SEEKING

THE ABSOLUTE
A Summarized Commentary of a Daily Supplication of
the Holy Month of Rajab al-Murajjab taught by
Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq (‘A)

Muhammad Khalfan

1
 ‫بسم اهلل الرمحن الرحيم‬

‫لله َّم َص ّ ِل عَىل ُُم َ َّم ٍد َّو ِ‬

‫آل ُُم َ ّمد‬ ‫اَ ُ‬
‫ش م يع ِط ِ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫وه ل ِ ُك ّ ِل َخ ْ ٍ م‬
‫يَا َم ْن أ َ ْر ُج ُ‬
‫ْي َو آ َ ُن َس َخ َط ُه عنْ َدكُ ّ ِل َ ّ ٍر يَا َ ْن ُ ْ ي ال ْ َكثْيَ‬
‫يل يَا َم ْن يُعْ ِطي َم ْن َسأَل َ ُه يَا َم ْن يُعْ ِطي َم ْن ل َ ْم ي َ ْسأَل ْ ُه َو َم ْن ل َ ْم يَعْ ِرفْ ُه‬‫بِالْقَلِ ِ‬
‫ْي ال ُّدنْيا َو ََجِي َع َخ ْ ِ‬
‫ْي‬ ‫اك ََجِي َع َخ ْ ِ‬ ‫محةً أ َ ْع ِط ِِن ِِبَ ْسأَل َ ِِت إِيَّ َ‬
‫ََتَنُّنا ِمنْ ُه َو َر ْ َ‬
‫َ‬
‫اك ََجِي َع َش ّ ِر ال ُّدنْيَا َو َش ّ ِر ْاْل ِخ َر ِة فَإِن ّ َُه‬
‫ْاْل ِخ َر ِة َوا ْص ِر ْف ع َ ِ ِّن ِِبَ ْسأَل َ ِِت إِيَّ َ‬
‫يم يَا ذَا ا ْْلَال َ ِل‬ ‫ت َو ِزدْ ِِن ِم ْن فَ ْضلِ َ ك ِ‬ ‫غَ ْْي َمنْ ُق ٍ َ‬
‫ك يَا َر ُ‬ ‫وص َما أ ْع َطي ْ َ‬ ‫ُ‬
‫ِت ع َ َىل النَّا ِر‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ِ ْْل ِ ْا ِ لط ِ ح ِ‬ ‫ك ِ‬
‫َوا ِا َْرام يَا ذَا النّعْ َماا َوا ُ ْود يَا ذَا ا َ ّن َوا ّ ْول َ ّر ْم َشي ْ َ ْ‬

‫لله َّم َص ّ ِل عَىل ُُم َ َّم ٍد َّو ِ‬

‫آل ُُم َ ّمد‬ ‫اَ ُ‬
‫\‬

‫‪2‬‬
 THE SOURCE OF THE DU’ª’

Abu al-µasan ‘Al¢ bin Mu¦ammad al-Burs¢ said: al-µusayn bin

Mu¦ammad bin Shayb¡n narrated to us, who narrated from µamza bin
al-Q¡sim al-‘Alaw¢ al-‘Abb¡s¢, who narrated from Mu¦ammad bin
‘Abdull¡h bin ‘Imr¡n al-Barq¢, who narrated from Mu¦ammad bin ‘Al¢
al-Hamad¡n¢, who narrated from Mu¦ammad bin Sin¡n who narrated a
lengthy tradition from Mu¦ammad al-Sajj¡d1 in which he said:

I said to Ab£ ‘Abdill¡h (‘a): May I be made your ransom. This is the
month of Rajab. Teach me a supplication by which Allah would benefit
me.

He said: So Im¡m al-¯¡diq (‘a) said to me: Write down: Bismill¡hi al-
Ra¦m¡n al-Ra¦¢m…and recite every day in Rajab in the mornings and
evenings and after the daily prayers during the day and night:

ِ‫ْي و آ َمن س َخ َط ُه ِعن ْ َدكُ ّ ِل َش ّ ٍر يَا َم ْن يُعْ ِطي ال ْ َكث‬ ِ ‫يا َمن أَرج‬
َ ‫ْي‬ َ ُ َ ٍ ْ ‫وه ل ُك ّ ِل َخ‬
ُ ُْ ْ َ
‫يل يَا َم ْن يُعْ ِطي َم ْن َسأَل َ ُه يَا َم ْن يُعْ ِطي َم ْن ل َ ْم ي َ ْسأَل ْ ُه َو َم ْن ل َ ْم‬ ِ ِ‫بِالْقَل‬
ِ ْ ‫اك ََجِي َع َخ‬
‫ْي ال ُّدنْيَا‬ َ َّ‫محةً أ َ ْع ِط ِِن ِِبَ ْسأَل َ ِِت إِي‬َ ْ ‫يَعْ ِرفْ ُه ََتَنُّنا ِمن ْ ُه َو َر‬
‫اك ََجِي َع َش ّ ِر ال ُّدنْيَا َو َش ّ ِر‬ َ َّ‫ْي ْاْل ِخ َر ِة َوا ْص ِر ْف ع َ ِ ِّن ِِبَ ْسأَل َ ِِت إِي‬ ِ ْ ‫َو ََجِي َع َخ‬

‫يم‬ ِ ‫ت َو ِزدْ ِِن ِم ْن فَ ْضلِ َ ك‬ َ ْ ‫وص َما أ َ ْع َطي‬ ٍ ‫ْاْل ِخ َر ِة فَإِن َّ ُه غ َ ْْي َمن ْ ُق‬
ُ ‫ك يَا َر‬ ُ
1
He was well-known as Al-Sajj¡d. It is said: that prostrated and wept until he lost his eyesight..
3
He says: Then the Im¡m (‘a) raised his left hand and held his beard, and
moved the index finger of his right hand, and said:

‫يَا ذَا ا ْْلَال َ ِل َوا ِاك َْرا ِم يَا ذَا النّعْ َمااِ َوا ْْل ُ ْو ِد يَا ذَا ا ْا َ ِّن َوا ّلط ْو ِل‬

‫ِت ع َ َىل النَّا ِر‬ِ ِ‫ح‬

ْ َ ْ ‫َ ّر ْم َشي‬

4
 ٍ ْ ‫وه ل ِ ُك ّ ِل َخ‬
‫ْي‬ ُ ‫يَا َم ْن أ َ ْر ُج‬
Y¡ man arj£-hu li-kull¢ khayr
O one on whom I am always hopeful for every good

 YAA man arju-hu….I call him and say “O One on

whom...” because although He is near to me than my
jugular vein (Holy Qur‟an, 50:16), I am extremely
remote from His Absolute Perfection. Hence I call Him.
In the supplication of Jawshan al-Kabir we address
Allah as: “O most distant of all the distant ones, O
nearest of all near ones” (Ref: Mafatih al-Jinan of Sh
Abbas Qummi)
 Yaa man arju-HU…Only “on Him” do I pin my hopes,
because He is the primary cause of everything. Only He
is the Independent giver and owner of every creation
moment by moment. This is established by the Qur‟an,
Holy traditions, Spiritual Unveiling, and intellectual
cognition. Imam Zayn al-„Abidin („A) in his
supplication of the Hopeful Ones (Munajat al-Raajin)
says: “How can I have hope on other than You, whilst
all good is in Your Hand?” (Ref: Mafatih al-Jinan of Sh
Abbas Qummi)
 Yaa man ARJU-hu…I am “hopeful”, because He Himself
has said La taqnatu min Rahmati Allah (Do not despair in
Allah‟s Mercy (Holy Qur‟an, 39:53)). I am hopeful
because “to Him alone belong all the treasures” (Holy
5
 Qur‟an, 63:7). I am hopeful because according to a
tradition of Imam al-Sadiq („A), a believer is not a
believer if the light of hope does not exist in his heart.
(Ref: Al-Kafi of Shaykh Kulayni, v.2, p. 67). In fact as
Amir al-mu‟minin („A) has taught us in the supplication
of Kumayl “hope” is my capital asset. “Irham man ra‟su
maalihi al-rajaa” (Have mercy on one whose capital asset
is hope). (Ref: Mafatih al-Jinan of Shaykh „Abbas
Qummi)
 Yaa man ARJU-hu li-kulli khayr…I always hope, because
despair is a great sin. [the aorist verb (al-fi‟l al-mudhaari‟)
arju here signifies an ongoing event.)
 Yaa man arju-hu li-KULLI khayr…I am hopeful, for
“every” good because my aspirations are exalted. I do
not merely aspire for an inanimate, vegetable or animal
life. I am a human being who by nature always opts for
the best and every good. Hence I do not want to leave
aside any kind of good whatsoever.
 Yaa man arju-hu li-kulli KHAYR…I hope what Allah has
made naturally attractive to my innate disposition. The
meaning of khayr is “something that one is naturally
inclined to”.

6
 ‫َوآ َم ُن َس َخ َط ُه ِعنْ َد كُ ّ ِل َش ّ ٍر‬
Wa ¡manu sakha§a-hu 'inda kulli sharr
And I am safe from His displeasure at every instance of evil

 Wa AAMANU sakhata-hu „inda kulli SHARR…Whenever

I sin I am not immediately punished. Sharr in Qur‟an is
employed to denote sin. Consider the verse […wa man
ya‟mal mithqaal dharratin sharran yarahu (and whosoever
does an atom‟s weight of evil shall see it)] (Holy
Qur‟an,99:8)
 Wa AAMANU sakhata-hu „inda kulli SHARR…Whenever
I sin (SHARR), although its effect or rather its reality is
reflected in the realms of barzakh and qiyama, which are
the higher levels of created existence, the material cover
of the body always protects me (AAMANU). I cannot
behold the snakes, the scorpions and the fire that I have
lit for myself. The material body serves as a shield.
 Wa aamanu SAKHATA-hu…Whenever I sin I am
protected from His punishment (SAKAHATAHU). The
word sakhat which means displeasure cannot be
conceived to be like human displeasure, which is a kind
of change of state. According to a tradition, His
displeasure is His very punishment. (Ref: Al-Tawhid of
Shaykh al-Saduq, p. 169)
 Wa aamanu SAKHATA-hu „inda kulli
SHARR…Sometimes sharr is also employed to denote a
7
calamity, and sakhat (Divine displeasure) refers to the
ultimate state of wretchedness. Hence, in case of every
calamity that befalls me, I am always safe from His
displeasure. Hence, circumstances of evil (sharr) instead
of being signs for wretchedness for me, are signs for
self-development and freedom from sin and Hell-Fire.
In a beautiful tradition narrated by al-Ahwazi in his
Kitab al-Mu‟min, Imam al-Sadiq („A) is reported to have
said: “Surely Allah does not destine anything for a
Muslim save that it is good (khayr) for him.”

8
 ِ ِ‫يَا َم ْن يُعْ ِطي ال ْ َكثِْيَبِالْقَل‬
‫يل‬
Y¡ man yu'§¢ al-kath¢ra bi'l qal¢l
O one who gives abundance in return to very little

 Yaa man YU‟TI al-katheera…He always gives us

abundance in return for very little.
 Ya man yu‟ti AL-KATHEERA BI AL-QALEELI…Every
good that we do Allah gives us tenfold or even more. In
fact in some verses no measure has been determined for
it. See: [Man ja‟a bi al-hasanati falahu „ashru amthaaliha-
Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it]
(Holy Qur‟an, 6:160)
 Ya man yu‟ti AL-KATHEERA BI AL-
QALEELI…Whatever is abundant for us is very little
for Him. Hence His qaleel is our katheer. Perhaps this
verse is trying to say that “O One who always gives
abundance through what is very little for Him.

9
 ‫يَا َم ْن يُعْ ِطي َم ْن َسأَل َ ُه‬
Y¡ man yu'§¢ man sa'ala-hu
O one who always bestows on whosoever asks Him

 Yaa man yu‟ti man SA‟ALA-hu…We should really ASK

Him. When He witnesses REAL NEED in us for
whatever we ask, He would not stop giving. In another
beautiful supplication of the Holy month of Rajab we
say: “Your habit is to do good to the wrong doers” [Ref:
Mafatih al-Jinan of Shaykh „Abbas Qummi]. If that is the
case, what about those who sincerely supplicate for
being availed with goodness?
 Yaa man yu‟ti man sa‟ala-HU…Therefore we should
anticipate everything from Him alone. No other means
can be taken to have any effect save through His grace
and permission.
 Yaa man yu‟ti man sa‟ala-HU…(O One who gives to
whosoever asks for Him). This is when we consider the
third person pronoun “hu” affixed to sa‟ala-hu to refer to
Allah, and our prayer is to seek Him and His proximity
alone.

10
 ‫يَا َم ْن يُعْ ِطي َم ْن ل َ ْم ي َ ْسأَل ْ ُه َو َم ْن ل َ ْم يَعْ ِرفْ ُه‬

َ ْ ‫ََتَنُّنا ِمنْ ُه َو َر‬

ً‫محة‬
Y¡ man yu'§¢ man lam yas'al-hu wa man lam ya'rif-hu
ta¦annunan mihu wa Ra¦ma
O one who bestows on one who does not ask Him,
nor does he know Him, out of kindness and mercy

 Ya man yu‟ti man LAM YAS‟AL-HU…Many of us

vocalize our apparent desires, which in reality are not
our needs and wants. Nevertheless, Almighty Allah
provides us with what we ask Him, and enables us to
employ that in His way.
 Ya man yu‟ti man LAM YAS‟AL-HU…Many of the
people despite not asking Him, nor knowing Him are
graced by Him through His kindness in mercy. This is
because His mercy is all-embracing. He is al-Rahman,
and hence he gives existence to all and also bestows
them with the provisions essential to wake up and
realize the truth. He knows when and how a dead heart
can get to life, while we are oblivious about that.

11
 َ َّ‫أ َ ْع ِط ِِنْ ِِبَ ْسأَل َ ِِت إِي‬
‫اك‬
ِ ْ ‫ْي ال ُّدنْيا َو ََجِي َع َخ‬
‫ْي اْل ِخ َر ِة‬ ِ ْ ‫ََجِي َع َخ‬
َ
A'§in¢ bimas'alat¢ iyy¡ka jam¢'a khayr al-duny¡
wa jam¢'a khayr al-¡khirah
Avail me by my asking you all the good of this world and
all the good of the Hereafter

 A‟tini bi-mas‟alati iyyaa-ka JAMI‟A KHAYR AL-DUNYA

WA JAMI‟A KHAYR AL-AAKHIRA…Since the dunya is
a lower manifestation of aakhira, if we seek all the good
of this world, we have also sought all the good of the
hereafter. The criteria of something good therefore is
when it is good in both the realms of existence. We
should therefore not be deceived to conjecture that
heavily engaging ourselves with the pleasures of the
world is what “khayr al-dunya” is all about.
 A‟tini bi-mas‟alati iyyaa-ka JAMI‟A khayr al-dunya wa
JAMI‟A khayr al-aakhira…This verse reveals an elevated
spirit who in reality seeks the Absolute. We said earlier
that the root meaning of khayr is “inclination”. Hence
because the human being is innately inclined to all the
perfect attributes of Allah and does not yearn for them
in a limited form, He seeks the ABSOLUTE. He yearns
for all power, all-knowledge, all-beauty. In short he
12
aspires for JAMI‟A khayr al-dunya wa JAMI‟A khayr al-
aakhira.

13
 ‫َوا ْص ِر ْف ع َ ِ ِّن ِِبَ ْسأَل َ ِِت‬

‫اك ََجِي َع َش ّ ِر ال ُّدنْيَا َو َش ّ ِر اْل ِخ َر ِة‬

َ َّ‫إِي‬
Wa¥rif 'ann¢ bimas'alat¢ iyy¡ka jam¢'a shar al-duny¡
wa sharr al-¡khirah
And avert from me by my asking You,
all the evil of the world and the evil of the Hereafter.

 WASRIF „ANNI…The human being has been innately

fashioned to seek advantage (jalb al-manfa„a) and dispel
harm (daf„ al-dharar). Every evil is harmful to the human
being. And hence to ask Allah to dispel every evil is to
respond to the innate call of the heart
 …SHARR al-dunya wa al-aakhira…Sharr in reality is the
absence of good. It is not an existential reality (amr
wujudi). Hence we are in reality asking Allah to protect
us from imperfection. And since the world is a
manifestation of the Hereafter, we are seeking for the
prevention of such imperfections that pertain to this
world as well as the Hereafter.

14
 ‫ت‬َ ْ ‫وص َما أ َ ْع َطي‬
ٍ ‫فَإِن َّ ُه غَ ْْي َمنْ ُق‬
ُ
Fa innahu ghayru manq£¥in m¡ a'§ayt
For surely whatever You give is not decreased
[from your treasure]

 Fa innahu GHAYRU MANQUSIN MAA

A‟TAYTA…Because whatever He provides does not
separate from Him (lam yalid), but rather is His action,
nothing decreases from His kingdom (ghayru manqus).
Rather, because when He provides to a receptacle which
contain great knowledge, it widens, He provides more,
and this process always continues. Hence the provisions
of His treasures instead of decreasing always increase.
In Du‟a al-Iftitah we recite “…wa la taziduhu kathrat al-
„ataa illa judan wa karaman” (And the abundance of His
bestowals does not increase save His openhandedness
and generosity.)
 Fa innahu GHAYRU MANQUSIN MAA
A‟TAYTA…Another meaning of ghayru manqus is “not
deficient”. Since there is no kind of stinginess on the
part of Allah, whatever He provides is perfect. The
cause(s) of imperfection is from our side. The rain is
provided pure and limpid, but our containers and
receptacles have been contaminated. So if we receive
contaminated water, it is our own fault and not His. If
we come with a broken container, the loss of water is
15
 due to the receptacle and not the giver of water. We
should seek for a spacious heart (al-qalb al-mashruh) in
order to be able to enjoy great quantities of spiritual
waters.
 Fa innahu GHAYRU MANQUSIN MAA A‟TAYTA…The
descent of existence from the ABSOLUTE PERFECTION
brings about deficiency. Hence deficiency is not
provided.

16
 ‫يم‬ ِ َ‫ك يَا ك‬
‫ر‬ َ ِ‫و ِزد ِِن ِم ْن فَ ْضل‬
ُ ْ َ
Wa zidn¢ min fa¤lika Y¡ Kar¢m£
And increase in me from your favors O Honorable One.

 Wa zidni min fadhlika YA KAREEMU…Invoking the

name Ya Kareemu reveals that we are asking for karaama
(greatness). And the most kareem according to Allah is
the most God-wary and pious. Inna akramakum „inda
Allahi atqaakum (Indeed the most honorable and great near
Allah is one who is most God-wary of you (Holy
Qur‟an, 49:13)). Hence we are asking increase in being
God-wary. And since the Holy Qur‟an teaches us “If
you are thankful, I shall increase you”(Holy Qur‟an,
14:7) we must struggle to be God-wary in order to get a
higher level of taqwa.
 Wa zidni min FADHLIKA… We employed the words
fadhlika (Your favor) because in actuality whatever Allah
gives us, whether the succor of obeying him,
understanding the depths of His religion, performing
good deeds, or receiving material and spiritual
provisions, is only a favor. We have nothing of our own
so that we can anticipate something in return.
Everything is from Him and His, and will always
remain so. This is a Qur‟anic and intellectual reality.

17
 ‫يَا ذَا ا ْْلَال َ ِل َوا ِاك َْرا ِم‬
Ya dha al-Jal¡li wa al-Ikr¡m
O the Possessor of Majesty and Greatness

 YAA DHAL JALALI WA AL-IKRAAM…According to

the tradition that reports this supplication, Imam al-
Sadiq („A) raised his left hand, held his beard and
moving the index finger of his right hand recited these
concluding verses that reveal the beautiful names of
Allah: “Ya Dhal Jalali wal Ikraam,Ya Dha al-Na‟maa‟I wal
Jud….”
 YAA DHAL JALALI WA AL-IKRAAM…In a tradition,
Abu Basir asks Imam al-Sadiq („A) about the meaning of
raising one‟s hands during supplication, and the Imam
(„A) speaks of five ways (1) As for al-ta‟awwudh (seeking
refuge in Allah from Satan), it is when your palms
should face qibla. (2) As for du‟a (calling Allah) for His
provision (rizq), it is when you should spread out your
palms and make them face the sky, (3) As for al-tabattul
(complete connection to Allah and detachment from
other than Him), it is when you point with your index
finger. (4) As for al-ibtihaal (extreme supplication), it is
when you should raise both your hands until they align
with your head, (5) As for al-tadharru‟ (expressing
humility near Allah), it is when you move your index
finger near your face, and that is secret supplication.
18
 (Ref: „Uddat al-Daa‟I of Ibn Fahd al-Hilli, p. 183)
 YAA DHAL JALALI WA AL-IKRAAM…Hence moving
our index figures signifies humility on our part.
Therefore we should struggle to ensure that our heart
reflects what our speech expresses.
 YAA DHAL JALALI WA AL-IKRAAM…According to
exegetes the Name Dhu al-Jalaali wal Ikraam encapsulates
the Divine Attributes of Beauty and Majesty. Invoking
such a name, perhaps informs us that all what we
sought previously in summarized in this name. If one
becomes the manifestation of this name, he has attained
his goal in life. He has become the manifestation of the
name Allah, which exemplifies all the attributes of
Divine Beauty and Majesty.

19
 ‫يَا ذَا النّعْ َمااِ َوا ْْل ُ ْو ِد‬
Ya Dha al-na'm¡'i wa al-j£d
O Possessor of Extended Blessings and Generosity

 Yaa DHA AL-NA‟MAAI wa al-jud…Some opine that al-

Na‟maa signifies “al-ni‟ma al-mumtadda” (extended
blessing). Some say that it refers to hidden blessings.
Others believe that it refers to diversity of blessings.
Hence He is the possessor and owner of diverse
blessings.
 YAA DHA AL-NA‟MAAI WA AL-JUD…Invoking these
beautiful names, we say to Allah, that it is You who
gives every kind of blessing. Hence bless us with what
we have asked you for. Likewise you are the Absolute
Generous (al-jawad al-mutlaq) in reality. Any generosity
manifested in anyone is in reality Your property. Hence
You alone can bestow us what we have asked You for.

20
 ‫يَا ذَا ا ْا َ ِّن َوا ّلط ْو ِل‬
Ya dha al-manni waal-§awl
O Possessor of Weighty & Enduring Blessings

 The noun mann means “a great favor”. And when the

article al is prefixed to it, it can signify a specific great
favor. Perhaps it refers to the specific great blessing of
sending the Holy Prophet (S) as the Messenger of Allah
on the 27th of Rajab. The Holy Qur‟an when referring to
this has employed the verb “manna Allaha…” (Allah
bestowed great favor…) (Holy Qur‟an, 3:164). The
word mann is also employed for the blessing of
guidance. (Holy Qur‟an, 49:17). In short, He alone is the
owner of every great favor.
 Tawl denotes “an enduring blessing”. Hence He is the
giver and thus owner of enduring blessings.
 And the spirit of guidance is crystallized in a person
when he exemplifies the attributes of Allah. Hence
because only He is the owner of the great blessing of
hidaya (guidance), it is correct to invoke Him with this
name.
 And only He has the power to guide independently.
Whosoever would like to guide anyone can never do so
independently. Without His permission no kind of
change can transpire whatsoever.

21
 ‫ِت ع َ َىل النَّا ِر‬ِ ِ‫ح‬
ْ َ ْ ‫َ ّر ْم َشي‬
°arrim shaybat¢ 'la al-N¡r
Prohibit my grey hair to burn in the Fire

 HARRIM shaybati „ala AL-NAAR…Perhaps this

expression taught by Imam al-Sadiq („A) is one of the
praiseworthy ways of seeking freedom from Hell Fire.
 Harrim SHAYBATI „ala al-Naar…Perhaps grey hair
(shayba) refers to one‟s transformed state of fear on the
Judgment Day. Imam „Ali („A) is reported to have said:
“O servants of Allah, indeed after the resurrection is
that which is more severe than the grave, the day when
a small child‟s hair would turn grey (yawma yashibu fihi
al-sagheer)…” (Ref: Al-Amaali of Shaykh Mufid, p. 265).
 Harrim SHAYBATI „ala al-Naar…Some scholars like the
late Shaykh al-Mishkini in his prayer manual al-Misbah
al-Munir, after having mentioned this supplication,
suggest that those who do not have grey hair, instead of
saying “…harrim shaybati „ala al-naar” (…prohibit my
grey hair on the Hell Fire) may say “…harrim sha‟ri „ala
al-Naar” (…prohibit my hair on the Hell Fire) (Ref: Al-
Misbah al-Munir of Mirza „Ali Mishkini, p. 252). He has
not substantiated this with any particular hadith. It is
only a suggestion on his part.
 In a beautiful tradition from Imam „Ali („A) we are told,
“Laa tantifu al-shayb fa innahu noorul Muslim” (do not
22
 uproot grey hair for surely it is the light of a Muslim)
(Ref: Bihar al-Anwaar of „Allama al-Majlisi, v.10, p.91)
 Harrim SHAYBATI „ala al-Naar…In a very beautiful
whispering supplication (MUNAJAAT), Imam Zayn al-
„Abidin („A) says: “Ilahi al-shayba noorun min anwaarik fa
muhaalun an tuhriqa nooruka bi naarika” (O God, grey hair
is a light from Your lights. Therefore it is impossible
that You burn Your light with Your fire.”) (Ref: Bihar al-
Anwaar of „Allama al-Majlisi, v.91, p.139). Perhaps
Imam al-Sadiq („A) would like to allude to this very
point. In saying,“…harrim shaybati „ala al-Naar”, he in
reality would like to say the following: “Because my
hair are grey, and thus they exemplify a light from Your
lights, and because You cannot burn Your light with
Your fire, then forbid my grey hair on Hell Fire.”

May the Almighty enable us understand the depths of this

beautiful supplication as we continue our journey to His
proximity

Wa al-hamdu li Allahi Rabbi al-„Aalamin

Rajab al-Murajjab 1430

Proximity of Hadhrat Ma‟suma („A)
Holy City of Qum

23