Another responsibility is to supplicate to Allah and thank Him for placing us amongst the lovers, friends, and true Shi’a of the Imam both in this world and the next.
As we know, the only way true success can be achieved in either of the two worlds is through friendship and love for the Imam and to be recognized as his Shi’a.
In this regards, there are many supplications which can be recited, including Du’a al-’Ahd (The Supplication of the Pact) 1 which is as follows:
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
أَللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ النُّورِ الْعَظِيمِ وَ رَبَّ الْكُرْسِيِّ الرَّفِيعِ وَ رَبَّ الْبَحْرِ الْـمَسْجُورِ وَ مُنْزِلَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَ الإِنْجِيلِ وَ الزَّبُورِ وَ رَبَّ الظِّلِّ وَ الْـحَرُورِ وُ مُـنْزِلَ الْقُرْآنِ العَظِيمِ و رَبَّ الْـمَلآئِكَةِ الْـمُقَرَّبِينَ وَ الأَنْـبِيآءِ وَ الْـمُرْسَلِينَ
“O’Allah! Lord of the Great Light, Lord of the Exalted Throne, Lord of the tempestuous sea, the Revealer of the Taurat, the Injil and the Zabur; Lord of the shade and the heat; the Revealer of the great Qur`an, Lord of the Honoured Angels, the Prophets and the Messengers.
أَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْئَلُكَ بِوَجْهِكَ الْكَرِيـمِ وَ بِنُورِ وَجْهِكَ الْـمُنِيرِ وَ مُلْكِكَ الْقَدِيـمِ يَا حَيُّ يَا قَيُّومُ أَسْئَلُكَ بِاسْمِكَ الَّذِي أَشْرَقَتْ بِهِ السَّمٰوَاتُ وَ الأَرْضُونَ وَ بِاسْمِكَ الَّذِي يَصْلُحُ بِهِ الأَوَّلُونَ وَ الآخِرُونَ يَا حَيًّا قَبْلَ كُلِّ حَيٍّ وَ يَا حَـيًّا بَعْدَ كُلِّ حَيٍّ وَ يَا حَـيًّا حِينَ لاَ حَيَّ يَا مُحْيِـيَ الْمَوْتَى وَ مُـمِيتَ الأَحْيَآءِ يَا حَيُّ لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ
O’ Allah I ask you by your benevolent countenance and by the illumination of your brilliance and your eternal kingdom. O’ the Ever-Living, O’ the Self Subsisting! I ask you through your Name by which the heavens and the earth are illuminated, and through your Name by which the predecessors and the successors are reformed.
O’ the Ever-Living before any living thing existed, and the Ever-Living even after all life will cease. O’ Ever-Living even when there was no life at all, O’ One Who gives life to the dead and brings death to the living, O’ Ever-Living, there is none worthy of worship except you.
أَللّٰهُمَّ بَلِّغْ مَوْلاَنَا الإِمَامَ الْـهَادِيَ الْـمَهْدِيَّ الْقَائِمَ بِأَمْرِكَ صَلَوَاتُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ وَ عَلىٰ أَبآئِهِ الطَّاهِرِينَ عَنْ جَمِيعِ الْـمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ الْـمُؤْمِنَاتِ فِي مَشَارِقِ الأَرْضِ وَ مَغَارِبِهَا سَهْلِهَا وَ جَبَلِهَا وَ بَرِّهَا و بَحْرِهَا وَ عَنِّي وَ عَنْ وَالِدَيَّ مِنَ الصَّلَوَاتِ زِنَةَ عَرْشِ اللهِ وَ مِدَادَ كَلِمَاتِهِ وَ مَا أَحْصَاهُ عِلْمُهُ وَ أَحَاطَ بِهِ كِتَابُهُ
O’ Allah, convey to our Master, the Imam, the guide, the guided, the establisher of Your authority, may Your blessings be on him and his pure forefathers, from all the believing men and women, in the east and the west of the world, in the plains and on the mountains, on the lands and in the sea, and from me and my parents, the blessings that are equal in weight to the Throne of Allah, the ink of His words and such as only encompassed by His knowledge and covered by His book.
أَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُجَدِّدُ لَهُ فِي صَـبِيحَةِ يَوْمِي هٰذَا وَ مَا عِشْتُ مِنْ أَيَّامِي عَهْداً وَ عَقْداً وَ بَيْعَةً لَهُ فِي عُـنُقِي لاَ أَحُولُ عَنْهَا وَ لاَ أَزُولُ أَبَداً
O’ Allah, I renew on the dawn of this day and all the remaining days of my life, my pledge, covenant and allegiance to him, which I shall neither contravene, nor neglect ever.
أَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِنْ أَنْصَارِهِ وَ أَعْوَانِهِ وَ الذَّابِّينَ عَنْهُ وَ الْـمُسَارِعِينَ إِلَيْهِ فِي قَضَاءِ حَوَائِجِهِ وَ الْـمُمْتَثِلِينَ لِأَوَامِرِهِ وَ الْـمُحَامِينَ عَنْهُ وَ السَّابِقِينَ إِلـىٰ إِرَادَتِهِ وَ الْـمُسْتَشْهَدِينَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ
O’ Allah include me among his helpers, supporters, protectors, those fulfilling his commands, his defenders, the fore-runners to carry out his wishes and those to be martyred in his presence.
أَللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ حَالَ بَـيْنِي وَ بَيْنَهُ الْـمَوْتُ الَّذِي جَعَلْتَهُ عَلىٰ عِبَادِكَ حَتْماً مَقْضِيًّا فَأَخْرِجْنِي مِنْ قَبْرِي مُؤْتَزِراً كَفَنِي، شَاهِراً سَيْفِي، مُجَرِّداً قَنَاتِي، مُلَبِّياً دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِي فِي الْـحَاضِرِ وَ الْبَادِي
O’ Allah should death come between me and his reappearance the death which You have made inevitable on your servants then bring me out from my grave covered in my shroud, my sword unsheathed, my spear poised, responding to the call of the caller in the cities and the deserts.
أَللّٰهُمَّ أَرِنِي الطَّلْعَةَ الرَّشِيدَةَ وَ الْغُرَّةَ الْـحَمِيدَةَ وَاكْحُلْ نَاظِرِي بِنَظْرَةٍ مِنِّي إِلَيْهِ وَ عَجِّلْ فَرَجَهُ وَ سَهِّلْ مَـخْرَجَهُ وَ أَوْسِعْ مَنْهَجَهُ وَاسْلُكْ بِي مَـحَجَّتَهُ وَ أَنْفِذْ أَمْرَهُ وَاشْدُدْ أَزْرَهُ
O’ Allah grace me with a sight of the appearance of one rightly guided and the finest of the praise-worthy, and cool my eyes with a glance towards him, and hasten his return; ease his re-appearance; widen his course; lead me onto his path; cause his orders to be executed, and strengthen his back.
وَاعْمُرِ اللّٰهُمَّ بِهِ بِلاَدَكَ وَ أَحْيِ بِهِ عِبَادَكَ فَإِنَّكَ قُلْتَ وَ قَوْلُكَ الْحَقُّ ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَ الْبَحْرِ بِـمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ
O’ Allah populate your cities through him and revive your servants by him, for indeed you have said and your words are true: “Corruption has appeared in land and sea on account of what the hands of the people have wrought.” (Al-Qur`an 30:41)
فَأَظْهِرِ اللّٰهُمَّ لَنَا وَلِيَّكَ وَابْنَ بِنْتِ نَبِيِّكَ الْـمُسَمَّىٰ بِاسْمِ رَسُولِكَ حَتّٰى لاَ يَظْفَرَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ إِلاَّ مَزَّقَهُ وَ يُحِقَّ الْـحَقَّ وَ يُحَقِّقَهُ
O’ Allah make appear for us your friend and the son of the daughter of your Prophet who bears the name of Your Messenger, until nothing false remains but that he destroys all of it and manifests the truth fully and implements it.
وَاجْعَلْهُ اللّٰهُمَّ مَفْزَعاً لِـمَظْلُومِ عِبَادِكَ وَ نَاصِراً لِـمَنْ لاَ يَجِدُ لَهُ نَاصِراً غَيْرَكَ وَ مُجَدِّداً لِـمَا عُطِّلَ مِنْ أَحْكَامِ كِتَابِكَ وَ مُشَيِّداً لـِمَا وَرَدَ مِنْ أَعْلاَمِ دِيـنِكَ وَ سُنَنِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ
O’ Allah! Make him a refuge for your oppressed servants; a helper for him who has no other helper besides you, a reviver of the commandments of your book which have been neglected; the strengthener of the teachings of your religion, and the traditions of Your Prophet. May Allah’s blessing be upon him and his progeny.
وَاجْعَلْهُ اللّٰهُمَّ مِـمَّنْ حَصَّنْـتَهُ مِنْ بَأْسِ الْـمُعْتَدِينَ
O’ Allah place him among those whom you have protected from the evil of the transgressors.
أَللّٰهُمَّ وَ سُرَّ نَبِيَّكَ مُحَمَّداً صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ بِرُؤْيَتِهِ وَ مَنْ تَبِعَهُ عَلىٰ دَعْوَتِهِ وَارْحَمِ اسْتِكَانَتَناَ بَعْدَهُ
O’ Allah please Your Prophet Muhammad, may the blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny, and those who accept the invitation of the Imam and have mercy on our state of abasement after his appearance.
أَللّٰهُمَّ اكْشِفْ هٰذِهِ الغُمَّةَ عَنْ هٰذِهِ الأُمَّةِ بِحُضُورِهِ وَ عَجِّلْ لَنَا ظُهُورَهُ إِنَّـهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ بَعِيداً وَ نَرَاهُ قَرِيباً بِرَحْـمَتِكَ يَا أَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمينَ
O’ Allah remove this grief from this Ummah by his presence and hasten his reappearance for “verily they (the hypocrites) regard it to be distant and we see it very near” (al-Qur`an 70:6-7) by Your mercy, O’ the Most Merciful.”
One should then strike one’s right hand on the right thigh three times, and each time recites the following:
أَلْعَجَلَ أَلْعَجَلَ يَا مَوْلاَيَ يَا صَاحِبَ الزَّمَانِ
“Hasten, Hasten, O’ my Master O’ Master of the time.”
It has been narrated that after Prophet Ibrahim saw the celestial lights of the fourteen Infallibles, he said to Allah:
إِلٌـهِي وَ سَيِّدِي أَرَى عِدَّةَ أَنْوَارٍ حَوْلَهُمْ لاَ يُحْصِي عِدَّتَهُمْ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ. قَالَ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ هٌؤُلاَءِ شِيعَتُهُمْ وَ مُحِبُّوهُمْ. قَالَ إِلٌـهِي وَ بِـمَا يُعْرَفُونَ شِيعَتُهُمْ وَ مُحِبُّوهُمْ؟ قَالَ بِصَلاَةِ الإِحْدى وَ الْخَمْسِينَ وَ الْجَهْرِ بِبِسْمِ اللٌّهِ الرَّحْمٌنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَ الْقُنُوتِ قَبْلَ الرُّكُوعِ وَ سَجْدَةِ الشُكْرِ وَ الْتَّخَتُّمِ بِالْيَمِينِ. قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ: أَللٌّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِنْ شِيعَتِهِمْ وَ مُحِبِّيهِمْ. قَالَ قَدْ جَعَلْتُكَ فَأَنْـزَلَ اللٌّهُ فِيهِ: وَ إِنَّ مِــنْ شِيعَتِهِ لَإِبْرَاهِيمَ إِذْ جَـــاءَ رَبَّهُ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
“O’ my Lord and my Master! I see lights encircling around these (fourteen celestial lights) of which none know the number except You!” Allah replied: “O’ Ibrahim! These are their Shi’a and their lovers (of the Ahlul Bayt).” Ibrahim said: “O’ my Lord! How are their Shi’a and lovers known?”
Allah replied: “Through their fifty-one Rak’at of Salat their pronouncing the phrase In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful out loud (in their Salat); their performance of the Qunut before going into the Ruku’, the prostration of thanks and wearing a ring on their right hand.”
Ibrahim then said: “O’ Allah! Please place me among their Shi’a and their lovers (too).” Allah replied to him: “I have placed you among them.” At this point, Allah revealed the following, [And surely from amongst their Shi’a was Ibrahim when he went into the presence of his Lord with a pure and submissive heart (Qalb-e-Saleem).]2
- 1.This supplication is mentioned in Biharul Anwar, vol. 102, pg. 110, sec. 7. It can also be seen in Mafatih al-Jinan after Du’a al-Nudbah and we have also included it in this responsibility.
- 2.Biharul Anwar, vol. 36, pg. 213, sec. 40, no. 15