Shaykh al-Tusi has related that this noble writing came out of the Sacred Precinct on the hand of the great Shaykh, Abu Jaf'ar Muhammad ibn 'Uthman ibn Sa'id1 - may God be pleased with him. Recite it on each day of the month of Rajab.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
O God, I ask Thee by the meaning of all that by which Thou art called upon by those who govern with Thy
authority:
those who are entrusted with Thy mystery,
welcome Thy command,
extol Thy power,
and proclaim Thy majesty.
I ask Thee by Thy will which speaks within them, for Thou hast appointed them
mines for Thy words,
and pillars of the profession of Thy Unity, Thy signs
and Thy stations,
which are never interrupted in any place.
Through them knows he who knows Thee.
There is no difference between Thee and them,
save that they are Thy servants and Thy creation,
their doing and undoing is in Thy hand,
their origin is from Thee and their return is to Thee.
They are aides, witnesses, testers, defenders, protectors
and searchers.
With them Thou filled Thy heaven and Thy earth until it
became manifest that there is no god but
Thou.
So I ask Thee by (all of) that,
and by the positions of Thy mercy's might
and by Thy Stations and Marks
that Thou bless Muhammad and His household
and increase me in faith and steadfastness.
O Inward in His outwardness and Outward in His inwardness
and hiddenness!
O Separator of light and darkness!
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1. The second of the Twelfth Imam's four deputies, referred to in the introduction to Part III, p.92.
O described by other than (His) Essence and well-known
in other than (His) likeness!
Delimitator of every delimited thing!
Witness of all that is witnessed!
Bringer into existence of every existent!
Counter of everything counted!
Depriver of all that is deprived!
There is none worshipped but Thou,
Possessor of Grandeur and Generosity!
O He who is not conditioned by "how" or determined
by "where"!
O veiled from every eye!
O Everlasting!
O eternally Self-subsistent and Knower of all that is known!
Bless Muhammad and his household
and Thy elect servants,
Thy mankind in veils,1
Thy angels brought nigh,
and the untold multitudes (of angels) set in ranks and
encircling (the Throne).2
And bless us in this our venerated and honored month
and the sacred months that follow it.
In it bestow blessings upon us copiously,
make large our portions,
and fulfill for us (our) oaths,
by Thy most tremendous, most tremendous, greatest and
noblest Name,
which Thou placed upon the day, and it brightened, and
upon the night, and it darkened.
And forgive us that of ourselves which Thou knowest and we
know not,
preserve us from sins with the best of presentations,
suffice us with the sufficiencies of Thy determination,
favor us with Thy fair regard,
leave us not to other than Thee,
hold us not back from Thy goodness,
bless us in the lifespans Thou hast written for us,
set aright for us the inmost center of our hearts,
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1. I.e., "normal" men, who are veiled from and ignorant of God's true nature.
2. Al-Saffin, the angels "who set the ranks", are referred to in Quran XXXVII, I65; and al-haffin are referred to in XXXIX, 75: "And thou shalt see the angels encircling about the Throne proclaiming the praise of their Lord."
give us protection from Thee,1
cause us to act with the fairest of faith,
and bring us to the month of fasting2
and the days and years that come after it,
O Lord of Majesty and Splendor!
____________
1. This recalls the Prophet's supplication: "I seek refuge in Thy forgiveness from Thy punishment, I seek refuge in Thy approval from Thy anger, I seek refuge in Thee from Thee!"
2. In the Islamic calendar Rajab is followed by Sha'ban and then the month of fasting, or Ramadan, which is considered to the holiest and most blessed month of the year.
