Litany of Imam Ali

Glory be to Him Whose signs never perish.

Glory be to Him Whose reserves never downgrade.

Glory be to Him Whose honor never vanishes.

Glory be to Him Whose possessions never run out.

Glory be to Him Whose duration (of existence) is never interrupted.

Glory be to Him Who never betakes to Himself a partner in His affairs.

Glory be to Him save Whom there is no god.

Thereafter, say the following supplicatory prayer:

O He who overlooks sins and does not inflict punishment in return,

(please) have mercy on Your servant, O Allah,

that is I myself, that is I myself.

I am Your servant, O my Chief,

I am Your servant; I am at Your disposal; O my Lord.

O my God, in the name of Your Being, O my Hope,

O my All-beneficent, O my Supporter,

Your servant, Your servant, has no strategy.

O Ultimate of my desire!

O He Who makes blood run into the veins of Your slave!

O my Chief, O my Master!

O He Who is Unique! O He Who is Unique! O my Lord!

I—Your servant, Your servant—

have no strategy and I cannot avail myself

and I have no control over loss or over profit.

I do not find anyone from whom I may seek help;

so, all profitable avenues have been blocked,

and all my expectations have turned into disappointments.

Helpless and forsaken I came to You,

So, I have presented myself before You in this current stand.

O my God, You are aware of all that which I speak about.

So, how would You deal with me?

If I but knew how would You dispense with my prayer?

Would You say, ‘Yes’ or ‘No’?

If You say ‘No,’ then I am ruined! I am ruined! I am ruined!

Woe to me! Woe to me! Woe to me!

Oh my misery! Oh my misery! Oh my misery!

Oh my ill-luck! Oh my ill-luck! Oh my ill-luck!

To whom? By Whom?

From whom? How? What?

In which place to take shelter?

For whom shall I hope?

Who shall bestow upon me with his favor when You forsake me?

O Liberal in forgiveness!

But if You say ‘Yes,’ as I expect You to say and as I desire from You,

then joy is for me, I am successful, I am happy;

then joy is for me, I will receive (Your) mercy.

O Ever-merciful! O Ever-compassionate!

O Ever-sympathetic! O Ever-commiserating!

O Ever-sovereign! O Just!

I lack any act due to which I can attain achievement of my desire.

I thus beseech You in the name of Your Name which You have reserved in the innermost of Your Hidden Knowledge

and it has thus settled with You so firmly that nothing of it can come out from You to any other thing.

I beseech You by it and by You, for it is certainly the most exalted and honored of Your Names.

I have nothing to mention except this,

and no one can be more beneficent to me than You.

O Absolute Being! O Creator of creation!

O He Who has introduced Himself to me!

O He Who has commanded me to obey Him!

O He Who has warned me against disobeying Him!

O He Who is besought! O He Who is pleaded!

O He Who is desired!

I have overlooked Your instructions, which You gave me and have not obeyed You.

If I obeyed You in what You have ordered me, You would certainly grant my requests that I am presenting before You.

In spite of my transgression, I am hopeful for You.

So, do not let my hope remain unfulfilled.

O He Who always has mercy upon me, keep me safe, under Your protection, from (all evils that are) before me, behind me,

above me, below me,

and from all sides that surround me.

O Allah, [I beseech You] in the name of Muhammad, my master,

and [in the name of] `Ali, my chief,

and [in the names of] the orthodox Imams (leaders), peace be upon them,

(please) bestow upon us with Your blessings, compassions, and mercy;

and grant us expansive shares of Your sustenance;

and help us repay our debts and settle all our needs,

O Allah, O Allah, O Allah.

Verily, You have full power over all things.