diff --git "a/output_baha.csv" "b/output_baha.csv" new file mode 100644--- /dev/null +++ "b/output_baha.csv" @@ -0,0 +1,18163 @@ + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Every man of insight confesseth Thy +sovereignty and Thy dominion, +and every discerning eye perceiveth the +greatness of Thy majesty and the compelling power of Thy might. +The winds +of tests are powerless to hold back them that enjoy near access to Thee +from setting their faces towards the horizon of Thy glory, +and the +tempests of trials must fail to draw away and hinder such as are wholly +devoted to Thy will from approaching Thy court. + + +Methinks, +the lamp of Thy love is burning in their hearts, +and the light +of Thy tenderness is lit within their breasts. +Adversities are incapable +of estranging them from Thy Cause, +and the vicissitudes of fortune can +never cause them to stray from Thy pleasure. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by them and by the sighs which their hearts +utter in their separation from Thee, +to keep them safe from the mischief +of Thine adversaries, +and to nourish their souls with what Thou hast +ordained for Thy loved ones on whom shall come no fear and who shall not +be put to grief. + + + + + + + + + +Unto Thee be praise, +O Lord my God! +I entreat Thee, +by Thy signs that have +encompassed the entire creation, +and by the light of Thy countenance that +hath illuminated all that are in heaven and on earth, +and by Thy mercy +that hath surpassed all created things, +and by Thy grace that hath +suffused the whole universe, +to rend asunder the veils that shut me out +from Thee, +that I may hasten unto the Fountain-Head of Thy mighty +inspiration, +and to the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation and bountiful favors, + +and may be immersed beneath the ocean of Thy nearness and pleasure. + + +Suffer me not, +O my Lord, +to be deprived of the knowledge of Thee in Thy +days, +and divest me not of the robe of Thy guidance. +Give me to drink of +the river that is life indeed, +whose waters have streamed forth from the +Paradise (Ridván) in which the throne of Thy Name, +the All-Merciful, +was +established, +that mine eyes may be opened, +and my face be illumined, +and +my heart be assured, +and my soul be enlightened, +and my steps be made +firm. + + +Thou art He Who from everlasting was, +through the potency of His might, + +supreme over all things, +and, +through the operation of His will, +was able +to ordain all things. +Nothing whatsoever, +whether in Thy heaven or on Thy +earth, +can frustrate Thy purpose. +Have mercy, +then, +upon me, +O my Lord, + +through Thy gracious providence and generosity, +and incline mine ear to +the sweet melodies of the birds that warble their praise of Thee, +amidst +the branches of the tree of Thy oneness. + + +Thou art the Great Giver, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. + + + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I beseech Thee by Him Who is Thy Most +Great Name, +Who hath been sorely afflicted by such of Thy creatures as +have repudiated Thy truth, +and Who hath been hemmed in by sorrows which no +tongue can describe, +to grant that I may remember Thee and celebrate Thy +praise, +in these days when all have turned away from Thy beauty, +have +disputed with Thee, +and turned away disdainfully from Him Who is the +Revealer of Thy Cause. +None is there, +O my Lord, +to help Thee except Thine +own Self, +and no power to succor Thee save Thine own power. + + +I entreat Thee to enable me to cleave steadfastly to Thy Love and Thy +remembrance. +This is, +verily, +within my power, +and Thou art the One that +knoweth all that is in me. +Thou, +in truth, +art knowing, +apprised of all. + +Deprive me not, +O my Lord, +of the splendors of the light of Thy face, + +whose brightness hath illuminated the whole world. +No God is there beside +Thee, +the Most Powerful, +the All-Glorious, +the Ever-Forgiving. + + + + + + + + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Thou art He Whom all things worship +and Who worshipeth no one, +Who is the Lord of all things and is the vassal +of none, +Who knoweth all things and is known of none. +Thou didst wish to +make Thyself known unto men; +therefore, +Thou didst, +through a word of Thy +mouth, +bring creation into being and fashion the universe. +There is none +other God except Thee, +the Fashioner, +the Creator, +the Almighty, +the Most +Powerful. + + +I implore Thee, +by this very word that hath shone forth above the horizon +of Thy will, +to enable me to drink deep of the living waters through which +Thou hast vivified the hearts of Thy chosen ones and quickened the souls +of them that love Thee, +that I may, +at all times and under all conditions, + +turn my face wholly towards Thee. + + +Thou art the God of power, +of glory and bounty. +No God is there beside +Thee, +the Supreme Ruler, +the All-Glorious, +the Omniscient. + + + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +Thou beholdest me in the clutches of my +oppressors. +Every time I turn to my right, +I hear the voice of the +lamentation of them that are dear to Thee, +whom the infidels have made +captives for having believed in Thee and in Thy signs, +and for having set +their faces towards the horizon of Thy grace and of Thy loving-kindness. + +And when I turn to my left, +I hear the clamor of the wicked doers who have +disbelieved in Thee and in Thy signs, +and persistently striven to put out +the light of Thy lamp which sheddeth the radiance of Thine own Self over +all that are in Thy heaven and all that are on Thy earth. + + +The hearts of Thy chosen ones, +O my Lord, +have melted because of their +separation from Thee, +and the souls of Thy loved ones are burnt up by the +fire of their yearning after Thee in Thy days. +I implore Thee, +O Thou +Maker of the heavens and Lord of all names, +by Thy most effulgent Self and +Thy most exalted and all-glorious Remembrance, +to send down upon Thy loved +ones that which will draw them nearer unto Thee, +and enable them to +hearken unto Thine utterances. + + +Tear asunder with the hand of Thy transcendent power, +O my Lord, +the veil +of vain imaginings, +that they who are wholly devoted to Thee may see Thee +seated on the throne of Thy majesty, +and the eyes of such as adore Thy +unity may rejoice at the splendors of the glory of Thy face. +The doors of +hope have been shut against the hearts that long for Thee, +O my Lord! + +Their keys are in Thy hands; +open them by the power of Thy might and Thy +sovereignty. +Potent art Thou to do as Thou pleasest. +Thou art, +verily, +the +Almighty, +the Beneficent. + + + + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I swear by Thy might! +Successive +afflictions have withheld the pen of the Most High from laying bare that +which is hidden from the eyes of Thy creatures, +and incessant trials have +hindered the tongue of the Divine Ordainer from proclaiming the wonders of +Thy glorification and praise. +With a stammering tongue, +therefore, +I call +upon Thee, +O my God, +and with this my afflicted pen I occupy myself in +remembrance of Thy name. + + +Is there any man of insight, +O my God, +that can behold Thee with Thine own +eye, +and where is the thirsty one who can direct his face towards the +living waters of Thy love? +I am the one, +O my God, +who hath blotted out +from his heart the remembrance of all except Thee, +and hath graven upon it +the mysteries of Thy love. +Thine own might beareth me witness! +But for +tribulations, +how could the assured be distinguished from the doubters +among Thy servants? +They who have been inebriated with the wine of Thy +knowledge, +these, +verily, +hasten to meet every manner of adversity in +their longing to pass into Thy presence. +I implore Thee, +O Beloved of my +heart and the Object of my soul's adoration, +to shield them that love me +from the faintest trace of evil and corrupt desires. +Supply them, +then, + +with the good of this world and of the next. + + +Thou art, +verily, +He Whose grace hath guided them aright, +He Who hath +declared Himself to be the All-Merciful. +No God is there but Thee, +the +All-Glorious, +the Supreme Helper. + + + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I beseech Thee by this Revelation +whereby darkness hath been turned into light, +through which the Frequented +Fane hath been built, +and the Written Tablet revealed, +and the Outspread +Roll uncovered, +to send down upon me and upon them who are in my company +that which will enable us to soar into the heavens of Thy transcendent +glory, +and will wash us from the stain of such doubts as have hindered the +suspicious from entering into the tabernacle of Thy unity. + + +I am the one, +O my Lord, +who hath held fast the cord of Thy +loving-kindness, +and clung to the hem of Thy mercy and favors. +Do Thou +ordain for me and for my loved ones the good of this world and of the +world to come. +Supply them, +then, +with the Hidden Gift Thou didst ordain +for the choicest among Thy creatures. + + +These are, +O my Lord, +the days in which Thou hast bidden Thy servants to +observe the fast. +Blessed is he that observeth the fast wholly for Thy +sake and with absolute detachment from all things except Thee. +Assist me +and assist them, +O my Lord, +to obey Thee and to keep Thy precepts. +Thou, + +verily, +hast power to do what Thou choosest. + + +There is no God but Thee, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. +All praise be to +God, +the Lord of all worlds. + + + + + + + + + +Glorified be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Thou beholdest my dwelling-place, + +and the prison into which I am cast, +and the woes I suffer. +By Thy might! + +No pen can recount them, +nor can any tongue describe or number them. +I +know not, +O my God, +for what purpose Thou hast abandoned me to Thine +adversaries. +Thy glory beareth me witness! +I sorrow not for the vexations +I endure for love of Thee, +nor feel perturbed by the calamities that +overtake me in Thy path. +My grief is rather because Thou delayest to +fulfill what Thou hast determined in the Tablets of Thy Revelation, +and +ordained in the books of Thy decree and judgment. + + +My blood, +at all times, +addresseth me saying: +"O Thou Who art the Image of +the Most Merciful! +How long will it be ere Thou riddest me of the +captivity of this world, +and deliverest me from the bondage of this life? + +Didst Thou not promise me that Thou shalt dye the earth with me, +and +sprinkle me on the faces of the inmates of Thy Paradise? +" To this I make +reply: +"Be thou patient and quiet thyself. +The things thou desirest can +last but an hour. +As to me, +however, +I quaff continually in the path of +God the cup of His decree, +and wish not that the ruling of His will should +cease to operate, +or that the woes I suffer for the sake of my Lord, +the +Most Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +should be ended. +Seek thou my wish and +forsake thine own. +Thy bondage is not for my protection, +but to enable me +to sustain successive tribulations, +and to prepare me for the trials that +must needs repeatedly assail me. +Perish that lover who discerneth between +the pleasant and the poisonous in his love for his beloved! +Be thou +satisfied with what God hath destined for thee. +He, +verily, +ruleth over +thee as He willeth and pleaseth. +No God is there but Him, +the +Inaccessible, +the Most High. +" + + + + + + + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +I know not what the water is with +which Thou hast created me, +or what the fire Thou hast kindled within me, + +or the clay wherewith Thou hast kneaded me. +The restlessness of every sea +hath been stilled, +but not the restlessness of this Ocean which moveth at +the bidding of the winds of Thy will. +The flame of every fire hath been +extinguished except the Flame which the hands of Thine omnipotence have +kindled, +and whose radiance Thou hast, +by the power of Thy name, +shed +abroad before all that are in Thy heaven and all that are on Thy earth. +As +the tribulations deepen, +it waxeth hotter and hotter. + + +Behold, +then, +O my God, +how Thy Light hath been compassed with the +onrushing winds of Thy decree, +how the tempests that blow and beat upon it +from every side have added to its brightness and increased its splendor. + +For all this let Thee be praised. + + +I implore Thee, +by Thy Most Great Name, +and Thy most ancient sovereignty, + +to look upon Thy loved ones whose hearts have been sorely shaken by reason +of the troubles that have touched Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine +own Self. +Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +Thou art, +verily, + +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + + + +O Thou Whose face is the object of the adoration of all that yearn after +Thee, +Whose presence is the hope of such as are wholly devoted to Thy +will, +Whose nearness is the desire of all that have drawn nigh unto Thy +court, +Whose countenance is the companion of those who have recognized Thy +truth, +Whose name is the mover of the souls that long to behold Thy face, + +Whose voice is the true life of Thy lovers, +the words of Whose mouth are +as the waters of life unto all who are in heaven and on earth! + + +I beseech Thee, +by the wrong Thou hast suffered and the ills inflicted +upon Thee by the hosts of wrongful doers, +to send down upon me from the +clouds of Thy mercy that which will purify me of all that is not of Thee, + +that I may be worthy to praise Thee and fit to love Thee. + + +Withhold not from me, +O my Lord, +the things Thou didst ordain for such of +Thy handmaidens as circle around Thee, +and on whom are poured continually +the splendors of the sun of Thy beauty and the beams of the brightness of +Thy face. +Thou art He Who from everlasting hath succored whosoever hath +sought Thee, +and bountifully favored him who hath asked Thee. + + +No God is there beside Thee, +the Mighty, +the Ever-Abiding, +the +All-Bounteous, +the Most Generous. + + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Darkness hath fallen upon every land, + +and the forces of mischief have encompassed all the nations. +Through them, + +however, +I perceive the splendors of Thy wisdom, +and discern the +brightness of the light of Thy providence. + + +They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that they have +the power to put out Thy light, +and to quench Thy fire, +and to still the +winds of Thy grace. +Nay, +and to this Thy might beareth me witness! +Had not +every tribulation been made the bearer of Thy wisdom, +and every ordeal the +vehicle of Thy providence, +no one would have dared oppose us, +though the +powers of earth and heaven were to be leagued against us. +Were I to +unravel the wondrous mysteries of Thy wisdom which are laid bare before +me, +the reins of Thine enemies would be cleft asunder. + + +Glorified be Thou, +then, +O my God! +I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great Name +to assemble them that love Thee around the Law that streameth from the +good-pleasure of Thy will, +and to send down upon them what will assure +their hearts. + + +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +Thou art, +verily, +the Help in +Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +This is Thy servant who hath quaffed from +the hands of Thy grace the wine of Thy tender mercy, +and tasted of the +savor of Thy love in Thy days. +I beseech Thee, +by the embodiments of Thy +names whom no grief can hinder from rejoicing in Thy love or from gazing +on Thy face, +and whom all the hosts of the heedless are powerless to cause +to turn aside from the path of Thy pleasure, +to supply him with the good +things Thou dost possess, +and to raise him up to such heights that he will +regard the world even as a shadow that vanisheth swifter than the +twinkling of an eye. + + +Keep him safe also, +O my God, +by the power of Thine immeasurable majesty, + +from all that Thou abhorrest. +Thou art, +verily, +his Lord and the Lord of +all worlds. + + + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +Thou beholdest how the tempestuous winds of +tests have caused the steadfast in faith to tremble, +and how the breath of +trials hath stirred up those whose hearts had been firmly established, + +except such as have partaken of the Wine that is life indeed from the +hands of the Manifestation of Thy name, +the Most Merciful. +These are the +ones whom no word except Thy most exalted word can move, +whom nothing +whatever save the sweet smelling fragrance of the robe of Thy remembrance +can enrapture, +O Thou Who art the Possessor of all names and the Maker of +earth and heaven! + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou Who art the beloved Companion of Bahá, +by Thy name, + +the All-Glorious, +to keep safe these Thy servants under the shadow of the +wings of Thine all-encompassing mercy, +that the darts of the evil +suggestions of the wicked doers among Thy creatures, +who have disbelieved +in Thy signs, +may be kept back from them. +No one on earth, +O my Lord, +can +withstand Thy power, +and none in all the kingdom of Thy names is able to +frustrate Thy purpose. +Show forth, +then, +the power of Thy sovereignty and +of Thy dominion, +and teach Thy loved ones what beseemeth them in Thy days. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +the +Most Great. + + + + + + + + + +All praise be to Thee, +O my God! +Thou beholdest my helplessness and +poverty, +and bearest witness unto my woes and trials. +How long wilt Thou +abandon me among Thy servants? +Suffer me to ascend into Thy presence. +The +power of Thy might beareth me witness! +Such are the tribulations with +which I am encompassed that I am powerless to recount them before Thy +face. +Thou, +alone, +verily, +hast through Thy knowledge reckoned them. + + +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art my Companion in my lowliness, +to rain down +upon Thy loved ones from the clouds of Thy mercy that which will cause +them to be satisfied with Thy pleasure, +and will enable them to turn unto +Thee and to be detached from all else except Thee. +Ordain, +then, +for them +every good conceived by Thee and predestined in Thy Book. +Thou art, + +verily, +the All-Powerful, +He Whom nothing whatsoever can frustrate. +From +everlasting Thou hast been clothed with transcendent greatness and power, + +with unspeakable majesty and glory. +There is no God beside Thee, +the +Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the Ever-Forgiving. + + +Glorified be Thy name, +Thou in Whose hand are the kingdoms of earth and +heaven. + + + + + + + + + +O Thou Who art the Ruler of earth and heaven and the Author of all names! + +Thou hearest the voice of my lamentation which from the fortress-town of +Akká ascendeth towards Thee, +and beholdest how my captive friends have +fallen into the hands of the workers of iniquity. + + +We render Thee thanks, +O our Lord, +for all the troubles which have touched +us in Thy path. +Oh, +that the span of my earthly life could be so extended +as to embrace the lives of the former and the latter generations, +or could +even be so lengthened that no man on the face of the earth could measure +it, +and be afflicted every day and every moment with a fresh tribulation +for love of Thee and for Thy pleasure's sake! + + +Thou well knowest, +however, +O my God, +that my wish is wholly dissolved in +Thy wish, +and that Thou hast irrevocably decreed that my soul should +ascend unto the loftiest mansions of Thy Kingdom, +and pass into the +presence of my all-glorious Companion. + + +Hasten, +by Thy grace and bounty, +my passing, +O my Lord, +and pour forth +upon all them that are dear to Thee what will preserve them from fear and +trembling after me. +Powerful art Thou to do whatsoever may please Thee. +No +God is there except Thee, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Wise. + + +Thou seest, +O my Lord, +how Thy servants have left their homes in their +longing to meet Thee, +and how they have been hindered by the ungodly from +looking upon Thy face, +and from circumambulating the sanctuary of Thy +grandeur. +Pour out Thy steadfastness and send down Thy calm upon them, +O +my Lord! +Thou art, +in truth, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. + + + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +Thou seest my tears and lamentations, + +and hearest my sighing, +my cry and bitter wailing. +I am the one, +O my +Lord, +that hath held fast the cord of Thy mercy which hath surpassed the +entire creation. +I am the one that hath clung to the hem of Thy +loving-kindness, +O Thou in Whose hand is the empire of all names! + + +Have mercy upon me and upon all them that are in my company, +through the +wonders of Thy grace and power. +Shield us, +then, +O my God, +from the +mischief of Thine enemies, +and assist us to help Thy Faith, +and to protect +Thy Cause, +and to celebrate Thy glory. +Thou art, +verily, +He Who from +everlasting hath inhabited the inaccessible heights of His unity, +and will +continue to remain the same for ever and ever. +Nothing whatsoever escapeth +Thy knowledge, +nor is there anything that can frustrate Thee. +No God is +there beside Thee, +the Almighty, +the Ever-Faithful, +the Most Exalted, +the +All-Glorious, +the Best-Beloved. + + +Lauded and glorified art Thou, +in Whose hand is the empire of all things! + + + + + + + + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O God, +the Lord of heaven! +Attire my head with the +crown of martyrdom, +even as Thou didst attire my body with the ornament of +tribulation before all that dwell in Thy land. +Grant, +moreover, +that they +whose hearts yearn over Thee may draw nigh unto the horizon of Thy grace, + +above which the Day-Star of Thy beauty sheddeth its radiance. +Ordain, + +also, +for them what will make them rich enough to dispense with aught else +except Thee, +and rid them of all attachment to such as have repudiated Thy +signs. + + +There is none other God but Thee, +the Guardian, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O my God! +How can I thank Thee for having singled me out +and chosen me above all Thy servants to reveal Thee, +at a time when all +had turned away from Thy beauty! +I testify, +O my God, +that if I were given +a thousand lives by Thee, +and offered them up all in Thy path, +I would +still have failed to repay the least of the gifts which, +by Thy grace, + +Thou hast bestowed upon me. + + +I lay asleep on the bed of self when lo, +Thou didst waken me with the +divine accents of Thy voice, +and didst unveil to me Thy beauty, +and didst +enable me to listen to Thine utterances, +and to recognize Thy Self, +and to +speak forth Thy praise, +and to extol Thy virtues, +and to be steadfast in +Thy love. +Finally I fell a captive into the hands of the wayward among Thy +servants. + + +Thou beholdest, +therefore, +the exile which I suffer in Thy days, +and art +aware of my vehement longing to look upon Thy face, +and of mine +irrepressible yearnings to enter the court of Thy glory, +and of the +stirrings of my heart under the influences of the winds of Thy mercy. + + +I entreat Thee, +O Thou Who art the Ruler of the kingdoms of creation and +the Author of all names, +to write down my name with the names of them who, + +from eternity, +have circled round the Tabernacle of Thy majesty, +and clung +to the hem of Thy loving-kindness, +and held fast the cord of Thy tender +mercy. + + +Thou art, +in truth, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +I implore Thee, +by Thy Most Great Name +through Which Thou didst stir up Thy servants and build up Thy cities, +and +by Thy most excellent titles, +and Thy most august attributes, +to assist +Thy people to turn in the direction of Thy manifold bounties, +and set +their faces towards the Tabernacle of Thy wisdom. +Heal Thou the sicknesses +that have assailed the souls on every side, +and have deterred them from +directing their gaze towards the Paradise that lieth in the shelter of Thy +shadowing Name, +which Thou didst ordain to be the King of all names unto +all who are in heaven and all who are on earth. +Potent art Thou to do as +pleaseth Thee. +In Thy hands is the empire of all names. +There is none +other God but Thee, +the Mighty, +the Wise. + + +I am but a poor creature, +O my Lord; +I have clung to the hem of Thy +riches. +I am sore sick; +I have held fast the cord of Thy healing. +Deliver +me from the ills that have encircled me, +and wash me thoroughly with the +waters of Thy graciousness and mercy, +and attire me with the raiment of +wholesomeness, +through Thy forgiveness and bounty. +Fix, +then, +mine eyes +upon Thee, +and rid me of all attachment to aught else except Thyself. +Aid +me to do what Thou desirest, +and to fulfill what Thou pleasest. + + +Thou art truly the Lord of this life and of the next. +Thou art, +in truth, + +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Merciful. + + + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Thou Who beholdest all things and art hidden from +all things! +From every land Thou hearest the lamentations of them that +love Thee, +and from every direction Thou hearkenest unto the cries of such +as have recognized Thy sovereignty. +Were their oppressors to be asked: + +"Wherefore have ye oppressed them and held them in bondage in Ba_gh_dád +and elsewhere? +What injustice have they committed? +Whom have they +betrayed? +Whose blood have they spilled, +and whose property have they +plundered? +" they would know not what to answer. + + +Thou knowest full well, +O my God, +that their only crime is to have loved +Thee. +For this reason have their oppressors laid hold on them, +and +scattered them abroad. +Aware as I am, +O my God, +that Thou wilt send down +upon Thy servants only what is good for them, +I nevertheless beseech Thee, + +by Thy name which overshadoweth all things, +to raise up, +for their +assistance and as a sign of Thy grace and as an evidence of Thy power, + +those who will keep them safe from all their adversaries. + + +Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure. +Thou art, +verily, +the Supreme Ruler, + +the Almighty, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +I am Thy servant and the son of Thy +servant. +I have set my face towards Thy Cause, +believing in Thy oneness, + +acknowledging Thy unity, +recognizing Thy sovereignty and the power of Thy +might, +and confessing the greatness of Thy majesty and glory. +I ask Thee, + +by Thy name through which the heaven was cleft asunder, +and the earth was +rent in twain, +and the mountains were crushed, +not to withhold from me the +breezes of Thy mercy which have been wafted in Thy days, +nor to suffer me +to be far removed from the shores of Thy nearness and bounty. + + +I am he who is sore athirst, +O my Lord! +Give me to drink of the living +waters of Thy grace. +I am but a poor creature; +reveal unto me the tokens +of Thy riches. +Doth it beseem Thee to cast out of the door of Thy grace +and bounty such as have set their hopes on Thee, +and can it befit Thy +sovereignty to hinder them that yearn after Thee from attaining the adored +sanctuary of Thy presence and from beholding Thy face? +By Thy glory! +Such +is not my belief in Thee, +for I am persuaded that Thou art the God of +bounteousness, +Whose grace hath encompassed all things. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy mercy that hath surpassed the entire +creation, +and Thy generosity that hath embraced all created things, +to +cause me to turn my face wholly towards Thee, +and to seek Thy shelter, +and +to be steadfast in my love for Thee. +Write down, +then, +for me what Thou +didst ordain for them who love Thee. +Powerful art Thou to do what Thou +pleasest. +No God is there beside Thee, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the +All-Bountiful. + + +Praised be God, +the Lord of the worlds! + + + + + + + + +Exalted art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I am the one who hath forsaken his all +and set his face towards the splendors of the glory of Thy countenance, + +who hath severed every tie and clung to the cord of Thy love and of Thy +good-pleasure. +I am he, +O my God, +who hath embraced Thy love and accepted +all the adversities which the world can inflict, +who hath offered up +himself as a ransom for the sake of Thy loved ones, +that they may ascend +into the heavens of Thy knowledge and be drawn nearer unto Thee, +and may +soar in the atmosphere of Thy love and Thy good-pleasure. + + +Ordain, +O my God, +for me and for them that which Thou didst decree for +such of Thy chosen ones as are wholly devoted unto Thee. +Cause them, +then, + +to be numbered among those whose eyes Thou hast cleansed and kept from +turning to any one save Thee, +and whose eyes Thou hast protected from +beholding any face except Thy face. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +the +Supreme King, +the Help in Peril, +the All-Pardoner, +the Ever-Forgiving. + + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I implore Thee by the onrushing winds +of Thy grace, +and by them Who are the Day-Springs of Thy purpose and the +Dawning-Places of Thine inspiration, +to send down upon me and upon all +that have sought Thy face that which beseemeth Thy generosity and +bountiful grace, +and is worthy of Thy bestowals and favors. +Poor and +desolate I am, +O my Lord! +Immerse me in the ocean of Thy wealth; +athirst, + +suffer me to drink from the living waters of Thy loving-kindness. + + +I beseech Thee, +by Thine own Self and by Him Whom Thou hast appointed as +the Manifestation of Thine own Being and Thy discriminating Word unto all +that are in heaven and on earth, +to gather together Thy servants beneath +the shade of the Tree of Thy gracious providence. +Help them, +then, +to +partake of its fruits, +to incline their ears to the rustling of its +leaves, +and to the sweetness of the voice of the Bird that chanteth upon +its branches. +Thou art, +verily, +the Help in Peril, +the Inaccessible, +the +Almighty, +the Most Bountiful. + + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +I implore Thee by Them Who are the +Tabernacles of Thy Divine holiness, +Who are the Manifestations of Thy +transcendent unity and the Day-Springs of Thine inspiration and +revelation, +to grant that Thy servants may not be kept back from this +Divine Law which, +at Thy will and according to Thy pleasure, +hath branched +out from Thy most great Ocean. +Do Thou, +then, +ordain for them that which +Thou didst ordain for Thy chosen ones and for the righteous among Thy +creatures, +whose constancy in Thy Cause the tempests of trials have failed +to shake, +and whom the tumults of tests have been powerless to hinder from +magnifying Thy most exalted Word--the Word through Which the heavens of +men's idle fancies and vain imaginations have been split asunder. +Thou +art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Knowing. + + +Enable, +then, +Thy servants, +O my God, +to recognize the Day-Star that hath +shone forth above the horizon of Thine irrevocable decree and purpose, +and +suffer them not to be deprived of the Paradise which Thou, +by Thy name, + +the All-Glorious, +hast called into being in the heavens of Thine exalted +omnipotence. +Cause them, +moreover, +O my God, +to hearken to Thy most sweet +voice, +that they may all hasten to recognize Thy unity and acknowledge Thy +oneness, +O Thou Who art the Beloved of the hearts of all that yearn after +Thee, +and the Object of the adoration of such as have known Thee! + + +I beseech Thee, +by them that have cut down all the idols in this +Revelation through which the Most Grievous Convulsion and the Great Terror +have appeared, +to assist, +at all times, +Thy servants with the signs of +Thine almighty power and the evidences of Thy transcendent and +all-compelling might. +Grant, +then, +that their hearts may be made as strong +as brass, +that they may remain unmoved by the overpowering might of such +as have transgressed against Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine Essence +and the Day-Spring of Thine invisible Self, +and that they may all arise to +glorify and help Thee, +so that through them the ensigns of Thy triumph may +be lifted up in Thy realm, +and the standards of Thy Cause may be unfurled +throughout Thy dominions. +Thou art He who from everlasting hath, +through +the potency of His will, +been all-powerful, +and will continue to remain +the same for ever and ever. +Thou art, +verily, +the All-Glorious, +the Most +High. +No God is there but Thee, +the Most Powerful, +the Most Exalted, +the +Help in Peril, +the Most Great, +the One Being, +the Incomparable, +the +All-Glorious, +the Unrestrained. + + + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I beseech Thee by Thy Chosen Ones, +and +by the Bearers of Thy Trust, +and by Him Whom Thou hast ordained to be the +Seal of Thy Prophets and of Thy Messengers, +to let Thy remembrance be my +companion, +and Thy love my aim, +and Thy face my goal, +and Thy name my +lamp, +and Thy wish my desire, +and Thy pleasure my delight. + + +I am a sinner, +O my Lord, +and Thou art the Ever-Forgiving. +As soon as I +recognized Thee, +I hastened to attain the exalted court of Thy +loving-kindness. +Forgive me, +O my Lord, +my sins which have hindered me +from walking in the ways of Thy good-pleasure, +and from attaining the +shores of the ocean of Thy oneness. + + +There is no one, +O my Lord, +who can deal bountifully with me to whom I can +turn my face, +and none who can have compassion on me that I may crave his +mercy. +Cast me not out, +I implore Thee, +of the presence of Thy grace, + +neither do Thou withhold from me the outpourings of Thy generosity and +bounty. +Ordain for me, +O my Lord, +what Thou hast ordained for them that +love Thee, +and write down for me what Thou hast written down for Thy +chosen ones. +My gaze hath, +at all times, +been fixed on the horizon of Thy +gracious providence, +and mine eyes bent upon the court of Thy tender +mercies. +Do with me as beseemeth Thee. +No God is there but Thee, +the God +of power, +the God of glory, +Whose help is implored by all men. + + + + + + + + + +Suffer me, +O my God, +to draw nigh unto Thee, +and to abide within the +precincts of Thy court, +for remoteness from Thee hath well-nigh consumed +me. +Cause me to rest under the shadow of the wings of Thy grace, +for the +flame of my separation from Thee hath melted my heart within me. +Draw me +nearer unto the river that is life indeed, +for my soul burneth with thirst +in its ceaseless search after Thee. +My sighs, +O my God, +proclaim the +bitterness of mine anguish, +and the tears I shed attest my love for Thee. + + +I beseech Thee, +by the praise wherewith Thou praisest Thyself and the +glory wherewith Thou glorifiest Thine own Essence, +to grant that we may be +numbered among them that have recognized Thee and acknowledged Thy +sovereignty in Thy days. +Help us then to quaff, +O my God, +from the fingers +of mercy the living waters of Thy loving-kindness, +that we may utterly +forget all else except Thee, +and be occupied only with Thy Self. +Powerful +art Thou to do what Thou willest. +No God is there beside Thee, +the Mighty, + +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + +Glorified be Thy name, +O Thou Who art the King of all Kings! + + + + + + + + + +Thou beholdest, +O my God, +the Day-Star of Thy Word shining above the +horizon of Thy prison-city, +inasmuch as within its walls He who is the +Manifestation of Thy Self and the Day-Spring of the light of Thy unity +hath raised His voice and uttered Thy praise. +The fragrances of Thy love +have thereby been wafted over Thy cities and have encompassed all the +dwellers of Thy realm. + + +Since Thou hast revealed Thy grace, +O my God, +deter not Thy servants from +directing their eyes towards it. +Consider not, +O my God, +their estate, +and +their concerns and their works. +Consider the greatness of Thy glory, +and +the plenteousness of Thy gifts, +and the power of Thy might, +and the +excellence of Thy favors. +I swear by Thy glory! +Wert Thou to look upon +them with the eye of justice, +all would deserve Thy wrath and the rod of +Thine anger. +Hold Thou Thy creatures, +O my God, +with the hands of Thy +grace, +and make Thou known unto them what is best for them of all the +things that have been created in the kingdom of Thine invention. + + +We testify, +O my God, +that Thou art God, +and that there is no God besides +Thee. +From eternity Thou hast existed with none to equal or rival Thee, + +and wilt abide for ever the same. +I beseech Thee, +by the eyes which see +Thee stablished upon the throne of unity and the seat of oneness, +to aid +all them that love Thee by Thy Most Great Name, +and to lift them up into +such heights that they will testify with their own beings and with their +tongues that Thou art God alone, +the Incomparable, +the One, +the +Ever-Abiding. +Thou hast had at no time any peer or partner. +Thou, +in +truth, +art the All-Glorious, +the Almighty, +Whose help is implored by all +men. + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +I bear witness that from eternity Thou +wert exalted in Thy transcendent majesty and might, +and wilt to eternity +abide in Thy surpassing power and glory. +None in the kingdoms of earth and +heaven can frustrate Thy purpose; +none throughout the realms of revelation +and of creation can prevail against Thee. +At Thy command Thou doest what +Thou willest, +and by the power of Thy sovereignty Thou rulest as Thou +pleasest. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou Who causest the dawn to appear, +by Thy Lamp which +Thou didst light with the fire of Thy love before all that are in heaven +and on earth, +and whose flame Thou feedest with the fuel of Thy wisdom in +the kingdom of Thy creation, +to make me to be of those who have soared in +Thine atmosphere, +and surrendered their will to Thy decree. + + +I am all wretchedness, +O my Lord, +and Thou art the Most Powerful, +the +Almighty. +Have pity upon me by Thy grace and bountiful favor, +and +graciously aid me to serve Thee and them that are dear to Thee. +Potent art +Thou to do as Thou willest. +No God is there but Thee, +the God of strength, + +of glory and wisdom. + + + + + +Many a chilled heart, +O my God, +hath been set ablaze with the fire of Thy +Cause, +and many a slumberer hath been wakened by the sweetness of Thy +voice. +How many are the strangers who have sought shelter beneath the +shadow of the tree of Thy oneness, +and how numerous the thirsty ones who +have panted after the fountain of Thy living waters in Thy days! + + +Blessed is he that hath set himself towards Thee, +and hasted to attain the +Day-Spring of the lights of Thy face. +Blessed is he who with all his +affections hath turned to the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation and the +Fountain-Head of Thine inspiration. +Blessed is he that hath expended in +Thy path what Thou didst bestow upon him through Thy bounty and favor. + +Blessed is he who, +in his sore longing after Thee, +hath cast away all else +except Thyself. +Blessed is he who hath enjoyed intimate communion with +Thee, +and rid himself of all attachment to any one save Thee. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by Him Who is Thy Name, +Who, +through the power +of Thy sovereignty and might, +hath risen above the horizon of His prison, + +to ordain for every one what becometh Thee and beseemeth Thine exaltation. + + +Thy might, +in truth, +is equal to all things. + + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Thou seest me in this day shut up in my +prison, +and fallen into the hands of Thine adversaries, +and beholdest my +son (The Purest Branch) lying on the dust before Thy face. +He is Thy +servant, +O my Lord, +whom Thou hast caused to be related to Him Who is the +Manifestation of Thyself and the Day-Spring of Thy Cause. + + +At his birth he was afflicted through his separation from Thee, +according +to what had been ordained for him through Thine irrevocable decree. +And +when he had quaffed the cup of reunion with Thee, +he was cast into prison +for having believed in Thee and in Thy signs. +He continued to serve Thy +Beauty until he entered into this Most Great Prison. +Thereupon I offered +him up, +O my God, +as a sacrifice in Thy path. +Thou well knowest what they +who love Thee have endured through this trial that hath caused the +kindreds of the earth to wail, +and beyond them the Concourse on high to +lament. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by him and by his exile and his imprisonment, + +to send down upon such as loved him what will quiet their hearts and bless +their works. +Potent art Thou to do as Thou willest. +No God is there but +Thee, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O my God! +I beseech Thee by them who have circled round +the throne of Thy will, +and soared in the atmosphere of Thy good-pleasure, + +and turned with all their affections towards the Horizon of Thy Revelation +and the Day-Spring of Thine inspiration, +and the Dawning-Place of Thy +names, +to aid Thy servants to observe what Thou hast commanded them in Thy +days--commandments through which the sacredness of Thy Cause will be +demonstrated unto Thy servants and the affairs of Thy creatures and of Thy +realm will be set aright. + + +I testify, +O my God, +that this is the Day whereon Thy testimony hath been +fulfilled, +and Thy clear tokens have been manifested, +and Thine utterances +have been revealed, +and Thy signs have been demonstrated, +and the radiance +of Thy countenance hath been diffused, +and Thy proof hath been perfected, + +and Thine ascendancy hath been established, +and Thy mercy hath overflowed, + +and the Day-Star of Thy grace hath shone forth with such brilliance that +Thou didst manifest Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself and the Treasury of +Thy wisdom and the Dawning-Place of Thy majesty and power. +Thou didst +establish His covenant with every one who hath been created in the +kingdoms of earth and heaven and in the realms of revelation and of +creation. +Thou didst raise Him up to such heights that the wrongs +inflicted by the oppressors have been powerless to deter Him from +revealing Thy sovereignty, +and the ascendancy of the wayward hath failed +to prevent Him from demonstrating Thy power and from exalting Thy Cause. + + +So highly didst Thou exalt Him that He openly delivered unto the kings Thy +messages and commandments, +and hath never for one moment sought His own +protection, +but striven to protect Thy servants from whatever might +withhold them from approaching the kingdom of Thy nearness, +and from +setting their faces towards the horizon of Thy good-pleasure. + + +Thou seest, +O my God, +how, +notwithstanding the swords that are drawn +against Him, +He calleth the nations unto Thee, +and though Himself a +prisoner summoneth them to turn in the direction of Thy gifts and +bounties. +With every fresh tribulation He manifested a fuller measure of +Thy Cause, +and exalted more highly Thy word. + + +I testify that through Him the Pen of the Most High was set in motion, +and +with His remembrance the Scriptures in the kingdom of names were +embellished. +Through Him Thy fragrances were wafted, +and the sweet smell +of Thy raiment was shed abroad amongst all the dwellers of the earth and +the inmates of heaven. +Thou seest and knowest full well, +O my God, +how He +hath been made to dwell within the most desolate of cities, +so that He may +build up the hearts of Thy servants, +and hath been willing to suffer the +most grievous abasement, +that Thy creatures may be exalted. + + +I pray Thee, +O Thou Who causest the dawn to appear, +by Thy Name through +Which Thou hast subjected the winds, +and sent down Thy Tablets, +that Thou +wilt grant that we may draw near unto what Thou didst destine for us by +Thy favor and bounty, +and to be far removed from whatsoever may be +repugnant unto Thee. +Give us, +then, +to drink from the hands of Thy grace +every day and every moment of our lives of the waters that are life +indeed, +O Thou Who art the Most Merciful! +Make us, +then, +to be of them who +helped Thee when fallen into the hands of those Thine enemies who are +numbered with the rebellious among Thy creatures and the wicked amidst Thy +people. +Write down, +then, +for us the recompense ordained for him that hath +attained Thy presence, +and gazed on Thy beauty, +and supply us with every +good thing ordained in Thy Book for such of Thy creatures as enjoy near +access to Thee. + + +Brighten our hearts, +O my Lord, +with the splendor of Thy knowledge, +and +illumine our sight with the light of such eyes as are fixed upon the +horizon of Thy grace and the Day-Spring of Thy glory. +Preserve us, +then, + +by Thy Most Great Name, +Which Thou didst cause to overshadow such nations +as lay claim to what Thou hast forbidden in Thy Book. +This, +verily, +is +what Thou didst announce unto us in Thy Scriptures and Thy Tablets. + + +Cause us, +then, +to be so steadfast in our love towards Thee that we will +turn to none except Thee, +and will be reckoned amongst them that are +brought nigh to Thee, +and acknowledge Thee as One Who is exalted above +every comparison and is holy beyond all likeness, +and will lift up our +voices amongst Thy servants and cry aloud that He is the one God, +the +Incomparable, +the Ever-Abiding, +the Most Powerful, +the All-Glorious, +the +All-Wise. + + +Strengthen Thou, +O my Lord, +the hearts of them that love Thee, +that they +may not be affrighted by the hosts of the infidels that are turned back +from Thee, +but may follow Thee in whatsoever hath been revealed by Thee. + +Aid them, +moreover, +to remember and to praise Thee, +and to teach Thy Cause +with eloquence and wisdom. +Thou art He Who hath called Himself the Most +Merciful. +Ordain, +then, +O my God, +for me and for whosoever hath sought +Thee what beseemeth the excellence of Thy glory and the greatness of Thy +majesty. +No God is there but Thee, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most +Compassionate. + + + + + + + +Thou seest Thy dear One, +O my God, +lying at the mercy of Thine enemies, + +and hearest the voice of His lamentation from the midst of such of Thy +creatures as have dealt wickedly in Thy sight. +He it is, +O my Lord, + +through Whose name Thou didst beautify Thy Tablets, +and for Whose greater +glory Thou didst send down the Bayán, +and at Whose separation from Thee +Thou didst weep continually. +Look Thou, +then, +upon His loneliness, +O my +God, +and behold Him fallen into the hands of them that have disbelieved in +Thy signs, +have turned their backs upon Thee, +and have forgotten the +wonders of Thy mercy. + + +He it is, +O my God, +about Whom Thou hast said: +"But for Thee the +Scriptures would have remained unrevealed, +and the Prophets unsent. +" And +no sooner had He, +by Thy behest, +been manifested and spoken forth Thy +praise, +than the wicked doers among Thy creatures compassed Him round, + +with the swords of hate drawn against Him, +O Thou the Lord of all names! + +Thou well knowest what befell Him at the hands of such as have rent +asunder the veil of Thy grandeur, +and cast behind their backs Thy Covenant +and Thy Testament, +O Thou Who art the Maker of the heavens! +He is the One +for Whose sake Thou (the Báb) hast yielded Thy life, +and hast consented to +be touched by the manifold ills of the world that He may manifest Himself, + +and summoned all mankind in His name. +As soon as He came down, +however, + +from the heaven of majesty and power, +Thy servants stretched out against +Him the hands of cruelty and sedition, +and caused Him to be afflicted with +such troubles that the scrolls of the world are insufficient to contain a +full recital of them. + + +Thou seest, +therefore, +O Thou Beloved of the world, +Him Who is dear to +Thee in the clutches of such as have denied Thee, +and beholdest Thy +heart's desire under the swords of the ungodly. +Methinks He, +from His most +exalted station, +saith unto me: +"Would that my soul, +O Prisoner, +could be +a ransom for Thy captivity, +and my being, +O wronged One, +be sacrificed for +the adversities Thou didst suffer! +Thou art He through Whose captivity the +standards of Thine almighty power were hoisted, +and the day-star of Thy +revelation shone forth above the horizon of tribulation, +in such wise that +all created things bowed down before the greatness of Thy majesty. + + +"The more they strove to hinder Thee from remembering Thy God and from +extolling His virtues, +the more passionately didst Thou glorify Him and +the more loudly didst Thou call upon Him. +And every time the veils of the +perverse came in between Thee and Thy servants, +Thou didst shed the +splendors of the light of Thy countenance out of the heaven of Thy grace. + +Thou art, +in very truth, +the Self-Subsisting as testified by the tongue of +God, +the All-Glorious, +the one alone Beloved; +and Thou art the Desire of +the world as attested by what hath flowed down from the Pen of Him Who +hath announced unto Thy servants Thy hidden Name, +and adorned the entire +creation with the ornament of Thy love, +the Most Precious, +the Most +Exalted. + + +"The eyes of the world were gladdened at the sight of Thy luminous +countenance, +and yet the peoples have united to put out Thy light, +O Thou +in Whose hands are the reins of the worlds! +All the atoms of the earth +have celebrated Thy praise, +and all created things have been set ablaze +with the drops sprinkled by the ocean of Thy love, +and yet the people +still seek to quench Thy fire. +Nay--and to this Thine own Self beareth me +witness--they are all weakness, +and Thou, +verily, +art the All-Powerful; +and +they are but paupers and Thou, +in truth, +art the All-Possessing; +and they +are impotent and Thou art, +truly, +the Almighty. +Naught can ever frustrate +Thy purpose, +neither can the dissensions of the world harm Thee. +Through +the breaths of Thine utterance the heaven of understanding hath been +adorned, +and by the effusions of Thy pen every moldering bone hath been +quickened. +Grieve not at what hath befallen Thee, +neither do Thou lay hold +on them for the things they have committed in Thy days. +Do Thou be +forbearing toward them. +Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most +Compassionate. +" + + + + + +Praise be unto Thee, +O my God! +Thou art He Who by a word of His mouth hath +revolutionized the entire creation, +and by a stroke of His pen hath +divided Thy servants one from another. +I bear witness, +O my God, +that +through a word spoken by Thee in this Revelation all created things were +made to expire, +and through yet another word all such as Thou didst wish +were, +by Thy grace and bounty, +endued with new life. + + +I render Thee thanks, +therefore, +and extol Thee, +in the name of all them +that are dear to Thee, +for that Thou hast caused them to be born again, +by +reason of the living waters which have flowed down out of the mouth of Thy +will. +Since Thou didst quicken them by Thy bounteousness, +O my God, +make +them steadfastly inclined, +through Thy graciousness, +towards Thy will; +and +since Thou didst suffer them to enter into the Tabernacle of Thy Cause, + +grant by Thy grace that they may not be kept back from Thee. + + +Unlock, +then, +to their hearts, +O my God, +the portals of Thy knowledge, + +that they may recognize Thee as One Who is far above the reach and ken of +the understanding of Thy creatures, +and immeasurably exalted above the +strivings of Thy people to hint at Thy nature, +and may not follow every +clamorous impostor that presumeth to speak in Thy name. +Enable them, + +moreover, +O my Lord, +to cleave so tenaciously to Thy Cause that they may +remain unmoved by the perplexing suggestions of them who, +prompted by +their desires, +utter what hath been forbidden unto them in Thy Tablets and +Thy Scriptures. + + +Thou art well aware, +O my Lord, +that I hear the howling of the wolves +which appear in Thy servants' clothing. +Keep safe, +therefore, +Thy loved +ones from their mischief, +and enable them to cling steadfastly to +whatsoever hath been manifested by Thee in this Revelation, +which no other +Revelation within Thy knowledge hath excelled. + + +Do Thou destine for them, +O my Lord, +that which will profit them. + +Illumine, +then, +their eyes with the light of Thy knowledge, +that they may +see Thee visibly supreme over all things, +and resplendent amidst Thy +creatures, +and victorious over all that are in Thy heaven and all that are +on Thy earth. +Powerful art Thou to do Thy pleasure. +No God is there but +Thee, +the All-Glorious, +Whose help is implored by all men. + + +Praised be Thou, +Who art the Lord of all creation. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +I implore Thee by Thine Ancient Beauty and +Most Great Name, +Whom Thou hast sacrificed that all the dwellers of Thine +earth and heaven may be born anew, +and Whom Thou hast cast into prison +that mankind may, +as a token of Thy bounty and of Thy sovereign might, +be +released from the bondage of evil passions and corrupt desires, +to number +me with those who have so deeply inhaled the fragrance of Thy mercy, +and +hastened with such speed unto the living waters of Thy grace, +that no dart +could hinder them from turning unto Thee, +nor any spear from setting their +faces towards the orient of Thy Revelation. + + +We testify, +O my Lord, +that Thou art God and that there is none other God +besides Thee. +From everlasting Thou wast enthroned on the inaccessible +heights of Thy power, +and wilt unto everlasting continue to exercise Thy +transcendent and unrestrained dominion. +The hosts of the world are +powerless to frustrate Thy will, +nor can all the dwellers of the earth and +all the inmates of heaven annul Thy decree. +Thou truly art the Almighty, + +the Most Exalted, +the Most Great. + + +Bless, +O my God, +those of the followers of the Bayán as have been numbered +with the people of Bahá, +who have entered within the Crimson Ark in Thy +Name, +the Most Exalted, +the Most High. +Thy might, +verily, +is equal to all +things. + + + + + + + + +I give praise to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I entreat Thee by Thy Name through +which Thou didst cause the dawn to appear, +and the winds to blow, +and the +seas to surge, +and the trees to bring forth their fruits, +and the earth to +be beautified with its rivers, +that Thou wilt aid all them that are dear +to Thee with both Thy visible and invisible hosts. +Render them, +moreover, + +victorious over all those who have so rebelled in Thy land, +and dishonored +Thy name, +and disbelieved in Thy signs, +and broken Thy Covenant, +and cast +behind their backs Thy laws, +and have to such an extent risen up against +Thee, +that they carried into captivity Thy kindred, +and flung the +Manifestation of Thy Self into prison, +and immured Him Who is the +Day-Spring of Thine Essence in the most desolate of cities. + + +Thou, +O my Lord, +art He whose strength is immense, +Whose decree is +terrible. +Lay hold on Thine adversaries by the power of Thy sovereignty, + +and assemble Thy loved ones beneath the shadow of the tree of Thy oneness, + +that they may stand before Thy throne, +and catch the accents of Thy voice, + +and gaze on Thy beauty, +and discover the power of Thy might. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the All-Powerful, +the Almighty. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +I am so carried away by the breezes blowing +from Thy presence that I have forgotten my self and all that I possess. + +This is but a sign of the wonders of Thy grace and bountiful favors +vouchsafed unto me. +I give praise to Thee, +O my God, +that Thou hast chosen +me out of all Thy creatures, +and made me to be the Day-Spring of Thy +strength and the Manifestation of Thy might, +and empowered me to reveal +such of Thy signs and such tokens of Thy majesty and power as none, + +whether in Thy heaven or on Thy earth, +can produce. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy most effulgent Name, +to acquaint my +people with the things Thou didst destine for them. +Do Thou, +then, + +preserve them within the stronghold of Thy guardianship and the tabernacle +of Thine unerring protection, +lest through them may appear what will +divide Thy servants. +Assemble them, +O my Lord, +on the shores of this +Ocean, +every drop of which proclaimeth Thee to be God, +besides Whom there +is none other God, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Wise. + + +Uncover before them, +O my Lord, +the majesty of Thy Cause, +lest they be led +to doubt Thy sovereignty and the power of Thy might. +I swear by Thy glory, + +O Thou Who art the Beloved of the worlds! +Had they been aware of Thy power +they would of a certainty have refused to utter what Thou didst not ordain +for them in the heaven of Thy will. + + +Inspire them, +O my Lord, +with a sense of their own powerlessness before +Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self, +and teach them to recognize the +poverty of their own nature in the face of the manifold tokens of Thy +self-sufficiency and riches, +that they may gather together round Thy +Cause, +and cling to the hem of Thy mercy, +and cleave to the cord of the +good-pleasure of Thy will. + + +Thou art the Lord of the worlds, +and of all those who show mercy, +art the +Most Merciful. + + + + + + + +Glory be to Thee, +O King of eternity, +and the Maker of nations, +and the +Fashioner of every moldering bone! +I pray Thee, +by Thy Name through which +Thou didst call all mankind unto the horizon of Thy majesty and glory, +and +didst guide Thy servants to the court of Thy grace and favors, +to number +me with such as have rid themselves from everything except Thyself, +and +have set themselves towards Thee, +and have not been kept back by such +misfortunes as were decreed by Thee, +from turning in the direction of Thy +gifts. + + +I have laid hold, +O my Lord, +on the handle of Thy bounty, +and clung +steadfastly to the hem of the robe of Thy favor. +Send down, +then, +upon me, + +out of the clouds of Thy generosity, +what will purge out from me the +remembrance of any one except Thee, +and make me able to turn unto Him Who +is the Object of the adoration of all mankind, +against Whom have been +arrayed the stirrers of sedition, +who have broken Thy covenant, +and +disbelieved in Thee and in Thy signs. + + +Deny me not, +O my Lord, +the fragrances of Thy raiment in Thy days, +and +deprive me not of the breathings of Thy Revelation at the appearance of +the splendors of the light of Thy face. +Powerful art Thou to do what +pleaseth Thee. +Naught can resist Thy will, +nor frustrate what Thou hast +purposed by Thy power. + + +No God is there but Thee, +the Almighty, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +I testify that Thou wast a hidden +Treasure wrapped within Thine immemorial Being and an impenetrable Mystery +enshrined in Thine own Essence. +Wishing to reveal Thyself, +Thou didst call +into being the Greater and the Lesser Worlds, +and didst choose Man above +all Thy creatures, +and didst make Him a sign of both of these worlds, +O +Thou Who art our Lord, +the Most Compassionate! + + +Thou didst raise Him up to occupy Thy throne before all the people of Thy +creation. +Thou didst enable Him to unravel Thy mysteries, +and to shine +with the lights of Thine inspiration and Thy Revelation, +and to manifest +Thy names and Thine attributes. +Through Him Thou didst adorn the preamble +of the book of Thy creation, +O Thou Who art the Ruler of the universe Thou +hast fashioned! + + +I bear witness that in His person solidity and fluidity have been joined +and combined. +Through His immovable constancy in Thy Cause, +and His +unwavering adherence to whatsoever Thou, +in the plentitude of the light of +Thy glory, +didst unveil to His eyes, +throughout the domains of Thy +Revelation and creation, +the souls of Thy servants were stirred up in +their longing for Thy Kingdom, +and the dwellers of Thy realms rushed forth +to enter into Thy heavenly dominion. +Through the restlessness He evinced +in Thy path, +the feet of all them that are devoted to Thee were steeled +and confirmed to manifest Thy Cause amidst Thy creatures, +and to +demonstrate Thy sovereignty throughout Thy realm. + + +How great, +O my God, +is this Thy most excellent handiwork, +and how +consummate Thy creation, +which hath caused every understanding heart and +mind to marvel! +And when the set time was fulfilled, +and what had been +preordained came to pass, +Thou didst unloose His tongue to praise Thee, + +and to lay bare Thy mysteries before all Thy creation, +O Thou Who art the +Possessor of all names, +and the Fashioner of earth and heaven! +Through Him +all created things were made to glorify Thee, +and to celebrate Thy praise, + +and every soul was directed towards the kingdom of Thy revelation and Thy +sovereignty. + + +At one time, +Thou didst raise Him up, +O my God, +and didst attire Him with +the ornament of the name of Him Who conversed with Thee (Moses), +and didst +through Him uncover all that Thy will had decreed and Thine irrevocable +purpose ordained. +At another time, +Thou didst adorn Him with the name of +Him Who was Thy Spirit (Jesus), +and didst send Him down out of the heaven +of Thy will, +for the edification of Thy people, +infusing thereby the +spirit of life into the hearts of the sincere among Thy servants and the +faithful among Thy creatures. +Again, +Thou didst reveal Him, +decked forth +by the name of Him Who was Thy Friend (Muhammad), +and caused Him to shine +brightly above the horizon of Hijáz, +as a token of Thy power and an +evidence of Thy might. +Through Him Thou didst send unto Thy servants what +enabled them to scale the heights of Thy unity, +and to yearn over the +wonders of Thy manifold knowledge and wisdom. + + +I testify, +O Thou Who art the Lord of the whole creation, +and the Desire +of whosoever hath sought Thee, +that, +amidst Thy creatures, +They resemble +the sun which no matter how often it riseth and setteth is still the one +and the same sun. +Whoso maketh any distinction between any of Them hath +truly failed to attain the ultimate purpose, +and to reach the highest +goal, +and hath been deprived of the mysteries of unity and of the lights +of sanctity and oneness. +I testify, +moreover, +that Thou hast decreed that +none on the face of the earth should equal Them, +and none of Thy creatures +be able to be compared with any of Them, +in order that Thine own +singleness and peerlessness might be recognized and established. + + +Glorified, +immeasurably glorified be Thy name, +O my God! +How can I ever +befittingly mention Thee or sufficiently praise Thee, +that Thou hast +manifested Him by the power of Thy might, +and caused Him to shine above +the horizon of Thy will, +and made Him the Day-Spring of Thy signs, +and the +Dawning-Place of the revelation of Thy names and Thine attributes? +How +bewilderingly mysterious, +moreover, +O my God, +is His nature and all that +Thou hast infused into Him, +through Thy strength and by the power of Thy +might! +At one time He appeareth as the water which is Life indeed, +sent +down out of the heaven of Thy grace, +and poured forth from the clouds of +Thy mercy, +that Thy creatures may be endued with new life, +and live as +long as Thine own Kingdom endureth. +Every drop of that water would suffice +to quicken the dead, +and to set their faces in the direction of Thy favors +and Thy gifts, +and to rid them of all attachment to aught else except +Thee. +At another time He revealeth Himself as the Fire which Thou didst +kindle in the tree of Thy unity, +whose heat melted the hearts of Thine +ardent lovers when He Who is the Day-Star of the world shone forth above +the horizon of 'Iráq. +I testify, +O my God, +that through Him the veils of +human fancy were burnt up, +and the hearts of men were set towards the +scene of Thy most resplendent glory. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou Who art the Supreme Ordainer, +not to suffer me to +be deprived of the breezes which are wafted in Thy days, +the days whereon +the sweet smell of the raiment of Thy mercy hath been shed abroad. +Neither +do Thou keep me back from Thy most great Ocean, +every drop of which crieth +out and saith: +"Great is the blessedness that awaiteth him who hath been +awakened from his sleep by the breath of God which, +from the source of His +mercy, +hath blown over all such of His creatures as have set themselves +towards Him! +" + +Thou seest, +O my Lord, +how Thy servants are held captive by their own +selves and desires. +Redeem them from their bondage, +O my God, +by the power +of Thy sovereignty and might, +that they may turn towards Thee when He Who +is the Revealer of Thy names and attributes is manifested unto men. + + +Cast upon this poor and desolate creature, +O my Lord, +the glance of Thy +wealth, +and flood his heart with the beams of Thy knowledge, +that he may +apprehend the verities of the unseen world, +and discover the mysteries of +Thy heavenly realm, +and perceive the signs and tokens of Thy kingdom, +and +behold the manifold revelations of this earthly life all set forth before +the face of Him Who is the Revealer of Thine own Self. +Direct, +then, +his +eyes, +O my God, +towards the horizon of Thy loving-kindness, +and make +steadfast his heart in its attachment to Thee, +and unloose his tongue to +praise Thee, +and make him able to hold fast the cord of Thy love, +and to +cling to the hem of Thy bounteousness, +and to proclaim Thy name amidst Thy +creatures, +and to recount Thy virtues throughout Thy realm, +in such wise +that no obstacle will deter him from turning to Thy name, +the +All-Bountiful, +and no veil shut him out from Thee, +in Whose hand is the +dominion of utterance and the kingdom of all names and attributes! + + +Hold Thou the hand of this seeker who hath set his face towards Thee, +O my +Lord, +and draw him out of the depths of his vain imaginations, +that the +light of certainty may shine brightly above the horizon of his heart in +the days whereon the sun of the knowledge of Thy creatures hath been +darkened through the shining of the Day-Star of Thy glory; +the days +whereon the moon of the world's wisdom hath been eclipsed through the +appearance of Thy hidden knowledge, +and the manifestation of Thy +well-guarded secret, +and the revelation of Thine enshrined mystery; +the +days whereon the stars of men's doings have fallen through the rising of +the orb of Thy unity and the shedding of the radiance of Thy transcendent +oneness. + + +I beg of Thee, +O my God, +by Thy most exalted Word which Thou hast ordained +as the Divine Elixir unto all who are in Thy realm, +the Elixir through +whose potency the crude metal of human life hath been transmuted into +purest gold, +O Thou in Whose hands are both the visible and invisible +kingdoms, +to ordain that my choice be conformed to Thy choice and my wish +to Thy wish, +that I may be entirely content with that which Thou didst +desire, +and be wholly satisfied with what Thou didst destine for me by Thy +bounteousness and favor. +Potent art Thou to do as Thou willest. +Thou, +in +very truth, +art the All-Glorious, +the All-Wise. + + +Happy is the man who hath recognized Thee, +and discovered the sweetness of +Thy fragrance, +and set himself towards Thy kingdom, +and tasted of the +things that have been perfected therein by Thy grace and favor. +Great is +the blessedness of him who hath acknowledged Thy most excellent majesty, + +and whom the veils that have shut out the nations from Thee have not +hindered from directing his eyes towards Thee, +O Thou Who art the King of +eternity and the Quickener of every moldering bone! +Blessed, +also, +is he +that hath inhaled Thy sweet savors, +and been carried away by Thine +utterances in Thy days. +Blessed, +moreover, +be the man that hath turned +unto Thee, +and woe betide him that hath turned his back upon Thee. + + +Praised be Thou, +the Lord of the worlds! + + + + + + + + +O Thou Who dealest equitably with all who are in heaven and on earth, +and +rulest over the kingdom of Thy creation and of Thy Revelation! +I testify +that every man of equity hath recognized his unfairness in the face of the +revelation of the splendors of the Day-Star of Thy Justice, +and the ablest +of pens hath confessed its impotence before the movement of Thy most +exalted Pen. + + +By Thy life, +O Thou the Possessor of all names! +The minds of the +profoundest thinkers are sore perplexed as they contemplate the ocean of +Thy knowledge, +and the heaven of Thy wisdom, +and the Luminary of Thy +grace. +How can he who is but a creation of Thy will claim to know what is +with Thee, +or to conceive Thy nature? + + +Praise, +immeasurable praise be to Thee! +I swear by Thy glory! +My inner and +outer tongue, +openly and secretly, +testify that Thou hast been exalted +above the reach and ken of Thy creatures, +above the utterance of Thy +servants, +above the testimonies of Thy dear ones and Thy chosen ones, +and +the apprehension of Thy Prophets and of Thy Messengers. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy Name which Thou hast made to be the +Day-Spring of Thy Revelation and the Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration, + +to ordain for this wronged One and for them that are dear to Thee what +becometh Thy loftiness. +Thou, +in very truth, +art the All-Bountiful, +the +All-Powerful, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I implore Thee, +by Thy Name which none +hath befittingly recognized, +and whose import no soul hath fathomed; +I +beseech Thee, +by Him Who is the Fountain-Head of Thy Revelation and the +Day-Spring of Thy signs, +to make my heart to be a receptacle of Thy love +and of remembrance of Thee. +Knit it, +then, +to Thy most great Ocean, +that +from it may flow out the living waters of Thy wisdom and the crystal +streams of Thy glorification and praise. + + +The limbs of my body testify to Thy unity, +and the hair of my head +declareth the power of Thy sovereignty and might. +I have stood at the door +of Thy grace with utter self-effacement and complete abnegation, +and clung +to the hem of Thy bounty, +and fixed mine eyes upon the horizon of Thy +gifts. + + +Do Thou destine for me, +O my God, +what becometh the greatness of Thy +majesty, +and assist me, +by Thy strengthening grace, +so to teach Thy Cause +that the dead may speed out of their sepulchers, +and rush forth towards +Thee, +trusting wholly in Thee, +and fixing their gaze upon the orient of +Thy Cause, +and the dawning-place of Thy Revelation. + + +Thou, +verily, +art the Most Powerful, +the Most High, +the All-Knowing, +the +All-Wise. + + + + + + + +Thy unity is inscrutable, +O my God, +to all except them that have +recognized Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy singleness and the +Day-Spring of Thy oneness. +Whoso assigneth a rival unto Him hath assigned +a rival unto Thee, +and whoso hath set up a peer for Him hath set up a peer +for Thyself. +No, +no, +none can withstand Thee in the whole of creation. + +Thou hast everlastingly been exalted far above all comparison and +likeness. +Thy oneness hath been demonstrated by the oneness of Him Who is +the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation. +Whosoever denieth this, +hath denied +Thy unity, +and disputed with Thee about Thy sovereignty, +and contended +with Thee in Thy realm, +and repudiated Thy commandments. + + +Assist Thou Thy servants, +O my Lord, +to recognize Thy unity and to declare +Thy oneness, +that all may gather together around what Thou didst desire in +this Day whereon the sun of Thine essence hath shone forth above the +horizon of Thy will, +and the moon of Thine own being hath risen from the +Day-Spring of Thy behest. +Thou art He, +O my Lord, +from Whose knowledge +nothing whatsoever escapeth, +and Whom no one can frustrate. +Thou doest Thy +pleasure, +by Thy sovereignty that overshadoweth the worlds. + + +Thou well knowest, +O my God, +my Best-Beloved, +that naught can quench the +thirst I suffer in my separation from Thee except the waters of Thy +presence, +and that the tumult of my heart can never be stilled save +through the living fountain of my reunion with Thee. +Send down, +then, +upon +me, +O my Lord, +out of the heaven of Thy bounty what will draw me nearer +unto the chalice of Thy gifts, +and make me able to quaff the choice sealed +Wine, +Whose seal hath been loosed in Thy name, +and from Which the sweet +savors of Thy days have been shed abroad. +Thou, +in truth, +art the +All-Bountiful, +Whose grace is infinite. + + +The whole universe testifieth to Thy generosity. +Have mercy, +then, +upon me +by Thy graciousness, +and deal bountifully with me through the power of Thy +sovereignty, +and suffer me to enjoy near access to Thee by Thy manifold +favors. +Thou, +truly, +art the Great Giver, +the Almighty, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God and the God of all things, +my Glory and the +Glory of all things, +my Desire and the Desire of all things, +my Strength +and the Strength of all things, +my King and the King of all things, +my +Possessor and the Possessor of all things, +my Aim and the Aim of all +things, +my Mover and the Mover of all things! +Suffer me not, +I implore +Thee, +to be kept back from the ocean of Thy tender mercies, +nor to be far +removed from the shores of nearness to Thee. + + +Aught else except Thee, +O my Lord, +profiteth me not, +and near access to +any one save Thyself availeth me nothing. +I entreat Thee by the +plenteousness of Thy riches, +whereby Thou didst dispense with all else +except Thyself, +to number me with such as have set their faces towards +Thee, +and arisen to serve Thee. + + +Forgive, +then, +O my Lord, +Thy servants and Thy handmaidens. +Thou, +truly, + +art the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. + + + + + + + +O God, +Who art the Author of all Manifestations, +the Source of all +Sources, +the Fountain-Head of all Revelations, +and the Well-Spring of all +Lights! +I testify that by Thy Name the heaven of understanding hath been +adorned, +and the ocean of utterance hath surged, +and the dispensations of +Thy providence have been promulgated unto the followers of all religions. + + +I beseech Thee so to enrich me as to dispense with all save Thee, +and be +made independent of any one except Thyself. +Rain down, +then, +upon me out +of the clouds of Thy bounty that which shall profit me in every world of +Thy worlds. +Assist me, +then, +through Thy strengthening grace, +so to serve +Thy Cause amidst Thy servants that I may show forth what will cause me to +be remembered as long as Thine own kingdom endureth and Thy dominion will +last. + + +This is Thy servant, +O my Lord, +who with his whole being hath turned unto +the horizon of Thy bounty, +and the ocean of Thy grace, +and the heaven of +Thy gifts. +Do with me then as becometh Thy majesty, +and Thy glory, +and Thy +bounteousness, +and Thy grace. + + +Thou, +in truth, +art the God of strength and power, +Who art meet to answer +them that pray Thee. +There is no God save Thee, +the All-Knowing, +the +All-Wise. + + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Thou Who art my God and throbbest within my heart! + +Thou art well aware and dost witness that whatsoever shameth them that are +dear to Thee must shame also Him Who is the Manifestation of Thyself and +the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation. +Nay, +He is put to greater shame than +they when they are led to confess the good things which have escaped them +in Thy days. + + +These are Thy servants, +O my Lord, +who for love of Thee have abandoned +their homes, +and sustained the tribulations decreed by Thee in Thy path. +I +swear by Thy glory! +Every time any one of them testifieth before Thee to +his evil doings, +shame covereth my face, +for they are Thy servants who +have tasted of the cup of woe in Thy Cause, +who have quaffed from the +chalice of adversity when the light of Thy countenance was lifted upon +them, +and who were so vexed by trials that peace was utterly denied them +within the precincts of Thy court. + + +The power of Thy might beareth me witness! +My heart hath melted by reason +of my love for them that are dear to Thee, +and my soul is laden with +anguish for the sorrows which have afflicted them at the revelation of Thy +Cause and the appearance of the billowing oceans of Thy grace and favors. + +The sighs they uttered, +O my Lord, +have caused my sighs to ascend towards +Thee, +and the burning of their hearts hath consumed mine own heart within +me. + + +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all being and the Enlightener +of all things visible and invisible, +to grant that every one of them may +become an ensign of Thy guidance among Thy servants, +and a revelation of +the splendors of the Day-Star of Thy loving-kindness amidst Thy creatures. + +Thou hast, +O my God, +chosen them to love Thee, +and to stand before the +throne of Thy majesty. +No other station hath excelled the station to which +Thou hast called them. +How many the nights, +O my God, +when sleep failed to +overtake them because of their remembrance of Thee, +and how numerous the +days which they spent in lamentation over the things that have befallen +Thee at the hands of Thine enemies! +I entreat Thee, +O Thou Who art the +Ruler of rulers, +and the Uplifter of the downtrodden, +to aid them so to +assist Thy Cause and exalt Thy word that through them Thy praise may be +shed abroad amidst Thy creatures, +and Thy virtues recounted throughout Thy +realm. +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Generous. + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +This is Thy servant whom Thou hast in the +kingdom of Thy names called by Thine own name, +and whom Thou hast reared +under the wings of Thy grace and favors. +Thou seest him, +therefore, + +hastening in the direction of Thy gifts, +and rushing forth towards Thee +seeking after Thy bounty. +Attire him, +O my God, +with the mantle of Thy +favor and the robe of Thy munificence and generosity, +that all created +things may perceive from him the sweet smell of the raiment of Thy love. + +Adorn, +then, +his head with the crown of Thy remembrance, +in such wise that +his fame may be noised abroad among Thy servants as one who loveth Thee +and cleaveth steadfastly to Thy Cause. +Assist him, +moreover, +at all times +and under all conditions to help Thee and to remember Thee, +and to extol +Thy virtues amidst Thy creatures. + + +I swear by Thy glory, +O my God! +Every time I muse on Thy glory and Thy +sovereignty I find myself as the most guilty among them that have +transgressed against Thee in Thy realm, +and every time I contemplate the +heights in which none except Thee can abide, +I discover that I am the most +sinful of all the creatures that dwell in Thy land. +Had it not been for +Thy name, +the Concealer, +and for Thy name, +the Ever-Forgiving, +and for the +sweet savors of Thy name, +the Most Merciful, +all Thy chosen ones had been +reckoned amongst the perverse and the wicked. + + +I render Thee thanks that Thy mercy hath overtaken them and Thy grace and +bountiful favors compassed them on every side. + + +And now, +having confessed the things Thou didst cause to flow down from my +Pen, +I implore Thee, +by Thy name which Thou hast raised up above every +other name, +and hast caused to overshadow all that are in heaven and all +that are on earth, +to cast not away him that hath turned towards Thee, +and +to deny him not the wonders of Thy grace and the hidden evidences of Thy +mercy. +Let the hands of Thine omnipotence kindle in his heart a lamp that +will enable him to shine brightly in Thy days, +and to cry out with such +vehemence in Thy name that no timidity will deter him from soaring in the +atmosphere of Thy love, +and from ascending to the horizon of rapture and +longing for Thee, +and that the pursuits of Thy creatures will not withhold +him from magnifying Thy word, +that Thou mayest behold him sanctified as +Thou wishest and as beseemeth Thy majesty and glory. + + +Exalted though this station may be, +O my God, +and however excellent this +position--for who else except Thyself hath the power to show forth what may +be deemed worthy of Thine exaltation and befit Thy greatness--yet Thou art +He Who is the All-Bountiful, +the Most Compassionate. +All the atoms of the +earth testify that Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, +the Benevolent, +the Great +Giver, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Wise. +Look, +then, +upon him, +O my God, + +with the eyes of Thy loving-kindness, +and cast upon him the glance of Thy +generosity. +Enrapture him, +moreover, +with the sweet melodies of Him Who is +the Fountain-Head of Thy Revelation, +in such wise that he may wholly +surrender his will to Thy pleasure, +and fix his hopes upon the things Thou +didst ordain in Thy Tablets. +Strengthen, +then, +his heart by Thy name, +the +Almighty, +the Faithful, +that he may draw forth the hand of power, +and with +it help Thy Cause when the light of Thy beauty is manifested and the +Day-Star of Thy majesty is risen. + + +Since Thou hast called him by Thy name, +O my Lord, +single him out among +Thy servants for Thy service. +Thou well knowest, +O my Lord, +that in +revealing myself I have sought only to reveal Thy Cause, +and have turned +to no one except for the sake of Thy Revelation and for the purpose of +manifesting Thy loving-kindness. +I beseech Thee, +by Thy treasured Name +Who, +at this very moment, +is speaking, +to send down upon him and upon them +that love Thee that which is enshrined in the heaven of Thy favor and +bounties, +that they may be filled with vehement longing towards Thee, +and +exult in Thy Covenant, +O Thou Who art the Lord of Lords! +Ordain, +then, +for +him and for them that which becometh Thy name, +the All-Bountiful. + + +Thou art, +in truth, +the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the Most Powerful, +the +All-Glorious, +the Most Great. + + + + + + + + +My God, +my Fire and my Light! +The days which Thou hast named the +Ayyám-i-Há (the Days of Há, +Intercalary days) in Thy Book have begun, +O +Thou Who art the King of names, +and the fast which Thy most exalted Pen +hath enjoined unto all who are in the kingdom of Thy creation to observe +is approaching. +I entreat Thee, +O my Lord, +by these days and by all such +as have during that period clung to the cord of Thy commandments, +and laid +hold on the handle of Thy precepts, +to grant that unto every soul may be +assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court, +and a seat at the +revelation of the splendors of the light of Thy countenance. + + +These, +O my Lord, +are Thy servants whom no corrupt inclination hath kept +back from what Thou didst send down in Thy Book. +They have bowed +themselves before Thy Cause, +and received Thy Book with such resolve as is +born of Thee, +and observed what Thou hadst prescribed unto them, +and +chosen to follow that which had been sent down by Thee. + + +Thou seest, +O my Lord, +how they have recognized and confessed whatsoever +Thou hast revealed in Thy Scriptures. +Give them to drink, +O my Lord, +from +the hands of Thy graciousness the waters of Thine eternity. +Write down, + +then, +for them the recompense ordained for him that hath immersed himself +in the ocean of Thy presence, +and attained unto the choice wine of Thy +meeting. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou the King of kings and the Pitier of the +downtrodden, +to ordain for them the good of this world and of the world to +come. +Write down for them, +moreover, +what none of Thy creatures hath +discovered, +and number them with those who have circled round Thee, +and +who move about Thy throne in every world of Thy worlds. + + +Thou, +truly, +art the Almighty, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Informed. + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O my God, +that Thou hast ordained Naw-Rúz as a festival +unto those who have observed the fast for love of Thee and abstained from +all that is abhorrent unto Thee. +Grant, +O my Lord, +that the fire of Thy +love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined by Thee may inflame them +in Thy Cause, +and make them to be occupied with Thy praise and with +remembrance of Thee. + + +Since Thou hast adorned them, +O my Lord, +with the ornament of the fast +prescribed by Thee, +do Thou adorn them also with the ornament of Thine +acceptance, +through Thy grace and bountiful favor. +For the doings of men +are all dependent upon Thy good-pleasure, +and are conditioned by Thy +behest. +Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who hath +observed it, +such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity had +been keeping the fast. +And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath observed +the fast hath broken it, +that person would be numbered with such as have +caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with dust, +and been far +removed from the crystal waters of this living Fountain. + + +Thou art He through Whom the ensign "Praiseworthy art Thou in Thy works" +hath been lifted up, +and the standard "Obeyed art Thou in Thy behest" hath +been unfurled. +Make known this Thy station, +O my God, +unto Thy servants, + +that they may be made aware that the excellence of all things is dependent +upon Thy bidding and Thy word, +and the virtue of every act is conditioned +by Thy leave and the good-pleasure of Thy will, +and may recognize that the +reins of men's doings are within the grasp of Thine acceptance and Thy +commandment. +Make this known unto them, +that nothing whatsoever may shut +them out from Thy Beauty, +in these days whereon the Christ exclaimeth: + +"All dominion is Thine, +O Thou the Begetter of the Spirit (Jesus)"; +and +Thy Friend (Muhammad) crieth out: +"Glory be to Thee, +O Thou the +Best-Beloved, +for that Thou hast uncovered Thy Beauty, +and written down +for Thy chosen ones what will cause them to attain unto the seat of the +revelation of Thy Most Great Name, +through which all the peoples have +lamented except such as have detached themselves from all else except +Thee, +and set themselves towards Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself and +the Manifestation of Thine attributes. +" + +He Who is Thy Branch and all Thy company, +O my Lord, +have broken this day +their fast, +after having observed it within the precincts of Thy court, + +and in their eagerness to please Thee. +Do Thou ordain for him, +and for +them, +and for all such as have entered Thy presence in those days all the +good Thou didst destine in Thy Book. +Supply them, +then, +with that which +will profit them, +in both this life and in the life beyond. + + +Thou, +in truth, +art the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +O Thou the Lord of the visible and the invisible, +and the Enlightener of +all creation! +I beseech Thee, +by Thy sovereignty which is hid from the +eyes of men, +to reveal in all directions the signs of Thy manifold +blessings and the tokens of Thy loving-kindness, +that I may arise with +exultation and rapture and extol Thy wondrous virtues, +O Thou the Most +Merciful, +and stir up by Thy name all created things, +and so kindle the +fire of Thy glorification amidst Thy creatures, +that all the world may be +filled with the brightness of the light of Thy glory, +and all existence be +inflamed with the fire of Thy Cause. + + +Roll not up, +O my Lord, +what hath been spread out in Thy name, +and +extinguish not the lamp which Thine own fire hath lit. +Withhold not, +O my +Lord, +the water that is life indeed from running down--the water from whose +murmuring the wondrous melodies which extol and glorify Thee can be heard. + +Deny not, +moreover, +Thy servants the sweet fragrance of the breath which +hath been wafted through Thy love. + + +Thou seest, +O Thou Who art my All-Glorious Beloved, +the restless waves +that surge within the ocean of my heart, +in my love and yearning towards +Thee. +I implore Thee, +by the signs of Thy majesty and the evidences of Thy +sovereignty, +to subdue Thy servants by this Name Which Thou hast made to +be the King of all names in the kingdom of Thy creation. +Potent art Thou +to rule as Thou pleasest. +No God is there but Thee, +the All-Glorious, +the +All-Bountiful. + + +Do Thou ordain, +moreover, +for every one who hath turned towards Thee what +will make him steadfast in Thy Cause, +in such wise that neither the vain +imaginations of the infidels among Thy creatures, +nor the idle talk of the +froward amidst Thy servants will have the power to shut him out from Thee. + +Thou, +verily, +art the Help in Peril, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful. + + + + + + + + +Unto Thee be praise, +O Lord my God! +I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great Name +Who hath been shut up in the prison-town of Akká, +and Who--as Thou +beholdest, +O my God--hath fallen into the hands of His enemies, +and is +threatened by the swords of the wicked doers, +to make me steadfast in His +Cause, +and to direct mine eyes continually towards His court, +in such wise +that nothing whatsoever will have the power to turn me back from Him. + + +I testify, +O my Lord, +that He hath surrendered His life in Thy path, +and +hath wished for Himself nothing but tribulation in the love He beareth to +Thee. +He hath endured all manner of vexations that He may manifest Thy +sovereignty unto Thy servants, +and exalt Thy word amidst Thy creatures. +As +the adversities deepened, +and the troubles sent down by Thee compassed Him +on every side, +He became so impassioned by His thought of Thee, +that the +hosts of all them that had disbelieved in Thee and repudiated Thy signs +ceased to affright Him. + + +I implore Thee, +O my Lord, +by Him and by whatsoever pertaineth unto Him, + +to set my affections upon Him even as He hath set His own affections upon +Thyself. +I testify that His love is Thy love, +and His self Thy self, +and +His beauty Thy beauty, +and His Cause Thy Cause. + + +Deny me not, +O my Lord, +what is with Thee, +and suffer me not to be +forgetful of what Thou didst desire in Thy days. +Thou art, +verily, +the +Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +I entreat Thee by Thy Name through +which the Hour hath struck, +and the Resurrection came to pass, +and fear +and trembling seized all that are in heaven and all that are on earth, +to +rain down, +out of the heaven of Thy mercy and the clouds of Thy tender +compassion, +what will gladden the hearts of Thy servants, +who have turned +towards Thee and helped Thy Cause. + + +Keep safe Thy servants and Thy handmaidens, +O my Lord, +from the darts of +idle fancy and vain imaginings, +and give them from the hands of Thy grace +a draught of the soft-flowing waters of Thy knowledge. + + +Thou, +truly, +art the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the +Most Generous. + + + + + + + + +Glory be to Thee, +O my God! +Thou hearest Thine ardent lovers lamenting in +their separation from Thee, +and such as have recognized Thee wailing +because of their remoteness from Thy presence. +Open Thou outwardly to +their faces, +O my Lord, +the gates of Thy grace, +that they may enter them +by Thy leave and in conformity with Thy will, +and may stand before the +throne of Thy majesty, +and catch the accents of Thy voice, +and be +illumined with the splendors of the light of Thy face. + + +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +None can withstand the power of +Thy sovereign might. +From everlasting Thou wert alone, +with none to equal +Thee, +and wilt unto everlasting remain far above all thought and every +description of Thee. +Have mercy, +then, +upon Thy servants by Thy grace and +bounty, +and suffer them not to be kept back from the shores of the ocean +of Thy nearness. +If Thou abandonest them, +who is there to befriend them; + +and if Thou puttest them far from Thee, +who is he that can favor them? + +They have none other Lord beside Thee, +none to adore except Thyself. +Deal +Thou generously with them by Thy bountiful grace. + + +Thou, +in truth, +art the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. + + + + + + + +Thou dost witness, +O my God, +how He Who is Thy splendor calleth Thee to +remembrance, +notwithstanding the manifold troubles that have touched Him, + +troubles which none except Thee can number. +Thou beholdest how, +in His +prison-house, +He recounteth Thy wondrous praises with which Thou didst +inspire Him. +Such is His fervor that His enemies are powerless to deter +Him from mentioning Thee, +O Thou Who art the Possessor of all names! + + +Praised be Thou that Thou hast so strengthened Him with Thy strength, +and +endowed Him by Thine almighty power with such potency, +that aught save +Thee is in His estimation but a handful of dust. +The lights of unfading +splendor have so enveloped Him that all else but Thee is in His eyes but a +shadow. + + +And when Thine irresistible summons reached me, +I arose, +fortified by Thy +strength, +and called all that are in Thy heaven and all that are on Thy +earth to turn in the direction of Thy favors and the horizon of Thy +bounties. +Some caviled at me, +and determined to hurt me and slay me. + +Others drank to the full of the wine of Thy grace, +and hastened towards +the habitation of Thy throne. + + +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art the Creator of earth and heaven and the +Source of all things, +to attract Thy servants through the fragrances of +the Robe of Thine Inspiration and Thy Revelation, +and to help them attain +the Tabernacle of Thy behest and power. +From eternity Thou wert by Thy +transcendent might supreme over all things, +and Thou wilt be exalted unto +eternity in Thy Godhead and surpassing sovereignty. + + +Let Thy mercy, +then, +be upon Thy servants and Thy creatures. +Thou art, +in +truth, +the Almighty, +the Inaccessible, +the All-Glorious, +the +Unconditioned. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +I entreat Thee by the fragrances of the +Raiment of Thy grace which at Thy bidding and in conformity with Thy +desire were diffused throughout the entire creation, +and by the Day-Star +of Thy will that hath shone brightly, +through the power of Thy might and +of Thy sovereignty, +above the horizon of Thy mercy, +to blot out from my +heart all idle fancies and vain imaginings, +that with all my affections I +may turn unto Thee, +O Thou Lord of all mankind! + + +I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant, +O my God! +I have laid hold on +the handle of Thy grace, +and clung to the cord of Thy tender mercy. +Ordain +for me the good things that are with Thee, +and nourish me from the Table +Thou didst send down out of the clouds of Thy bounty and the heaven of Thy +favor. + + +Thou, +in very truth, +art the Lord of the worlds, +and the God of all that +are in heaven and all that are on earth. + + + + + + + + +I know not, +O my God, +what the Fire is which Thou didst kindle in Thy +land. +Earth can never cloud its splendor, +nor water quench its flame. +All +the peoples of the world are powerless to resist its force. +Great is the +blessedness of him that hath drawn nigh unto it, +and heard its roaring. + + +Some, +O my God, +Thou didst, +through Thy strengthening grace, +enable to +approach it, +while others Thou didst keep back by reason of what their +hands have wrought in Thy days. +Whoso hath hasted towards it and attained +unto it hath, +in his eagerness to gaze on Thy beauty, +yielded his life in +Thy path, +and ascended unto Thee, +wholly detached from aught else except +Thyself. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by this Fire which blazeth and rageth in the +world of creation, +to rend asunder the veils that have hindered me from +appearing before the throne of Thy majesty, +and from standing at the door +of Thy gate. +Do Thou ordain for me, +O my Lord, +every good thing Thou didst +send down in Thy Book, +and suffer me not to be far removed from the +shelter of Thy mercy. + + +Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +Thou art, +verily, +the +All-Powerful, +the Most Generous. + + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +Aid Thou by Thy strengthening grace Thy +servants and Thy handmaidens to recount Thy virtues and to be steadfast in +their love towards Thee. +How many the leaves which the tempests of trials +have caused to fall, +and how many, +too, +are those which, +clinging +tenaciously to the tree of Thy Cause, +have remained unshaken by the tests +that have assailed them, +O Thou Who art our Lord, +the Most Merciful! + + +I render Thee thanks that Thou hast made known unto me such servants as +have utterly abolished, +by the power of Thy might and of Thy sovereignty, + +the idols of their corrupt desires, +and were not kept back by the things +which are possessed by Thy creatures from turning in the direction of Thy +grace. +These have so vehemently rent the veils asunder that the dwellers +of the cities of self have wept, +and fear and trembling seized the people +of envy and wickedness who, +adorning their heads and their bodies with the +emblems of knowledge, +have proudly rejected Thee and turned away from Thy +beauty. + + +I implore Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy surpassing majesty and Thine Ancient +Name, +to enable Thy loved ones to assist Thee. +Direct, +then, +continually +their faces towards Thy face, +and write down for them what will cause all +hearts to exult and all eyes to be gladdened. + + +Thou, +truly, +art the Help in peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +O God! +The trials Thou sendest are a salve to the sores of all them who +are devoted to Thy will; +the remembrance of Thee is a healing medicine to +the hearts of such as have drawn nigh unto Thy court; +nearness to Thee is +the true life of them who are Thy lovers; +Thy presence is the ardent +desire of such as yearn to behold Thy face; +remoteness from Thee is a +torment to those that have acknowledged Thy oneness, +and separation from +Thee is death unto them that have recognized Thy truth! + + +I beseech Thee by the sighs which they whose souls pant after Thee have +uttered in their remoteness from Thy court, +and by the cries of such of +Thy lovers as bemoan their separation from Thee, +to nourish me with the +wine of Thy knowledge and the living waters of Thy love and pleasure. + +Behold Thy handmaiden, +O my Lord, +who hath forgotten all else except Thee, + +and who hath delighted herself with Thy love, +and lamented over the things +that have befallen Thee at the hands of the wicked doers among Thy +creatures. +Do Thou ordain for her that which Thou didst ordain for such of +Thy handmaidens as circle round the throne of Thy majesty, +and gaze, +at +eventide and at dawn, +on Thy beauty. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Lord of the Judgment Day. + + + + + + + + +Glory be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +These are the days whereon Thou hast +bidden all men to observe the fast, +that through it they may purify their +souls and rid themselves of all attachment to any one but Thee, +and that +out of their hearts may ascend that which will be worthy of the court of +Thy majesty and may well beseem the seat of the revelation of Thy oneness. + +Grant, +O my Lord, +that this fast may become a river of life-giving waters +and may yield the virtue wherewith Thou hast endowed it. +Cleanse Thou by +its means the hearts of Thy servants whom the evils of the world have +failed to hinder from turning towards Thine all-glorious Name, +and who +have remained unmoved by the noise and tumult of such as have repudiated +Thy most resplendent signs which have accompanied the advent of Thy +Manifestation Whom Thou hast invested with Thy sovereignty, +Thy power, +Thy +majesty and glory. +These are the servants who, +as soon as Thy call reached +them, +hastened in the direction of Thy mercy and were not kept back from +Thee by the changes and chances of this world or by any human limitations. + + +I am he, +O my God, +who testifieth to Thy unity, +who acknowledgeth Thy +oneness, +who boweth humbly before the revelations of Thy majesty, +and who +recognizeth with downcast countenance the splendors of the light of Thy +transcendent glory. +I have believed in Thee after Thou didst enable me to +know Thy Self, +Whom Thou hast revealed to men's eyes through the power of +Thy sovereignty and might. +Unto Him I have turned, +wholly detached from +all things, +and cleaving steadfastly unto the cord of Thy gifts and +favors. +I have embraced His truth, +and the truth of all the wondrous laws +and precepts that have been sent down unto Him. +I have fasted for love of +Thee and in pursuance of Thine injunction, +and have broken my fast with +Thy praise on my tongue and in conformity with Thy pleasure. +Suffer me +not, +O my Lord, +to be reckoned among them who have fasted in the daytime, + +who in the night-season have prostrated themselves before Thy face, +and +who have repudiated Thy truth, +disbelieved in Thy signs, +gainsaid Thy +testimony, +and perverted Thine utterances. + + +Open Thou, +O my Lord, +mine eyes and the eyes of all them that have sought +Thee, +that we may recognize Thee with Thine own eyes. +This is Thy bidding +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 +known, +through Whom Thy words have been sent down, +and Thy laws set forth +with clearness, +and Thy signs spread abroad, +and Thy Word established, + +through Whom the hearts of Thy chosen ones were laid bare, +and all that +were in the heavens and all that were on the earth were gathered together, + +Whom Thou hast called 'Alí-Muhammad in the kingdom of Thy names, +and the +Spirit of Spirits in the Tablets of Thine irrevocable decree, +Whom Thou +hast invested with Thine own title, +unto Whose name all other names have, + +at Thy bidding and through the power of Thy might, +been made to return, + +and in Whom Thou hast caused all Thine attributes and titles to attain +their final consummation. +To Him also belong such names as lay hid within +Thy stainless tabernacles, +in Thine invisible world and Thy sanctified +cities. + + +Magnify Thou, +moreover, +such as have believed in Him and in His signs and +have turned towards Him, +from among those that have acknowledged Thy unity +in His Latter Manifestation--a Manifestation whereof He hath made mention +in His Tablets, +and in His Books, +and in His Scriptures, +and in all the +wondrous verses and gem-like utterances that have descended upon Him. +It +is this same Manifestation Whose covenant Thou hast bidden Him establish +ere He had established His own covenant. +He it is Whose praise the Bayán +hath celebrated. +In it His excellence hath been extolled, +and His truth +established, +and His sovereignty proclaimed, +and His Cause perfected. + +Blessed is the man that hath turned unto Him, +and fulfilled the things He +hath commanded, +O Thou Who art the Lord of the worlds and the Desire of +all them that have known Thee! + + +Praised be Thou, +O my God, +inasmuch as Thou hast aided us to recognize and +love Him. +I, +therefore, +beseech Thee by Him and by Them Who are the +Day-Springs of Thy Divinity, +and the Manifestations of Thy Lordship, +and +the Treasuries of Thy Revelation, +and the Depositories of Thine +inspiration, +to enable us to serve and obey Him, +and to empower us to +become the helpers of His Cause and the dispersers of His adversaries. + +Powerful art Thou to do all that pleaseth Thee. +No God is there beside +Thee, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the One Whose help is sought by all +men! + + + + + + + + +God testifieth to the unity of His Godhood and to the singleness of His +own Being. +On the throne of eternity, +from the inaccessible heights of His +station, +His tongue proclaimeth that there is none other God but Him. +He +Himself, +independently of all else, +hath ever been a witness unto His own +oneness, +the revealer of His own nature, +the glorifier of His own essence. + +He, +verily, +is the All-Powerful, +the Almighty, +the Beauteous. + + +He is supreme over His servants, +and standeth over His creatures. +In His +hand is the source of authority and truth. +He maketh men alive by His +signs, +and causeth them to die through His wrath. +He shall not be asked of +His doings and His might is equal unto all things. +He is the Potent, +the +All-Subduing. +He holdeth within His grasp the empire of all things, +and on +His right hand is fixed the Kingdom of His Revelation. +His power, +verily, + +embraceth the whole of creation. +Victory and overlordship are His; +all +might and dominion are His; +all glory and greatness are His. +He, +of a +truth, +is the All-Glorious, +the Most Powerful, +the Unconditioned. + + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +to Whom the tongues of all created things have, +from +eternity, +called, +and yet failed to attain the heaven of Thine eternal +holiness and grandeur. +The eyes of all beings have been opened to behold +the beauty of Thy radiant countenance, +yet none hath succeeded in gazing +on the brightness of the light of Thy face. +The hands of them that are +nigh unto Thee have, +ever since the foundation of Thy glorious sovereignty +and the establishment of Thy holy dominion, +been raised suppliantly +towards Thee, +yet no one hath been able to touch the hem of the robe that +clotheth Thy Divine and sovereign Essence. +And yet none can deny that Thou +hast ever been, +through the wonders of Thy generosity and bounty, +supreme +over all things, +art powerful to do all things, +and art nearer unto all +things than they are unto themselves. + + +Far be it, +then, +from Thy glory that anyone should gaze on Thy wondrous +beauty with any eye save Thine own eye, +or hear the melodies proclaiming +Thine almighty sovereignty with any ear except Thine own ear. +Too high art +Thou exalted for the eye of any creature to behold Thy beauty, +or for the +understanding of any heart to scale the heights of Thine immeasurable +knowledge. +For should the birds of the hearts of them that are nigh unto +Thee be ever enabled to soar as long as Thine own overpowering sovereignty +can endure, +or to ascend as long as the empire of Thy Divine holiness can +last, +they shall, +in no wise, +be able to transcend the limitations which a +contingent world hath imposed upon them, +nor pass beyond its confines. + +How, +then, +can he whose very creation is restricted by such limitations, + +attain unto Him Who is the Lord of the Kingdom of all created things, +or +ascend into the heaven of Him Who ruleth the realms of loftiness and +grandeur? + + +Glorified, +immeasurably glorified art Thou, +my Best-Beloved! +Inasmuch as +Thou hast ordained that the utmost limit to which they who lift their +hearts to Thee can rise is the confession of their powerlessness to enter +the realms of Thy holy and transcendent unity, +and that the highest +station which they who aspire to know Thee can reach is the acknowledgment +of their impotence to attain the retreats of Thy sublime knowledge I, + +therefore, +beseech Thee, +by this very powerlessness which is beloved of +Thee, +and which Thou hast decreed as the goal of them that have reached +and attained Thy court, +and by the splendors of Thy countenance that have +encompassed all things, +and by the energies of Thy Will whereby the entire +creation hath been generated, +not to deprive them that have set their +hopes in Thee of the wonders of Thy mercy, +nor to withhold from such as +have sought Thee the treasures of Thy grace. +Ignite, +then, +within their +hearts the torch of Thy love, +that its flame may consume all else except +their wondrous remembrance of Thee, +and that no trace may be left in those +hearts except the gem-like evidences of Thy most holy sovereignty, +so that +from the land wherein they dwell no voice may be heard except the voice +that extolleth Thy mercifulness and might, +that on the earth on which they +walk no light may shine except the light of Thy beauty, +and that within +every soul naught may be discovered except the revelation of Thy +countenance and the tokens of Thy glory, +that haply Thy servants may show +forth only that which shall please Thee and shall conform wholly unto Thy +most potent will. + + +Glory be to Thee, +O my God! +The power of Thy might beareth me witness! +I +can have no doubt that should the holy breaths of Thy loving-kindness and +the breeze of Thy bountiful favor cease, +for less than the twinkling of an +eye, +to breathe over all created things, +the entire creation would perish, + +and all that are in heaven and on earth would be reduced to utter +nothingness. +Magnified, +therefore, +be the marvelous evidences of Thy +transcendent power! +Magnified be the potency of Thine exalted might! + +Magnified be the majesty of Thine all-encompassing greatness, +and the +energizing influence of Thy will! +Such is Thy greatness that wert Thou to +concentrate the eyes of all men in the eye of one of Thy servants, +and to +compress all their hearts within his heart, +and wert Thou to enable him to +behold within himself all the things Thou hast created through Thy power +and fashioned through Thy might, +and were he to ponder, +throughout +eternity, +over the realms of Thy creation and the range of Thy handiwork, + +he would unfailingly discover that there is no created thing but is +overshadowed by Thine all-conquering power, +and is vitalized through Thine +all-embracing sovereignty. + + +Behold me, +then, +O my God, +fallen prostrate upon the dust before Thee, + +confessing my powerlessness and Thine omnipotence, +my poverty and Thy +wealth, +mine evanescence and Thine eternity, +mine utter abasement and +Thine infinite glory. +I recognize that there is none other God but Thee, + +that Thou hast no peer nor partner, +none to equal or rival Thee. +In Thine +unapproachable loftiness Thou hast, +from eternity, +been exalted above the +praise of any one but Thee, +and shalt continue for ever, +in Thy +transcendent singleness and glory, +to be sanctified from the glorification +of any one except Thine own Self. + + +I swear by Thy might, +O my Beloved! +To make mention of any created thing +beseemeth not Thy most exalted Self, +and to bestow any praise upon any one +of Thy creatures would be wholly unworthy of Thy great glory. +Nay, +such a +mention would be but blasphemy uttered within the court of Thy holiness, + +and such praise would amount to no less than a transgression in the face +of the evidences of Thy Divine sovereignty. +For the mere mention of any +one of Thy creatures would in itself imply an assertion of their existence +before the court of Thy singleness and unity. +Such an assertion would be +naught but open blasphemy, +an act of impiety, +the essence of profanity and +a wanton crime. + + +Wherefore, +I bear witness with my soul, +my spirit, +my entire being, +that +should They Who are the Day-Springs of Thy most holy unity and the +Manifestations of Thy transcendent oneness be able to soar so long as +Thine own sovereignty endureth and Thine all-compelling authority can +last, +they will fail in the end to attain unto even the precincts of the +court wherein Thou didst reveal the effulgence of but one of Thy most +mighty Names. +Glorified, +glorified be, +therefore, +Thy wondrous majesty. + +Glorified, +glorified be Thine unattainable loftiness. +Glorified, +glorified +be the préeminence of Thy kingship and the sublimity of Thine authority +and power. + + +The highest faculties which the learned have possessed, +and whatsoever +truths they, +in their search after the gems of Thy knowledge, +have +discovered; +the brightest realities with which the wise have been endowed, + +and whatever secrets they, +in their attempts to fathom the mysteries of +Thy wisdom, +have unraveled, +have all been created through the generative +power of the Spirit that was breathed into the Pen which Thy hands have +fashioned. +How, +then, +can the thing which Thy Pen hath created be capable +of comprehending those treasures of Thy Faith with which, +as decreed by +Thee, +that Pen hath been invested? +How can it ever know of the Fingers +that grasp Thy Pen, +and of Thy merciful favors with which it hath been +endowed? +How can it, +already unable to reach this station, +be made aware +of the existence of Thy Hand that controlleth the Fingers of Thy might? + +How can it attain unto the comprehension of the nature of Thy Will that +animateth the movement of Thy Hand? + + +Glorified, +glorified be Thou, +O my God! +How can I ever hope to ascend into +the heaven of Thy most holy will, +or gain admittance into the tabernacle +of Thy Divine knowledge, +knowing as I do that the minds of the wise and +learned are impotent to fathom the secrets of Thy handiwork--a handiwork +which is itself but a creation of Thy will? + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord, +my God, +my Master, +my Possessor, +my King. +Now +that I have confessed unto Thee my powerlessness and the powerlessness of +all created things, +and have acknowledged my poverty and the poverty of +the entire creation, +I call unto Thee with my tongue and the tongues of +all that are in heaven and on earth, +and beseech Thee with my heart and +the hearts of all that have entered beneath the shadow of Thy names and +Thine attributes, +not to shut us from the doors of Thy loving-kindness and +grace, +nor to suffer the breeze of Thy bountiful care and favor to cease +from being wafted over our souls, +nor to permit that our hearts be +occupied with any one except Thee, +or our minds to be busied with any +remembrance save remembrance of Thy Self. + + +By the glory of Thy might, +O my God! +Wert Thou to set me king over Thy +realms, +and to establish me upon the throne of Thy sovereignty, +and to +deliver, +through Thy power, +the reins of the entire creation into my +hands, +and wert Thou to cause me, +though it be for less than a moment, +to +be occupied with these things and be oblivious of the wondrous memories +associated with Thy most mighty, +most perfect, +and most exalted Name, +my +soul would still remain unsatisfied, +and the pangs of my heart unstilled. + +Nay, +I would, +in that very state, +recognize myself as the poorest of the +poor, +and the most wretched of the wretched. + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O my God! +Now that Thou hast caused me to apprehend +this truth, +I beseech Thee by Thy Name which no scroll can bear, +which no +heart can imagine and no tongue can utter--a Name which will remain +concealed so long as Thine own Essence is hidden, +and will be glorified so +long as Thine own Being is extolled--to unfurl, +ere the present year draw +to a close, +the ensigns of Thine undisputed ascendancy and triumph, +that +the whole creation may be enriched by Thy wealth, +and may be exalted +through the ennobling influence of Thy transcendent sovereignty, +and that +all may arise and promote Thy Cause. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the All-Highest, +the All-Glorious, +the +All-Subduing, +the All-Possessing. + + + + + + + + +All praise, +O my God, +be to Thee Who art the Source of all glory and +majesty, +of greatness and honor, +of sovereignty and dominion, +of loftiness +and grace, +of awe and power. +Whomsoever Thou willest Thou causest to draw +nigh unto the Most Great Ocean, +and on whomsoever Thou desirest Thou +conferrest the honor of recognizing Thy Most Ancient Name. +Of all who are +in heaven and on earth, +none can withstand the operation of Thy sovereign +Will. +From all eternity Thou didst rule the entire creation, +and Thou wilt +continue for evermore to exercise Thy dominion over all created things. + +There is none other God but Thee, +the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the +All-Powerful, +the All-Wise. + + +Illumine, +O Lord, +the faces of Thy servants, +that they may behold Thee; + +and cleanse their hearts that they may turn unto the court of Thy heavenly +favors, +and recognize Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self and the +Day-Spring of Thine Essence. +Verily, +Thou art the Lord of all worlds. + +There is no God but Thee, +the Unconstrained, +the All-Subduing. + + + + + + + +Glorified be Thou, +O my God! +Behold Thou my head ready to fall before the +sword of Thy Will, +my neck prepared to bear the chains of Thy Desire, +my +heart yearning to be made a target for the darts of Thy Decree, +mine eyes +expectant to gaze on the tokens and signs of Thy wondrous Mercy. +For +whatsoever may befall me from Thee is the cherished desire of them who +thirst to meet Thee, +and the supreme aspiration of such as have drawn nigh +unto Thy court. + + +By the glory of Thy might, +O Thou my Well-Beloved! +To have sacrificed my +life for the Manifestations of Thy Self, +to have offered up my soul in the +path of the Revealers of Thy wondrous Beauty, +is to have sacrificed my +spirit for Thy Spirit, +my being for Thy Being, +my glory for Thy glory. +It +is as if I had offered up all these things for Thy sake, +and for the sake +of Thy loved ones. + + +Though my body be pained by the trials that befall me from Thee, +though it +be afflicted by the revelations of Thy Decree, +yet my soul rejoiceth at +having partaken of the waters of Thy Beauty, +and at having attained the +shores of the ocean of Thine eternity. +Doth it beseem a lover to flee from +his beloved, +or to desert the object of his heart's desire? +Nay, +we all +believe in Thee, +and eagerly hope to enter Thy presence. + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Thou dost witness that Thy will hath +prevailed over all created things, +and Thy mercy hath surpassed all who +are in heaven and on earth. +And when Thou didst purpose to unveil Thy +sovereignty, +and to glorify Thy word, +and to reveal Thy bounteousness and +mercy, +Thou didst raise up one of Thy servants, +and didst choose Him above +all Thy creatures, +and didst single Him out for Thy purpose, +and didst +clothe Him with the robe of Thy guidance, +and didst immerse Him beneath +the seas of Thy majesty and grandeur, +and didst sanctify Him from all that +beseemeth not the greatness of Thy glory and the power of Thy might, +and +didst bid Him to cry out before all that are in heaven and on earth, +and +summon the multitudes to the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Revealer of +Thy signs. + + +No sooner had He proclaimed Thy Cause, +and risen up to carry out the +things prescribed unto Him in the Tablets of Thy decree, +than the Great +Terror fell upon Thy creatures. +Some turned towards Thee, +and detached +themselves from all except Thee, +and sanctified their souls from the world +and all that is therein, +and were so enravished by the sweetness of Thy +voice that they forsook all Thou hadst created in the kingdom of Thy +creation. +Others recognized Thee and then hesitated, +others allowed the +world to come in between them and Thee and to withhold them from +recognizing Thee. +Others disdained Thee, +and turned back from Thee, +and +wished to prevent Thee from achieving Thy purpose. +And yet behold how all +of them are calling upon Thee, +and are expecting the things they were +promised in Thy Tablets. +And when the Promised One came unto them, +they +recognized Him not, +and disbelieved in Thy signs, +and repudiated Thy clear +tokens, +and strayed so grievously from Thy path that they slew Thy +servants, +through the brightness of whose faces the countenances of the +Concourse on high have been illumined. + + +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all names, +to guard Thy loved +ones against Thine enemies, +and to strengthen them in their love for Thee +and in fulfilling Thy pleasure. +Do Thou protect them, +that their footsteps +may slip not, +that their hearts may not be shut out as by a veil from +Thee, +and that their eyes may be restrained from beholding anything that +is not of Thee. +Cause them to be so enraptured by the sweetness of Thy +divine melodies that they will rid themselves of all attachment to any one +except Thee, +and will turn wholly towards Thee, +and extol Thee under all +conditions, +saying: +"Praised be Thou, +O Lord our God, +inasmuch as Thou +hast enabled us to recognize Thy most exalted and all-glorious Self. +We +will, +by Thy mercy, +cleave to Thee, +and will detach ourselves from any one +but Thee. +We have realized that Thou art the Beloved of the worlds and the +Creator of earth and heaven! +" + +Glorified be God, +the Lord of all creation! + + + + + + + +Lauded and glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou art He Who from +everlasting hath been clothed with majesty, +with authority and power, +and +will continue unto everlasting to be arrayed with honor, +with strength and +glory. +The learned, +one and all, +stand aghast before the signs and tokens +of Thy handiwork, +while the wise find themselves, +without exception, + +impotent to unravel the mystery of Them Who are the Manifestations of Thy +might and power. +Every man of insight hath confessed his powerlessness to +scale the heights of Thy knowledge, +and every man of learning hath +acknowledged his failure to fathom the nature of Thine Essence. + + +Having barred the way that leadeth unto Thee, +Thou hast, +by virtue of +Thine authority and through the potency of Thy will, +called into being +Them Who are the Manifestations of Thy Self, +and hast entrusted Them with +Thy message unto Thy people, +and caused Them to become the Day-Springs of +Thine inspiration, +the Exponents of Thy Revelation, +the Treasuries of Thy +Knowledge and the Repositories of Thy Faith, +that all men may, +through +Them, +turn their faces towards Thee, +and may draw nigh unto the kingdom of +Thy Revelation and the heaven of Thy grace. + + +I beseech Thee, +therefore, +by Thyself and by Them, +to send down, +from the +right hand of the throne of Thy grace, +upon all that dwell on earth, +that +which shall wash them from the stain of their trespasses against Thee, +and +cause them to become wholly devoted to Thy Self, +O Thou in Whose hand is +the source of all gifts, +that they may all arise to serve Thy Cause, +and +may detach themselves entirely from all except Thee. +Thou art the +Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the Unrestrained. + + +O my God, +my Master, +my Best-Beloved! +I am Thy servant and the son of Thy +servant. +I have held fast the cord of Thy grace, +and clung to the hem of +the garment of Thy loving providence. +I entreat Thee, +by Thy Most Great +Name, +Whom Thou hast appointed as the unerring Balance among the nations, + +and Thine infallible Proof unto all men, +not to forsake me, +nor to abandon +me to my corrupt desires. +Do Thou preserve me beneath the shadow of Thy +Supreme Sinlessness, +and enable me to magnify Thine own Self amidst the +concourse of Thy creatures. +Withhold not from me the Divine fragrance of +Thy days, +and deprive me not of the sweet savors wafting from the +Day-Spring of Thy Revelation. +Bestow on me the good of this world and of +the next, +through the power of Thy grace that hath encompassed all created +things and Thy mercy that hath surpassed the entire creation. +Thou art He +Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of all things. +Thou doest what Thou +willest through Thy decree, +and choosest, +through the power of Thy might, + +whatsoever Thou desirest. +None can resist Thy will; +naught can exhaust the +impelling force of Thy command. +There is no God but Thee, +the Almighty, + +the All-Glorious, +the Most Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Thou beholdest, +O my God, +Thy servant who dwelleth in this prison-house, + +wholly detached from any one but Thee, +his eyes turned in the direction of +the Day-Spring of Thy mercy, +his heart longing for the wondrous +manifestations of Thy grace. +Thou, +O my Lord, +hast reckoned up the ills +that have afflicted him in Thy path. +Thou seest him compassed about with +such of Thy creatures as have transgressed and rebelled against Thee, +who +have come in between him and Thy loved ones, +who have fixed his abode in +this land and wronged Thee, +and who have hindered Thy servants from +turning towards Thee. + + +For all these things I offer thanksgiving unto Thee, +O my Lord! +I implore +Thee to assist me and them that love me to magnify Thy Word, +and to endow +us with such strength that the ills of this world and its tribulations +will be powerless to hinder us from remembering Thee and from extolling +Thy virtues. +Powerful art Thou to do all things; +resplendent art Thou +above all things. + + +Every conqueror is but a serf whom Thy hand hath subjected, +and the +richest of the rich is as destitute before the immensity of Thy wealth. + +The noblest of nobles is humbled when faced with the manifestations of Thy +glory, +and the mightiest of potentates is a mere abject one when +confronted with the compelling evidences of Thine authority. + + +Tear asunder, +O my God, +the veil of vain imaginings that hath obscured the +vision of Thy people, +that all may haste towards Thee, +may tread the path +of Thy pleasure, +and walk in the ways of Thy Faith. +We are, +O my God, +Thy +servants and Thy bondsmen. +Thou art sufficient unto us so that we can +dispense with the world and all that is therein. +We are wholly satisfied +with all that hath befallen us in Thy path, +and exclaim: +"Praised be Thou, + +in Whose hand are the realms of revelation and of creation, +and all the +kingdoms of earth and heaven! +" + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God, +my Master! +Thou hearest the sighing of +those who, +though they long to behold Thy face, +are yet separated from +Thee and far distant from Thy court. +Thou testifiest to the lamentations +which those who have recognized Thee pour forth because of their exile +from Thee and their yearning to meet Thee. +I beseech Thee by those hearts +which contain naught except the treasures of Thy remembrance and praise, + +and which show forth only the testimonies of Thy greatness and the +evidences of Thy might, +to bestow on Thy servants who desire Thee power to +approach the seat of the revelation of the splendor of Thy glory and to +assist them whose hopes are set on Thee to enter into the tabernacle of +Thy transcendent favor and mercy. + + +Naked am I, +O my God! +Clothe me with the robe of Thy tender mercies. +I am +sore athirst; +give me to drink of the oceans of Thy bountiful favor. +I am +a stranger; +draw me nearer unto the source of Thy gifts. +I am sick; + +sprinkle upon me the healing waters of Thy grace. +I am a captive; +rid me +of my bondage, +by the power of Thy might and through the force of Thy +will, +that I may soar on the wings of detachment towards the loftiest +summits of Thy creation. +Thou, +verily, +doest what Thou choosest. +There is +no God but Thee, +the Help in Peril, +the All-Glorious, +the Unconstrained. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O my God! +Thou knowest that my sole aim in revealing +Thy Cause hath been to reveal Thee and not my self, +and to manifest Thy +glory rather than my glory. +In Thy path, +and to attain Thy pleasure, +I +have scorned rest, +joy, +delight. +At all times and under all conditions my +gaze hath been fixed on Thy precepts, +and mine eyes bent upon the things +Thou hast bidden me observe in Thy Tablets. +I have wakened every morning +to the light of Thy praise and Thy remembrance, +and reached every evening +inhaling the fragrances of Thy mercy. + + +And when the entire creation was stirred up, +and the whole earth was +convulsed, +and the sweet savors of Thy name, +the All-Praised, +had almost +ceased to breathe over Thy realms, +and the winds of Thy mercy had +well-nigh been stilled throughout Thy dominions, +Thou didst, +through the +power of Thy might, +raise me up among Thy servants, +and bid me to show +forth Thy sovereignty amidst Thy people. +Thereupon I arose before all Thy +creatures, +strengthened by Thy help and Thy power, +and summoned all the +multitudes unto Thee, +and announced unto all Thy servants Thy favors and +Thy gifts, +and invited them to turn towards this Ocean, +every drop of the +waters of which crieth out, +proclaiming unto all that are in heaven and on +earth that He is, +in truth, +the Fountain of all life, +and the Quickener of +the entire creation, +and the Object of the adoration of all worlds, +and +the Best-Beloved of every understanding heart, +and the Desire of all them +that are nigh unto Thee. + + +Though the fierce winds of the hatred of the wicked doers blew and beat on +this Lamp, +He was, +at no time, +in His love for Thy beauty, +hindered from +shedding the fragrance of His light. +As the transgressions committed +against Thee waxed greater and greater, +my eagerness to reveal Thy Cause +correspondingly increased, +and as the tribulations deepened--and to this +Thy glory beareth me witness--a fuller measure of Thy sovereignty and of +Thy power was vouchsafed by me unto Thy creatures. + + +And finally, +I was cast by the transgressors into the prison-city of Akká, + +and my kindred were made captives in Ba_gh_dád. +The power of Thy might +beareth me witness, +O my God! +Every trouble that hath touched me in Thy +path hath added to my joy and increased my gladness. +I swear by Thee, +O +Thou Who art the King of Kings! +None of the kings of the earth hath power +to hinder me from remembering Thee or from extolling Thy virtues. +Were +they to be leagued--as they have been leagued--against me, +and to brandish +their sharpest swords and most afflictive spears against me, +I would not +hesitate to magnify Thy name before all them that are in Thy heaven and on +Thy earth. +Nay rather, +I would cry out and say: +"This, +O my Beloved, +is my +face which I have offered up for Thy face, +and this is my spirit which I +have sacrificed for Thy spirit, +and this is my blood that seetheth in my +veins, +in its longing to be shed for love of Thee and in Thy path. +" + +Though--as Thou beholdest me, +O my God--I be dwelling in a place within +whose walls no voice can be heard except the sound of the echo, +though all +the gates of ease and comfort be shut against us, +and thick darkness +appear to have compassed us on every side, +yet my soul hath been so +inflamed by its love for Thee, +that nothing whatsoever can either quench +the fire of its love or abate the consuming flame of its desire. +Lifting +up its voice, +it crieth aloud amidst Thy servants, +and calleth them, +at +all times and under all conditions, +unto Thee. + + +I beseech Thee, +by Thy Most Great Name, +to open the eyes of Thy servants, + +that they may behold Thee shining above the horizon of Thy majesty and +glory, +and that they may not be hindered by the croaking of the raven from +hearkening to the voice of the Dove of Thy sublime oneness, +nor be +prevented by the corrupt waters from partaking of the pure wine of Thy +bounty and the everlasting streams of Thy gifts. + + +Gather them, +then, +together around this Divine Law, +the covenant of which +Thou hast established with all Thy Prophets and Thy Messengers, +and Whose +ordinances Thou hast written down in Thy Tablets and Thy Scriptures. +Raise +them up, +moreover, +to such heights as will enable them to perceive Thy +Call. + + +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +Thou art, +verily, +the +Inaccessible, +the All-Glorious. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou seest me dwelling in this +prison-house that lieth behind the seas and the mountains, +and knowest +full well what I have endured for love of Thee and for the sake of Thy +Cause. +Thou art He, +O my God, +Who hath raised me up at Thy behest, +and +bidden me to occupy Thy seat, +and to summon all men to the court of Thy +mercy. +It is Thou Who hast commanded me to tell out the things Thou didst +destine for them in the Tablet of Thy decree and didst inscribe with the +pen of Thy Revelation, +and Who hast enjoined on me the duty of kindling +the fire of Thy love in the hearts of Thy servants, +and of drawing all the +peoples of the earth nearer to the habitation of Thy throne. + + +And when, +as bidden by Thee, +I arose and called out, +by Thy leave, +all Thy +creatures, +the wayward among Thy servants opposed me. +Some turned away +from me, +others disowned my claim, +a few hesitated, +while others were sore +perplexed, +notwithstanding that Thy testimony was set forth before the +followers of all religions, +and Thy proof demonstrated unto all the +peoples of the earth, +and the signs of Thy might so powerfully manifested +as to encompass the entire creation. + + +I was, +moreover, +opposed by mine own kindred, +although, +as Thou knowest, + +they were dear to me and I had desired for them that which I had desired +for mine own self. +These are the ones who, +when learning that I had been +cast into prison, +perpetrated against me what no man else on earth had +perpetrated. + + +I entreat Thee, +therefore, +O my God, +by Thy name by which Thou hast +separated between truth and denial, +to purify their hearts of all evil +suggestions, +and to enable them to draw nigh unto Him Who is the +Day-Spring of Thy names and Thine attributes. + + +Thou knowest, +O my God, +that I have severed every tie that bindeth me to +any of Thy creatures except that most exalted tie that uniteth me with +whosoever cleaveth unto Thee, +in this the day of the revelation of Thy +most august Self, +that hath appeared in Thy name, +the All-Glorious. +Thou +knowest that I have dissolved every bond that knitteth me to any one of my +kindred except such as have enjoyed near access to Thy most effulgent +face. + + +I have no will but Thy will, +O my Lord, +and cherish no desire except Thy +desire. +From my pen floweth only the summons which Thine own exalted pen +hath voiced, +and my tongue uttereth naught save what the Most Great Spirit +hath itself proclaimed in the kingdom of Thine eternity. +I am stirred by +nothing else except the winds of Thy will, +and breathe no word except the +words which, +by Thy leave and Thine inspiration, +I am led to pronounce. + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Thou Who art the Well-Beloved of all that have known +Thee, +and the Desire of the hearts of such as are devoted to Thee, + +inasmuch as Thou hast made me a target for the ills that I suffer in my +love for Thee, +and the object of the assaults launched against me in Thy +path. +Thy glory beareth me witness! +I can, +on no account, +feel impatient +of the adversities that I have borne in my love for Thee. +From the very +day Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me, +I have accepted for myself every +manner of tribulation. +Every moment of my life my head crieth out to Thee +and saith: +"Would, +O my Lord, +that I could be raised on the spear-point in +Thy path! +" while my blood entreateth Thee saying: +"Dye the earth with me, + +O my God, +for the sake of Thy love and Thy pleasure! +" Thou knowest that I +have, +at no time, +sought to guard my body against any affliction, +nay +rather I have continually anticipated the things Thou didst ordain for me +in the Tablet of Thy decree. + + +Behold, +then, +O my God, +my loneliness among Thy servants and my remoteness +from Thy friends and Thy chosen ones. +I beseech Thee, +by the showers of +the clouds of Thy mercy, +whereby Thou hast caused the blossoms of Thy +praise and utterance and the flowers of Thy wisdom and testimony to spring +forth in the hearts of all them that have recognized Thy oneness, +to +supply Thy servants and my kindred with the fruits of the tree of Thy +unity, +in these days when Thou hast been established upon the throne of +Thy mercy. +Hinder them not, +O my Lord, +from attaining unto the things Thou +dost possess, +and write down for them that which will aid them to scale +the heights of Thy grace and favor. +Give them, +moreover, +to drink of the +living waters of Thy knowledge, +and ordain for them the good of this world +and of the world to come. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Lord of Bahá, +and the Beloved of his heart, +and the +Object of his desire, +and the Inspirer of his tongue, +and the Source of +his soul. +No God is there but Thee, +the Inaccessible, +the Most High. +Thou +art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most +Merciful. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I yield Thee thanks for having enabled +me to recognize the Manifestation of Thyself, +and for having severed me +from Thine enemies, +and laid bare before mine eyes their misdeeds and +wicked works in Thy days, +and for having rid me of all attachment to them, + +and caused me to turn wholly towards Thy grace and bountiful favors. +I +give Thee thanks, +also, +for having sent down upon me from the clouds of +Thy will that which hath so sanctified me from the hints of the infidels +and the allusions of the misbelievers that I have fixed my heart firmly on +Thee, +and fled from such as have denied the light of Thy countenance. + +Again I thank Thee for having empowered me to be steadfast in Thy love, + +and to speak forth Thy praise and to extol Thy virtues, +and for having +given me to drink of the cup of Thy mercy that hath surpassed all things +visible and invisible. + + +Thou art the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Loving. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O my God! +Thou seest me shut up in this Prison, +and art +well aware that I have entered it solely for Thy sake and for the sake of +the glorification of Thy word and the proclamation of Thy Cause. +I cry out +to Thee, +this very moment, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all worlds, + +beseeching Thee, +by Thine undoubted Name, +to attract the hearts of Thy +servants unto the Day-Spring of Thy most excellent titles and the +Dawning-Place of Thy most resplendent signs. + + +But for the troubles that touch me in Thy path, +O my God, +how else could +my heart rejoice in Thy days; +and were it not for the blood which is shed +for love of Thee, +what else could tinge the faces of Thy chosen ones +before the eyes of Thy creatures? +I swear by Thy might! +The ornament that +adorneth the countenance of Thy dear ones is the blood which, +in their +love for Thee, +floweth out of their foreheads over their faces. + + +Thou beholdest, +O my God, +how every bone in my body soundeth like a pipe +with the music of Thine inspiration, +revealing the signs of Thy oneness +and the clear tokens of Thy unity. +I entreat Thee, +O my God, +by Thy Name +which irradiateth all things, +to raise up such servants as shall incline +their ears to the voice of the melodies that hath ascended from the right +hand of the throne of Thy glory. +Make them, +then, +to quaff from the hand +of Thy grace the wine of Thy mercy, +that it may assure their hearts, +and +cause them to turn away from the left hand of idle fancies and vain +imaginings to the right hand of confidence and certitude. + + +Now that Thou hast guided them unto the door of Thy grace, +O my Lord, +cast +them not away, +by Thy bounty; +and now that Thou hast summoned them unto +the horizon of Thy Cause, +keep them not back from Thee, +by Thy +graciousness and favor. +Powerful art Thou to do as Thou pleasest. +No God +is there but Thee, +the Omniscient, +the All-Informed. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +My tongue, +both the tongue of my body +and the tongue of my heart, +my limbs and members, +every pulsating vein +within me, +every hair of my head, +all proclaim that Thou art God, +and that +there is none other God beside Thee. +From everlasting Thou hast been +immeasurably exalted above all similitudes and comparisons, +and sanctified +from whatsoever pertaineth to the creation Thou hast created and +fashioned. +From eternity Thou hast been alone, +with none to share the +majesty of Thy singleness, +and hast remained far above the changes and +chances to which all Thy creatures are subjected. + + +And when Thou didst purpose to demonstrate the power of Thy sovereign +might, +and to glorify Thy word, +and to guide the steps of Thy people, +Thou +didst raise up from among Thy creatures One of Thy servants, +Whom Thou +didst send forth with the signs of Thy sovereignty, +and Whom Thou didst +endue with the clear tokens of Thy oneness, +that He might fulfill Thy +testimony unto all created things, +and perfect Thy proof before all men. + + +As soon as He revealed Himself, +as bidden by Thee, +and called Thy servants +to turn in the direction of Thy gifts, +and to set their faces towards the +horizon of Thy knowledge, +the signs of dissension appeared amongst them. + +Some responded to Thy call and, +without the least hesitation, +obeyed Thy +summons. +Others turned their backs to Thee, +and followed the desires of a +corrupt inclination. + + +I implore Thee, +O my God, +by Thy Most Great Name, +to enrapture the nations +through the potency of the Word which Thou didst ordain to be the king of +all words, +the Word whereby the goodly pearls of Thy hidden wisdom were +uncovered, +and the gem-like mysteries which were wrapped up within Thee +were unraveled. +Deprive them not, +by Thy grace and bounty, +of the things +Thou didst desire for them, +and suffer them not to be far removed from the +shores of the ocean of Thy presence. + + +Every existence, +whether seen or unseen, +O my Lord, +testifieth that Thy +mercy hath surpassed all created things, +and Thy loving-kindness embraced +the entire creation. +Look upon them, +I entreat Thee, +with the eyes of Thy +mercy. +Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. +Do with them +as beseemeth Thy glory, +and Thy majesty, +and Thy greatness, +and Thy +bounteousness and Thy grace. +Deal not with them according to the +limitations imposed upon them, +or the manifold vicissitudes of their +earthly life. + + +Thou knowest, +O my Lord, +that I am but one of Thy servants. +I have tasted +of the sweetness of Thy speech, +and acknowledged Thy unity and Thy +singleness, +and set my face towards the Source of Thy most excellent names +and the Day-Spring of Thy transcendent attributes, +and wished to be +enabled by Thee to immerse myself beneath the ocean of Thy oneness and to +be submerged by the mighty waters of Thy unity. + + +Assist me, +by Thy strengthening grace, +O my Lord, +to do what Thou didst +will, +and withhold not from me the things Thou dost possess. +So enravish +me with the wonders of Thine utterances that the noise and distraction of +this world may be powerless to deter me from turning unto Thee, +and may +fail to shake my constancy in Thy Cause, +or to distract my gaze from the +horizon of Thy grace. +Aid me, +then, +O my God, +to do what pleaseth Thee, + +and to carry out Thy will. +Write down for me, +moreover, +the good of this +world and of the world which is to come, +and ordain for me a seat of truth +in Thy presence. +Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, +and to rule as +Thou pleasest. +No God is there but Thee, +the Inaccessible, +the +All-Glorious, +the Most Great. + + +All-praise to Thee, +O Lord of the worlds and the Object of the adoration +of the entire creation! + + + + + + + +Faded now is all that erstwhile flourished in the Paradise of Thy +transcendent oneness, +O my God! +Where are the rain-giving clouds of Thy +mercy? +Shorn are the branches of the Tree of Thy unity of the vesture of +Thy majesty and wisdom; +where is the spring-time of Thy gifts and +bounties? +Motionless lies the Ark of Thy Cause on the sea of Thy creation; + +where are the winds of Thy grace and favors? +Encompassed on every side is +Thy Lamp by the tempests of discord blowing from every land; +where is the +globe of Thy graciousness and protection? + + +Thou seest, +O my God, +how the eyes of these poor creatures are bent upon +the horizon of Thy riches, +how the hearts of these helpless ones are set +in the direction of Thy might. +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art the sole +Desire of them that have recognized Thee, +and the Object of the adoration +of the entire creation, +not to suffer them, +now that Thou hast attracted +them by Thy most exalted Word, +to be far removed from the Tabernacle which +Thou hast reared up by Thy name, +the All-Glorious. + + +They are sore pressed with cares, +O my Lord, +and are encompassed about by +the wicked. +Send down, +therefore, +from the heaven of Thy behest Thine +invisible hosts, +that, +holding aloft the ensigns of Thy victory, +they may +help them in Thy land, +and may shield them against Thine adversaries. + + +I entreat Thee, +O my God, +by Thy name through which the clouds have rained +down their rain, +and the streams have flowed, +and the fire of Thy love +hath been kindled throughout Thy dominion, +to assist Thy servant who hath +turned towards Thee, +and hath spoken forth Thy praise, +and determined to +help Thee. +Fortify, +then, +his heart, +O my God, +in Thy love and in Thy +Faith. +Better is this for him than all that hath been created on Thine +earth, +for the world and whatsoever is therein must perish, +and what +pertaineth unto Thee must endure as long as Thy most excellent names +endure. +By Thy Glory! +Were the world to last as long as Thine own kingdom +will last, +to set their affections upon it would still be unseemly for +such as have quaffed, +from the hands of Thy mercy, +the wine of Thy +presence; +how much more when they recognize its fleetingness and are +persuaded of its transience. +The chances that overtake it, +and the changes +to which all things pertaining unto it are continually subjected, +attest +its impermanence. + + +Whosoever hath recognized Thee will turn to none save Thee, +and will seek +from Thee naught else except Thyself. +Thou art the sole Desire of the +heart of him whose thoughts are fixed on Thee, +and the highest Aspiration +of whosoever is wholly devoted unto Thee. + + +No God is there beside Thee, +the Almighty, +the Help in Peril, +the +All-Glorious, +the Most Powerful. + + + + + + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O my God, +for that Thou hast manifested the Day +which is the King of Days, +the Day which Thou didst announce unto Thy +chosen Ones and Thy Prophets in Thy most excellent Tablets, +the Day +whereon Thou didst shed the splendor of the glory of all Thy names upon +all created things. +Great is his blessedness whosoever hath set himself +towards Thee, +and entered Thy presence, +and caught the accents of Thy +voice. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by the name of Him round Whom circleth in +adoration the kingdom of Thy names, +that Thou wilt graciously assist them +that are dear to Thee to glorify Thy word among Thy servants, +and to shed +abroad Thy praise amidst Thy creatures, +so that the ecstasies of Thy +revelation may fill the souls of all the dwellers of Thine earth. + + +Since Thou hast guided them, +O my Lord, +unto the living waters of Thy +grace, +grant, +by Thy bounty, +that they may not be kept back from Thee; +and +since Thou hast summoned them to the habitation of Thy throne, +drive them +not out from Thy presence, +through Thy loving-kindness. +Send down upon +them what shall wholly detach them from aught else except Thee, +and make +them able to soar in the atmosphere of Thy nearness, +in such wise that +neither the ascendancy of the oppressor nor the suggestions of them that +have disbelieved in Thy most august and most mighty Self shall be capable +of keeping them back from Thee. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Thou in Whose hands is the kingdom of all names, +and +in the grasp of Whose might are all that are in heaven and all that are on +earth! +I entreat Thee, +by Him Who is Thy Most Effulgent Name Whom Thou +hast made a target for the darts of Thy decree in Thy path, +O Thou the +King of eternity, +to rend asunder the veils that have shut off Thy +creatures from the horizon of Thy glory, +that haply they may turn their +faces in the direction of Thy mercy, +and draw nigh unto the Day-Spring of +Thy loving-kindness. + + +Leave not Thy servants to themselves, +O my Lord! +Draw them through the +influence of Thine utterances unto the Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration, + +and to the Fountain of Thy Revelation, +and to the Treasury of Thy wisdom. + +Thou art He to Whose strength and power all things have testified, +Whose +Purpose nothing whatsoever of all that hath been created in Thy heaven and +on Thy earth hath been able to frustrate. + + +Render, +then, +victorious, +O my God, +Thy servants who have set their faces +towards Thee, +and directed their steps to the seat of Thy grace. +Send +down, +then, +upon them what will keep them safe from the danger of turning +to any one but Thee, +and from fixing their eyes upon aught else except +Thyself. + + +Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, +and to rule as Thou pleasest. + +There is no God but Thee, +the God of glory and wisdom. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I beseech Thee by Thy Name, +the +Restrainer, +to withhold from us the maleficence of Thine adversaries who +have disbelieved in Thy testimony, +and caviled at Thy beauty. +Overpower by +Thy Name, +the All-Subduing, +such as have wronged Thy Previous +Manifestation Who hath now appeared invested with Thy title, +the +All-Glorious. +Lay hold, +by Thy name, +the Chastiser, +on them that have +treated Thy Cause with scorn, +have jested at Thy most mighty utterances, + +and were hindered from attaining this most exalted station. +Enable Thy +loved ones, +by Thy Name, +the Victorious, +to prevail against Thine enemies +and the infidels among Thy creatures. +Rend asunder, +by Thy Name, +the +Cleaver, +the veil that hideth the doings of them that have besmirched +Thine honor and undermined Thy Faith among Thy people. +Bind, +by Thy Name, + +the Restorer, +the broken hearts of them that love Thee, +and graciously +bless them in their affairs. +Teach them, +by Thy Name, +the All-Knowing, +the +wonders of Thy wisdom, +that they may cleave steadfastly to Thy Faith and +walk in the ways of Thy pleasure. +Keep them safe, +by Thy Name, +the +Withholder, +from the tyranny of the oppressor and the wickedness of the +evil-doers and the malice of the stirrers of mischief. +Shield them, +by Thy +Name, +the Preserver, +within the stronghold of Thy might and power, +that +haply they may be protected from the darts of doubt that are hurled by +such as have rebelled against Thee. +Sanctify for Thy servants, +by Thy Name +which Thou hast blessed above all other names, +which Thou hast singled out +for Thy favor, +and by which Thou didst reveal Thy beauty, +these days of +which the Pen of Thy decree hath distinctly written, +and which, +according +to Thy will and wisdom, +have been preordained in Thine irrevocable Tablet. + +Subject to Thy rule, +by Thy Name, +the Conqueror, +the people of Thy realm, + +that all may turn towards Thy face and forsake their all for love of Thee +and for the sake of Thy pleasure. + + +Abase Thou, +O my Lord, +Thine enemies, +and lay hold on them with Thy power +and might, +and let them be stricken by the blast of Thy wrath. +Make them +taste, +O my God, +of Thine awful majesty and vengeance, +for they have +repudiated the truth of the One in Whom they had believed, +Who came unto +them with Thy signs and Thy clear tokens and the evidences of Thy power +and the manifold revelations of Thy might. +Gather, +then, +together Thy +loved ones beneath the shadow of the Tree of Thy oneness, +and of the +Manifestation of the effulgent light of Thy unity. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the One Whose power is immense, +Whose vengeance is +terrible. +No God is there beside Thee, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful. + + + + + + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O Lord my God, +inasmuch as Thou hast inclined mine +ear to Thy voice, +and called me to Thyself, +and opened mine eyes to gaze +on Thy beauty, +and illumined my heart with Thy knowledge, +and sanctified +my breast from the doubts of the infidels in Thy days. +I am the one, +O my +God, +who lay fast asleep on his couch, +when lo, +the messengers of Thy +manifold mercies were sent down upon me by Thee, +and the gentle winds of +Thy loving-kindness blew over me, +and roused me up, +and caused me to set +my face towards the sanctuary of Thy knowledge, +and to fix mine eyes upon +the splendors of the light of Thy face. + + +I am but a poor creature, +O my Lord! +Behold me clinging to the hem of Thy +riches. +I have fled from darkness and from waywardness unto the brightness +of the light of Thy countenance. +Were I--and to this Thy glory beareth me +witness--to render thanksgiving unto Thee, +through the whole continuance of +Thy kingdom and the duration of the heaven of Thine omnipotence, +I would +still have failed to repay Thy manifold bestowals. + + +I implore Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy name, +the Ever-Abiding, +and by Thy name +which Thou didst ordain to be the most great Instrument binding Thee to +Thy servants, +to grant that I may flee for shelter to Thy door, +and speak +forth Thy praise. +Write down, +then, +for me, +in every world of Thine, +that +which will enable me to enter beneath Thy shadow and within the borders of +Thy court. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most Bountiful, +the Most Exalted, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Generous. + + + + + + + +All-praise be to Thee, +O Lord, +my God! +I know not how to sing Thy praise, + +how to describe Thy glory, +how to call upon Thy Name. +If I call upon Thee +by Thy Name, +the All-Possessing, +I am compelled to recognize that He Who +holdeth in His hand the immediate destinies of all created things is but a +vassal dependent upon Thee, +and is the creation of but a word proceeding +from Thy mouth. +And if I proclaim Thee by the name of Him Who is the +All-Compelling, +I readily discover that He is but a suppliant fallen upon +the dust, +awe-stricken by Thy dreadful might, +Thy sovereignty and power. + +And if I attempt to describe Thee by glorifying the oneness of Thy Being, + +I soon realize that such a conception is but a notion which mine own fancy +hath woven, +and that Thou hast ever been immeasurably exalted above the +vain imaginations which the hearts of men have devised. + + +The glory of Thy might beareth me witness! +Whoso claimeth to have known +Thee hath, +by virtue of such a claim, +testified to his own ignorance; +and +whoso believeth himself to have attained unto Thee, +all the atoms of the +earth would attest his powerlessness and proclaim his failure. +Thou hast, + +however, +by virtue of Thy mercy that hath surpassed the kingdoms of earth +and heaven, +deigned to accept from Thy servants the laud and honor they +pay to Thine own exalted Self, +and hast bidden them celebrate Thy glory, + +that the ensigns of Thy guidance may be unfurled in Thy cities and the +tokens of Thy mercy be spread abroad among Thy nations, +and that each and +all may be enabled to attain unto that which Thou hast destined for them +by Thy decree, +and ordained unto them through Thine irrevocable will and +purpose. + + +Having testified, +therefore, +unto mine own impotence and the impotence of +Thy servants, +I beseech Thee, +by the brightness of the light of Thy +beauty, +not to refuse Thy creatures attainment to the shores of Thy most +holy ocean. +Draw them, +then, +O my God, +through the Divine sweetness of Thy +melodies, +towards the throne of Thy glory and the seat of Thine eternal +holiness. +Thou art, +verily, +the Most Powerful, +the Supreme Ruler, +the +Great Giver, +the Most Exalted, +the Ever-Desired. + + +Grant, +then, +O my God, +that Thy servant who hath turned towards Thee, +hath +fixed his gaze upon Thee, +and clung to the cord of Thy mercifulness and +favor, +may be enabled to partake of the living waters of Thy mercy and +grace. +Cause him, +then, +to ascend unto the heights to which he aspireth, + +and withhold him not from that which Thou dost possess. +Thou art, +verily, + +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +Every time I attempt to make mention of +Thee, +I am hindered by the sublimity of Thy station and the overpowering +greatness of Thy might. +For were I to praise Thee throughout the length of +Thy dominion and the duration of Thy sovereignty, +I would find that my +praise of Thee can befit only such as are like unto me, +who are themselves +Thy creatures, +and who have been generated through the power of Thy decree +and been fashioned through the potency of Thy will. +And at whatever time +my pen ascribeth glory to any one of Thy names, +methinks I can hear the +voice of its lamentation in its remoteness from Thee, +and can recognize +its cry because of its separation from Thy Self. +I testify that everything +other than Thee is but Thy creation and is held in the hollow of Thy hand. + +To have accepted any act or praise from Thy creatures is but an evidence +of the wonders of Thy grace and bountiful favors, +and a manifestation of +Thy generosity and providence. + + +I entreat Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy Most Great Name whereby Thou didst +separate light from fire, +and truth from denial, +to send down upon me and +upon such of my loved ones as are in my company the good of this world and +of the next. +Supply us, +then, +with Thy wondrous gifts that are hid from +the eyes of men. +Thou art, +verily, +the Fashioner of all creation. +No God +is there but Thee, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the Most High. + + + + + + +O Thou, +at Whose dreadful majesty all things have trembled, +in Whose grasp +are the affairs of all men, +towards Whose grace and mercy are set the +faces of all Thy creatures! +I entreat Thee, +by Thy Name which Thou hast +ordained to be the spirit of all names that are in the kingdom of names, + +to shield us from the whisperings of those who have turned away from Thee, + +and have repudiated the truth of Thy most august and most exalted Self, +in +this Revelation that hath caused the kingdom of Thy names to tremble. + + +I am one of Thy handmaidens, +O my Lord! +I have turned my face towards the +sanctuary of Thy gracious favors and the adored tabernacle of Thy glory. + +Purify me of all that is not of Thee, +and strengthen me to love Thee and +to fulfill Thy pleasure, +that I may delight myself in the contemplation of +Thy beauty, +and be rid of all attachment to any of Thy creatures, +and may, + +at every moment, +proclaim: +"Magnified be God, +the Lord of the worlds! +" + +Let my food, +O my Lord, +be Thy beauty, +and my drink the light of Thy +presence, +and my hope Thy pleasure, +and my work Thy praise, +and my +companion Thy remembrance, +and my aid Thy sovereignty, +and my +dwelling-place Thy habitation, +and my home the seat which Thou hast +exalted above the limitations of them that are shut out as by a veil from +Thee. + + +Thou art, +in truth, +the God of power, +of strength and glory. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +Every time I am reminded of Thee and muse +on Thy virtues, +I am seized with such ecstasies and am so enravished by +Thee that I find myself unable to make mention of Thy name and to extol +Thee. +I am carried back to such heights that I recognize my self to be the +same as the remembrance of Thee in Thy realm, +and the essence of Thy +praise among Thy servants. +As long as that self endureth, +so long will Thy +praise continue to be shed abroad among Thy creatures and Thy remembrance +glorified by Thy people. + + +Every man endued with insight among Thy servants is persuaded that my self +liveth eternally and can never perish, +inasmuch as remembrance of Thee is +eternal and will endure so long as Thine own Self endureth, +and Thy praise +is everlasting and will last as long as Thine own sovereignty will last. + +By its means Thou art glorified by such of Thy chosen ones as call upon +Thee and by the sincere among Thy servants. +Nay, +the praise wherewith any +one, +in the entire creation, +praiseth Thee proceedeth from this exalted +self and returneth unto it, +even as the sun which, +while it shineth, + +sheddeth its splendor upon whatsoever may be exposed to its rays. +From +this sun is generated, +and unto it must return, +the light which is shed +over all things. + + +Exalted, +immeasurably exalted art Thou above any attempt to measure the +greatness of Thy Cause, +above any comparison that one may seek to make, + +above the efforts of the human tongue to utter its import! +From +everlasting Thou hast existed, +alone with no one else beside Thee, +and +wilt, +to everlasting, +continue to remain the same, +in the sublimity of +Thine essence and the inaccessible heights of Thy glory. + + +And when Thou didst purpose to make Thyself known unto men, +Thou didst +successively reveal the Manifestations of Thy Cause, +and ordained each to +be a sign of Thy Revelation among Thy people, +and the Day-Spring of Thine +invisible Self amidst Thy creatures, +until the time when, +as decreed by +Thee, +all Thy previous Revelations culminated in Him Whom Thou hast +appointed as the Lord of all who are in the heaven of revelation and the +kingdom of creation, +Him Whom Thou hast established as the Sovereign Lord +of all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. +He it was Whom +Thou hast determined to be the Herald of Thy Most Great Revelation and the +Announcer of Thy Most Ancient Splendor. +In this Thou hadst no other +purpose except to try them who have manifested Thy most excellent titles +unto all who are in heaven and on earth. +He it was Whom Thou hast +commanded to establish His covenant with all created things. + + +And when Thy promise came to pass and the set time was fulfilled, +He Who +is the Possessor of all Names and Attributes was made manifest unto men. + +Thereupon all that were in the heavens and all that were on the earth were +terror-stricken save those whom Thou didst keep under Thy protection and +preserve within the shelter of Thy power and gracious providence. +There +befell Him, +at the hands of such of Thy creatures as have transgressed +against Thee, +that which the tongue of no one of Thy servants can recount. + + +Look down, +then, +upon Him, +O my God, +with the eye of Thy tender mercy, +and +send down upon Him and upon those that love Him all the good Thou didst +ordain in the heaven of Thy will and the Tablet of Thy decree. +Aid them, + +then, +with Thy succor, +for Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most +Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Compelling. + + + + + + + +All glory be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I bear witness for Thee to that +whereto Thou Thyself didst bear witness for Thine own Self, +ere the day +Thou hadst created the creation or made mention thereof, +that Thou art +God, +and that there is none other God beside Thee. +From eternity Thou +hast, +in Thy transcendent oneness, +been immeasurably exalted above Thy +servants' conception of Thy unity, +and wilt to eternity remain, +in Thine +unapproachable singleness, +far above the praise of Thy creatures. +No words +that any one beside Thee may utter can ever beseem Thee, +and no man's +description except Thine own description can befit Thy nature. +All who +adore Thy unity have been sore perplexed to fathom the mystery of Thy +oneness, +and all have confessed their powerlessness to attain unto the +comprehension of Thine essence and to scale the pinnacle of Thy knowledge. + +The mighty have all acknowledged their weakness, +and the learned +recognized their ignorance. +They that are possessed of influence are as +nothing when compared with the revelations of Thy stupendous sovereignty, + +and they who are exalted sink into oblivion when brought before the +manifestations of Thy great glory. +The radiance of the brightest +luminaries is eclipsed by the effulgent splendors of Thy face, +and the +tongues of the most eloquent of speakers falter under the unrestrained +effusions of Thy holy utterance, +and the foundations of the mightiest +structures tremble before the onrushing force of Thy compelling power. + + +Who is there, +O my God, +that can be deemed worthy to be remembered when +Thou art remembered, +and where is he to be found who can be regarded as +capable of hinting at Thy nature or worthy of mention in the court of Thy +transcendent oneness? +From everlasting Thou hast been alone with no one +else beside Thee, +and to everlasting Thou wilt continue to be one and the +same. +No God is there beside Thee, +the God of power, +of glory and wisdom. + + +Glorified be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +I beseech Thee by Him Who is Thine +exalted and supreme Remembrance, +Whom Thou hast sent down unto all Thy +creatures and invested with Thy name, +the All-Glorious, +Whose will Thou +hast ordained to be Thine own will, +Whose self Thou hast decreed to be the +revealer of Thine own Self, +and His essence the Day-Spring of Thy wisdom, + +and His heart the treasury of Thine inspiration, +and His breast the +dawning-place of Thy most excellent attributes and most exalted titles, + +and His tongue the fountain-head of the waters of Thy praise and the +well-spring of the soft-flowing streams of Thy wisdom, +to send down upon +us that which will enable us to dispense with all else except Thee, +and +will cause us to direct our steps towards the sanctuary of Thy pleasure +and to aspire after the things Thou didst ordain for us according to Thine +irrevocable decree. +Empower us, +then, +O my God, +to forsake ourselves and +cleave steadfastly to Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self, +the Most +Exalted, +the Most High. +Supply us also with that which is best for us, +and +write us down with such of Thy servants as have repudiated the Idol (Mírzá +Yahyá), +and firmly believed in Thee, +and been so established on the throne +of certitude that the whisperings of the Evil One have been powerless to +hinder them from turning their faces towards Thy name, +the All-Merciful. + + +Powerful art Thou to do what Thou pleasest and to ordain what Thou +willest. +No God is there but Thee, +the All-Possessing, +the All-Highest, + +the Almighty, +the All-Bountiful, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +O Thou Whose remembrance is the delight of the souls of all them that +yearn after Thee, +Whose name is the exultation of the hearts of all who +are wholly devoted to Thy will, +Whose praise is cherished by such as have +drawn nigh unto Thy court, +Whose face is the ardent desire of all them +that have recognized Thy truth, +Whose trial is the healer of the +sicknesses of them who have embraced Thy Cause, +Whose calamity is the +highest aspiration of such as are rid of all attachment to any one but +Thyself! + + +Glorified, +immeasurably glorified art Thou, +in Whose hands is the empire +of whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on earth, +Thou, +Who +through but one word of Thy mouth, +caused all things to expire and +dissolve asunder, +and Who, +by yet another word, +caused whatever had been +separated to be combined and reunited! +Magnified be Thy name, +O Thou Who +hast power over all that are in the heavens and all that are on earth, + +Whose dominion embraceth whatsoever is in the heaven of Thy Revelation and +the kingdom of Thy creation. +None can equal Thee in Thy created realms; + +none can compare with Thee in the universe Thou hast fashioned. +The mind +of no one hath comprehended Thee, +and the aspiration of no soul hath +reached Thee. +I swear by Thy might! +Were any one to soar, +on whatever +wings, +as long as Thine own Being endureth, +throughout the immensity of +Thy knowledge, +he would still be powerless to transgress the bounds which +the contingent world hath set for him. +How can, +then, +such a man aspire to +wing his flight into the atmosphere of Thy most exalted presence? + + +He, +indeed, +is endued with understanding who acknowledgeth his +powerlessness and confesseth his sinfulness, +for should any created thing +lay claim to any existence, +when confronted with the infinite wonders of +Thy Revelation, +so blasphemous a pretension would be more heinous than any +other crime in all the domains of Thine invention and creation. +Who is +there, +O my Lord, +that, +when Thou revealest the first glimmerings of the +signs of Thy transcendent sovereignty and might, +hath the power to claim +for himself any existence whatever? +Existence itself is as nothing when +brought face to face with the mighty and manifold wonders of Thine +incomparable Self. + + +Far, +immeasurably far, +art Thou exalted above all things, +O Thou Who art +the King of Kings! +I entreat Thee by Thy Self and by Them Who are the +Manifestations of Thy Cause and the Day-Springs of Thine authority to +write down for us that which Thou hast written down for Thy chosen ones. + +Withhold not from us that which Thou didst ordain for Thy loved ones, +who, + +as soon as Thy call reached them, +hastened unto Thee, +and when the +splendors of the light of Thy countenance were shed upon them, +instantly +prostrated themselves in adoration before Thy face. + + +We are Thy servants, +O my Lord, +and in the grasp of Thy power. +If Thou +chastisest us with the chastisement inflicted upon the former and the +latter generations, +Thy verdict would be assuredly just and Thine act +praiseworthy. +Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +None other God +is there beside Thee, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the Help in Peril, + +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +Unto Thee be praise, +O Thou Who inclinest Thine ear to the sighing of them +that have rid themselves of all attachment to any one but Thee, +and Who +hearest the voice of the lamentation of those who are wholly devoted to +Thy Self! +Thou beholdest all that hath befallen them at the hands of such +of Thy creatures as have transgressed and rebelled against Thee. +Thy might +beareth me witness, +O Thou Who art the King of the realms of justice and +the Ruler of the cities of mercy! +The tribulations they have been made to +suffer are such as no pen, +in the entire creation, +can reckon. +Should any +one attempt to make mention of them, +he would find himself powerless to +describe them. + + +As these tribulations, +however, +were sustained in Thy path and for love of +Thee, +they who were afflicted by them render thanks, +under all conditions, + +unto Thee, +and say: +"O Thou Who art the Delight of our hearts and the +Object of our adoration! +Were the clouds of Thy decree to rain down upon +us the darts of affliction, +we would, +in our love for Thee, +refuse to be +impatient. +We would yield Thee praise and thanksgiving, +for we have +recognized and are persuaded that Thou hast ordained only that which will +be best for us. +If our bodies be, +at times, +weighed down by our troubles, + +yet our souls rejoice with exceeding gladness. +We swear by Thy might, +O +Thou Who art the Desire of our hearts and the Exultation of our souls! + +Every trouble that toucheth us in our love for Thee is an evidence of Thy +tender mercy, +every fiery ordeal a sign of the brightness of Thy light, + +every woeful tribulation a cooling draught, +every toil a blissful repose, + +every anguish a fountain of gladness. +" + +Whosoever, +O my Lord, +is impatient in the tribulations befalling him in +Thy path, +hath not drunk of the cup of Thy love nor tasted of the +sweetness of Thy remembrance. +I implore Thee, +by Him Who is the King of +all names and their Sovereign, +Who is the Revealer of all attributes and +their Creator, +and by them who have soared aloft and drawn nigh unto Thee +and winged their flight into the atmosphere of Thy presence, +and have +endured the galling of chains for Thy sake, +to grant that all Thy people +may be graciously aided to recognize Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine +own Self, +Who, +because He summoned mankind unto Thee, +hath been exiled and +cast into prison. + + +The tenderness of Thy mercy, +O my Lord, +surpasseth the fury of Thy wrath, + +and Thy loving-kindness exceedeth Thy hot displeasure, +and Thy grace +excelleth Thy justice. +Hold Thou, +through Thy wondrous favors and mercies, + +the hands of Thy creatures, +and suffer them not to be separated from the +grace which Thou hast ordained as the means whereby they can recognize +Thee. +The glory of Thy might beareth me witness! +Were such a thing to +happen, +every soul would be sore shaken, +every man endued with +understanding would be bewildered, +and every possessor of knowledge would +be dumbfounded, +except those who have been succored through the hands of +Thy Cause, +and have been made the recipients of the revelations of Thy +grace and of the tokens of Thy favors. + + +I swear by Thy might, +O my God! +Wert Thou to regard Thy servants according +to their deserts in Thy days, +they would assuredly merit naught except Thy +chastisement and torment. +Thou art, +however, +the One Who is of great +bounteousness, +Whose grace is immense. +Look not down upon them, +O my God, + +with the glance of Thy justice, +but rather with the eyes of Thy tender +compassions and mercies. +Do, +then, +with them according to what beseemeth +Thy generosity and bountiful favor. +Potent art Thou to do whatsoever may +please Thee. +Incomparable art Thou. +No God is there beside Thee, +the Lord +of the throne on high and of earth below, +the Ruler of this world and of +the world to come. +Thou art the God of Bounty, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the +Great Giver, +the Most Generous. + + +Do Thou bless, +O Lord my God, +the One through Whom the mysteries of Thine +omnipotence have been disclosed, +through Whom the revelations of Thy +divinity have been glorified, +through Whom the goodly pearls of Thy +knowledge and wisdom have been uncovered, +through Whom Thy signs and +tokens have been noised abroad, +through Whom Thy word hath been set forth +with clearness, +through Whom the light of Thy countenance hath shone forth +and the power of Thy sovereignty been established. +Bless Thou all those +also who, +wholly for Thy sake, +have turned towards Thee. +Send down, + +moreover, +upon Him and them such of Thy wondrous mercies as may well +beseem Thy highness. +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Help in Peril, + +the All-Glorious, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou art He Who hath created all things +through a word uttered by Thy behest, +and fashioned the entire creation +through the power of Thy sovereignty and might. +The mightiest of men are +abased before the revelations of Thy glory, +and they who are endued with +strength tremble when faced with the evidences of Thy might. +Every man of +insight is bereft of vision when confronted with the effulgence of the +glory of Thy face, +and he who is possessed of riches is poor and desolate +when beholding the plenteousness of Thy wealth. + + +I implore Thee by Thine All-Glorious Name, +wherewith Thou didst adorn all +the denizens of the kingdom of Thy revelation and the inmates of the +heaven of Thy will, +to grant that my soul may be attracted by the +sweetness of the melody of the Bird of Heaven that chanteth amidst the +branches of the tree of Thy decree that Thou art God, +that there is none +other God beside Thee. + + +Cleanse me with the waters of Thy mercy, +O my Lord, +and make me wholly +Thine, +and cause me to approach the Tabernacle of Thy Cause and the adored +Sanctuary of Thy Presence. +Ordain, +then, +for me all the things Thou didst +ordain for the chosen ones among Thy handmaidens, +and rain down upon me +that which will illuminate my face and enlighten my heart. + + +Thou hast power to do what Thou willest, +and Thou ordainest what Thou +pleasest. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou seest my poverty and my misery, +my +troubles and my needs, +my utter helplessness and my extreme lowliness, +my +lamentations and my bitter wailing, +the anguish of my soul and the +afflictions which beset me. +The power of Thy might beareth me witness! + +Such is the depth of mine abasement that Thy servants who have strayed far +from Thy path deride me. +Thou knowest that I am recognized as the bearer +of Thy name among Thy creatures. +Thou knowest that my station is but an +image of Thy station, +that my virtues recount Thy virtues, +that within +mine inmost being naught can be found except the revelations of Thy signs, + +and that my very essence is but a reflection of the evidences of Thy +unity. + + +All these things Thou hast noised abroad among Thy creatures, +in such wise +that none can recognize me, +except as one who beareth Thy name. +I swear by +Thy glory! +My lamentations are not for the things which have befallen me +in Thy path, +but are due to my recognition that by reason of mine +abasement the hearts of them that love Thee have been sore shaken, +and the +souls of Thine adversaries have been so filled with joy that they rejoice +over those who have detached themselves from all except Thee and have +hastened towards the river of Thy remembrance and praise. +So great is +their waywardness that when meeting Thy loved ones, +they shake their heads +in derision of Thy Cause and say: +"Where is your Lord Whom ye mention in +the daytime and in the night season? +Where is He to be found Whom ye call +your Sovereign, +to Whom ye summon all men to turn? +" Their pride and +haughtiness waxed greater and greater until they denied the power of Thy +might and rejected Thy sovereignty and dominion. + + +Thy glory beareth me witness! +I delight in mine own afflictions and in the +afflictions which they who love me suffer in Thy path. +Neither I nor they, + +however, +are able to bear such affronts and reproaches as are uttered by +Thine enemies against Thy Self, +the Unrestrained. +How long shalt Thou +remain seated, +O my God, +on the throne of Thy forbearance and patience? + +Speak Thou Thy word of wrath, +O Thou Whom no eyes can see! +Well-beloved is +Thy mercy unto the sincere among Thy servants, +and well-beseeming Thy +chastisement of the infidels among Thine enemies. +Send down upon them, + +therefore, +O my Lord, +that which will unmistakably reveal unto them the +fury of Thy wrath and the ascendancy of Thy power, +and will enable them to +recognize the weight of Thy might and the greatness of Thy strength. +If +Thou refusest, +O my God, +to aid them that love Thee, +assist Thou, +then, + +Thine own Self and Him Who is Thy Remembrance. + + +I entreat Thee by Thy name, +that hath caused the ocean of Thy wrath to +surge, +to chastise them who have repudiated Thy truth and disowned Thine +utterances. +Abase them, +then, +by Thy might and power, +and exalt such as +have, +wholly for Thy sake, +set their faces towards Thee, +that through them +the ensigns of Thy glorification may be unfurled among all nations, +and +Thy tokens be spread abroad among all peoples, +and that all may testify +that Thou art God, +that there is none other God beside Thee, +the God of +power, +of majesty and glory. + + + + + + + +Magnified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I ask Thee by Thy Name which Thou hast +set up above all other names, +through which the veil of heaven hath been +split asunder and the Day-Star of Thy beauty hath risen above the horizon, + +shining with the brightness of Thy Name, +the Exalted, +the Most High, +to +succor me with Thy wondrous help and to preserve me in the shelter of Thy +care and protection. + + +I am one of Thy handmaidens, +O my Lord! +Unto Thee have I turned, +and in +Thee have I placed my trust. +Grant that I may be so confirmed in my love +for Thee, +and in fulfilling that which is well-pleasing unto Thee, +that +neither the defection of the infidels among Thy people, +nor the clamor of +the hypocrites among Thy creatures, +may avail to keep me back from Thee. + + +Purge Thou mine ear, +O my Lord, +that I may hearken unto the verses sent +down unto Thee, +and illuminate my heart with the light of Thy knowledge, + +and loose my tongue that it may make mention of Thee and sing Thy praise. + +By Thy might, +O my God! +My soul is wedded to none beside Thee, +and my +heart seeketh none except Thine own Self. + + +No God is there beside Thee, +the All-Glorious, +the Great Giver, +the +Forgiving, +the Compassionate. + + + + + + + +These are, +O my God, +the days whereon Thou didst enjoin Thy servants to +observe the fast. +With it Thou didst adorn the preamble of the Book of Thy +Laws revealed unto Thy creatures, +and didst deck forth the Repositories of +Thy commandments in the sight of all who are in Thy heaven and all who are +on Thy earth. +Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a special +virtue, +inscrutable to all except Thee, +Whose knowledge embraceth all +created things. +Thou hast, +also, +assigned unto every soul a portion of +this virtue in accordance with the Tablet of Thy decree and the Scriptures +of Thine irrevocable judgment. +Every leaf of these Books and Scriptures +Thou hast, +moreover, +allotted to each one of the peoples and kindreds of +the earth. + + +For Thine ardent lovers Thou hast, +according to Thy decree, +reserved, +at +each daybreak, +the cup of Thy remembrance, +O Thou Who art the Ruler of +rulers! +These are they who have been so inebriated with the wine of Thy +manifold wisdom that they forsake their couches in their longing to +celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy virtues, +and flee from sleep in their +eagerness to approach Thy presence and partake of Thy bounty. +Their eyes +have, +at all times, +been bent upon the Day-Spring of Thy loving-kindness, + +and their faces set towards the Fountain-Head of Thine inspiration. +Rain +down, +then, +upon us and upon them from the clouds of Thy mercy what +beseemeth the heaven of Thy bounteousness and grace. + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +This is the hour when Thou hast unlocked the +doors of Thy bounty before the faces of Thy creatures, +and opened wide the +portals of Thy tender mercy unto all the dwellers of Thine earth. +I +beseech Thee, +by all them whose blood was shed in Thy path, +who, +in their +yearning over Thee, +rid themselves from all attachment to any of Thy +creatures, +and who were so carried away by the sweet savors of Thine +inspiration that every single member of their bodies intoned Thy praise +and vibrated to Thy remembrance, +not to withhold from us the things Thou +hast irrevocably ordained in this Revelation--a Revelation the potency of +which hath caused every tree to cry out what the Burning Bush had +aforetime proclaimed unto Moses, +Who conversed with Thee, +a Revelation +that hath enabled every least pebble to resound again with Thy praise, +as +the stones glorified Thee in the days of Muhammad, +Thy Friend. + + +These are the ones, +O my God, +whom Thou hast graciously enabled to have +fellowship with Thee and to commune with Him Who is the Revealer of +Thyself. +The winds of Thy will have scattered them abroad until Thou didst +gather them together beneath Thy shadow, +and didst cause them to enter +into the precincts of Thy court. +Now that Thou hast made them to abide +under the shade of the canopy of Thy mercy, +do Thou assist them to attain +what must befit so august a station. +Suffer them not, +O my Lord, +to be +numbered with them who, +though enjoying near access to Thee, +have been +kept back from recognizing Thy face, +and who, +though meeting with Thee, + +are deprived of Thy presence. + + +These are Thy servants, +O my Lord, +who have entered with Thee in this, +the +Most Great Prison, +who have kept the fast within its walls according to +what Thou hadst commanded them in the Tablets of Thy decree and the Books +of Thy behest. +Send down, +therefore, +upon them what will thoroughly purge +them of all Thou abhorrest, +that they may be wholly devoted to Thee, +and +may detach themselves entirely from all except Thyself. + + +Rain down, +then, +upon us, +O my God, +that which beseemeth Thy grace and +befitteth Thy bounty. +Enable us, +then, +O my God, +to live in remembrance of +Thee and to die in love of Thee, +and supply us with the gift of Thy +presence in Thy worlds hereafter--worlds which are inscrutable to all +except Thee. +Thou art our Lord and the Lord of all worlds, +and the God of +all that are in heaven and all that are on earth. + + +Thou beholdest, +O my God, +what hath befallen Thy dear ones in Thy days. + +Thy glory beareth me witness! +The voice of the lamentation of Thy chosen +ones hath been lifted up throughout Thy realm. +Some were ensnared by the +infidels in Thy land, +and were hindered by them from having near access to +Thee and from attaining the court of Thy glory. +Others were able to +approach Thee, +but were kept back from beholding Thy face. +Still others +were permitted, +in their eagerness to look upon Thee, +to enter the +precincts of Thy court, +but they allowed the veils of the imaginations of +Thy creatures and the wrongs inflicted by the oppressors among Thy people +to come in between them and Thee. + + +This is the hour, +O my Lord, +which Thou hast caused to excel every other +hour, +and hast related it to the choicest among Thy creatures. +I beseech +Thee, +O my God, +by Thy Self and by them, +to ordain in the course of this +year what shall exalt Thy loved ones. +Do Thou, +moreover, +decree within +this year what will enable the Day-Star of Thy power to shine brightly +above the horizon of Thy glory, +and to illuminate, +by Thy sovereign might, + +the whole world. + + +Render Thy Cause victorious, +O my Lord, +and abase Thou Thine enemies. + +Write down, +then, +for us the good of this life and of the life to come. + +Thou art the Truth, +Who knoweth the secret things. +No God is there but +Thee, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the All-Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I yield Thee thanks for that Thou hast +made me the target of divers tribulations and the mark of manifold trials, + +in order that Thy servants may be endued with new life and all Thy +creatures may be quickened. + + +I swear by Thy glory, +O Thou the Best Beloved of the worlds and the Desire +of all such as have recognized Thee! +The one reason I wish to live is that +I may reveal Thy Cause, +and I seek the continuance of life only that I may +be touched by adversity in Thy path. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou by Whose summons the hearts of all them who were +nigh unto Thee have soared into the atmosphere of Thy presence, +to send +down upon Thy loved ones what will enable them to dispense with all else +except Thee. +Endue them, +then, +with such constancy that they will arise to +proclaim Thy Cause, +and will call on Thy name, +before all that are in Thy +heaven and on Thy earth, +in such wise that the Pharaonic cruelties +inflicted by the oppressors among Thy servants will not succeed in keeping +them back from Thee. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the God of power, +the God of glory, +the God of strength +and wisdom. + + + + + + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Behold Thou mine eye expectant to +gaze on the wonders of Thy mercy, +and mine ear longing to hearken unto Thy +sweet melodies, +and my heart yearning for the living waters of Thy +knowledge. +Thou seest Thy handmaiden, +O my God, +standing before the +habitation of Thy mercy, +and calling upon Thee by Thy name which Thou hast +chosen above all other names and set up over all that are in heaven and on +earth. +Send down upon her the breaths of Thy mercy, +that she may be +carried away wholly from herself, +and be drawn entirely towards the seat +which, +resplendent with the glory of Thy face, +sheddeth afar the radiance +of Thy sovereignty, +and is established as Thy throne. +Potent art Thou to +do what Thou willest. +No God is there beside Thee, +the All-Glorious, +the +Most Bountiful. + + +Cast not out, +I entreat Thee, +O my Lord, +them that have sought Thee, +and +turn not away such as have directed their steps towards Thee, +and deprive +not of Thy grace all that love Thee. +Thou art He, +O my Lord, +Who hath +called Himself the God of Mercy, +the Most Compassionate. +Have mercy, +then, + +upon Thy handmaiden who hath sought Thy shelter, +and set her face towards +Thee. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Merciful. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +I testify that no thought of Thee, +howsoever +wondrous, +can ever ascend into the heaven of Thy knowledge, +and no praise +of Thee, +no matter how transcendent, +can soar up to the atmosphere of Thy +wisdom. +From eternity Thou hast been removed far above the reach and the +ken of the comprehension of Thy servants, +and immeasurably exalted above +the strivings of Thy bondslaves to express Thy mystery. +What power can the +shadowy creature claim to possess when face to face with Him Who is the +Uncreated? + + +I bear witness that the highest thoughts of all such as adore Thy unity, + +and the profoundest contemplations of all them that have recognized Thee, + +are but the product of what hath been generated through the movement of +the Pen of Thy behest, +and hath been begotten by Thy will. +I swear by Thy +glory, +O Thou Who art the Beloved of my soul and the Fountain of my life! + +I am persuaded of my powerlessness to describe and extol Thee in a manner +that becometh the greatness of Thy glory and the excellence of Thy +majesty. +Aware as I am of this, +I beseech Thee, +by Thy mercy that hath +surpassed all created things, +and Thy grace that hath embraced the entire +creation, +to accept from Thy servants what they are capable of showing +forth in Thy path. +Aid them, +then, +by Thy strengthening grace, +to exalt +Thy word and to blazon Thy praise. + + +Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +Thou, +truly, +art the +All-Glorious, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +I know not, +O my God, +what the Fire is with which Thou didst light the +Lamp of Thy Cause, +or what the Glass wherewith Thou didst preserve it from +Thine enemies. +By Thy might! +I marvel at the wonders of Thy Revelation, + +and at the tokens of Thy glory. +I recognize, +O Thou Who art my heart's +Desire, +that were fire to be touched by water it would instantly be +extinguished, +whereas the Fire which Thou didst kindle can never go out, + +though all the seas of the earth be poured upon it. +Should water at any +time touch it, +the hands of Thy power would, +as decreed in Thy Tablets, + +transmute that water into a fuel that would feed its flame. + + +I, +likewise, +recognize, +O my God, +that every lamp, +when exposed to the +fury of the winds, +must cease from burning. +As to Thy Lamp, +however, +O +Beloved of the worlds, +I cannot think what power except Thy power could +have kept it safe for so many years from the tempests that have +continually been directed upon it by the rebellious among Thy creatures. + + +I swear by Thy glory, +O my God! +Thy Lamp which Thou didst light within the +tabernacle of man crieth out to Thee and saith: +"O Thou the one alone +Beloved! +How long wilt Thou forsake me? +Lift me up to Thee, +I pray Thee. + +Though this wish of mine be the wish of a human creature, +yet Thou knowest +that my true wish is to sacrifice myself in Thy path. +Thou art He Who hath +made my desire to be the same as Thy desire, +and my will the same as Thy +will. +Do Thou preserve Thy loved ones, +I beseech Thee, +in the shelter of +Thy shadowing mercy which transcendeth all things, +that haply the +sufferings they bear may not deter them from turning in the direction of +Thy name, +the All-Glorious, +the Most Bountiful. +" + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O my God! +Thou knowest that in my love for Thee I have +not sought any rest, +that in proclaiming Thy Cause I have denied myself +every manner of tranquillity, +and that in the observance of whatever Thou +hast prescribed in Thy Tablets I have not delayed to do Thy bidding. +I +have, +for this reason, +suffered what no man among all the inhabitants of +Thy realm hath suffered. + + +Thy glory beareth me witness! +Nothing whatsoever can withhold me from +remembering Thee, +though all the tribulations of the earth were to assault +me from every direction. +All the limbs and members of my body proclaim +their readiness to be torn asunder in Thy path and for the sake of Thy +pleasure, +and they yearn to be scattered in the dust before Thee. +O would +that they who serve Thee could taste what I have tasted of the sweetness +of Thy love! + + +I implore Thee to supply whosoever hath sought Thee with the living waters +of Thy bounty, +that they may rid him of all attachment to any one but +Thee. +Thou art, +verily, +the Omniscient, +the All-Glorious, +the Almighty. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +How great is Thy might and Thy +sovereignty; +how vast Thy strength and Thy dominion! +Thou hast called into +being Him Who speaketh in Thy name before all who are in Thy heaven and on +Thy earth, +and hast bidden Him cry out amongst Thy creatures. + + +No sooner had a word gone forth from His lips, +however, +than the divines +among Thy people turned back from Him, +and the learned among Thy servants +caviled at His signs. +Thereby the fire of oppression was kindled in Thy +land, +until the kings themselves rose up to put out Thy light, +O Thou Who +art the King of kings! + + +Hostility waxed so intense that my kindred and my loved ones were made +captives in Thy land, +and they that are dear to Thee were hindered from +gazing on Thy beauty and from turning in the direction of Thy mercy. +This +hostility failed to cause the fire that burned within them to subside. +The +enemy finally carried away as captive Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy +beauty and the Revealer of Thy signs, +and confined Him in the +fortress-town of Akká, +and sought to hinder Him from remembering Thee and +from magnifying Thy name. +Thy servant, +however, +could not be restrained +from carrying out what Thou hadst bidden Him fulfill. +Above the horizon of +tribulation He hath lifted up His voice and He crieth out, +summoning all +the inmates of heaven and all the inhabitants of the earth to the +immensity of Thy mercy and the court of Thy grace. +Day and night He +sendeth down the signs of Thine omnipotent power and revealeth the clear +tokens of Thy majesty, +so that the souls of Thy creatures may be drawn +towards Thee, +that they may forsake themselves and turn unto Thee, +and may +flee from their misery and seek the tabernacle of Thy riches, +and may +haste away from their wretchedness into the court of Thy majesty and +glory. + + +This is the Lamp which the light of Thine own Essence hath lit, +and whose +radiance the winds of discord can never extinguish. +This is the Ocean that +moveth by the power of Thy sovereign might, +and whose waves the influence +of the infidels that have disbelieved in the Judgment Day can never still. + +This is the Sun that shineth in the heaven of Thy will and the splendor of +which the veils of the workers of iniquity and the doubts of the evil +doers can never cloud. + + +I yield Thee thanks, +O my God, +for that Thou hast offered me up as a +sacrifice in Thy path, +and made me a target for the arrows of afflictions +as a token of Thy love for Thy servants, +and singled me out for all manner +of tribulation for the regeneration of Thy people. + + +How sweet to my taste is the savor of woes sent by Thee, +and how dear to +my heart the dispositions of Thy providence! +Perish the soul that fleeth +from the threats of kings in its attempt to save itself in Thy days! +I +swear by Thy glory! +Whoso hath quaffed the living waters of Thy favors can +fear no trouble in Thy path, +neither can he be deterred by any tribulation +from remembering Thee or from celebrating Thy praise. + + +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art my Governor and the Possessor of all names, + +to protect them that have branched out from me (Afnán), +whom Thou hast +caused to be related to Thyself, +and to whom Thou hast, +in this +Revelation, +shown Thy special favor, +and whom Thou hast summoned to draw +nigh unto Thee and to turn towards the horizon of Thy Revelation. +Withhold +not from them, +O my Lord, +the outpourings of Thy mercy or the effulgence +of the Day-Star of Thy grace. +Enable them to distinguish themselves +amongst Thy people, +that they may exalt Thy word and promote Thy Cause. + +Aid them, +O my God, +to do Thy will and pleasure. + + +No God is there but Thee, +the All-Powerful, +the Most Exalted, +the Most +High. + + + + + + + +Glory to Thee, +O my God! +But for the tribulations which are sustained in +Thy path, +how could Thy true lovers be recognized; +and were it not for the +trials which are borne for love of Thee, +how could the station of such as +yearn for Thee be revealed? +Thy might beareth me witness! +The companions +of all who adore Thee are the tears they shed, +and the comforters of such +as seek Thee are the groans they utter, +and the food of them who haste to +meet Thee is the fragments of their broken hearts. + + +How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death suffered in Thy path, +and +how precious in my estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when +encountered for the sake of the exaltation of Thy word! +Let me quaff in +Thy Cause, +O my God, +whatsoever Thou didst desire, +and send down upon me +in Thy love all Thou didst ordain. +By Thy glory! +I wish only what Thou +wishest, +and cherish what Thou cherishest. +In Thee have I, +at all times, + +placed my whole trust and confidence. + + +Raise up, +I implore Thee, +O my God, +as helpers to this Revelation such as +shall be counted worthy of Thy name and of Thy sovereignty, +that they may +remember me among Thy creatures, +and hoist the ensigns of Thy victory in +Thy land. + + +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +No God is there but Thee, +the +Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + +Glory to Thee, +O my God! +One of Thy handmaidens, +who hath believed in Thee +and in Thy signs, +hath entered beneath the shadow of the tree of Thy +oneness. +Give her to quaff, +O my God, +by Thy Name, +the Manifest and the +Hidden, +of Thy choice sealed Wine that it may take her away from her own +self, +and make her to be entirely devoted to Thy remembrance, +and wholly +detached from any one beside Thee. + + +Now that Thou hast revealed unto her the knowledge of Thee, +O my Lord, + +deny her not, +by Thy bounty, +Thy grace; +and now that Thou hast called her +unto Thyself, +drive her not away from Thee, +through Thy favor. +Supply her, + +then, +with that which excelleth all that can be found on Thine earth. +Thou +art, +verily, +the Most Bountiful, +Whose grace is immense. + + +Wert Thou to bestow on one of Thy creatures what would equal the kingdoms +of earth and heaven, +it would still not diminish by even as much as an +atom the immensity of Thy dominion. +Far greater art Thou than the Great +One men are wont to call Thee, +for such a title is but one of Thy names +all of which were created by a mere indication of Thy will. + + +There is no God but Thee, +the God of power, +the God of glory, +the God of +knowledge and wisdom. + + + + + + +The hearts that yearn after Thee, +O my God, +are burnt up with the fire of +their longing for Thee, +and the eyes of them that love Thee weep sore by +reason of their crushing separation from Thy court, +and the voice of the +lamentation of such as have set their hopes on Thee hath gone forth +throughout Thy dominions. + + +Thou hast Thyself, +O my God, +protected them, +by Thy sovereign might, +from +both extremities. +But for the burning of their souls and the sighing of +their hearts, +they would be drowned in the midst of their tears, +and but +for the flood of their tears they would be burnt up by the fire of their +hearts and the heat of their souls. +Methinks, +they are like the angels +which Thou hast created of snow and of fire. +Wilt Thou, +despite such +vehement longing, +O my God, +debar them from Thy presence, +or drive them +away, +notwithstanding such fervor, +from the door of Thy mercy? +All hope is +ready to be extinguished in the hearts of Thy chosen ones, +O my God! +Where +are the breezes of Thy grace? +They are hemmed in on all sides by their +enemies; +where are the ensigns of Thy triumph which Thou didst promise in +Thy Tablets? + + +Thy glory is my witness! +At each daybreak they who love Thee wake to find +the cup of woe set before their faces, +because they have believed in Thee +and acknowledged Thy signs. +Though I firmly believe that Thou hast a +greater compassion on them than they have on their own selves, +though I +recognize that Thou hast afflicted them for no other purpose except to +proclaim Thy Cause, +and to enable them to ascend into the heaven of Thine +eternity and the precincts of Thy court, +yet Thou knowest full well the +frailty of some of them, +and art aware of their impatience in their +sufferings. + + +Help them through Thy strengthening grace, +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +to +suffer patiently in their love for Thee, +and unveil to their eyes what +Thou hast decreed for them behind the Tabernacle of Thine unfailing +protection, +so that they may rush forward to meet what is preordained for +them in Thy path, +and may vie in hasting after tribulation in their love +towards Thee. +And if not, +do Thou, +then, +reveal the standards of Thine +ascendancy, +and make them to be victorious over Thine adversaries, +that +Thy sovereignty may be manifested unto all the dwellers of Thy realm, +and +the power of Thy might demonstrated amidst Thy creatures. +Powerful art +Thou to do what Thou willest. +No God is there but Thee, +the Omniscient, + +the All-Wise. + + +Make steadfast Thou, +O my God, +Thy servant who hath believed in Thee to +help Thy Cause, +and keep him safe from all dangers in the stronghold of +Thy care and Thy protection, +both in this life and in the life which is to +come. +Thou, +verily, +rulest as Thou pleasest. +No God is there save Thee, + +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Generous. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Rain down, +I beseech Thee, +from the +clouds of Thine overflowing grace, +that which shall cleanse the hearts of +Thy servants from whatever may prevent their beholding Thy face, +or may +prevent them from turning unto Thee, +that they may all recognize Him Who +is their Fashioner and Creator. +Help them, +then, +O God, +to reach forth, + +through the power of Thy sovereign might, +towards such a station that they +can readily distinguish every foul smell from the fragrance of the raiment +of Him Who is the Bearer of Thy most lofty and exalted name, +that they may +turn with all their affections toward Thee, +and may enjoy such intimate +communion with Thee that if all that is in heaven and on earth were given +them they would regard it as unworthy of their notice, +and would refuse to +cease from remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues. + + +Shield, +I pray Thee, +O my Beloved, +my heart's Desire, +Thy servant who hath +sought Thy face, +from the darts of them that have denied Thee and from the +shafts of such as have repudiated Thy Truth. +Cause him, +then, +to be wholly +devoted to Thee, +to declare Thy name, +and to fix his gaze upon the +sanctuary of Thy Revelation. +Thou art, +in truth, +He Who, +at no time, +hath +turned away those who have set their hopes in Thee from the door of Thy +mercy, +nor prevented such as have sought Thee from attaining the court of +Thy grace. +No God is there but Thee, +the Most Powerful, +the All-Highest, + +the Help in Peril, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Compelling, +the +Unconditioned. + + + + + + +Magnified, +O Lord my God, +be Thy Name, +whereby the trees of the garden of +Thy Revelation have been clad with verdure, +and been made to yield the +fruits of holiness during this Springtime when the sweet savors of Thy +favors and blessings have been wafted over all things, +and caused them to +bring forth whatsoever had been preordained for them in the Kingdom of +Thine irrevocable decree and the Heaven of Thine immutable purpose. +I +beseech Thee by this very Name not to suffer me to be far from the court +of Thy holiness, +nor debarred from the exalted sanctuary of Thy unity and +oneness. + + +Ignite, +then, +O my God, +within my breast the fire of Thy love, +that its +flame may burn up all else except my remembrance of Thee, +that every trace +of corrupt desire may be entirely mortified within me, +and that naught may +remain except the glorification of Thy transcendent and all-glorious +Being. +This is my highest aspiration, +mine ardent desire, +O Thou Who +rulest all things, +and in Whose hand is the kingdom of the entire +creation. +Thou, +verily, +doest what Thou choosest. +No God is there beside +Thee, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the Ever-Forgiving. + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I implore Thee by Thy Name that hath +caused to surge within every drop the oceans of Thy loving-kindness and +mercy, +and to shine within every atom the luminaries of Thy bountiful +blessings and favors, +--I implore Thee to adorn every soul with the ornament +of Thy love, +that none may remain on Thine earth who hath not turned +towards Thee, +or hath failed to detach himself from all except Thy Self. + + +Thou hast, +verily, +O my God, +suffered Him Who is the Manifestation of +Thine own Self to be afflicted with all manner of adversity in order that +Thy servants may ascend unto the pinnacle of Thy gracious favor, +and +attain unto that which Thou hast, +through Thy providence and tender +mercies, +ordained for them in the Tablets of Thine irrevocable decree. +The +glory of Thy might beareth me witness! +Were they, +every moment of their +lives, +to offer up themselves as a sacrifice in Thy path, +they would still +have done but little in comparison with the manifold bestowals vouchsafed +unto them by Thee. + + +Grant, +therefore, +I beseech Thee, +that their hearts may be inclined +towards Thee, +and that their faces may be turned in the direction of Thy +good-pleasure. +Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest. +No God is there +but Thee, +the Inaccessible, +the All-Glorious, +the Ever-Forgiving. + + +Deign, +then, +to accept, +O my God, +from Thy servant the things which he +hath shown forth in his love for Thee. +Fortify him, +then, +that he may +cling to Thy most exalted Word, +and to unloose his tongue to celebrate Thy +praise, +and cause him to be gathered unto such of Thy people as are nigh +unto Thee. +Thou art He within Whose grasp is the empire of all things. + +There is no God but Thee, +the Almighty, +the Help in Peril, +the +All-Glorious, +the Unconstrained. + + + + + + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of the souls of +all them that have recognized Thee, +and in Whose right hand are the +destinies of all that are in heaven and all that are on earth! +Thou doest, + +through the power of Thy might, +what Thou willest, +and ordainest, +by an +act of Thy volition, +what Thou pleasest. +The will of the most resolute of +men is as nothing when compared with the compelling evidences of Thy will, + +and the determination of the most inflexible among Thy creatures is +dissipated before the manifold revelations of Thy purpose. + + +Thou art He Who, +through a word of Thy mouth, +hath so enravished the +hearts of Thy chosen ones that they have, +in their love for Thee, +detached +themselves from all except Thyself, +and laid down their lives and +sacrificed their souls in Thy path, +and borne, +for Thy sake, +what none of +Thy creatures hath borne. + + +I am one of Thy handmaidens, +O my Lord! +I have turned my face towards the +habitation of Thy mercy, +and have sought the wonders of Thy manifold +favors, +inasmuch as all the members of my body proclaim Thee to be the +All-Bounteous, +He Whose grace is immense. + + +O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, +Whose beauty is my +sanctuary, +Whose court is my goal, +Whose remembrance is my wish, +Whose +affection is my solace, +Whose love is my begetter, +Whose praise is my +companion, +Whose nearness is my hope, +Whose presence is my greatest +longing and supreme aspiration! +Disappoint me not, +I entreat Thee, +by +withholding from me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among +Thy handmaidens, +and supply me with the good of this world and of the +world to come. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Lord of creation. +No God is there beside Thee, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I pray Thee, +by Him Who is the +Day-Spring of Thy signs and the Manifestation of Thy names, +and the +Treasury of Thine inspiration, +and the Repository of Thy wisdom, +to send +upon Thy loved ones that which will enable them to cleave steadfastly to +Thy Cause, +and to recognize Thy unity, +and to acknowledge Thy oneness, +and +to bear witness to Thy divinity. +Raise them up, +O my God, +to such heights +that they will recognize in all things the tokens of the power of Him Who +is the Manifestation of Thy most august and all-glorious Self. + + +Thou art He, +O my Lord, +Who doeth what He willeth, +and ordaineth what He +pleaseth. +Every possessor of power is forlorn before the revelations of +Thy might, +and every fountain of honor becomes abject when confronted by +the manifold evidences of Thy great glory. + + +I beseech Thee, +by Thyself and by whatsoever is of Thee, +to grant that I +may help Thy Cause and speak of Thy praise, +and set my heart on the +sanctuary of Thy glory, +and detach myself from all that pertaineth not +unto Thee. +No God is there beside Thee, +the God of power, +the God of glory +and wisdom. + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou beholdest my perplexity, +and the +depth of mine anguish, +and the agony of my soul, +and the afflictions which +beset me. +By Thy glory! +My heart crieth to Thee by reason of the things +that have befallen my loved ones in Thy path, +and mine eyes run down with +tears for them who, +in these days, +have ascended unto Thee, +who have cast +the world behind their backs, +and set their faces towards the shores of +Thy transcendent mercy. + + +Clothe them, +O my God, +with the robe of Thy favor and the raiment of Thy +loving providence, +which Thou hast reserved for Thine own Self and woven +with the hands of Thy manifold bounties and gifts. +Give them, +then, +to +drink, +from the hands of Thy loving-kindness, +of the cups of Thy +measureless mercy. +Cause them, +moreover, +O my Best-Beloved, +to abide +within the precincts of Thy court and around Thy most effulgent +Tabernacle. +Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. + + +And now I implore Thee, +by the eternity of Thy Self, +to enable me to be +patient in these tribulations which have caused the Concourse on high to +wail and the denizens of the everlasting Paradise to weep, +and through +which all faces have been covered with the tawny dust provoked by the +anguish that hath seized such of Thy servants as have turned towards Thy +Name, +the Most Exalted, +the Most High. +No God is there but Thee, +the +Almighty, +the Inaccessible, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. + + +All Thy servants, +O my God, +are occupied with their own selves, +so great +have been the troubles which, +as decreed by Thee, +have encompassed them on +every side. +My tongue, +however, +is busied in extolling Thy chosen ones, + +and my heart in remembering them that are dear to Thee and are wholly +subject to Thy will. + + +Look not on my state, +O my God, +nor my failure to serve Thee, +nay rather +regard the oceans of Thy mercy and favors, +and the things that beseem Thy +glory and Thy forgiveness and befit Thy loving-kindness and bounties. +Thou +art, +verily, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Generous. + + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +Thou beholdest what the tongue of no one +except Thee can utter, +and bearest witness unto things which no mouth can +recount. +The floods of afflictions are let loose, +and the winds of Thy +judgment have blown, +and from the clouds rain down the darts of tests, +and +the heavens of Thy decree pour forth the arrows of trial. + + +Thou seest, +O my Lord, +how Thy servants, +who have believed on Thee and +acknowledged Thy signs, +have fallen into the clutches of Thine enemies, + +how the doors of ease and comfort have been shut against them, +how they +languish in the Fortress wherein neither pleasantness nor hope can be +found. +They have suffered in Thy path what no man before them hath +suffered. +To this bear witness they who abide around Thy throne, +and the +dwellers of the earth, +and the Concourse on high. + + +These, +O my God, +are Thy servants who, +for love of Thy beauty, +have +forsaken their homes, +and been so stirred up by the gentle winds of their +desire for Thee that they have sundered every tie in Thy path. +Such of Thy +servants as dwell in Thy land and have transgressed against Thee have +assailed them, +and banished them from Thy cities, +and made them captives, + +and delivered them into the hands of workers of iniquity among Thy people +and the perverse amidst the wicked doers in Thy realm. +And finally, +they +were made to abide in this place with which no other place, +however +loathsome, +in all Thy dominion, +can compare. +They were seized with such +trials that the clouds weep over them and the thunder groaneth by reason +of the manifold tribulations that have afflicted them in their love for +Thee and for the sake of Thy pleasure. + + +Thou knowest full well, +O my God, +that there is no one on Thine earth who +can claim to be related to Thee except these, +some of whom have suffered +martyrdom for Thy sake, +while the rest have been permitted to survive. + +Though for such as are like unto us, +O my God, +it beseemeth not to claim +to be related to Thee, +inasmuch as our misdeeds and our waywardness have +hindered us from reaching the depths of the ocean of Thy oneness, +and from +immersing ourselves beneath the waters of Thy transcendent mercy, +yet our +tongues, +O my God, +bear witness, +and our hearts testify, +and our limbs +confess that Thy mercy hath enveloped all created things and Thy +compassion surpassed all that are in heaven and all that are on earth. + + +I beseech Thee, +by Thy Most Great Name, +through which all created things +were rent asunder and the whole creation was shaken, +to send down from the +clouds of Thy mercy that which will purge them from every ordeal and from +whatever is hateful to Thee. +Raise them up, +then, +to such heights that no +amount of tribulation will keep them back from Thy wondrous remembrance, + +nor any trouble hinder them from turning toward the court of Thy +transcendent oneness. + + +By Thy might, +O Well-Beloved of Bahá and His heart's Desire! +I myself cry +out, +under all conditions, +unto Thee saying: +"Would I had, +ere this day, + +drawn nigh unto Thee! +" When I hear, +however, +the sighs of such of Thy +people as are wholly devoted to Thee, +and those of Thy servants as enjoy +near access to Thy court, +who have taken no other friend than Thee, +and +sought no refuge except Thee, +and have chosen for themselves, +in Thy path, + +what no man hath chosen in the days of the Manifestations of Thy +transcendent unity and the Day-Springs of Thy most holy sovereignty, +then +my heart is saddened and my soul is vexed, +and I cry to Thee, +imploring +Thee to protect them, +by Thy power that hath encompassed the entire +creation both visible and invisible, +from whatsoever may be abhorrent to +Thee. +This is not for their own sakes, +but that Thy name may, +through +them, +abide amongst Thy servants, +and Thy remembrance may continue to +endure in Thy dominions. + + +Thou knowest, +O my God, +that all Thy servants have turned back from Thee +and risen up against Thee. +Thou knowest that Thou hast no one to obey Thee +except them and such as have believed in Thy Revelation, +through which the +foundations of the entire universe have been shaken, +and the souls of all +men have trembled, +and all that lay asleep were quickened. +Thou art, +O my +God, +the God of bounty, +Whose grace is immense. + + +Send down, +then, +upon them that which will assure their hearts, +and quiet +their souls, +and renew their spirits, +and refresh their bodies. +Thou art, + +verily, +their Lord and the Lord of the worlds. + + +Praised be God, +the Lord of all creation! + + + + + + + + +Glory to Thee, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all worlds, +and the Beloved of +all such as have recognized Thee! +Thou seest me sitting under a sword +hanging on a thread, +and art well aware that in such a state I have not +fallen short of my duty towards Thy Cause, +nor failed to shed abroad Thy +praise, +and declare Thy virtues, +and deliver all Thou hadst prescribed +unto me in Thy Tablets. +Though the sword be ready to fall on my head, +I +call Thy loved ones with such a calling that the hearts are carried away +towards the horizon of Thy majesty and grandeur. + + +Purge out thoroughly their ears, +O my Lord, +that they may hearken unto the +sweet melodies that have ascended from the right hand of the throne of Thy +glory. +I swear by Thy might! +Were any one to attune his ears to their +harmony he would soar up to the kingdom of Thy revelation, +wherein every +created thing proclaimeth that Thou art God, +and that there is none other +God save Thee, +the Omnipotent, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + +Cleanse Thou, +O my God, +the eyes of Thy servants, +and so transport them by +the sweetness of Thine utterances that calamities will be powerless to +hinder them from turning unto Thee, +and from directing their eyes towards +the horizon of Thy Revelation. + + +Darkness hath encompassed every land, +O my God, +and caused most of Thy +servants to tremble. +I beseech Thee, +by Thy Most Great Name, +to raise in +every city a new creation that shall turn towards Thee, +and shall remember +Thee amidst Thy servants, +and shall unfurl by virtue of their utterances +and wisdom the ensigns of Thy victory, +and shall detach themselves from +all created things. + + +Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure. +No God is there but Thee, +the Most +Powerful, +He Whose help is implored by all men. + + + + + + + + +Glory be to Thee, +Thou in Whose hand are the heaven of omnipotence and the +kingdom of creation. +Thou doest, +by Thy sovereignty, +what Thou willest, + +and ordainest, +through the power of Thy might, +what Thou pleasest. +From +eternity Thou hast been exalted above the praise of all created things, + +and wilt to eternity remain far above the glorification of any one of Thy +creatures. +Existence itself testifieth to its non-existence when face to +face with the manifold revelations of Thy transcendent oneness, +and every +created thing confesseth, +by its very nature, +its nothingness when +compared with the sacred splendors of the light of Thy unity. +Thou hast, + +in Thyself, +been independent of any one besides Thee and rich enough, +in +Thine own essence, +to dispense with any one except Thy Self. +Every +description by which they who adore Thy unity describe Thee, +and every +praise wherewith they who are devoted unto Thee praise Thee, +are but the +traces of the pen which the fingers of Thy strength and power have set in +motion--fingers whose movement is controlled by the arm of Thy decree--the +arm itself animated by the potency of Thy might. + + +Thy glory beareth me witness! +How can I, +aware as I am of this truth, +hope +to befittingly make mention of Thee and celebrate Thy praise? +Howsoever I +describe Thee, +whichever of Thy virtues I recount, +I cannot but blush and +feel ashamed of what my tongue hath uttered or my pen written. + + +The quintessence of knowledge, +O my Lord, +proclaimeth its powerlessness to +know Thee, +and perplexity, +in its very soul, +confesseth its bewilderment +in the face of the revelations of Thy sovereign might, +and remembrance, +in +its inmost spirit, +acknowledgeth its forgetfulness and effacement before +the manifestations of Thy signs and the evidences of Thy praise. +What, + +then, +can this poor creature hope to achieve, +and to what cord must this +wretched soul cling? + + +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art the Lord of the worlds, +and the Beloved of +such as have recognized Thee, +and the Desire of all that are in heaven and +on earth, +by Thy Name through which the cry of every suppliant hath +ascended into the heaven of Thy transcendent holiness, +through which every +seeker hath soared to the sublimities of Thy unity and grandeur, +through +which the imperfect have been perfected, +and the abased exalted, +and the +tongue of every stammerer unloosed, +and the sick made whole, +and whatever +was unworthy of Thy highness and beseemed not Thy greatness and Thy +sovereignty made acceptable unto Thee, +--I beseech Thee to aid us by Thine +invisible hosts and by a company of the angels of Thy Cause. +Do Thou, + +then, +accept the works we have performed for love of Thee, +and for the +sake of Thy pleasure. +Cast us not away, +O my God, +from the door of Thy +mercy, +and break not our hopes in the wonders of Thy grace and favors. + + +Our limbs, +our members, +O my Lord, +bear witness to Thy unity and oneness. + +Send down upon us Thy strength and power, +that we may become steadfast in +Thy Faith and may aid Thee among Thy servants. +Illumine our eyes, +O my +Lord, +with the effulgence of Thy beauty, +and enlighten our hearts with the +splendors of Thy knowledge and wisdom. +Write us up, +then, +with those who +have fulfilled their pledge to Thy Covenant in Thy days, +and who, +through +their love for Thee, +have detached themselves from the world and all that +is therein. + + +Powerful art Thou to do what Thou pleasest. +No God is there beside Thee, + +the All-Powerful, +the Omniscient, +the Supreme Ruler, +the Help in Peril, + +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +O Thou Whose nearness is my wish, +Whose presence is my hope, +Whose +remembrance is my desire, +Whose court of glory is my goal, +Whose abode is +my aim, +Whose name is my healing, +Whose love is the radiance of my heart, + +Whose service is my highest aspiration! +I beseech Thee by Thy Name, + +through which Thou hast enabled them that have recognized Thee to soar to +the sublimest heights of the knowledge of Thee and empowered such as +devoutly worship Thee to ascend into the precincts of the court of Thy +holy favors, +to aid me to turn my face towards Thy face, +to fix mine eyes +upon Thee, +and to speak of Thy glory. + + +I am the one, +O my Lord, +who hath forgotten all else but Thee, +and turned +towards the Day-Spring of Thy grace, +who hath forsaken all save Thyself in +the hope of drawing nigh unto Thy court. +Behold me, +then, +with mine eyes +lifted up towards the Seat that shineth with the splendors of the light of +Thy Face. +Send down, +then, +upon me, +O my Beloved, +that which will enable +me to be steadfast in Thy Cause, +so that the doubts of the infidels may +not hinder me from turning towards Thee. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the God of Power, +the Help in Peril, +the All-Glorious, + +the Almighty. + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou art He the excellence of Whose glory +hath exalted them who are the sources of authority and honor, +the potency +of Whose might hath empowered them who are the fountain-heads of energy +and strength, +the dominion of Whose will hath elevated the Exponents of +Thy Cause above all that are in heaven and on earth, +and the life-giving +effusions of Whose Pen have quickened the souls of the denizens of the +kingdom of creation. + + +I am he, +O my Lord, +who, +wholly for Thy sake, +hath turned his face unto +Thee, +and who, +while acknowledging Thy power and Thy sovereignty, +hath +directed his steps towards Thy dearly-loved Sanctuary, +and Thine adored +and hallowed Court. +In this state I have reached the City (Ba_gh_dád) +wherein, +in the full glory of Thy names, +Thou didst reveal Thy Self unto +all created things. +In it I have communed with Thy loved ones, +and from +the House within its walls I have inhaled the breaths of Thy holiness and +perceived the fragrances of Thy fellowship. + + +Cast me not from Thy presence, +O my Lord, +neither do Thou drive me away +from the shores of Thy love and Thy good-pleasure. +For the poor can find +no refuge unless he knocketh at the door of Thy wealth, +and the outcast +can find no peace until he be admitted to the court of Thy favor. + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O my Lord, +for Thou hast enabled me to recognize +the Manifestation of Thine own Self, +and hast caused me to be assured of +the truth of the verses which have descended upon Thee. +Empower me, +I +implore Thee, +to cling steadfastly unto whatsoever Thou hast bidden me +observe. +Help me to guard the pearls of Thy love which, +by Thy decree, + +Thou hast enshrined within my heart. +Send down, +moreover, +every moment of +my life, +O my God, +that which will preserve me from any one but Thee, +and +will set my feet firm in Thy Cause. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the God of glory, +the God of power, +the God of knowledge +and wisdom. +No God is there beside Thee, +the Great Giver, +the +All-Bountiful, +the Almighty, +the Ever-Forgiving. + + +Praised be God, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Compelling. + + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +I give Thee thanks inasmuch as Thou +hast called me into being in Thy days, +and infused into me Thy love and +Thy knowledge. +I beseech Thee, +by Thy name whereby the goodly pearls of +Thy wisdom and Thine utterance were brought forth out of the treasuries of +the hearts of such of Thy servants as are nigh unto Thee, +and through +which the Day-Star of Thy name, +the Compassionate, +hath shed its radiance +upon all that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, +to supply me, +by Thy +grace and bounty, +with Thy wondrous and hidden bounties. + + +These are the earliest days of my life, +O my God, +which Thou hast linked +with Thine own days. +Now that Thou hast conferred upon me so great an +honor, +withhold not from me the things Thou hast ordained for Thy chosen +ones. + + +I am, +O my God, +but a tiny seed which Thou hast sown in the soil of Thy +love, +and caused to spring forth by the hand of Thy bounty. +This seed +craveth, +therefore, +in its inmost being, +for the waters of Thy mercy and +the living fountain of Thy grace. +Send down upon it, +from the heaven of +Thy loving-kindness, +that which will enable it to flourish beneath Thy +shadow and within the borders of Thy court. +Thou art He Who watereth the +hearts of all that have recognized Thee from Thy plenteous stream and the +fountain of Thy living waters. + + +Praised be God, +the Lord of the worlds. + + + + + + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by that Remembrance of Thee through which all +things have been raised to life, +and through which all faces have been +made to shine, +not to frustrate the hopes I have set on the things Thou +dost possess. +Cause me, +then, +by Thy mercy, +to enter beneath Thy shadow +that shadoweth all things. + + +Be Thou, +O my Lord, +my sole Desire, +my Goal, +mine only Hope, +my constant +Aim, +my Habitation and my Sanctuary. +Let the object of mine ardent quest +be Thy most resplendent, +Thine adorable, +and ever-blessed Beauty. +I +implore Thee, +O my Lord, +by whatsoever is of Thee, +to send, +from the right +hand of Thy might, +that which will exalt Thy loved ones and abase Thine +enemies. + + +No God is there beside Thee, +Thou alone art my Beloved in this world and +in the world which is to come. +Thou alone art the Desire of all them that +have recognized Thee. + + +Praised be God, +the Lord of the worlds. + + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O my God, +that Thou hast been true to what the Pen of Thy +Revelation hath inscribed upon the Tablets sent down by Thee unto Them +Whom Thou hast chosen above all Thy creatures, +and through Whom Thou hast +unlocked the doors of Thy mercy, +and shed abroad the radiance of the light +of Thy guidance. +Glory to Thee that Thou hast laid bare what had from +eternity been wrapped up within the Tabernacle of Thy majesty, +Thine +omnipotence and glory, +and through which Thou hadst decked forth the +heaven of Thy Revelation and adorned the pages of the book of Thy +testimony. + + +And when the Pledge was fulfilled and the Promised One appeared, +He was +rejected by such of Thy servants as profess to have believed in Him in +Whom Thy Godhead was manifested, +Whom Thou didst ordain to be the Herald +of this Revelation, +and through Whose advent the eyes of the inmates of +the sanctuary of Thy unity were cheered. + + +I know, +O my Lord, +neither their reasoning with which they have +acknowledged Thee and believed in Thy signs, +nor their argument whereby +they have repudiated Thy sovereignty. +Every time I call them to Thee and +say: +"O people! +Consider the utterances of the Lord your God which are in +your possession and those that have been sent down from the heaven of His +will and power, +" they cavil at Thee, +and turn their backs to Thee, + +though--as Thou art aware--each of the words that have gone out of the mouth +of Thy will sheddeth the fragrance of the breaths of Thy mercy. + + +Some have chosen to cleave to him who is counted unworthy to converse with +any of Thy servants that watch at Thy door (Mírzá Yahyá), +how much more to +enter into the court in which the Tongue of Thy majesty speaketh. +Cleanse +Thou their hearts and their eyes, +O my Lord, +that they may see with their +eyes and understand with their hearts, +that haply they may be attracted by +Thine utterances to the Day-Spring of Thine inspiration, +and draw nigh +unto the soft-flowing stream of Thy knowledge. + + +Thou art He, +O my Lord, +Who hath, +in every line of Thy Book, +entered into +covenant with them for me, +and made it so sure that none of Thy creatures +can any longer evade it. +Thou didst say--and Thy word is the truth: +"One +single letter from Him excelleth all that hath been sent down in the +Bayán. +" + +Thou dost consider, +therefore, +O my God, +how they have transgressed +against Thy Cause, +and beholdest what their hands have wrought in Thy +days. +They have so grievously wronged me that the Lote-Tree of Thy +Revelation moaneth, +and the inmates of the Tabernacle of Thy majesty and +the dwellers of the cities of Thy names lament. +I know not, +O my God, +for +what reason they have risen up to oppress me, +and by what proof they have +turned aside from Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs. +I beseech Thee, + +O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Creator of the heavens, +to +aid them to act equitably in Thy Cause, +that haply they may discover the +sweet smell of the robe of Thy mercy, +and set their faces towards the +horizon that shineth with the brightness of the light of Thy face. +Weak +are they, +O my Lord, +and Thou art the Lord of strength and power. +They are +but paupers, +and Thou art the All-Possessing, +the Most Generous. + + +Thou art well aware, +O my God, +that throughout my life I have sought no +advantage for myself. +I have offered up my spirit and my whole being for +the exaltation of Thy word amidst Thy creatures and the glorification of +Thy name among Thy servants. +Thou didst send me with such a Testimony that +They Who are the Exponents of Thy Revelation and the Day-Springs of Thine +inspiration were stirred up with vehement longing. +Through it, +Thy proof +was established, +and Thy bounty fulfilled, +and Thy Cause perfected, +and +Thine utterances released, +and Thy clear tokens uncovered. + + +Thou knowest, +O my God, +that I have wished only what Thou hast wished, +and +desire what Thou dost desire. +Were I to speak forth before Thy servants +the things wherewith Thou didst, +through Thy bounty, +inspire me and which +Thou didst command me to utter amidst Thy creatures, +the oppressors among +Thy people would cavil at me. +And were I to hold my peace and cease to +celebrate the wonders of Thy praise, +all the limbs of my body would be +stirred up to extol Thee. +I know not what the water is with which Thou +didst create me, +or what the fire Thou didst kindle within me. +I swear by +Thy glory! +I shall not cease to mention Thee, +though all that are in Thy +heaven and on Thy earth rise up against me. +Thee will I magnify, +in all +circumstances, +with a heart wholly rid of all attachment to the world and +all that is therein. + + +Praised be Thou, +the Well-Beloved of the hearts of all such as have +recognized Thee. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Thou beholdest how my gaze is fixed +toward Thy tender mercies, +and how mine eyes are bent upon the horizon of +Thy grace, +and Thy loving-kindness, +and how my hands are stretched out +unto the heaven of Thy bestowals. +Thy might beareth me witness! +Every limb +of my body crieth out to Thee and saith: +"O Thou Who art the Well-Beloved +of the worlds, +and the Lord of all that are in heaven and on earth, +and +the one Desire of the hearts which are devoted to Thee! +I implore Thee, +by +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 +hath, +verily, +attained that for which he had besought his Lord, +the +All-Glorious, +the Omniscient. +" + +How, +then, +can such a man be fearful of the combination of the kings to +injure him in Thy Cause? +No, +no, +I swear by Thyself, +O Thou Who art the +King of kings! +Such is my love for Thee that I can fear no one, +though the +powers of all the worlds be arrayed against me. +Alone and unaided I have, + +by the power of Thy might, +arisen to proclaim Thy Cause, +unafraid of the +host of my oppressors. + + +To all that dwell on earth I cry aloud and say: +"Fear ye God, +O ye +servants of God, +and suffer not yourselves to be kept back from this pure +Wine that hath flowed from the right hand of the throne of the mercy of +your Lord, +the Most Merciful. +I swear by God! +Better for you is what He +possesseth than the things ye yourselves possess and the things ye have +sought and are now seeking in this vain and empty life. +Forsake the world, + +and set your faces towards the all-glorious Horizon. +Whoso hath partaken +of the wine of His remembrance will forget every other remembrance, +and +whoso hath recognized Him will rid himself of all attachment to this life +and to all that pertaineth unto it. +" + +I implore Thee, +O my God and my Master, +by Thy word through which they who +have believed in Thy unity have soared up into the atmosphere of Thy +knowledge, +and they who are devoted to Thee have ascended into the heaven +of Thy oneness, +to inspire Thy loved ones with that which will assure +their hearts in Thy Cause. +Endue them with such steadfastness that nothing +whatsoever will hinder them from turning towards Thee. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Bountiful, +the Munificent, +the Forgiving, +the +Compassionate. + + + + + + + + +Thou beholdest, +O my God, +how bewildered in their drunkenness are Thy +servants who have turned back from Thy beauty and caviled at what hath +been sent down from the right hand of the throne of Thy majesty. +Thou +didst come, +O my God, +in the clouds of Thy spirit and Thine utterance, +and +lo, +the entire creation shook and trembled, +and the limbs of them who +repudiated Thy testimonies were made to quiver, +O Thou in Whose grasp is +the lordship of all things! + + +Thou art He, +O my God, +Who hast summoned all men to turn in the direction +of Thy mercy, +and called them unto the horizon of Thy grace and bounties. + +None, +however, +heeded Thy call, +except such as have forsaken all things +save Thee, +and hastened unto the Day-Spring of Thy beauty, +and the +Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration and Thy revelation. + + +Thou knowest, +O my God, +that none can be found on the face of the earth to +remember Thee except them. +Thou seest how the oppressors among Thy +creatures have laid hold on them. +Some, +O my God, +have shed their blood in +Thy path, +others have abandoned their homes and set their faces towards +the seat of Thy throne, +and were hindered from stepping into the court of +Thy great glory, +while still others have been cast into prison and are at +the mercy of the workers of iniquity. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou Who holdest in Thy hands the reins of unconstrained +power, +to succor them through the wondrous potency of Thy might. +Misery, +O +my Lord, +hath taken hold on them in Thy path, +exalt them by the power of +Thy sovereignty; +and weariness hath afflicted them in their love for Thee, + +render them victorious, +through Thy strength and Thine omnipotence, +over +Thine enemies. + + +Aware as I am, +O my God, +that Thou hast decreed for them that which +excelleth whatsoever is in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, +I still cherish +the desire that Thou mayest behold them in Thy days exalted and honored by +Thy creatures. +Supreme art Thou over Thy creation. +All are held within Thy +grasp, +and lie prisoned in the hollow of Thy hand. +No God is there but +Thee, +the All-Powerful, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +Magnified be Thy name, +O my God! +I testify that if Thy servants were to +turn towards Thee with the eyes Thou didst create in them and with the +ears wherewith Thou didst endow them, +they would all be carried away by a +single word sent down from the right hand of the throne of Thy majesty. + +That word alone would suffice to brighten their faces, +and to assure their +hearts, +and to cause their souls to soar up to the atmosphere of Thy great +glory, +and to ascend into the heaven of Thy sovereignty. + + +I pray Thee, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Ruler of both +earth and heaven, +to grant that all who are dear to Thee may each become a +cup of Thy mercy in Thy days, +that they may quicken the hearts of Thy +servants. +Empower them also, +O my God, +to be as the rain that poureth down +from the clouds of Thy grace, +and as the winds that waft the vernal +fragrances of Thy loving-kindness, +that through them the soil of the +hearts of Thy creatures may be clad with verdure, +and may bring forth the +things that will shed their fragrance over all Thy dominion, +so that every +one may perceive the sweet smell of the Robe of Thy Revelation. +Potent art +Thou to do what Thou willest. + + +The power of Thy might beareth me witness! +Whoso hath drunk of the cup +which the hand of Thy mercy hath borne round will strip himself of all +things except Thee, +and will be able, +through a word of his mouth, +to +enrapture the souls of such of Thy servants as have slumbered on the bed +of forgetfulness and negligence, +and to cause them to turn their faces +toward Thy most Great Sign, +and seek from Thee naught else except Thyself, + +and ask of Thee only what Thou hast determined for them by the pen of Thy +judgment and hast prescribed in the Tablet of Thy decree. + + +Send down, +then, +O my God, +through Thy Most Great Name, +upon Thy loved +ones what will, +under all conditions, +draw them nearer unto Thee. +Thou +art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +Whose help is implored by all +men. + + + + + + + +Mine eyes are cheered, +O my God, +when I contemplate the tribulations that +descend upon me from the heaven of Thy decree, +and which have encompassed +me on every side according to what Thy pen hath irrevocably established. +I +swear by Thy Self! +Whatsoever is of Thee is well pleasing unto me, +though +it involve the bitterness of mine own death. + + +He Who was Thy Spirit (Jesus), +O my God, +withdrew all alone in the +darkness of the night preceding His last day on earth, +and falling on His +face to the ground besought Thee saying: +"If it be Thy will, +O my Lord, +my +Well-Beloved, +let this cup, +through Thy grace and bounty, +pass from me. +" + +By Thy beauty, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Creator of the +heavens! +I can smell the fragrance of the words which, +in His love for +Thee, +His lips have uttered, +and can feel the glow of the fire that had +inflamed His soul in its longing to behold Thy face and in its yearning +after the Day-Spring of the light of Thy oneness, +and the Dawning-Place of +Thy transcendent unity. + + +As to me--and to this Thou art Thyself my witness--I call upon Thee saying: + +"I have no will of mine own, +O my Lord, +and my Master and my Ruler, +before +the indications of Thy will, +and can have no purpose in the face of the +revelation of Thy purpose. +I swear by Thy glory! +I wish only what Thou +wishest, +and cherish only what Thou cherishest. +What I have chosen for +myself is what Thou hast Thyself chosen for me, +O Thou the Possessor of my +soul! +" Nay, +I find myself to be altogether nothing when face to face with +the manifold revelations of Thy names, +how much less when confronted with +the effulgent splendors of the light of Thine own Self. +O miserable me! + +Were I to attempt merely to describe Thee, +such an attempt would itself be +an evidence of my impiety, +and would attest my heedlessness in the face of +the clear and resplendent tokens of Thy oneness. +Who else except Thee can +claim to be worthy of any notice in the face of Thine own revelation, +and +who is he that can be deemed sufficiently qualified to adequately praise +Thee, +or to pride himself on having befittingly described Thy glory? + +Nay--and to this Thou dost Thyself bear witness--it hath incontrovertibly +been made evident that Thou art the one God, +the Incomparable, +Whose help +is implored by all men. +From everlasting Thou wert alone, +with none to +describe Thee, +and wilt abide for ever the same with no one else to equal +or rival Thee. +Were the existence of any co-equal with Thee to be +recognized, +how could it then be maintained that Thou art the +Incomparable, +or that Thy Godhead is immeasurably exalted above all peers +or likeness? +The contemplation of the highest minds that have recognized +Thy unity failed to attain unto the comprehension of the One Thou hast +created through the word of Thy commandment, +how much more must it be +powerless to soar into the atmosphere of the knowledge of Thine own Being. + +Every praise which any tongue or pen can recount, +every imagination which +any heart can devise, +is debarred from the station which Thy most exalted +Pen hath ordained, +how much more must it fall short of the heights which +Thou hast Thyself immensely exalted above the conception and the +description of any creature. +For the attempt of the evanescent to conceive +the signs of the Uncreated is as the stirring of the drop before the +tumult of Thy billowing oceans. +Nay, +forbid it, +O my God, +that I should +thus venture to describe Thee, +for every similitude and comparison must +pertain to what is essentially created by Thee. +How can then such +similitude and comparison ever befit Thee, +or reach up unto Thy Self? + + +By Thy glory, +O my God! +Though I recognize and firmly believe that no +description which any except Thyself can give of Thee can beseem Thy +grandeur, +and that no glory ascribed to Thee by any save Thyself can ever +ascend into the atmosphere of Thy presence, +yet were I to hold my peace, + +and cease to glorify Thee and to recount Thy wondrous glory, +my heart +would be consumed, +and my soul would melt away. + + +My remembrance of Thee, +O my God, +quencheth my thirst, +and quieteth my +heart. +My soul delighteth in its communion with Thee, +as the sucking child +delighteth itself in the breasts of Thy mercy; +and my heart panteth after +Thee even as one sore athirst panteth after the living waters of Thy +bounty, +O Thou Who art the God of mercy, +in Whose hand is the lordship of +all things! + + +I give thanks to Thee, +O my God, +that Thou hast suffered me to remember +Thee. +What else but remembrance of Thee can give delight to my soul or +gladness to my heart? +Communion with Thee enableth me to dispense with the +remembrance of all Thy creatures, +and my love for Thee empowereth me to +endure the harm which my oppressors inflict upon me. + + +Send, +therefore, +unto my loved ones, +O my God, +what will cheer their +hearts, +and illumine their faces, +and delight their souls. +Thou knowest, +O +my Lord, +that their joy is to behold the exaltation of Thy Cause and the +glorification of Thy word. +Do Thou unveil, +therefore, +O my God, +what will +gladden their eyes, +and ordain for them the good of this world and of the +world which is to come. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the God of power, +of strength and of bounty. + + + + + + +Thou seest, +O my God, +how the wrongs committed by such of Thy creatures as +have turned their backs to Thee have come in between Him in Whom Thy +Godhead is manifest and Thy servants. +Send down upon them, +O my Lord, +what +will cause them to be busied with each others' concerns. +Let, +then, +their +violence be confined to their own selves, +that the land and they that +dwell therein may find peace. + + +One of Thy handmaidens, +O my Lord, +hath sought Thy face, +and soared in the +atmosphere of Thy pleasure. +Withhold not from her, +O my Lord, +the things +Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy handmaidens. +Enable her, + +then, +to be so attracted by Thine utterances that she will celebrate Thy +praise amongst them. + + +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +No God is there but Thee, +the +Almighty, +Whose help is implored by all men. + + + + + + + +My God, +my Well-Beloved! +No place is there for any one to flee to when +once Thy laws have been sent down, +and no refuge can be found by any soul +after the revelation of Thy commandments. +Thou hast inspired the Pen with +the mysteries of Thine eternity, +and bidden it teach man that which he +knoweth not, +and caused him to partake of the living waters of truth from +the cup of Thy Revelation and Thine inspiration. + + +No sooner, +however, +had the Pen traced upon the tablet one single letter +of Thy hidden wisdom, +than the voice of the lamentation of Thine ardent +lovers was lifted up from all directions. +Thereupon, +there befell the just +what hath caused the inmates of the tabernacle of Thy glory to weep and +the dwellers of the cities of Thy revelation to groan. + + +Thou dost consider, +O my God, +how He Who is the Manifestation of Thy names +is in these days threatened by the swords of Thine adversaries. +In such a +state He crieth out and summoneth all the inhabitants of Thine earth and +the denizens of Thy heaven unto Thee. + + +Purify, +O my God, +the hearts of Thy creatures with the power of Thy +sovereignty and might, +that Thy words may sink deep into them. +I know not +what is in their hearts, +O my God, +nor can tell the thoughts they think of +Thee. +Methinks that they imagine that Thy purpose in calling them to Thine +all-highest horizon is to heighten the glory of Thy majesty and power. +For +had they been satisfied that Thou summonest them to that which will +recreate their hearts and immortalize their souls, +they would never have +fled from Thy governance, +nor deserted the shadow of the tree of Thy +oneness. +Clear away, +then, +the sight of Thy creatures, +O my God, +that they +may recognize Him Who showeth forth the Godhead as One Who is sanctified +from all that pertaineth unto them, +and Who, +wholly for Thy sake, +is +summoning them to the horizon of Thy unity, +at a time when every moment of +His life is beset with peril. +Had His aim been the preservation of His own +Self, +He would never have left it at the mercy of Thy foes. + + +I swear by Thy glory! +I have accepted to be tried by manifold adversities +for no purpose except to regenerate all that are in Thy heaven and on Thy +earth. +Whoso hath loved Thee, +can never feel attached to his own self, + +except for the purpose of furthering Thy Cause; +and whoso hath recognized +Thee can recognize naught else except Thee, +and can turn to no one save +Thee. + + +Enable Thy servants, +O my God, +to discover the things Thou didst desire +for them in Thy Kingdom. +Acquaint them, +moreover, +with what He Who is the +Origin of Thy most excellent titles hath, +in His love for Thee, +been +willing to bear for the sake of the regeneration of their souls, +that they +may haste to attain the River that is Life indeed, +and turn their faces in +the direction of Thy Name, +the Most Merciful. +Abandon them not to +themselves, +O my God! +Draw them, +by Thy bountiful favor, +to the heaven of +Thine inspiration. +They are but paupers, +and Thou art the All-Possessing, + +the ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. + + + + + + + + +Glory to Thee, +O my God! +The first stirrings of the spring of Thy grace +have appeared and clothed Thine earth with verdure. +The clouds of the +heaven of Thy bounty have rained their rain on this City within whose +walls is imprisoned Him Whose desire is the salvation of Thy creatures. + +Through it the soil of this City hath been decked forth, +and its trees +clothed with foliage, +and its inhabitants gladdened. + + +The hearts of Thy dear ones, +however, +will rejoice only at the Divine +Springtime of Thy tender mercies, +whereby the hearts are quickened, +and +the souls are renewed, +and the trees of human existence bear their fruits. + + +The plants that have sprung forth, +O my Lord, +in the hearts of Thy loved +ones have withered away. +Send down upon them, +from the clouds of Thy +spirit, +that which will cause the tender herbs of Thy knowledge and wisdom +to grow within their breasts. +Rejoice, +then, +their hearts with the +proclamation of Thy Cause and the exaltation of Thy sovereignty. + + +Their eyes, +O my Lord, +are expectantly turned in the direction of Thy +bounty, +and their faces are set towards the horizon of Thy grace. +Suffer +them not, +through Thy bounty, +to be deprived of Thy grace. +Potent art +Thou, +by Thy sovereign might, +over all things. +No God is there but Thee, + +the Almighty, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +Thou seest, +O my God, +how Thy servants have been cleaving fast to Thy +names, +and have been calling on them in the daytime and in the night +season. +No sooner, +however, +had He been made manifest through Whose word +the kingdom of names and the heaven of eternity were created, +than they +broke away from Him and disbelieved in the greatest of Thy signs. +They +finally banished Him from the land of His birth, +and caused Him to dwell +within the most desolate of Thy cities, +though all the world had been +built up by Thee for His sake. +Within this, +the Most Great Prison, +He hath +established His seat. +Though sore tried by trials, +the like of which the +eye of creation hath not seen, +He summoneth the people unto Thee, +O Thou +Who art the Fashioner of the universe! + + +I beseech Thee, +O Thou the Shaper of all the nations and the Quickener of +every moldering bone, +to graciously enable Thy servants to recognize Him +Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self and the Revealer of Thy transcendent +might, +that they may cut down, +by Thy power, +all the idols of their +corrupt inclinations, +and enter beneath the shadow of Thine +all-encompassing mercy, +which, +by virtue of Thy name, +the Most Exalted, + +the All-Glorious, +hath surpassed the entire creation. + + +I know not, +O my God, +how long will Thy creatures continue to slumber on +the bed of forgetfulness and evil desires, +and remain far removed from +Thee and shut out from Thy presence. +Draw them nearer, +O my God, +unto the +scene of Thine effulgent glory, +and enrapture their hearts with the sweet +savors of Thine inspiration, +through which they who adore Thy unity have +soared on the wings of desire towards Thee, +and they who are devoted to +Thee have reached unto Him Who is the Dawning-Place of the Day-Star of Thy +creation. + + +Cleave asunder, +O my Lord, +the veils that shut them out from Thee, +that +they may behold Thee shining above the horizon of Thy oneness and shedding +Thy radiance from the dawning-place of Thy sovereignty. +By Thy glory! +Were +they to discover the sweetness of Thy remembrance and apprehend the +excellence of the things that are sent down upon them from the right hand +of the throne of Thy majesty, +they would cast away all that they possess, + +and would rush forth into the wilderness of their longing after Thee, +that +the glance of Thy loving-kindness may be directed towards them and the +radiance of the Day-Star of Thy beauty may be shed upon them. + + +Let their hearts, +O my Lord, +be carried away by Thy remembrance, +and their +souls enriched by Thy riches, +and their wills strengthened to proclaim Thy +Cause amidst Thy creatures. +Thou art, +verily, +the Great Giver, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. + + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +Thou seest how I have been sorely vexed +among Thy servants, +and beholdest the things that have befallen me in Thy +path. +Thou knowest full well that I have not spoken a word but by Thy +leave, +that my lips have never been opened except at Thy bidding and in +accordance with Thy pleasure, +that every breath I have breathed hath been +animated with Thy praise and Thy remembrance, +that I have summoned all men +to naught else except that whereunto Thy chosen ones have through all +eternity been summoned, +and that I have bidden them observe only the +things that would draw them nearer unto the Day-Spring of Thy +loving-kindness, +and the Dawning-Place of Thy favors, +and the Horizon of +Thy riches, +and the Manifestation of Thine inspiration and Thy revelation. + + +Thou art well aware, +O my God, +that I have not failed in my duty towards +Thy Cause. +At all times and under all conditions I have wafted, +in every +direction, +the breezes of Thine inspiration, +and shed abroad the sweet +smell of the raiment of Thy mercy, +that haply Thy servants may discover +its fragrance, +and through it be enabled to turn towards Thee. + + +I implore Thee, +O my God, +by the Lights of Thy unity and the Repositories +of Thy revelation, +to send down from the clouds of Thy mercy that which +will cleanse the hearts of all such as have turned towards Thee. +Blot out, + +then, +from their hearts all that may induce Thy servants to cavil at Thy +Cause. + + +Thy will hath overruled my will, +O my God, +and I have shown forth what +hath grievously vexed me. +Have mercy, +then, +upon me, +O Thou Who of all +those who show mercy art the Most Merciful! + + +Assist Thou Thy servants, +O my God, +to help Thy Cause, +and give them to +drink what will quicken their hearts in Thy realm, +lest anything hinder +them from remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues, +that they may +quit their homes in Thy name, +and summon all the multitudes unto Thee. + +Guard their faces, +O my God, +from turning to any one save Thee, +and their +ears from hearkening unto the sayings of all such as have turned away from +Thy beauty and repudiated Thy signs. + + +Supreme art Thou over all things. +There is none other God save Thee, +the +All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou beholdest my low estate and the +habitation wherein I dwell, +and bearest witness unto my perplexity, +my +crying needs, +my troubles, +and the afflictions I suffer among Thy servants +who recite Thy verses and repudiate their Revealer, +who call on Thy names +and cavil at their Creator, +who seek to draw nigh unto Him Who is Thy +Friend and put to death Him Who is the Best-Beloved of the worlds. + + +Open Thou their eyes, +O my God, +and My Master, +that they may gaze on Thy +beauty, +or cause them to return unto the lowest abyss of the fire. +Potent +art Thou to do what Thou willest. +Thou art, +verily, +the All-Glorious, +the +All-Wise. + + +The glory of Thy might, +O my God, +beareth me witness! +Every time I attempt +to remember Thee, +I find myself overpowered by the sublimity of Thy +station and the immensity of Thy might; +and every time I hold my peace, + +lo, +I am impelled by my love for Thee and by the potency of Thy will, +to +unloose my tongue and mention Thee. +He who is poor and needy, +O my God, +is +calling for his Lord, +the All-Possessing; +and he who is destitute of all +strength remembereth his Master, +the All-Powerful. +If He deign to accept +His servant's supplication, +He is, +verily, +of unsurpassed bounteousness; + +and if He cast him out, +He is of those who judge equitably the best. +He +indeed is acceptable, +O my God, +who hath set his face towards Thee, +and he +is truly deprived who hath been careless of the remembrance of Thee in Thy +days. +Blessed is he that hath tasted of the sweetness of Thy remembrance +and praise. +Nothing, +not even the arising of all the peoples of the whole +world to assail him, +can hinder such a man from directing his steps +towards the paths of Thy pleasure and the ways of Thy Cause. + + +Look, +then, +O Thou Who art the Well-Beloved of Bahá, +upon the tears he +sheddeth before Thee, +and behold the sighs which he uttereth, +O Thou Who +art his heart's Desire! +I swear by Thy might, +and Thy majesty and Thy +glory! +Were I to inherit from Thee all the delights of Paradise, +and to +keep them in my possession as long as Thine own Being endureth, +and were I +to become, +for less than a moment, +careless of the remembrance of Thee, +I +would, +of a certainty, +cast them away from me and cease to consider them. + +I am the one, +O my God, +who for love of Thee hath forsaken the world and +all its benefits, +and willingly accepted every tribulation for the sake of +Thy remembrance. + + +I entreat Thee, +O Thou Who art my Companion and my Best-Beloved, +to lift +the veil that hath come in between Thee and Thy servants, +that they may +recognize Thee with Thine own eye and rid themselves of all attachment to +any one but Thee. +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the +Most Compassionate. +No God is there beside Thee, +the Most Exalted, +the +Self-Sufficing, +the Self-Exalting, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Wise. + + +Praise be unto Thee, +for Thou art, +in truth, +the Lord of earth and heaven. + + + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I am the one who hath sought the good +pleasure of Thy will, +and directed his steps towards the seat of Thy +gracious favors. +I am he who hath forsaken his all, +who hath fled to Thee +for shelter, +who hath set his face towards the tabernacle of Thy +revelation and the adored sanctuary of Thy glory. +I beseech Thee, +O my +Lord, +by Thy call whereby they who recognized Thy unity have sought the +shadow of Thy most gracious providence, +and the sincere have fled far from +themselves unto Thy name, +the Most Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +through +which Thy verses were sent down, +and Thy word fulfilled, +and Thy proof +manifested, +and the sun of Thy beauty risen, +and Thy testimony +established, +and Thy signs uncovered, +--I beseech Thee to grant that I may +be numbered with them that have quaffed the wine that is life indeed from +the hands of Thy gracious providence, +and have rid themselves, +in Thy +path, +of all attachment to Thy creatures, +and been so inebriated with Thy +manifold wisdom that they hastened to the field of sacrifice with Thy +praise on their lips and Thy remembrance in their hearts. +Send down, +also, + +upon me, +O my God, +that which will wash me from anything that is not of +Thee, +and deliver me from Thine enemies who have disbelieved in Thy signs. + + +Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. +No God is there beside Thee, +the +Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +Thou seest and knowest that I have +called upon Thy servants to turn nowhere except in the direction of Thy +bestowals, +and have bidden them observe naught save the things Thou didst +prescribe in Thy Perspicuous Book, +the Book which hath been sent down +according to Thine inscrutable decree and irrevocable purpose. + + +I can utter no word, +O my God, +unless I be permitted by Thee, +and can move +in no direction until I obtain Thy sanction. +It is Thou, +O my God, +Who +hast called me into being through the power of Thy might, +and hast endued +me with Thy grace to manifest Thy Cause. +Wherefore I have been subjected +to such adversities that my tongue hath been hindered from extolling Thee +and from magnifying Thy glory. + + +All praise be to Thee, +O my God, +for the things Thou didst ordain for me +through Thy decree and by the power of Thy sovereignty. +I beseech Thee +that Thou wilt fortify both myself and them that love me in our love for +Thee, +and wilt keep us firm in Thy Cause. +I swear by Thy might! +O my God! + +Thy servant's shame is to be shut out as by a veil from Thee, +and his +glory is to know Thee. +Armed with the power of Thy name nothing can ever +hurt me, +and with Thy love in my heart all the world's afflictions can in +no wise alarm me. + + +Send down, +therefore, +O my Lord, +upon me and upon my loved ones that which +will protect us from the mischief of those that have repudiated Thy truth +and disbelieved in Thy signs. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the All-Glorious, +the Most Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou hast, +in Thine all highest +Paradise, +assigned unto Thy servants such stations that if any one of them +were to be unveiled to men's eyes all who are in heaven and all who are on +earth would be dumbfounded. +By Thy might! +Were kings to witness so great a +glory they would, +assuredly, +rid themselves of their dominions and cleave +to such of their subjects as have entered beneath the shadow of Thine +immeasurable mercy and sought the shelter of Thine all-glorious name. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou Who art the Beloved of the worlds and the Desire of +all that have recognized Thee, +by Thy name, +through which Thou stirrest up +whom Thou willest and drawest toward Thee whom Thou pleasest, +to open the +eyes of all that are dear to Thee, +that haply they may not be veiled from +Thee as the peoples of the earth are, +but may outwardly perceive the signs +and tokens of Thy power, +and inwardly apprehend the things Thou didst +ordain for them in the realms of Thy glory. + + +Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure. +Thou art the one alone Beloved in both +this world and in the next. +No God is there but Thee, +the Most Exalted, + +the All-Glorious. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Every time I venture to make mention of +Thee, +I am held back by my mighty sins and grievous trespasses against +Thee, +and find myself wholly deprived of Thy grace, +and utterly powerless +to celebrate Thy praise. +My great confidence in Thy bounty, +however, + +reviveth my hope in Thee, +and my certitude that Thou wilt bountifully deal +with me emboldeneth me to extol Thee, +and to ask of Thee the things Thou +dost possess. + + +I implore Thee, +O my God, +by Thy mercy that hath surpassed all created +things, +and to which all that are immersed beneath the oceans of Thy names +bear witness, +not to abandon me unto my self, +for my heart is prone to +evil. +Guard me, +then, +within the stronghold of Thy protection and the +shelter of Thy care. +I am he, +O my God, +whose only wish is what Thou hast +determined by the power of Thy might. +All I have chosen for myself is to +be assisted by Thy gracious appointments and the ruling of Thy will, +and +to be aided with the tokens of Thy decree and judgment. + + +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art the Beloved of the hearts which long for +Thee, +by the Manifestations of Thy Cause and the Day-Springs of Thine +inspiration, +and the Exponents of Thy majesty, +and the Treasuries of Thy +knowledge, +not to suffer me to be deprived of Thy holy Habitation, +Thy +Fane and Thy Tabernacle. +Aid me, +O my Lord, +to attain His hallowed court, + +and to circle round His person, +and to stand humbly at His door. + + +Thou art He Whose power is from everlasting to everlasting. +Nothing +escapeth Thy knowledge. +Thou art, +verily, +the God of power, +the God of +glory and wisdom. + + +Praised be God, +the Lord of the worlds! + + + + + + + + +O Thou the dread of Whom hath fallen upon all things, +before the splendors +of Whose face the countenances of all men are downcast, +at the revelations +of Whose sovereignty all necks have humbly bowed, +to the ruling of Whose +will all hearts have been subdued, +the awfulness of Whose majesty hath +caused the foundations of all things to tremble, +and to the power of Whose +authority the winds have been subjected! +I beseech Thee by the compelling +force of Thy Revelation, +and by the power of Thy might, +and by the +exaltation of Thy word, +and by the sublimity of Thy sovereignty, +to number +us with them whom the world hath been powerless to hinder from turning +towards Thee. + + +Cause me, +O my Lord, +to be of those who, +with their substance and their +own selves, +have fought valiantly in Thy path. +Write down, +then, +for me +the recompense Thou didst ordain for them in the Tablet of Thy decree. + +Stablish me also on the seat of truth in Thy presence, +and join me with +the sincere among Thy servants. + + +I implore Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy Messengers, +and Thy Chosen Ones, +and by +Him through Whom Thou hast affixed Thy seal upon the Manifestations of Thy +Cause among Thy creatures, +and Whom Thou hast adorned with the ornament of +Thine acceptance among all that dwell in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, +to +graciously assist me to attain unto what Thou hast ordained for Thy +servants and bidden them observe in Thy Tablets. +Wash away, +then, +my sins, + +O my God, +by Thy grace and bounty, +and reckon me among such as are not +overtaken by fear nor put to grief. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Thou art He the fire of Whose love hath +set ablaze the hearts of them who have recognized Thy unity, +and the +splendors of Whose countenance have illuminated the faces of such as have +drawn nigh unto Thy court. +How plenteous, +O my God, +is the stream of Thy +knowledge! +How sweet, +O my Beloved, +is the injury which, +in my love for +Thee, +and for the sake of Thy pleasure, +I suffer from the darts of the +wicked doers! +How pleasing are the wounds which, +in Thy path and in order +to proclaim Thy Faith, +I sustain from the swords of the infidels! + + +I beseech Thee, +by Thy name through which Thou turnest restlessness into +tranquillity, +fear into confidence, +weakness into strength, +and abasement +into glory, +that Thou of Thy grace wilt aid me and Thy servants to exalt +Thy name, +to deliver Thy Message, +and to proclaim Thy Cause, +in such wise +that we may remain unmoved by either the assaults of the transgressors or +the wrath of the infidels, +O Thou Who art my Well-Beloved! + + +I am, +O my Lord, +Thy handmaiden, +who hath hearkened to Thy call, +and +hastened unto Thee, +fleeing from herself and resting her heart upon Thee. + +I implore Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy name out of which all the treasures of +the earth were brought forth, +to shield me from the hints of such as have +disbelieved in Thee and repudiated Thy truth. + + +Powerful art Thou to do what Thou pleasest. +Thou art, +verily, +the +All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +All praise be to Thee, +O Lord, +my God! +How mysterious the Fire which Thou +hast enkindled within my heart! +My very limbs testify to the intensity of +its heat, +and evince the consuming power of its flame. +Should my bodily +tongue ever attempt to describe Thee as the One Whose strength hath ever +excelled the strength of the most mighty amongst men, +the tongue of my +heart would address me, +saying: +"These are but words which can only be +adequate to such things as are of the same likeness and nature as +themselves. +But He, +of a truth, +is infinitely exalted above the mention of +all His creatures. +" + +The power of Thy might beareth me witness, +O my Well-Beloved! +Every limb +of my body, +methinks, +is endowed with a tongue that glorifieth Thee and +magnifieth Thy name. +Armed with the power of Thy love, +the hatred which +moveth them that are against Thee can never alarm me; +and with Thy praise +on my lips, +the rulings of Thy decree can in no wise fill me with sorrow. + +Fortify, +therefore, +Thy love within my breast, +and suffer me to face the +assaults which all the peoples of the earth may launch against me. +I swear +by Thee! +Every hair of my head proclaimeth: +"But for the adversities that +befall me in Thy path, +how could I ever taste the divine sweetness of Thy +tenderness and love? +" + +Send down, +therefore, +O my Lord, +upon me and upon them that love me, +that +which will cause us to become steadfast in Thy Faith. +Enable them, +then, + +to become the Hands of Thy Cause amongst Thy servants, +that they may +scatter abroad Thy signs, +and show forth Thy sovereignty. +There is no God +but Thee, +Who art powerful to do whatsoever Thou willest. +Thou art, +in +truth, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Praised. + + + + + + + +Praise be unto Thee, +O my God! +I am one of Thy servants, +who hath believed +on Thee and on Thy signs. +Thou seest how I have set myself towards the +door of Thy mercy, +and turned my face in the direction of Thy +loving-kindness. +I beseech Thee, +by Thy most excellent titles and Thy most +exalted attributes, +to open to my face the portals of Thy bestowals. +Aid +me, +then, +to do that which is good, +O Thou Who art the Possessor of all +names and attributes! + + +I am poor, +O my Lord, +and Thou art the Rich. +I have set my face towards +Thee, +and detached myself from all but Thee. +Deprive me not, +I implore +Thee, +of the breezes of Thy tender mercy, +and withhold not from me what +Thou didst ordain for the chosen among Thy servants. + + +Remove the veil from mine eyes, +O my Lord, +that I may recognize what Thou +hast desired for Thy creatures, +and discover, +in all the manifestations of +Thy handiwork, +the revelations of Thine almighty power. +Enrapture my soul, + +O my Lord, +with Thy most mighty signs, +and draw me out of the depths of my +corrupt and evil desires. +Write down, +then, +for me the good of this world +and of the world to come. +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +No God +is there but Thee, +the All-Glorious, +Whose help is sought by all men. + + +I yield Thee thanks, +O my Lord, +that Thou hast wakened me from my sleep, + +and stirred me up, +and created in me the desire to perceive what most of +Thy servants have failed to apprehend. +Make me able, +therefore, +O my Lord, + +to behold, +for love of Thee and for the sake of Thy pleasure, +whatsoever +Thou hast desired. +Thou art He to the power of Whose might and sovereignty +all things testify. + + +There is none other God but Thee, +the Almighty, +the Beneficent. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O my God! +Thou seest how Thy righteous servants have +fallen into the hands of the wicked doers, +who have disbelieved in Thy +name, +the Unconstrained, +and denied Thy majesty, +and Thine unrestrained +authority, +and Thy strength, +and Thy sovereign might. +Their mouths utter +what the mouths of the Jews uttered aforetime. + + +Put forth, +therefore, +out of the bosom of Thy glory, +O my Lord, +the hand +of Thine omnipotence, +and through it assist Thou Thy loved ones who, + +though sore-tried in Thy path with such trials as have caused the inmates +of the kingdom of Thy Cause to groan, +were not deterred from turning +towards the horizon of Thy Revelation. + + +Set, +then, +the seal of Thine unerring protection on their hearts, +O my +Lord, +lest perchance the remembrance of aught else except Thee enter +therein. +Make them able, +moreover, +to proclaim Thy name amidst Thy +creatures, +and supply them with the best of what Thou hast destined for +such of Thy chosen ones as enjoy near access to Thee. + + +Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure. +Thou truly art the All-Glorious, +to +whom all cry for help. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Thou seest how Thy servants have +everywhere been compassed with tribulations, +how their adversaries have +all risen up against them and grievously wronged them. +Thy glory beareth +me witness! +Were all the wicked doers of the earth to band themselves +against us, +and to cast us into a fire such as no man hath kindled, +they +would be powerless to distract our gaze from the horizon of Thy name, +the +Most Exalted, +the Most High, +and would fail to turn aside our hearts from +the seat of Thine effulgent glory. + + +I swear by Thy might! +The arrows that transfix us in Thy path are the +ornaments of our temples, +and the spears which pierce us in our love for +Thee are as silk unto our bodies. +By the glory of Thy might! +Nothing +whatsoever can beseem Thy servants except what the pen of Thine +irrevocable decree hath traced in this priceless and exalted Tablet. + + +All praise be to Thy Self at all times and under all conditions. +Thou art, + +verily, +the God of knowledge and wisdom. + + + + + + + +Praise be unto Thee, +O my God! +Thou seest how He Who is Thy Light hath +been shut up in the fortress-town of Akká, +and been sore oppressed by +reason of what the hands of the wicked doers have wrought, +whose corrupt +desires have kept them back from turning towards Thee, +O Thou Who art the +King of all names! + + +I swear by Thy glory! +Tribulations, +however woeful, +can never hinder me +from remembering Thee or from celebrating Thy praise. +Every vexation borne +for love of Thee is a token of Thy mercy unto Thy creatures, +and every +ordeal suffered in Thy path is but a gift from Thee bestowed on Thy chosen +ones. +I testify that my countenance, +which shineth above the Day-Spring of +eternity, +hath been irradiated by adversity, +and my body hath been adorned +by it before all who are in heaven and all who are on earth. + + +I pray Thee, +by Thy Most Great Name, +to aid all them that have believed on +Thee and on Thy signs to be steadfast in Thy love and to set themselves +towards the Dawning-Place of the Day-Star of Thy loving-kindness. +Inspire +them, +then, +O my God, +with what will unloose their tongue to praise Thee, + +and will draw them nigh unto Thee in the life that now is and the life +that is to come. + + +Thou truly art the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the Beneficent. + + + + + + + +Glorified be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +I beseech Thee by Thy power that +hath encompassed all created things, +and by Thy sovereignty that hath +transcended the entire creation, +and by Thy Word which was hidden in Thy +wisdom and whereby Thou didst create Thy heaven and Thy earth, +both to +enable us to be steadfast in our love for Thee and in our obedience to Thy +pleasure, +and to fix our gaze upon Thy face, +and celebrate Thy glory. + +Empower us, +then, +O my God, +to spread abroad Thy signs among Thy +creatures, +and to guard Thy Faith in Thy realm. +Thou hast ever existed +independently of the mention of any of Thy creatures, +and wilt remain as +Thou hast been for ever and ever. + + +In Thee I have placed my whole confidence, +unto Thee I have turned my +face, +to the cord of Thy loving providence I have clung, +and towards the +shadow of Thy mercy I have hastened. +Cast me not as one disappointed out +of Thy door, +O my God, +and withhold not from me Thy grace, +for Thee alone +do I seek. +No God is there beside Thee, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most +Bountiful. + + +Praise be to Thee, +O Thou Who art the Beloved of them that have known +Thee! + + + + + + +O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee, + +Whose sword is the ardent desire of all them that love Thee, +Whose dart is +the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, +Whose decree is +the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! +I implore Thee, +by +Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, +to +send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to +draw nigh unto Thee. +Set, +then, +our feet firm, +O my God, +in Thy Cause, +and +enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, +and illumine +our breasts with the brightness of Thy names. + + + + + + + +I am he, +O my Lord, +that hath set his face towards Thee, +and fixed his +hope on the wonders of Thy grace and the revelations of Thy bounty. +I pray +Thee that Thou wilt not suffer me to turn away disappointed from the door +of Thy mercy, +nor abandon me to such of Thy creatures as have repudiated +Thy Cause. + + +I am, +O my God, +Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. +I have recognized +Thy truth in Thy days, +and have directed my steps towards the shores of +Thy oneness, +confessing Thy singleness, +acknowledging Thy unity, +and +hoping for Thy forgiveness and pardon. +Powerful art Thou to do what Thou +willest; +no God is there beside Thee, +the All-Glorious, +the +Ever-Forgiving. + + + + + + + + +Unto Thee be praise, +O Lord my God! +I testify that Thou art God, +and that +there is none other God besides Thee. +Thou hast from eternity been +immeasurably exalted above the praise of any one except Thee, +and far +above the description of any of Thy creatures. +All created things have +borne witness to Thy unity, +and every dweller in Thy kingdom hath +confessed Thy oneness. +The essence of the apprehension of the assured +among Thy creatures can never attain unto Thee, +and the gem-like +utterances with which Thy people have praised and glorified Thee can never +hope to ascend unto the atmosphere of Thy holiness. +For men's apprehension +of Thee is but the apprehension of Thine own creation; +how can it reach up +to Thee? +And all human praise and glorification of Thee pertain unto Thy +servants; +how can they be deemed worthy of the court of Thy oneness? + + +I swear by Thy glory! +The quintessence of knowledge is powerless to +comprehend Thy nature, +and the inmost reality of every praise of Thee +falleth short of the seat of Thy great glory and of Thine all-compelling +power. +Every utterance that seeketh to describe Thee, +and every knowledge +that attempteth to comprehend Thee, +is but an expression of Thine own +creating, +and is begotten by Thy will, +and fashioned in conformity with +Thy purpose. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou Who art inscrutable to all except Thee, +and can be +comprehended through naught else save Thyself, +by the wrongs which He Who +is the Day-Spring of Thy Cause hath suffered at the hands of the ignoble +among Thy creatures, +and by what hath befallen Him in Thy path, +to grant +that I may, +at all times, +be wholly dissolved in Thee, +and fix my gaze +upon the horizon of Thy will and be steadfast in Thy love. + + +I have, +O my Lord, +turned unto Thee according to what Thou hast commanded +me in Thy Book, +and have set my face towards the horizon of Thy +loving-kindness even as Thou hast permitted me in Thy Tablets. +Cast me not +out of the door of Thy grace, +I beseech Thee, +and write down for me the +recompense destined for him who hath entered Thy presence, +and hath risen +to serve Thee, +and hath been carried away by the drops sprinkled upon him +from the Ocean of Thy favors in Thy days, +and by the splendors of the +Day-Star of Thy gifts that have been shed upon him at the revelation of +the light of Thy countenance. + + +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +No God is there save Thee, +the +Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy Name, +O Lord my God! +I am Thy servant who hath laid hold on +the cord of Thy tender mercies, +and clung to the hem of Thy bounteousness. + +I entreat Thee by Thy name whereby Thou hast subjected all created things, + +both visible and invisible, +and through which the breath that is life +indeed was wafted over the entire creation, +to strengthen me by Thy power +which hath encompassed the heavens and the earth, +and to guard me from all +sickness and tribulation. +I bear witness that Thou art the Lord of all +names, +and the Ordainer of all that may please Thee. +There is none other +God but Thee, +the Almighty, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + +Do Thou ordain for me, +O my Lord, +what will profit me in every world of +Thy worlds. +Supply me, +then, +with what Thou hast written down for the +chosen ones among Thy creatures, +whom neither the blame of the blamer, +nor +the clamor of the infidel, +nor the estrangement of such as have withdrawn +from Thee, +hath deterred from turning towards Thee. + + +Thou, +truly, +art the Help in Peril through the power of Thy sovereignty. + +No God is there save Thee, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful. + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O my God! +I yield Thee thanks that Thou hast made +known unto me Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy mercy, +and the +Dawning-Place of Thy grace, +and the Repository of Thy Cause. +I beseech +Thee by Thy Name, +through which the faces of them that are nigh unto Thee +have turned white, +and the hearts of such as are devoted to Thee have +winged their flight towards Thee, +to grant that I may, +at all times and +under all conditions, +lay hold on Thy cord, +and be rid of all attachment +to any one except Thee, +and may keep mine eyes directed towards the +horizon of Thy Revelation, +and may carry out what Thou hast prescribed +unto me in Thy Tablets. + + +Attire, +O my Lord, +both my inner and outer being with the raiment of Thy +favors and Thy loving-kindness. +Keep me safe, +then, +from whatsoever may be +abhorrent unto Thee, +and graciously assist me and my kindred to obey Thee, + +and to shun whatsoever may stir up any evil or corrupt desire within me. + + +Thou, +truly, +art the Lord of all mankind, +and the Possessor of this world +and of the next. +No God is there save Thee, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +O God, +and the God of all Names, +and Maker of the heavens! +I entreat Thee +by Thy Name through which He Who is the Day-Spring of Thy might and the +Dawning-Place of Thy power hath been manifested, +through which every solid +thing hath been made to flow, +and every dead corpse hath been quickened, + +and every moving spirit confirmed--I entreat Thee to enable me to rid +myself of all attachment to any one but Thee, +and to serve Thy Cause, +and +to wish what Thou didst wish through the power of Thy sovereignty, +and to +perform what is the good pleasure of Thy will. + + +I beseech Thee, +moreover, +O my God, +to ordain for me what will make me +rich enough to dispense with any one save Thee. +Thou seest me, +O my God, + +with my face turned towards Thee, +and my hands clinging to the cord of Thy +grace. +Send down upon me Thy mercy, +and write down for me what Thou hast +written down for Thy chosen ones. +Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth +Thee. +No God is there but Thee, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the All-Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Glory be to Thee, +O Thou Who hast, +through the movement of Thy most august +pen, +subdued the concourse of Thy creation, +and manifested the pearls of +the ocean of Thy wisdom through the words which Thy tongue hath spoken +before all who are in heaven and on earth. +I testify that Thy might hath +encompassed the whole universe, +and Thy mercy surpassed all created +things. +The powers of the earth have never prevailed against Thee, +nor +hath the tumult of the nations frustrated Thy purpose. +Thou hast revealed +in Thy realm whatsoever Thou hadst desired through the power of Thy +sovereignty, +and hast ordained all things according to the good pleasure +of Thy will. +From eternity Thou hast inhabited the loftiest heights of Thy +dominion and of Thine unfettered sovereignty, +and wilt unto eternity +continue to abide in the inaccessible retreats of Thy majesty and glory. + + +I implore Thee, +by Thy Name through which the fragrance of the raiment of +Thy presence was wafted, +and the gentle winds of Thy bountiful grace +passed over all created things, +to graciously assist me, +at all times and +under all conditions, +to serve Thy Cause, +and to enable me to remember +Thee and to extol Thy virtues. +Let, +then, +Thine almighty arms enfold me, +O +my God, +and ordain for me what beseemeth Thy bounty in every world of Thy +worlds. + + +Thou beholdest, +O my Lord, +how I have set myself towards the ocean of Thy +grace and the adored sanctuary of Thy favors. +Deny me not, +I pray Thee, + +the drops which are sprinkled from the ocean of Thy gifts; +neither do Thou +withhold from me the outpourings of the clouds of Thy tender mercies. +I am +he, +O my God, +that hath clung to the resplendent hem of Thy robe, +and +taken hold on Thy strong cord that none can sever. +I testify that Thou +hast created me, +and nourished me, +and brought me up, +and fed me, +and +sustained me, +that I may recognize Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs, + +and the Revealer of Thy clear tokens. +I offer unto Thee, +therefore, +most +high praise, +O Lord my God, +that Thou hast suffered me to attain unto this +most sublime station and this most august seat. +Thou, +truly, +art the Great +Giver, +the Almighty, +the All-Bountiful, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most +Generous. + + +Illumine mine eyes, +O my Lord, +with the splendors of the horizon of Thy +Revelation, +and brighten my heart with the effulgence of the Day-Star of +Thy knowledge and wisdom, +that I may set myself wholly towards Thy face, + +and be rid of all attachment to any one except Thee, +in such wise that the +changes and chances of the world will be powerless to hinder me from +recognizing Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine own Self, +and the +Revealer of Thy signs, +and the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, +and the +Repository of Thy Cause. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Protector, +the All-Glorious, +the +All-Wise. + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O my God! +This servant of Thine testifieth that naught +else except Thee can ever express Thee, +nor canst Thou be described by any +one save Thyself. +The thoughts of them that have recognized Thy reality, + +however much they may ascend towards the heaven of Thy praise, +can never +hope to pass beyond the bounds which, +by Thy behest and decree, +have been +fixed within their own hearts. +How can the creature who is as nothing +comprehend Him Who is the Ancient of Days, +or succeed in describing the +full measure of His sovereignty, +His glory, +and His grandeur? +Nay, +and to +this Thou Thyself dost witness, +O Thou Who art the Governor of nations! + +Every created thing hath recognized its own impotence, +and the power of +Thy might, +and hath confessed its own abasement and Thy great glory. + + +I beseech Thee by Thy Lastness which is the same as Thy Firstness, +and by +Thy Revelation which is identical with Thy Concealment, +to grant that they +who are dear to Thee, +and their children, +and their kindred, +may become +the revealers of Thy purity amidst Thy creatures, +and the manifestations +of Thy sanctity amongst Thy servants. + + +Thou art, +verily, +powerful to do Thy pleasure. +Thou art, +in truth, +the +Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + +I give Thee thanks, +O my God, +for that Thou hast made me to be a target +for the darts of Thine adversaries in Thy path. +I offer Thee most high +praise, +O Thou Who art the Knower of the seen and unseen and the Lord of +all being, +that Thou hast suffered me to be cast into prison for love of +Thee, +and caused me to quaff the cup of woe, +that I may reveal Thy Cause +and glorify Thy word. + + +Which of my tribulations am I to recount before Thy face, +O my Lord? +Am I +to recite before Thee what in days of old befell me at the hands of the +workers of iniquity among Thy creatures, +or to describe the vexations +which have compassed me about in these days for the sake of Thy good +pleasure? + + +Thanks be to Thee, +O Thou the Lord of all names; +and glory be to Thee, +O +Maker of the heavens, +for all that I have sustained in these days at the +hands of such of Thy servants as have transgressed against Thee, +and of +Thy people that have dealt frowardly towards Thee. + + +Number us, +we implore Thee, +with them who have stood fast in Thy Cause +until their souls finally winged their flight unto the heaven of Thy grace +and the atmosphere of Thy loving-kindness. +Thou art, +verily, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Merciful. + + + + + + + +Glory be to Thee, +O my God! +My face hath been set towards Thy face, +and my +face is, +verily, +Thy face, +and my call is Thy call, +and my Revelation Thy +Revelation, +and my self Thy Self, +and my Cause Thy Cause, +and my behest +Thy behest, +and my Being Thy Being, +and my sovereignty Thy sovereignty, + +and my glory Thy glory, +and my power Thy power. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou Fashioner of the nations and the King of eternity, + +to guard Thy handmaidens within the tabernacle of Thy chastity, +and to +cancel such of their deeds as are unworthy of Thy days. +Purge out, +then, + +from them, +O my God, +all doubts and idle fancies, +and sanctify them from +whatsoever becometh not their kinship with Thee, +O Thou Who art the Lord +of names, +and the Source of utterance. +Thou art He in Whose grasp are the +reins of the entire creation. + + +No God is there but Thee, +the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the +All-Glorious, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + +" + + +Glory be to Thee, +O my God! +I beg of Thee by Thy name, +the Most Merciful, + +to protect Thy servants and Thy handmaidens when the tempests of trials +pass over them, +and Thy manifold tests assail them. +Enable them, +then, +O +my God, +so to seek refuge within the stronghold of Thy love and of Thy +Revelation, +that neither Thine adversaries nor the wicked doers among Thy +servants, +who have broken Thy Covenant and Thy Testament, +and turned away +most disdainfully from the Day-Spring of Thine Essence and the Revealer of +Thy glory, +may prevail against them. + + +They themselves, +O my Lord, +have waited at the door of Thy grace. +Do Thou +open it to their faces with the keys of Thy bountiful favors. +Potent art +Thou to do what Thou willest, +and to ordain what Thou pleasest. +These are +the ones, +O my Lord, +who have set their faces towards Thee, +and turned +unto Thy habitation. +Do with them, +therefore, +as becometh Thy mercy, +which +hath surpassed the worlds. + + + + + + + +O my God and my Master! +I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant. +I +have risen from my couch at this dawn-tide when the Day-Star of Thy +oneness hath shone forth from the Day-Spring of Thy will, +and hath shed +its radiance upon the whole world, +according to what had been ordained in +the Books of Thy Decree. + + +Praise be unto Thee, +O my God, +that we have wakened to the splendors of +the light of Thy knowledge. +Send down, +then, +upon us, +O my Lord, +what will +enable us to dispense with any one but Thee, +and will rid us of all +attachment to aught except Thyself. +Write down, +moreover, +for me, +and for +such as are dear to me, +and for my kindred, +man and woman alike, +the good +of this world and the world to come. +Keep us safe, +then, +through Thine +unfailing protection, +O Thou the Beloved of the entire creation and the +Desire of the whole universe, +from them whom Thou hast made to be the +manifestations of the Evil Whisperer, +who whisper in men's breasts. +Potent +art Thou to do Thy pleasure. +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Help in +Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + +Bless Thou, +O Lord my God, +Him Whom Thou hast set over Thy most excellent +Titles, +and through Whom Thou hast divided between the godly and the +wicked, +and graciously aid us to do what Thou lovest and desirest. +Bless +Thou, +moreover, +O my God, +them Who are Thy Words and Thy Letters, +and them +who have set their faces towards Thee, +and turned unto Thy face, +and +hearkened to Thy Call. + + +Thou art, +truly, +the Lord and King of all men, +and art potent over all +things. + + + + + + + +O God, +my God! +Be Thou not far from me, +for tribulation upon tribulation +hath gathered about me. +O God, +my God! +Leave me not to myself, +for the +extreme of adversity hath come upon me. +Out of the pure milk, +drawn from +the breasts of Thy loving-kindness, +give me to drink, +for my thirst hath +utterly consumed me. +Beneath the shadow of the wings of Thy mercy shelter +me, +for all mine adversaries with one consent have fallen upon me. +Keep me +near to the throne of Thy majesty, +face to face with the revelation of the +signs of Thy glory, +for wretchedness hath grievously touched me. +With the +fruits of the Tree of Thine Eternity nourish me, +for uttermost weakness +hath overtaken me. +From the cups of joy, +proffered by the hands of Thy +tender mercies, +feed me, +for manifold sorrows have laid mighty hold upon +me. +With the broidered robe of Thine omnipotent sovereignty attire me, +for +poverty hath altogether despoiled me. +Lulled by the cooing of the Dove of +Thine Eternity, +suffer me to sleep, +for woes at their blackest have +befallen me. +Before the throne of Thy oneness, +amid the blaze of the +beauty of Thy countenance, +cause me to abide, +for fear and trembling have +violently crushed me. +Beneath the ocean of Thy forgiveness, +faced with the +restlessness of the leviathan of glory, +immerse me, +for my sins have +utterly doomed me. + + + + + + +CXLVI: +"GLORY BE TO THEE, +O LORD MY GOD! +I BEG OF THEE. +. +. +" + + +Glory be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I beg of Thee by Thy Name through which +He Who is Thy Beauty hath been stablished upon the throne of Thy Cause, + +and by Thy Name through which Thou changest all things, +and gatherest +together all things, +and callest to account all things, +and rewardest all +things, +and preservest all things, +and sustainest all things--I beg of Thee +to guard this handmaiden who hath fled for refuge to Thee, +and hath sought +the shelter of Him in Whom Thou Thyself art manifest, +and hath put her +whole trust and confidence in Thee. + + +She is sick, +O my God, +and hath entered beneath the shadow of the Tree of +Thy healing; +afflicted, +and hath fled to the City of Thy protection; + +diseased, +and hath sought the Fountain-Head of Thy favors; +sorely vexed, + +and hath hasted to attain the Well-Spring of Thy tranquillity; +burdened +with sin, +and hath set her face toward the court of Thy forgiveness. + + +Attire her, +by Thy sovereignty and Thy loving-kindness, +O my God and my +Beloved, +with the raiment of Thy balm and Thy healing, +and make her quaff +of the cup of Thy mercy and Thy favors. +Protect her, +moreover, +from every +affliction and ailment, +from all pain and sickness, +and from whatsoever +may be abhorrent unto Thee. + + +Thou, +in truth, +art immensely exalted above all else except Thyself. +Thou +art, +verily, +the Healer, +the All-Sufficing, +the Preserver, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Merciful. + + + + + + + +Thou art He, +O my God, +through Whose names the sick are healed and the +ailing are restored, +and the thirsty are given drink, +and the sore-vexed +are tranquillized, +and the wayward are guided, +and the abased are exalted, + +and the poor are enriched, +and the ignorant are enlightened, +and the +gloomy are illumined, +and the sorrowful are cheered, +and the chilled are +warmed, +and the downtrodden are raised up. +Through Thy name, +O my God, +all +created things were stirred up, +and the heavens were spread, +and the earth +was established, +and the clouds were raised and made to rain upon the +earth. +This, +verily, +is a token of Thy grace unto all Thy creatures. + + +I implore Thee, +therefore, +by Thy name through which Thou didst manifest +Thy Godhead, +and didst exalt Thy Cause above all creation, +and by each of +Thy most excellent titles and most august attributes, +and by all the +virtues wherewith Thy transcendent and most exalted Being is extolled, +to +send down this night from the clouds of Thy mercy the rains of Thy healing +upon this suckling, +whom Thou hast related unto Thine all-glorious Self in +the kingdom of Thy creation. +Clothe him, +then, +O my God, +by Thy grace, + +with the robe of well-being and health, +and guard him, +O my Beloved, +from +every affliction and disorder, +and from whatever is obnoxious unto Thee. + +Thy might, +verily, +is equal to all things. +Thou, +in truth, +art the Most +Powerful, +the Self-Subsisting. +Send down, +moreover, +upon him, +O my God, + +the good of this world and of the next, +and the good of the former and +latter generations. +Thy might and Thy wisdom are, +verily, +equal unto this. + + + + + + + +Glory be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +I implore Thee by Thy Name, +through which +Thou didst lift up the ensigns of Thy guidance, +and didst shed the +radiance of Thy loving-kindness, +and didst reveal the sovereignty of Thy +Lordship; +through which the lamp of Thy names hath appeared within the +niche of Thine attributes, +and He Who is the Tabernacle of Thy unity and +the Manifestation of detachment hath shone forth; +through which the ways +of Thy guidance were made known, +and the paths of Thy good pleasure were +marked out; +through which the foundations of error have been made to +tremble, +and the signs of wickedness have been abolished; +through which +the fountains of wisdom have burst forth, +and the heavenly table hath been +sent down; +through which Thou didst preserve Thy servants and didst +vouchsafe Thy healing; +through which Thou didst show forth Thy tender +mercies unto Thy servants and revealedst Thy forgiveness amidst Thy +creatures--I implore Thee to keep safe him who hath held fast and returned +unto Thee, +and clung to Thy mercy, +and seized the hem of Thy loving +providence. +Send down, +then, +upon him Thy healing, +and make him whole, +and +endue him with a constancy vouchsafed by Thee, +and a tranquillity bestowed +by Thy highness. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Healer, +the Preserver, +the Helper, +the Almighty, +the +Powerful, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Knowing. + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O my God! +I give praise to Thee, +that Thou hast made +me able so to reveal Thine utterances, +and manifest Thy proofs and Thy +testimonies, +that every proof hath been made to circle round my will, +and +every testimony to compass my pleasure. +Thou seest me, +O my Lord, +lying at +the mercy of Thine adversaries, +who have repudiated Thy signs, +and refuted +Thy testimony, +and turned back from Thy beauty, +and resolved to shed Thy +blood. +I beseech Thee, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all names, +by Thy name +through which Thou hast subdued all created things, +to graciously aid Thy +servants and Thy loved ones to cleave steadfastly to Thy Cause. +Give them, + +then, +to drink what will quicken their hearts in Thy days. +Enable them, + +moreover, +O my Lord, +to fix their gaze at all times upon Thy pleasure, +and +to yield Thee thanks for the evidences of Thine irrevocable decree. +For +Thou art, +verily, +praiseworthy in all that Thou hast done in the past, +or +wilt do in the future, +and art to be obeyed in whatsoever Thou hast wished +or wilt wish, +and to be loved in all that Thou hast desired or wilt +desire. +Thou lookest upon them that are dear to Thee with the eyes of Thy +loving-kindness, +and sendest down for them only that which will profit +them through Thy grace and Thy gifts. + + +We entreat Thee, +O Thou Who art the Cloud of Bounty and the Succorer of +the distressed, +that Thou wilt aid us to remember Thee, +and to make known +Thy Cause, +and to arise to help Thee. +Though all weakness, +we yet have +clung to Thy Name, +the Most Powerful, +the Almighty. + + +Bless Thou, +O my God, +them that have stood fast in Thy Cause, +and whom the +evil suggestions of the workers of iniquity have failed to deter from +turning towards Thy face, +and who have hastened with their whole hearts +toward Thy grace, +until they finally quaffed the water that is life indeed +from the hands of Thy bounty. + + +Potent art Thou to do Thy pleasure. +No God is there save Thee, +the Mighty, + +the Most Generous. + + + + + + + +I give praise to Thee, +O my God, +that the fragrance of Thy loving-kindness +hath enraptured me, +and the gentle winds of Thy mercy have inclined me in +the direction of Thy bountiful favors. +Make me to quaff, +O my Lord, +from +the fingers of Thy bounteousness the living waters which have enabled +every one that hath partaken of them to rid himself of all attachment to +any one save Thee, +and to soar into the atmosphere of detachment from all +Thy creatures, +and to fix his gaze upon Thy loving providence and Thy +manifold gifts. + + +Make me ready, +in all circumstances, +O my Lord, +to serve Thee and to set +myself towards the adored sanctuary of Thy Revelation and of Thy Beauty. + +If it be Thy pleasure, +make me to grow as a tender herb in the meadows of +Thy grace, +that the gentle winds of Thy will may stir me up and bend me +into conformity with Thy pleasure, +in such wise that my movement and my +stillness may be wholly directed by Thee. + + +Thou art He, +by Whose name the Hidden Secret was divulged, +and the +Well-Guarded Name was revealed, +and the seals of the sealed-up Goblet were +opened, +shedding thereby its fragrance over all creation, +whether of the +past or of the future. +He who was athirst, +O my Lord, +hath hasted to +attain the living waters of Thy grace, +and the wretched creature hath +yearned to immerse himself beneath the ocean of Thy riches. + + +I swear by Thy glory, +O Lord the Beloved of the world and the Desire of +all them that have recognized Thee! +I am sore afflicted by the grief of my +separation from Thee, +in the days when the Day-Star of Thy presence hath +shed its radiance upon Thy people. +Write down, +then, +for me the recompense +decreed for such as have gazed on Thy face, +and have, +by Thy leave, +gained +admittance into the court of Thy throne, +and have, +at Thy bidding, +met +Thee face to face. + + +I implore Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy name the splendors of which have +encompassed the earth and the heavens, +to enable me so to surrender my +will to what Thou hast decreed in Thy Tablets, +that I may cease to +discover within me any desire except what Thou didst desire through the +power of Thy sovereignty, +and any will save what Thou didst destine for me +by Thy will. + + +Whither shall I turn, +O my God, +powerless as I am to discover any other +way except the way Thou didst set before Thy chosen Ones? +All the atoms of +the earth proclaim Thee to be God, +and testify that there is none other +God besides Thee. +Thou hast from eternity been powerful to do what Thou +hast willed, +and to ordain what Thou hast pleased. + + +Do Thou destine for me, +O my God, +what will set me, +at all times, +towards +Thee, +and enable me to cleave continually to the cord of Thy grace, +and to +proclaim Thy name, +and to look for whatsoever may flow down from Thy pen. + +I am poor and desolate, +O my Lord, +and Thou art the All-Possessing, +the +Most High. +Have pity, +then, +upon me through the wonders of Thy mercy, +and +send down upon me, +every moment of my life, +the things wherewith Thou hast +recreated the hearts of all Thy creatures who have recognized Thy unity, + +and of all Thy people who are wholly devoted to Thee. + + +Thou, +verily, +art the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the All-Knowing, +the +All-Wise. + + + + + + + + +Glorified art Thou, +O my Lord! +Thou beholdest my tribulations and all that +hath befallen me at the hands of such of Thy servants as keep company with +me, +who have disbelieved in Thy most resplendent signs, +and turned back +from Thy most effulgent Beauty. +I swear by Thy glory! +Such are the +troubles that vex me, +that no pen in the entire creation can either reckon +or describe them. + + +I implore Thee, +O Thou Who art the King of names and the Creator of earth +and heaven, +so to assist me by Thy strengthening grace that nothing +whatsoever will have the power to hinder me from remembering Thee, +or +celebrating Thy praise, +or to keep me back from observing what Thou hast +prescribed unto me in Thy Tablets, +that I may so arise to serve Thee that +with bared head I will hasten forth from my habitation, +cry out in Thy +name amidst Thy creatures, +and proclaim Thy virtues among Thy servants. + +Having accomplished what Thou hadst decreed, +and delivered the thing Thou +hadst written down, +the wicked doers among Thy people would, +then, +compass +me about and would do with me in Thy path as would please them. + + +In the love I bear to Thee, +O my Lord, +my heart longeth for Thee with a +longing such as no heart hath known. +Here am I with my body between Thy +hands, +and my spirit before Thy face. +Do with them as it may please Thee, + +for the exaltation of Thy word, +and the revelation of what hath been +enshrined within the treasuries of Thy knowledge. + + +Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, +and able to ordain what Thou +pleasest. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O my God! +I can discover no one in Thy realm who can +befittingly turn unto Thee, +or is able to adequately hearken unto what +hath gone out of the mouth of Thy will. +I beseech Thee, +therefore, +O Thou +Who art the Possessor of the entire creation and the King of the realm of +Thine invention, +graciously to aid Thy creatures to accomplish that which +is pleasing and acceptable unto Thee, +that they may arise to serve Thy +Cause amidst Thy creatures, +and to speak forth Thy praise before all who +are in heaven and on earth. + + +Thou art He, +O my Lord, +Whose bounty hath surpassed all things, +and Whose +power hath transcended all things, +and Whose mercy hath encompassed all +things. +Look, +then, +upon Thy people with the eyes of Thy tender mercies, + +and leave them not to themselves and to their corrupt desires in Thy days. + +How farsoever they may have strayed from Thee, +and however grievously they +have turned back from Thy face, +yet Thou, +in Thine essence, +art the +All-Bountiful, +and, +in Thine inmost spirit, +art the Most Merciful. +Deal +with them according to the unrevealed tokens of Thy bounty and Thy gifts. + +Thou art, +verily, +the One to the power of Whose might all things have +testified, +and to Whose majesty and omnipotence the whole creation hath +borne witness. + + +No God is there but Thee, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +My God, +Thou Whom I adore and worship, +Who art Most Powerful! +I testify +that no description by any created thing can ever reveal Thee, +and no +praise which any being is able to utter can express Thee. +Neither the +comprehension of any one in the whole world, +nor the intelligence of any +of its peoples, +can, +as it befitteth Thee, +gain admittance into the court +of Thy holiness, +or unravel Thy mystery. +What sin hath kept the inmates of +the city of Thy names so far from Thine all-glorious Horizon, +and deprived +them of access to Thy most great Ocean? +One single letter of Thy Book is +the mother of all utterances, +and a word therefrom the begetter of all +creation. +What ingratitude have Thy servants shown forth that Thou hast +withheld them, +one and all, +from recognizing Thee? +A drop out of the ocean +of Thy mercy sufficeth to quench the flames of hell, +and a spark of the +fire of Thy love is enough to set ablaze a whole world. + + +O Thou Who art the All-Knowing! +Wayward though we be, +we still cling to +Thy bounty; +and though ignorant, +we still set our faces toward the ocean +of Thy wisdom. +Thou art that All-Bountiful Who art not deterred by a +multitude of sins from vouchsafing Thy bounty, +and the flow of Whose gifts +is not arrested by the withdrawal of the peoples of the world. +From +eternity the door of Thy grace hath remained wide open. +A dewdrop out of +the ocean of Thy mercy is able to adorn all things with the ornament of +sanctity, +and a sprinkling of the waters of Thy bounty can cause the +entire creation to attain unto true wealth. + + +Lift not the veil, +O Thou Who art the Concealer! +From eternity the tokens +of Thy bounty have encompassed the universe, +and the splendors of Thy Most +Great Name have been shed over all created things. +Deny not Thy servants +the wonders of Thy grace. +Cause them to be made aware of Thee, +that they +may bear witness to Thy unity, +and enable them to recognize Thee, +that +they may hasten towards Thee. +Thy mercy hath embraced the whole creation, + +and Thy grace hath pervaded all things. +From the billows of the ocean of +Thy generosity the seas of eagerness and enthusiasm were revealed. +Thou +art what Thou art. +Aught except Thee is unworthy of any mention unless it +entereth beneath Thy shadow, +and gaineth admittance into Thy court. + + +Whatever betide us, +we beseech Thine ancient forgiveness, +and seek Thine +all-pervasive grace. +Our hope is that Thou wilt deny no one Thy grace, +and +wilt deprive no soul of the ornament of fairness and justice. +Thou art the +King of all bounty, +and the Lord of all favors, +and supreme over all who +are in heaven and on earth. + + + + + + + +Dispel my grief by Thy bounty and Thy generosity, +O God, +my God, +and +banish mine anguish through Thy sovereignty and Thy might. +Thou seest me, + +O my God, +with my face set towards Thee at a time when sorrows have +compassed me on every side. +I implore Thee, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all +being, +and overshadowest all things visible and invisible, +by Thy Name +whereby Thou hast subdued the hearts and the souls of men, +and by the +billows of the Ocean of Thy mercy and the splendors of the Day-Star of Thy +bounty, +to number me with them whom nothing whatsoever hath deterred from +setting their faces toward Thee, +O Thou Lord of all names and Maker of the +heavens! + + +Thou beholdest, +O my Lord, +the things which have befallen me in Thy days. + +I entreat Thee, +by Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy names and the +Dawning-Place of Thine attributes, +to ordain for me what will enable me to +arise to serve Thee and to extol Thy virtues. +Thou art, +verily, +the +Almighty, +the Most Powerful, +Who art wont to answer the prayers of all +men! + + +And, +finally, +I beg of Thee by the light of Thy countenance to bless my +affairs, +and redeem my debts, +and satisfy my needs. +Thou art He to Whose +power and to Whose dominion every tongue hath testified, +and Whose majesty +and Whose sovereignty every understanding heart hath acknowledged. +No God +is there but Thee, +Who hearest and art ready to answer. + + + + + + + + +Create in me a pure heart, +O my God, +and renew a tranquil conscience +within me, +O my Hope! +Through the spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy +Cause, +O my Best-Beloved, +and by the light of Thy glory reveal unto me Thy +path, +O Thou the Goal of my desire! +Through the power of Thy transcendent +might lift me up unto the heaven of Thy holiness, +O Source of my being, + +and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, +O Thou Who art my God! + +Let Thine everlasting melodies breathe tranquillity on me, +O my Companion, + +and let the riches of Thine ancient countenance deliver me from all except +Thee, +O my Master, +and let the tidings of the revelation of Thine +incorruptible Essence bring me joy, +O Thou Who art the most manifest of +the manifest and the most hidden of the hidden! + + + + + + + +I give praise to Thee, +O my God, +that Thou hast awakened me out of my +sleep, +and brought me forth after my disappearance, +and raised me up from +my slumber. +I have wakened this morning with my face set toward the +splendors of the Day-Star of Thy Revelation, +through Which the heavens of +Thy power and Thy majesty have been illumined, +acknowledging Thy signs, + +believing in Thy Book, +and holding fast unto Thy Cord. + + +I beseech Thee, +by the potency of Thy will and the compelling power of Thy +purpose, +to make of what Thou didst reveal unto me in my sleep the surest +foundation for the mansions of Thy love that are within the hearts of Thy +loved ones, +and the best instrument for the revelation of the tokens of +Thy grace and Thy loving-kindness. + + +Do Thou ordain for me through Thy most exalted Pen, +O my Lord, +the good of +this world and of the next. +I testify that within Thy grasp are held the +reins of all things. +Thou changest them as Thou pleasest. +No God is there +save Thee, +the Strong, +the Faithful. + + +Thou art He Who changeth through His bidding abasement into glory, +and +weakness into strength, +and powerlessness into might, +and fear into calm, + +and doubt into certainty. +No God is there but Thee, +the Mighty, +the +Beneficent. + + +Thou disappointest no one who hath sought Thee, +nor dost Thou keep back +from Thee any one who hath desired Thee. +Ordain Thou for me what becometh +the heaven of Thy generosity, +and the ocean of Thy bounty. +Thou art, + +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful. + + + + + + + +My God, +Whom I worship and adore! +I bear witness unto Thy unity and Thy +oneness, +and acknowledge Thy gifts, +both in the past and in the present. + +Thou art the All-Bountiful, +the overflowing showers of Whose mercy have +rained down upon high and low alike, +and the splendors of Whose grace have +been shed over both the obedient and the rebellious. + + +O God of mercy, +before Whose door the quintessence of mercy hath bowed +down, +and round the sanctuary of Whose Cause loving-kindness, +in its +inmost spirit, +hath circled, +we beseech Thee, +entreating Thine ancient +grace, +and seeking Thy present favor, +that Thou mayest have mercy upon all +who are the manifestations of the world of being, +and to deny them not the +outpourings of Thy grace in Thy days. + + +All are but poor and needy, +and Thou, +verily, +art the All-Possessing, +the +All-Subduing, +the All-Powerful. + + + + + + + +I have wakened in Thy shelter, +O my God, +and it becometh him that seeketh +that shelter to abide within the Sanctuary of Thy protection and the +Stronghold of Thy defense. +Illumine my inner being, +O my Lord, +with the +splendors of the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, +even as Thou didst illumine +my outer being with the morning light of Thy favor. + + + + + + +O my God, +the God of bounty and mercy! +Thou art that King by Whose +commanding word the whole creation hath been called into being; +and Thou +art that All-Bountiful One the doings of Whose servants have never +hindered Him from showing forth His grace, +nor have they frustrated the +revelations of His bounty. + + +Suffer this servant, +I beseech Thee, +to attain unto that which is the +cause of his salvation in every world of Thy worlds. +Thou art, +verily, +the +Almighty, +the Most Powerful, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + + +My God, +the Object of my adoration, +the Goal of my desire, +the +All-Bountiful, +the Most Compassionate! +All life is of Thee and all power +lieth within the grasp of Thine omnipotence. +Whosoever Thou exaltest is +raised above the angels, +and attaineth the station: +"Verily, +We uplifted +him to a place on high! +"; +and whosoever Thou dost abase is made lower than +dust, +nay, +less than nothing. + + +O Divine Providence! +Though wicked, +sinful, +and intemperate, +we still seek +from Thee a "seat of truth, +" and long to behold the countenance of the +Omnipotent King. +It is Thine to command, +and all sovereignty belongeth to +Thee, +and the realm of might boweth before Thy behest. +Everything Thou +doest is pure justice, +nay, +the very essence of grace. +One gleam from the +splendors of Thy Name, +the All-Merciful, +sufficeth to banish and blot out +every trace of sinfulness from the world, +and a single breath from the +breezes of the Day of Thy Revelation is enough to adorn all mankind with a +fresh attire. + + +Vouchsafe Thy strength, +O Almighty One, +unto Thy weak creatures, +and +quicken them who are as dead, +that haply they may find Thee, +and may be +led unto the ocean of Thy guidance, +and may remain steadfast in Thy Cause. + +Should the fragrance of Thy praise be shed abroad by any of the divers +tongues of the world, +out of the East or out of the West, +it would, + +verily, +be prized and greatly cherished. +If such tongues, +however, +be +deprived of that fragrance, +they assuredly would be unworthy of any +mention, +be they words or thoughts. + + +We beg of Thee, +O Providence, +to show Thy way unto all men, +and to guide +them aright. +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful, +the +All-Knowing, +the All-Seeing. + + + + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O my God, +inasmuch as Thou hast turned the faces of Thy +servants towards the right-hand of the throne of Thy gifts, +and hast +caused them to be detached from all else besides Thee, +that they may +recognize Thy sovereignty and acknowledge Thy glory. +I testify to the +potency of Thy Cause, +the pervasive influence of Thy decree, +the +immutability of Thy will, +the endlessness of Thy purpose. +All things lie +prisoned within the grasp of Thy might, +and the whole creation is +destitute when brought face to face with the evidences of Thy wealth. + + +Deal Thou, +therefore, +O my God, +my Beloved, +my supreme Desire, +with Thy +servants and with all that were created by Thee as would beseem Thy beauty +and Thy greatness, +and would be worthy of Thy generosity and gifts. +Thou +art, +in truth, +He Whose mercy hath encompassed all the worlds, +and Whose +grace hath embraced all that dwell on earth and in heaven. +Who is there +that hath cried after Thee, +and whose prayer hath remained unanswered? + +Where is he to be found who hath reached forth towards Thee, +and whom Thou +hast failed to approach? +Who is he that can claim to have fixed his gaze +upon Thee, +and toward whom the eye of Thy loving-kindness hath not been +directed? +I bear witness that Thou hadst turned toward Thy servants ere +they had turned toward Thee, +and hadst remembered them ere they had +remembered Thee. +All grace is Thine, +O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom +of Divine gifts and the source of every irrevocable decree. + + +Send down, +therefore, +O my God, +upon all that seek Thee that which will +entirely strip them of all that pertaineth not unto Thee, +and will draw +them nigh unto Thy Self. +Assist them, +by Thy grace, +to love Thee and to +conform unto that which shall please Thee. +Grant, +then, +that they may go +straight on in the path of Thy Cause, +the path wherein have slipped the +footsteps of the doubters among Thy people and the froward among Thy +servants. +Thou art, +verily, +the All-Powerful, +the Almighty, +the Most +Great. + + + + + + + +Lauded and glorified art Thou, +O my God! +I entreat Thee by the sighing of +Thy lovers and by the tears shed by them that long to behold Thee, +not to +withhold from me Thy tender mercies in Thy Day, +nor to deprive me of the +melodies of the Dove that extolleth Thy oneness before the light that +shineth from Thy face. +I am the one who is in misery, +O God! +Behold me +cleaving fast to Thy Name, +the All-Possessing. +I am the one who is sure to +perish; +behold me clinging to Thy Name, +the Imperishable. +I implore Thee, + +therefore, +by Thy Self, +the Exalted, +the Most High, +not to abandon me unto +mine own self and unto the desires of a corrupt inclination. +Hold Thou my +hand with the hand of Thy power, +and deliver me from the depths of my +fancies and idle imaginings, +and cleanse me of all that is abhorrent unto +Thee. + + +Cause me, +then, +to turn wholly unto Thee, +to put my whole trust in Thee, + +to seek Thee as my Refuge, +and to flee unto Thy face. +Thou art, +verily, +He +Who, +through the power of His might, +doeth whatsoever He desireth, +and +commandeth, +through the potency of His will, +whatsoever He chooseth. +None +can withstand the operation of Thy decree; +none can divert the course of +Thine appointment. +Thou art, +in truth, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the +Most Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God! +Thou seest how I have turned myself +toward Thee, +and set my face in the direction of Thy grace and Thy gifts. + +I implore Thee, +by Thy name through which Thou didst enable all them that +have recognized Thy unity to partake of the wine of Thy mercy, +and all +such as have drawn nigh unto Thee to quaff the living waters of Thy +loving-kindness, +to rid me entirely of all vain imaginings, +and to incline +me in the direction of Thy grace, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all men! + + +Graciously assist me, +O my God, +in the days of the Manifestation of Thy +Cause and of the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, +to tear asunder the veils +which have hindered me from recognizing Thee, +and from immersing myself +beneath the ocean of Thy knowledge. +Hold Thou me with the hands of Thy +power, +and grant that I may be so carried away by the sweet melodies of +the Dove of Thy oneness, +that I will cease to regard in all creation any +face except Thy face, +O Thou the Goal of my desire, +and will recognize in +the visible world naught else save the evidences of Thy might, +O Thou Who +art the God of mercy! + + +I am but a wretched creature, +O my Lord, +and Thou art the All-Possessing, + +the Most High; +and I am all weakness, +and Thou art the Almighty, +and the +Supreme Ordainer in both the beginning and the end. +Withhold not from me +the fragrances of Thy Revelation, +and shatter not my hopes in the +outpourings which have been sent down out of the heaven of Thy gifts. + +Ordain Thou for me, +O my God, +the good of this world and the world to +come, +and grant me what will profit me in every world of Thy worlds, +for I +know not what will help or harm me. +Thou, +in truth, +art the All-Knowing, + +the All-Wise. + + +Have mercy, +then, +O my God, +upon Thy servants who are drowned in the midst +of the ocean of evil suggestions, +and deliver them by the power of Thy +sovereignty, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and attributes! +Thou art +He Who from everlasting hath ordained what hath pleased Thee, +and will +unto everlasting abide the same. +No God is there but Thee, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Merciful. + + + + + + + +O God, +my God! +I have set out from my home, +holding fast unto the cord of +Thy love, +and I have committed myself wholly to Thy care and Thy +protection. +I entreat Thee by Thy power through which Thou didst protect +Thy loved ones from the wayward and the perverse, +and from every +contumacious oppressor, +and every wicked doer who hath strayed far from +Thee, +to keep me safe by Thy bounty and Thy grace. +Enable me, +then, +to +return to my home by Thy power and Thy might. +Thou art, +truly, +the +Almighty, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity give me to drink, +O my +God, +and of the fruits of the tree of Thy being enable me to taste, +O my +Hope! +From the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, +O my Glory, + +and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting providence let me abide, +O my +Light! +Within the meadows of Thy nearness, +before Thy presence, +make me +able to roam, +O my Beloved, +and at the right hand of the throne of Thy +mercy, +seat me, +O my Desire! +From the fragrant breezes of Thy joy let a +breath pass over me, +O my Goal, +and into the heights of the paradise of +Thy reality let me gain admission, +O my Adored One! +To the melodies of the +dove of Thy oneness suffer me to hearken, +O Resplendent One, +and through +the spirit of Thy power and Thy might quicken me, +O my Provider! +In the +spirit of Thy love keep me steadfast, +O my Succorer, +and in the path of +Thy good-pleasure set firm my steps, +O my Maker! +Within the garden of +Thine immortality, +before Thy countenance, +let me abide for ever, +O Thou +Who art merciful unto me, +and upon the seat of Thy glory stablish me, +O +Thou Who art my Possessor! +To the heaven of Thy loving-kindness lift me +up, +O my Quickener, +and unto the Day-Star of Thy guidance lead me, +O Thou +my Attractor! +Before the revelations of Thine invisible spirit summon me +to be present, +O Thou Who art my Origin and my Highest Wish, +and unto the +essence of the fragrance of Thy beauty, +which Thou wilt manifest, +cause me +to return, +O Thou Who art my God! + + +Potent art Thou to do what pleasest Thee. +Thou art, +verily, +the Most +Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +the All-Highest. + + + + + + + +O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, +Whose beauty is my +sanctuary, +Whose habitation is my goal, +Whose praise is my hope, +Whose +providence is my companion, +Whose love is the cause of my being, +Whose +mention is my solace, +Whose nearness is my desire, +Whose presence is my +dearest wish and highest aspiration, +I entreat Thee not to withhold from +me the things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy servants. + +Supply me, +then, +with the good of this world and of the next. + + +Thou, +truly, +art the King of all men. +There is no God but Thee, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Generous. + + + + + + + + + + +O my Lord! +Make Thy beauty to be my food, +and Thy presence my drink, +and +Thy pleasure my hope, +and praise of Thee my action, +and remembrance of +Thee my companion, +and the power of Thy sovereignty my succorer, +and Thy +habitation my home, +and my dwelling-place the seat Thou hast sanctified +from the limitations imposed upon them who are shut out as by a veil from +Thee. + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the Most Powerful. + + + + + + +Glory be to Thee, +O Lord my God! +Abase not him whom Thou hast exalted +through the power of Thine everlasting sovereignty, +and remove not far +from Thee him whom Thou hast caused to enter the tabernacle of Thine +eternity. +Wilt Thou cast away, +O my God, +him whom Thou hast overshadowed +with Thy Lordship, +and wilt Thou turn away from Thee, +O my Desire, +him to +whom Thou hast been a refuge? +Canst Thou degrade him whom Thou hast +uplifted, +or forget him whom Thou didst enable to remember Thee? + + +Glorified, +immensely glorified art Thou! +Thou art He Who from everlasting +hath been the King of the entire creation and its Prime Mover, +and Thou +wilt to everlasting remain the Lord of all created things and their +Ordainer. +Glorified art Thou, +O my God! +If Thou ceasest to be merciful +unto Thy servants, +who, +then, +will show mercy unto them; +and if Thou +refusest to succor Thy loved ones, +who is there that can succor them? + + +Glorified, +immeasurably glorified art Thou! +Thou art adored in Thy truth, + +and Thee do we all, +verily, +worship; +and Thou art manifest in Thy justice, + +and to Thee do we all, +verily, +bear witness. +Thou art, +in truth, +beloved +in Thy grace. +No God is there but Thee, +the Help in Peril, +the +Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +Thy name is my healing, +O my God, +and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. + +Nearness to Thee is my hope, +and love for Thee is my companion. +Thy mercy +to me is my healing and my succor in both this world and the world to +come. +Thou, +verily, +art the All-Bountiful, +the All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +O my God, +my Master, +the Goal of my desire! +This, +Thy servant, +seeketh to +sleep in the shelter of Thy mercy, +and to repose beneath the canopy of Thy +grace, +imploring Thy care and Thy protection. + + +I beg of Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thine eye that sleepeth not, +to guard mine +eyes from beholding aught beside Thee. +Strengthen, +then, +their vision that +they may discern Thy signs, +and behold the Horizon of Thy Revelation. +Thou +art He before the revelations of Whose omnipotence the quintessence of +power hath trembled. + + +No God is there but Thee, +the Almighty, +the All-Subduing, +the +Unconditioned. + + + + + + +How can I choose to sleep, +O God, +my God, +when the eyes of them that long +for Thee are wakeful because of their separation from Thee; +and how can I +lie down to rest whilst the souls of Thy lovers are sore vexed in their +remoteness from Thy presence? + + +I have committed, +O my Lord, +my spirit and my entire being into the right +hand of Thy might and Thy protection, +and I lay my head on my pillow +through Thy power, +and lift it up according to Thy will and Thy +good-pleasure. +Thou art, +in truth, +the Preserver, +the Keeper, +the +Almighty, +the Most Powerful. + + +By Thy might! +I ask not, +whether sleeping or waking, +but that which Thou +dost desire. +I am Thy servant and in Thy hands. +Do Thou graciously aid me +to do what will shed forth the fragrance of Thy good pleasure. +This, + +truly, +is my hope and the hope of them that enjoy near access to Thee. + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord of the worlds! + + + + + + + +My God, +my Adored One, +my King, +my Desire! +What tongue can voice my thanks +to Thee? +I was heedless, +Thou didst awaken me. +I had turned back from +Thee, +Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee. +I was as one +dead, +Thou didst quicken me with the water of life. +I was withered, +Thou +didst revive me with the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath +flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful. + + +O Divine Providence! +All existence is begotten by Thy bounty; +deprive it +not of the waters of Thy generosity, +neither do Thou withhold it from the +ocean of Thy mercy. +I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at all times and +under all conditions, +and seek from the heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient +favor. +Thou art, +in truth, +the Lord of bounty, +and the Sovereign of the +kingdom of eternity. + + + + + + + +O God, +my God! +I beg of Thee by the ocean of Thy healing, +and by the +splendors of the Day-Star of Thy grace, +and by Thy Name through which Thou +didst subdue Thy servants, +and by the pervasive power of Thy most exalted +Word and the potency of Thy most august Pen, +and by Thy mercy that hath +preceded the creation of all who are in heaven and on earth, +to purge me +with the waters of Thy bounty from every affliction and disorder, +and from +all weakness and feebleness. + + +Thou seest, +O my Lord, +Thy suppliant waiting at the door of Thy bounty, + +and him who hath set his hopes on Thee clinging to the cord of Thy +generosity. +Deny him not, +I beseech Thee, +the things he seeketh from the +ocean of Thy grace and the Day-Star of Thy loving-kindness. + + +Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +There is none other God save +Thee, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Generous. + + + + + + + +I have risen this morning by Thy grace, +O my God, +and left my home +trusting wholly in Thee, +and committing myself to Thy care. +Send down, + +then, +upon me, +out of the heaven of Thy mercy, +a blessing from Thy side, + +and enable me to return home in safety even as Thou didst enable me to set +out under Thy protection with my thoughts fixed steadfastly upon Thee. + + +There is none other God but Thee, +the One, +the Incomparable, +the +All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + + + + + + +Praise be unto Thee, +Who art my God and the God of all men, +and my Desire +and the Desire of all them that have recognized Thee, +and my Beloved and +the Beloved of such as have acknowledged Thy unity, +and the Object of my +adoration and of the adoration of them that have near access to Thee, +and +my Wish and the Wish of such as are wholly devoted to Thee, +and my Hope +and the Hope of them that have fixed their hearts upon Thee, +and my Refuge +and the Refuge of all such as have hastened towards Thee, +and my Haven and +the Haven of whosoever hath repaired unto Thee, +and my Goal and the Goal +of all them that have set themselves towards Thee, +and my Object and the +Object of those who have fixed their gaze upon Thee, +and my Paradise and +the Paradise of them that have ascended towards Thee, +and my Lode-star and +the Lode-star of all such as yearn after Thee, +and my Joy and the Joy of +all them that love Thee, +and my Light and the Light of all such as have +erred and asked to be forgiven by Thee, +and my Exultation and the +Exultation of all them that remember Thee, +and my Stronghold and the +Stronghold of all such as have fled to Thee, +and my Sanctuary and the +Sanctuary of all that dread Thee, +and my Lord and the Lord of all such as +dwell in the heavens and on the earth! + + +Unto Thee be praise for that Thou hast enraptured me by the sweetness of +Thine utterances, +and set me towards the horizon above which the splendors +of the Day-Star of Thy face have shone, +and caused me to turn unto Thee at +a time when most of Thy creatures had broken off from Thee. + + +Thou art He, +O my God, +Who hath unlocked the gate of heaven with the key +of Thy Name, +the Ever-Blessed, +the All-Powerful, +the All-Glorious, +the +Most Great, +and hast summoned all mankind to the ocean of Thy presence. +No +sooner had Thy most sweet voice been raised, +than all the inmates of the +Kingdom of Names and the Concourse on high were stirred up. +By Thy call +the fragrance of the raiment of Thy Revelation was wafted over such of Thy +creatures as have loved Thee, +and such of Thy people as have yearned +towards Thee. +They rose up and rushed forth to attain the Ocean of Thy +meeting, +and the Horizon of Thy beauty, +and the Tabernacle of Thy +Revelation and Thy majesty, +and the Sanctuary of Thy Presence and Thy +glory. +They were so inebriated with the wine of their reunion with Thee, + +that they rid themselves of all attachment to whatever they themselves and +others possessed. + + +These are Thy servants whom the ascendancy of the oppressor hath failed to +deter from fixing their eyes on the Tabernacle of Thy majesty, +and whom +the hosts of tyranny have been powerless to affright and divert their gaze +from the Day-Spring of Thy signs and the Dawning-Place of Thy testimonies. + + +I swear by Thy glory, +O Thou the Lord of all being and the Enlightener of +all things visible and invisible! +Whoso hath quaffed from the hands of Thy +bounteousness the living waters of Thy love will never allow the things +pertaining to Thy creatures to keep him back from Thee, +neither will he be +dismayed at the refusal of all the dwellers of Thy realm to acknowledge +Thee. +Before all who are in heaven and on earth such a man will cry aloud, + +and announce unto the people the tumult of the Ocean of Thy bounty and the +splendors of the Luminaries of the heaven of Thy bestowals. + + +Happy indeed is the man that hath turned towards the sanctuary of Thy +presence, +and rid himself of all attachment to any one except Thyself. +He +is truly exalted who hath confessed Thy glory, +and fixed his eyes upon the +Day-Star of Thy loving-kindness. +He is endued with understanding who is +aware of Thy Revelation and hath acknowledged Thy manifold tokens, +Thy +signs, +and Thy testimonies. +He is a man of insight whose eyes have been +illumined with the brightness of Thy face, +and who, +as soon as Thy call +was raised, +hath recognized Thee. +He is a man of hearing who hath been led +to hearken unto Thy speech, +and to draw nigh unto the billowing ocean of +Thine utterances. + + +Behold Thou this stranger, +O my Lord, +who hath hastened to attain his most +exalted Home in the shelter of Thy shadowing mercy, +and this ailing soul +who hath set his face towards the ocean of Thy healing. + + +Look, +then, +O Thou my God Who settest my soul on fire, +upon the tears I +shed, +and the sighs I utter, +and the anguish that afflicteth my heart and +the fire that consumeth my being. +Thy glory beareth me witness, +O Thou, + +the Light of the world! +The fire of Thy love that burneth continually +within me hath so inflamed me that whoever among Thy creatures approacheth +me, +and inclineth his inner ear towards me, +cannot fail to hear its raging +within each of my veins. + + +I am so carried away by the sweetness of Thine utterances, +and so +inebriated with the wine of Thy tender mercies, +that my voice can never be +stilled, +nor can my suppliant hands any longer desist from being stretched +out towards Thee. +Thou seest, +O my Lord, +how mine eyes are fixed in the +direction of Thy grace, +and mine ears inclined towards the kingdom of +Thine utterance, +and my tongue unloosed to celebrate Thy praise, +and my +face set towards Thy face that surviveth all that hath been created by Thy +word, +and my hands raised up towards the heaven of Thy bounty and favor. + + +Wilt Thou keep back from Thee the stranger whom Thou didst call unto his +most exalted Home beneath the shadow of the wings of Thy mercy, +or cast +away the wretched creature that hath hastened to attain the shores of the +ocean of Thy wealth? +Wilt Thou shut up the door of Thy grace to the face +of Thy creatures after having opened it through the power of Thy might and +of Thy sovereignty, +or close the eyes of Thy people when Thou hast already +commanded them to turn unto the Day-Spring of Thy Beauty and the +Dawning-Place of the splendors of Thy countenance? + + +Nay, +and to this Thy glory beareth me witness! +Such is not my thought of +Thee, +nor the thought of those of Thy servants that have near access to +Thyself, +nor that of the sincere amongst Thy people. + + +Thou knowest, +and seest, +and hearest, +O my Lord, +that before every tree I +am moved to lift up my voice to Thee, +and before every stone I am impelled +to sigh and lament. +Hath it been Thy purpose in creating me, +O my God, +to +touch me with tribulation, +or to enable me to manifest Thy Cause in the +kingdom of Thy creation? + + +Thou hearest, +O my God, +my sighs and my groaning, +and beholdest my +powerlessness, +and my poverty, +and my misery, +and my woes, +and my +wretchedness. +I swear by Thy might! +I have wept with such a weeping that I +have been unable to make mention of Thee, +or to extol Thee, +and cried with +such a bitter cry that every mother in her bereavement was bewildered at +me, +and forgot her own anguish and the sighs she had uttered. + + +I implore Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thine Ark, +through which the potency of Thy +will was manifested and the energizing influences of Thy purpose were +revealed, +and which saileth on both land and sea through the power of Thy +might, +not to seize me in my mighty sins and great trespasses. +I swear by +Thy glory! +The waters of Thy forgiveness and Thy mercy have emboldened me, + +as hath Thy dealing, +in bygone ages, +with the sincere among Thy chosen +ones, +and with such of Thy Messengers as have proclaimed Thy oneness. + + +I am well aware, +O my Lord, +that I have been so carried away by the clear +tokens of Thy loving-kindness, +and so completely inebriated with the wine +of Thine utterance, +that whatever I behold I readily discover that it +maketh Thee known unto me, +and it remindeth me of Thy signs, +and of Thy +tokens, +and of Thy testimonies. +By Thy glory! +Every time I lift up mine +eyes unto Thy heaven, +I call to mind Thy highness and Thy loftiness, +and +Thine incomparable glory and greatness; +and every time I turn my gaze to +Thine earth, +I am made to recognize the evidences of Thy power and the +tokens of Thy bounty. +And when I behold the sea, +I find that it speaketh +to me of Thy majesty, +and of the potency of Thy might, +and of Thy +sovereignty and Thy grandeur. +And at whatever time I contemplate the +mountains, +I am led to discover the ensigns of Thy victory and the +standards of Thine omnipotence. + + +I swear by Thy might, +O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of all mankind, + +and the destinies of the nations! +I am so inflamed by my love for Thee, + +and so inebriated with the wine of Thy oneness, +that I can hear from the +whisper of the winds the sound of Thy glorification and praise, +and can +recognize in the murmur of the waters the voice that proclaimeth Thy +virtues and Thine attributes, +and can apprehend from the rustling of the +leaves the mysteries that have been irrevocably ordained by Thee in Thy +realm. + + +Glorified art Thou, +O God of all names and Creator of the heavens! +I +render Thee thanks that Thou hast made known unto Thy servants this Day +whereon the river that is life indeed hath flowed forth from the fingers +of Thy bounty, +and the springtime of Thy revelation and Thy presence hath +appeared through Thy manifestation unto all who are in Thy heaven and all +who are on Thy earth. + + +This is the Day, +O my Lord, +whose brightness Thou hast exalted above the +brightness of the sun and the splendors thereof. +I testify that the light +it sheddeth proceedeth out of the glory of the light of Thy countenance, + +and is begotten by the radiance of the morn of Thy Revelation. +This is the +Day whereon the hopeless have been clothed with the raiment of confidence, + +and the sick attired with the robe of healing, +and the poor drawn nigh +unto the ocean of Thy riches. + + +I swear by Thy Beauty, +O King of eternity Who sittest on Thy most glorious +Throne! +He Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs and the Revealer of Thy +clear tokens hath, +notwithstanding the immensity of His wisdom and the +loftiness of His knowledge, +confessed His powerlessness to comprehend the +least of Thine utterances, +in their relation to Thy most exalted Pen, +--how +much more is He incapable of apprehending the nature of Thine all-glorious +Self and of Thy most august Essence! + + +I cannot think, +O my God, +of any words wherewith to make mention of Thee, + +and know not how to express or extol Thee. +Were I to attempt to describe +Thee by Thy names, +I would readily recognize that the kingdom of these +names is itself created through the movement of Thy fingers, +and trembleth +for fear of Thee. +And were I to venture to extol Thine attributes, +I would +be forced to admit that these attributes are Thine own creation, +and lie +within Thy grasp. +It behooveth not Them Who are the Manifestations of +these names and attributes to stand before the gate of the city of Thy +Revelation, +how much less to scale the heights whereon Thou didst stablish +the throne of Thy majesty. + + +I swear by Thy might, +O Thou Who art the King of names and the Maker of +the heavens! +Whatsoever hath been adorned with the robe of words is but +Thy creation which hath been generated in Thy realm and begotten through +the operation of Thy will, +and is wholly unworthy of Thy highness and +falleth short of Thine excellence. + + +And since it hath been demonstrated that Thy most august Self is +immeasurably exalted above all that hath been created in the world of +being, +and is far above the reach and ken of the apprehension of Thy +chosen Ones and Thy loved Ones, +the splendors of the light of Thy unity +are therefore manifested, +and it becometh evident unto every one, +whether +free or bond, +that Thou art One in Thine own Self, +one in Thy Cause, +and +one in Thy Revelation. +Great is the blessedness of the man who, +in his +love towards Thee, +hath rid himself of all attachment from every one +except Thyself, +and hastened unto the horizon of Thy Revelation, +and +attained unto this Cup which Thou hast caused to excel all the seas of the +earth. + + +I beg of Thee, +O my God, +by Thy power, +and Thy might, +and Thy sovereignty, + +which have embraced all who are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, +to make +known unto Thy servants this luminous Way and this straight Path, +that +they may acknowledge Thy unity and Thy oneness, +with a certainty which the +vain imaginations of the doubters will not impair, +nor the idle fancies of +the wayward obscure. +Illumine, +O my Lord, +the eyes of Thy servants, +and +brighten their hearts with the splendors of the light of Thy knowledge, + +that they may apprehend the greatness of this most sublime station, +and +recognize this most luminous Horizon, +that haply the clamor of men may +fail to deter them from turning their gaze towards the effulgent light of +Thy unity, +and to hinder them from setting their faces toward the Horizon +of detachment. + + +This is the Day, +O my Lord, +which Thou didst announce unto all mankind as +the Day whereon Thou wouldst reveal Thy Self, +and shed Thy radiance, +and +shine brightly over all Thy creatures. +Thou hast, +moreover, +entered into a +covenant with them, +in Thy Books, +and Thy Scriptures, +and Thy Scrolls, +and +Thy Tablets, +concerning Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, +and +hast appointed the Bayán to be the Herald of this Most Great and +all-glorious Manifestation, +and this most resplendent and most sublime +Appearance. + + +And when the world's horizon was illumined, +and He Who is the Most Great +Name was manifested, +all disbelieved in Him and in His signs, +except such +as have been carried away by the sweetness of Thy glorification and +praise. +There befell Him what must remain inscrutable to everyone except +Thee, +Whose knowledge transcendeth all who are in Thy heaven and all who +are on Thy earth. + + +Thou well knowest, +O my God, +that the Revealer of the Bayán (the Báb) hath +commanded all mankind concerning Thy Cause, +and Thy Revelation, +and Thy +Sovereignty. +He hath said, +and sweet is His speech: +"Beware lest the Bayán +and its Letters keep you back from Him Who is the Most Merciful and from +His sovereignty. +" He, +moreover, +hath written: +"Were He to produce no more +than one verse, +ye must not deny Him. +Haste ye towards Him, +that haply He +may cause to descend upon you what He pleaseth, +as a token of His grace +unto you. +He truly is the Possessor of His servants, +and the King of +creation. +" + +Thou seest, +then, +O Thou Who art the Beloved of the world and the Revealer +of the Most Great Name, +how He hath come down with the kingdom of His +signs, +and in a manner that hath caused the atoms of the earth to testify +that the whole world hath been filled with these signs. +And yet, + +notwithstanding this most manifest and all-glorious Revelation, +and these +signs which none can appraise except Thee, +O Thou the King of names, +Thou +beholdest how they have broken off from Him Who is the Day-Spring of Thine +Essence, +and have caviled at the One Who is the Fountain-Head of Thy +wisdom and of Thine utterance. +They were so seized with thirst for fame, + +that they rejected Thy tokens, +and Thy testimonies, +and Thy signs, +which +every man of insight perceiveth in whatsoever declareth Thy greatness, +and +Thy sovereignty, +and acknowledgeth Thy Revelation and Thy might. +They have +so traduced Him as to cause the inmates of the all-glorious Tabernacle and +the Concourse on high to lament, +and have uttered such calumnies against +Him that the souls of Thy chosen Ones and the hearts of them that are dear +to Thee have melted. +They have erred so grievously that they cast away Thy +most resplendent signs, +and clung to their idle fancies, +O Thou Who art +the Possessor of Names and the Lord of the Throne on high and of earth +below! + + +Thou art, +O my God and the Exultation of my heart, +the One Who hath +adorned Thy Tablet, +of which none is aware except Thee, +with the mention +of this Day which Thou didst call after Thy name, +that haply none may on +that day be seen save Thy most august Self, +and naught else be brought to +mind except Thy most sweet remembrance. + + +No sooner had He revealed Himself than the foundations of the kindreds of +the earth shook and trembled, +and the learned swooned away, +and the wise +were bewildered, +except such as have, +through the power of Thy might, + +drawn nigh unto Thee, +and received the choice wine of Thy Revelation from +the hand of Thy grace, +and have quaffed it in Thy name, +and exclaimed: + +"Praise be unto Thee, +O Thou the Desire of the worlds! +and glory be to +Thee, +O Thou Who art the Exultation of the hearts that pant after Thee! +" + +My God, +my Master, +my Highest Hope, +and the Goal of my desire! +Thou seest +and hearest the sighing of this wronged One, +from this darksome well which +the vain imaginations of Thine adversaries have built, +and from this blind +pit which the idle fancies of the wicked among Thy creatures have digged. + +By Thy Beauty, +O Thou Whose glory is uncovered to the face of men! +I am +not impatient in the troubles that touch me in my love for Thee, +neither +in the adversities which I suffer in Thy path. +Nay, +I have, +by Thy power, + +chosen them for mine own self, +and I glory in them amongst such of Thy +creatures as enjoy near access to Thee, +and those of Thy servants that are +wholly devoted to Thy Self. + + +I beseech Thee, +however, +O Thou Who art the Enlightener of the world and +the Lord of the nations, +at this very moment when, +with the hands of hope, + +I have clung to the hem of the raiment of Thy mercy and Thy bounty, +to +forgive Thy servants who have soared in the atmosphere of Thy nearness, + +and set their faces towards the splendors of the light of Thy countenance, + +and turned unto the horizon of Thy good pleasure, +and approached the ocean +of Thy mercy, +and all their lives long have spoken forth Thy praise, +and +have been inflamed with the fire of their love for Thee. +Do Thou ordain +for them, +O Lord my God, +both before and after their death, +what becometh +the loftiness of Thy bounty and the excellence of Thy loving-kindness. + + +Grant, +O my Lord, +that they who have ascended unto Thee may repair unto +Him Who is the most exalted Companion, +and abide beneath the shadow of the +Tabernacle of Thy majesty and the Sanctuary of Thy glory. +Sprinkle, +O my +Lord, +upon them from the ocean of Thy forgiveness what will make them +worthy to abide, +so long as Thine own sovereignty endureth, +within Thy +most exalted kingdom and Thine all-highest dominion. +Potent art Thou to do +what pleaseth Thee. + + +Deny not Thy loved ones, +O my Lord, +the sweet savors of this Day whereon +the mysteries of Thy name, +the Self-Subsisting, +were unraveled, +and all +that had been enshrined within the treasuries of Thy wisdom was revealed. + +This is the Day, +O my Lord, +whereon every atom of the earth hath been made +to vibrate and to cry out: +"O Thou Who art the Revealer of signs and the +King of creation! +I, +verily, +perceive the fragrance of Thy presence. + +Methinks Thou hast revealed Thyself, +and unlocked the door of reunion with +Thee before all who are in Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth. +I am +persuaded through the fragrance of Thy robe, +O my Lord, +that the world +hath been honored through Thy presence, +and hath inhaled the sweet smell +of Thy meeting. +I know not, +however, +O Thou the Beloved of the world and +the Desire of the nations, +the place wherein the throne of Thy majesty +hath been established, +nor the seat which hath been made Thy footstool, + +and been illumined with the splendors of the light of Thy face. +" + +I swear by Thy glory, +O Thou Who art the Lord of all being and the +Possessor of all things visible and invisible! +Every man of understanding +hath been so bewildered at Thy knowledge, +and every man endued with +insight been so perplexed in his attempt to fathom the signs of Thy great +glory, +that all have recognized their powerlessness to visualize, +and +their impotence to soar into, +the heaven wherefrom one of the Luminaries +of the Manifestations of Thy knowledge and of the Day-Springs of Thy +wisdom hath shone forth. +Who is he that shall befittingly describe this +most sublime station and this most august seat--the seat which, +as decreed +by Thee, +transcendeth the comprehension of Thy creatures and the +testimonies of Thy servants, +and which hath everlastingly been hid from +the understanding and the knowledge of men, +and been closed with the seal +of Thy name, +the Self-Subsisting. + + +I swear by Thy glory and Thy sovereignty which overshadow the kingdoms of +earth and of heaven! +Were any of Thy chosen Ones and Thy Messengers to +meditate on the manifold evidences of Thy most exalted Pen--a Pen which is +driven by the fingers of Thy will--and were he to muse on its mysteries, + +and its tokens, +and all that it showeth forth, +he would be so perplexed +that his tongue would fail to extol and describe Thee, +and his heart would +be utterly unable to understand Thee. +For he would, +at one time, +discover +that from this Pen there floweth out unto all created things the water +that is life indeed, +and that the Pen itself hath been named by Thee the +trumpet whereby the dead speed out of their sepulchers. +At another time he +would find that there proceedeth from this Pen such fire as Thine own +Revelation can kindle, +and as He Who conversed with Thee (Moses) on Sinai +hath perceived. + + +How marvelous, +then, +are the manifold tokens of Thy might, +and how great +are the diverse evidences of Thy power! +The learned have, +without +exception, +admitted their ignorance when confronted with the radiance of +the Luminary of Thy knowledge; +and the mighty have all confessed their +impotence in the face of the billowing Ocean of Thy power; +and the rich +have one and all acknowledged their poverty before the effusions of the +Treasuries of Thy wealth; +and the worldly wise have each recognized their +nothingness beside the splendors of the Light of Thy beauty; +and the +exalted have all witnessed unto their abasement when face to face with the +effulgence of the Day-Star of Thy glory; +and they who are in authority +have borne witness to their own evanescence and to the evanescence of +others, +and discovered the eternity of Thy majesty, +and of Thy +sovereignty, +and of Thy sublimity, +and of Thy power. + + +My God, +and the God of all things, +and my King and the King of all things, + +and the Beloved of my soul, +and the Goal of my desire! +Thou knowest full +well that I make mention of Thee, +in this day, +in the name of such of Thy +creatures as have detached themselves from all except Thee, +and I extol +Thy virtues through the tongue of those of Thy people that have recognized +Thy oneness, +that haply there may pour out from the sighs which they utter +in their love and their yearning for Thee what will melt away all that may +hinder Thy servants from setting their faces towards the heaven of Thy +knowledge and the kingdom of Thy signs. + + +This, +then, +O my God and the God of all names, +and the Creator of earth +and heaven, +is the Day whereon He Whose heart gloweth with the flaming +fire of Thy presence is calling upon Thee. +Where can separation from Thee +be found, +O my God, +so that reunion with Thee may be clearly recognized at +the appearance of the Light of Thy unity, +and the revelation of the +splendors of the Sun of Thy oneness? +I ask pardon of Thee, +O my God, +for +all that hath been said, +and for whatsoever hath flowed out, +and is now +flowing out from my Pen in Thy days. +I testify that Thou hast decreed that +the offering of prayer should befit not me, +but Him Who hath, +at Thy +bidding and in conformity with Thy pleasure, +preceded me. +Rather hast Thou +ordained that the revelation of verses should be specially attributed unto +this mighty Manifestation, +and to This Announcement that hath adorned the +Scrolls of Thy majesty and Thy Tablet in which account is kept. + + +I render Thee thanks, +O Thou Who hast lighted Thy fire within my soul, +and +cast the beams of Thy light into my heart, +that Thou hast taught Thy +servants how to make mention of Thee, +and revealed unto them the ways +whereby they can supplicate Thee, +through Thy most holy and exalted +tongue, +and Thy most august and precious speech. +But for Thy leave, +who is +there that could venture to express Thy might and Thy grandeur; +and were +it not for Thine instruction, +who is the man that could discover the ways +of Thy pleasure in the kingdom of Thy creation? + + +I beseech Thee, +O God of bounty and King of all created things, +to guard +Thy servants from the imaginations which their hearts may devise. +Raise +them up, +then, +to such heights that their footsteps may slip not in the +face of the evidences of Thy handiwork, +which the manifold exigencies of +Thy wisdom have ordained, +and whose secrets Thou hast hid from the face of +Thy people and Thy creatures. +Withhold them not, +O my Lord, +from the ocean +of Thy knowledge, +neither do Thou deprive them of what Thou didst destine +for such of Thy chosen ones as have near access to Thee, +and those of Thy +trusted ones as are wholly devoted to Thy Self. +Supply them, +then, +from +Thy sea of certainty with what will calm the agitation of their hearts. + +Turn, +O Lord my God, +the darkness of their fancies into the brightness of +certitude, +and cause them to arise, +and to walk steadfastly in Thy +straight Path, +that haply Thy Book may not hinder them from recognizing +Him Who is its Revealer, +and Thy names from acknowledging the One Who is +their Creator, +and their Provider, +and their Origin, +and their King, +and +their Begetter, +and their Destroyer, +and their Glorifier, +and their +Abaser, +and their Governor, +and the Sovereign Protector of their Bearers. + + +Thou art the One, +O my God and my Ruler, +Who hast sent down Thy Book that +Thou mayest manifest my Cause, +and glorify my Word. +Through it Thou didst +enter into a Covenant, +concerning me, +with all that hath been created in +Thy realm. +Thou seest, +O Beloved of the world, +how the rebellious among +Thy creatures have made of that Covenant a bulwark for themselves, +and +through it have withdrawn from Thy Beauty, +and repudiated Thy signs. + + +Thou art He, +O my God, +Who hath commanded them in Thy great Book, +and +said: +"Fear ye the Most Merciful, +O people of the Bayán, +and deny not Him +for Whom I have ordained the Bayán to be one of the leaves of His +Paradise. +I, +verily, +esteem it as a gift from me unto Him. +Were it His +pleasure to accept it, +He, +truly, +is the Most Bountiful; +and if He cast it +away and refuse to consider it, +His verdict is just, +and He, +in very +truth, +is Praiseworthy in His acts, +and meet to be obeyed in His behests. + +To none is given the right to cavil at Him. +" + +Thou beholdest, +therefore, +O my God, +how this wronged one hath fallen into +the hands of such as have denied Thy right, +and broken off from Thy +sovereignty. +He, +round whose person circleth Thy proof, +and in whose name +and on behalf of whose sovereignty Thy testimony crieth out unto all +created things, +hath suffered more grievously in his days than any pen can +recount, +and been so harassed that He Who is Thy Spirit (Jesus) lamented, + +and all the denizens of Thy Kingdom and all the inmates of Thy Tabernacle +in the realms above cried with a great and bitter lamentation. + + +Should any one incline his inner ear, +he would hear the cry and the +wailing of all created things over what hath befallen Him Whom the world +hath wronged, +at the hands of them with whom Thou hast covenanted in the +Day of Separation. +Where is that fair-minded soul, +O my God, +who will +judge equitably Thy Cause, +and where is the man of insight to be found who +will behold Thee with Thine own eyes? +Is there any man of hearing who will +hear Thee with Thine ears, +or one endued with eloquence who will speak the +truth in Thy days? + + +I swear by Thy glory, +O Thou Who beholdest me from Thine all-glorious +horizon, +and hearest the voice of the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no +passing! +Should any one consider Thy Books which Thou didst name the +Bayán, +and ponder in his heart what hath been revealed therein, +he would +discover that each of these Books announceth my Revelation, +and declareth +my Name, +and testifieth to my Self, +and proclaimeth my Cause, +and my +Praise, +and my Rising, +and the radiance of my Glory. +And yet, + +notwithstanding Thy proclamation, +O my God, +and in spite of the words Thou +didst utter, +O my Beloved, +Thou hast seen and heard their calumnies +against me, +and their evil doings in my days. + + +I testify in my present state, +O my Lord, +and against the will of him who +hath turned his back to Thee (Mírzá Yahyá), +that Thou art God, +and that +there is none other God beside Thee. +This, +verily, +is the Day wherewith +Thy Scriptures, +and Thy Books, +and Thy Tablets, +have been adorned. +And He +Who now speaketh is, +in truth, +the Well-guarded Treasure, +and the Hidden +Secret, +and the Preserved Tablet, +and the Impenetrable Mystery, +and the +Sealed Book. +He, +truly, +is to be obeyed in whatsoever He commandeth, +and +decreeth, +and revealeth, +and is to be loved in everything He, +through His +sovereignty, +enjoineth, +and, +through His power, +ordaineth. +Whoso will +hesitate for less than the twinkling of an eye, +hath, +verily, +denied Thy +right, +and repudiated all that Thou hast revealed in Thy Books, +and in Thy +Scriptures, +and sent down with Thy chosen Ones, +and Thy Prophets, +and Thy +Messengers, +and the Trustees of Thy Revelation. + + +I beg of Thee, +O Thou in Whose hands are the kingdoms of earth and heaven, + +and in Whose grasp lie all who dwell in the dominions of Thy Revelation +and Thy creation, +not to withhold the glance of Thy favors from such as +have sustained tribulations in Thy path, +and tasted of the cup of woe in +their love towards Thee, +and have been cast into prison in Thy name, +and +endured what none of Thy creatures and Thy people have endured. +They are +Thy servants, +O my Lord, +who have responded to Thee as soon as Thou didst +send out Thy summons, +and have set their faces towards Thee when the light +of Thy countenance was lifted upon them, +and turned unto Thee at the time +when Thy most exalted horizon shone forth with the brightness of Thy name +through which all who are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth swooned away. + +Ordain for them, +O my Lord, +what Thou didst ordain for Thy chosen ones who +have welcomed the darts of the infidels in Thy Cause and for love of Thee, + +and hasted to attain the orient of tribulation with Thy name on their lips +and Thy remembrance in their hearts. +Thou art the One, +O my God, +Who hath +promised in Thy perspicuous utterances to remember them in Thy Book as a +recompense for their works in Thy days. + + +Bless them, +O my God, +and ascribe unto them such glory as hath shone forth +above the horizon of Thy will, +and hath shed its splendors from the +kingdom of Thine utterance. +Immerse them, +O my Lord, +beneath the ocean of +Thy mercy, +and illumine them with the dawning light of Thy Revelation. + +Forgive, +then, +O my God, +their fathers and their mothers, +by Thy favor, + +and Thy bounty, +and Thy tender mercies. +Send, +then, +upon them from the +right hand of Thy most exalted Paradise the fragrance of the robe of Thine +all-glorious Beauty. +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +Thou, + +verily, +art the Governor, +the Ordainer, +the All-Bountiful, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Generous. + + +Praise be unto Thee, +O Thou the Beloved of the world, +and the Adored of +the hearts of them that have recognized Thee. + + + + + + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by Thy mighty Sign, +and by the revelation of Thy +grace amongst men, +to cast me not away from the gate of the city of Thy +presence, +and to disappoint not the hopes I have set on the manifestations +of Thy grace amidst Thy creatures. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy +Name, +the Most Holy, +the Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, + +the Most Exalted, +the Most Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe +to which have clung all in this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by Thy most sweet Voice and by Thy most exalted +Word, +to draw me ever nearer to the threshold of Thy door, +and to suffer +me not to be far removed from the shadow of Thy mercy and the canopy of +Thy bounty. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, + +the Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, +the Most Exalted, +the +Most Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung all +in this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by the splendor of Thy luminous brow and the +brightness of the light of Thy countenance, +which shineth from the +all-highest horizon, +to attract me by the fragrance of Thy raiment, +and +make me drink of the choice wine of Thine utterance. +Thou seest me, +O my +God, +holding to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, +the Most Luminous, +the Most +Mighty, +the Most Great, +the Most Exalted, +the Most Glorious, +and clinging +to the hem of the robe to which have clung all in this world and in the +world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by Thy hair which moveth across Thy face, +even +as Thy most exalted pen moveth across the pages of Thy Tablets, +shedding +the musk of hidden meanings over the kingdom of Thy creation, +so to raise +me up to serve Thy Cause that I shall not fall back, +nor be hindered by +the suggestions of them who have caviled at Thy signs and turned away from +Thy face. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, +the +Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, +the Most Exalted, +the Most +Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung all in +this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by Thy Name which Thou hast made the King of +Names, +by which all who are in heaven and all who are on earth have been +enraptured, +to enable me to gaze on the Day-Star of Thy Beauty, +and to +supply me with the wine of Thine utterance. +Thou seest me, +O my God, + +holding to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, +the Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, + +the Most Great, +the Most Exalted, +the Most Glorious, +and clinging to the +hem of the robe to which have clung all in this world and in the world to +come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by the Tabernacle of Thy majesty upon the +loftiest summits, +and the Canopy of Thy Revelation on the highest hills, + +to graciously aid me to do what Thy will hath desired and Thy purpose hath +manifested. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, + +the Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, +the Most Exalted, +the +Most Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung all +in this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by Thy Beauty that shineth forth above the +horizon of eternity, +a Beauty before which as soon as it revealeth itself +the kingdom of beauty boweth down in worship, +magnifying it in ringing +tones, +to grant that I may die to all that I possess and live to +whatsoever belongeth unto Thee. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy +Name, +the Most Holy, +the Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, + +the Most Exalted, +the Most Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe +to which have clung all in this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by the Manifestation of Thy Name, +the +Well-Beloved, +through Whom the hearts of Thy lovers were consumed and the +souls of all that dwell on earth have soared aloft, +to aid me to remember +Thee amongst Thy creatures, +and to extol Thee amidst Thy people. +Thou +seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, +the Most Luminous, + +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, +the Most Exalted, +the Most Glorious, +and +clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung all in this world and +in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by the rustling of the Divine Lote-Tree and the +murmur of the breezes of Thine utterance in the kingdom of Thy names, +to +remove me far from whatsoever Thy will abhorreth, +and draw me nigh unto +the station wherein He Who is the Day-Spring of Thy signs hath shone +forth. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, +the +Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, +the Most Exalted, +the Most +Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung all in +this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by that Letter which, +as soon as it proceeded +out of the mouth of Thy will, +hath caused the oceans to surge, +and the +winds to blow, +and the fruits to be revealed, +and the trees to spring +forth, +and all past traces to vanish, +and all veils to be rent asunder, + +and them who are devoted to Thee to hasten unto the light of the +countenance of their Lord, +the Unconstrained, +to make known unto me what +lay hid in the treasuries of Thy knowledge and concealed within the +repositories of Thy wisdom. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy Name, + +the Most Holy, +the Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, +the +Most Exalted, +the Most Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe to +which have clung all in this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by the fire of Thy love which drove sleep from +the eyes of Thy chosen ones and Thy loved ones, +and by their remembrance +and praise of Thee at the hour of dawn, +to number me with such as have +attained unto that which Thou hast sent down in Thy Book and manifested +through Thy will. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy Name, +the Most +Holy, +the Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, +the Most +Exalted, +the Most Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe to which +have clung all in this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by the light of Thy countenance which impelled +them who are nigh unto Thee to meet the darts of Thy decree, +and such as +are devoted to Thee to face the swords of Thine enemies in Thy path, +to +write down for me with Thy most exalted Pen what Thou hast written down +for Thy trusted ones and Thy chosen ones. +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding +to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, +the Most Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most +Great, +the Most Exalted, +the Most Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the +robe to which have clung all in this world and in the world to come. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by Thy Name through which Thou hast hearkened +unto the call of Thy lovers, +and the sighs of them that long for Thee, +and +the cry of them that enjoy near access to Thee, +and the groaning of them +that are devoted to Thee, +and through which Thou hast fulfilled the wishes +of them that have set their hopes on Thee, +and hast granted them their +desires, +through Thy grace and Thy favors, +and by Thy Name through which +the ocean of forgiveness surged before Thy face, +and the clouds of Thy +generosity rained upon Thy servants, +to write down for every one who hath +turned unto Thee, +and observed the fast prescribed by Thee, +the recompense +decreed for such as speak not except by Thy leave, +and who forsook all +that they possessed in Thy path and for love of Thee. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thyself, +and by Thy signs, +and Thy clear +tokens, +and the shining light of the Day-Star of Thy Beauty, +and Thy +Branches, +to cancel the trespasses of those who have held fast to Thy +laws, +and have observed what Thou hast prescribed unto them in Thy Book. + +Thou seest me, +O my God, +holding to Thy Name, +the Most Holy, +the Most +Luminous, +the Most Mighty, +the Most Great, +the Most Exalted, +the Most +Glorious, +and clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung all in +this world and in the world to come. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +I supplicate Thee by Him Whom Thou hast +called into being, +Whose Revelation Thou hast ordained to be Thine own +Revelation and His Concealment Thine own Concealment. +Through His +Firstness Thou hast confirmed Thine own Firstness, +and through His +Lastness Thou hast affirmed Thine own Lastness. +Through the power of His +might and the influence of His sovereignty the mighty have apprehended +Thine omnipotence, +and through His glory they who are endowed with +authority have acknowledged Thy majesty and greatness. +Through His supreme +ascendancy Thy transcendent sovereignty and all-encompassing dominion have +been recognized, +and through His will Thine own will hath been revealed. + +Through the light of His countenance the splendors of Thine own face have +shone forth, +and through His Cause Thine own Cause hath been made +manifest. +Through the generative power of His utterance the whole earth +hath been made the recipient of the wondrous signs and tokens of Thy +sovereignty, +and the heavens have been filled with the revelations of +Thine incomparable majesty, +and the seas have been enriched with the +sacred pearls of Thine omniscience and wisdom, +and the trees adorned with +the fruits of Thy knowledge. +Through Him all things have sung Thy praise, + +and all the eyes have been turned in the direction of Thy mercy. +Through +Him the faces of all have been set towards the splendors of the light of +Thy countenance, +and the souls of all have been inclined unto the +revelations of Thy divine greatness. + + +How great is Thy power! +How exalted Thy sovereignty! +How lofty Thy might! + +How excellent Thy majesty! +How supreme is Thy grandeur--a grandeur which He +Who is Thy Manifestation hath made known and wherewith Thou hast invested +Him as a sign of Thy generosity and bountiful favor. +I bear witness, +O my +God, +that through Him Thy most resplendent signs have been uncovered, +and +Thy mercy hath encompassed the entire creation. +But for Him, +how could the +Celestial Dove have uttered its songs or the Heavenly Nightingale, + +according to the decree of God, +have warbled its melody? + + +I testify that no sooner had the First Word proceeded, +through the potency +of Thy will and purpose, +out of His mouth, +and the First Call gone forth +from His lips than the whole creation was revolutionized, +and all that are +in the heavens and all that are on earth were stirred to the depths. + +Through that Word the realities of all created things were shaken, +were +divided, +separated, +scattered, +combined and reunited, +disclosing, +in both +the contingent world and the heavenly kingdom, +entities of a new creation, + +and revealing, +in the unseen realms, +the signs and tokens of Thy unity and +oneness. +Through that Call Thou didst announce unto all Thy servants the +advent of Thy most great Revelation and the appearance of Thy most perfect +Cause. + + +No sooner had that Revelation been unveiled to men's eyes than the signs +of universal discord appeared among the peoples of the world, +and +commotion seized the dwellers of earth and heaven, +and the foundations of +all things were shaken. +The forces of dissension were released, +the +meaning of the Word was unfolded, +and every several atom in all created +things acquired its own distinct and separate character. +Hell was made to +blaze, +and the delights of Paradise were uncovered to men's eyes. +Blessed +is the man that turneth towards Thee, +and woe betide him who standeth +aloof from Thee, +who denieth Thee and repudiateth Thy signs in this +Revelation wherein the faces of the exponents of denial have turned black +and the faces of the exponents of truthfulness have turned white, +O Thou +Who art the Possessor of all names and attributes, +Who holdest in Thy +grasp the empire of whatever hath been created in heaven and on earth! + + +Praise be to Thee, +therefore, +O my God--such praise as Thou didst ascribe +to Thine own Self, +and which none except Thee can either comprehend or +reckon. +Thou art He, +O my Lord, +Who hath made known His own Self unto me, + +at a time when Thy servants have failed to recognize Thee--servants who, +by +virtue of the ties that bind them to Thee, +have been ruling over all that +dwell on earth and have been vaunting themselves over its peoples. +Were I, + +O my God, +to exercise from pole to pole supreme dominion over the earth, + +and were I to be offered all the treasures it containeth, +and were I to +expend them in Thy path, +I would still be powerless to attain unto this +station, +unless I were assisted and strengthened by Thee. +And were I to +glorify Thee, +O my God, +so long as the glory of Thy majesty endureth and +the influence of Thy sovereignty and power will last, +such a glorification +could never be compared with any of the praises which Thou, +as a token of +Thy grace, +hast taught me, +and wherewith Thou hast bidden me to extol Thy +virtues. +If such be the excellence of each one of the praises which Thou +hast taught me, +how immeasurably greater must be the excellence of the +station of the One Who hath known Thee, +Who hath entered Thy Presence, +and +pursued steadfastly the path of Thy Cause! + + +I have clearly perceived, +and I am wholly persuaded, +that Thou hast from +everlasting been immeasurably exalted above the mention of all beings, +and +wilt continue unto everlasting to remain far above the conception of Thy +creatures. +None can befittingly praise Thee except Thine own Self and such +as are like unto Thee. +Thou hast, +verily, +been at all times, +and wilt +everlastingly continue to remain, +immensely exalted beyond and above all +comparison and likeness, +above all imagination of parity or resemblance. + +Having, +thus, +recognized Thee as One Who is incomparable, +and Whose nature +none can possess, +it becometh incontrovertibly evident that whosoever may +praise Thee, +his praise can befit only such as are of his own nature, +and +are subject to his own limitations, +and it can in no wise adequately +describe the sublimity of Thy sovereignty, +nor scale the heights of Thy +majesty and holiness. +How sweet, +therefore, +is the praise Thou givest to +Thine own Self, +and the description Thou givest of Thine own Being! + + +I testify, +O my God, +that Thou hast, +from eternity, +sent down upon Thy +servants naught else except that which can cause them to soar up and be +drawn near unto Thee, +and to ascend into the heaven of Thy transcendent +oneness. +Thou hast established Thy bounds among them, +and ordained them to +stand among Thy creatures as evidences of Thy justice and as signs of Thy +mercy, +and to be the stronghold of Thy protection amongst Thy people, +that +no man may in Thy realm transgress against his neighbor. +How great is the +blessedness of him who, +for love of Thy beauty and for the sake of Thy +pleasure, +hath curbed the desires of a corrupt inclination and observed +the precepts laid down by Thy most exalted Pen! +He, +in truth, +is to be +numbered with them that have attained unto all good, +and followed the way +of guidance. + + +I beseech Thee, +O my Lord, +by Thy Name through which Thou hast enabled Thy +servants and Thy people to know Thee, +through which Thou hast drawn the +hearts of those who have recognized Thee towards the resplendent court of +Thy oneness, +and the souls of Thy favored ones unto the Day-Spring of Thy +unity, +--I beseech Thee to grant that I may be assisted to observe the fast +wholly for Thy sake, +O Thou Who art full of majesty and glory! +Empower me, + +then, +O my God, +to be reckoned among them that have clung to Thy laws and +precepts for the sake of Thee alone, +their eyes fixed on Thy face. +These, + +indeed, +are they whose wine is all that hath proceeded out of the mouth of +Thy primal will, +whose pure beverage is Thine enthralling call, +whose +heavenly River is Thy love, +whose Paradise is entrance into Thy presence +and reunion with Thee. +For Thou hast been their Beginning and their End, + +and their Highest Hope, +and their Supreme Desire. +Blinded be the eye that +gazeth on whatsoever may displease Thee, +and confounded be the soul that +seeketh the things that are contrary to Thy will. + + +Deign, +O my God, +I implore Thee, +by Thy Self and by them, +to accept, + +through Thy grace and Thy loving-kindness, +the works we have performed, + +however much they fall short of the loftiness of Thy state and the +sublimity of Thy station, +O Thou Who art most dear to the hearts that long +for Thee, +and the Healer of the souls that have recognized Thee! +Rain +down, +therefore, +upon us from the heaven of Thy mercy and the clouds of +Thy gracious providence that which will cleanse us from the faintest trace +of evil and corrupt desires, +and will draw us nearer unto Him Who is the +Manifestation of Thy most exalted and all-glorious Self. +Thou art, +verily, + +the Lord of this world and of the next, +and art powerful to do all things. + + +Do Thou bless, +O Lord my God, +the Primal Point, +through Whom the point of +creation hath been made to revolve in both the visible and invisible +worlds, +Whom Thou hast designated as the One whereunto should return +whatsoever must return unto Thee, +and as the Revealer of whatsoever may be +manifested by Thee. +Do Thou also bless such of His Letters as have not +turned away from Thee, +who have been firmly established in Thy love, +and +clung steadfastly to Thy good-pleasure. +Bless Thou, +likewise, +as long as +Thine own Self endureth and Thine own Essence doth last, +them that have +suffered martyrdom in Thy path. +Thou art, +verily, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the +Most Merciful. + + +Moreover, +I beseech Thee, +O my God, +by Him Whom Thou hast announced unto +us in all Thy Tablets and Thy Books and Thy Scrolls and Thy Scriptures, + +through Whom the kingdom of names hath been convulsed, +and all that lay +hid in the breasts of them that have followed their evil and corrupt +desires hath been revealed, +--I beseech Thee to strengthen us in our love +for Him, +to make us steadfast in His Cause, +to help us befriend His loved +ones and challenge His enemies. +Shield us, +then, +O my God, +from the +mischief wrought by them that have denied Thy presence, +and turned away +from Thy face, +and resolved to put an end to the life of Him Who is the +Manifestation of Thine own Self. + + +O my God and my Master! +Thou knowest how they have disgraced Thy Cause and +dishonored Thee among Thy creatures, +how they have joined Thine enemies, + +that they may undermine Thy Revelation and injure Thee. +Lay hold on them +with the power of Thy wrath and might, +O my God, +and expose their shameful +acts and their wickedness, +that whatever is hid in their breasts may be +revealed unto the people that dwell within Thy land, +O Thou Who art the +Inflictor of trials, +the Fashioner of nations, +and the Bestower of favors! + +No God is there beside Thee, +the All-Glorious, +the Most Bountiful. + + + + + + + +Praised be Thou, +O Lord my God! +The tongues of all created things testify +to Thy sovereignty and Thine omnipotence, +and proclaim mine own poverty +and my wretchedness when face to face with the revelations of Thy wealth. + +Look, +then, +O my God, +upon this sinner whose gaze hath, +at all times, +been +fixed upon the source of Thy forgiveness, +and whose eyes have been bent +upon the horizon of Thy grace and Thy gifts. + + +Ever since the day Thou didst create me at Thy bidding, +O my God, +and +didst arouse me through the gentle winds of Thy tender mercies, +I have +refused to turn to any one except Thee, +and have, +through the power of Thy +sovereignty and Thy might, +arisen to face Thine enemies, +and have summoned +all mankind unto the shores of the ocean of Thy oneness and the heaven of +Thine all-glorious unity. +I have sought, +all my days, +not to guard myself +from the mischief of the rebellious among Thy creatures, +but rather to +exalt Thy name amidst Thy people. +I have, +thereby, +suffered what none of +Thy creatures hath suffered. + + +How many the days, +O my God, +which I have spent in utter loneliness with +the transgressors amongst Thy servants, +and how many the nights, +O my +Best-Beloved, +during which I lay a captive in the hands of the wayward +amidst Thy creatures! +In the midst of my troubles and tribulations I have +continued to celebrate Thy praise before all who are in Thy heaven and on +Thy earth, +and have not ceased to extol Thy wondrous glory in the kingdoms +of Thy Revelation and of Thy creation, +though all that I have been capable +of showing forth hath fallen short of the greatness and the majesty of Thy +oneness, +and is unworthy of Thine exaltation and of Thine omnipotence. + + +I swear by Thy glory, +O Thou Who art the one alone Beloved! +I find myself +to be only nothing before the habitation of Thy great glory. +Every time I +attempt to extol any one of Thy virtues, +my heart restraineth me, +for +naught but Thee is able to soar into the atmosphere of the kingdom of Thy +nearness, +or reach up to the heaven of Thy presence. + + +Thy might beareth me witness! +I am well aware that were I to bow myself +before a handful of dust, +from now until the end that hath no end, +in +acknowledgment of its relationship to Thy name, +the Fashioner, +I would +still find myself far removed from that dust, +and incapable of approaching +it, +and would discover that such an adoration can in no wise befit it, +nor +transcend the limitations to which I myself have been subjected. +And were +I to arise to serve one of Thy servants, +and to wait at his door so long +as Thine own kingdom endureth and Thine omnipotence will last, +as a sign +of my acknowledgment of the tie that bindeth him to Thy name, +the Creator, + +I would, +likewise, +--and to this Thy glory beareth me witness--have to +confess my complete failure to do him adequate service, +and my deprivation +of what can truly befit his station. +And this for the reason that I +recognize in them naught else except the bond that bindeth them to Thy +names and Thine attributes. +How can, +then, +such a man succeed in +befittingly extolling the One through a motion of Whose finger all the +names and their kingdom were called into being, +and all the attributes and +their dominion were created, +and Who, +through yet another motion of that +same finger, +hath united the letters B and E (Be) and knit them together, + +manifesting thereby what the highest thoughts of Thy chosen ones who enjoy +near access to Thee are unable to grasp, +and what the profoundest wisdom +of those of Thy loved ones that are wholly devoted to Thee are powerless +to fathom. + + +I swear by Thy glory, +O Beloved of my soul! +I am bewildered when I +contemplate the tokens of Thy handiwork, +and the evidences of Thy might, + +and find myself completely unable to unravel the mystery of the least of +Thy signs, +how much more to apprehend Thine own Self. +I beseech Thee, + +therefore, +O my God, +by Thy Name through which Thou hast caused all such +as love Thee to soar in the atmosphere of Thy will, +and hast guided all +them that yearn after Thee into the Paradise of Thy nearness and Thy +presence, +to waft from the heaven of Thy loving-kindness the fragrance of +certainty upon the needy among Thy loved ones, +in these days when the +tempests of trials have compassed them on every side, +and so grievously +assailed them that the souls of men have been troubled and the foundations +of all beings have trembled at what hath been sent down unto them from the +heaven of Thine irrevocable Purpose. +They were so shaken that the lamp of +their love for Thee and of their remembrance of Thee was ready to be +extinguished in the recess of their hearts. +Powerful art Thou to do what +pleaseth Thee. +Thou, +in truth, +art the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Generous. + + +Thou givest ear, +O my God and my Master, +to the sighing of them that are +dear to Thee, +and hearest from all sides their cry, +by reason of what hath +befallen them at the hands of those whose hearts have been deprived of the +sweet savors of Thy love. +There is none either to befriend or to succor +them, +nor can anything deter their enemies from harming them. + +Unrestrained, +they do what they wish, +and deal with them as they please. + + +Give, +therefore, +O my Lord, +the wonders of Thine aid to Thy loved ones, + +who have sought no helper except Thee, +and have turned to none save +Thyself, +and whose eyes have expectantly awaited to behold the wonders of +Thy favors and Thy gifts. +Have pity, +then, +upon them, +O my God, +through +the incomparable tokens of Thy mercy, +and shelter them within the +stronghold of Thy protection and Thy loving-kindness. +Thou art the One, +O +my Lord, +Who from everlasting hath been the Refuge of the fearful, +and the +Haven of the needy. +Withhold not, +I beseech Thee, +from these feeble +creatures the matchless tokens of Thy bounteousness and generosity, +and +leave them not to the mercy of them whose essence hath been solely created +of the fire of Thy wrath and of Thine anger, +and who have never discovered +the fragrance of compassion and equity, +and who have been so deluded by +the deceitfulness of the world that they have denied Thy proof, +and joined +partners with Thee, +and repudiated Thy signs, +and shed the blood of those +who are dear to Thee, +and have been trusted by Thee. +I swear by Thy might, + +O my Beloved! +They have committed what no man before them hath committed, + +and have thereby deserved Thy wrath and the scourge of Thine anger. +Lay +hold on them by the power of Thy sovereignty, +and set over them such as +will have no mercy upon them, +unless they return unto Thee, +and enter +beneath the shadow of Thy loving-kindness, +and are forgiven by Thee. +Thou +hast from everlasting been supreme over all things, +and wilt unto +everlasting remain the same. +Thou, +truly, +art the Almighty, +the Most +Exalted, +the Equitable, +the All-Wise. + + +Glorified art Thou, +O Lord my God! +Look Thou upon this wronged one, +who +hath been sorely afflicted by the oppressors among Thy creatures and the +infidels among Thine enemies, +though he himself hath refused to breathe a +single breath but by Thy leave and at Thy bidding. +I lay asleep on my +couch, +O my God, +when lo, +the gentle winds of Thy grace and Thy +loving-kindness passed over me, +and wakened me through the power of Thy +sovereignty and Thy gifts, +and bade me arise before Thy servants, +and +speak forth Thy praise, +and glorify Thy word. +Thereupon most of Thy people +reviled me. +I swear by Thy glory, +O my God! +I never thought that they +would show forth such deeds, +aware as I am that Thou hast Thyself +announced this Revelation unto them in the Scrolls of Thy commandment and +the Tablets of Thy decree, +and hast covenanted with them concerning this +youth in every word sent down by Thee unto Thy creatures and Thy people. + + +I am bewildered, +therefore, +O my God, +and know not how to act toward them. + +Every time I hold my peace, +and cease to extol Thy wondrous virtues, +Thy +Spirit impelleth me to cry out before all who are in Thy heaven and on Thy +earth; +and every time I am still, +the breaths wafted from the right hand +of Thy will and purpose pass over me, +and stir me up, +and I find myself to +be as a leaf which lieth at the mercy of the winds of Thy decree, +and is +carried away whithersoever Thou dost permit or command it. +Every man of +insight who considereth what hath been revealed by me, +will be persuaded +that Thy Cause is not in my hands, +but in Thy hands, +and will recognize +that the reins of power are held not in my grasp but in Thy grasp, +and are +subject to Thy sovereign might. +And yet, +Thou seest, +O my God, +how the +inhabitants of Thy realm have arrayed themselves against me, +and inflict +upon me every moment of my life what causeth the realities of Thy chosen +ones and trusted ones to tremble. + + +I entreat Thee, +therefore, +O my God, +by Thy Name through which Thou hast +guided Thy lovers to the living waters of Thy grace and Thy favors, +and +attracted them that long for Thee to the Paradise of Thy nearness and Thy +presence, +to open the eyes of Thy people that they may recognize in this +Revelation the manifestation of Thy transcendent unity, +and the dawning of +the lights of Thy countenance and Thy beauty. +Cleanse them, +then, +O my +God, +from all idle fancies and vain imaginations, +that they may inhale the +fragrances of sanctity from the robe of Thy Revelation and Thy +commandment, +that haply they may cease to inflict upon me what will +deprive their souls of the fragrances of the manifold tokens of Thy mercy, + +that are wafted in the days of Him Who is the Manifestation of Thyself, + +and the Day-Spring of Thy Cause, +and that they may not perpetrate what +will call down Thy wrath and anger. + + +Thou well knowest, +O my God, +that I was regarded as one of the people of +the Bayán, +and consorted with them with love and fellowship, +and summoned +them to Thee in the daytime and in the night season, +through the wonders +of Thy Revelation and Thine inspiration, +and sustained at their hands what +the inmates of the cities of Thine invention are powerless to recount. +I +swear by Thy might, +O my Beloved! +Every morning I waken to find that I am +made a target for the darts of their envy, +and every night, +when I lie +down to rest, +I discover that I have fallen a victim to the spears of +their hate. +Though Thou hast made known unto me the secrets of their +hearts, +and hast set me above them, +I have refused to uncover their deeds, + +and have dealt patiently with them, +mindful of the time which Thou hast +fixed. +And when Thy promise came to pass, +and the set time was fulfilled, + +Thou didst lift, +to an imperceptible degree, +the veil of concealment, +and +lo, +all the inmates of the kingdoms of Thy Revelation and of Thy creation +shook and trembled, +except those who were created by Thee, +through the +fire of Thy love, +and the breath of Thine eagerness, +and the water of Thy +loving-kindness, +and the clay of Thy grace. +These are they who are +glorified by the Concourse on high and the denizens of the Cities of +eternity. + + +I give praise to Thee, +therefore, +O my God, +that Thou hast preserved them +that have acknowledged Thy unity, +and hast destroyed them that have joined +partners with Thee, +and hast divided the one from the other through yet +another word that hath proceeded out of the mouth of Thy will, +and flowed +down from the pen of Thy purpose. +Thereby have Thy servants, +who were +created through the word of Thy commandment, +and were begotten by Thy +will, +caviled at me, +and so fiercely opposed me that they repudiated Thee, + +and have rejected Thy signs, +and have risen up against Thee. + + +Thy glory beareth me witness, +O my Beloved! +My pen is powerless to +describe what their hands have wrought against Him Who is the +Manifestation of Thy Cause, +and the Day-Spring of Thy Revelation, +and the +Dawning-Place of Thine inspiration. +For all this I give praise to Thee. +I +swear by Thy glory, +O my God! +My heart yearneth after the things ordained +by Thee in the heaven of Thy decree and the kingdom of Thine appointment. + +For whatsoever befalleth me in Thy path is the beloved of my soul and the +goal of my desire. +This, +verily, +is to be ascribed to naught except Thy +power and Thy might. + + +I am the one, +O my God, +who, +through the love I bear to Thee, +hath been +able to dispense with all who are in heaven and on earth. +Armed with this +love, +I am afraid of no one, +though all the peoples of the world unite to +hurt me. +Oh, +that my blood could, +this very moment, +be shed on the face of +the earth before Thee, +and Thou wouldst behold me in the condition in +which Thou didst behold such of Thy servants as have drawn nigh unto Thee, + +and those of Thy righteous creatures as have been chosen by Thee! + + +I give Thee thanks, +O my God, +that Thou hast decided through the power of +Thy decree, +and wilt continue to decide through Thine irrevocable +appointment and purpose. +I entreat Thee, +O my Beloved, +by Thy Name through +which Thou didst lift up the ensigns of Thy Cause, +and shed the splendors +of the light of Thy countenance, +to send down upon me and upon such of Thy +servants as are wholly devoted to Thee all the good Thou hast ordained in +Thy Tablets. +Establish us, +then, +upon the seats of truth in Thy presence, + +O Thou in Whose hands is the kingdom of all things! + + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the All-Glorious, +the Most Merciful. + + + + + + +The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, +and the glory +which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, +rest upon Thee, +O +Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, +and the King of Eternity, +and +the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth! +I testify that through +Thee the sovereignty of God and His dominion, +and the majesty of God and +His grandeur, +were revealed, +and the Day-Stars of ancient splendor have +shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree, +and the +Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above the horizon of creation. +I +testify, +moreover, +that with but a movement of Thy Pen Thine injunction +"Be Thou" hath been enforced, +and God's hidden Secret hath been divulged, + +and all created things have been called into being, +and all the +Revelations have been sent down. + + +I bear witness, +moreover, +that through Thy beauty the beauty of the Adored +One hath been unveiled, +and through Thy face the face of the Desired One +hath shone forth, +and that through a word from Thee Thou hast decided +between all created things, +causing them who are devoted to Thee to ascend +unto the summit of glory, +and the infidels to fall into the lowest abyss. + + +I bear witness that he who hath known Thee hath known God, +and he who hath +attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the presence of God. +Great, + +therefore, +is the blessedness of him who hath believed in Thee, +and in Thy +signs, +and hath humbled himself before Thy sovereignty, +and hath been +honored with meeting Thee, +and hath attained the good pleasure of Thy +will, +and circled around Thee, +and stood before Thy throne. +Woe betide him +that hath transgressed against Thee, +and hath denied Thee, +and repudiated +Thy signs, +and gainsaid Thy sovereignty, +and risen up against Thee, +and +waxed proud before Thy face, +and hath disputed Thy testimonies, +and fled +from Thy rule and Thy dominion, +and been numbered with the infidels whose +names have been inscribed by the fingers of Thy behest upon Thy holy +Tablets. + + +Waft, +then, +unto me, +O my God and my Beloved, +from the right hand of Thy +mercy and Thy loving-kindness, +the holy breaths of Thy favors, +that they +may draw me away from myself and from the world unto the courts of Thy +nearness and Thy presence. +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +Thou, + +truly, +hast been supreme over all things. + + +The remembrance of God and His praise, +and the glory of God and His +splendor, +rest upon Thee, +O Thou Who art His Beauty! +I bear witness that +the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. +Thou wast +immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. +At one +time Thou wast in chains and fetters; +at another Thou wast threatened by +the sword of Thine enemies. +Yet, +despite all this, +Thou didst enjoin upon +all men to observe what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the +All-Knowing, +the All-Wise. + + +May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer, +and my soul +be a ransom for the adversities Thou didst sustain. +I beseech God, +by Thee +and by them whose faces have been illumined with the splendors of the +light of Thy countenance, +and who, +for love of Thee, +have observed all +whereunto they were bidden, +to remove the veils that have come in between +Thee and Thy creatures, +and to supply me with the good of this world and +the world to come. +Thou art, +in truth, +the Almighty, +the Most Exalted, +the +All-Glorious, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most Compassionate. + + +Bless Thou, +O Lord my God, +the Divine Lote-Tree and its leaves, +and its +boughs, +and its branches, +and its stems, +and its offshoots, +as long as Thy +most excellent titles will endure and Thy most august attributes will +last. +Protect it, +then, +from the mischief of the aggressor and the hosts +of tyranny. +Thou art, +in truth, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful. +Bless +Thou, +also, +O Lord my God, +Thy servants and Thy handmaidens who have +attained unto Thee. +Thou, +truly, +art the All-Bountiful, +Whose grace is +infinite. +No God is there save Thee, +the Ever-Forgiving, +the Most +Generous. + + + + + + + + +I bear witness, +O my God, +that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to +worship Thee. +I testify, +at this moment, +to my powerlessness and to Thy +might, +to my poverty and to Thy wealth. + + +There is none other God but Thee, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + + + + + + +Strengthen my hand, +O my God, +that it may take hold of Thy Book with such +steadfastness that the hosts of the world shall have no power over it. + +Guard it, +then, +from meddling with whatsoever doth not belong unto it. + +Thou art, +verily, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful. + + + + + + +I have turned my face unto Thee, +O my Lord! +Illumine it with the light of +Thy countenance. +Protect it, +then, +from turning to anyone but Thee. + + + + +God testifieth that there is none other God but Him. +His are the kingdoms +of Revelation and of creation. +He, +in truth, +hath manifested Him Who is +the Day-Spring of Revelation, +Who conversed on Sinai, +through Whom the +Supreme Horizon hath been made to shine, +and the Lote-Tree beyond which +there is no passing hath spoken, +and through Whom the call hath been +proclaimed unto all who are in heaven and on earth: +"Lo, +the +All-Possessing is come. +Earth and heaven, +glory and dominion are God's, + +the Lord of all men, +and the Possessor of the Throne on high and of earth +below! +" + + + +Exalted art Thou above my praise and the praise of anyone beside me, +above +my description and the description of all who are in heaven and all who +are on earth! + + + + +Disappoint not, +O my God, +him that hath, +with beseeching fingers, +clung to +the hem of Thy mercy and Thy grace, +O Thou Who of those who show mercy art +the Most Merciful! + + + + +I bear witness to Thy unity and Thy oneness, +and that Thou art God, +and +that there is none other God beside Thee. +Thou hast, +verily, +revealed Thy +Cause, +fulfilled Thy Covenant, +and opened wide the door of Thy grace to +all that dwell in heaven and on earth. +Blessing and peace, +salutation and +glory, +rest upon Thy loved ones, +whom the changes and chances of the world +have not deterred from turning unto Thee, +and who have given their all, +in +the hope of obtaining that which is with Thee. +Thou art, +in truth, +the +Ever-Forgiving, +the All-Bountiful. + + + + + +I bear witness to Thy unity and Thy oneness, +and that Thou art + God, +and that there is none other God beside Thee. + + + + +Whoso wisheth to recite this prayer, +let him stand up and turn + unto God, +and, +as he standeth in his place, +let him gaze to the + right and to the left, +as if awaiting the mercy of his Lord, +the + Most Merciful, +the Compassionate. +Then let him say: + + + +O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Maker of the heavens! +I +beseech Thee by them Who are the Day-Springs of Thine invisible Essence, + +the Most Exalted, +the All-Glorious, +to make of my prayer a fire that will +burn away the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, +and a light +that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy Presence. + + + + + +O Thou the Desire of the world and the Beloved of the nations! +Thou seest +me turning toward Thee, +and rid of all attachment to anyone save Thee, +and +clinging to Thy cord, +through whose movement the whole creation hath been +stirred up. +I am Thy servant, +O my Lord, +and the son of Thy servant. + +Behold me standing ready to do Thy will and Thy desire, +and wishing naught +else except Thy good pleasure. +I implore Thee by the Ocean of Thy mercy +and the Day-Star of Thy grace to do with Thy servant as Thou willest and +pleasest. +By Thy might which is far above all mention and praise! + +Whatsoever is revealed by Thee is the desire of my heart and the beloved +of my soul. +O God, +my God! +Look not upon my hopes and my doings, +nay +rather look upon Thy will that hath encompassed the heavens and the earth. + +By Thy Most Great Name, +O Thou Lord of all nations! +I have desired only +what Thou didst desire, +and love only what Thou dost love. + + + + +Exalted art Thou above the description of anyone save Thyself, +and the +comprehension of aught else except Thee. + + + + + +Make my prayer, +O my Lord, +a fountain of living waters whereby I may live +as long as Thy sovereignty endureth, +and may make mention of Thee in every +world of Thy worlds. + + + + +O Thou in separation from Whom hearts and souls have melted, +and by the +fire of Whose love the whole world hath been set aflame! +I implore Thee by +Thy Name through which Thou hast subdued the whole creation, +not to +withhold from me that which is with Thee, +O Thou Who rulest over all men! + +Thou seest, +O my Lord, +this stranger hastening to his most exalted home +beneath the canopy of Thy majesty and within the precincts of Thy mercy; + +and this transgressor seeking the ocean of Thy forgiveness; +and this lowly +one the court of Thy glory; +and this poor creature the orient of Thy +wealth. +Thine is the authority to command whatsoever Thou willest. +I bear +witness that Thou art to be praised in Thy doings, +and to be obeyed in Thy +behests, +and to remain unconstrained in Thy bidding. + + + + +Thou seest, +O my God, +how my spirit hath been stirred up within my limbs +and members, +in its longing to worship Thee, +and in its yearning to +remember Thee and extol Thee; +how it testifieth to that whereunto the +Tongue of Thy Commandment hath testified in the kingdom of Thine utterance +and the heaven of Thy knowledge. +I love, +in this state, +O my Lord, +to beg +of Thee all that is with Thee, +that I may demonstrate my poverty, +and +magnify Thy bounty and Thy riches, +and may declare my powerlessness, +and +manifest Thy power and Thy might. + + + + + +There is no God but Thee, +the Almighty, +the All-Bountiful. + + +There is no God but Thee, +the Ordainer, +both in the beginning and in the +end. +O God, +my God! +Thy forgiveness hath emboldened me, +and Thy mercy hath +strengthened me, +and Thy call hath awakened me, +and Thy grace hath raised +me up and led me unto Thee. +Who, +otherwise, +am I that I should dare to +stand at the gate of the city of Thy nearness, +or set my face toward the +lights that are shining from the heaven of Thy will? +Thou seest, +O my +Lord, +this wretched creature knocking at the door of Thy grace, +and this +evanescent soul seeking the river of everlasting life from the hands of +Thy bounty. +Thine is the command at all times, +O Thou Who art the Lord of +all names; +and mine is resignation and willing submission to Thy will, +O +Creator of the heavens! + + + + +Greater is God than every great one! + + + + + +Too high art Thou for the praise of those who are nigh unto Thee to ascend +unto the heaven of Thy nearness, +or for the birds of the hearts of them +who are devoted to Thee to attain to the door of Thy gate. +I testify that +Thou hast been sanctified above all attributes and holy above all names. + +No God is there but Thee, +the Most Exalted, +the All-Glorious. + + + + +I testify unto that whereunto have testified all created things, +and the +Concourse on high, +and the inmates of the all-highest Paradise, +and beyond +them the Tongue of Grandeur itself from the all-glorious Horizon, +that +Thou art God, +that there is no God but Thee, +and that He Who hath been +manifested is the Hidden Mystery, +the Treasured Symbol, +through Whom the +letters B and E (Be) have been joined and knit together. +I testify that it +is He Whose name hath been set down by the Pen of the Most High, +and Who +hath been mentioned in the Books of God, +the Lord of the Throne on high +and of earth below. + + + + + +O Lord of all being and Possessor of all things visible and invisible! + +Thou dost perceive my tears and the sighs I utter, +and hearest my +groaning, +and my wailing, +and the lamentation of my heart. +By Thy might! + +My trespasses have kept me back from drawing nigh unto Thee; +and my sins +have held me far from the court of Thy holiness. +Thy love, +O my Lord, +hath +enriched me, +and separation from Thee hath destroyed me, +and remoteness +from Thee hath consumed me. +I entreat Thee by Thy footsteps in this +wilderness, +and by the words "Here am I. +Here am I. +" which Thy chosen Ones +have uttered in this immensity, +and by the breaths of Thy Revelation, +and +the gentle winds of the Dawn of Thy Manifestation, +to ordain that I may +gaze on Thy beauty and observe whatsoever is in Thy Book. + + + + +Praise be to Thee, +O my God, +that Thou hast aided me to remember Thee and +to praise Thee, +and hast made known unto me Him Who is the Day-Spring of +Thy signs, +and hast caused me to bow down before Thy Lordship, +and humble +myself before Thy Godhead, +and to acknowledge that which hath been uttered +by the Tongue of Thy grandeur. + + + + + +O God, +my God! +My back is bowed by the burden of my sins, +and my +heedlessness hath destroyed me. +Whenever I ponder my evil doings and Thy +benevolence, +my heart melteth within me, +and my blood boileth in my veins. + +By Thy Beauty, +O Thou the Desire of the world! +I blush to lift up my face +to Thee, +and my longing hands are ashamed to stretch forth toward the +heaven of Thy bounty. +Thou seest, +O my God, +how my tears prevent me from +remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues, +O Thou the Lord of the +Throne on high and of earth below! +I implore Thee by the signs of Thy +Kingdom and the mysteries of Thy Dominion to do with Thy loved ones as +becometh Thy bounty, +O Lord of all being, +and is worthy of Thy grace, +O +King of the seen and the unseen! + + + + +Praise be unto Thee, +O our God, +that Thou hast sent down unto us that +which draweth us nigh unto Thee, +and supplieth us with every good thing +sent down by Thee in Thy Books and Thy Scriptures. +Protect us, +we beseech +Thee, +O my Lord, +from the hosts of idle fancies and vain imaginations. + +Thou, +in truth, +art the Mighty, +the All-Knowing. + + + + +I testify, +O my God, +to that whereunto Thy chosen Ones have testified, +and +acknowledge that which the inmates of the all-highest Paradise and those +who have circled round Thy mighty Throne have acknowledged. +The kingdoms +of earth and heaven are Thine, +O Lord of the worlds! + + + + + + +Since Thou hast, +O my God, +established Thyself upon the throne of Thy +transcendent unity, +and ascended the mercy seat of Thy oneness, +it +befitteth Thee to blot out from the hearts of all beings whatsoever may +keep them back from gaining admittance into the sanctuary of Thy Divine +mysteries, +and may shut them out from the tabernacle of Thy Divinity, +that +all hearts may mirror Thy beauty, +and may reveal Thee, +and speak of Thee, + +and that all created things may show forth the tokens of Thy most august +sovereignty, +and shed the splendors of the light of Thy most holy +governance, +and that all who are in heaven and on earth may laud and +magnify Thy unity, +and give Thee glory, +for having manifested Thy Self +unto them through Him Who is the Revealer of Thy oneness. + + +Divest, +then, +Thy servants, +O my God, +of the garments of self and desire, + +or grant that the eyes of Thy people may be lifted up to such heights that +they will discern in their desires naught except the stirring of the +gentle winds of Thine eternal glory, +and may recognize in their own selves +nothing but the revelation of Thine own merciful Self, +that the earth and +all that is therein may be cleansed of whatever is alien to Thee, +or +anything that manifesteth aught save Thy Self. +All this can be fulfilled +throughout Thy dominion by Thy word of command, +"Be, +" and it is! +Nay, +even +swifter than this, +and yet the people understand not. + + +Glorified, +immeasurably glorified art Thou, +O my Beloved! +I swear by Thy +glory! +I recognize this very moment that Thou hast granted all for which I +have supplicated Thee, +in this blessed night which, +as decreed by Thee, + +calleth to remembrance Him Who was the Companion of Thy beauty and the +Beholder of Thy face, +ere I had been mentioned by Thee, +or called into +being within the court of Thy holiness. +I perceive that Thou hast made all +things to be the manifestations of Thy behest, +and the revelations of Thy +handiwork, +and the repositories of Thy knowledge, +and the treasuries of +Thy wisdom. +I recognize, +moreover, +that were any of the revelations of Thy +names and Thine attributes to be withheld, +though it be the weight of a +grain of mustard seed, +from whatsoever hath been created by Thy power and +begotten by Thy might, +the foundations of Thine everlasting handiwork +would thereby be made incomplete, +and the gems of Thy Divine wisdom would +become imperfect. +For the letters of negation, +no matter how far they may +be removed from the holy fragrances of Thy knowledge, +and however +forgetful they may become of the wondrous splendors of the dawning light +of Thy beauty, +which are shed from the heaven of Thy majesty, +must needs +exist in Thy realm, +so that the words which affirm Thee may thereby be +exalted. + + +Thy might beareth me witness, +O my Well-Beloved! +The entire creation hath +been called into being to exalt Thy triumph and to establish Thine +ascendancy, +and all the bounds that have been set by Thee are but the +signs of Thy sovereignty, +and proclaim the power of Thy might. +How great, + +how very great, +are the revelations of Thy wondrous power in all things! + +They are such that the lowliest among Thy creatures hath been made by Thee +a manifestation of Thy most august attribute, +and the most contemptible +token of Thy handiwork hath been chosen as a recipient of Thy most mighty +name. +Poverty, +as decreed by Thee, +hath been made the means for the +revelation of Thy riches, +and abasement a path leading to Thy glory, +and +sinfulness a cause for the exercise of Thy forgiveness. +By them Thou hast +demonstrated that to Thee belong Thy most excellent titles, +and unto Thee +pertain the wonders of Thy most exalted attributes. + + +Since Thou hast purposed, +O my God, +to cause all created things to enter +into the tabernacle of Thy transcendent grace and favor, +and to waft over +the entire creation the fragrances of the raiment of Thy glorious unity, + +and to look upon all things with the eyes of Thy bounty and Thy oneness, +I +beseech Thee, +therefore, +by Thy love, +which Thou hast made to be the +mainspring of the revelations of Thine eternal holiness, +and the flame +that gloweth within the hearts of such of Thy creatures as yearn towards +Thee, +to create, +this very moment, +for those of Thy people who are wholly +devoted to Thee, +and for such of Thy loved ones as love Thee, +out of the +essence of Thy bounty and Thy generosity, +and from the inmost spirit of +Thy grace and Thy glory, +Thy Paradise of transcendent holiness, +and to +exalt it above everything except Thee, +and to sanctify it from aught else +save Thyself. +Create, +moreover, +within it, +O my God, +out of the lights +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 +detach them that are nigh unto Thee from all created things, +and draw them +to the throne of Thy names and Thine attributes. +I yield Thee such thanks +as can cause Thee to forgive all sins and trespasses, +and to fulfill the +needs of the peoples of all religions, +and to waft the fragrances of +pardon over the entire creation. +I yield Thee such thanks as can enable +them that recognize Thy unity to scale the heights of Thy love, +and cause +such as are devoted to Thee to ascend unto the Paradise of Thy presence. +I +yield Thee such thanks as can satisfy the wants of all such as seek Thee, + +and realize the aims of them that have recognized Thee. +I yield Thee such +thanks as can blot out from the hearts of men all suggestions of +limitations, +and inscribe the signs of Thy unity. +I yield Thee such thanks +as that with which Thou didst from eternity glorify Thine own Self, +and +didst exalt it above all peers, +rivals, +and comparisons, +O Thou in Whose +hands are the heavens of grace and of bounty, +and the kingdoms of glory +and of majesty! + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Lord my God, +and my Master! +Thou bearest witness, + +and seest, +and knowest the things that have befallen Thy loved ones in Thy +days, +and the continual trials, +and the successive tribulations, +and the +incessant afflictions, +which have been sent down upon Thine elect. +Such +hath been their plight that the earth became too strait for them, +and they +were encompassed by the evidences of Thy wrath and the signs of Thy fear +in every land, +and the doors of Thy mercy and Thy loving-kindness were +shut against them, +and the garden of their hearts was deprived of the +overflowing showers of Thy grace and Thy bountiful favors. +Wilt Thou +withhold, +O my God, +from such as love Thee the wonders of Thine ascendancy +and triumph? +Wilt Thou shatter, +O my Beloved, +the hopes which they who are +devoted to Thee have fixed on Thy manifold bounties and gifts? +Wilt Thou +keep back, +O my Master, +those that have recognized Thee from the shores of +Thy sanctified knowledge, +or wilt Thou cease to rain down upon the hearts +of such as desire Thee the showers of Thy transcendent grace? +No, +no, +and +to this Thy glory beareth me witness! +I testify this very moment that Thy +mercy hath surpassed all created things, +and Thy loving-kindness +encompassed all that are in heaven and all that are on earth. +From +everlasting the doors of Thy generosity were open to the faces of Thy +servants, +and the gentle winds of Thy grace were wafted over the hearts of +Thy creatures, +and the overflowing rains of Thy bounty were showered upon +Thy people and the dwellers of Thy realm. + + +I know full well Thou hast delayed to manifest Thy triumph in the kingdom +of creation by reason of Thy knowledge which embraceth both the mysteries +of Thy decree, +and the hidden things ordained behind the veils of Thine +irrevocable purpose, +that thereby those who have entered beneath the +shadow of Thy transcendent mercy may be separated from those who have +dealt disdainfully with Thee, +and turned back from Thy presence at the +time when Thou didst manifest Thy most exalted Beauty. + + +Exalted, +immeasurably exalted art Thou, +therefore, +O my Beloved! +Forasmuch +as Thou hast divided, +in Thy realm, +Thy loved ones from Thine enemies, +and +hast perfected Thy most weighty testimony and Thy most infallible Proof +unto all who are in heaven and on earth, +have mercy, +then, +upon those who +were brought low in Thy land, +by reason of what hath befallen them in Thy +path. +Exalt them, +then, +O my God, +through the power of Thy might and the +potency of Thy will, +and raise them up to proclaim Thy Cause through Thine +omnipotent sovereignty and purpose. + + +I swear by Thy glory! +My sole purpose in showing forth Thine ascendancy +hath been to glorify Thy Cause, +and to magnify Thy word. +I am persuaded +that if Thou wert to delay to send down Thy victory and to demonstrate Thy +power, +the signs of Thy sovereignty would assuredly perish in Thy land, + +and the tokens of Thy rule would be blotted out throughout Thy dominion. + + +My breast is straitened, +O my God, +and sorrows and vexations have +compassed me round, +for I hear among Thy servants every praise except Thy +wondrous praise, +and behold amidst Thy people the evidences of all things +save the evidences of what Thou hast prescribed unto them by Thy behest, + +and destined for them through Thy sovereign will, +and ordained unto them +by Thine overruling decree. +They have strayed so far from Thee that should +any of Thy loved ones deliver unto them the wondrous tokens of Thy unity, + +and the gem-like utterances that attest Thy transcendent oneness, +they +would thrust their fingers into their ears, +and would cavil at him and +mock him. +All this hast Thou set down through Thine all-encompassing +sovereignty, +and apprehended through Thine omnipotent supremacy. + + +Glorified, +immeasurably glorified art Thou, +O my Master! +Look, +then, +upon +the hearts which, +in their love for Thee, +have been transfixed by the +darts of Thine enemies, +and the heads which were borne on spears for the +sake of the exaltation of Thy Cause and the glorification of Thy name. + +Have pity, +then, +upon those hearts which have been consumed by the fire of +Thy love, +and been touched by such tribulations as are known only unto +Thee. + + +All laud and honor to Thee, +O my God! +Thou well knowest the things which, + +for a score of years, +have happened in Thy days, +and have continued to +happen until this hour. +No man can reckon, +nor can any tongue tell, +what +hath befallen Thy chosen ones during all this time. +They could obtain no +shelter, +nor find any refuge in which they could abide in safety. +Turn, + +then, +O my God, +their fear into the evidences of Thy peace and Thy +security, +and their abasement into the sovereignty of Thy glory, +and their +poverty into Thine all-sufficient riches, +and their distress into the +wonders of Thy perfect tranquillity. +Vouchsafe unto them the fragrances of +Thy might and Thy mercy, +and send down upon them, +out of Thy marvelous +loving-kindness, +what will enable them to dispense with all except Thee, + +and will detach them from aught save Thyself, +that the sovereignty of Thy +oneness may be revealed and the supremacy of Thy grace and Thy bounty +demonstrated. + + +Wilt Thou not, +O my God, +look upon the tears which Thy loved ones have +shed? +Wilt Thou not pity, +O my Beloved, +the eyes which have been dimmed by +reason of their separation from Thee, +and because of the cessation of the +signs of Thy victory? +Wilt Thou not behold, +O my Master, +the hearts +wherein have beaten the wings of the dove of longing and love for Thee? +By +Thy glory! +Things have come to such a pass that hope hath well nigh been +banished from the hearts of Thy chosen ones, +and the breaths of despair +are ready to seize them, +by reason of what hath befallen them in Thy days. + + +Behold me, +then, +O my God, +how I have fled from myself unto Thee, +and have +abandoned my own being that I may attain unto the splendors of the light +of Thy Being, +and have forsaken all that keepeth me back from Thee, +and +maketh me forgetful of Thee, +in order that I may inhale the fragrances of +Thy presence and Thy remembrance. +Behold how I have stepped upon the dust +of the city of Thy forgiveness and Thy bounty, +and dwelt within the +precincts of Thy transcendent mercy, +and have besought Thee, +through the +sovereignty of Him Who is Thy Remembrance and Who hath appeared in the +robe of Thy most pure and most august Beauty, +to send down, +in the course +of this year, +upon Thy loved ones what will enable them to dispense with +any one except Thee, +and will set them free to recognize the evidences of +Thy sovereign will and all-conquering purpose, +in such wise that they will +seek only what Thou didst wish for them through Thy bidding, +and will +desire naught except what Thou didst desire for them through Thy will. + +Sanctify, +then, +their eyes, +O my God, +that they may behold the light of +Thy Beauty, +and purge their ears, +that they may listen to the melodies of +the Dove of Thy transcendent oneness. +Flood, +then, +their hearts with the +wonders of Thy love, +and preserve their tongues from mentioning any one +save Thee, +and guard their faces from turning to aught else except +Thyself. +Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. +Thou, +verily, +art the +Almighty, +the Help in Peril, +the Self-Subsisting. + + +Protect, +moreover, +O my Beloved, +through Thy love for them and through the +love they bear to Thee, +this servant, +who hath sacrificed his all for +Thee, +and expended whatsoever Thou hast given him in the path of Thy love +and Thy good pleasure, +and preserve him from all that Thou abhorrest, +and +from whatsoever may hinder him from entering into the Tabernacle of Thy +holy sovereignty, +and from attaining the seat of Thy transcendent oneness. + +Number him, +then, +O my God, +with such as have allowed nothing whatever to +deter them from beholding Thy beauty, +or from meditating on the wondrous +evidences of Thine everlasting handiwork, +that he may have fellowship with +none except Thee, +and turn to naught save Thyself, +and discover in +whatever hath been created by Thee in the kingdoms of earth and heaven +nothing but Thy wondrous Beauty and the revelation of the splendors of Thy +face, +and be so immersed beneath the billowing oceans of Thine overruling +providence and the surging seas of Thy holy unity, +that he will forget +every mention except the mention of Thy transcendent oneness, +and banish +from his soul the traces of all evil suggestions, +O Thou in Whose hands +are the kingdoms of all names and attributes! + + +Lauded be Thy name, +O Thou Who art the Goal of my desire! +I swear by Thy +glory! +How great is my wish to attain unto a detachment so complete that +were there to appear before me those countenances which are hid within the +chambers of chastity, +and the beauty of which Thou didst veil from the +eyes of the entire creation, +and whose faces Thou didst sanctify from the +sight of all beings, +and were they to unveil themselves in all the glory +of the splendors of Thine incomparable beauty, +I would refuse to look upon +them, +and would behold them solely for the purpose of discerning the +mysteries of Thy handiwork, +which have perplexed the minds of such as have +drawn nigh unto Thee, +and awed the souls of all them that have recognized +Thee. +I would, +by Thy power and Thy might, +soar to such heights that +nothing whatsoever would have the power to keep me back from the manifold +evidences of Thy transcendent dominion, +nor would any earthly scheme shut +me out from the manifestations of Thy Divine holiness. + + +Glorified, +immeasurably glorified art Thou, +O my God, +and my Beloved, +and +my Master, +and my Desire! +Shatter not the hopes of this lowly one to +attain the shores of Thy glory, +and deprive not this wretched creature of +the immensities of Thy riches, +and cast not away this suppliant from the +doors of Thy grace, +and Thy bounty, +and Thy gifts. +Have mercy, +then, +upon +this poor and desolate soul who hath sought no friend but Thee, +and no +companion except Thee, +and no comforter save Thee, +and no beloved apart +from Thee, +nor cherished any desire but Thyself. + + +Cast, +then, +upon me, +O my God, +the glances of Thy mercy, +and forgive me my +trespasses and the trespasses of them that are dear to Thee, +and which +come in between us and the revelation of Thy triumph and Thy grace. +Cancel +Thou, +moreover, +our sins which have shut off our faces from the splendors +of the Day-Star of Thy favors. +Powerful art Thou to do Thy pleasure. +Thou +ordainest what Thou willest, +and art not asked of what Thou wishest +through the power of Thy sovereignty, +nor canst Thou be frustrated in +whatsoever Thou prescribest through Thine irrevocable decree. +No God is +there save Thee, +the Almighty, +the Most Powerful, +the Ever-living, +the +Most Compassionate. + + + + + + + +