EdBergJr/Baha1 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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mysteries, and may shut them out from the tabernacle of Thy Divinity, that
all hearts may mirror Thy beauty, and may reveal Thee, and speak of Thee,
and that all created things may show forth the tokens of Thy most august
sovereignty, and shed the splendors of the light of Thy most holy
governance, and that all who are in heaven and on earth may laud and
magnify Thy unity, and give Thee glory, for having manifested Thy Self
unto them through Him Who is the Revealer of Thy oneness.

Divest, then, Thy servants, O my God, of the garments of self and desire,
or grant that the eyes of Thy people may be lifted up to such heights that
they will discern in their desires naught except the stirring of the
gentle winds of Thine eternal glory, and may recognize in their own selves
nothing but the revelation of Thine own merciful Self, that the earth and
all that is therein may be cleansed of whatever is alien to Thee, or
anything that manifesteth aught save Thy Self. All this can be fulfilled
throughout Thy dominion by Thy word of command, "Be," and it is! Nay, even
swifter than this, and yet the people understand not.

Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou, O my Beloved! I swear by Thy
glory! I recognize this very moment that Thou hast granted all for which I
have supplicated Thee, in this blessed night which, as decreed by Thee,
calleth to remembrance Him Who was the Companion of Thy beauty and the
Beholder of Thy face, ere I had been mentioned by Thee, or called into
being within the court of Thy holiness. I perceive that Thou hast made all
things to be the manifestations of Thy behest, and the revelations of Thy
handiwork, and the repositories of Thy knowledge, and the treasuries of
Thy wisdom. I recognize, moreover, that were any of the revelations of Thy
names and Thine attributes to be withheld, though it be the weight of a
grain of mustard seed, from whatsoever hath been created by Thy power and
begotten by Thy might, the foundations of Thine everlasting handiwork
would thereby be made incomplete, and the gems of Thy Divine wisdom would
become imperfect. For the letters of negation, no matter how far they may
be removed from the holy fragrances of Thy knowledge, and however
forgetful they may become of the wondrous splendors of the dawning light
of Thy beauty, which are shed from the heaven of Thy majesty, must needs
exist in Thy realm, so that the words which affirm Thee may thereby be
exalted.

Thy might beareth me witness, O my Well-Beloved! The entire creation hath
been called into being to exalt Thy triumph and to establish Thine
ascendancy, and all the bounds that have been set by Thee are but the
signs of Thy sovereignty, and proclaim the power of Thy might. How great,
how very great, are the revelations of Thy wondrous power in all things!
They are such that the lowliest among Thy creatures hath been made by Thee
a manifestation of Thy most august attribute, and the most contemptible
token of Thy handiwork hath been chosen as a recipient of Thy most mighty
name. Poverty, as decreed by Thee, hath been made the means for the
revelation of Thy riches, and abasement a path leading to Thy glory, and
sinfulness a cause for the exercise of Thy forgiveness. By them Thou hast
demonstrated that to Thee belong Thy most excellent titles, and unto Thee
pertain the wonders of Thy most exalted attributes.

Since Thou hast purposed, O my God, to cause all created things to enter
into the tabernacle of Thy transcendent grace and favor, and to waft over
the entire creation the fragrances of the raiment of Thy glorious unity,
and to look upon all things with the eyes of Thy bounty and Thy oneness, I
beseech Thee, therefore, by Thy love, which Thou hast made to be the
mainspring of the revelations of Thine eternal holiness, and the flame
that gloweth within the hearts of such of Thy creatures as yearn towards
Thee, to create, this very moment, for those of Thy people who are wholly
devoted to Thee, and for such of Thy loved ones as love Thee, out of the
essence of Thy bounty and Thy generosity, and from the inmost spirit of
Thy grace and Thy glory, Thy Paradise of transcendent holiness, and to
exalt it above everything except Thee, and to sanctify it from aught else
save Thyself. Create, moreover, within it, O my God, out of the lights
shed by Thy throne, handmaidens who will intone the melodies of Thy
wondrous and most sweet invention, that they may magnify Thy name with
such words as have not been heard by any of Thy creatures, be they the
inmates of Thy heaven or the dwellers of Thine earth, nor been
comprehended by any of Thy people. Unlock, then, the gates of this
Paradise to the faces of Thy loved ones, that haply they may enter them in
Thy name, and by the power of Thy sovereignty, that thereby the sovereign
bounties vouchsafed by Thee unto Thy chosen ones and the transcendent
gifts granted unto Thy trusted ones be perfected, that they may extol Thy
virtues with such melodies as none can either intone or describe, and that
none of Thy people may conceive the design of appearing in the guise of
any of Thy chosen ones, or of emulating the example of Thy loved ones, and
that none may fail to discern between Thy friends and Thine enemies, or to
distinguish them that are devoted to Thee from such as stubbornly oppose
Thee. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, and powerful and supreme
art Thou over all things.

Exalted, immeasurably exalted art Thou, O my Beloved, above the strivings
of any of Thy creatures, however learned, to know Thee; exalted, immensely
exalted art Thou above every human attempt, no matter how searching, to
describe Thee! For the highest thought of men, however deep their
contemplation, can never hope to outsoar the limitations imposed upon Thy
creation, nor ascend beyond the state of the contingent world, nor break
the bounds irrevocably set for it by Thee. How can, then, a thing that
hath been created by Thy will that overruleth the whole of creation, a
thing that is itself a part of the contingent world, have the power to
soar into the holy atmosphere of Thy knowledge, or reach unto the seat of
Thy transcendent power?

High, immeasurably high art Thou above the endeavors of the evanescent
creature to soar unto the throne of Thine eternity, or of the poor and
wretched to attain the summit of Thine all-sufficing glory! From eternity
Thou didst Thyself describe Thine own Self unto Thy Self, and extol, in
Thine own Essence, Thine Essence unto Thine Essence. I swear by Thy glory,
O my Best-Beloved! Who is there besides Thee that can claim to know Thee,

mysteries, and may shut them out from the tabernacle of Thy Divinity, that

all hearts may mirror Thy beauty, and may reveal Thee, and speak of Thee,

and that all created things may show forth the tokens of Thy most august

sovereignty, and shed the splendors of the light of Thy most holy

governance, and that all who are in heaven and on earth may laud and

magnify Thy unity, and give Thee glory, for having manifested Thy Self

unto them through Him Who is the Revealer of Thy oneness.

Divest, then, Thy servants, O my God, of the garments of self and desire,

or grant that the eyes of Thy people may be lifted up to such heights that

they will discern in their desires naught except the stirring of the

gentle winds of Thine eternal glory, and may recognize in their own selves

nothing but the revelation of Thine own merciful Self, that the earth and

all that is therein may be cleansed of whatever is alien to Thee, or

anything that manifesteth aught save Thy Self. All this can be fulfilled

throughout Thy dominion by Thy word of command, "Be," and it is! Nay, even

swifter than this, and yet the people understand not.

Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou, O my Beloved! I swear by Thy

glory! I recognize this very moment that Thou hast granted all for which I

have supplicated Thee, in this blessed night which, as decreed by Thee,

calleth to remembrance Him Who was the Companion of Thy beauty and the

Beholder of Thy face, ere I had been mentioned by Thee, or called into

being within the court of Thy holiness. I perceive that Thou hast made all

things to be the manifestations of Thy behest, and the revelations of Thy

handiwork, and the repositories of Thy knowledge, and the treasuries of

Thy wisdom. I recognize, moreover, that were any of the revelations of Thy

names and Thine attributes to be withheld, though it be the weight of a

grain of mustard seed, from whatsoever hath been created by Thy power and

begotten by Thy might, the foundations of Thine everlasting handiwork

would thereby be made incomplete, and the gems of Thy Divine wisdom would

become imperfect. For the letters of negation, no matter how far they may

be removed from the holy fragrances of Thy knowledge, and however

forgetful they may become of the wondrous splendors of the dawning light

of Thy beauty, which are shed from the heaven of Thy majesty, must needs

exist in Thy realm, so that the words which affirm Thee may thereby be

exalted.

Thy might beareth me witness, O my Well-Beloved! The entire creation hath

been called into being to exalt Thy triumph and to establish Thine

ascendancy, and all the bounds that have been set by Thee are but the

signs of Thy sovereignty, and proclaim the power of Thy might. How great,

how very great, are the revelations of Thy wondrous power in all things!

They are such that the lowliest among Thy creatures hath been made by Thee

a manifestation of Thy most august attribute, and the most contemptible

token of Thy handiwork hath been chosen as a recipient of Thy most mighty

name. Poverty, as decreed by Thee, hath been made the means for the

revelation of Thy riches, and abasement a path leading to Thy glory, and

sinfulness a cause for the exercise of Thy forgiveness. By them Thou hast

demonstrated that to Thee belong Thy most excellent titles, and unto Thee

pertain the wonders of Thy most exalted attributes.

Since Thou hast purposed, O my God, to cause all created things to enter

into the tabernacle of Thy transcendent grace and favor, and to waft over

the entire creation the fragrances of the raiment of Thy glorious unity,

and to look upon all things with the eyes of Thy bounty and Thy oneness, I

beseech Thee, therefore, by Thy love, which Thou hast made to be the

mainspring of the revelations of Thine eternal holiness, and the flame

that gloweth within the hearts of such of Thy creatures as yearn towards

Thee, to create, this very moment, for those of Thy people who are wholly

devoted to Thee, and for such of Thy loved ones as love Thee, out of the

essence of Thy bounty and Thy generosity, and from the inmost spirit of

Thy grace and Thy glory, Thy Paradise of transcendent holiness, and to

exalt it above everything except Thee, and to sanctify it from aught else

save Thyself. Create, moreover, within it, O my God, out of the lights

shed by Thy throne, handmaidens who will intone the melodies of Thy

wondrous and most sweet invention, that they may magnify Thy name with

such words as have not been heard by any of Thy creatures, be they the

inmates of Thy heaven or the dwellers of Thine earth, nor been

comprehended by any of Thy people. Unlock, then, the gates of this

Paradise to the faces of Thy loved ones, that haply they may enter them in

Thy name, and by the power of Thy sovereignty, that thereby the sovereign

bounties vouchsafed by Thee unto Thy chosen ones and the transcendent

gifts granted unto Thy trusted ones be perfected, that they may extol Thy

virtues with such melodies as none can either intone or describe, and that

none of Thy people may conceive the design of appearing in the guise of

any of Thy chosen ones, or of emulating the example of Thy loved ones, and

that none may fail to discern between Thy friends and Thine enemies, or to

distinguish them that are devoted to Thee from such as stubbornly oppose

Thee. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest, and powerful and supreme

art Thou over all things.

Exalted, immeasurably exalted art Thou, O my Beloved, above the strivings

of any of Thy creatures, however learned, to know Thee; exalted, immensely

exalted art Thou above every human attempt, no matter how searching, to

describe Thee! For the highest thought of men, however deep their

contemplation, can never hope to outsoar the limitations imposed upon Thy

creation, nor ascend beyond the state of the contingent world, nor break

the bounds irrevocably set for it by Thee. How can, then, a thing that

hath been created by Thy will that overruleth the whole of creation, a

thing that is itself a part of the contingent world, have the power to

soar into the holy atmosphere of Thy knowledge, or reach unto the seat of

Thy transcendent power?

High, immeasurably high art Thou above the endeavors of the evanescent

creature to soar unto the throne of Thine eternity, or of the poor and

wretched to attain the summit of Thine all-sufficing glory! From eternity

Thou didst Thyself describe Thine own Self unto Thy Self, and extol, in

Thine own Essence, Thine Essence unto Thine Essence. I swear by Thy glory,

O my Best-Beloved! Who is there besides Thee that can claim to know Thee,