When Thou Art Departed Out Of The Court Of

Sources: Gleanings From The Writings Of Baha'u'llah

When thou art departed out of the court of My presence, O Muhammad, direct

thy steps towards My House (Ba_gh_dad House), and visit it on behalf of

thy Lord. When thou reachest its door, stand thou before it and say:

Whither is the Ancient Beauty gone, O most great House of God, He through

Whom God hath made thee the cynosure of an adoring world, and proclaimed

thee to be the sign of His remembrance unto all who are in the heavens a d

all who are on the earth? Oh! for the former days when thou, O House of

God, wert made His footstool, the days when in ceaseless strains the

melody of the All-Merciful poured forth from thee! What hath become of thy

jewel whose glory hath irradiated all creation? Whither are gone the days

in which He, the Ancient King, had made thee the throne of His glory, the

days in which He had chosen thee alone to be the lamp of salvation between

earth and heaven, and caused thee to diffuse, at dawn and at eventide, the

sweet fragrance of the All-Glorious?



Where, O House of God, is the Sun of majesty and power Who had enveloped

thee with the brightness of His presence? Where is He, the Day Spring of

the tender mercies of thy Lord, the Unconstrained, Who had established His

seat within thy walls? What is it, O throne of God, that hath altered thy

countenance, and made thy pillars to tremble? What could have closed thy

door to the face of them that eagerly seek thee? What hath made thee so

desolate? Couldst thou have been told that the Beloved of the world is

pursued by the swords of His enemies? The Lord bless thee, and bless thy

fidelity unto Him, inasmuch as thou hast remained His companion through

all His sorrows and His sufferings.



I testify that thou art the scene of His transcendent glory, His most holy

habitation. Out of thee hath gone forth the Breath of the All-Glorious, a

Breath that hath breathed over all created things, and filled with joy the

breasts of the devout that dwell in the mansions of Paradise. The

Concourse on high, and they that inhabit the Cities of the Names of God,

weep over thee, and bewail the things that have befallen thee.



Thou art still the symbol of the names and attributes of the Almighty, the

Point towards which the eyes of the Lord of earth and heaven are directed.

There hath befallen thee what hath befallen the Ark in which God's pledge

of security had been made to dwell. Well is it with him that apprehendeth

the intent of these words, and recognizeth the purpose of Him Who is the

Lord of all creation.



Happy are those that inhale from thee the sweet savors of the Merciful,

that acknowledge thine exaltation, that safeguard thy sanctity, that

reverence, at all times, thy station. We implore the Almighty to grant

that the eyes of those who have turned away from thee, and failed to

appreciate thy worth, may be opened, that they may truly recognize thee,

and Him Who, through the power of truth, hath raised thee up on high.

Blind, indeed, are they about thee, and utterly unaware of thee in this

day. Thy Lord is, verily, the Gracious, the Forgiving.



I bear witness that through thee God hath proved the hearts of His

servants. Blessed be the man that directeth his steps toward thee, and

visiteth thee. Woe to him that denieth thy right, that turneth away from

thee, that dishonoreth thy name, and profaneth thy holiness.



Grieve not, O House of God, if the veil of thy sanctity be rent asunder by

the infidels. God hath, in the world of creation, adorned thee with the

jewel of His remembrance. Such an ornament no man can, at any time,

profane. Towards thee the eyes of thy Lord shall, under all conditions,

remain directed. He, verily, will incline His ear to the prayer of every

one that visiteth thee, who will circle around thee, and calleth upon Him

in thy name. He, in truth, is the Forgiving, the All-Merciful.



I beseech Thee, O my God, by this House that hath suffered such change in

its separation from Thee, that bewaileth its remoteness from Thy presence,

and lamenteth Thy tribulation, to forgive me, and my parents, and my

kindred, and such of my brethren as have believed in Thee. Grant that all

my needs be satisfied, through Thy bounty, O Thou Who art the King of

Names. Thou art the most Bountiful of the bountiful, the Lord of all

worlds.