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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.