“You have ordered us to invoke You...
“You have ordered us to invoke You, and here we invoke You as You have ordered us.”[^3] And in the supplication of Abu Hamzeh ath-Thumali, we read:[^4] اَللّهُمّ وَأنْتَ القائِلُ وَقَوْلُكَ حَقٌّ وَوَعْدُكَ صِدْقٌ: “وَاسْأَلُوا اللهَ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ إنَّ اللهَ كَانَ بِكْلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيماً” “O Allah, You have said; -and Your saying and promise are the truth***-: (and ask Allah of His grace; surely Allah knows all things.
4:32)”*** In Kumeyl Supplication, Imam Ali (s) says: فَإنَّكَ قَضَيْتَ عَلَى عِبادِكَ بِعِبادَتِكَ وَأَمَرْتَهُمْ بِدُعائِكَ. “You have imposed on Your servants to worship You and You have ordered them to invoke You.” Imam Ali (S) says: اَلحَمْدُ للهِ الّذي مَرْضاتُهُ في الطَّلَبِ إلَيْهِ وَإلْتِماسِ ما لَدَيْهِ وَسَخَطُهُ في تَرْكِ الإلْحاحِ في المَسْألَةِ عَلَيْهِ.
“Praise be to Allah, Whose contentment is in invoking Him and asking for what He has and Whose discontent is in not insisting on invoking Him.”[^5] The Third Stage This is the status of those who are silent and who exemplify the following expression: حَسْبي مِنْ سُؤالي عِلْمُهُ بِحالي. “I dispense with invoking Allah for it suffices me that He is aware of my state.”[^6]52 A supplicant sees that this is his guideline.
Imam Husayn (s) says: أغْتَني بِتَدْبِيرِكَ لِي عَنْ تَدبِيرِي وَبِاخْتِيارِكَ عَن اخْتِيارِي. “O my Lord, Your managing my affairs suffices me rather than my management and Your choice to me is better than mine to myself.”[^7]53 Such a person will have no request at all and he will be content with what Allah is content with. This is the same as “the status of being content”, which is the characteristic of God's true believers.
These people have excelled in servitude and have tasted being God's genuine servants and they will not compare any pleasure with being at the service of Allah. In such a status, we come across many supplications narrated from our infallible imams (s), who have given people the best kind of education. We read in the Sha'baniyyah supplication: فَقَدْ هَرَبْتُ إلَيكَ وَوَقَفْتُ بَينَ يَدَيْكَ مُسْتَكِيناً لَكَ. “I have escaped to You.
I have stopped before You submitting to You.” Imam as-Sajjad (s) says: إلِهي أنْتَ الفاعِلُ لِما تَشاءُ, تُعَذّبُ مَنْ تَشاءُ كَيْفَ تَشاءُ وَتَرْحَمُ مَنْ تَشاءُ بِما تَشاءُ كَيْفَ تَشاءُ, لا تُسْئَلُ عَنْ فَعْلِكَ. “O my Lord, You do whatever You like. You torture whomever You like and however You like and have mercy upon whomever You like, with whatever You like and however You like.
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