Praise Be Unto Thee, Who Art My God And The

Sources: Prayers And Meditations

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 R fuge

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 Bayan 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 Bayan (the Bab) hath

commanded all mankind concerning Thy Cause, and Thy Revelation, and Thy

Sovereignty. He hath said, and sweet is His speech: Beware lest the Bayan

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 Bayan, and deny not Him

for Whom I have ordained the Bayan 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

Bayan, 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 (Mirza Yahya), 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.