The holy month of Sha'ban has a special Munajaat associated with it, taught by Imam Ali (a). It is a beautiful and moving Munajaat and people who understand its worth love reciting it and eagerly await the month of Shaban because of it. The poignant words of the du'a disclose the restless heart of the believer, and pour forth his hopes and fears, his desires and regrets. Positive hope in Allah flows through the du'a, yet the shame of past sins and mistakes weigh the recitor down. It is as though the believer whispers to His Lord in a wavering, conflicting state, overcome with both intense fear and strong hope. As Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a) says: There is no believer except that there are two lights in his heart; the light of fear and the light of hope. Each does not weigh more than the other.
Munajaat al-Sha'baniyyah
The following are some excerpts of Munajaate Sha'baniyya which express this tormented emotional state of the believer and his unflinching hope in Allah:
O Allah . . I am standing before You, trusting in You
weeping and beseeching You, hoping for what is with You of reward
My God, if I am undeserving of Your mercy
then it behooves You to be generous to me out of the vastness of Your grace
My God, it is as though I can see myself standing before You
under the shadow of my trust in You
and You say and do what is worthy of You
and cover me with your pardon
My God, I have dared to oppress my soul so woe be to it if You do not forgive it
My God You have been good to me throughout my life
so do not cut off the good from me after my death
how can I despair of Your mercy for me after my death
when you have not shown me anything but good throughout my life?
My God, You have concealed my sins in the world
and I am more needy of concealment in the hereafter
My God if You had wished humiliation for me, You would not have guided me
and if You had wanted to see me exposed, You would not have helped me
My God I do not think You will reject my request
for which I have spent my whole life asking You
My God if my deeds are small in comparison to what You deserve
my hope in You is great
My God how can I turn away from You disappointed
when I have the hope that I will turn away from You successfully
having received mercy?
My God, I am Your servant, the weak one, the sinner
Your slave, the one who turns repentant
so do not make me from among those whom You turn Your face away from
My God, the hopelessness of despair has not overcome my hope in You
nor has it cut off my hopes in the beauty of Your generosity
My God if my faults have lowered my status with You
then forgive me because of my trust in You
My God, if heedlessness kept me asleep from preparing for my meeting with You
then the knowledge of Your generous blessings has woken me up
weeping and beseeching You, hoping for what is with You of reward
My God, if I am undeserving of Your mercy
then it behooves You to be generous to me out of the vastness of Your grace
My God, it is as though I can see myself standing before You
under the shadow of my trust in You
and You say and do what is worthy of You
and cover me with your pardon
My God, I have dared to oppress my soul so woe be to it if You do not forgive it
My God You have been good to me throughout my life
so do not cut off the good from me after my death
how can I despair of Your mercy for me after my death
when you have not shown me anything but good throughout my life?
My God, You have concealed my sins in the world
and I am more needy of concealment in the hereafter
My God if You had wished humiliation for me, You would not have guided me
and if You had wanted to see me exposed, You would not have helped me
My God I do not think You will reject my request
for which I have spent my whole life asking You
My God if my deeds are small in comparison to what You deserve
my hope in You is great
My God how can I turn away from You disappointed
when I have the hope that I will turn away from You successfully
having received mercy?
My God, I am Your servant, the weak one, the sinner
Your slave, the one who turns repentant
so do not make me from among those whom You turn Your face away from
My God, the hopelessness of despair has not overcome my hope in You
nor has it cut off my hopes in the beauty of Your generosity
My God if my faults have lowered my status with You
then forgive me because of my trust in You
My God, if heedlessness kept me asleep from preparing for my meeting with You
then the knowledge of Your generous blessings has woken me up
The effectiveness of the Munajaat is enhanced when it is recited with a voice that is low and faltering, and a heart that is grieving. It is recommended that this munajaat be recited during the rest of the year too, and that excerpts of it be recited in Qunoot during the daily prayers.
May Allah hasten the reappearence of Imam Mahdi [ajtf] and give us the ability to elevate ourselves to be in his army Inshallah
(Shabaan - 1428)
Imam Khomeini (R.A.), in his repeated speeches has emphasized the special spiritual importance of this precious supplication.
Ayatullah Ibrahim Amini metioned (in Self Building) that this supplication contains vest sublime themes especially the etiquettes and manners of servanthood; the manners of how to face the God-Almighty; how to beseech Him; how to tell him about heart's secrets; how to open tongue for offering apologies and how to remain hopeful.
jazak Allah khair