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shed by Thy throne, handmaidens who will intone the melodies of Thy
wondrous and most sweet invention, that they may magnify Thy name with
such words as have not been heard by any of Thy creatures, be they the
inmates of Thy heaven or the dwellers of Thine earth, nor been
comprehended by any of Thy people. Unlock, then, the gates of this
Paradise to the faces of Thy loved ones, that haply they may enter them in
Thy name, and by the power of Thy sovereignty, that thereby the sovereign
bounties vouchsafed by Thee unto Thy chosen ones and the transcendent
gifts granted unto Thy trusted ones be perfected, that they may extol Thy
virtues with such melodies as none can either intone or describe, and that
none of Thy people may conceive the design of appearing in the guise of
any of Thy chosen ones, or of emulating the example of Thy loved ones, and
that none may fail to discern between Thy friends and Thine enemies, or to
distinguish them that are devoted to Thee from such as stubbornly oppose
Thee. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, and powerful and supreme
art Thou over all things.
Exalted, immeasurably exalted art Thou, O my Beloved, above the strivings
of any of Thy creatures, however learned, to know Thee; exalted, immensely
exalted art Thou above every human attempt, no matter how searching, to
describe Thee! For the highest thought of men, however deep their
contemplation, can never hope to outsoar the limitations imposed upon Thy
creation, nor ascend beyond the state of the contingent world, nor break
the bounds irrevocably set for it by Thee. How can, then, a thing that
hath been created by Thy will that overruleth the whole of creation, a
thing that is itself a part of the contingent world, have the power to
soar into the holy atmosphere of Thy knowledge, or reach unto the seat of
Thy transcendent power?
High, immeasurably high art Thou above the endeavors of the evanescent
creature to soar unto the throne of Thine eternity, or of the poor and
wretched to attain the summit of Thine all-sufficing glory! From eternity
Thou didst Thyself describe Thine own Self unto Thy Self, and extol, in
Thine own Essence, Thine Essence unto Thine Essence. I swear by Thy glory,
O my Best-Beloved! Who is there besides Thee that can claim to know Thee,
and who save Thyself can make fitting mention of Thee? Thou art He Who,
from eternity, abode in His realm, in the glory of His transcendent unity,
and the splendors of His holy grandeur. Were any one except Thee to be
deemed worthy of mention, in all the kingdoms of Thy creation, from the
highest realms of immortality down to the level of this nether world, how
could it, then, be demonstrated that Thou art established upon the throne
of Thy unity, and how could the wondrous virtues of Thy oneness and Thy
singleness be glorified?
I bear witness, this very moment, to what Thou hast testified for Thine
own Self, ere Thou hadst created the heavens and the earth, that Thou art
God, and that there is none other God besides Thee. Thou hast from
everlasting been potent, through the Manifestations of Thy might, to
reveal the signs of Thy power, and Thou hast ever made known, through the
Day-Springs of Thy knowledge, the words of Thy wisdom. No one besides Thee
hath ever been found worthy to be mentioned before the Tabernacle of Thy
unity, and none except Thyself hath proved himself capable of being
praised within the hallowed court of Thy oneness.
Praise be to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast revealed Thy favors and Thy
bounties; and glory be to Thee, O my Beloved, that Thou hast manifested
the Day-Star of Thy loving-kindness and Thy tender mercies. I yield Thee
such thanks as can direct the steps of the wayward towards the splendors
of the morning light of Thy guidance, and enable those who yearn towards
Thee to attain the seat of the revelation of the effulgence of Thy beauty.
I yield Thee such thanks as can cause the sick to draw nigh unto the
waters of Thy healing, and can help those who are far from Thee to
approach the living fountain of Thy presence. I yield Thee such thanks as
can divest the bodies of Thy servants of the garments of mortality and
abasement, and attire them in the robes of Thine eternity and Thy glory,
and lead the poor unto the shores of Thy holiness and all sufficient
riches. I yield Thee such thanks as can enable the Heavenly Dove to warble
forth, upon the branches of the Lote-Tree of Immortality, her song:
"Verily, Thou art God. No God is there besides Thee. From eternity Thou
hast been exalted above the praise of aught else but Thee, and been high
above the description of any one except Thyself." I yield Thee such thanks
as can cause the Nightingale of Glory to pour forth its melody in the
highest heaven: "'Alí (the Báb), in truth, is Thy servant, Whom Thou hast
singled out from among Thy Messengers and Thy chosen Ones, and made Him to
be the Manifestation of Thyself in all that pertaineth unto Thee, and that
concerneth the revelation of Thine attributes and the evidences of Thy
names." I yield Thee such thanks as can stir up all things to extol Thee,
and to glorify Thine Essence, and can unloose the tongues of all beings to
magnify the sovereignty of Thy beauty. I yield Thee such thanks as can
fill the heavens and the earth with the signs of Thy transcendent Essence,
and assist all created things to enter the Tabernacle of Thy nearness and
Thy presence. I yield Thee such thanks as can make every created thing to
be a book that shall speak of Thee, and a scroll that shall unfold Thy
praise. I yield Thee such thanks as can establish the Manifestations of
Thy sovereignty upon the throne of Thy governance, and set up the
Exponents of Thy glory upon the seat of Thy Divinity. I yield Thee such
thanks as can make the corrupt tree to bring forth good fruit through the
holy breaths of Thy favors, and revive the bodies of all beings with the
gentle winds of Thy transcendent grace. I yield Thee such thanks as can
cause the signs of Thine exalted singleness to be sent down out of the
heaven of Thy holy unity. I yield Thee such thanks as can teach all things
the realities of Thy knowledge and the essence of Thy wisdom, and will not
withhold the wretched creatures from the doors of Thy mercy and Thy
bountiful favor. I yield Thee such thanks as can enable all who are in
heaven and on earth to dispense with all created things, through the
treasuries of Thine all-sufficing riches, and can aid all created things
to reach unto the summit of Thine almighty favors. I yield Thee such
thanks as can assist the hearts of Thine ardent lovers to soar into the
atmosphere of nearness to Thee, and of longing for Thee, and kindle the
Light of Lights within the land of 'Iráq. I yield Thee such thanks as can