Datasets:
EdBergJr
/
gleanings_baha

Dataset card Data Studio Files
xet
 Community
1
text
stringlengths
0
3.51k
Thine Ocean unto which Thou didst summon all the inmates of heaven and all
the dwellers of the earth, to help Thy servants who have been kept back
from turning unto it and from approaching its shores. Make them, then, O
my God, to be detached from all else but Thee, and enable them to speak
forth Thy praise and extol Thy virtues. Supply them, moreover, O my God,
with the choice Wine of Thy mercy, that it may cause them to be forgetful
of any one except Thee, and to arise to serve Thy Cause, and to be
steadfast in their love for Thee. Thou art, verily, the Lord of their
lives and the Object of their adoration. If they be driven away by Thee,
who will then look upon them; and if they be removed far from Thee, who is
there that can help them to approach Thy Presence? I swear by Thy might!
No refuge is there to flee to except Thee, and no shelter to seek except
Thy shelter, and no protection except Thy protection. Woe betide him who
hath taken as Lord any one beside Thee, and blessed are the ones who have
rid themselves of all attachment to all the dwellers of Thine earth, and
clung to the hem of Thy bounteousness. These! the people of Bahá, before
all that are in heaven and all that are on earth. No God is there but
Thee, the Omniscient, the All-Wise."
Praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds.
I know not, O my God, whether I should speak forth the wonders of Thy
praise among Thy servants, and lay bare before them the secrets of Thy
mercy and the mysteries of Thy Cause, or keep them wrapped up within the
receptacle of my heart. Though the lover be loth to share with any one the
intimate conversation of his beloved, yet at whatever time Thine
inescapable commandment to declare Thy Cause reacheth me, I will
unhesitatingly obey it. I would proclaim Thee, undeterred by the darts of
affliction that may rain down upon me from the clouds of Thy decree.
I swear by Thy might! Neither the hosts of the earth nor those of heaven
can keep me back from revealing the things I am commanded to manifest. I
have no will before Thy will, and can cherish no desire in the face of Thy
desire. By Thy grace I am, at all times, ready to serve Thee and am rid of
all attachment to any one except Thee.
What I desire, however, O my God, is that Thou shouldst bid me unveil the
things which lie hid in Thy knowledge, so that they who are wholly devoted
to Thee may, in their longing for Thee, soar up into the atmosphere of Thy
oneness, and the infidels may be seized with trembling and may return to
the nethermost fire, the abode ordained for them by Thee through the power
of Thy sovereign might.
Thou dost consider, O my Lord, how Thy dear ones are sore pressed by Thine
enemies, and hearest from all sides their sighing by reason of what hath
befallen them in Thy path. Thou knowest, O my Lord, that their one desire
was to seek Thy face, and that the sole Object of their adoration was
Thee. They who wronged them had no other purpose except to turn them away
from Thee, and to extinguish the fire which Thou hadst kindled with the
hands of Thine almighty power.
Unseal the lips of Thy will, O my Lord, and let a word proceed therefrom
that shall subject unto itself the world and all that is therein. How long
shalt Thou behold these things and tarry, O my God? Darkness hath
enveloped the whole earth, and Thy tokens are ready to be blotted out
throughout Thy realm.
Forgive me, O my God, for what I have spoken, for Thou art the One that
knoweth all things, and in Thee are wrapped up the secrets that are hid
from all else except Thyself. When Thy promise shall come to pass, Thou
wilt manifest what Thou wilt, and subdue as Thou pleasest. We should wish
only what Thou hast wished for us. In Thee is the knowledge of all things,
and with Thee is the issue of all things. Thou art, verily, the Truth, the
Knower of things unseen.
Forgive me, then, my sins and the sins of them that love me, and supply
them with the good of this world and of the next.
Thou art, verily, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
Praised be Thou, O my God! Thou beholdest both the helplessness of Thy
dear ones and the ascendancy of Thy foes, both the wretchedness of Thy
chosen ones and the glory of them who gainsaid Thy Cause and repudiated
Thy signs. The latter deny Thy tokens, and fail to repay Thee for the
temporal benefits Thou didst bestow upon them, while the former yield Thee
thanks for what hath befallen them in their eagerness to partake of the
everlasting gifts Thou dost possess.
How sweet is the thought of Thee in times of adversity and trial, and how
delightful to glorify Thee when compassed about with the fierce winds of
Thy decree! Thou knowest full well, O my God, that I endure patiently
whatsoever toucheth me in Thy path. Nay, I perceive that all the members
and limbs of my body long for tribulation, that I may manifest Thy Cause,
O Thou Who art the Lord of all names! The waters of Thy love have
preserved me in the kingdom of Thy creation, and the fire of my
remembrance of Thee hath set me ablaze before all that are in heaven and
on earth. Great is my blessedness, and great the blessedness of this fire
whose flame crieth out: "No God is there save Thee, Who art the Object of
my heart's adoration, and the Source and Center of my soul!"
Thy glory beareth me witness! Were all that are in the heavens and all
that are on earth to unite and seek to hinder me from remembering Thee and
from celebrating Thy praise, they would assuredly have no power over me,
and would fail in their purpose. And were the infidels to slay me, my
blood would, at Thy command, lift up its voice and proclaim: "There is no
God but Thee, O Thou Who art all my heart's Desire!" And were my flesh to
be boiled in the cauldron of hate, the smell which it would send forth
would rise towards Thee and cry out: "Where art Thou, O Lord of the
worlds, Thou One Desire of them that have known Thee!" And were I to be
cast into fire, my ashes would--I swear by Thy glory--declare: "The Youth