One Thousand Unit Prayers

One of the recommended acts in the month of Ramadan is to offer the one thousand unit prayer. Master scholars have referred to this prayer in their books of jurisprudence and acts of worship. However, the way of offering this prayer has been mentioned by narrations in many forms. According to the report of Ibn Abi-Qurrah from Imam Muhammad al-Jawad(a.s.) that is also adopted by Shaykh al-Mufid in his book of al-Ghariyyah wa’l-Ashraf, this prayer, in its most familiar form, is offered as follows:

As for the first twenty nights of Ramadan, twenty units of this prayer should be offered at each night with an interval between each two units. To explain, eight units should be offered after the obligatory Maghrib Prayer and the others are performed after the obligatory Isha’ Prayer. The total is thus seven hundred units and the remainder is three hundred. These three hundred units should be offered at the Qadr Nights, which are the nineteenth, the twenty-first, and the twenty-third nights of the month. One hundred units should be offered at each of these three Qadr Nights. Thus, one thousand units are completed.

It is worth mentioning that other divisions of these one thousand units have been cited. Yet, these divisions will not be mentioned in this book for fear of lengthiness.

Our virtuous readers are expected to offer this prayer so as not to miss its great rewards and merits.

It has been narrated that it is recommended to say the following supplicatory prayer after the accomplishment of every two units of the supererogatory (mustahab / nafilah) prayers (nawafil) in Ramadan:

O Allah, at the time of taking decisions

اے معبود! تو قضا وقدر میں جن یقینی امور کو طے فرماتا ہے

that are inevitable

اور محکم فیصلے کرتا ہے

and rendering possible things and events decisively, at the Destiny Night,

اور شبِ قدر میں جو پُر حکمت حکم جاری کرتا ہے

(please) write my name in the list of those pilgrims of Your ‘Sacred House’

ان میں مجھے اپنے بیت الحرام کعبہ کے ایسے حاجیوں میں سے قرار دے کہ

whose pilgrimage receive Your approval,

جن کا حج مقبول ہو

whose efforts are appreciated,

جن کی سعی مشکور ہو

whose sins are forgiven.

اور جن کے گناہ معاف ہوں

I pray You to make possible for me long lifetime that is spent in obedience to You,

اور میرا تجھ سے سوال ہے کہ اپنی اطاعت میں مجھے طولِ عمر عطا فرما

and grant me enough means of livelihood.

اور میرے رزق میں وسعت عنایت فرما

O most Merciful of all those who show mercy!

اے سب سے زیادہ رحم کرنے والے۔