SALAWAT ABUL HASAN AL DARRAB AL ISFAHANI

It is worth mentioning that Friday has relationship with Imam al-Mahdi - may Allah hasten his advent - from several aspects. On Friday, Imam al-Mahdi was born and on Friday, his delightful advent shall be. Hence, to expect Relief on Friday should be more intense than other days. In Imam al-Mahdi’s private Ziyarah on Fridays that will be mentioned later on in this book, the following statement is mentioned:

Today is Friday,

which is your day on which we expect your advent

that will bring about relief to the believers at your hands.

In fact, Friday has been decided as feast day just because it is the day on which Imam al-Mahdi(a.s.) will reappear in order to purify the entire earth from the filth of polytheism and atheism and from the dirt of acts of disobedience to Almighty Allah and from sins. He shall also annihilate the tyrants, the infidels, and the hypocrites. Thus, true believers shall be delighted and their hearts shall be tranquil since the Word of Truth shall prevail over all things and the true religion and creed shall be the dominant. On that day, too, the earth shall beam with the Light of its Lord. In view of that, it is highly recommended to say the major invocation of blessings upon the Holy Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt. It is also highly advisable to say the supplication that Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Rida(a.s.) advised to be said for the sake of Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him. The supplication, which will be cited in this book later on, begins with the following statement:

O Allah, defend Your friend

It is also recommended to say the supplication that Shaykh Abu-’Amr al-’Amri dictated to Abu-Ali ibn Hammam and advised him to say it during the Occultation of Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him. Because this book is intended to be as brief as possible, this long supplication will be omitted. Yet, the gentle reader may find it, as well as the previously mention major invocation of blessings upon the Holy Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt, in the books of Misbah al-Mutahajjid and Jamal al-Usbu’.

It is also necessary not to overlook the famous invocation of blessings upon the Holy Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, that is ascribed to Abu’l-Hasan al-Darrab al-Isfahani. Shaykh al-Tusi and Sayyid Ibn Tawus have included this famous invocation with the recommended rites of Friday afternoons. Confirming its significance and writing down the series of its reporters, Sayyid Ibn Tawus adds, “This invocation is reported from our master Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him. So, if you have to neglect all the post-prayer litanies on Friday, try not to overlook this invocation for a matter that Almighty Allah has shown to me.”

As for Shaykh al-Tusi, he says, “This invocation is reported from the Patron of the Age, Imam al-Mahdi, peace be upon him. It was shown to Abu’l-Hasan al-Darrab in Makkah.”

Allowing for summary, the series of reporters will be overlooked. However, the supplication is as follows:

In the Name of Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful.

O Allah, (please) send blessings to Muhammad, the master of the messengers (of Allah),

the seal of the Prophets,

and the Argument of the Lord of the worlds [against His creatures]

who had been elected [for Prophethood] since the Covenant

and chosen since the World of Shadows,

and who is purified from all defects

and freed from all deficiencies,

and who is hoped for salvation

and expected for intercession,

and to whom the religion of Allah is delegated.

O Allah, (please) confer honor upon his structure,

ennoble his authority,

make successful his cogency,

lift up his rank,

light up his illumination,

make his face glow with whiteness,

grant him merit, virtue,

[supreme] position, [right of] mediation,

and sublime rank,

and send him a praiseworthy status

which the past and last generations will wish to have.

And send blessings to 'Ali, the Commander of the Believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

the leader of the white-forehead groups,

the chief of the Prophets’ Successors,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to al-Hasan, the son of 'Ali,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to al-Husayn, the son of 'Ali,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to 'Ali, the son of al-Husayn,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to Muhammad, the son of 'Ali,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to Ja'far, the son of Muhammad,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to Musa, the son of Ja'far,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the, Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to 'Ali, the son of Musa,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to Muhammad, the son of 'Ali,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to 'Ali, son of Muhammad,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to al-Hasan, son of 'Ali,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

And send blessings to the Successor, the guide and well-guided,

the leader of the faithful believers,

the inheritor of the Messengers,

and the argument of the Lord of the worlds.

O Allah, send blessings to Muhammad and his Household,

the guiding Imams,

the knowledgeable, the veracious,

the righteous, the pious,

the supports of Your religion,

the pillars of the belief in Your Oneness,

the interpreters of Your Revelation,

Your arguments on Your creatures,

and Your representatives in Your lands,

whom You have chosen for Yourself,

You have preferred over Your servants,

You have accepted (as directors) of Your religion,

You have given Your knowledge exclusively,

shaded with Your honoring,

covered with Your mercy,

raised with Your boon,

fed on Your wisdom,

dressed Your Light,

lifted up to Your Sovereignty,

encompassed with Your angels,

and honored with Your Prophet,

peace of You be upon him and his Household.

O Allah, (please) send blessings to Muhammad and upon them

with blessings that are so pure, ever-growing,

opulent, permanent, and good

that none can comprehend save You,

none can embrace save Your knowledge,

and none can count save You.

O Allah, and also send blessings to Your Friend

who will restore Your way,

rise [to undertake the mission] by Your command,

call unto You,

and guide to You.

[He is] Your argument against Your creatures,

Your representative in Your lands,

and Your witness on Your servants.

O Allah, (please) confer upon him with a mighty help,

extend his lifetime,

and adorn the earth with his long-lasting survival.

O Allah, (please) save him from the oppression of the enviers,

protect him against the evils of the plotters,

deter the unjust from employing their wills against him,

and redeem him from the hands (i.e. powers) of the tyrants.

O Allah, (please) grant him, concerning himself, his offspring,

his partisans, his subjects,

his retinue, his publics,

[even] his enemies, and all the inhabitants of this world—

[give him] that which delights his eye

and entertains his self;

and make him attain the best of that which he desires

in this world and the Next Word.

Verily, You have power over all things.

O Allah, renew, through him, the features of Your religion that have been eradicated,

revive, through him, the instructions of Your Books that have been altered,

and manifest, through him, the laws of Your code that have been distorted

so that Your religion, through him and at his hands, will again become

fresh, new,

pure, sound,

free from any doubt or any spurious matter,

and lacking any accompanying wrong or heresy.

O Allah, through his light, light up all darkness,

through his power, demolish all heresies,

through his might, destroy all items of deviation,

through him, annihilate all tyrants,

though his sword, extinguish all fires [of sedition],

through his justice, terminate the prejudice of all unjust ones,

make his rule prevail on all systems of rule,

and through his authority, humiliate all other authorities.

O Allah, (please) put down all those who antagonize him,

wipe out all those who incur the hostility of him,

exterminate the plots of all those who conspire against him,

and obliterate all those who deny his right,

belittle his mission,

work on extinguishing his light,

and intend to turn off his reputation.

O Allah, (please) send blessings to Muhammad, the Chosen Prophet,

Ali, the Well-pleased,

Fatimah, the Luminous,

al-Hasan, the amicable,

al-Husayn, the purified,

and all the Successors, the lanterns of darkness,

the signs of true guidance,

the lamps of piety,

the firmest handle,

the resolved rope [between Allah and His creatures],

and the straight path.

And (please) send blessings to Your Friend and the trustees of Your affairs

and the Imams from his descendants,

extend their lifetimes,

increase their periods of life,

and make them attain the utmost of their expectations

in the religion, the world, and the Hereafter.

Verily, You have power over all things.

According to some narrations, the Saturday nights are as sacred as Friday nights; therefore, it is recommendably required to say the same supplications of Friday night at Saturday nights.