1- O God, bless Muhammad, Thy slave and Thy messenger, and his Household, the pure, and single them out for the best of Thy blessings, Thy mercy, Thy benedictions, and Thy peace!
2- And single out my parents, O God, for honour with Thee and blessings from Thee, O Most Merciful of the merciful!
3- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, teach me through inspiration knowledge of everything incumbent upon me toward them, and gather within me knowledge of all that completely! Then make me act in accordance with what Thou hast inspired me and give me the success to put into practice the knowledge Thou hast shown to me, lest I fail to act according to something Thou hast taught me or my limbs feel too heavy to perform that with which Thou hast inspired me!
4- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, as Thou hast ennobled us through him, and bless Muhammad and his Household, as Thou hast made incumbent upon us rights toward the creatures because of him!1
O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, teach me through inspiration knowledge of everything incumbent upon me toward them, and gather within me knowledge of all that completely! Then make me act in accordance with what Thou hast inspired me and give me the success to put into practice the knowledge Thou hast shown to me, lest I fail to act according to something Thou hast taught me or my limbs feel too heavy to perform that with which Thou hast inspired me!
5- O God, fill me with awe of my parents, the awe one has toward a tyrannical sovereign, and let me be devoted to them, with the devotion of a compassionate mother! Make my obedience and devotion to them more gladdening to my eyes than sleep to the drowsy and more refreshing to my breast than drink to the thirsty, so that I may prefer their inclination to my inclination, set their satisfaction before my satisfaction, make much of their devotion to me though it be little, and make little of my devotion to them though it be great.
6- God, lower before them my voice, make agreeable to them my words, make mild before them my temper, make tender toward them my heart, and turn me into their kind companion, their loving friend!
7- O God, thank them for my upbringing, reward them for honouring me, and guard them as they guarded me in my infancy!
8- O God, and whatever harm has touched them from me, detested thing has reached them from me, or right of theirs which has been neglected by me, allow it to alleviate their sins, raise them in their degrees, and add to their good deeds! O He who changes evil deeds into manifold good deeds!2
O God, and whatever harm has touched them from me, detested thing has reached them from me, or right of theirs which has been neglected by me, allow it to alleviate their sins, raise them in their degrees, and add to their good deeds! O He who changes evil deeds into manifold good deeds!
9- O God, whatever word through which they have transgressed against me, act through which they have been immoderate with me, right of mine which they have left neglected, or obligation toward me in which they have fallen short, I grant it to them and bestow it upon them, and I beseech Thee to remove from them its ill consequence, for I do not accuse them concerning myself, find them slow in their devotion toward me, or dislike the way they have attended to my affairs, my Lord!
10- They have rights against me which are more incumbent, precedence in beneficence toward me that is greater, and kindness toward me that is mightier than that I should settle accounts with justice or repay them with equivalents. Where then, my God, would be their long occupation with bringing me up? Where the hardship of their toil in taking care of me? Where the stinting of themselves to provide me with plenty?
11- What an idea! I can never discharge their right against me, fulfil my obligations toward them, or accomplish the duty of serving them. So bless Muhammad and his Household and help me, O Best of those whose help we seek! Give me success, O Most Guiding of those whom we beseech! Place me not among the people of disrespect to fathers and mothers on the day when every soul will be repaid for what it has earned, they shall not be wronged.3
12- O God, bless Muhammad, his Household, and his progeny and single out my parents for the best which Thou hast singled out for the fathers and mothers of Thy faithful servants, O Most Merciful of the merciful!
13- O God, let me not forget to remember them after my ritual prayers, at every time throughout my night, and in each of the hours of my day!
O God, if Thy forgiveness reaches them first, make them my intercessors, and if Thy forgiveness reaches me first, make me their intercessors, so that we may gather together through Thy gentleness in the house of Thy generosity and the place of Thy forgiveness and mercy! Verily Thou art Possessor of abounding bounty and ancient kindness, and Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful!
14- O God, bless Muhammad and his Household, forgive me through my supplication for my parents, forgive them through their devotion toward me with unfailing forgiveness, be well pleased with them through my intercession for them with resolute good pleasure, and make them reach through Thy generosity the abodes of safety!
15- O God, if Thy forgiveness reaches them first, make them my intercessors, and if Thy forgiveness reaches me first, make me their intercessors, so that we may gather together through Thy gentleness in the house of Thy generosity and the place of Thy forgiveness and mercy! Verily Thou art Possessor of abounding bounty and ancient kindness, and Thou art the Most Merciful of the merciful!4
1. This passage can be read in two ways: In the more general interpretation, the 'us' in 'ennobled us' and 'made incumbent upon us' refers to all Muslims, while in the more specific interpretation, it refers to the Imams. In the first case, the 'rights' are those which all Muslims have in relationship to other Muslims, as explained, for example, in the Imam's 'Treatise on Rights'. In the second case, the rights are those of the Imams in respect to other Muslims.
The commentator quotes among others the Prophet's hadith of 'seven rights' (see the introduction to the 'Treatise on Rights') to illustrate the first interpretation. If we read it the second way, then 'the rights of the Imams are obvious, since all the rights which God has made obligatory upon the creatures for the Messenger of God are also obligatory for the Imams; Sufficient proof of this is provided by the Qur'anic verse:
Obey God, and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you (4:59)' (Sayyid '''Alikhan).
2. Cf. note 46.
3. 45:22
4. 7:151
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