Al-Jawshan al-Kabīr, which means 'the strong cuirass or breastplate,' is a supplication ascribed in a narration from Zayn al-'Abidin, the son of Husayn, to his great-grandfather, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him).
The supplication consists of many divine names and attributes, most of which are found in the Qur'an, and its recitation is reputed to be highly meritorious. In recent times, it has been made popular by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the author of the Risale-i Nur, a Qur'anic commentary of several volumes concerned particularly with questions of belief. Said Nursi recited the Jawshan regularly throughout his life, and as a source of reflective thought, said that in one respect, the Risale-i Nur had been born of it.
So that with its universal appeal, this matchless supplication may be made available to more people, we are publishing it here in its English translation together with the original Arabic.