Al-Kāfi
Hadith 19877 - عَنْهُ، عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ، عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ يُونُسَ عَنْ أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (عليه السلام) قَالَ : قَالَ لِي: أَكْثِرْ مِنْ أَنْ تَقُولَ : " [اللهُمَّ ] لَاتَجْعَلْنِي مِنَالْمُعَارِينَ وَلَاتُخْرِجْنِي مِنَ التَّقْصِيرِ" قَالَ : قُلْتُ : أَمَّا الْمُعَارِينَ فَقَدْ عَرَفْتُ ، فَمَا مَعْنى لَا تُخْرِجْنِي مِنَ التَّقْصِيرِ؟ قَالَ: كُلُّ عَمَلٍ تَعْمَلُهُ تُرِيدُ بِهِ وَجْهَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَكُنْ فِيهِ مُقَصِّراً عِنْدَ نَفْسِكَ، فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ كُلَّهُمْ فِي أَعْمَالِهِمْ فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ـ مُقَصِّرُونَ.
7. It is narrated from him (narrator of the Hadith above) from ibn Mahbub from al- Fadl ibn Yunus who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan (a.s.) once said to me, ‘Say very often, “O Lord, do not place me among those whose belief is temporary and do not take me out of shortcomings.” I (the narrator) then asked, ‘I know who the people of temporary belief are, but what is the meaning of, ‘Do not take me out of shortcomings?’ The Imam said, ‘In every good deed you may perform just for the sake of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, you should feel within yourself as falling far short; all people in their deeds between them and Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, fall far short from perfect.’”