The Whispered Prayers of the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib

The Munajat of Imam ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ع is one of the most trembling supplications, and is recommended to be recited during Ramadan.

Munajat is a type of whispering, or whispered prayer, but it is not one-sided; its grammatical form signifies a reciprocal action. Thus, it is used when a person has a very intimate conversation with God in which God listens and perhaps even responds to him. According to a narration, God whispers to those who love Him, i.e. He puts His ideas into their hearts and minds.

In the first section, Imam ʿAlī ع describes the worries about the Day of Judgment. Each soul traverses the Planes of Arafat towards the appointed place. Each soul, bearing the weight of its deeds in their own particular manifestations. Some bearing the curse mark by which they are recognized and seized by otherworldly forces. Tumultuous and arduous is the journey for every one, and Imam ʿAlī ع declares his need for protection on that great day. The anxiety and fear is so great that those who were insincere in their relations will abandon each other, but those who were God Conscious and loved each other for the sake of God will turn towards each other. These are the people of chivalry and good character, who cultivated in their hearts preference for the hereafter over the fleeting life of the material world, and higher values and virtue over material advantage.

In the second part of the Munajat, after mentioning his worries in the first part, Imam ʿAlī ع introduces himself and his Lord through the reference to various Divine Names or qualities. The Names of God as qualities are relational only, and so there is wisdom in why Imam ʿAlī ع used these particular names in this particular order. By mentioning his own attributes, he confesses to his weaknesses and defects before God, who has all of the names, qualities, and attributes of perfection and excellence. In each case, after mentioning one attribute for himself and one attribute for his Lord, Imam ʿAlī ع declares that only God and no one else can have mercy on him.

In the third part, Imam ʿAlī ع implores his Lord by Divine Mercy. The concept of Divine Mercy plays a key role here. God shows much mercy toward His servants throughout their lives, so Imam ʿAlī ع expects God, by His Mercy, not to deprive him of His Mercy when he desperately needs it most. This good expectation is fundamental to faith. The Prophet ﷺ, in a Hadith Qudsi, related the speech of God, “I am as my slave expects me to be.”

God’s mercy showers upon us even before our creation. He puts mercy in the hearts of our parents so that they love and take care of us. Then, His mercy continues to be with us throughout our lives. Thus, we do not expect our Lord to leave us alone in the Hereafter. Divine Mercy is the key which can open every lock, but It is available to only those who have gratitude because by recognizing the abundant mercy of God through out our lives, it leads to good expectation of, and ultimately having a good opinion, of God. This good expectation of God is what cultivates sincerity with God, and God’s mercy is upon every sincere person.

The Prophet ﷺ said that faith is in between fear and hope. With the first part of the Munajat representing fear, and the second part representing hope, the third part could be said to represent the hidden and subtle essence of faith that exists in between both polarities. This Munajat of Imam ʿAlī ع could then be said to represent the formula by which faith arises through the transmutation of the soul from a state of insincerity, heedlessness, and defilement to sincerity, presence, and purity with God.