A Supplication For Forgiveness

It has been narrated from Imam Sadiq (A.S) that once a man came to Imam Ali (A.S) and said: “O’ Amir al-Mu’minin (Commander of the Believers)! I have some properties I have inherited and have not spent anything of it in the way of God. Teach me a supplication to repay my past and make my past and present deeds be forgiven. Imam replied: say. He asked: What should I say? Imam replied: “Say as I say”: 

يَا نُورِي فِي كُلِّ ظُلْمَةٍ وَيَا أُنْسِي فِي كُلِّ وَحْشَةٍ وَيَا رَجَائِي فِي كُلِّ كُرْبَةٍ وَيَا ثِقَتِي فِي كُلِّ شِدَّةةٍ وَيَا دَلِيلِي فِي الضَّلاَلَةِ أَنْتَ دَلِيلِي إِذَا انْقَطَعَتْ دَلاَلَةُ الْأَدِلَّاءِ فَإِنَّ دَلاَلَتَكَ لاَتَنْقَطِعُ وَلاَيَضِلُّ مَنْ هَدَيْتَتَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ فَأَسْبَغْتَ وَرَزَقْتَنِي فَوَفَّرْتَ وَغَذَّيْتَنِي فَأَحْسَنْتَ غِذَائِي وَأَعْطَيْتَنِي فَأَجْزَلْتَ بِلاَ اسْتِحْقَاقٍ لِذَلِكَ  بِفِعْلٍ مِنِّي وَلَكِنِ ابْتِدَاءً مِنْكَ لِكَرَمِكَ وَجُودِكَ فَتَقَوَّيْتُ بِكَرَمِكَ عَلَى مَعَاصِيكَ وَتَقَوَّيْتُ بِرِزْقِكَ عَلَى سَخَطِكَ وَأأَفْنَيْتُ عُمُرِي فِيَما لاَتُحِبُّ فَلَمْ يَمْنَعْكَ جُرْأَتِي عَلَيْكَ وَرُكُوبِي لِمَا نَهَيْتَنِي عَنْهُ وَدُخُولِي فِيَما حَرَّمْتَ عَلَيَّ أَنْ عُدْتَ عَلَيَّ بِفَضْلِكَ وَلَمْ يَمْنَعْنِي حِلْمُكَ عَنِّي وَعَوْدُكَ عَلَيَّ بِفَضْلِكَ أَنْ عُدْتُ فِي مَعَاصِيكَ فَأَنْتَ الْعَوَّادُ بِالْفَضْلِ وَأَنَا الْعَوَّادُ بِالْمَعَاصِي فَيَا أَكْرَمَ مَنْ أُقِرَّ لَهُ بِذَنْبٍ وَأَعَزَّ مَنْ خُضِعَ لَهُ بِذُلٍّ لِكَرَمِكَ أَقْرَرْتُ بِذَنْبِي وَلِعِزِّكَ خَضَعْتُ بِذُلِّي فَمَا أَنْتَ صَانِعٌ بِي فِي كَرَمِكَ وَإِقْرَارِي بِذَنْبِي وَعِزِّكَ وَخُضُوعِي بِذُلِّي افْعَلْ بِي مَا أَنْتتَ أَهْلُهُ وَلاَتَفْعَلْ بِي مَا أَنَا أَهْلُه. 

O’ my light in every darkness; O’ my intimate attachment in every horror; O’ my hope in every difficulty; O’ my support in every problem; O’ my guidance in every deviation; You are my guide when the guidance of the guides are cut off, because Your guidance is never discontinued and the guided person by You will not go astray.

You gave me blessings and blessed me bountifully; You gave me sustenance and it was a great generosity; You gave me my food and it was great; You blessed me and gave me generously without me deserving it by doing good deeds; rather, You began bestowing because of Your magnificence and grace; however, I became powerful because of Your magnificence, and I could oppose You because of the sustenance You gave me and I spent my life doing things You do not like.

But my guts and impudence on You, and doing whatever You forbade and prohibited did not stop You from bestowing and blessing. Again, Your patience and providence on me did not stop me from committing sins; so, You always return to grace and blessing, and I always return to mistakes and sins.

So, O’ the most beloved at whose presence one confessed their sins; O’ the most dear before whom one yielded; I confess my sins with the help of Your generosity, and before Your dignity, I humble helplessly. So, what do You do with me with Your providence while I confess my sins and I humble before You and Your glory? Do to me as You are worthy of it, and do not act upon what I deserve.

Al-Kafi (Islamic Edition), vol. 2, p. 595