AhlulBayt News Agency: Ayatollah Mohammad Mehdi Shab Zendehdar, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme Council of Islamic Seminaries, says the supplications of the holy month of Rajab open elevated paths of spiritual growth and perfection for human beings, guiding them away from negligence and toward higher divine stations.
Speaking on the spiritual significance of Rajab, Ayatollah Shab Zendehdar described the transmitted supplications of this month—and the two months that follow—as “true treasures of divine knowledge” that prepare believers for inner purification and moral advancement.
“The supplications narrated for the month of Rajab truly contain vast reservoirs of divine teachings,” he said. “They open very lofty paths before the human being and illuminate the horizons of spiritual progress.”
The senior cleric stressed that one of the essential conditions for attaining spiritual perfection is awareness of one’s true spiritual capacity and the elevated ranks accessible to human beings.
“One of the prerequisites for traversing the path of growth and perfection is that a person recognizes what values and spiritual stations are within reach,” he noted. “One of the great benefits of these blessed supplications is that they draw human beings out of heedlessness and remind them that they are capable of attaining lofty divine ranks.”
Ayatollah Shab Zendehdar then elaborated on one of the well-known supplications of Rajab, which begins with the powerful phrase:
«خَابَ الْوَافِدُونَ عَلَىٰ غَيْرِكَ، وَخَسِرَ الْمُتَعَرِّضُونَ إِلَّا لَكَ»
(“Those who turn to anyone other than You are doomed to failure, and those who seek gain from anyone but You are at loss.”)
He noted that this supplication has been authentically transmitted by the eminent scholar Sayyid Ibn Tawus in Iqbal al-A‘mal with a reliable chain of narration, and that its authenticity has also been affirmed by Allama Majlisi in Zad al-Ma‘ad.
Explaining the opening phrase «خَابَ الْوَافِدُونَ عَلَىٰ غَيْرِكَ», Ayatollah Shab Zendehdar said the supplication presents a profound theological truth through both negation and affirmation.
Citing the explanation of Sayyid Ali Khan, the renowned commentator of Sahifa Sajjadiyya, he said the word «وَفْد» is commonly used for those who approach someone in hope of receiving gifts or favors.
“Many people imagine that the fulfillment of their needs lies in the hands of others like themselves,” he explained. “This supplication explicitly declares that those who seek their needs from anyone other than God are subject to «خَيْبَة»—failure and disappointment.”
He clarified that «الخَيْبَة» signifies the inability to attain the intended goal. “Such disappointment inevitably befalls those who place their reliance on other than God,” he said.
According to Ayatollah Shab Zendehdar, the central message of Rajab’s supplications is the redirection of human hope, trust, and reliance exclusively toward the Almighty.
“These prayers train the soul to sever its attachment to illusory supports and to recognize that all power, provision, and mercy rest solely with God,” he said. “They offer a clear roadmap for spiritual ascent and success through sincere servitude.”
He concluded by encouraging believers to engage deeply with the supplications of Rajab, describing them as a spiritual foundation for the months of Shaban and Ramadan and a gateway to higher levels of faith, awareness, and closeness to God.
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