«الْفَتْحُ فِتْنَةٌ، وَالْمَنْعُ رَحْمَةٌ»
Fear for the Blessing
Not to the Gift, but to the Giver
A supplication of fear — not for the loss of the world, but lest we cling to the gift and forget the Giver, lest praise turn into a portion for the self, lest we return to claim after effacement: «do not entrust us to ourselves for the blink of an eye». With the Arabic original, transliteration, and English translation.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Bismillâhi’r-rahmâni’r-rahîm
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.
اَللّٰهُمَّ يَا مَنْ رَدَدْتَ الْقَلْبَ إِلَيْكَ بَعْدَ تِيهِهِ، وَأَذَقْتَهُ حَلَاوَةَ الرُّجُوعِ بَعْدَ غَفْلَتِهِ، وَجَعَلْتَ الدُّعَاءَ لَهُ بَيْتًا بَعْدَ وَحْشَتِهِ؛ لَا تَكِلْهُ إِلَى نَفْسِهِ طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ.
Allâhümme yâ men radedte’l-kalbe ileyke ba‘de tîhih, ve ezaktehû halâvete’r-rucûi ba‘de gafletih, ve cealte’d-duâe lehû beyten ba‘de vahşetih; lâ tekilhü ilâ nefsihî tarfete ayn.
O Allah — You who returned the heart to You after its wandering, and made it taste the sweetness of return after its heedlessness, and made supplication a home for it after its desolation: do not entrust it to itself for the blink of an eye.
يَا رَبِّ، إِنَّا لَا نَخَافُ ضَيَاعَ الدُّنْيَا، وَلَا نَخَافُ فَوَاتَ الْمَالِ، وَلَا نَخَافُ انْغِلَاقَ الْأَبْوَابِ، وَلٰكِنَّا نَخَافُ أَنْ نَغْفَلَ عَمَّنْ فَتَحَ، وَأَنْ نَتَعَلَّقَ بِمَا فَتَحَ، وَأَنْ نَنْسَى أَنَّ الْفَتْحَ فِتْنَةٌ كَمَا أَنَّ الْمَنْعَ رَحْمَةٌ.
Yâ Rabbi, innâ lâ nehâfü dayâa’d-dünyâ, ve lâ nehâfü fevâte’l-mâl, ve lâ nehâfü inğilâka’l-ebvâb, ve lâkinnâ nehâfü en nağfele ammen feteh, ve en neteallaka bimâ feteh, ve en nensâ enne’l-fethe fitnetün kemâ enne’l-men‘a rahmeh.
O Lord — we do not fear the loss of the world, nor the passing of wealth, nor the closing of doors; but we fear that we grow heedless of the One who opened, and cling to what He opened, and forget that the opening is a trial just as the withholding is a mercy.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنْ كُنَّا قَدْ ذُقْنَا مِنْ قُرْبِكَ شَيْئًا، فَلَا تَجْعَلْنَا بَعْدَهُ مِنَ الْمَحْرُومِينَ. وَإِنْ كُنَّا قَدْ عَرَفْنَا طَرِيقَ الرُّجُوعِ، فَلَا تَطْرُدْنَا عَنْ بَابِكَ بِغُرُورِنَا. وَإِنْ كُنَّا قَدْ قُلْنَا: اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ، فَلَا تَجْعَلِ الْحَمْدَ حُجَّةً عَلَيْنَا إِذَا طَلَبْنَا فِيهِ حَظًّا لِأَنْفُسِنَا.
Allâhümme in künnâ kad zuknâ min kurbike şey’en, felâ tec‘alnâ ba‘dehû mine’l-mahrûmîn. Ve in künnâ kad arafnâ tarîka’r-rucûi, felâ tetrudnâ an bâbike biğurûrinâ. Ve in künnâ kad kulnâ: el-hamdü lillâh, felâ tec‘ali’l-hamde hücceten aleynâ izâ talebnâ fîhi hazzan lienfüsinâ.
O Allah — if we have tasted anything of Your nearness, do not make us thereafter among the deprived. If we have come to know the path of return, do not drive us from Your door by our vanity. And if we have said “al-hamdu lillâh,” do not make that praise a proof against us when we seek in it a portion for ourselves.
يَا مَنْ يُقَلِّبُ الْقُلُوبَ، ثَبِّتْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى دِينِكَ. وَيَا مَنْ يَصْرِفُ الْقُلُوبَ، صَرِّفْ قُلُوبَنَا إِلَى طَاعَتِكَ. وَيَا مَنْ يَرُدُّ الْعَبْدَ إِلَيْهِ، رُدَّنَا إِلَيْكَ رَدًّا جَمِيلًا، لَا رَدًّا بِالْكَسْرِ، بَلْ رَدًّا بِاللُّطْفِ، لَا رَدًّا بِالْحِرْمَانِ، بَلْ رَدًّا بِالرَّحْمَةِ.
Yâ men yükallibü’l-kulûb, sebbit kulûbenâ alâ dînik. Ve yâ men yasrifü’l-kulûb, sarrif kulûbenâ ilâ tâatik. Ve yâ men yeruddü’l-abde ileyh, ruddenâ ileyke redden cemîlâ, lâ redden bi’l-kesr, bel redden bi’l-lutf, lâ redden bi’l-hırmân, bel redden bi’r-rahmeh.
O Turner of hearts — make our hearts firm upon Your religion. O You who direct the hearts — turn our hearts toward Your obedience. O You who returns the servant to Himself — return us to You with a beautiful returning: not a returning by breaking, but by gentleness; not a returning by deprivation, but by mercy.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْ خَوْفَنَا مِنْكَ نُورًا، لَا يَأْسًا. وَاجْعَلْ وَجَلَنَا مِنْكَ أَدَبًا، لَا قُنُوطًا. وَاجْعَلْ خَشْيَتَنَا مِنْكَ حِفْظًا، لَا هَلَعًا.
Allâhümme’c‘al havfenâ minke nûran, lâ ye’sâ. Ve’c‘al vecelenâ minke edeben, lâ kunûtâ. Ve’c‘al haşyetenâ minke hıfzan, lâ helaâ.
O Allah — make our fear of You a light, not despair. Make our awe of You an adab, not hopelessness. Make our dread of You a safeguard, not panic.
رَبَّنَا، لَا تَسْلُبْ مِنَّا مَا عَرَّفْتَنَا، وَلَا تَحْجُبْ عَنَّا مَا أَذَقْتَنَا، وَلَا تَرُدَّنَا إِلَى ظُلْمَةٍ بَعْدَ نُورٍ، وَلَا إِلَى غَفْلَةٍ بَعْدَ ذِكْرٍ، وَلَا إِلَى دَعْوَى بَعْدَ مَحْوٍ، وَلَا إِلَى أَنَانِيَّةٍ بَعْدَ حَمْدٍ.
Rabbenâ, lâ teslüb minnâ mâ arraftenâ, ve lâ tahcüb annâ mâ ezaktenâ, ve lâ teruddenâ ilâ zulmetin ba‘de nûr, ve lâ ilâ gafletin ba‘de zikr, ve lâ ilâ da‘vâ ba‘de mahv, ve lâ ilâ enâniyyetin ba‘de hamd.
Our Lord — do not strip from us what You have made us know, do not veil from us what You have made us taste, and do not return us to darkness after light, nor to heedlessness after remembrance, nor to claim after effacement, nor to ego-self after praise.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنَّا نَخَافُ أَنْ نُحِبَّ النِّعْمَةَ أَكْثَرَ مِنَ الْمُنْعِمِ، وَنَخَافُ أَنْ نَفْرَحَ بِالْفَتْحِ وَنَنْسَى الْفَتَّاحَ، وَنَخَافُ أَنْ نَطْمَئِنَّ إِلَى مَا فِي أَيْدِينَا وَنَغْفَلَ عَمَّنْ قَلْبُنَا بِيَدِهِ.
Allâhümme innâ nehâfü en nuhibbe’n-ni‘mete eksere mine’l-mün‘ım, ve nehâfü en nefraha bi’l-fethi ve nensa’l-fettâh, ve nehâfü en natmainne ilâ mâ fî eydînâ ve nağfele ammen kalbünâ biyedih.
O Allah — we fear that we might love the blessing more than the Giver; we fear that we might rejoice in the opening and forget the Opener; and we fear that we might grow secure in what is in our hands and become heedless of the One in whose hand our heart is.
فَاحْفَظْنَا مِنَّا، وَاحْفَظْنَا بِكَ، وَاحْفَظْنَا لَكَ، وَلَا تَجْعَلْنَا مِمَّنْ أُعْطُوا فَنَسُوا، وَلَا مِمَّنْ فُتِحَ لَهُمْ فَاغْتَرُّوا، وَلَا مِمَّنْ تَكَلَّمُوا بِالْحَمْدِ ثُمَّ طَلَبُوا بِهِ مَنْزِلَةً عِنْدَ النَّاسِ.
Fahfaznâ minnâ, va’hfaznâ bik, va’hfaznâ lek, ve lâ tec‘alnâ mimmen u‘tû fenesû, ve lâ mimmen fütiha lehüm fağterrû, ve lâ mimmen tekellemû bi’l-hamdi sümme talebû bihî menzileten inde’n-nâs.
So protect us from ourselves, protect us by You, and protect us for You. Do not make us among those who were given and then forgot, nor among those to whom it was opened and then grew deluded, nor among those who spoke with praise and then sought by it a rank in the sight of people.
يَا رَبِّ، إِنْ أَعْطَيْتَ فَثَبِّتْنَا، وَإِنْ مَنَعْتَ فَارْضِنَا، وَإِنْ قَرَّبْتَ فَأَدِّبْنَا، وَإِنْ حَذَّرْتَ فَأَيْقِظْنَا، وَإِنْ كَشَفْتَ لَنَا حَظَّ نُفُوسِنَا فَلَا تَفْضَحْنَا، بَلْ اسْتُرْنَا، وَطَهِّرْنَا، وَرُدَّنَا إِلَيْكَ.
Yâ Rabbi, in a‘tayte fesebbitnâ, ve in mena‘te fardınâ, ve in karrabte feeddibnâ, ve in hazzerte feeykıznâ, ve in keşefte lenâ hazza nüfûsinâ felâ tefdahnâ, beli’stürnâ, ve tahhirnâ, ve ruddenâ ileyk.
O Lord — if You give, make us firm; if You withhold, make us content; if You bring near, discipline us; if You warn, awaken us; and if You reveal to us the portion of our egos, do not disgrace us — but veil us, purify us, and return us to You.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْنَا نَخَافُكَ كَأَنَّنَا نَرَاكَ، وَنَرْجُوكَ كَأَنَّنَا لَا نَرَى إِلَّا رَحْمَتَكَ، وَنَحْمَدُكَ كَأَنَّ الْحَمْدَ آخِرُ مَا نَمْلِكُ، وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْكَ كَأَنَّنَا لَا نَمْلِكُ شَيْئًا أَصْلًا.
Allâhümme’c‘alnâ nehâfüke keennenâ nerâk, ve nercûke keennenâ lâ nerâ illâ rahmetek, ve nahmedüke keenne’l-hamde âhıru mâ nemlik, ve netevekkelü aleyke keennenâ lâ nemlikü şey’en aslâ.
O Allah — make us fear You as though we see You, and hope in You as though we see nothing but Your mercy, and praise You as though praise is the last thing we possess, and rely upon You as though we possess nothing at all.
حَسْبُنَا اللّٰهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ، نِعْمَ الْمَوْلَى وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيرُ.
Hasbünallâhü ve ni‘me’l-vekîl, ni‘me’l-mevlâ ve ni‘me’n-nasîr.
Allah is sufficient for us, and what an excellent Guardian; what an excellent Master and what an excellent Helper.