His Supplication during his Personal Prayer (qunut)

The Imam, peace be on him, would supplicate with this supplication during his personal prayer (qunut): “The flight is toward You, O Possessor of presence and desire. The desire is for You, O He through whom is pride. You, O Allah, can see the whisperings of souls, observe the movements of hearts, and know of hidden secrets without affectation and tyranny; and You, O Allah, can see all things; but toward Your clemency they have shown audacity, disobedience, arrogance, and obstinacy; (and You can see) what Your friends suffer out of effacing the tracks of the truth, obliterating its marks, the increase of ill-deeds, the continuation of their people toward them, the appearance of falsehood, the generality of unjust and mutual consent on that (regarding) dealings and sundries; it (unjust) has become familiar and become as one of the obligatory and legislated things.

“O Allah, hasten toward him whom you help is successful, and him whom You support is not afraid of the blame of anyone, and severely punish the unjust; be neither merciful nor affectionate to them.

“O Allah, so rush toward them!

“O Allah, be quick toward them!

“O Allah, grant them not a respite!

“O Allah, punish them early in the morning and at midday, in the early dawn and by night, when sleeping, in the forenoon while playing; scheme against them when scheming; and take them by surprise while safe!

“O Allah, scatter them; disperse their helpers; decrease their aids; defeat their soldiers; reduce their limits; uproot their glory; and weaken their determinations!

“O Allah, grant us their sides; make us possess their districts; change their blessings; replace with peace our caution of them and their aggression (against us); make use control them thoroughly! O Allah, so do not withhold Your punishment, which if occur among people, evil shall then be the morning of the warned one!¹”

This supplications gives an account of the vengeance of the Imam, peace be on him, on the oppressive and tyrannical rulers of his time who drowned Islamic world in hardships and tragedies and forced the Muslims to performed what they hated. This is one of the political supplications which narrate the conditions of that time.

His Supplication during the Prayer for giving Thanks (salat al-Shukr)

Sulayman b. Ja‘far has narrated: “We visited Imam al-Rida, peace be on him, while he was performing the prayer for giving thanks (salat al-Shukr). He lengthened his prostration in prayer. Then he raised his head and we asked him about his long prostration. He told us that he prayed with the following supplication. He urged us to (supplicate) with it. Then he ordered us to write it, and we wrote it.” The supplication is as follows:

“O Allah, curse those who altered Your religion, changed Your favor, accused Your Messenger (may Allah bless him and his Household), opposed Your religion, turned away from Your way, were ungrateful for Your boons, returned Your words to You, disdained Your Messenger, killed the (grand) son of Your Prophet, distorted Your Book, denied Your signs, sat in the assembly which was not appropriate for them, and which the people carried on the shoulders of the Household of Mohammed!

“O Allah, curse them with curses following each other, gather them and their followers blue-eyed in the Hell-fire!

“O Allah, we seek nearness to You through cursing them and renouncing them in this world and the next!

“O Allah, curse those who killed the Commander of the faithful and al-Hussein b. ‘Ali and Fatima, daughter of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and his Household.

“O Allah, increase them in chastisement to chastisement, humiliation to humiliation, abasement to abasement, and disgrace to disgrace!

“O Allah, drive them away to the Fire with violence and return them to Your painful chastisement with a return!

“O Allah, gather them and their followers in the Hell-fire in group! O Allah, divide their gathering; scatter their affair; make their words disagree with each other; disperse their unity; curse their Imams; kill their leaders, their masters, and their eldest ones; curse their heads; break their banars; spread terror among them; and leave not any dweller of them!

“O Allah, curse Abo Jahl and al-Walid with curses following one another! O Allah curse them with a curse through which curse every angel brought nigh, every prophet sent out, and every believer whose heart You examine for faith! O Allah curse them with a curse from which the inhabitants of the Fire seek refuge, and which does not come into anyone’s mind! O Allah, curse them in Your hidden secret and Your manifest openness, chastise them with a chastisement in the ordination, and let their partners be their followers and their lovers! Verily You hear supplication!”²

This supplication shows that the Imam was indignant with some Caliphs who controlled without any right the general authority of the country, and hence they brought about woe and destruction to Islamic world through preventing the pure Household of the Prophet from undertaking authority while they were the most learned of others in the affairs and precepts of Islam. This great supplication is one of the political supplications.

The Imam uses Supplication as Weapon

Yet another quality of the Imam’s spiritual life is that he practiced supplication as a weapon through praying to Allah and referring to Him in all his affairs, for he found in it (supplication) a spiritual enjoyment which none of the enjoyments of life equaled it. We will mention his statements concerning the importance of supplication before we present some of his supplications.

Supplication is the Weapon of the Prophets

The Imam urged his companions to supplicate Allah and said to them: “Adhere to the weapon of the prophets!”

“What is the weapon of the prophets?” he was asked.

“Supplication,” he replied.³

Concealing Supplication

The Imam advised his companions to conceal supplication, and that man should supplicate his Lord secretly, that none may know of him. He, peace be on him, has said:

“A servant’s secret supplication equals seventy open supplications.⁴”

Slowness in Answering Supplication

The Imam spoke about the reasons for the slowness in responding to supplication. Ahmed b. Mohammed b. Abo Nasr has narrated: [ I (i.e. Ahmed) said to Abo al-Hassan (i.e. Imam al-Rida): May I be your ransom, I have asked a need from Allah since so-and-so year, and something have entered my heart because of slowness (in answering it). He, peace be on him, declared: “O Ahmed, beware of that Satan makes a way against you in order to make you despair (of Allah’s mercy). Abo Ja‘far (i.e. Imam al-Baqir), the blessings of Allah be upon him, said: ‘The believer asks his need from Allah, the Great and Almighty, but He delays responding to him out of love for his voice and listening to his wailing.’”

Then he said: “By Allah, what Allah, the Great and Almighty, sets behind the believers in this world is better than what He sets before them therein. What a thing is the world? Abo Ja‘far would say: ‘The believer’s supplication during ease should be similar to that of his during hardship. He should not flag (in supplicating) when he is given. Therefore, be not tired of supplication, for it is of great position with Allah, the Great and Almighty. Adhere to patience, seeking the lawful, and tightening your bonds of kin. Beware of showing open enmity toward men, for we, the members of the House, tighten ties with him who cut us and treat kindly him who mistreats us, hence we, by Allah, see through that the good final result. If the possessor of a favor (strives for gathering) sample funds, then he is not satisfied with anything. When favors become abundant, the Muslim is in danger because of the duties incumbent upon him and the trial through them.’”

“Tell me, if I say some words to you, will you trust them?” asked Imam al-Rida.

“May I be your ransom, if I do not trust you, then whom shall I trust?” retorted Ahmed, “You are the proof of Allah over His creatures.”

“Therefore, have more confidence in Allah, for you will meet him, replied the Imam, “don’t Allah, the Great and Almighty, say: 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 me⁵; don’t He say: do not despair of the mercy of Allah⁶; and don’t He say: and Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty.⁷ Therefore, have confidence in Allah more than you have in other than Him. Place nothing in your soul except good, and you will be forgiven.⁸”

The Imam has mentioned the causes which hold back supplication and delay response and, in addition, he has urged (Muslims) to follow the morals of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them.

* The life of Imam 'Ali Bin Musa al-Rida. by: Baqir Sharif al-Qarashi. Translated by Jasim al-Rasheed

1- Muhajj al-Da'awat, p.73.
2- Muhajj al-Da'awat, p.320.
3- Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 368.
4- Ibid., p. 476.
5- Qur'an, 2, 186.
6- Ibid., 39, 53.
7- Ibid., 2, 268.
8- Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 489.