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+
+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.
+
+
+
+
+
+