text
stringlengths
0
76
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