His Supplication in Confession and in Seeking Repentance toward God

allāhumma innahu yaḥjubunī ʿan mas'alatika khilālun thalāthatun

O God, three traits have prevented me from asking Thee

wa taḥdūnī ʿalayhā khallatun wāḥidah

and one trait has urged me on:

yaḥjubunī amrun amarta bihī fa'abtaʾtu ʿanh

I am prevented by a command Thou hast commanded in which I have been slow,

wa-nahyun nahaytani 'anhu fa-asraʿtu ilayhi

a prohibition Thou hast prohibited toward which I have hurried,

wa niʿmatun anʿamta bihā ʿalayya faqassarta fī shukrihā

and a favour through which Thou hast favoured for which I have not given sufficient thanks.

wa yahdūnī ʿalā mas'alatika tafadhdhuluka

I am urged to ask Thee by Thy gratuitous bounty

ʿalā man aqbala biwajhihi ʾilayk

upon him who turns his face toward Thee

wa wafada bi husni zannihi ilayka

and comes to Thee with a good opinion,

'idh jamī'u iḥsānik tafadḍul'

since all Thy beneficence is gratuitous bounty

wa-iḏ kullu niʿamika ibtidāʾ

and every one of Thy favours a new beginning!

fahā anā dhā yā ilāhī wāqifun bibābi ʿizzika

So here I am, my God, standing at the gate of Thy might,

wuquuf al-mustaslimi al-dhaliil, wa-saa'iluka 'alaa al-hayaa' minni

the standing of the lowly, the surrendered, asking Thee in my shame,

suʾāla al-bāʾisi al-muʿīl. muqirrun laka bi-annī

the asking of the destitute, the pitiful, admitting to Thee that

lam astaslim waqt iḥsānik illā bil-iqlāʿi ʿan ʿiṣyānik

at the time of Thy beneficence I surrendered not save through abstaining from disobedience toward Thee

walam akhlu fil-halat kulliha min imtinanika

and in none of my states was I ever without Thy Kindness.

fahal yanfa'unii yaa ilaahii iqraarii 'indak bi-suu'i maa aktasabt?

So will my confession before You, my God, of the evil I have earned, benefit me?

wa hal yunjīnī minka iʿtirāfī laka biqabīḥi mā irtakabtu?

Or will my confession to You of the vile things I have perpetrated save me from You?

am ʾawjabta lī fī maqāmī hāḏā sukhtaka?

Or have You made Your wrath incumbent upon me in this station of mine?

am lazimani fi waqti du'ayi maqtuka?

Or has Your loathing become binding upon me at the time of my supplication?

subḥānaka! lā ʾayʾasu minka waqad fataḥta li babat-tawba ʾilayka

Glory be to You! I do not despair of You, for You have opened for me the gate of repentance toward You;

bal aqoolu maaqalal 'abdi ath-thaleeli ath-thaalemi linafsihi

rather, I speak the words of the lowly servant who wrongs himself,

al-mustakhiff bi hurmati rabbih

who takes lightly the sanctity of his Lord,

allathee 'athumat thunoobuhu fajallat wa 'adbarat ayyamuhu fawallat

whose sins have become immense and grave, and whose days have turned away and passed on,

ḥattā ʾiḏā raʾā muddata al-ʿamali qadi inqaḍat

until, when he sees that the term for action has elapsed

wa ghāyat al-ʿumuri qadi intahat

and the end of life has come,

wa-ʾayqana ʾannahū lā maḥīṣa lahū mink, walā maḥrab lahū ʿanka

and becomes certain that there is no escape for him from You and no flight from You,

talqāka bil-ʾinābah, wa-ʾakhlasa lakat-tawbah

he meets You by turning in repentance and devotes his repentance sincerely to You.

faqaama ilayka biqalbi ṭaahir naqiyyin

Then he stands before You with a pure, clean heart

thumma daʿāka biṣawt ḥāʾil khafīyin

and calls upon You in a broken, hushed voice,

qad taṭaʾaṭa laka fa-anḥana, wa-nakkasa ra'sahu fa-anthanā

having lowered himself before You and bowed, and hung his head and bent over,

qad arʿasht khashyatuhu rijlayhi, wagharrakat dumuuʿuhu khadayhi

his fear making his legs tremble and his tears drenching his cheeks,

yadʿūka biyā arḥama al-rāḥimīn wa yā arḥama mani intābahū al-mustarḥimūn

calling upon You: O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Most Merciful of those to whom seekers of mercy turn,

wa yā ʿaṭafa man ʾaṭāfa bihi al-mustaghfiroon

O Most Tender of those to whom seekers of forgiveness draw near,

wayā man ʿafwuhu aktharu min niqmatihi

O You whose pardon is more abundant than His retribution,

wayā man riḍāhu ʾawfaru min sakhaṭihi

O You whose good pleasure is more plentiful than His wrath,

wayā man taḥammada ilá khalqih bi-ḥusni at-tajāwuzi

O You who have made Yourself praiseworthy to Your creatures through excellent forbearance,

wa yā man ʿawwadah ʿibādahu qabūla al-inābati

O You who have accustomed Your servants to having their repentance accepted,

wayā mani istaṣlaḥa fasidahu bi-t-tawbah

O You who set right what is corrupt in them through repentance,

wayā man raḍiya min fiʿlihim bil-yasīr

O You who are satisfied with little of their deeds,

wa yā man kāfā qalīlahum bil-kathīr

O You who reward their little with much,

wa yā man ḍamina lahum ijābata al-duʿāʾi

O You who have guaranteed them an answer to supplication,

wa yā man waʿadahum ʿalā nafsihi bi-tafaḍḍulih husn al-jazāʾ

O You who have pledged Yourself, out of Your bounty, to grant them excellent recompense,

mā ʾanā bi-ʾaʿṣā man ʿaṣāka faghafartalahu

I am not more disobedient than one who disobeyed You and whom You forgave,

wa mā anā bi'alwam mani i'thara ilayka faqabilta minhu

nor more blameworthy than one who apologized to You and from whom You accepted it,

wa maa ana bi'athlamu man taaba ilayka fa'udta 'alayhi

nor more unjust than one who repented to You and to whom You returned.

atūbu ʾilayka fī maqāmī hādhā tawbatan nādiman ʿalā mā faraṭa minh

I repent to You in this station of mine with the repentance of one remorseful for what has passed from him,

mušfiq mimma ʾiktama ʿalayhi ḫāliṣi l-ḥayāʾi mimma waqaʿa fīhi

fearful of what has amassed against him, utterly ashamed of what he has fallen into,

'ālim bi-anna al-'afwa 'ani al-dhunb al-'aẓīm lā yataʿāẓamuka

knowing that forgiving the tremendous sin does not seem too great for You,

waanna at-tajawuza ʿani al-ithmi al-jalili la yastaṣʿibuka

that overlooking the grave offense does not prove difficult for You,

wa anna ihtimāla al-jināyāti al-fāḥishati lā yataka'adduka

and that bearing outrageous crimes does not burden You,

wa anna aḥabba ʿibādika ilayka man taraka al-istikbāra ʿalayka

and knowing that the most beloved of Your servants to You is one who abandons arrogance before You,

wa janaba al-iṣrāra, wa lazima al-istighfāra

shuns persistence, and adheres to seeking forgiveness.

wa anā abrā'u ilayka min an astakbir

I declare myself free before You from being arrogant,

wa-aʿūdhu bika min an aṣirra

and I seek refuge in You from persisting.

wa-astaghfiruka lima qassartu fihi

I ask Your forgiveness for that wherein I have fallen short,

wa-astaʿīnu bika ʿalā mā ʿajaztu ʿanh

and I seek Your help with that of which I have been incapable.

allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā muḥammad wa ālih

O Allah, bless Muhammad and his Household,

wa habli ma yajubu 'alayya laka

and grant me that which is incumbent upon me toward You,

wa ʿāfinī mimma astawjibuhu minka

spare me from what I deserve from You,

wa ajirni mimmā yakhāfu-hu ahlu al-isā'ah

and protect me from that which the people of evil deeds fear.

fa'innaka malī'un bil-ʿafwi, marjūwun lil-maghfira, maʿrūfun bit-tajāwuzi

Surely You are full of pardon, hoped for in forgiveness, and known for overlooking.

laysa li-ḥājati maṭlabun siwāka

There is no one to whom I may turn with my need but You,

wa la li-thanbi ghafirun ghayruka, haashaaka

and no forgiver of my sin other than You—far exalted are You!

wa lā akhāfu ʿalā nafsī illā iyyāka

And I fear for myself no one but You.

'innaka 'ahl al-taqwā wa 'ahl al-maghfirah

Surely You are worthy to be feared and worthy to forgive.

ṣalli ʿalā muḥammad wa āli muḥammad

Bless Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad,

wa qḍ ḥāja ti wa anjih ṭalibatī

fulfil my need, and bring my request to success,

waghfir dhambī, wa āmin khawfa nafsī

forgive my sin, and make my soul secure from its fear.

'innaka 'alā kulli shay'in qadīr

Surely You are powerful over all things,

wa dhalika ʿalayka yaseerun ameen, rabb al-ʿalameen

and that is easy for You. Amen, Lord of the worlds.