The Shiite imams; who are the sources of divine and earthly knowledge, both overt and covert, both material and spiritual, both related to this world and to the beyond . Professor Hossein Ansarian in his exposition on 7th invocation of Sahife Sajjadieh in “ The land of lovers “ touches this important issue. The following text is a part.
The infallible ones who are referred to by the Holy Quran as the upright and decicive figures in knowledge, and whose knowledge is interpreted by the Holy Quran to be beyond the ordinary knowledge of all world dwellers, teach and instruct us through their invocations that the Almighty God will solve all hardships and will remove all obstacles on condition that we are patient and show perseverance in our daily affairs.
In the invocation used after the adoration in the prayer performed by Hathrat Zahra(s), we will read:
يا مَنْ لَيْسَ غَيْرُهُ رَبُّ يُدْعى، يا مَنْ لَيْسَ فَوْقَهُ إلهٌ يُخْشى، يا مَنْ لَيْسَ دُونَهُ مَلِكٌ يُتَّقى، يَا مَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ وَزِيرٌ يُؤتى، يَا مَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ حَاجِبٌ يُرْشى، يا مَنْ لَيْسَ لَهُ بَوّابٌ يُغْشى، يا مَنْ لا يَزْدادُ عَلَى كَثْرَةِ السُّؤالِ إلاّ كَرَماً وَجُوداً، وَعَلى كَثْرةِ الذُّنُوبِ إلاّ عَفْواً وَصَفْحاً، صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَافْعَلْ بِي كّذا وَكَذا:
O God! You are the only One who is called by all, you are the only One Who is sincerely worshipped; the only One Who has authority over every thing, the only One Who has no associate; the Only One Who is close to all of us with no barrier, the one with no official personnel for us to get the permission to meet you; You are the One Whose Generosity will increase if we ask Him for anything; the One Who pardons our sins no matter how grave they might be; O God, send Your Blessings to Mohammad(s) and his Household and solve my problems, both material and spiritual.
We will read here the following invocation offered by Imam Zainol Abedin(s):
يا مَنْ أظْهَرَ الْجَمِيلَ، وَسَتَرَ الْقَبِيحَ، يا مَنْ لَمْ يُؤْاخِذْ بِالجَرِيرَةِ وَلَمْ يَهْتِكِ الْسِّتْرَ، يا عَظِيمَ الْعَفْوِ، يا حَسَنَ التَّجاوزِ، يا واسِعَ الْمَغْفِرَةِ، يا باسِطَ الْيَدَيْنِ بِالرَّحْمَةِ، يا صاحِبَ كُلِّ نَجْوى، يا مُنْتَهى كُلِّ شَكْوى، يا كَرِيمَ الصَّفْحِ يا عَظِيمَ الرَّجاءِ، يا مُبْتَدِءاً بِالنِّعَمِ قَبْلَ اسْتِحْقاقِها، يا رَبَّنا وَسَيِّدَنا وَمَولانا، يا غايَةَ رَغْبَتِنا، أسْألُكَ اللّهُمَّ أنْ تُصَلِّيَ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.
O God! You are the One Who revealed to us appropriate deeds, and programs; you are the One Who concealed the nasty affairs of us so that we might not encounter shame. You are the One Who show patience in punishing our sins and refrain from disposing our wrong-doings. You are the Great Pardoner, the Great Provider, the Knower of the hidden, the Final source for our complaints, the Cause for our hope and the Giver of assets to creatures. We ask You to send Your praise to Mohammad(s) and his Household.
Imam Sadiq(s) used to recite the following invocation after his prayer:
يا صانِعَ كُلِّ مَصْنُوعٍ، يا جابِرَ كُلِّ كَسِيرٍ، وَيا حاضِرَ كُلِّ مَلاءٍ، وَيا شاهِدَ كُلِّ نَجُوى، وَيا عالِمَ كُلِّ خُفْيَةٍ، وَيا شاهِدَ كُلِّ غائِبٍ، وَغالِبٌ غَيرُ مَغْلُوبٍ، وَيا قَرِيبٌ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ، وَيا مُؤْنَسَ كُلِّ وَحِيدٍ، وَيا حَيُّ مُحْييَ الْمَوْتَى، وَمُمِيتَ الأحْياءِ، الْقائِمُ عَلى كُلِّ نَفْسٍ بِما كَسَبَتْ، وَيا حَيّاً حينَ لا حَيَّ، لا إلهَ إلاّ أنْتَ، صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.
O God! You are the Creator of all creatures, the Rectifier of all damages; You are present in every common gatherings, the witness to all hidden secrets, the knower of all hidden things, the conqueror with no defeat, the closest to us, the company to any detached, the life- Giver to all dead ones, and You are the One Who make dead the living; O God, there is no more Beloved one than you. Send Your praise and Blessings to Mohammad(s) and his Household.
Imam Musa Ibn Jaffar(s) used to recite the following invocation after his prayers;
إلهي خَشَعَتِ الأصْواتُ لَكَ، وَضَلَّتِ الأحْلامُ فِيكَ، وَجَلَّ كُلُّ شَيءٍ مِنْكَ، وَهَرَبَ كُلُّ شَئٍ إلَيْكَ، وَضاقَتِ الأشْياءُ دُونَكَ، وَمَلأ كُلَّ شَئٍ نُورُكَ، فَانْتَ الرَّفِيعُ في جلالِكَ، وَأنْتَ الْبَهِيُّ في جَمالِكَ، وَأنْتَ الْعَظِيمُ في قُدْرَتِكَ، وَأنْتَ الَّذي لايُؤودُكَ شَئٌ، يا مُنْزِلَ نِعْمَتي، يا مُفَرِّجَ كُرْبَتِي، وَيا قاضِيَ حاجَتي، أعْطِني مَسْألَتي بِلا إلهَ إلا أنْتَ... .
O Beloved One, You are the One in Whose front the turbulent sounds have been silenced, the wisdom of the wise to know you have been blunted and all creatures have been intimidated.
Without you all plans are void and your dazzling light has illuminated everything. You are lofty in your Glamor; You are prosperous in Your Beauty; You are Grand in Your Blessing and Magnanomity. You are the Provider of subsistence; You are the Remover of all calamities; O my God: Provide me with my needs.
And in Imam Jawad's prayer we have:
اللّهُمَّ رَبَّ الأرْواحِ الْفانِيةِ وَالأجْسادِ الْبالِيَةِ، أسْألُكَ بِطاعِةِ الأرْواحِ الرّاجِعَةِ إلى أجْسادِها، وَبِطاعَةِ الأجْسادِ الْمُلتَئِمَةِ بِعُرُوقِها، وَبِكَلِمَتِكَ النّافِذَةِ بَيْنَهُمْ، وَأخْذِكَ الْحَقَّ مِنْهُمْ، وَالْخَلائِقُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْكَ يَنْتَظِرُونَ فَصْلَ قَضائِكَ، وَيَرْجُونَ رَحْمَتِكَ، وَيَخافُونَ عِقابَكَ، صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَاجْعَلِ النُّورَ في بَصَري، وَاليَقِينَ في قَلْبِي، وَذِكْرَكَ بِاللَّيْلِ والنَّهارِ عَلى لِسانِي، وَعَمَلاً صالِحاً فارْزُقْنِي.
O God! You are the creator of our fatal souls and our decayable and perishable bodies. You are the One Who return the souls to the bodies. O God! Your creatures are worried to receive Your verdicts at the Doom's Day; they are reliant on Your praises to Mohammad and his Husehold and illuminate my eyes with light, and my heart with conviction. Put your name on my tongue day and nigth and let me get involved in good actions.
Imam Hadi(s) has the following invocation:
يا بارُّ، يا وَصولُ، يا شاهِدُ كُلِّ غائِبٍ، وَيا قَرِيبُ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ، وَيا غالِبُ غَيْرَ مَغْلُوبٍ، وَيا مَنْ لا يَعْلَمُ كَيْفَ هُوَ إلاّ هُوَ، يا مَنْ لا تُبْلَغُ قُدْرَتُهُ، أسْألُكَ اللّهُمَّ بِاسْمِكَ الْمَكْنُونِ الْمَحْزُونِ الْمَكْتُومِ عَمَّنْ شِئْتَ، الطاهِرُ الْمُطَهَّرِ الْمُقَدَّسِ النُّورِ التّامِّ، الْحَيِّ الْقَيُّومِ الْعَظِيمِِ، نُورِ السَّماواتِ وَنُورُ الأرْضِينَ، عالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهادَةِ الْكَبِيرِ الْمُتَعالِ الْعَظيمِ، صَلِّ على مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.
O God! You are extremely Beneficent, the provider of bonds, the witness to any hidden, close to us, Dominant with no defeat, cognizant of yourself, the One whose power no one can guess or surpass.
O God! You have got sacred Names and You know the hidden and obvious things. I beg You to send your praises to Mohammad and his Household.
The after-prayer invocations of the Great Prophet(s), Imam Ali(s), Imam Mojtaba(s), Imam Hossain(s), Imam Asqari(s) and the last Imam(s) are lengthy and their contents are more or less similar to the ones presented here.
When we study the above invocations, we will find out that the obstacles can be removed and problems can be solved very easily by Allah. This is especially done readily if man humbly implores for Allah's Blessings. Otherwise, nobody is capable of solving our hardships.
وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ [1]
“And if Allah should afflict you with harm, then there is none to remove it but He; and if He intends good to you there is none to repel His grace; He brings it to whom He pleases of His servants; and He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.”
In some section of the highly scientific and Gnostic invocation of semat, we will read:
اللّهُمَّ إنّي أسْألُكَ بِاسْمِكَ الْعَظِيمِ الأعْظَمِ الأعْزِّ الأجَلِّ الأكْرَمِ الَّذي إذا دُعِيتَ بِهِ عَلى مَغالِقِ أبْوابِ السَّماءِ لِلْفَتْحِ بِالرَّحْمَةِ انْفَتَحَتْ، وَإذا دُعِيتَ بِهِ عَلى مَضائِقِ أبْوابِ الأرْضِ لِلفَرَجِ انْفَرَجَتْ، وَإذا دُعِيتَ بِهِ عَلَى الْعُسْرِ لِلْيُسْرِ تَيَسَّرَتْ، وَإذا دُعِيتَ بِهِ عَلَى الأمْواتِ لِلنُّشُورِ انْتَشَرَتْ، وَإذا دُعِيتَ بِهِ عَلَى كَشْفِ الْبَأساءِ وَالضَّرّاءِ انْكَشَفَتْ....
O God! I ask you, the Dearest and the most Beloved One to open up to us the doors of hardships when we call on you. We ask you to resolve the intricate problems surrounding us when we call on you.
وَبِكَلِمَتِكَ الَّتي خَلَقْتَ بِها السَّمواتِ وَالأرْضَ، وَبِحِكْمَتِكَ الَّتي صَنَعْتَ بِها الْعَجائِبَ، وَخَلَقْتَ بِها الظُّلْمَةَ وَجَعَلْتَها لَيْلاً وَجَعَلْتَ اللَّيلَ سَكَناً، وَخَلَقْتَ بِها النُورَ وَجَعَلْتَهُ نَهاراً وَجَعَلْتَ النَّهارَ نُشُوراً مُبْصِراً، وَخَلَقْتَ بِها الشَّمْسَ وَجَعَلْتَ الشَّمْسَ ضِياءً، وَخَلَقْتَ بِها الْقَمَرَ وَجَعَلْتَ القَمَرَ نُوراً، وَخَلَقْتَ بِها الْكَواكِبَ وَجَعَلْتَها نُجُوماً وَبُرُوجاً وَمَصابِيحَ وزِينَةً ورُجُوماً، وَجَعَلْتَ لَها مَشارِقَ وَمَغارِبَ، وَجَعَلْتَ لَها مَطالِعَ ومَجارِيَ وَجَعَلْتَ لَها فَلَكاً وَمَسابِحَ، وَقَدَّرْتَها فِي السَّماءِ مَنازِلَ، فَأحْسَنْتَ تَقْدِيرَها، وَصَوَّرْتَها فَأحْسَنْتَ تَصْويرَها ... .
We ask Your Beautiful Name, which is the commandment for the creation of the skies and the earth; and we will ask your Great Wisdom by which You brought forth wonderful things, and through which you created the dark during which your creatures could retire form their daily chores, and by which you created the day during which we may get involved in activities and business, and through which you created the sun to give us light and the moon to provide us with dim light at night, and by which you created the stars and let them be the sky lamps and let for them the easts and the wests and you provided special locations in the sky, and you gave them a lot of beauty and glamour.
وَجَبَرُوتِكَ الَّتي لَمْ تَسْتَقِلَّها الأرْضُ، وَانْخَفَضَتْ لَهَا السَّماواتُ، وَانْزَجَرَ لَها الْعُمْقُ الأكْبَرُ، وَرَكَدَتْ لَهَا الْبِحارُ وَالأنْهارُ، وَخَضَعَتْ لَهَا الْجِبالُ، وَسَكَنَتْ لَهَا الأرْضُ بِمَناكِبِها، وَاسْتَسْلَمَتْ لَهَا الخَلائِقُ كُلُّها، وَخَفَقَتْ لَهَا الرِّياحُ في جَرَيانِها، وَخَمَدَتْ لَهَا الْنِيرانُ في أوْطانِها.
Against Your Grandeur the earth can not resist, the skies are obedient, the earth core is compressed, the seas are defeated, the springs are dry, the mountains are humble, all creatures are obedient and the fires in the fire-temples became extinguished.
In the Holy Quran we are repeatedly asked who the Creator is, who has produced all these varieties in creation. Is there any creator except for the Almighty God? Is He not the Unique Creator of all these wonderful things? Does He have any associate? The answer is a definite negative sentence.
أَمَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَأَنزَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنْبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ مَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُنْبِتُوا شَجَرَهَا أَئِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ يَعْدِلُونَ أَمَّنْ جَعَلَ الْأَرْضَ قَرَارًا وَجَعَلَ خِلَالَهَا أَنْهَارًا وَجَعَلَ لَهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَاجِزًا أَئِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الْأَرْضِ أَئِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ قَلِيلًا مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ أَمَّنْ يَهْدِيكُمْ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَنْ يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ أَئِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ أَمَّنْ يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَمَنْ يَرْزُقُكُمْ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَئِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ إِنْ كُنتُمْ صَادِقِينَ [2]
[Is Allah better, or what they associate with Him?] Nay, He Who created the heavens and the earth, and sent down for you water from the cloud; then We cause to grow thereby beautiful gardens; it is not possible for you that you should make the trees there of to grow. Is there a God with Allah? Nay! They are a people who deviate. Or, Who made the earth a resting-place, and made in it rivers, and raised on it mountains, and placed between the two seas a barrier. Is there a god with Allah? Nay! Most of them do not know! Or, Who answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him and removes the evil, and He will make you successors in the earth. Is there a god with Allah? Little is it that you mind! Or, Who originates the creation, then reproduces it, and who gives you sustenance from the heaven and the earth. Is there a god with Allah? Say: Bring your proof if you are truthful.
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يا مَنْ كَبَسَ الأرْضَ عَلَى الْماءِ، وَسَدَّ الْهَواءَ بِالسَّماءِ، يا مَنْ لَهُ أكْرَمُ الأسْماءِ، يا ذَا الْمَعْرُوفِ الَّذي لا يَنْقَطِعُ أبداً، يا مُقَيِّضَ الرّكْبِ لِيُوسِفَ فِي الْبَلَدِ الْفَقْرِ وَمُخْرِجَهُ مِنَ الجُبِّ وَجاعِلَهُ بَعْدَ الْعُبُودِيَّةِ مَلِكاً، يا رادَّهُ عَلى يَعْقُوبَ بَعْدَ أنِ ابْيَضَّتْ عَيْناهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيمٌ، يا كاشِفَ الضُرِّ وَالْبَلوى عَنْ أيُّوبِ، وَمُمْسِكَ يَدَيْ إبْراهِيمَ عَنْ ذَبْحِ ابْنِهِ بَعْدَ كِبَرِ سِنِّهِ وَفَناءِ عُمُرِهِ، يا مَنِ اسْتَجابَ لِزَكَرِيّا فَوَهَبَ لَهُ يَحْيى وَلَمْ يَدَعْهُ فَرْداً وَحِيداً، يا مَنْ أخْرَدَ يُونُسَ مِنْ بَطْنِ الْحُوتِ، يا مَنْ فَلَقَ الْبَحْرَ لِبَني إسْرائِيلَ فَانْجاهُمْ وَجَعَلَ فِرْعَونَ وَجُنُودَهُ مِنْ الْمُغْرَقِينَ، يا مَنْ أرْسَلَ الرّياحَ مُبَشِّراتٍ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ، يا مَنْ لَمْ يَعْجَلْ عَلى مَنْ عَصاهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ، يا مَنْ استَنْقَذَ السَّحَرَةَ مِنْ بَعْدِ طُولِ الْجُحُودِ وَقَدْ غَدَوا في نِعْمَتِهِ يَأكُلُونَ رِزْقَهُ وَيَعْبُدُونَ غَيْرَهُ وَقَدْ حادُّوهُ وَنادُّوهُ وَكَذَّبُوا رُسُلَهُ، يا اللهُ يا اَللهُ ... .
You are the One Who filled the earth with water; and bordered the earth with the sky. You are the One Who has the best names. You are the Possessor of an infinite Beneficence. You are the One Who enticed the horsemen to salvate Yusof from the arid desert and from the well. You are the One Who made him the governor after his serfdom. You are the One Who brought him back to Yaqoub [Jacob] after his excessive griefs due to his concern for his son. You are the One Who released Yaqoub from miseries and sufferings. You are the One Who stopped Ibrahim from cutting off his son's head. You are the One Who answerd to the call of Zakariya [Zacharias] and returned Yahya [John] to him to end his sufferings. You are the One Who took off Yunus [Jonah] from the fish's abdomen and split and cleft the sea to provide the Bani-Israel with a canal to arrive at safety and made their enemy, Firon [Pharaoh] and his troops drowned.
O God! You are the One Who send the wind as a harbinger of the good news of the arrival of the rain. You are the One Who do not hasten to punish the evil-doers. You are the One Who saved the magicians of Musa's time from complete destruction. They were the ones who used your subsistence, but inundated against you. They were against righteousness and used to challenge your apostles.
In some traditional prayers, we will read:
يا ذَا الْقُدْرَةِ الْجامِعَةِ، وَالْرَحْمَةِ الْواسِعَةِ، وَالْمِنَنِ الْمُتَتابِعَةِ، وَالآلاءِ الْمُتَواتِرَةِ، وَالأيادِي الْجَلِيلَةِ، وَالْمَواهِبِ الْجَزيلَةِ. [3]
You are the Omni-power, the owner of Great Blessings and assets and gifts and extraordinary Generosity.
Imam Zainol Abedin(s), after the following sentence ذلَّتْ لِقُدْرَتِكَ الصّعابُ “O God, you have rendered difficulties easy and simple,” sayd: “O God! You made everything possible through proper means. You have processed anything that you have pre-determined. Every creature is obedient to you: They will not engage in anything you have not decided on.
source : land of lovers
