The Whispered Prayer of the Thankful
مناجاة الشاكرين
إِلـٰهِي أَذْهَلَنِي عَنْ إقامَةِ شُكْرِكَ تَتابُعُ طَوْلِكَ،
My God, the uninterrupted flow of Your graciousness hast distracted me from thanking You!
وَأَعْجَزَنِي عَنْ إِحْصاءِ ثَنَائِكَ فَيْضُ فَضْلِكَ،
The flood of Your bounty has rendered me incapable of counting Your praises!
وَشَغَلَنِي عَنْ ذِكْرِ مَحامِدِكَ تَرادُفُ عَوائِدِكَ،
The succession of Your kind acts has diverted me from mentioning You in laudation!
وَأَعْيانِي عَنْ نَشْرِ عوارِفِكَ تَوالِي أَيدِيكَ،
The continuous rush of Your benefits has thwarted me from spreading the news of Your gentle favours!
وَ هٰذَا مَقامُ مَنِ اعْتَرَفَ بِسُبُوغِ النَّعْماءِ،
This is the station of him who confesses to the lavishness of favours,
وَقابَلَها بِالتَّقْصِيرِ،
meets them with shortcomings,
وَشَهِدَ عَلىٰ نَفْسِهِ بِالإِهْمالِ وَالتَّضْيِيعِ،
and witnesses to his own disregard and negligence.
وَأَنْتَ الرَّؤُوفُ الرَّحِيمُ الْبَرُّ الْكَرِيمُ،
You are the Clement, the Compassionate, the Good, the Generous,
الَّذِي لا يُخَيّـِبُ قاصِدِيهِ،
who does not disappoint those who aim for Him,
وَلا يَطْرُدُ عَنْ فِنائِهِ آمِلِيهِ،
nor cast out from His courtyard those who expect from Him!
بِساحَتِكَ تَحُطُّ رِحالُ الرَّاجِينَ،
In Your yard are put down the saddlebags of the hopeful
وَبِعَرْصَتِكَ تَقِفُ آمالُ الْمُسْتَرْفِدِينَ،
and in Your plain stand the hopes of the help-seekers!
فَلا تُقابِلْ آمالَنا بِالتَّخْيِيبِ وَالإِياسِ،
So meet not our hopes by disappointing and disheartening
وَلا تُلْبِسْنا سِرْبالَ الْقُنُوطِ وَالإِبْلاسِ.
and clothe us not in the shirt of despair and despondency!
إِلـٰهِي تَصاغَرَ عِنْدَ تَعاظُمِ آلائِكَ شُكْرِي،
My God, my thanksgiving is small before Your great boons,
وَتَضَاءَلَ فِي جَنْبِ إكْرَامِكَ إيَّايَ ثَنائِي وَنَشْرِي،
and my praise and news-spreading shrink beside Your generosity toward me!
جَلَّلَتْنِي نِعَمُكَ مِنْ أَنْوَارِ الإِيْمانِ حُلَلاً،
Your favours have wrapped me in the robes of the lights of faith,
وَضَرَبَتْ عَلَيَّ لَطائِفُ بِرّ ِكَ مِنَ الْعِزّ ِ كِلَلاً،
and the gentlenesses of Your goodness have let down over me delicate curtains of might!
وَقَلَّدْتَنِي مِنْكَ قَلائِدَ لا تُحَلُّ،
Your kindnesses have collared me with collars not to be moved
وَطَوَّقْتَنِي أَطْوَاقاً لا تُفَلُّ،
and adorned me with neck-rings not to be broken!
فَآلاؤُكَ جَمَّةٌ ضَعُفَ لِسانِي عَنْ إحْصائِها،
Your boons are abundant - my tongue is too weak to count them!
وَنَعْماؤُكَ كَثِيرَةٌ قَصُرَ فَهْمِي عَنْ إدْرَاكِها فَضْلاً عَنِ اسْتِقْصائِها،
Your favours are many - my understanding falls short of grasping them, not to speak of exhausting them!
فَكَيْفَ لِي بِتَحْصِيلِ الشُّكْرِ،
So how can I achieve thanksgiving?
وَشُكْرِي إيَّاكَ يَفْتَقِرُ إلىٰ شُكْرٍ،
For my thanking You requires thanksgiving.
فَكُلَّما قُلْتُ: لَكَ الْحَمْدُ،
Whenever I say, 'To You belongs praise!',
وَجَبَ عَلَيَّ لِذٰلِكَ أَنْ أَقُولَ: لَكَ الْحَمْدُ.
it becomes thereby incumbent upon me to say, 'To You belongs praise'!
إِلـٰهِي فَكَما غَذَّيْتَنا بِلُطْفِكَ، وَرَبَّيْتَنا بِصُنْعِكَ،
My God, as You have fed us through Your gentleness and nurtured us through Your benefaction,
فَتَمّـِمْ عَلَيْنَا سَوابِـغَ النّـِعَمِ، وَادْفَعْ عَنَّا مَكارِهَ النّـِقَمِ،
so also complete for us lavish favours, repel from us detested acts of vengeance,
وَآتِنا مِنْ حُظُوظِ الدَّارَيْنِ أَرْفَعَهَا وَأَجَلَّها
and of the shares of the two abodes, give us their most elevated and their greatest,
عاجِلاً وَآجِلاً،
both the immediate and the deferred!
وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ عَلىٰ حُسْنِ بَلاَئِكَ
To You belongs praise for Your good trial
وَسُبُوغِ نَعْمائِكَ
and the lavishness of Your favours,
حَمْداً يُوافِقُ رِضاكَ،
a praise conforming to Your good pleasure
وَيَمْتَرِي الْعَظِيمَ مِنْ بِرّ ِكَ وَنَداكَ،
and attracting Your great goodness and magnanimity.
يا عَظِيمُ يا كَرِيمُ،
O All-mighty, O All-generous!
بِرَحْمَتِكَ يا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ.
By Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the merciful!