Faithful!" And then he told his tale, and el-Mansûr ordered a thousand dinârs to be given to him, and commanded that the prayer should be published; and this is it:
"O Allâh! like as Thou in Thy greatness hast shown mercy above all who are merciful, and hast raised Thy might above all who are mighty; and as Thy knowledge of what is beneath the earth is as Thy knowledge of what is above Thy throne; and as the unuttered words of the heart are unto Thee as those which are proclaimed, and spoken words as those which are secret; and as all things submit to Thy power, and all having dominion humble themselves under Thy dominion; and as the ordering of all things in this world and in the world to come is in Thy hands,—cause that I may be brought in gladness out of all the grief and misery which I have borne at morn and at eve. O Allâh! if Thou pardonest my sins, and overlookest my transgressions, and coverest my evil deeds, inspire me to ask of Thee what through my shortcomings I am not worthy to ask. I pray to Thee in confidence, and I ask of Thee without fear. For Thou art my Benefactor, and I am my own undoer in what is between me and Thee. Thou hast shown
