From Book Rabeeul Anam
18. His (a.t.f.s.) Supplication for Salvation from Difficulties and Sorrows, famous as (دعاء الفرج) Abul Hasan Ibn Abi al-Boghl al-Kaatib chronicles, ‘Abu Mansoor Ibn al-Saalehaan entrusted me with some work. In the course of this work, something happened between me and him, which forced me to go into hiding. He searched for me and threatened me, but I continued to stay in hiding, fearing for my life. On the eve of Friday, I went to the Graves of the Quraish (مقابر قريش)’ (till he says), ‘I continued to remain in this state, when I heard the sound of some foot steps approaching me at the grave of Imam Moosa al-Kazem (a.s.) (in Kaazmayn, a suburb of Baghdad). There was a man, who was reciting this Ziyaarat (till he said), ‘He said to me: O Abul Hasan Ibn Abi al-Boghl! Why are you negligent of ‘supplication for salvation’? I asked, ‘And what is it, O my master?’ He explained, ‘Perform two units of prayers and say above dua with few changs as follows
رَبَّاهُ - 10 times
يَا سَيِّدَاهُ - 10 times
يَا مَوْلَيَاهُ - 10 times
يَا غَايَتَاهُ - 10 times
يَا مُنْتَهٰى رَغْبَتَاهُ - 10 times
Incident Thirty: Dua Faraj taught by Imam Asr (a.s.) from An Najmus Saaqib
Sayyid Raziuddin Ali bin Taaoos, in the book of Farajul Mahmoon,2 and Allamah Majlisi in the book of Behaarul Anwaar3 have quoted from the book of Dalaael4 of Shaykh Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Jarir Tabari that he said: Informed me Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Harun bin Moosa Talakbari that: Abul Husain bin Abul Baghl Katib said:
I took on a duty from Abu Mansoor Ibne Salihan and then something happened between me and him that caused me going into hiding. He asked for me and threatened me. I waited in hiding with fear and then went to the graveyard of Quraish in Baghdad on a Friday eve. I intended to spend the night there, praying and supplicating It was a windy, rainy night. I asked Abu Ja’far, the custodian, to lock the doors and make sure there remains no one, so I may pray and supplicate in solitude and be safe from the entrance of anyone, because I was fearful and did not feel safe. He did that and locked the doors. Half past the night, the winds and rains were so powerful that they made sure no one came to the place, I stayed praying and reciting Ziyarat, and worshipping. As I was like that, I heard footsteps there before the tomb of our Master Moosa (a.s.); there was a man reciting Ziyarat. He greeted Adam, and the other great prophets, peace be with them, and then the Imams, one after the other until he reached the Master of the Age (a.s.), he did not mention him. I much wondered and said perhaps he has forgotten or he does not know or maybe this is his belief.
When he finished his Ziyarat, he offered two rakats of prayers. I was fearful of him, since I did not know him. He seemed a full young man, appareled in white clothes, wearing a turban with its end coming down under his chin and going over his shoulder, with braided hair, and had a cloak with long threads at its margins on his shoulder. He said: “O Abu Husain Ibne Abul Baghal, why are you not reading the supplication of Faraj?” “And which supplication is that, my master?” I asked. He said: “Pray two rakats, and say:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. O He, Who reveals virtue, O He, Who conceals vice, O He, Who does not call to severe account for sins, O He, Who does not disclose the disgrace of His servants, O He, Who is the best forgiver, O He, Who overlooks errancy, O He, Whose forgiveness extends over all, O He, Whose Hands are stretched forth in mercy, O He, Who knows all secrets, O He, to Whom all complaints are directed. O one, who is the helper of every seeker. O one, who bestows to one before one becomes deserving. Then say ten times:
O Lord And the extreme end of the desires
Then say:
I ask You through these I ask You and by the right of Muhammad and his purified progeny (a.s.). Except that You remove my sorrow and grief and improve my circumstances.
And then you ask for your desire and ask your wish and then you put your right cheek on the earth and say one hundred times
in your Sajdah:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. O Muhammad, O Ali, O Ali, O Muhammad; suffice for me as you two are sufficient and help me as you two are helpers. Place your left cheek on the earth and say one hundred times: Reach me.
…and repeat it over and over and you say:
Refuge, refuge!
…until you run out of breath and then raise your head. Allah will fulfill your wish through His generosity.”
As I applied myself to the prayers and supplications, he left. When I was finished, I decided to go out to Abu Ja’far to ask him about the man and how he had entered. I saw all the doors had been locked the way they were. I was perplexed much and said perhaps he had spent the night there and I had not realized. I found Abu Ja’far, the custodian. He came out to me from his room. I asked him about the gentleman and his entrance. He said: “The doors are locked as you see them. I have not opened them.” I told him about the incident. He said: “This is our master, the Master of the Age, (a.s.). I have seen him many times in the nights like this when there was no one in the shrine.” I became very sad for the opportunity I had missed. I exited near dawn and went to Karkh towards the place where I was hiding. It was but the daybreak when men of Ibne Salihan were begging to meet me and asking my friends about me.
They were carrying a written pledge of protection from the minister and a slip in his handwriting having every pleasant thing. I went to him with a trustworthy friend of mine. He rose and embraced me and treated me in a way that I had never seen from him before. He said: “Have things worsened so much for you that you had to complain about me to the Master of the Age (a.s.)? I said: “I simply prayed and supplicated.” “I saw my master the Master of the Age,” he replied, “in my dream last night.” He meant the Friday eve. “He was ordering me to do every good deed and expressed a dislike to me that frightened me.”
I said: “La ilaaha illa Allah! I bear witness that they are the truth and the pinnacle of righteousness. Last night I saw our master, while I was awake. And he asked me to do such and such things.” I explained to him what I had seen in the shrine. He was astounded. Great favors he did to me with this respect and reached a level I did not anticipate; all of this being from the blessings of our master, the Master of the Age.
Sayyid Raziuddin Ali bin Taaoos, in the book of Farajul Mahmoon,2 and Allamah Majlisi in the book of Behaarul Anwaar3 have quoted from the book of Dalaael4 of Shaykh Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Jarir Tabari that he said: Informed me Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Harun bin Moosa Talakbari that: Abul Husain bin Abul Baghl Katib said:
I took on a duty from Abu Mansoor Ibne Salihan and then something happened between me and him that caused me going into hiding. He asked for me and threatened me. I waited in hiding with fear and then went to the graveyard of Quraish in Baghdad on a Friday eve. I intended to spend the night there, praying and supplicating It was a windy, rainy night. I asked Abu Ja’far, the custodian, to lock the doors and make sure there remains no one, so I may pray and supplicate in solitude and be safe from the entrance of anyone, because I was fearful and did not feel safe. He did that and locked the doors. Half past the night, the winds and rains were so powerful that they made sure no one came to the place, I stayed praying and reciting Ziyarat, and worshipping. As I was like that, I heard footsteps there before the tomb of our Master Moosa (a.s.); there was a man reciting Ziyarat. He greeted Adam, and the other great prophets, peace be with them, and then the Imams, one after the other until he reached the Master of the Age (a.s.), he did not mention him. I much wondered and said perhaps he has forgotten or he does not know or maybe this is his belief.
When he finished his Ziyarat, he offered two rakats of prayers. I was fearful of him, since I did not know him. He seemed a full young man, appareled in white clothes, wearing a turban with its end coming down under his chin and going over his shoulder, with braided hair, and had a cloak with long threads at its margins on his shoulder. He said: “O Abu Husain Ibne Abul Baghal, why are you not reading the supplication of Faraj?” “And which supplication is that, my master?” I asked. He said: “Pray two rakats, and say:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. O He, Who reveals virtue, O He, Who conceals vice, O He, Who does not call to severe account for sins, O He, Who does not disclose the disgrace of His servants, O He, Who is the best forgiver, O He, Who overlooks errancy, O He, Whose forgiveness extends over all, O He, Whose Hands are stretched forth in mercy, O He, Who knows all secrets, O He, to Whom all complaints are directed. O one, who is the helper of every seeker. O one, who bestows to one before one becomes deserving. Then say ten times:
O Lord And the extreme end of the desires
Then say:
I ask You through these I ask You and by the right of Muhammad and his purified progeny (a.s.). Except that You remove my sorrow and grief and improve my circumstances.
And then you ask for your desire and ask your wish and then you put your right cheek on the earth and say one hundred times
in your Sajdah:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. O Muhammad, O Ali, O Ali, O Muhammad; suffice for me as you two are sufficient and help me as you two are helpers. Place your left cheek on the earth and say one hundred times: Reach me.
…and repeat it over and over and you say:
Refuge, refuge!
…until you run out of breath and then raise your head. Allah will fulfill your wish through His generosity.”
As I applied myself to the prayers and supplications, he left. When I was finished, I decided to go out to Abu Ja’far to ask him about the man and how he had entered. I saw all the doors had been locked the way they were. I was perplexed much and said perhaps he had spent the night there and I had not realized. I found Abu Ja’far, the custodian. He came out to me from his room. I asked him about the gentleman and his entrance. He said: “The doors are locked as you see them. I have not opened them.” I told him about the incident. He said: “This is our master, the Master of the Age, (a.s.). I have seen him many times in the nights like this when there was no one in the shrine.” I became very sad for the opportunity I had missed. I exited near dawn and went to Karkh towards the place where I was hiding. It was but the daybreak when men of Ibne Salihan were begging to meet me and asking my friends about me.
They were carrying a written pledge of protection from the minister and a slip in his handwriting having every pleasant thing. I went to him with a trustworthy friend of mine. He rose and embraced me and treated me in a way that I had never seen from him before. He said: “Have things worsened so much for you that you had to complain about me to the Master of the Age (a.s.)? I said: “I simply prayed and supplicated.” “I saw my master the Master of the Age,” he replied, “in my dream last night.” He meant the Friday eve. “He was ordering me to do every good deed and expressed a dislike to me that frightened me.”
I said: “La ilaaha illa Allah! I bear witness that they are the truth and the pinnacle of righteousness. Last night I saw our master, while I was awake. And he asked me to do such and such things.” I explained to him what I had seen in the shrine. He was astounded. Great favors he did to me with this respect and reached a level I did not anticipate; all of this being from the blessings of our master, the Master of the Age.