The Shias have many supplications that they recite for Imam Mahdi such as al-Faraj supplication, al-Nudbah supplication, al-Iftitah supplication, al-Ahd supplication, and others. What is Allamah Mansoor’s opinion about these supplications?
Among the supplications that the Shias recite for Imam Mahdi there is no proven one from the Prophet
or from his Ahl al-Bayt. Rather, most of them are true words composed by some of their scholars and narrators, and some of them are false words fabricated by some of their extremists and heretics; such as the supplication mentioned by Sayyid ibn Tawus (d. 664 AH) in Jamal al-Usbu‘[1] and by al-Kaf‘ami (d. 905 AH) in al-Misbah[2]. It has been said in it: «يَا مُحَمَّدُ يَا عَلِيُّ، يَا عَلِيُّ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، اكْفِيَانِي فَإِنَّكُمَا كَافِيَايَ، يَا مُحَمَّدُ يَا عَلِيُّ، يَا عَلِيُّ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، انْصُرَانِي فَإِنَّكُمَا نَاصِرَايَ، يَا مُحَمَّدُ يَا عَلِيُّ، يَا عَلِيُّ يَا مُحَمَّدُ، احْفَظَانِي فَإِنَّكُمَا حَافِظَايَ، يَا مَوْلَايَ يَا صَاحِبَ الزَّمَانِ -ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ- الْغَوْثَ الْغَوْثَ الْغَوْثَ، أَدْرِكْنِي أَدْرِكْنِي أَدْرِكْنِي، الْأَمَانَ الْأَمَانَ الْأَمَانَ»; “O Muhammad, O Ali! O Ali, O Muhammad! Suffice me, for you are my sufficient ones! O Muhammad, O Ali! O Ali, O Muhammad! Help me, for you are my helpers! O Muhammad, O Ali! O Ali, O Muhammad! Protect me, for you are my protectors! O my master, O the owner of the time -three times! Help! Help! Help! Rescue me! Rescue me! Rescue me! (Grant me) security! (Grant me) security! (Grant me) security!” This supplication is undoubtedly the words of some of their extremists and heretics, and it has become well-known among them in recent decades; because Abbas al-Qumi (d. 1359 AH) has quoted it in his book Mafatih al-Jinan[3], a book that is widely circulated among them. The origin of this supplication is what Abu al-Husain ibn Abi al-Baghl al-Katib (d. 299 AH) has narrated, saying: «تَقَلَّدْتُ عَمَلًا مِنْ أَبِي مَنْصُورِ بْنِ الصَّالِحَانِ، وَجَرَى بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُ مَا أَوْجَبَ اسْتِتَارِي، فَطَلَبَنِي وَأَخَافَنِي، فَمَكَثْتُ مُسْتَتِرًا خَائِفًا، ثُمَّ قَصَدْتُ مَقَابِرَ قُرَيْشٍ لَيْلَةَ الْجُمُعَةِ، وَاعْتَمَدْتُ الْمَبِيتَ هُنَاكَ لِلدُّعَاءِ وَالْمَسْأَلَةِ، فَسَأَلْتُ ابْنَ جَعْفَرٍ الْقَيِّمَ أَنْ يُغْلِقَ الْأَبْوَابَ وَأَنْ يَجْتَهِدَ فِي خَلْوَةِ الْمَوْضِعِ، فَفَعَلَ، وَقَفَلَ الْأَبْوَابَ، وَانْتَصَفَ اللَّيْلُ»; “I undertook a task from Abu Mansoor ibn al-Salihan, and what obligated my concealment was between me and him. He sought me out and frightened me, so I remained hidden and afraid. Then I went to the graves of the Quraysh on the night of Friday and spent the night there for supplication and request. I asked ibn Ja‘far al-Qayyim to close the doors and to ensure the place was secluded. He did so and closed the doors. And the night reached its midpoint.” Then He claimed that he met Imam Mahdi
in that place and that he taught him this supplication and commanded him to recite it in prostration one hundred times, and he named it «دعاء الفرج»; “al-Faraj supplication”[4]. The wicked one lied unless he had seen a devil, then he claimed it was Imam Mahdi
; because this is disbelief, polytheism, and extremism, which an Imam from the Ahl al-Bayt does not command. It is more likely that he fabricated the story from the beginning; because he was a sinful heretic from the supporters of oppressors and was a lying and flattering poet; as Judge Abd al-Jabbar (d. 415 AH) has mentioned him among «قَوْمٍ مِنَ الْكُتَّابِ وَعُمَّالِ السُّلْطَانِ يُعْرَفُونَ بِبَنِي أَبِي الْبَغْلِ، يَدَّعُونَ أَنَّهُمْ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَمِنَ الشِّيعَةِ، وَهُمْ يَمِيلُونَ مَيْلَ الْقَرَامِطَةِ، وَيَلْزِمُونَ صَنْعَةَ النُّجُومِ، وَيَقُولُونَ فِي ﴿قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ﴾[5]: هِيَ مِنَ الْبَوَارِدِ وَمِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ الَّتِي لَا مَعْنَى لَهَا، وَيَتَحَدَّثُونَ بِذَلِكَ فِي دَوَاوِينِهِمْ وَمَحَافِلِهِمْ، وَيَضْرِبُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْأَمْثَالَ»[6]; “a group of writers and workers of the ruler known as Banu Abu al-Baghl. They claim to be Muslims and Shias, but they lean toward the beliefs of the Qarmatians and engage in astrology. Regarding ‘Say: O you disbelievers,’ they say: ‘It is one of the nonsensical and meaningless things,’ and they discuss it in their poetical compositions and gatherings and give examples of it.” When they were questioned about it, they said: “When the truth becomes clear and we are brought before those who have seen and considered, we will admit that we are wrong and liars and that we have mocked people by pretending to be Shias and that we have deceived them.”[7] Al-Tabari (d. 310 AH) has narrated that Muqtadir al-Abbasi asked Ali ibn Isa about him to give his opinion of him before appointing him as his minister. Then Ali ibn Isa wrote under his name: «ظَالِمٌ لَا دِينَ لَهُ»; “A wrongdoer who has no religion.”[8] He was the one who said to Harun al-Rashid: «لَوْ عَبَدَ النَّاسُ سِوَى رَبِّهِمْ ... أَصْبَحْتَ دُونَ اللَّهِ مَعْبُودًا»[9]; “If people were to worship other than their Lord … You would have become a god besides Allah.” Mu‘afa ibn Zakariyya (d. 390 AH) has narrated from Abdus ibn Mahdi that he said: «نَزَلْتُ عَلَى ابْنِ أَبِي الْبَغْلِ عِنْدَ تَقَلُّدِهِ الْإِشْرَافَ عَلَى أَعْمَالِ الْجَبَلِ، فَزَارَتْهُ مُغَنِّيَةٌ كَانَ بِهَا لَهِجًا عَلَى قِلَّةِ إِعْجَابِهِ بِالنِّسَاءِ، فَإِنَّا لَلَيْلَةٌ وَنَحْنُ قُعُودٌ بِالْبُسْتَانِ نَشْرَبُ وَقَدْ طَلَعَ الْقَمَرُ، فَهَبَّتْ رِيحٌ عَظِيمَةٌ، فَقَلَبَتْ صَوَانِيَنَا الَّتِي كَانَ فِيهَا شَرَابُنَا فَشِيلَتْ، وَأَقْبَلَ الْغِلْمَانُ يَسْقُونَنَا، فَسَكِرَ ابْنُ أَبِي الْبَغْلِ عَلَى ضَعْفِ شُرْبِهِ، وَقَامَ إِلَى مَرْقَدِهِ، وَأَخَذْنَا مَعَهُ وَالْمُغَنِّيَةُ، فَلَمَّا حَصَلْنَا فِيهِ اسْتَدْعَى قَدَحًا وَلَنَا مِثْلَهُ، وَأَنْشَأَ يَقُولُ: ”مَغْمُوسَةٌ فِي الْحُسْنِ مَعْشُوقَةٌ ... تَقْتُلُ ذَا الصَّبِّ وَتُحْيِيهِ ... بَاتَ يُرِينِيهَا هِلَالُ الدُّجَى ... حَتَّى إِذَا غَابَ أَرَتْنِيهِ“، وَطَرَحَ الشِّعْرَ عَلَى الْمُغَنِّيَةِ، فَلَقَّنَتْهُ وَغَنَّتْنَا بِهِ، وَشَرِبْنَا الْقَدَحَ وَانْصَرَفْنَا، فَلَمَّا كَانَ مِنْ غَدٍ وَحَضَرْنَا الْمَائِدَةَ وَهِي مَعَنَا فَاتَحْنَاهُ بِمَا كَانَ مِنْهُ، فَحَلَفَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْقِلْ بِمَا جَرَى وَلَا بِالشِّعْرِ، وَاسْتَدْعَى دَفْتَرَهُ، فَأَثْبَتَ الْبَيْتَيْنِ فِيهِ»[10]; “I visited ibn Abi al-Baghl when he assumed authority over the affairs of the mountain. A female singer visited him. He had a fondness for her despite his lack of interest in women. It was night, and we were sitting in the garden, drinking while the moon was shining. Suddenly, a strong wind blew and overturned our trays that held our drinks, spilling them. The servants came to pour us more, and ibn Abi al-Baghl became intoxicated due to his weak tolerance for drinks. He got up and went to his resting place, and we followed him along with the singer. When we arrived there, he called for a cup, and we had one like it. He began to say: ‘A beauty immersed in desire … She kills the heart of the young and revives it … She appeared to me like the crescent of the night … But as soon as it disappeared, she showed herself to me.’ He recited the poetry to the singer, and she repeated it, singing to us. We drank from the cup and then departed. The next day, when we gathered at the dining table, he swore that he did not remember what had happened or the poetry he recited. He called for his notebook and recorded the two lines in it.” For these descriptions, there should be no doubt that he fabricated the supplication and attributed it to Imam Mahdi
to mock the Shias.
Yes, there is nothing wrong with a Muslim reciting the composed supplications that are correct in meaning, without believing that they are supplications from the Prophet or from his Ahl al-Bayt. However, it is better to recite good words that Allah puts on his tongue; he should praise Allah and exalt Him, then send peace upon Muhammad and his family, then seek forgiveness for his sins, and then ask for his legitimate needs, without reading from a book or reciting from memory; because it is more sincere and closer to being answered, Insha’Allah, especially if he adds a supplication for Imam Mahdi
; because it is something that should not be neglected; as one of our companions informed us, he said:
«سَمِعْتُ عَبْدًا صَالِحًا -يَعْنِي الْمَنْصُورَ- يَقُولُ: مَنْ دَعَا لِنَفْسِهِ وَلَمْ يَدْعُ لِصَاحِبِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ -يَعْنِي الْمَهْدِيَّ- فَقَدْ جَفَاهُ»; “I heard a righteous servant -meaning Mansoor- say: ‘whoever prays for himself and does not pray for the owner of this matter -meaning the Mahdi- has wronged him.’”