/> 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 (Mirza

Yahya), 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.