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seeker hath soared to the sublimities of Thy unity and grandeur, through
which the imperfect have been perfected, and the abased exalted, and the
tongue of every stammerer unloosed, and the sick made whole, and whatever
was unworthy of Thy highness and beseemed not Thy greatness and Thy
sovereignty made acceptable unto Thee,--I beseech Thee to aid us by Thine
invisible hosts and by a company of the angels of Thy Cause. Do Thou,
then, accept the works we have performed for love of Thee, and for the
sake of Thy pleasure. Cast us not away, O my God, from the door of Thy
mercy, and break not our hopes in the wonders of Thy grace and favors.
Our limbs, our members, O my Lord, bear witness to Thy unity and oneness.
Send down upon us Thy strength and power, that we may become steadfast in
Thy Faith and may aid Thee among Thy servants. Illumine our eyes, O my
Lord, with the effulgence of Thy beauty, and enlighten our hearts with the
splendors of Thy knowledge and wisdom. Write us up, then, with those who
have fulfilled their pledge to Thy Covenant in Thy days, and who, through
their love for Thee, have detached themselves from the world and all that
is therein.
Powerful art Thou to do what Thou pleasest. No God is there beside Thee,
the All-Powerful, the Omniscient, the Supreme Ruler, the Help in Peril,
the Self-Subsisting.
O Thou Whose nearness is my wish, Whose presence is my hope, Whose
remembrance is my desire, Whose court of glory is my goal, Whose abode is
my aim, Whose name is my healing, Whose love is the radiance of my heart,
Whose service is my highest aspiration! I beseech Thee by Thy Name,
through which Thou hast enabled them that have recognized Thee to soar to
the sublimest heights of the knowledge of Thee and empowered such as
devoutly worship Thee to ascend into the precincts of the court of Thy
holy favors, to aid me to turn my face towards Thy face, to fix mine eyes
upon Thee, and to speak of Thy glory.
I am the one, O my Lord, who hath forgotten all else but Thee, and turned
towards the Day-Spring of Thy grace, who hath forsaken all save Thyself in
the hope of drawing nigh unto Thy court. Behold me, then, with mine eyes
lifted up towards the Seat that shineth with the splendors of the light of
Thy Face. Send down, then, upon me, O my Beloved, that which will enable
me to be steadfast in Thy Cause, so that the doubts of the infidels may
not hinder me from turning towards Thee.
Thou art, verily, the God of Power, the Help in Peril, the All-Glorious,
the Almighty.
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! Thou art He the excellence of Whose glory
hath exalted them who are the sources of authority and honor, the potency
of Whose might hath empowered them who are the fountain-heads of energy
and strength, the dominion of Whose will hath elevated the Exponents of
Thy Cause above all that are in heaven and on earth, and the life-giving
effusions of Whose Pen have quickened the souls of the denizens of the
kingdom of creation.
I am he, O my Lord, who, wholly for Thy sake, hath turned his face unto
Thee, and who, while acknowledging Thy power and Thy sovereignty, hath
directed his steps towards Thy dearly-loved Sanctuary, and Thine adored
and hallowed Court. In this state I have reached the City (Ba_gh_dád)
wherein, in the full glory of Thy names, Thou didst reveal Thy Self unto
all created things. In it I have communed with Thy loved ones, and from
the House within its walls I have inhaled the breaths of Thy holiness and
perceived the fragrances of Thy fellowship.
Cast me not from Thy presence, O my Lord, neither do Thou drive me away
from the shores of Thy love and Thy good-pleasure. For the poor can find
no refuge unless he knocketh at the door of Thy wealth, and the outcast
can find no peace until he be admitted to the court of Thy favor.
Magnified be Thy name, O my Lord, for Thou hast enabled me to recognize
the Manifestation of Thine own Self, and hast caused me to be assured of
the truth of the verses which have descended upon Thee. Empower me, I
implore Thee, to cling steadfastly unto whatsoever Thou hast bidden me
observe. Help me to guard the pearls of Thy love which, by Thy decree,
Thou hast enshrined within my heart. Send down, moreover, every moment of
my life, O my God, that which will preserve me from any one but Thee, and
will set my feet firm in Thy Cause.
Thou art, verily, the God of glory, the God of power, the God of knowledge
and wisdom. No God is there beside Thee, the Great Giver, the
All-Bountiful, the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving.
Praised be God, the All-Glorious, the All-Compelling.
Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I give Thee thanks inasmuch as Thou
hast called me into being in Thy days, and infused into me Thy love and
Thy knowledge. I beseech Thee, by Thy name whereby the goodly pearls of
Thy wisdom and Thine utterance were brought forth out of the treasuries of