His Supplication in Confession and in Seeking Repentance toward God
O God,
three traits have prevented me from asking You
and one trait has urged me on:
I am prevented by
a command You have commanded
in which I have been slow,
a prohibition You have prohibited
toward which I have hurried,
and a favor through which You have favored
for which I have not given sufficient thanks.
I am urged to ask You
by Your gratuitous bounty upon him who
turns his face toward You
and comes to You with a good opinion,
since all Your beneficence is gratuitous bounty
and every one of Your favors a new beginning!
So here I am, my God,
standing at the gate of Your might,
the standing of the lowly, the surrendered,
asking You in my shame,
the asking of the destitute, the pitiful,
admitting to You that at the time of Your beneficence
I surrendered not save through abstaining from disobedience toward You
and in none of my states was I ever without Your Kindness.
Will it profit me, my God,
to admit to You the evil of what I have earned?
Will it save me from You
to confess the ugliness of what I have done?
Or will You impose upon me in this my station Your displeasure?
Will Your hate hold fast to me in the time of my supplication?
Glory be to You!
I do not despair of You,
for You have opened the door of repentance toward Yourself.
Rather, I say,
the words of a lowly servant,
having wronged himself
and made light of his Lord’s inviolability,
and whose sins are dreadful, great,
whose days have parted, fled,
until, when he sees the term of his works expired
and the limit of his lifetime reached
and knows with certainty that he has no escape from You,
no place to flee from You,
he turns his face toward You in repeated turning,
makes his repentance toward You sincere,
stands before You with a pure and purified heart,
then supplicates You with a feeble, quiet voice.
He is bowed before You, bent,
his head lowered, thrown down,
his legs shaking in fear,
his tears flooding his cheeks.
He supplicates You:
O Most Merciful of the merciful!
O Most Merciful of those toward whom
seekers of mercy keep on turning!
O Tenderest of those around whom
run seekers of forgiveness!
O He whose pardon is greater
than His vengeance!
O He whose good pleasure is more abundant
than His anger!
O He who seeks His creatures’ praise
with excellent forbearance!
O He who has accustomed His servants
to the acceptance of their repeated turning!
O He who seeks to heal their corruption
through repentance!
O He who is pleased with the easy
of their acts!
O He who recompenses with the much
their little!
O He who has made himself accountable to them
to respond to supplication!
O He who pledged Himself by His gratuitous bounty
to give them excellent repayment!
I am not the most disobedient of those who have disobeyed You
and whom You have forgiven,
nor am I the most blameworthy to offer excuses
which You have accepted,
nor am I the most wrongdoing of those who have repented to You,
and to whom You have returned
I repent to You in this my station,
the repentance of one remorseful over what preceded from him hastily,
apprehensive of what has gathered around him,
pure in shame for that into which he has fallen,
knowing that pardoning great sins is nothing great for You.
overlooking enormous misdeeds is not difficult for You,
putting up with indecent crimes does not trouble You,
and the most beloved of Your servants to You are
he who refrains from arrogance before You
pulls aside from persistence,
and holds fast to praying forgiveness!
I am clear before You of arrogance,
I seek refuge in You from persistence,
I pray forgiveness from You for shortcomings,
I seek help from You in incapacity!
O God,
bless Muhammad and his Household,
dispense with what is incumbent upon me toward You,
release me from what I merit from You,
and grant me sanctuary from what the evildoers fear!
For You are full of pardon,
the hoped-for source of forgiveness,
well known for Your forbearance.
My need has no object but You,
my sin no forgiver other than You –
could that be possible?
I have no fear for myself except from You;
You are worthy of reverential fear,
and worthy to forgive!
Bless Muhammad and his Household,
grant my need,
answer my request favorably,
forgive my sin,
and give me security from fear for myself!
You are powerful over everything,
and that is easy for You.
Amen, Lord of the worlds!