Faith Resources

 Islam

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ – 2:155

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,

الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ – 2:156

Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return

أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ – 2:157

Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.

Supplication

اللَّهمَّ اغْفِرْ لِحَيِّنَا وَمَيِّتِنَا وَشَاهِدِنَا، وَغَائِبِنَا، وَصَغِيْرِنَا وَكَبِيْرِنَا، وَذَكَرِنَا وَأُنْثَانَا. اللَّهمَّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْتَه ُُ مِنَّا فَأَحْيِه ِِ عَلَى الإِسْلامِ، وَمَنْ تَوَفَّيْتَه ُُ مِنَّا فَتَوَفَّه ُُ عَلَى الإِيْمَانِ، اللَّهمَّ لا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، وَلا تُضِلَّنَا بَعْدَهُ

‘O Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah, whom amongst us You keep alive, then let such a life be upon Islam, and whom amongst us You take unto Yourself, then let such a death be upon faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not let us stray after him.’

Loving-Kindness Meditation adapted from Buddhism:

Sitting down, lightening the candle

Getting a sense how one feels in the body right now

Briefly connecting to the breath, noticing the quality of the breath without judgement

Then bringing the awareness to one’s heart

• Thinking of someone close, someone we truly care for or the person we would like to remember

‘Seeing’ this person in front of our inner eyes

From the bottom of our heart we wish this person:

May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be at peace

• Now thinking of a neutral person, someone we have no emotional connection too but see maybe regularly

From the bottom of our heart we wish this person:

May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be at peace

• Now thinking of a person we struggle with, someone we might dislike

From the bottom of our heart we wish this person:

May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be at peace

• Now thinking of all beings around the whole world

From the bottom of our heart we wish them

May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be at peace

• Now thinking of ourselves

From the bottom of our heart we wish:

May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I be at peace.

Re-connecting to breath and body for a few moments before finishing this Loving-Kindness meditation.

Baha’i

O my God! O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of gifts, dispeller of afflictions!

Verily, I beseech Thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned the physical garment and have ascended to the spiritual world.

O my Lord! Purify them from trespasses, dispel their sorrows, and change their darkness into light. Cause them to enter the garden of happiness, cleanse them with the most pure water, and grant them to behold Thy splendors on the loftiest mount.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

To pray if a woman has died.

O Lord, O Thou Whose mercy hath encompassed all, Whose forgiveness is transcendent, Whose bounty is sublime, Whose pardon and generosity are all-embracing, and the lights of Whose forgiveness are diffused throughout the world! O Lord of Glory! I entreat Thee, fervently and tearfully, to cast upon Thy handmaiden who hath ascended unto Thee the glances of the eye of Thy mercy. Robe her in the mantle of Thy grace, bright with the ornaments of the celestial Paradise, and, sheltering her beneath the tree of Thy oneness, illumine her face with the lights of Thy mercy and compassion.

Bestow upon Thy heavenly handmaiden, O God, the holy fragrances born of the spirit of Thy forgiveness. Cause her to dwell in a blissful abode, heal her griefs with the balm of Thy reunion, and, in accordance with Thy will, grant her admission to Thy holy Paradise. Let the angels of Thy loving-kindness descend successively upon her, and shelter her beneath Thy blessed Tree. Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous, the All-Bountiful.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá 

Christianity

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;[a] he restores my soul.[b] He leads me in right paths[c] for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley,[d] I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely[e] goodness and mercy[f] shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.[g]

God of all consolation,

your Son Jesus Christ was moved to tears

at the grave of Lazarus his friend.

Look with compassion on your children in their loss;

give to troubled hearts the light of hope

and strengthen in us the gift of faith,

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

All Amen

Judaism

Psalm 23

A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me to water in places of repose;

He renews my life; He guides me in right paths as befits His name.

Though I walk through a valley of deepest darkness, I fear no harm, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me.

You spread a table for me in full view of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my drink is abundant.

Only goodness and steadfast love shall pursue me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for many long years.

Psalm 121

A song for ascents. I turn my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come?

My help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot give way; your guardian will not slumber;

See, the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!

The LORD is your guardian, the LORD is your protection at your right hand.

By day the sun will not strike you, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will guard you from all harm; He will guard your life.

The LORD will guard your going and coming now and forever.

Psalm 142

A maskil of David, while he was in the cave. A prayer.

I cry aloud to the LORD; I appeal to the LORD loudly for mercy.

I pour out my complaint before Him; I lay my trouble before Him

when my spirit fails within me. You know my course; they have laid a trap in the path I walk.

Look at my right and see— I have no friend; there is nowhere I can flee, no one cares about me.

So I cry to You, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, all I have in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry, for I have been brought very low; save me from my pursuers, for they are too strong for me.

Free me from prison, that I may praise Your name. The righteous shall glory in me for Your gracious dealings with me.

Hinduism

ANTYESTI

This traditional rite of passage, literally means “last sacrifice” and is often recited at Hindu funerals.

Burn him not up, nor quite consume him, Agni: let not his body or his skin be scattered,

O all possessing Fire, when thou hast matured him, then send him on his way unto the Fathers.

When thou hast made him ready, all possessing Fire, then do thou give him over to the Fathers,

When he attains unto the life that waits him, he shall become subject to the will of gods.

The Sun receive thine eye, the Wind thy Prana (life-principle, breathe); go, as thy merit is, to earth or heaven.

Go, if it be thy lot, unto the waters; go, make thine home in plants with all thy members.

— Rigveda 10.16

Sikhi

God is One, All victory is the victory of God. A hymn by the tenth Guru. To be read like a poem.

Please guard us with Your Hands. All my heart’s desires are fulfilled. My mind is focused on Your Feet. Sustain us as Your Own. (1);

Destroy all my enemies. With Your Hands protect me. In Bliss remains my household, servants, sikh, O Creator! (2)

me your personal protection. Restrain all my adversaries, Today. You’ve Fulfilled my Wishes. My Thirst for Your Worship grows. (3)

Leaving You, may I never worship another. All my needs, I get from You. You save my Sikhs and Devotees. One-by-One you demolish my foes. (4);

With your Hand guard me. destroy my fear of death. Always side with me. With your Sword protect me. (5)

Save me, Dear Saviour. Beloved, Helper of Saints.O Merciful, Destroyer of tyrants. You are Lord of fourteen worlds. (6)

Time came, Brahma was born, then Shiva was incarnated and then Visnu, Arose. It’s all Tricks of the Temporal Lord. (7)

Temporal Lord created Yogi Shiva; Brahma, the Utterer of Vedas. Temporal Lord, fashioned the entire Universe. I salute Him alone. (8)

Creator of Time made the Universe; the angels, demons and yakshas. Start ” End only with Him. He alone is My Guru. (9)

I bow only to Him. Creator of all entities ” subjects. Gives all merits ” tranquillity to His devotees. Destroys enemies at once. (10)

Intimate Knower of all our feelings. Recognises the anguish of all creatures, good or bad. From ant to elephant, He protects and cares for all.(11)

When His saints suffer, He is pained, and feels happiness when they are happy. Each one’s pain he recognises. Everyone’s, every feeling He Knows. (12)

When the Creator, projected Himself, His creations appeared in physical forms. Whenever, Creation is dissolved, all physical forms merge back into Him. (13)

created numerous forms and bodies. They utter Him as they can think, what He is. You remain detached from them all. This distinction the wise ones and the religious books know. (14)

Formless, Stainless and Self-reliant. Primal, Blemish-less, Endless and birth-less. Only a Fool can discuss your bound. Your Limits even the Vedas do not know. (15)

The fools consider Him a stone, for He does not know the Profound Mystery that is God. He calls Shiva, The Eternal Lord, and does not know the secret of the Formless Lord. (16)

Every one according to his understanding, describes You differently. The limits of Your creation cannot be known, nor how in the beginning You created the Universes. (17)

You are One, manifest in varied forms, as a poor man, rich manor, a king. You create beings that are egg born, the sweat born, earth born and the foetus born. (18)

Sometime You joyfully appear in the form of Brahma expanding the creation, and some time in the form of contracting and dissolving Shiva. He shows His miraculous deeds to all His creation of the Universe. He, the Primal Power, born of Himself is since the beginning of beginning. (19)

O Lord, now keep me under Your protection, encourage my followers to flourish [in intellect and wisdom] and destroy my enemies (negative thinking). All the evil doers who arise (in my mind), fight with them and destroy them there and then. (20)

O Mighty Lord of the Sword (Knowledge)+, whosoever seeks Your protection, his enemies (evil passions) suffer, pain are destroyed. The persons, who fall on Your Feet, You remove all their afflictions and maladies. (21)

Those who meditate even once (with complete devotion) on You, the Supreme Destroyer, the Death cannot come near them. They remain protected at all times. All their enemies and sorrows are removed instantaneously. (22)

With your blessing and compassion, Bliss is obtained. All their Sins are removed. They are blessed with all the earthly and spiritual treasures, and no evil doer [deadly passions and sickly instinctual drives] can even touch their shadows. (23)

If once they remember You. You remove the noose of Death. Whosoever meditates on Your Name. They are spared Poverty, suffering and adversity. (24)

O The Lord of Sword, I seek Your protection. With Your Hands you have guarded me. At All Times be my Support. Save me from wickedness and pain. (25).

The Mother of the world has been kind towards me and I have completed the book this auspicious night; The Lord is the destroyer of all the sins of the body and all the malicious and wicked persons.402.

When Mahakal became kind, He immediately caused me to complete this book; He will obtain the fruit desired by the mind (who will read or listen to this book) and no suffering will occur to him.403.

ARRIL

The dumb, who will listen to it, will be blessed with the tongue to speak; the fool, who will listen to it attentively, will get wisdom; The suffering, pain and fear of the person will depart who recite Chaupai even once.(28)

CHAUPAI

It was Bikrami Samvat 1753; This book was competed on the banks of Sutlej on Sunday, the eighth Sudi of the month of Bhaadro.

O God ! Since I have held your feet, none other has entered my vision; Ram, Rahim, Puranas, Quran and many others recite, but I don’t believe in even one. The Simritis, Shastras and Vedas describe many mysteries, but I don’t recognise even one of them; O Sword-wielder God! All this I write, with your blessings, is not what I know but what you have shown me.

SVAIYAA

DOHRAA

O Lord ! I have forsaken all other doors and chosen your door. O Govind, you have taken my arm; cared and protect your servant’s honour.864