتَطَاعُ إِلاَّ بِكَ لاَ الَّذِي أَحْسَنَ اسْتَغْنَى عَنْكَ وَلاَ الَّذِي أَسَاءَ وَاجْتَرَأَ عَلَيْكَ خَرَجَ عَنْ قُدْرَتِكَ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّ الآمِلِينَ فِيكَ لَمْ يَخِيبُوا إِذَا أَمَّلُوكَ وَإِنَّ الرَّاجِينَ لَكَ لَمْ يُقَرِّبُوا إِلَيْكَ بِمِثْلِ الاِنْقِطَاعِ إِلَيْكَ أَلاَ وَإِنَّ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ مِنْكَ الرَّاجِينَ لَكَ عَلَى بَسَاطِ طَاعَتِكَ قِيَامٌ وَمَنْ ظَنَّ بِكَ خَيْرًا أَمَّلَكَ يَا رَبِّ مَا أَحْلاَكَ وَأَلْطَفَكَ وَأَقْرَبَكَ مِنَ الرَّاجِي وَمَا أَبْعَدَ الأُمُورَ الَّتِي مِنِّي يَا رَبِّ أَلاَ أُبَادِرُ الأَوَامِرَ إِلَهِي وَعِزَّتِكَ لَوِ انْتَهَرَتْنِي مَا بَرِحْتُ مِنْ بَابِكَ وَلاَ كَفَفْتُ عَنْ تَمَلُّقِكَ lِمَا أُلْهِمَ قَلْبِي مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِكَرَمِكَ وَسَعَةِ رَحْمَتِكَ أَنْتَ الَّذِي أَزَلْتَ الأَغْيَارَ عَنْ قُلُوبِ أَحِبَّائِكَ حَتَّى لَمْ يُحِبُّوا سِوَاكَ وَلَمْ يَلْجَأُوا إِلَى غَيْرِكَ أَنْتَ الأَنِيسُ لَهُمْ حِينَ أَوْحَشَتْهُمُ الْعَوَالِمُ وَأَنْتَ الَّذِي هَدَيْتَهُمْ حِينَ اسْتَبَانَتْ لَهُمُ الْمَعَالِمُ مَاذَا وَجَدَ مَنْ فَقَدَكَ وَمَا الَّذِي فَقَدَ مَنْ وَجَدَكَ لَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ رَضِيَ دُونَكَ بَدَلاً وَلَقَدْ خَسِرَ مَنْ بَغَى عَنْكَ مُتَحَوِّلاً كَيْفَ أَرْجُو غَيْرَكَ وَالْخَيْرُ كُلُّهُ بِيَدِكَ وَكَيْفَ أُؤَمِّلُ سِوَاكَ وَالْخَلْقُ وَالأَمْرُ لَكَ أَيَنْقَطِعُ عَنْكَ رَجَائِي وَقَدْ أَوْلَيْتَنِي مَا لَمْ أَسْأَلْكَ أَمْ تُفَقِّرُنِي إِلَى مِثْلِي وَأَنْتَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِّي يَا خَيْبَةَ مَنِ اعْتَمَدَ عَلَيْكَ ثُمَّ قَطَعَكَ وَيَا كَيْفَ يُسِيءُ الظَّنَّ بِكَ مَنْ عَرَفَكَ عَظُمَ يَا رَبِّ جُرْمِي فَلْيَحْسُنْ عَفْوُكَ عَنِّي وَقَبُحَ فِعْلِي فَلْيَحْسُنْ خُلُقُكَ مَعِي غَابَتْ عَنِّي أَعْيُنٌ كَثِيرَةٌ فَكَانَتْ رَعَايَتُكَ سَاتِرَةً وَقَصَرَ دُعَائِي عَنْ كَمَالِكَ فَلَمْ يَقْصُرْ فَضْلُكَ عَنِّي وَلَمْ يَبْلُغْ شُكْرِي مَدَى نِعَمِكَ عَلَيَّ وَلَمْ يَقْصُرْ جُودُكَ عَنِّي يَا رَبِّ بِكَ عُذْتُ فَلاَ تُخَيِّبْ مَلاَذِي وَبِكَ اسْتَعَنْتُ فَلاَ تُخْذِلْ مُسْتَعِينِي وَمِنْكَ طَلَبْتُ فَلاَ تُخَيِّبْ مِنِّي الطَّلَبَ وَإِلَيْكَ انْقَطَعْتُ فَلاَ تُقَطِّعْ حَبْلِي مِنْكَ وَقَدْ مَدَدْتُ إِلَيْكَ يَدِي بِالطَّلَبِ فَلاَ تَرُدَّهَا صِفْرًا مِنْ عَطِيَّتِكَ يَا رَبِّ إِنِّي عَبْدُكَ فَقِيرٌ إِلَيْكَ لاَ حُجَّةَ لِي عِنْدَكَ إِذِ اعْتَذَرَ الْمُعْتَذِرُونَ إِلَيْكَ فَلاَ عُذْرَ لِي وَلاَ وَسِيلَةَ لِي إِلَيْكَ إِلاَّ رَحْمَتُكَ وَعَفْوُكَ وَجُودُكَ وَكَرَمُكَ اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَاسْمَعْ دُعَائِي وَلاَ تُخَيِّبْ رَجَائِي وَاغْفِرْ ذُنُوبِي وَأَقِلْ عَثَرَاتِي وَلاَ تَدَعْنِي فِي شِدَّةٍ لاَ فَرَجَ لَهَا وَاكْشِفْ عَنِّي الضُّرَّ وَالضَّرَّاءَ وَلاَ تَسْأَمْ وَلاَ تَمَلَّ مِنِّي وَلاَ تَرُدَّنِي خَائِبَ الأَمَلِ آمِينَ رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Ilāhī lā tuʾaddibhī bi-ʿuqūbatik Wa lā tamkur bī fī ḥīlatik Min ayna lī l-khayru yā rabbi wa lā yūjadu illā min ʿindak Wa min ayna lī n-najātu wa lā tustaṭāʿu illā bik Lā lladhī aḥsana staghnā ʿank Wa lā lladhī asāʾa wajtiraʾa ʿalayka kharaja ʿan qudratik...
O my God, do not discipline me with Your punishment, and do not deal with me by your artful means. From where shall I find goodness, O Lord, when it is found only from You? From where shall I find salvation, when it can only be achieved through You? Neither can the one who has done well do without You, nor does the one who has sinned and been bold against You escape Your power. O Lord, those who have hoped in You have not been disappointed when they hoped. And those who have placed trust in You have not come closer to You by anything like cutting off from others and clinging to You alone. Behold — the ones brought near to You, who hope in You, stand on the carpet of obedience to You. Whoever thought well of You hoped in You. O Lord, how sweet You are, how gentle, how close to the one who hopes — and how far removed are my affairs, O Lord. Why do I not rush toward Your commands? O my God, by Your glory — even if You were to rebuke me, I would not leave Your door, nor would I stop seeking nearness to You, because of what my heart has been inspired with: knowledge of Your generosity and the vastness of Your mercy. You are the One who removed the 'other' from the hearts of Your beloved ones until they loved none but You and sought refuge in none but You. You are their intimate companion when the world made them feel estranged, and You are the One who guided them when the landmarks became clear to them. What does one find who has lost You, and what has one lost who has found You? Surely one who accepted something else instead of You has been disappointed, and one who turned away seeking other than You has truly suffered loss. How can I hope in anyone other than You, when all good is in Your hand? How can I place trust in anyone other than You, when creation and command are Yours? Can my hope of You be severed, when You have already granted me what I did not ask? Or would You impoverish me to the likes of myself, when You are free of all need of me? How disappointed is one who relied on You then cut off from You! And how can one who knows You think ill of You? My transgression has grown great, O Lord — so let Your pardoning of me be beautiful. My actions have been ugly — so let Your manner with me be beautiful. Many watching eyes were absent from me, and Your care was the covering veil. My supplication fell short of Your perfection, but Your grace did not fall short of me. My gratitude did not reach the full extent of Your blessings upon me, but Your generosity did not fall short of me. O Lord, I have sought refuge in You — do not disappoint my refuge. I sought help from You — do not forsake the one who seeks Your help. I made request of You — do not disappoint me in my asking. I have cut off from all else and clung to You — do not cut my rope from You. I have stretched my hand toward You in supplication — do not send it back empty of Your gift. O Lord, I am Your servant, in need of You. I have no proof before You. When those who make excuses make their excuses to You, I have no excuse. I have no means of approach to You except Your mercy, Your pardon, Your generosity, and Your nobility. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. Hear my supplication and do not disappoint my hope. Forgive my sins and overlook my stumbling. Do not leave me in a hardship with no relief. Remove from me harm and hardship. Do not weary or tire of me. Do not turn me away with my hope unfulfilled. Ameen, O Lord of all the worlds. For truly You are the Forgiving, the Merciful.