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given us in the Book sent down by Thee unto Him Whom Thou hast chosen by
Thy behest, Whom Thou hast singled out for Thy favor above all Thy
creatures, Whom Thou hast been pleased to invest with Thy sovereignty, and
Whom Thou hast specially favored and entrusted with Thy Message unto Thy
people. Praised be Thou, therefore, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast
graciously enabled us to recognize Him and to acknowledge whatsoever hath
been sent down unto Him, and conferred upon us the honor of attaining the
presence of the One Whom Thou didst promise in Thy Book and in Thy
Tablets.
Thou seest me then, O my God, with my face turned towards Thee, cleaving
steadfastly to the cord of Thy gracious providence and generosity, and
clinging to the hem of Thy tender mercies and bountiful favors. Destroy
not, I implore Thee, my hopes of attaining unto that which Thou didst
ordain for Thy servants who have turned towards the precincts of Thy court
and the sanctuary of Thy presence, and have observed the fast for love of
Thee. I confess, O my God, that whatever proceedeth from me is wholly
unworthy of Thy sovereignty and falleth short of Thy majesty. And yet I
beseech Thee by Thy Name through which Thou hast revealed Thy Self, in the
glory of Thy most excellent titles, unto all created things, in this
Revelation whereby Thou hast, through Thy most resplendent Name,
manifested Thy beauty, to give me to drink of the wine of Thy mercy and of
the pure beverage of Thy favor, which have streamed forth from the right
hand of Thy will, that I may so fix my gaze upon Thee and be so detached
from all else but Thee, that the world and all that hath been created
therein may appear before me as a fleeting day which Thou hast not deigned
to create.
I moreover entreat Thee, O my God, to rain down, from the heaven of Thy
will and the clouds of Thy mercy, that which will cleanse us from the
noisome savors of our transgressions, O Thou Who hast called Thyself the
God of Mercy! Thou art, verily, the Most Powerful, the All-Glorious, the
Beneficent.
Cast not away, O my Lord, him that hath turned towards Thee, nor suffer
him who hath drawn nigh unto Thee to be removed far from Thy court. Dash
not the hopes of the suppliant who hath longingly stretched out his hands
to seek Thy grace and favors, and deprive not Thy sincere servants of the
wonders of Thy tender mercies and loving-kindness. Forgiving and Most
Bountiful art Thou, O my Lord! Power hast Thou to do what Thou pleasest.
All else but Thee are impotent before the revelations of Thy might, are as
lost in the face of the evidences of Thy wealth, are as nothing when
compared with the manifestations of Thy transcendent sovereignty, and are
destitute of all strength when face to face with the signs and tokens of
Thy power. What refuge is there beside Thee, O my Lord, to which I can
flee, and where is there a haven to which I can hasten? Nay, the power of
Thy might beareth me witness! No protector is there but Thee, no place to
flee to except Thee, no refuge to seek save Thee. Cause me to taste, O my
Lord, the divine sweetness of Thy remembrance and praise. I swear by Thy
might! Whosoever tasteth of its sweetness will rid himself of all
attachment to the world and all that is therein, and will set his face
towards Thee, cleansed from the remembrance of any one except Thee.
Inspire then my soul, O my God, with Thy wondrous remembrance, that I may
glorify Thy name. Number me not with them who read Thy words and fail to
find Thy hidden gift which, as decreed by Thee, is contained therein, and
which quickeneth the souls of Thy creatures and the hearts of Thy
servants. Cause me, O my Lord, to be reckoned among them who have been so
stirred up by the sweet savors that have been wafted in Thy days that they
have laid down their lives for Thee and hastened to the scene of their
death in their longing to gaze on Thy beauty and in their yearning to
attain Thy presence. And were any one to say unto them on their way,
"Whither go ye?" they would say, "Unto God, the All-Possessing, the Help
in Peril, the Self-Subsisting!"
The transgressions committed by such as have turned away from Thee and
have borne themselves haughtily towards Thee have not availed to hinder
them from loving Thee, and from setting their faces towards Thee, and from
turning in the direction of Thy mercy. These are they who are blessed by
the Concourse on high, who are glorified by the denizens of the
everlasting Cities, and beyond them by those on whose foreheads Thy most
exalted pen hath written: "These! The people of Bahá. Through them have
been shed the splendors of the light of guidance." Thus hath it been
ordained, at Thy behest and by Thy will, in the Tablet of Thine
irrevocable decree.
Proclaim, therefore, O my God, their greatness and the greatness of those
who while living or after death have circled round them. Supply them with
that which Thou hast ordained for the righteous among Thy creatures.
Potent art Thou to do all things. There is no God but Thee, the
All-Powerful, the Help in Peril, the Almighty, the Most Bountiful.
Do not bring our fasts to an end with this fast, O my Lord, nor the
covenants Thou hast made with this covenant. Do Thou accept all that we
have done for love of Thee, and for the sake of Thy pleasure, and all that
we have left undone as a result of our subjection to our evil and corrupt
desires. Enable us, then, to cleave steadfastly to Thy love and Thy
good-pleasure, and preserve us from the mischief of such as have denied
Thee and repudiated Thy most resplendent signs. Thou art, in truth, the
Lord of this world and of the next. No God is there beside Thee, the
Exalted, the Most High.
Magnify Thou, O Lord my God, Him Who is the Primal Point, the Divine
Mystery, the Unseen Essence, the Day-Spring of Divinity, and the
Manifestation of Thy Lordship, through Whom all the knowledge of the past
and all the knowledge of the future were made plain, through Whom the
pearls of Thy hidden wisdom were uncovered, and the mystery of Thy
treasured name disclosed, Whom Thou hast appointed as the Announcer of the
One through Whose name the letter B and the letter E have been joined and
united, through Whom Thy majesty, Thy sovereignty and Thy might were made