O Generous One

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

  

 کریما ببخشای بر حال ما

 که هستیم اسیر (گرفتار) کمند هوا

 نداریم غیر از تو فریاد رس

 تویی عاصیان را خطا بخش و بس

 نگهدار ما را ز راه خطا

 خطا درگذار و صوابم نما

  

Meaning: 

 O Generous One! Pardon our condition

For we are captives in the snare of our desires!  

We have none other than You whom we can call upon for help! 

You alone are the Forgiver of sinners

Guard over us/Protect us from the path of sin

Pardon our mistakes, and guide us to righteousness. 

 

Language:

Persian/Farsi

Transliteration:

Kareema bi bakhshai bar haale-maa 

Ki hastam aseeray kamanday hawaa 

Nadareem Ghair Az Tu Faryaad Ras 

Tui Aasiyan Ra Khata Baksh wa bas 

Nigahdar Ma Ra ZeRaahe Khata 

Khata Dar Guzaar wa Sawabam Numa

  

Video/Audio:

Brief Explanation:

The prayer to the Most Generous one asks for forgiveness, realising that us humans are easily waylaid by our desires unless protected by the Lord, Who else but Him, and goes further to seek protection from sins and asks for guidance.

Background:

These lines are the beginning of Saadi Shirazi's Pandnamah, or Scroll of Wisdom, and it is often known as  "Kareema"  due to these lines Kareemaa bi bakhshai bar haale maa . In South Asia, this is one of the first encounter with Persian poetry for any scholar interested in delving into the rich mother-lode of oriental wisdom.  It is also considered a blessing to study the poem as it is a prayer as well.