O Generous One

  بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ  

کَریما، بِبَخْشای بَر حالِ ما

کِه هَسْتیم اَسیرِ کَمَنْدِ هَوا

(یا: کِه هَسْتیم گِرِفْتارِ کَمَنْدِ هَوا)

نَداریم غَیْر اَز تو فَریادْرَس

تُویی عاصِیان را خَطا بَخْش و بَس

نِگَه‌دار ما را زِ راهِ خَطا

خَطا دَرْگُذار و صَوابَم نَما  

  

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.

Four things not in your treasure

  بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

چار چیز آوَرْدِه‌اَم، یا رَبّ، کِه دَر گَنْجِ تو نیست

نیسْتی و حاجَت و عَجْز و گُناه آوَرْدِه‌اَم  

Meaning:

 

 Four things, I bring O Lord, that your treasure-troves lack:

Nothingness, Need, Inability and Sin- that is all I bring  

Language:

Persian/Farsi


Transliteration:

Chaar Cheez Awarda Am ya Rabbb, ki dar Ganj-e Tu Neest

Neesti-o Hajat-o Ajz-o Gunah Awarda Am

Video/Audio:

Brief Explanation:

The truly humble believer knows that he is weak, full of sin and handicapped by inability and devoid of a meaningful existence unless he/she truly surrenders to the Lord. At the same time, the believer is witty enough to realize that Allah is free from all such shortcomings, rather of all shortcomings altogether, and hence the wit behind the poem.

Background:

Legend has it that as Shams al-Dīn Muhammad Suzani Samarqandi (سوزنی سمرقندی) was approaching the end of his time here on earth, he uttered the lines above.