The Whispered Prayer of the Devotees


In the Name of God, the All-merciful,
the All-compassionate

1

Glory be to Thee!
          How narrow are the paths
                    for him whom Thou hast not guided!
          How plain the truth
                    for him whom Thou hast guided on his way!

2

My God,
          so make us travel
                              on the roads that arrive at Thee
                    and set us into motion
                              on the paths nearest to reaching Thee!
          Make near for us the far,
                    and make easy for us the hard and difficult!
          Join us to Thy servants, those who
                    hurry to Thee swiftly,
                    knock constantly at Thy door,
                    and worship Thee by night and by day,
                    while they remain apprehensive in awe of Thee!
          Thou hast purified their drinking places,
                    taken them to the objects of their desire,
                    granted their requests,
                    accomplished their wishes through Thy bounty,
                    filled their minds with Thy love,
                    and quenched their thirst with Thy pure drink.
          Through Thee have they reached
                              the pleasure of whispered prayer to Thee,
                    and in Thee have they achieved
                              their furthest goals.
          O He who
                    comes toward those who come toward Him
                    and grants gifts and bestows bounty upon them
                              through tenderness!
                    He is compassionate and clement toward those
                              heedless of His remembrance
                    and loving and tender in drawing them to His door!
          I ask Thee to place me among those of them who have
                    the fullest share from Thee,
                    the highest station with Thee,
                    the most plentiful portion of Thy love,
                    and the most excellent allotment of Thy knowledge,
          for my aspiration has been cut off from everything but Thee
                    and my desire has turned toward Thee alone.
Thou art my object, none other;
          to Thee alone belongs my waking and my sleeplessness.
Meeting Thee is the gladness of my eye,
          joining Thee the wish of my soul.
Toward Thee is my yearning,
          in love for Thee my passionate longing,
          in inclining toward Thee my fervent craving.
Thy good pleasure is the aim I seek,
          vision of Thee my need,
          Thy neighbourhood my request,
          nearness to Thee the utmost object of my asking.
In whispered prayer to Thee
          I find my repose and my ease.
With Thee lies the remedy of my illness,
          the cure for my burning thirst,
          the coolness of my ardour,
          the removal of my distress.
Be my intimate in my loneliness,
          the releaser of my stumble,
          the forgiver of my slip,
          the accepter of my repentance,
          the responder to my supplication,
          the patron of preserving me from sin,
          the one who frees me from my neediness!
Cut me not off from Thee
          and keep me not far from Thee!
O my bliss and my garden!
          O my this world and my hereafter!
          O Most Merciful of the merciful!