The following du’a from al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiya has become one of the defining texts of my faith over the last year. It expresses better than anything else I know a fundamental spiritual truth that helps us to understand the world and the God Who created it. Essentially, it is about the limits of thankfulness (shukr). On a day when Americans are supposed to be in a state of thanksgiving, I thought it would be beneficial to share it.

The English translation by Dr. William Chittick is as follows:

O God, 
no one reaches a limit in thanking Thee 
without acquiring that of Thy beneficence 
which enjoins upon him thanksgiving, 

nor does anyone reach a degree in obeying Thee, 
even if he strives, 
without falling short of what Thou deservest 
because of Thy bounty. 

The most thankful of Thy servants 
has not the capacity to thank Thee, 
and the most worshipful of them 
falls short of obeying Thee. 

To none of them is due 
Thy forgiveness through what he himself describes 
or Thy good pleasure for his own merit. 

When Thou forgivest someone,
it is through Thy graciousness, 
and when Thou art pleased with someone, 
it is through Thy bounty. 

Thou showest gratitude 
for the paltry for which Thou showest gratitude 
and Thou rewardest 
the small act in which Thou art obeyed, 
so that it looks as if Thy servants’ thanksgiving 
for which Thou hast made their pledge their reward 
and made great their repayment 
is an affair from which they could have held back without Thee, 
and since Thou wilt recompense them, 
and who cause is not in Thy hand, 
and then Thou wilt repay them.

Nay, my God, Thou hadst power over their affair 
before they had power to worship Thee, 
and Thou hadst prepared their reward 
before they began to obey Thee; 
and that because Thy wont is bestowal of bounty, 
Thy custom beneficence, 
Thy way pardon. 

So all creatures confess 
that Thou wrong not him whom Thou punishest 
and bear witness 
that Thou bestowest bounty upon him whom Thou pardonest. 
Each admits that he has fallen short of what Thou meritest. 

Had Satan not misled them from Thy obedience, 
no disobeyer would have disobeyed Thee,
and had he not shown falsehood to them in the likeness of truth 
no strayer would have gone astray from Thy path. 

So glory be to Thee! 
How manifest is Thy generosity 
in dealing with him who obeys or disobeys Thee! 
Thou showest gratitude to the obedient 
for that which Thou undertakest for him, 
and Thou grantest a reply to the disobedient 
in that within which Thou art able to hurry him. 

Thou givest to each of them 
that which is not his due, 
and Thou bestowest bounty upon each 
in that wherein his works fall short. 

Wert Thou to counterbalance for the obedient servant
that which Thou Thyself hadst undertaken, 
he would be on the point of losing Thy reward 
and seeing the end of Thy favor, 
but through Thy generosity Thou hast repaid him 
for a short, perishing term 
with a long, everlasting term, 
and for a near, vanishing limit 
with an extended, abiding limit. 

Then Thou dost not visit him with a settling of accounts 
for Thy provision through which he gained strength to obey Thee, 
nor dost Thou force him to make reckonings 
for the organs he employed 
to find the means to Thy forgiveness. 
Wert Thou to do that to him,
it would take away 
everything for which he had worked 
and all where he had exerted himself 
as repayment for the smallest of Thy benefits 
and kindnesses, 
and he would remain a bride before Thee 
for Thy other favors. 
So how can he deserve something of Thy reward? 
Indeed, how? 

This, my God, is the state of him who obeys Thee 
and the path of him who worships Thee. 
But as for him who disobeys Thy command 
and goes against Thy prohibition, 
Thou dost not hurry him to Thy vengeance, 
so that he may seek to replace 
his state in disobeying Thee
with the state of turning back to obey Thee, 
although he deserved from the time he set out to disobey Thee 
every punishment which Thou hast prepared 
for all Thy creatures. 

Through each chastisement 
which Thou hast kept back from him 
and each penalty of Thy vengeance and Thy punishment 
which Thou hast delayed from him, 
Thou hast avoided from Thy right 
and shown good pleasure 
in place of what Thou hast made obligatory. 

So who is more generous, my God, than Thou? 
And who is more wretched than he who perishes 
in spite of Thee? 
Indeed, who?
Thou art too blessed to be described 
by any but beneficence 
and too generous for any but justice 
to be feared from Thee! 
There is no dread that Thou wilt be unjust 
toward him who disobeys Thee, 
nor any fear of Thy neglecting to reward 
him who satisfies Thee. 

So bless Muhammad and his household , 
give me my hope, 
and increase me in that of Thy guidance 
through which I may be successful in my works! 
Surely Thou art All-kind, Generous.

اللهم صل على محمد و آل محمد