Greetings to Life and Death

Greetings to Life and Death (Transliteration from Urdu with minor Persian and Arabic)

Ya Ilahi, har jaga teri ata ka saath ho,
Jab pareh mushkil Shah-e-Mushkil Kusha ka saath ho,

Ya Ilahi, bhool jawoon naz’a ki takhleef ko,
Shaadi-E-deedar E husne Mustafa (SAW) ka Saath ho,

Ya Ilahi, garmeen-E-mehshar se jab bharkein badan,
Daaman-E-Mehboob (SAW) Ki Thandi Hawa Ka Saath Ho,

Ya Ilahi, Naam-E-Aamal jab khool ne lageh,
Aiyb Posh-E-Khalq Sattar-E-Khata ka sath ho,

Ya Ilahi jab chaleh tareeq raahein pul siraat,
Aftab-E-Hashmi Nur-ul Huda ka saath ho,

Ya Ilahi Jab Sar-E-Shamsheer par chalnah pareh,
Rab-E-Sallim Kehne Waleh Gham Zudah (SAW) Ka Saath Ho,

Shah-E-Mardan, Sher-E-Yazdaan, Kuwwateh Parwardigar,
La Fatah Illah Ali (AS), La Saif Illah Zulfiqar,

Shah-E-Man, Sultan-E- Alam, Syed Ahmad Kabir (RA),
Khataman Rajakum Ya Gauth Al Azam Dastageer (RA),

Shaykh Nazim (RA) Wa Ghauth Al Azam (RA), Ya Peer aana Peer,
Al Madad, Al Madad, Sawalana Munkir Nakeer,

Yeki Bood, Yeki Nabood, Ghayr-Az-Khuda, Hich Ki Nabood,

Ya Ilahi har jaga teri ata ka saath ho,
Jab pareh mushkil Shah-Eh-Mushkil Kusha ka saath ho.

Greetings to Life and Death (English)

Oh my Lord, may your benefaction and mercy always encompass us, in every sphere of life,
In times of hardship and distress may our companion be the King of the alleviators of all hardship and distress – Imam Ali (AS),

Oh My Lord, let me not be preoccupied by the Stupor of Death,
But instead on the pilgrimage and union with our beautiful and Beloved Prophet (SAW),

Oh My Lord, when my body shall tremble profusely from the intense heat on The Day of gathering,
May the cooling breeze emanating from the shade of the Beloved Prophet (SAW) be our Companion,

Oh My Lord, when our book of deeds is unveiled on The Day,
May our Companion be the one who is The Veiler for His Ummah – Our Beloved Prophet (SAW),

Oh My Lord, when we embark on the journey towards the Pul-Sirãt crossing (Bridge) on The Day,
May our companion be the radiant Sun of the Hashemite, our Guiding Light – The Beloved Prophet (SAW).

Oh My Lord, when we shall walk across the surface of the bridge of Al-Sirãt (Which shall be finer than a strand of hair and sharper than the sharpest blade),
May our Companion be the One who endlessly praises and seeks refuge with His Lord, the grief bearer for His Ummah – Our Beloved Prophet (SAW),

The King of Valiant Men, The Lion of God, The Might of God – Imam Ali (AS),
There is no victory without Ali (AS), There is no Sword other than Zulfiqar,

The King of Hearts and Souls, The Spiritual Sovereign of the world, Syed Ahmad Kabir Rifa’i (RA),
Oh Sealed one, we beseech you of your helping hand – Oh Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (RA),

Oh Maulana Shaykh Nazim (RA), Oh Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (RA) – Oh Saint of All Saints,
We beseech your intercession during the questioning of Munkir and Nakir (In the Grave),

There is One, there is No-one, Other than God there is No-one,

Oh my Lord, may your benefaction and mercy always encompass us, in every sphere of life,
In times of hardship and distress may our companion be the King of the alleviators of all hardship and distress – Imam Ali (AS).

Notes

The main body of this recitation is from a poem written by the late great scholar and poet Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (RA), who is also fondly known as Ala Hazrat in the subcontinent. d.1921 Some other lines were given to me from various teachers along my spiritual journey. These have been passed down from saint to saint and from scholar to scholar and are of unknown origin. One verse was written through inspiration.

Compiled and recited by Feroz Yusuf

Audio and video production: Floorshapes

Images: open source content 9th photo used with kind permission of Rabi Al Jafari T

his project was made with kind collaboration from the Kutubia Cultural Centre in Orgiva.

En memoria de / in loving memory of:

Haji Ismail Maestro Yusuf Zikriwala
Haji Abdul Hadi Scott
Hajjah Salama Scott Achon
Mehmud Ismail Yusuf Zikriwala