BB00062: Prayers for the days of the week

Introduction

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

All praise be to God Who created the heavens and the earth by His command, then those who believe in God and His signs shall be gathered unto Him. O God! Thou art the One, the Self-Subsisting, the Single, Whom none in the heavens or on earth can ever know, for Thy Essence transcendeth all attributes, Thy Being is beyond all description, and Thy Reality beareth witness that all paths to Thy knowledge are cut off.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! The pure essences of the kingdom testify to their poverty, and the realities of creation bear witness to their need and distress. O my God! When Thou didst create all things for Thy knowledge and establish them to witness Thy command and creation for the path of Thy love, Thou didst manifest unto them the signs of Thy unity, the tokens of Thy Self-Subsistence, the evidences of Thy might, and the stations of Thy mercy, that all might be illumined by the radiant verses of Thy divine realm through Thy grace, and all might shine forth through the gleaming signs of Thy dominion by Thy command, that none might be veiled from the presence of Thy countenance, and naught might forget the remembrance of Thy Being. For exalted praise and transcendent glory are attributes of those who have purified themselves in obedience to Thee and characteristics of those who have chosen Thy good-pleasure above their own.

Therefore, O God, I beseech Thee by the seats of Thy grandeur, the signs of Thy might, and the stations of Thy mercy, to bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad with such blessings as none but Thee can encompass in knowledge, through Thy wondrous manifestations, Thy manifest breaths, Thy subtle favors, and Thy hidden conditions. Make us, on this Saturday which Thou hast created for Thy beloved and chosen among all mankind for Thy Prophet Muhammad—peace be upon him and his family—among those who hope for Thy grace, who fear Thy justice, who are patient under Thy trials, and who strive in Thy path seeking Thy good-pleasure. Make us among Thy chosen servants who find solace only in Thy nearness, delight only in Thy remembrance, and joy only in communion with Thee—those who have cast from their hearts obedience to any but Thee and who have ascended with their hearts to the station of intimate discourse with Thee and the most glorious spirit of Thy good-pleasure.

O God! None can repel Thy grace, none can reverse Thy decree, none can extend what Thou hast withheld, none can withhold what Thou hast extended, and nothing exists save through Thy will, and no bounty remains after Thy ordaining. Verily, today is for Thy beloved, whom Thou hast made unique among mankind in might and established in the station of Thy mercy in creation. I am his guest on this day, so O God, make its beginning the light of Thy manifestation, its hours the breaths of Thy sanctification, its minutes the signs of Thy praise, and its end Thy good-pleasure, Thy forgiveness, and meeting with Thee. O God! Open unto us the doors of all things through Thy grace and mercy. Verily, Thou art God, the Lord of the mighty throne. Glory be to God, the Lord of the throne, above what they describe. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Sunday

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! All praise be to God Who originated what is in the heavens and the earth through His wisdom, that none might doubt His wisdom, and all act by His command. O my God! Thou art God Who hath ever been without the existence of anything, and Thou shalt ever be without the mention of anything. None hath ever known Thee, nor can any servant describe Thee, for the essence of creation is sealed with the barrier of connection, and the essence of invention beareth witness to prevention through separation. If I say Thou art Thou, I have likened like unto like, yet Thou hast ever been beyond all similitudes. And if I say He is He, unity would indicate the essence of Thy Will and manifest Lordship would indicate the reality of Thy Purpose, yet Thou shalt never be described by these nor characterized by their glory, for the essence of the abstract, the reality of the concrete, the being of the radiant, and the identity of the luminous all point to the Supreme Severance which hath no connection save in its separation, and no attribute save its relationship.

O my God! Thou knowest what is in the heavens and what is on earth, and that which descendeth in every condition from the treasuries of Thy Command, and that which appeareth at every moment by Thy leave. I beseech Thee, O Lord, to send Thy blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, Thy Messenger in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth, who is obeyed by Thy command in the depths of the realities of creation and command, through Thy manifestations, Thy breaths, the signs of Thy oneness and the stations of Thy mercy, by virtue of Thy sovereignty, divinity, unity and might. Verily Thou art the Self-Sufficient, the All-Praised.

I beseech Thee, O Lord, by his right, to send peace upon Him Who stands by Thy Cause in His station in fulfillment throughout the worlds of creation, Who is obeyed in the spheres of attributes and names, Who is unique in His station of obedience above all mankind and exalted in His station of good-pleasure above all similitude and likeness—the Light of Thy Countenance on Mount Paran, the Manifestation of Thy majesty upon the Dome of Time, and the revelation of Thy appearance in the verses of the Bayan. He is the Word of Justice in decree, the Mystery of God’s will in execution, the Garments of Glory through splendor, the Word of Sinai, and the Letters of Thy unity in praise—the like of whom Thine eyes have never beheld in all creation, through Thy power which Thou hast placed within Him by Thy command, O Thou Possessor of majesty and bounty!

O my God! This day is His day, so send down upon us that which beseemeth Thee. Verily He is worthy before Thy mercy and the court of Thy mighty oneness of Thy manifestations in the Concourse on High, Thy breaths in the horizon of grandeur, and the keys to Thy treasuries in the Hereafter and this world. Verily Thou art God, the Great, the Exalted. Glory be to God, Lord of the Throne, above what they attribute. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, Lord of the worlds.

Monday

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God Who split asunder what lies between the heavens and earth by His command and placed the Throne and Seat upon the water before the creation of the heavens and earth. Glory be to Him and exalted is He above what they describe.

O my God! How can I stand before Thee knowing the contingent nature of my being? And how can I not praise Thee when my heart findeth no rest except in Thy remembrance and praise? So here am I on this day bearing witness that Thou art God, the Single, the One, the Subsisting, the Unique, the Eternal, the Ever-Living, Whom no description can describe and no attribute can qualify, and Whom nothing can know through anything else, for the rule of knowing between two things is forbidden and the word of conjunction after separation is cut off.

O my God! Thou knowest that in no matter have I desired aught save to know the manifestation of Thy revelation in the kingdoms of the heavens and earth. Never hath the knowledge of Thy essence or praise of Thy reality occurred to my innermost being, for that is impossible and unattainable for me. By Thy glory, though it would be the delight of mine eyes—yet Thy knowledge encompasseth all things.

O my God! The existence of Thy essence cutteth off all substances from proof, and knowledge of Thy reality preventeth all material things from understanding. By Thy might, I have no knowledge, no portion, no limit in knowing Thy Self, and nothing hath any share in loving Thy Being, for the existence of all things hath ever been as nothing in Thy knowledge. How then can there be understanding for one who hath no existence in Thy rank?

The greatest sin, O my God, and the gravest error, O my Master, is my mention of Thy Self, after my certainty that I have no share in Thy love. By Thy might, I testify before Thee that wert Thou to punish me for mentioning Thy Self, by the everlasting power of Thine eternity, through what Thou art able to exact of chastisement and retribution, of wrath and punishment, Thou wouldst be praised in Thy grace and obeyed in Thy judgment, and I would deserve such treatment. How then can I protest, O my God?

Before Thee am I—how can I not be thunderstruck in the presence of Thy dominion and power? Verily, I am less than an atom. Thou didst create me by Thy command, nurture me through Thy grace, sustain me by Thy favor, strengthen me through Thy generosity, and cause me to be adorned with Thy remembrance through Thy loving-kindness. Were it not for Thee, I would not exist, nor would anything else. I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy right, to send blessings upon the two rising Suns, the two shining Moons, the two witnessing Imams, the two patient Martyrs—Abu-Muhammad al-Hasan and Abu-ʿAbdu’llah al-Husayn—in a manner befitting Thy station and their deserving before Thy face. I implore Thee by Thy bounty to punish those who opposed them after recognizing their rights, and who fought against them after hearing of their majesty, with all Thy vengeance and might. Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty.

I testify that this day is their day, and that I am their guest on this day. Therefore, ordain for me to meet them in the Return and in the next world. Make known to me their majesty, sustain me through their grace, and forgive me for their sake. Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the All-Bountiful. Glorified be God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they attribute. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Tuesday

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Praise be to God Who created the sun, the moon, and the stars, all made subservient by His command. His is the creation and the command, and unto God shall all be gathered. My God! The paths of those who are detached lead up to Thee, and the deeds of all contingent beings are raised up to Thee. Thou art God, the Living, the Powerful, Whom nothing in the heavens or on earth can overwhelm. All in the kingdoms of command and creation have submitted to Thy greatness, and all from those upon the throne to those beneath the earth have yielded to Thy might.

Glorified art Thou! Thy Essence is exalted in such wise that all contingent things submit to Thy command. Thou art He Who hath made knowledge to consist in fearing Thee, worship in loving Thee, certitude in seeking Thy good-pleasure, and obedience in remembering Thee. I beseech Thee, O my God, by the might of Thy Essence, the greatness of Thy attributes and Thy names, to raise me to the precincts of Thy nearness, to efface from around my heart every remembrance save the remembrance of Thy Lordship, and to bring me to the station of grandeur, the mystery of eternality, and the Most Glorious, Primordial Light, that I may abide before the seat of Thy might, forget all that is known save Thy grace and mercy, and that Thou mayest call unto me, O my God, in every state through the inspiration of Thy mystery and the holy breaths of Thy sanctity, that I may act wholly for Thee in accordance with what Thou lovest and art pleased with.

Draw me, O my God, to the court of Thy might and cause me to dwell in Paradise in the company of those who are near to Thy chosen ones. For Thou art self-sufficient, independent of all in the heavens and the earth through Thy power, while I am poor, O my God, through Thy mercy. I call Thee and those who bear witness with Thee to witness that this day is the day of Thy chosen Proofs, Thy near ones, and Thy concealed servants whom Thou hast named in the Book with the names of Thy unity through the mention of ʿAli, Muhammad and Ja’far—the dawning-places of Thy Will, the dwelling-places of Thy generosity, the mines of Thy grandeur, the seats of Thy sovereignty, the pillars of Thy unity, the signs of Thy sanctification, and the tokens of Thy glorification—whom Thou hast chosen for Thyself, accepted for Thy wisdom, and selected for Thy good-pleasure.

Through them do I turn to Thee and beseech Thee to send blessings upon them with all Thy manifestations, holy breaths, and bounties which Thou originatest and which none but Thee can comprehend. Pour forth upon us patience through their right, aid us against those who have transgressed against us on their account, bless us and those among the believing men and women who seek Thy good-pleasure through their majesty in Thy Book, strengthen us through knowledge of them, join us with Thy light under the shadow of their nobility, and guard us through their sufficiency. Verily, Thou art God, the Mighty, the Sublime.

Glorified be God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they attribute. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Wednesday

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! Praise be to God Who sendeth down the Spirit upon whomsoever He willeth by His command. His is whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth, and on the Day of Judgment unto Him shall ye all be gathered. O God! Thou art the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting, Who art singular in the knowledge of Thine Own Self through Thine Essence, Who art supreme in the unity of Thine Essence through Thine Own Being, Who art exalted through the praise of Thy Being by Thine Own Identity, Who art sanctified through the attributes of Thine Identity by Thy Nature, and Who art magnified through the description of Thy Nature by the Essential Reality of Thine Eternity.

Thou art He Who cannot be known save through Thyself, nor described save by Thyself, for description through its own existence definitively betokeneth separation and despair, and attributes through their own essence testify to barriers and prevention. O my God! Thou hast ever been sanctified from association with the essences of substances, or the attributes of abstract realities, or the indications of contingent beings, for the Essential Reality of Thy Self hath ever indicated the Countenance of Thine Eternity and eternally recounteth the presence of Thy Self-Sufficiency. None hath any way to know Thee or sanctify Thee save through powerlessness and despair after separation and severance.

Glorified art Thou, O my God! After my knowledge of the barred path, I commune with Thee, call upon Thee, bear witness unto Thee, and beseech Thee that Thou art God, the Beloved, the Intended One. Thou hast ever been the Beauty of the heavens and earth, and Thou shalt ever continue to be the Beauty of the heavens and earth by virtue of what Thou art, for Thou art the Glory of all things in the kingdom of command and creation, as naught hath honor or grace save through Thy love and its relation unto Thee.

I beseech Thee by Thy might and the majesty of Thy Will to make us content with Thy decree, patient under Thy trials, yearning for what Thou hast ordained of imperishable blessings, fearful of Thy sovereignty, hopeful of Thy bestowal, in dread of Thy justice, seeking forgiveness in the dark of night and at daybreak when the dawn breatheth, and acting in accordance with what Thou hast prescribed in Thy Book.

O God! I have no knowledge save through Thy grace, no fear save through Thy justice, no merit save through my hope in Thy forgiveness. Every good thing named in Thy Book is from Thee, belongeth to Thee, and returneth unto Thee alone, Who hath no partner. From it is that Day which Thou didst create for Thy chosen ones, extend for Thy loved ones, and make the name of Thy trusted ones—the rightly-guided Imams: Ali, Muhammad, then Ali, and Hassan, Thy blessings be upon them all—the signs of Thy Self-Sufficiency, the manifestations of Thy Might, the stations of Thy Oneness, the evidences of Thine Eternity, and the tokens of Thy Mercy.

I beseech Thee by their right upon Thee and Thy right upon them to bless them according to Thy station of Glory, Unity, Majesty and Greatness, and according to what they deserve before the court of Thy grandeur. I beseech Thee by their right to ordain for us on that Day all that Thou hast written for them in the knowledge of the unseen and what Thou shalt later reveal by Thy command. Verily, Thou art the Bestower, possessed of great bounty.

Glorified be God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they describe. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Thursday

In the Name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate! Praise be to God Who aideth with His victory whomsoever He willeth among His servants. Verily, the earth belongeth unto God; He causeth to inherit it whomsoever He willeth among His servants, and the end belongeth to the God-fearing.

O my God! I bear witness unto Thee now, even as Thou didst bear witness unto Thyself before all things in the eternity of eternities, that Thou art God, the Lord of the heavens and earth. Thou didst create all things through Thy Will. Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou art the Beloved Who hath known Thyself through Thyself, unified Thine Essential Reality through Thine Eternity, and testified to Thine Identity through Thy Being. Glorified art Thou! Sanctified is Thine Essential Reality, exalted is Thy Being, magnified is Thy Nature, and manifest is Thine Identity beyond […]

The most exalted heights of all created things cannot ascend to the court of Thy nearness, nor can the most sublime essences of abstract realities attain thereunto. Thou art far above what any speaker hath said, and Thou art He Who accepteth from Thy servants that which even the mystics cannot accept. Thou art He Who commandeth creation with that which even those nigh unto Thee cannot command. Glorified art Thou, O my God! How sweet is Thy praise in my secret thoughts and in my manifest speech, and how great are Thy bounties in my absence and in my presence. Thou art He Who hath made Thyself known to me through Thyself, and taught me to remember Thee through Thy remembrance, and summoned me unto Thee through the beauty of Thy presence.

Were it not for Thee, I would be nothing, and were it not for Thy confirmation, I would not have chosen glory. Thou art He Who created me and sustained me, then guided me and inspired me. How can I thank Thee for Thy bounties when my limitations have rendered me incapable of offering Thy praise, and destiny hath made me powerless to extol Thy sanctity? Here am I on this day—the day of Thy Proof who standeth by Thy Command and awaiteth Thy Promise—bearing witness before Thee on behalf of all Thy creation to that which Thou lovest and with which Thou art well-pleased: that Thou art God, there is no God but Thee, alone without partner.

And I bear witness that Muhammad is Thy servant and Thy Messenger, whom Thou didst choose for Thyself and approve for Thy mystery, select for Thy secret and choose for Thy Guardianship, making him the station of Thyself in creation and origin, and making him unique in the station of praise among the children of humankind in creation. Verily Thou art the Mighty, the Bestower. And I bear witness that Ali, Hasan, Husayn, Ali, Muhammad, Ja’far, Musa, Ali, Muhammad, Ali, Hasan and the Proof, the Qa’im—Thy blessings be upon them—were the trustees of Thy revelation, the vessels of Thy knowledge, the successors of Thy Messenger, the pillars of Thy unity, the signs of Thy sanctity, the tokens of Thy praise, the verses of Thy transcendence, the dawning-places of Thy Cause, the manifestations of Thy sovereignty, the station of Thy Self-Sufficiency, and the evidences of Thine eternity and the aspects of Thy might in the eternity of justice and the perpetuity of grace.

None precedeth them in nobility, and all else besides them exist and are mentioned only through their mention. And I bear witness that Fatima—the blessings of God be upon her—is the blessed leaf who was exalted and magnified by the command of her Lord above all others, and all who seek Thee are remembered and gathered beneath her shade.

O God! Love those who love me and be wroth with those who hate me or deny me. Verily Thou art above all whom Thou willest, exalted and protective of me. Forgive me and my parents and those whom Thou lovest as Thou willest through Thy bounty and favor. Verily Thou art God, the Mighty, the Most High. Glory be to God, the Lord of the Throne, above what they describe. Peace be upon the Messengers, and praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds.

Friday

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. O my God! I bear witness unto Thee now on this Friday as Thou didst bear witness unto Thyself before Thy Will came into being, that Thou art God, the Single, the One, the Self-Subsisting, the Unique, the Everlasting, Who hath ever been without description by any other than Thyself and will ever be without attribute from any besides Thee, for Thine Essence hath ever been utterly sanctified from severance and Thy Being will ever be completely protected from separation, from a beginning that hath no beginning and an end that hath no end. Nothing can know Thee or describe Thee, and if they know Thee they know only Thy creation, and if they describe Thee they describe only Thy handiwork, for the ultimate condition of creation at the highest point of detachment is naught but limitation by the bounds of negation before affirmation, then negation after life. How then can one who bears the decree of death before life know his Lord Who cannot be described by life except through the ultimate manifestation of names and attributes, even if described […]

Through mention of power, life, grandeur and attributes is His remembrance of His creation, lest they harbor doubts about their Lord or question their God, that He is He, not encompassed by what they have encompassed in contingent existence—far be such thoughts from God, the Lord of all worlds. And Thou knowest, O my God, that mention of knowledge, power, life and grandeur in the Book of those near unto God is their remembrance of Thee in creation for themselves, a remembrance unworthy of Thy presence, ascending not to Thy holy heaven nor rising to Thy glorious court. Indeed the greatest sin for me, O my God, and the gravest error for myself, O my Lord, is my knowledge of Thy Self as created within Thy kingdom, and my mention of Thy unity as an attribute of Thy creation. Thou art far more glorious and greater than to be known through aught else but Thee, more exalted and noble than to be described by any save Thyself.

Therefore forgive me, for after my certain knowledge I have no power to refrain, though I know that returning to that station after gaining knowledge is the greatest sin, with no sin its equal. But O my God, how can I be silent when I was dead, and how can I speak when I was alive? If I turn to Thee in repentance, it is a return to the first sin, and if I speak before Thee, it is sin upon the first sin. O my God, what path have I, unable to mention proof, while Thou art the Glorious Lord and I the abject servant? If Thou castest me into Thy fire and sayest to me “This is My love,” I surely know it is fire for me, and my soul finds no peace after knowing my existence without sin, nor do I see any among creation—nay, there can be naught in them save sin. Here am I, casting myself before Thee, though I know Thou sayest “Fear not, for thou art the Most Exalted,” yet how can my inner being find rest when that is the lowest? Alas, alas, for what I have said and what I cannot utter before Thee!

Forgive me and my parents and whom Thou lovest as Thou desirest. Verily Thou art the Most High, the Most Great. Glory be to God, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe. Peace be upon the Messengers. And praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.