Isteghasa-e-Imam Asr

In his book of al-Kalim al-Tayyib, Sayyid Ali Kh¡n says, “The following is a form of seeking aid from The Argument of Allah and the Patron of the Age (Imam al-Mahdi)—peace be upon him: Wherever you are, you may offer a two-unit prayer, reading Surah al-Fatihah and any other one in each unit. Yet, it is advisable to read Surah al-Fatah (No. 48) in the first unit and Surah al-Nasr (No. 110) in the second. You may then stand up, facing the Qiblah direction under the sky and then say the following:

سَلاَمُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَامِلُ ٱلتَّامُّ
Peace of Allah—perfect, complete,
ٱلشَّامِلُ ٱلْعَامُّ
comprehensive, and thorough;
وَصَلَوَاتُهُ ٱلدَّائِمَةُ
and His endless benedictions
وَبَرَكَاتُهُ ٱلْقَائِمَةُ ٱلتَّامَّةُ
and His everlasting, perfect blessings
عَلَىٰ حُجَّةِ ٱللَّهِ
be upon the Argument of Allah,
وَوَلِيِّهِ فِي ارْضِهِ وَبِلادِهِ
His representative in His lands and realm,
وَخَلِيفَتِهِ عَلَىٰ خَلْقِهِ وَعِبَادِهِ
His viceroy among His creatures and servants,
وَسُلالَةِ ٱلنُّبُوَّةِ
the offspring of Prophethood,
وَبَقِيَّةِ ٱلْعِتْرَةِ وَٱلصَّفْوَةِ
the completion of the (Holy) Progeny and the Choice Ones,
صَاحِبِ ٱلزَّمَانِ
the Patron of the Age,
وَمُظْهِرِ ٱلإِيـمَانِ
the demonstrator of the (true) faith,
وَمُلَقِّنِ احْكَامِ ٱلْقُرْآنِ
the teacher of the laws of the Qur’an,
وَمُطَهِّرِ ٱلارْضِ
the purger of the earth,
وَنَاشِرِ ٱلْعَدْلِ فِي ٱلطُّولِ وَٱلْعَرْضِ
the spreader of justice all over the earth,
وَٱلْحُجَّةِ ٱلْقَائِمِ ٱلْمَهْدِيِّ
the Argument (al-°ujjah), the Riser (al-Qa’im), the Well-guided (al-Mahdi),
ٱلإِمَامِ ٱلْمُنْتَظَرِ ٱلْمَرْضِيِّ
the Leader, the Awaited, the Pleased,
وَٱبْنِ ٱلائِمَّةِ ٱلطَّاهِرِينَ
the descendant of the Infallible Imams,
ٱلْوَصِيِّ ٱبْنِ ٱلاوْصِيَاءِ ٱلْمَرْضِيِّينَ
the Successor, the son of the Pleased Successors (of the Prophets),
ٱلْهَادِي ٱلْمَعْصُومِ
the Guide, the Immaculate,
ٱبْنِ ٱلائِمَّةِ ٱلْهُدَاةِ ٱلْمَعْصُومِينَ
and the son of the Imams—the guides and immaculate.
السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مُعِزَّ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ٱلْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ
Peace be upon you, O grantor of dignity to the oppressed and faithful ones.
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مُذِلَّ ٱلْكَافِرِينَ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ ٱلظَّالِمِينَ
Peace be upon you, O humiliator of the arrogant and oppressing unbelievers.
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مَوْلايَ يَا صَاحِبَ ٱلزَّمَانِ
Peace be upon you, O my master, the Patron of the Age.
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ
Peace be upon you, O son of Allah’s Messenger.
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ امِيرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Peace be upon you, O son of the Commander of the Believers.
السّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ فَاطِمَةَ ٱلزَّهْرَاءِ
Peace be upon you, O son of Fatimah the Luminous
سَيِّدَةِ نِسَاءِ ٱلْعَالَمِينَ
and the Doyenne of the women of the world.
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا بْنَ ٱلائِمَّةِ ٱلْحُجَجِ ٱلْمَعْصُومِينَ
Peace be upon you, O son of the Imams—the arguments (of Allah) and Immaculate
وَٱلإِمَامُ عَلَىٰ ٱلْخَلْقِ اجْمَعِينَ
and the leader of all creatures.
السَّلامُ عَلَيْكَ يَا مَوْلايَ
Peace be upon you, O my master
سَلامَ مُخْلِصٍ لَكَ فِي ٱلْوِلايَةِ
addressed by him who is loyal to your (divinely commissioned) leadership.
اشْهَدُ انَّكَ ٱلإِمَامُ ٱلْمَهْدِيُّ قَوْلاً وَفِعْلاً
I bear witness that you are the well-guided Imam in word and deed,
وَانْتَ ٱلَّذِي تَمْلَا ٱلارْضَ قِسْطاً وَعَدْلاً
it is you who shall fill the earth with justice and impartiality
بَعْدَ مَا مُلِئَتْ ظُلْماً وَجَوْراً
after it will be filled with wrong and partiality.
فَعَجَّلَ ٱللَّهُ فَرَجَكَ
So, may Allah hasten your reappearance,
وَسَهَّلَ مَخْرَجَكَ
make easy your advent,
وَقَرَّبَ زَمَانَكَ
make nearer the time of your coming,
وَكَثَّرَ انْصَارَكَ وَاعْوَانَكَ
increase the number of your supporters and backers,
وَانْجَزَ لَكَ مَا وَعَدَكَ
and fulfill for you all that which He has promised you.
فَهُوَ اصْدَقُ ٱلْقَائِلِينَ:
He is surely the most truthful of all those who can speak (and He has said):
(وَنُرِيدُ انْ نَمُنَّ عَلَىٰ ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي ٱلارْضِ
“We desired to bestow a favor upon those who were deemed weak in the land,
وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ ائِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ ٱلْوَارِثِينَ)
make them the Imams, and make them the heirs.”
يَا مَوْلايَ يَا صَاحِبَ ٱلزَّمَانِ
O my master! O Patron of the Age!
يَا بْنَ رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ
O son of Allah’s Messenger!
حَاجَتِي…
My request is…
Mention your need and then go on saying:
فَٱشْفَعْ لِي فِي نَجَاحِهَا
So, intercede for me so that it will be settled,
فَقَدْ تَوَجَّهْتُ إِلَيْكَ بِحَاجَتِي
for I am turning my face towards you for settling my request,
لِعِلْمِي انَّ لَكَ عِنْدَ ٱللَّهِ شَفَاعَةً مَقْبُولَةً
since I know for sure that you enjoy with Allah admissible word of intercession,
وَمَقَاماً مَحْمُوداً
and praiseworthy standing.
فَبِحَقِّ مَنِ ٱخْتَصَّكُمْ بِامْرِهِ
So, I ask you in the name of Him Who granted you (i.e. the Ahl al-Bayt) exclusively the right of representing Him,
وَٱرْتَضَاكُمْ لِسِرِّهِ
and admitted you all to keep His secrets,
وَبِٱلشَّانِ ٱلَّذِي لَكُمْ عِنْدَ ٱللَّهِ بَيْنَكُمْ وَبَيْنَهُ
and I ask you in the name of the standing that you exclusively enjoy with Allah,
سَلِ ٱللَّهَ تَعَالَىٰ فِي نُجْحِ طَلِبَتِي
to ask Allah, the Exalted, to render successful my request,
وَإِجَابَةِ دَعْوَتِي
to answer my prayer,
وَكَشْفِ كُرْبَتِي
and to relieve my grief.
You may then ask for whatever you want, and it will be settled for you, by Allah’s permission.