Supplications by Imam al-Hadi

Many supplications were transmitted from Imam al-Hadi (a.s.) that he recited in the qunut of his prayers showing the extent of his devotedness and submissiveness to Allah. Here are some of them.

1. “O Allah, the founts of Your gifts are brimful, the doors of Your supplications for one who hopes You are wide-open, and Your merciful looks on one who resorts to You are not cut. Caution is bridled, need is urgent, and people of patience are unable to wait. O Allah, You are in watch over all places, and You do not ignore but respite. Whoever takes refute with You will be secure, and whoever resorts to You will succeed and get to Your door safe.

O Allah, overtake those who keep on oppression and continue in their ignorance to the end of disbelief. Your patience with them has made them covetous of doing as they desire. They harm Your guardians with their evils, and hurt them with their vices, and take their harm to them in their habitation. O Allah, dispel torment from the believers and send it openly on the unjust! O Allah, drive torment away from resorters and pour it on the haughty! O Allah, assist the followers of the truth, and surprise the assistants of injustice with snap! O Allah, make us delighted with gratefulness, give us victory, and keep us safe from the bad bada’, bad end, and danger!’

The supplications of the infallible imams were not limited to the spiritual side, but they included all sides of life. This supplication pictured the political life and the oppression that people suffered during the reigns of those kings who were excessive in oppressing people and forcing them to do what they were unwilling to do. I think that, in this supplication, Imam al-Hadi (a.s.) invoked Allah against al-Mutawakkil who exaggerated in oppressing the Alawids.

2. “O You, Who are unique in deity, and alone in oneness, O You, by Whose name day glows, and lights shine, by Whose command night darkens, and by Whose gift downpours come down, O You, Whom the distressed call upon and You respond to, the frightened resort to and You rescue them, obedients worship and You thanked them, and the grateful praise and You reward them. How exalted You are! How high Your authority is! How executable Your commands are! You are the Creator with no effort, and the Judge with no injustice. Your excuse is irrefutable, and Your words are undeniable. To You I have resorted and sought protection from the blows on knots (magic), and the watches of the atheists who deny Your attributes, harm Your guardians, support on killing Your prophets and choices, intend to put out Your light, deny Your messengers, resist Your signs, take guardians other than You and Your guardians, and worship their idols instead of You, but You favor Your guardians with Your great blessings, generously give them Your bounties, endow them with the best of Your reward to save them from resisting the prophets and from the ways of deviation, and respond to them when they carry out the covenants, and so the turning hearts submit to You with agreements. O Allah, I ask You by Your name which the heavens and the earth have submitted to, and by which You enliven the dead of things, make alive beings die, gather every separated, separate every gathered, perfect the words, show great signs, assist the repentants, and delay the acts of the corruptive and make their deeds vain…to have blessings on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and make my Shia (followers) from those who have been charged and they believed, and been interrogated and they spoke while safe and trusted.

O Allah, I ask You for them the success of the people of guidance, the deeds of the people of certainty, the loyalty of the people of repentance, the determination of the people of insight, the God-fearing of the people of piety, the concealment of the truthful until they, O my Lord, fear You with fear that prevents them from Your disobediences so that they obey You to get Your dignity, and until they become loyal to You and for You for fear of You, and until they become sincere to You in repentance so that You give them Your love which You have necessitated for repentants, and until they rely on You in all their affairs out of their good will towards You, and until they entrust their affairs to You out of their trust in You.

O Allah, Your obedience is not obtained except through Your reconciliation, and no degree from the degrees of goodness is obtained except by You. O Allah, the Master of the Day of Judgment, the Aware of the secrets hidden in the chests of people, purify the earth from the impurity of the people of polytheism, and silence the liars from fabricating lies against Your messenger!

O Allah, perish tyrants, snap slanderers, and destroy fabricators who, when the verses of the Beneficent are recited before them, say: fables of the ancients. O Allah, carry out Your promise to me, and hasten the deliverance of every suppliant seeker; You are ever watchful! I seek Your protection from every dubiosity, and from every heart that is locked up away from knowing You, and from a soul that disbelieves if it is distressed, and from one who speaks about justice while his deeds are opposite to justice, and from one who seeks the truth while he is far away from true qualities, and from one who gains fame while he is lowered in his fame, and from a face which, in spite of successive blessings, is gloomy. I seek Your protection from all that and everything like it, You are Knowing, Wise.”

His supplication after the Fajr Prayer

“O You, the greater than every great, Who have no partner and no vizier, O You, the Creator of the sun and the lighting moon, the shelter to the resorting fearful, the Liberator of tied captives, the nourisher of young babies, the setter of broken bones, the Merciful to the old, the light of light, the Manager of affairs, the Resurrector of those in graves, the Healer of chests, the Maker of shadow and hot, the Aware of all in chests, the Revealer of the Book, light, the great Qur’an, and the Book of Psalms, O You, Whom angels glorify in the morning and night, O You, the Permanent and Eternal, the Bringer forth of plants in the early morning and afternoon, the Enlivener of the dead, the Resurrector of decayed bones, the Hearer of sounds, the Everlasting, the Dresser of bones that decay after death! O You, Whom nothing distracts from any other thing, Who do not change from a state to another, Who do not need to move or advance, Whom no affair prevents from any other affair, Who cancel for charity and supplication what has been determined and affirmed in the Heaven of bad judgment, Whom no place can include or encompass, Who put remedy in what You like of things, Who keep alive from serious disease with the least of nourishment, Who remove by the least of remedy the worst of diseases, O You, Who if promise, carry out, if threaten, pardon, O You, Who possess the needs of requesters, Who know what is there inside the consciences of the silent, O You, the Most Magnificent, the Generous in pardoning, O You, Who have a face that does never become old, Who have infinite sovereignty, Who have inextinguishable light, Whose throne is over everything, Whose authority is over the land and the sea, Whose wrath is in the Hell, Whose mercy is in the Paradise, Whose promises are true, Whose favors are uncountable, Whose mercy is wide, O You, the Helper of the callers for help, the Responder to the call of the compelled, O You, Who are in the high view and Your creation is in the low view, O You, the Lord of the mortal souls, the Lord of the worn bodies, the most perceptive of seers, the most hearing of hearers, the promptest of accounters, the wisest of judges, the Most Merciful of the merciful, the Giver of gifts, the Releaser of captives, the Lord of glory, the One of piety and forgiveness, O You, Whose limit cannot be perceived, Whose number cannot be counted, Whose aid does not cease, I bear witness, and the witness to me is honor and supply, and from me obedience and submission, and by which I hope deliverance on the day of sigh and regret, that You are Allah; there is no god but You alone with no partner, and that Muhammad is Your slave and messenger, Your blessing be on him and on his progeny, and that he has informed and carried out on behalf of You what was his duty to You, and that You always create, provide with livelihood, give, deny, exalt, humble, enrich, impoverish, disappoint, help, pardon, show mercy, forgive, overlook what You know, do not wrong, straiten, enlarge, omit, fix, initiate, reproduce, enliven and make die; have mercy on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and guide me from You, give me from Your favor, spread on me from Your mercy, and send down to me from Your blessings, for You often have accustomed me to good and favor, given me too much, and uncovered my ugly deeds.

O Allah, have blessings on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and hasten my deliverance, forgive my slips, pity my loneliness, take me to the best of Your worships, gift me with healthiness from my illness, plenty of my supplies, inclusive soundness in my body, insight in my religion, and help me to ask you for forgiveness before death comes and hoping stops, and help me bear death and its distress, grave and its loneliness, the scales and their lightness, the sirat and its slip, the Day of Resurrection and its terror. I ask You for the acceptance of deeds before death, and ask You for strength in my hearing and sight for the doing of the best of that You have taught and made me understand. You are the lofty Lord and I am the humble slave, and how great difference there is between us. O You, Compassionate, Benefactor, of Glory and Honor, have blessings on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad the good, the pure!”

His supplication after the Asr Prayer

“O You, Who have raised high and been great, overcome and been mighty, been mighty and overcome, O You, Who has been mighty and so been great in His might, O You, Who have spread shadow over his creation, Who have endowed His people with favor, I ask You, O You Mighty of retribution, Who avenge with His might on people of atheism, I ask You by the right of Your guardian Ali bin Abu Talib and I make him the means between You and my needs, to have mercy on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and to help me satisfy my needs, perform my nafilas (Supererogatory prayers) and obligations and be pious to my brothers, and perfect in Your obedience, O You, the Most Merciful of the merciful.’

His supplication (supplication) at distresses

When Imam al-Hadi (a.s) suffered a distress or he wanted some need to be satisfied, he prayed Allah with this supplication. Narrators said that before reciting this supplication, Imam al-Hadi (a.s) fasted on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, performed a ghusl in the morning of Friday, paid charity to a poor person, offered a four units prayer, and then he spread his palms towards the heaven and invoked sincerely by reciting,

“O Allah, praise be to You that is the best praise that You deserve, the most pleasant praise to You, the most appropriate praise to You, the most beloved praise to You. Praise be to You as You deserve, and as You accepted it to Yourself, and as those, whom You accepted their praise, praised You from all Your creation. Praise be to You as Your prophets, messengers, and angels praised You with, and as it fits Your glory, highness, and greatness. Praise be to You that tongues fail to describe, and speech stops before reaching its end. Praise be to You that is not less than Your contentment, and that is better than every praise.

O Allah, praise be to You in joy and trouble, ease and distress, soundness and illness, years and ages. Praise be to You for Your favors and blessings to me. Praise be to You for what You have gifted me, tried me, healed me, provided me with livelihood, given me what I need, preferred me, honored me, dignified me, and guided me to Your religion; a praise that no describer can describe and no sayer can suffice.

O Allah, praise be to You for Your kindness to me, and Your favors on me, and Your preferring me to other than me. Praise be to You for Your adjusting my creation, and for Your educating me well as a favor from You and not for a precedent good from me. O my Lord, then which blessing You have not given me, and which gratitude that is not required from me to You?! I am satisfied with Your kindness, and You suffice me from among all creation.

O my Lord, You are the Bestower upon me, the Beneficent, the Gracious, the Beautiful, the Lord of glory and honor, and of great favors and blessings, so praise be to You for all that. O my Lord, You did not disappoint me in any distress, did not betray me for any guilt, and did not expose me for any concealed sin. Your blessings are continuous on me in every difficulty and ease. You have always done me good and pardoned me.

O Allah, make me enjoy my hearing, sight, and organs and all that which the earth has for me. O Allah, my first need I ask You for, and my wish I request from You, and make it the means before my request, and I come nearer to You by it is the sending of blessing on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and I ask You to have blessing on him and on them as the best blessing that You have commanded Your people to send on them, and as the best of that which any of Your people has ever asked You for, and as You are responsible for them until the Day of Resurrection. O Allah, have blessing on them in as much as all those who have sent blessings on them, and inasmuch as all those who shall send blessing on them; a continuous blessing with the means, exaltedness, and virtue, and have blessing on Your prophets, messengers, and Your good slaves, and have blessing on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and send much peace on them!

O Allah, and from Your generosity is that You do not disappoint whoever asks You for something, and looks forward to what You have, and You dislike whoever does not ask You, and no one is so other than You. O my Lord, my greed for Your mercy and forgiveness, and my trust in Your kindness and favor has led me to call on You, yearn for You, and offer my need before You. I have presented before my ask the aiming at You by the means of Your Prophet, who had brought the truth from You, and brought Your light and straight path by which You have guided the people, and by whose light You have enliven the earth, and whom You have endowed with the highest dignity, and honored with the shahada, and sent him after a cessation of the messengers. O Allah, I believe in his secret and openness, and in the secret of his progeny whom You had kept uncleanness away from and purified a thorough purifying…O Allah, do not cut between me and them in this life and in the afterlife and accept my deeds by them!

O Allah, You had guided Your people to Yourself when You said, (And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way),[1] and (O my servants, who have acted extravagantly against their own souls, do not despair of the mercy of Allah; surely Allah forgives the faults altogether; surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful),[2] and (And Noah did certainly call upon Us, and best of answerers are We).[3] O Lord, yes! The best of the called upon You are, the best of lords You are, and the best of answerers You are! You say, (Say: Call upon Allah or call upon the Beneficent; whichever you call upon, His are the best names),[4] and I call upon You, O Allah, by Your names which if You are called upon by, You respond and if You are asked by, You give. I call upon You suppliantly, humbly with the call of one whom inadvertence has taken away and neediness has exhausted. I call upon You with the call of one who has given up, confessed his guilt, and hoped for Your great pardon, and wide reward.

O Allah, if You have singled out someone, who followed what You have ordered him and acted as You have created him for, with Your mercy, he would not reach that except by You and Your assistance. O Allah…to You my Master is my preparing hoping for Your prizes and gifts. I ask You to have blessing on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad and to satisfy my ask and need…

O You, the most generous of givers, the best of the beneficent, have blessing on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad, and whoever from Your people wants to harm me disconcert his heart, refute his tongue, blind his sight, curb his head, make him busy with himself, and make me safe from him by Your might and power! O Allah, do not make it the last time to me that I call upon You suppliantly, and if You do, then forgive me all my faults with forgiveness that does not leave one guilt. Make my call among the responded calls, my deed among the accepted deeds near you, and my speech among that which comes up to You of good deeds, and make me with Your Prophet and choice, and the imams, peace be upon them all. By them I beseech You, and by them I yearn to You. Respond to my call O the most Merciful of the merciful, and forgive me my slips.’ Then Imam al-Hadi (a.s) asked for his need and went down into prostration and said,

“There is no god but Allah the Forbearing, the Generous. There is no god but Allah the Most High, the Great. Glory be to Allah the Lord of the seven heavens, the lord of the seven earths, and the Lord of the Great Throne. O Allah, I resort to Your pardon from Your punishment, and to Your contentment from Your wrath, and to You from You. I cannot reach the praise of You or the gratitude to You. You are as You have praised Yourself. Make my life a growth to me in every good, and my death a relief to me from every evil. Make the delight of my eyes in Your obedience. O my Trust and Hope, do not burn my face in Fire after my prostration to You my Master. With no favor from me on You, You have the favor on me, so pity my weakness and delicate skin, and relieve me from the distresses of this life and of the afterlife, and favor me with the company of the Prophet (a.s) and his progeny (peace be upon them) in the high ranks in the Paradise…O You the Light of light, the Manager of affairs, Generous, Glorious, One, Unique, Eternal, Who neither begot nor was begotten, and there is none comparable to You, O You Who are so and no one is so other than You, O You Whom there is no god in the high heavens or in the low earth other than You, O You Who honor every humble one, and humble every mighty one, by Your glory and loftiness I have lost my patience, so have blessing on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and relieve me…!

His Supplication at Sleeping

When he went to bed or awoke from sleep, he recited this supplication:

“There is no god but Allah the Alive, the Eternal, and He has power over all things. Glory be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and the Deity of the messengers. Glory be to Allah, the Lord of the seven heavens and all that which they have, and the Lord of the seven earths and all that which they have, the Lord of the Great Throne, and peace be on the messengers, and praise be to Allah the Lord of the worlds.”
The supplication of resorting

“O You, my supply, my hope and reliance, my resort and support, O You the One and Unique, O You, Who “say: He, Allah, is One”, O Allah, I ask You by those like whom You have not created in Your creation, to have blessing on them…”

His Supplication of Seeking Protection from Satan

“O You Who are mighty in Your might, Who are the mightiest in Your might, make me mighty from Your might, assist me with Your help, keep away from me the evil suggestion of the Devils, defend me by Your defense, protect me by Your protection, and make me from the good people of Your creation, O You One, Unique, Eternal!’

A Lofty Supplication

“O You the most hearing of hearers, the most perceptive of seers, the best of lookers, the promptest of accounters, the Most Merciful of the merciful, the wisest of judges, have blessing on Muhammad and on the progeny of Muhammad, and increase my livelihood, prolong my old, favor me with Your mercy, make me from those who defend Your religion and do not replace me by other than me…!’

His Communes

Imam al-Hadi (a.s) communed Allah the Almighty in the darkness of night with a suppliant heart and peaceful soul. It was narrated that he said in his communes:

1. “O my Lord, a guilty has come, and a poor has sought; do not disappoint his effort! Have mercy on him, and forgive his faults.’

2. “My Lord, bless Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad, and have mercy on me when my trace will disappear from this life and my mention will be removed among people, and I shall be forgotten as those who had been forgotten. My Lord, I have become old, my skin has become delicate, my bones have become thin, time has affected me, my death has approached me, my days have elapsed, my lusts have gone but my guilt remained! O my Lord, have mercy on me when my shape will change!”

3. “O my Lord, thoughts of thinkers went astray, sights of seers fell short, descriptions of describers dissipated, sayings of fabricators vanished before the wonders of Your affair, or the reach to Your highness, for You are in the unreachable place, and no eye can fall upon You with a glance or expression. How far, and how far! O You the First, the Only, the Unique! You have exalted in highness with the glory of greatness, and risen up beyond every bottom and end with the omnipotence of pride.”