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"All majesty and glory, O my God, . . ."

    All majesty and glory, O my God,

and all dominion and light and grandeur and

splendor be unto Thee.  Thou bestowest sovereignty on

whom Thou willest and dost withhold it from whom Thou

desirest.  No God is there but Thee, the

All-Possessing, the Most Exalted.  Thou art He Who

createth from naught the universe and all that dwell

therein.  There is nothing worthy of Thee except

Thyself, while all else but Thee are as outcasts in

Thy holy presence and are as nothing when compared to

the glory of Thine Own Being.

    Far be it from me to extol Thy virtues save by

what Thou hast extolled Thyself in Thy weighty Book

where Thou sayest, "No vision taketh in Him, but He

taketh in all vision.  He is the Subtile, the

All-Perceiving.  "1 Glory be unto Thee, O my God,

indeed no mind or vision, however keen or

discriminating, can ever grasp the nature of the most

insignificant of Thy signs.  Verily, Thou art God, no

God is there besides Thee.  I bear witness that Thou

Thyself alone art the sole expression of Thine

attributes, that the praise of no one besides Thee can

ever attain to Thy holy court nor can Thine attributes

ever be fathomed by anyone other than Thyself.

    Glory be unto Thee, Thou art exalted above the

description of anyone save Thyself, since it is beyond

human conception to befittingly magnify Thy virtues or

to comprehend the inmost reality of Thine Essence.

Far be it from Thy glory that Thy creatures should

describe Thee or that anyone besides Thyself should

ever know Thee.  I have known Thee, O my God, by

reason of Thy making Thyself known unto me, for hadst

Thou not revealed Thyself unto me, I would not have

known Thee.  I worship Thee by virtue of Thy summoning

me unto Thee, for had it not been for Thy summons I

would not have worshipped Thee.  --The Bab


"All praise, O my God, be to Thee Who art the . . ."

    All praise, O my God, be to Thee Who art the

Source of all glory and majesty, of greatness and

honor, of sovereignty and dominion, of loftiness and

grace, of awe and power.  Whomsoever Thou willest Thou

causest to draw nigh unto the Most Great Ocean, and on

whomsoever Thou desirest Thou conferrest the honor of

recognizing Thy Most Ancient Name.  Of all who are in

heaven and on earth, none can withstand the Operation

of Thy sovereign Will.  From all eternity Thou didst

rule the entire creation, and Thou wilt continue for

ever more to exercise Thy dominion over all created

things.  There is none other God but Thee, the

Almighty, the Most Exalted, the All-Powerful, the

All-Wise.

    Illumine, O Lord, the faces of Thy servants, that

they may behold Thee; and cleanse their hearts that

they may turn unto the court of Thy heavenly favors,

and recognize Him Who is the Manifestation of Thy Self

and the Dayspring of Thine Essence.  Verily, Thou art

the Lord of all worlds.  There is no God but Thee, the

Unconstrained, the All-Subduing.  --Baha'u'llah


"All the friends of God .  .  .  should contribute . . ."

    All the friends of God .  .  .  should contribute

to the extent possible, however modest their of

offering may be.  God doth not burden a soul beyond

its capacity.  Such contributions must come from all

centers and all believers....  O Friends of God!  Be

ye assured that in place of these contributions, your

agriculture, your industry, and your commerce will be

blessed by manifold increases, with goodly gifts and

bestowals.  He who cometh with one goodly deed will

receive a tenfold reward.  There is no doubt that the

living Lord will abundantly confirm those who expend

their wealth in His path.  O God, my God!  Illumine

the brows of Thy true lovers, and support them with

angelic hosts of certain triumph.  Set firm their feet

on Thy straight path, and out of Thine ancient bounty

open before them the portals of Thy blessings; for

they are expending on Thy pathway what Thou hast

bestowed upon them, safeguarding Thy Faith, putting

their trust in their remembrance of Thee, offering up

their hearts for love of Thee, and withholding not

what they possess in adoration for Thy Beauty and in

their search for ways to please Thee.

    O my Lord!  Ordain for them a plenteous share a

destined recompense and sure reward.  Verily, Thou art

the Sustainer, the Helper, the Generous, the

Bountiful, the Ever-Bestowing.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"Blessed is the spot, and the house, . . ."

    Blessed is the spot, and the house,

  and the place, and the city,

  and the heart, and the mountain,

  and the refuge, and the cave,

  and the valley, and the land,

  and the sea, and the island,

  and the meadow where mention

  of God hath been made,

  and His praise glorified.

              -- BAHA'U'LLAH


"Come ye together in gladness unalloyed, and at the . . ."

    Come ye together in gladness unalloyed, and at the

beginning of the meeting, recite ye this prayer:  O

Thou Lord of the Kingdom!  Though our bodies be

gathered here together, yet our spellbound hearts are

carried away by Thy love, and yet are we transported

by the rays of Thy resplendent face.  Weak though we

be, we await the revelations of Thy might and power.

Poor though we be, with neither good nor means, still

take we riches from the treasures of Thy Kingdom.

Drops though we be, still do we draw from out Thy

ocean deeps.  Motes though we be, still do we gleam in

the glory of Thy splendid Sun.  O Thou our Provider!

Send down Thine aid, that each one gathered here may

become a lighted candle, each one a center of

attraction, each one a summoner to Thy heavenly

realms, till at last we make this nether world the

mirror image of Thy Paradise.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"Compassionate God!  Thanks be to Thee for Thou . . ."

    Compassionate God!  Thanks be to Thee for Thou

hast awakened and made me conscious.  Thou hast given

me a seeing eye and favored me with a hearing ear,

hast led me to Thy kingdom and guided me to Thy path.

Thou hast shown me the right way and caused me to

enter the ark of deliverance.  O God!  Keep me

steadfast and make me firm and staunch.  Protect me

from violent tests and preserve and shelter me in the

strongly fortified fortress of Thy Covenant and

Testament.  Thou art the Powerful.  Thou art the

Seeing.  Thou art the Hearing.

    O Thou the Compassionate God.  Bestow upon me a

heart which, like unto a glass, may be illumined with

the light of Thy love, and confer upon me thoughts

which may change this world into a rose garden through

the outpourings of heavenly grace.

    Thou art the Compassionate, the Merciful.  Thou

art the Great Beneficent God.  -'Abdu'l-Baha

    O my Lord and my Hope!  Help Thou Thy loved ones

to be steadfast in Thy mighty Covenant, to remain

faithful to Thy manifest Cause, and to carry out the

commandments Thou didst set down for them in Thy Book

of Splendors; that they may become banners of guidance

and lamps of the Company above, wellsprings of Thine

infinite wisdom, and stars that lead aright, as they

shine down from the supernal sky.  Verily, art Thou

the Invincible, the Almighty, the All-Powerful.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a . . ."

    Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a

tranquil conscience within me, O my Hope!  Through the

spirit of power confirm Thou me in Thy Cause, O my

Best-Beloved, and by the light of Thy glory reveal

unto me Thy path, O Thou the Goal of my desire!

Through the power of Thy transcendent might lift me up

unto the heaven of Thy holiness, O Source of my being,

and by the breezes of Thine eternity gladden me, O

Thou Who art my God!  Let Thine everlasting melodies

breathe tranquillity on me, O my Companion, and let

the riches of Thine ancient countenance deliver me

from all except Thee, O my Master, and let the tidings

of the revelation of Thine incorruptible Essence bring

me joy, O Thou Who art the most manifest of the

manifest and the most hidden of the hidden!

--Baha'u'llah


"Dispel my grief by Thy bounty and Thy generosity, . . ."

    Dispel my grief by Thy bounty and Thy generosity,

O God, my God, and banish mine anguish through Thy

sovereignty and Thy might.  Thou seest me, O my God,

with my face set towards Thee at a time when sorrows

have compassed me on every side.  I implore Thee, O

Thou Who art the Lord of all being, and overshadowest

all things visible and invisible, by Thy Name whereby

Thou hast subdued the hearts and the souls of men, and

by the billows of the Ocean of Thy mercy and the

splendors of the Daystar of Thy bounty, to number me

with them whom nothing whatsoever hath deterred from

setting their faces toward Thee, O Thou Lord of all

names and Maker of the heavens!

    Thou beholdest, O my Lord, the things which have

befallen me in Thy days.  I entreat Thee, by Him Who

is the Dayspring of Thy names and the Dawning-Place of

Thine attributes, to ordain for me what will enable me

to arise to serve Thee and to extol Thy virtues.  Thou

art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful, Who art

wont to answer the prayers of all men!

    And, finally, I beg of Thee by the light of Thy

countenance to bless my affairs, and redeem my debts,

and satisfy my needs.  Thou art He to Whose power and

to Whose dominion every tongue hath testified, and

Whose majesty and Whose sovereignty every

understanding heart hath acknowledged.  No God is

there but Thee Who hearest and art ready to answer.

--Baha'u'llah


"From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity . . ."

    From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity

give me to drink, O my God, and of the fruits of the

tree of Thy being enable me to taste, O my Hope!  From

the crystal springs of Thy love suffer me to quaff, O

my Glory, and beneath the shadow of Thine everlasting

providence let me abide, O my Light!  Within the

meadows of Thy nearness, before Thy presence, make me

able to roam, O my Beloved, and at the right hand of

the throne of Thy mercy, seat me, O my Desire!  From

the fragrant breezes of Thy joy let a breath pass over

me, O my Goal, and into the heights of the paradise of

Thy reality let me gain admission, O my Adored One!

To the melodies of the dove of Thy oneness suffer me

to hearken, O Resplendent One, and through the spirit

of Thy power and Thy might quicken me, O my Provider!

In the spirit of Thy love keep me steadfast, O my

Succorer, and in the path of Thy good pleasure set

firm my steps, O my Maker!  Within the garden of Thine

immortality, before Thy countenance, let me abide for

ever, O Thou Who art merciful unto me, and upon the

seat of Thy glory stablish me, O Thou Who art my

Possessor!  To the heaven of Thy loving- kindness lift

me up, O my Quickener, and unto the Daystar of Thy

guidance lead me, O Thou my Attractor!  Before the

revelations of Thine invisible spirit summon me to be

present, O Thou Who art my Origin and my Highest Wish,

and unto the essence of the fragrance of Thy beauty,

which Thou wilt manifest, cause me to return, O Thou

Who art my God!  Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth

Thee.  Thou art, verily, the Most Exalted, the All-

Glorious, the All-Highest.  --Baha'u'llah


"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  Every man of . . ."

    Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  Every man of

insight confesseth Thy sovereignty and Thy dominion,

and every discerning eye perceiveth the greatness of

Thy majesty and the compelling power of Thy might.

The winds of tests are powerless to hold back them

that enjoy near access to Thee from setting their

faces towards the horizon of Thy glory, and the

tempests of trials must fail to draw away and hinder

such as are wholly devoted to Thy will from

approaching Thy court.

    Methinks, the lamp of Thy love is burning in their

hearts, and the light of Thy tenderness is lit within

their breasts.  Adversities are incapable of

estranging them from Thy Cause, and the vicissitudes

of fortune can never cause them to stray from Thy

pleasure.

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by them and by the sighs

which their hearts utter in their separation from

Thee, to keep them safe from the mischief of Thine

adversaries, and to nourish their souls with what Thou

hast ordained for Thy loved ones on whom shall come no

fear and who shall not be put to grief.  --Baha'u'llah


"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  Every time I . . ."

    Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  Every time I

venture to make mention of Thee, I am held back by my

mighty sins and grievous trespasses against Thee, and

find myself wholly deprived of Thy grace, and utterly

powerless to celebrate Thy praise.  My great

confidence in Thy bounty, however, reviveth my hope in

Thee, and my certitude that Thou wilt bountifully deal

with me emboldeneth me to extol Thee, and to ask of

Thee the things Thou dost possess.  I implore Thee, O

my God, by Thy mercy that hath surpassed all created

things, and to which all that are immersed beneath the

oceans of Thy names bear witness, not to abandon me

unto my self, for my heart is prone to evil.  Guard

me, then, within the stronghold of Thy protection and

the shelter of Thy care.  I am he, O my God, whose

only wish is what Thou hast determined by the power of

Thy might.  All I have chosen for myself is to be

assisted by Thy gracious appointments and the ruling

of Thy will, and to be aided with the tokens of Thy

decree and judgment.  I beseech Thee, O Thou Who art

the Beloved of the hearts which long for Thee, by the

Manifestations of Thy Cause and the Daysprings of

Thine inspiration, and the Exponents of Thy majesty,

and the Treasuries of Thy knowledge, not to suffer me

to be deprived of Thy holy Habitation, Thy Fane and

Thy Tabernacle.  Aid me, O my Lord, to attain His

hallowed court, and to circle round His person, and to

stand humbly at His door.

    Thou art He Whose power is from everlasting to

everlasting.  Nothing escapeth Thy knowledge.  Thou

art, verily, the God of power, the God of glory and

wisdom.

    Praised be God, the Lord of the worlds!

--Baha'u'llah


"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee . . . "

    Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee

by Him Who is Thy Most Great Name, Who hath been

sorely afflicted by such of Thy creatures as have

repudiated Thy truth, and Who hath been hemmed in by

sorrows which no tongue can describe, to grant that I

may remember Thee and celebrate Thy praise, in these

days when all have turned away from Thy beauty, have

disputed with Thee, and turned away disdainfully from

Him Who is the Revealer of Thy Cause.  None is there,

O my Lord, to help Thee except Thine own Self, and no

power to succor Thee save Thine own power.

    I entreat Thee to enable me to cleave steadfastly

to Thy love and Thy remembrance.  This is, verily,

within my power, and Thou art the One that knoweth all

that is in me.  Thou, in truth, art knowing, apprised

of all.  Deprive me not, O my Lord, of the splendors

of the light of Thy face, whose brightness hath

illuminated the whole world.  No God is there beside

Thee, the Most Powerful, the All- Glorious, the

Ever-Forgiving.  --Baha'u'llah


"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee . . ."

    Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee

by Thy Chosen Ones, and by the Bearers of Thy Trust,

and by Him Whom Thou hast ordained to be the Seal of

Thy Prophets and of Thy Messengers, to let Thy

remembrance be my companion, and Thy love my aim, and

Thy face my goal, and Thy name my lamp, and Thy wish

my desire, and Thy pleasure my delight.  I am a

sinner, O my Lord, and Thou art the Ever-Forgiving.

As soon as I recognized Thee, I hastened to attain the

exalted court of Thy loving- kindness.  Forgive me, O

my Lord, my sins which have hindered me from walking

in the ways of Thy good pleasure, and from attaining

the shores of the ocean of Thy oneness.

    There is no one, O my Lord, who can deal

bountifully with me to whom I can turn my face, and

none who can have compassion on me that I may crave

his mercy.  Cast me not out, I implore Thee, of the

presence of Thy grace, neither do Thou withhold from

me the outpourings of Thy generosity and bounty.

Ordain for me, O my Lord, what Thou hast ordained for

them that love Thee, and write down for me what Thou

hast written down for Thy chosen ones.  My gaze hath

at all times, been fixed on the horizon of Thy

gracious providence, and mine eyes bent upon the court

of Thy tender mercies.  Do with me as beseemeth Thee.

No God is there but Thee, the God of power, the God of

glory, Whose help is implored by all men.

--Baha'u'llah


"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I give Thee . . ."

    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 the hearts of

such of Thy servants as are nigh unto Thee, and

through which the Daystar of Thy name, the

Compassionate, hath shed its radiance upon all that

are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, to supply me, by

Thy grace and bounty, with Thy wondrous and hidden

bounties.

    These are the earliest days of my life, O my God,

which Thou hast linked with Thine own days.  Now that

Thou hast conferred upon me so great an honor,

withhold not from me the things Thou hast ordained for

Thy chosen ones.

    I am, O my God, but a tiny seed which Thou hast

sown in the soil of Thy love, and caused to spring

forth by the hand of Thy bounty.  This seed craveth,

therefore, in its inmost being, for the waters of Thy

mercy and the living fountain of Thy grace.  Send down

upon it, from the heaven of Thy loving-kindness, that

which will enable it to flourish beneath Thy shadow

and within the borders of Thy court.  Thou art He Who

watereth the hearts of all that have recognized Thee

from Thy plenteous stream and the fountain of Thy

living waters.

    Praised be God, the Lord of the worlds.

--Baha'u'llah


"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee . . ."

    Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee

by the onrushing winds of Thy grace, and by them Who

are the Daysprings of Thy purpose and the

Dawning-Places of Thine inspiration, to send down upon

me and upon all that have sought Thy face that which

beseemeth Thy generosity and bountiful grace, and is

worthy of Thy bestowals and favors.  Poor and desolate

I am, O my Lord!  Immerse me in the ocean of Thy

wealth; athirst, suffer me to drink from the living

waters of Thy loving-kindness.

    I beseech Thee, by Thine own Self and by Him Whom

Thou hast appointed as the Manifestation of Thine own

Being and Thy discriminating Word unto all that are in

heaven and on earth, to gather together Thy servants

beneath the shade of the Tree of Thy gracious

providence.  Help them, then, to partake of its

fruits, to incline their ears to the rustling of its

leaves, and to the sweetness of the voice of the Bird

that chanteth upon its branches.  Thou art, verily,

the Help in Peril, the Inaccessible, the Almighty, the

Most Bountiful.  --Baha'u'llah


"Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I yield Thee . . ."

    Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I yield Thee

thanks for having enabled me to recognize the

Manifestation of Thyself, and for having severed me

from Thine enemies, and laid bare before mine eyes

their misdeeds and wicked works in Thy days, and for

having rid me of all attachment to them, and caused me

to turn wholly towards Thy grace and bountiful favors.

I give Thee thanks, also, for having sent down upon me

from the clouds of Thy will that which hath so

sanctified me from the hints of the infidels and the

allusions of the misbelievers that I have fixed my

heart firmly on Thee, and fled from such as have

denied the light of Thy countenance.  Again I thank

Thee for having empowered me to be steadfast in Thy

love, and to speak forth Thy praise and to extol Thy

virtues, and for having given me to drink of the cup

of Thy mercy that hath surpassed all things visible

and invisible.  Thou art the Almighty, the Most

Exalted, the All Glorious, the All-Loving.

--Baha'u'llah


"Glorified art Thou, O my God!  I yield Thee thanks . . ."

    Glorified art Thou, O my God!  I yield Thee thanks

that Thou hast made known unto me Him Who is the

Dayspring of Thy mercy, and the Dawning-Place of Thy

grace, and the Repository of Thy Cause.  I beseech

Thee by Thy Name, through which the faces of them that

are nigh unto Thee have turned white, and the hearts

of such as are devoted to Thee have winged their

flight towards Thee, to grant that I may, at all times

and under all conditions, lay hold on Thy cord, and be

rid of all attachment to anyone except Thee, and may

keep mine eyes directed towards the horizon of Thy

Revelation, and may carry out what Thou hast

prescribed unto me in Thy Tablets.  Attire, O my Lord,

both my inner and outer being with the raiment of Thy

favors and Thy loving- kindness.  Keep me safe, then,

from whatsoever may be abhorrent unto Thee, and

graciously assist me and my kindred to obey Thee, and

to shun whatsoever may stir up any evil or corrupt

desire within me.  Thou, truly, art the Lord of all

mankind, and the Possessor of this world and of the

next.  No God is there save Thee, the All-Knowing, the

All-Wise.  --Baha'u'llah


"Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God!  I beseech . . ."

    Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God!  I beseech

Thee by Thy power that hath encompassed all created

things, and by Thy sovereignty that hath transcended

the entire creation, and by Thy Word which was hidden

in Thy wisdom and whereby Thou didst create Thy heaven

and Thy earth, both to enable us to be steadfast in

our love for Thee and in our obedience to Thy

pleasure, and to fix our gaze upon Thy face, and

celebrate Thy glory.  Empower us, then, O my God, to

spread abroad Thy signs among Thy creatures, and to

guard Thy Faith in Thy realm.  Thou hast ever existed

independently of the mention of any of Thy creatures,

and wilt remain as Thou hast been for ever and ever.

    In Thee I have placed my whole confidence, unto

Thee I have turned my face, to the cord of Thy loving

providence I have clung, and towards the shadow of Thy

mercy I have hastened.  Cast me not as one

disappointed out of Thy door, O my God, and withhold

not from me Thy grace, for Thee alone do I seek.  No

God is there beside Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most

Bountiful.  Praise be to Thee, O Thou Who art the

Beloved of them that have known Thee!  --Baha'u'llah


"Glory be to Thee, O God! . . ."

    Glory be to Thee, O God!

Thou art the God Who hath existed before

all things, Who will exist after all things and will

last beyond all things.  Thou art the God Who knoweth

all things, and is supreme over all things.  Thou art

the God Who dealeth mercifully with all things, Who

judgeth between all things and Whose vision embraceth

all things.  Thou art God my Lord, Thou art aware of

my position, Thou dost witness my inner and outer

being.

    Grant Thy forgiveness unto me and unto the

believers who responded to Thy Call.  Be Thou my

sufficing helper against the mischief of whosoever may

desire to inflict sorrow upon me or wish me ill.

Verily, Thou art the Lord of all created things.  Thou

dost suffice everyone, while no one can be

self-sufficient without Thee.  --The Bab


"Glory be to Thee, O King of eternity, and the . . ."

    Glory be to Thee, O King of eternity, and the

Maker of nations, and the Fashioner of every moldering

bone!  I pray Thee, by Thy Name through which Thou

didst call all mankind unto the horizon of Thy majesty

and glory, and didst guide Thy servants to the court

of Thy grace and favors, to number me with such as

have rid themselves from everything except Thyself,

and have set themselves towards Thee, and have not

been kept back by such misfortunes as were decreed by

Thee, from turning in the direction of Thy gifts.  I

have laid hold, O my Lord, on the handle of Thy

bounty, and clung steadfastly to the hem of the robe

of Thy favor.  Send down, then, upon me, out of the

clouds of Thy generosity, what will purge out from me

the remembrance of anyone except Thee, and make me

able to turn unto Him Who is the Object of the

adoration of all mankind, against Whom have been

arrayed the stirrers of sedition, who have broken Thy

covenant, and disbelieved in Thee and in Thy signs.

Deny me not, O my Lord, the fragrances of Thy raiment

in Thy days, and deprive me not of the breathings of

Thy Revelation at the appearance of the splendors of

the light of Thy face Powerful art Thou to do what

pleaseth Thee Naught can resist Thy will, nor

frustrate what Thou hast purposed by Thy power.  No

God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the -Wise.

--Baha'u'llah


"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  Abase not him . . ."

    Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  Abase not him

whom Thou hast exalted through the power of Thine

everlasting sovereignty, and remove not far from Thee

him whom Thou hast caused to enter the tabernacle of

Thine eternity.  Wilt Thou cast away, O my God, him

whom Thou hast overshadowed with Thy Lordship, and

wilt Thou turn away from Thee, O my Desire, him to

whom Thou hast been a refuge?  Canst Thou degrade him

whom Thou hast uplifted, or forget him whom Thou didst

enable to remember Thee?

    Glorified, immensely glorified art Thou!  Thou art

He Who from everlasting hath been the King of the

entire creation and its Prime Mover, and Thou wilt to

everlasting remain the Lord of all created things and

their Ordainer.  Glorified art Thou, O my God!  If

Thou ceasest to be merciful unto Thy servants, who,

then, will show mercy unto them; and if Thou refusest

to succor Thy loved ones, who is there that can succor

them?  Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou!

Thou art adored in Thy truth, and Thee do we all,

verily, worship; and Thou art manifest in Thy justice,

and to Thee do we all, verily, bear witness.  Thou

art, in truth, beloved in Thy grace.  No God is there

but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

--Baha'u'llah


"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I beg of Thee by . . ."

    Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I beg of Thee by

Thy Name through which He Who is Thy Beauty hath been

established upon the throne of Thy Cause, and by Thy

Name through which Thou changest all things, and

gatherest together all things, and callest to account

all things, and rewardest all things, and preservest

all things, and sustainest all things I beg of Thee to

guard this handmaiden who hath fled for refuge to

Thee, and hath sought the shelter of Him in Whom Thou

Thyself art manifest, and hath put her whole trust and

confidence in Thee.

    She is sick, O my God, and hath entered beneath

the shadow of the Tree of Thy healing; afflicted, and

hath fled to the City of Thy protection; diseased, and

hath sought the Fountainhead of Thy favors; sorely

vexed, and hath hasted to attain the Wellspring of Thy

tranquillity; burdened with sin, and hath set her face

toward the court of Thy forgiveness.

    Attire her, by Thy sovereignty and Thy loving-

kindness, O my God and my Beloved, with the raiment of

Thy balm and Thy healing, and make her quaff of the

cup of Thy mercy and Thy favors.  Protect her.

moreover.  from every affliction and ailment, from all

pain and sickness, and from whatsoever may be

abhorrent unto Thee.  Thou, in truth, art immensely

exalted above all else except Thyself.  Thou art,

verily, the Healer, the All-Sufficing, the Preserver,

the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.  --Baha'u'llah


"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee . . ."

    Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee

by Thy Name, through which Thou didst lift up the

ensigns of Thy guidance, and didst shed the radiance

of Thy loving-kindness, and didst reveal the

sovereignty of Thy Lordship; through which the lamp of

Thy names hath appeared within the niche of Thine

attributes, and He Who is the Tabernacle of Thy unity

and the Manifestation of detachment hath shone forth;

through which the ways of Thy guidance were made

known, and the paths of Thy good pleasure were marked

out; through which the foundations of error have been

made to tremble, and the signs of wickedness have been

abolished; through which the fountains of wisdom have

burst forth, and the heavenly table hath been sent

down; through which Thou didst preserve Thy servants

and didst vouchsafe Thy healing; through which Thou

didst show forth Thy tender mercies unto Thy servants

and revealedst Thy forgiveness amidst Thy creatures --

I implore Thee to keep safe him who hath held fast and

returned unto Thee, and clung to Thy mercy, and seized

the hem of Thy loving providence.  Send down, then,

upon him Thy healing, and make him whole, and endue

him with a constancy vouchsafed by Thee, and a

tranquillity bestowed by Thy highness.  Thou art,

verily, the Healer, the Preserver, the Helper, the

Almighty, the Powerful, the All-Glorious, the All-

Knowing.  --Baha'u'llah


"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  These are the . . ."

    Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  These are the

days whereon Thou hast bidden all men to observe the

fast, that through it they may purify their souls and

rid themselves of all attachment to anyone but Thee,

and that out of their hearts may ascend that which

will be worthy of the court of Thy majesty and may

well beseem the seat of the revelation of Thy oneness.

Grant, O my Lord, that this fast may become a river of

lifegiving waters and may yield the virtue wherewith

Thou hast endowed it.  Cleanse Thou by its means the

hearts of Thy servants whom the evils of the world

have failed to hinder from turning towards Thine

all-glorious Name, and who have remained unmoved by

the noise and tumult of such as have repudiated Thy

most resplendent signs which have accompanied the

advent of Thy Manifestation Whom Thou hast invested

with Thy sovereignty, Thy power, Thy majesty and

glory.  These are the servants who, as soon as Thy

call reached them, hastened in the direction of Thy

mercy and were not kept back from Thee by the changes

and chances of this world or by any human limitations.

    I am he, O my God, who testifieth to Thy unity,

who acknowledgeth Thy oneness, who boweth humbly

before the revelations of Thy majesty, and who

recognizeth with downcast countenance the splendors of

the light of Thy transcendent glory.  I have believed

in Thee after Thou didst enable me to know Thy Self,

Whom Thou hast revealed to men's eyes through the

power of Thy sovereignty and might.  Unto Him I have

turned, wholly detached from all things, and cleaving

steadfastly unto the cord of Thy gifts and favors.  I

have embraced His truth, and the truth of all the

wondrous laws and precepts that have been sent down

unto Him.  I have fasted for love of Thee and in

pursuance of Thine injunction, and have broken my fast

with Thy praise on my tongue and in conformity with

Thy pleasure.  Suffer me not, O my Lord, to be

reckoned among them who have fasted in the daytime,

who in the night- season have prostrated themselves

before Thy face, and who have repudiated Thy truth,

disbelieved in Thy signs, gainsaid Thy testimony, and

perverted Thine utterances.

    Open Thou, O my Lord, mine eyes and the eyes of

all them that have sought Thee, that we may recognize

Thee with Thine own eyes.  This is Thy bidding given

us in the Book sent down by Thee unto Him Whom Thou

hast chosen by Thy behest, Whom Thou hast singled out

for Thy favor a above all Thy creatures, Whom Thou

hast been pleased to invest with Thy sovereignty, and

Whom Thou hast specially favored and entrusted with

Thy Message unto Thy people.  Praised be Thou,

therefore, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast graciously

enabled us to recognize Him and to acknowledge

whatsoever hath been sent down unto Him, and conferred

upon us the honor of attaining the presence of the One

Whom Thou didst promise in Thy Book and in Thy

Tablets.  Thou seest me then, O my God, with my face

turned towards Thee, cleaving steadfastly to the cord

of Thy gracious providence and generosity, and

clinging to the hem of Thy tender mercies and

bountiful favors.  Destroy not, I implore Thee, my

hopes of attaining unto that which Thou didst ordain

for Thy servants who have turned towards the precincts

of Thy court and the sanctuary of Thy presence, and

have observed the fast for love of Thee.  I confess, O

my God, that whatever proceedeth from me is wholly

unworthy of Thy sovereignty and falleth short of Thy

majesty.  And yet I beseech Thee by Thy Name through

which Thou hast revealed Thy Self, in the glory of Thy

most excellent titles, unto all created things, in

this Revelation whereby Thou hast, through Thy most

resplendent Name, manifested Thy beauty, to give me to

drink of the wine of Thy mercy and of the pure

beverage of Thy favor, which have streamed forth from

the right hand of Thy will, that I may so fix my gaze

upon Thee and be so detached from all else but Thee,

that the world and all that hath been created therein

may appear before me as a fleeting day which Thou hast

not deigned to create.

    I moreover entreat Thee, O my God, to rain down,

from the heaven of Thy will and the clouds of Thy

mercy, that which will cleanse us from the noisome

savors of our transgressions, O Thou Who hast called

Thyself the God of Mercy!  Thou art, verily, the Most

Powerful, the All-Glorious, the Beneficent.

    Cast not away, O my Lord, him that hath turned

towards Thee, nor suffer him who hath drawn nigh unto

Thee to be removed far from Thy court.  Dash not the

hopes of the suppliant who hath longingly stretched

out his hands to seek Thy grace and favors, and

deprive not Thy sincere servants of the wonders of Thy

tender mercies and loving-kindness.  Forgiving and

Most Bountiful art Thou, O my Lord!  Power has Thou to

do what Thou pleasest.  All else but Thee are impotent

before the revelations of Thy might, are as lost in

the face of the evidences of Thy wealth, are as

nothing when compared with the manifestations of Thy

transcendent sovereignty, and are destitute of all

strength when face to face with the signs and tokens

of Thy power.  What refuge is there beside Thee, O my

Lord, to which I can flee, and where is there a haven

to which I can hasten?  Nay, the power of Thy might

beareth me witness!  No protector is there but Thee,

no place to flee to except Thee, no refuge to seek

save Thee.  Cause me to taste, O my Lord, the divine

sweetness of Thy remembrance and praise.  I swear by

Thy might!  Whosoever tasteth of its sweetness will

rid himself of all attachment to the world and all

that is therein, and will set his face towards Thee,

cleansed from the remembrance of anyone except Thee.

    Inspire then my soul, O my God, with Thy wondrous

remembrance, that I may glorify Thy name.  Number me

not with them who read Thy words and fail to find Thy

hidden gift which, as decreed by Thee, is contained

therein, and which quickeneth the souls of Thy

creatures and the hearts of Thy servants.  Cause me, O

my Lord, to be reckoned among them who have been so

stirred up by the sweet savors that have been wafted

in Thy days that they have laid down their lives for

Thee and hastened to the scene of their death in their

longing to gaze on Thy beauty and in their yearning to

attain Thy presence.  And were anyone to say unto them

on their way, "Whither go ye?" they would say, "Unto

God, the All-Possessing, the Help in Peril, the Self-

Subsisting!" The transgressions committed by such as

have turned away from Thee and have borne themselves

haughtily towards Thee have not availed to hinder them

from loving Thee, and from setting their faces towards

Thee, and from turning in the direction of Thy mercy.

These are they who are blessed by the Concourse on

high, who are glorified by the denizens of the

everlasting Cities, and beyond them by those on whose

foreheads Thy most exalted pen hath written:  "These!

The people of Baha.  Through them have been shed the

splendors of the light of guidance.  " Thus hath it

been ordained, at Thy behest and by Thy will, in the

Tablet of Thine irrevocable decree.  Proclaim,

therefore, O my God, their greatness and the greatness

of those who while living or after death have circled

round them.  Supply them with that which Thou hast

ordained for the righteous among Thy creatures.

Potent art Thou to do all things.  There is no God but

Thee, the All Powerful, the Help in Peril, the

Almighty, the Most Bountiful.

    Do not bring our fasts to an end with this fast, O

my Lord, nor the covenants Thou hast made with this

covenant.  Do Thou accept all that we have done for

love of Thee, and for the sake of Thy pleasure, and

all that we have left undone as a result of our

subjection to our evil and corrupt desires.  Enable

us, then, to cleave steadfastly to Thy love and Thy

good pleasure, and preserve us from the mischief of

such as have denied Thee and repudiated Thy most

resplendent signs.  Thou art, in truth, the Lord of

this world and of the next.  No God is there beside

Thee, the Exalted, the Most High.

    Magnify Thou, O Lord my God, Him Who is the Primal

Point, the Divine Mystery, the Unseen Essence, the

Dayspring of Divinity, and the Manifestation of Thy

Lordship, through Whom all the knowledge of the past

and all the knowledge of the future were made plain,

through Whom the pearls of Thy hidden wisdom were

uncovered, and the mystery of Thy treasured name

disclosed, Whom Thou hast appointed as the Announcer

of the One through Whose name the letter B and the

letter E have been joined and united, through Whom Thy

majesty, Thy sovereignty and Thy might were made

known, through Whom Thy words have been sent down, and

Thy laws set forth with clearness, and Thy signs

spread abroad, and Thy Word established, through Whom

the hearts of Thy chosen ones were laid bare, and all

that were in the heavens and all that were on the

earth were gathered together, Whom Thou hast called

'Ali- Muhammad in the kingdom of Thy names, and the

Spirit of Spirits in the Tablets of Thine irrevocable

decree, Whom Thou hast invested with Thine own title,

unto Whose name all other names have, at Thy bidding

and through the power of Thy might, been made to

return, and in Whom Thou hast caused all Thine

attributes and titles to attain their final

consummation.  To Him also belong such names as lay

hid within Thy stainless tabernacles, in Thine

invisible world and Thy sanctified cities.  Magnify

Thou, moreover, such as have believed in Him and in

His signs and have turned towards Him, from among

those that have acknowledged Thy unity in His Latter

Manifestation a Manifestation whereof He hath made

mention in His Tablets, and in His Books, and in His

Scriptures, and in all the wondrous verses and

gem-like utterances that have descended upon Him.  It

is this same Manifestation Whose covenant Thou hast

bidden Him establish ere He had established His own

covenant.  He it is Whose praise the Bayan hath

celebrated.  In it His excellence hath been extolled,

and His truth established, and His sovereignty

proclaimed, and His Cause perfected.  Blessed is the

man that hath turned unto Him, and fulfilled the

things He hath commanded, O Thou Who art the Lord of

the worlds and the Desire of all them that have known

Thee!  Praised be Thou, O my God, inasmuch as Thou

hast aided us to recognize and love Him.  I,

therefore, beseech Thee by Him and by Them Who are the

Daysprings of Thy Divinity, and the Manifestations of

Thy Lordship, and the Treasuries of Thy Revelation,

and the Depositories of Thine inspiration, to enable

us to serve and obey Him, and to empower us to become

the helpers of His Cause and the dispersers of His

adversaries.  Powerful art Thou to do all that

pleaseth Thee.  No God is there beside Thee, the

Almighty, the All-Glorious, the One Whose help is

sought by all -- Baha'u'llah


"Glory be unto Thee, O God.  How can I make mention . . ."

    Glory be unto Thee, O God.  How can I make mention

of Thee while Thou art sanctified from the praise of

all mankind.  Magnified be Thy Name, O God, Thou art

the King, the Eternal Truth; Thou knowest what is in

the heavens and on the earth, and unto Thee must all

return Thou hast sent down Thy divinely ordained

Revelation according to a clear measure.  Praised art

Thou, O Lord!  At Thy behest Thou dost render

victorious whomsoever Thou willest, through the hosts

of heaven and earth and whatsoever existeth between

them.  Thou art the Sovereign, the Eternal Truth the

Lord of invincible might.  Glorified art Thou, O Lord,

Thou forgivest at all times the sins of such among Thy

servants as implore Thy pardon.  Wash away my sins and

the sins of those who seek Thy forgiveness at at dawn,

who pray to the in the daytime and in the night

season, who year after naught save God, who offer up

whatsoever God hath graciously bestowed upon them, who

celebrate Thy praise at morn and eventide, and who are

not remiss in their duties.  --The Bab


"Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God!  I beg Thee to . . ."

    Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God!  I beg Thee to

forgive me and those who support Thy Faith.  Verily,

Thou art the sovereign Lord, the Forgiver, the Most

Generous.  O my God!  Enable such servants of Thine as

are deprived of knowledge to be admitted into Thy

Cause; for once they learn of Thee, they bear witness

to the truth of the Day of Judgment and do not dispute

the revelations of Thy bounty.  Send down upon them

the tokens of Thy grace, and grant them, wherever they

reside, a liberal share of that which Thou hast

ordained for the pious among Thy servants.  Thou art

in truth the Supreme Ruler, the All-Bounteous, the

Most Benevolent.  O my God!  Let the outpourings of

Thy bounty and blessings descend upon homes whose

inmates have embraced Thy Faith, as a token of Thy

grace and as a mark of loving- kindness from Thy

presence Verily, unsurpassed art Thou in granting

forgiveness.  Should Thy bounty be withheld from

anyone, how could he be reckoned among the followers

of the Faith in Thy Day?  Bless me, O my God, and

those who will believe in Thy signs on the appointed

Day, and such as cherish my love in their hearts a

love which Thou dost instill into them.  Verily, Thou

art the Lord of righteousness, the Most Exalted.  -The

Bab


"Glory be unto Thee, O Lord of the world and Desire . . ."

    Glory be unto Thee, O Lord of the world and Desire

of the nations, O Thou Who hast become manifest in the

Greatest Name.  whereby the pearls of wisdom and

utterance have appeared from the shells of the great

sea of Thy knowledge, and the heavens of divine

revelation have been adorned with the light of the

appearance of the sun of Thy countenance.

    I beg of Thee, by that Word through which Thy

proof was perfected among Thy creatures and Thy

testimony was fulfilled amidst Thy servants, to

strengthen Thy people in that whereby the face of the

Cause will radiate in Thy dominion, the standards of

Thy power will be planted among Thy servants, and the

banners of Thy guidance will be raised throughout Thy

dominions.  O my Lord!  Thou beholdest them clinging

to the rope of Thy grace and holding fast unto the hem

of the mantle of Thy beneficence.  Ordain for them

that which may draw them nearer unto Thee, and

withhold them from all else save Thee.  I beg of Thee,

O Thou King of existence and Protector of the seen and

the unseen, to make whosoever arises to serve Thy

Cause as a sea moving by Thy desire, as one ablaze

with the fire of Thy Sacred Tree, shining from the

horizon of the heaven of Thy will.  Verily, Thou art

the mighty One, Whom neither the power of all the

world nor the strength of nations can weaken.  There

is no God but Thee, the One, the Incomparable, the

Protector, the Self-Subsistent.  --Baha'u'llah


"Glory be unto Thee, O Lord, Thou Who hast brought . . ."

    Glory be unto Thee, O Lord, Thou Who hast brought

into being all created things, through the power of

Thy behest.  O Lord!  Assist those who have renounced

all else but Thee, and grant them a mighty victory.

Send down upon them, O Lord, the concourse of the

angels in heaven and earth and all that is between, to

aid Thy servants, to succor and strengthen them, to

enable them to achieve success, to sustain them, to

invest them with glory, to confer upon them honor and

exaltation, to enrich them and to make them triumphant

with a wondrous triumph.

    Thou art their Lord, the Lord of the heavens and

the earth, the Lord of all the worlds.  Strengthen

this Faith, O Lord, through the power of these

servants, and cause them to prevail over all the

peoples of the world; for they, of a truth, are Thy

servants who have detached themselves from aught else

but Thee, and Thou, verily, art the protector of true

believers.

    Grant Thou, O Lord, that their hearts may, through

allegiance to this, Thine inviolable Faith, grow

stronger than anything else in the heavens and on

earth and in whatsoever is between them; and

strengthen, O Lord, their hands with the tokens of Thy

wondrous power that they may manifest Thy power before

the gaze of all mankind.  --The Bab


"Glory be unto Thee, O my God!  Verily, this Thy . . ."

    Glory be unto Thee, O my God!  Verily, this Thy

servant and this Thy maidservant have gathered under

the shadow of Thy mercy and they are united through

Thy favor and generosity.  O Lord!  Assist them in

this Thy world and Thy kingdom and destine for them

every good through Thy bounty and grace.  O Lord!

Confirm them in Thy servitude and assist them in Thy

service.  Suffer them to become the signs of Thy Name

in Thy world and protect them through Thy bestowals

which are inexhaustible in this world and the world to

come.  O Lord!  They are supplicating the kingdom of

Thy mercifulness and invoking the realm of Thy

singleness.  Verily, they are married in obedience to

Thy command.  Cause them to become the signs of

harmony and unity until the end of time.  Verily, Thou

art the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent and the Almighty!

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"Glory to Thee, O my God!  But for the tribulations . . ."

    Glory to Thee, O my God!  But for the tribulations

which are sustained in Thy path how could Thy true

lovers be recognized; and were it not for the trials

which are borne for love of Thee, how could the

station of such as yearn for Thee be revealed?  Thy

might beareth me witness!  The companions of all who

adore Thee are the tears they shed, and the comforters

of such as seek Thee are the groans they utter, and

the food of them who haste to meet Thee is the

fragments of their broken hearts.

    How sweet to my taste is the bitterness of death

suffered in Thy path, and how precious in my

estimation are the shafts of Thine enemies when

encountered for the sake of the exaltation of Thy

word!  Let me quaff in Thy Cause, O my God, whatsoever

Thou didst desire, and send down upon me in Thy love

all Thou didst ordain.  By Thy glory!  I wish only

what Thou wishest, and cherish what Thou cherishest.

In Thee have I, at all times, placed my whole trust

and confidence.  Raise up, I implore Thee, O my God,

as helpers to this Revelation such as shall be counted

worthy of Thy name and of Thy sovereignty, that they

may remember me among Thy creatures, and hoist the

ensigns of Thy victory in Thy land.  Potent art Thou

to do what pleaseth Thee.  No God is there but Thee,

the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.  --Baha'u'llah


"God, my God!  Thou beholdest this weak one begging . . ."

    God, my God!  Thou beholdest this weak one begging

for celestial strength, this poor one craving Thy

heavenly treasures, this thirsty one longing for the

fountain of eternal life, this afflicted one yearning

for Thy promised healing through Thy boundless mercy

which Thou hast destined for Thy chosen servants in

Thy kingdom on high.

    O Lord!  I have no helper save Thee, no shelter

besides Thee, and no sustainer except Thee.  Assist me

with Thine angels to diffuse Thy holy fragrances and

to spread abroad Thy teachings amongst the choicest of

Thy people.  O my Lord!  Suffer me to be detached from

aught else save Thee, to hold fast to the hem of Thy

bounty, to be wholly devoted to Thy Faith, to remain

fast and firm in Thy love and to observe what Thou

hast prescribed in Thy Book.  Verily, Thou art the

Powerful, the Mighty, the Omnipotent.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"HE is God!  O peerless Lord!  In Thine almighty . . ."

    HE is God!  O peerless Lord!  In Thine almighty

wisdom Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples,

that the generations of men may succeed one another in

this contingent world, and that ever, so long as the

world shall last, they may busy themselves at the

Threshold of Thy oneness with servitude and worship,

with salutation, adoration and praise.  "I have not

created spirits and men, but that they should worship

me."l Wherefore, wed Thou in the heaven of Thy mercy

these two birds of the nest of Thy love, and make them

the means of attracting perpetual grace; that from the

union of these two seas of love a wave of tenderness

may surge and cast the pearls of pure and goodly issue

on the shore of life.  "He hath let loose the two

seas, that they meet each other:  Between them is a

barrier which they overpass not.  Which then of the

bounties of your Lord will ye deny?  From each He

bringeth up greater and lesser pearls."

    O Thou kind Lord!  Make Thou this marriage to

bring forth coral and pearls.  Thou art verily the

All- Powerful, the Most Great, the Ever-Forgiving.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"HE is God! . . .  "

    HE is God!

    O Lord my God!  O Thou Helper of the feeble,

Succorer of the poor and Deliverer of the helpless who

turn unto Thee.

    With utmost lowliness I raise my suppliant hands

to Thy kingdom of beauty and fervently call upon Thee

with my inner tongue, saying:  O God, my God!  Aid me

to adore Thee, strengthen my loins to serve Thee;

assist me by Thy grace in my servitude to Thee; suffer

me to remain steadfast in my obedience to Thee; pour

forth upon me the liberal effusions of Thy bounty, let

the glances of the eye of Thy loving-kindness be

directed towards me, and immerse me in the ocean of

Thy forgiveness.  Grant that I may be confirmed in my

allegiance to Thy Faith, and bestow upon me a fuller

measure of certitude and assurance, that I may wholly

dispense with the world, may turn my face with entire

devotion towards Thy face, be reinforced by the

compelling power of proofs and testimonies, and,

invested with majesty and power, may pass beyond every

region of heaven and earth.  Verily Thou art the

Merciful, the All-Glorious, the Kind, the

Compassionate.

    O Lord!  These are the survivors of the martyrs,

that company of blessed souls.  They have sustained

every tribulation and displayed patience in the face

of grievous injustice.  They have forsaken all comfort

and prosperity, have willingly submitted to dire

suffering and adversity in the path of Thy love, and

are still held captive in the clutches of their

enemies who continually torment them with sore

torment, and oppress them because they walk

steadfastly in Thy straight path.  There is no one to

help them, no one to befriend them.  Apart from the

ignoble and the wicked, there is no one to associate

and consort with them.  O Lord!  These souls have

tasted bitter agony in this earthly life and have, as

a sign of their love for the shining beauty of Thy

countenance and in their eagerness to attain Thy

celestial kingdom, tolerated every gross indignity

that the people of tyranny have inflicted upon them.

O Lord!  Fill their ears with the verses of divine

assistance and of a speedy victory, and deliver them

from the oppression of such as wield terrible might.

Withhold the hands of the wicked and leave not these

souls to be torn by the claws and teeth of fierce

beasts, for they are captivated by their love for

Thee, entrusted with the mysteries of Thy holiness,

stand humbly at Thy door and have attained to Thine

exalted precinct.  O Lord!  Graciously reinforce them

with a new spirit; illumine their eyes by enabling

them to behold Thy wondrous evidences in the gloom of

night; destine for them all good that aboundeth in Thy

Kingdom of eternal mysteries; make them as brilliant

stars shining over all regions, luxuriant trees laden

with fruit and branches moving in the breezes of dawn.

    Verily, Thou art the Bountiful, the Mighty, the

Omnipotent, the Unconstrained.  There is none other

God but Thee, the God of love and tender mercy, the

All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"HE is God! . . . "

    HE is God!

    O Lord, my God, my Well-Beloved!  These are

servants of Thine that have heard Thy Voice, given ear

to Thy Word and hearkened to Thy Call.  They have

believed in Thee, witnessed Thy wonders, acknowledged

Thy proof and testified to Thine evidence.  They have

walked in Thy ways, followed Thy guidance, discovered

Thy mysteries, comprehended the secrets of Thy Book,

the verses of Thy Scrolls and the tidings of Thy

Epistles and Tablets.  They have clung to the hem of

Thy garment and held fast unto the robe of Thy light

and grandeur.  Their footsteps have been strengthened

in Thy Covenant and their hearts made firm in Thy

Testament.  Lord!  Do Thou kindle in their hearts the

flame of Thy divine attraction and grant that the bird

of love and understanding may sing within their

hearts.  Grant that they may be even as potent signs,

resplendent standards, and perfect as Thy Word.  Exalt

by them Thy Cause, unfurl Thy banners and publish far

and wide Thy wonders.  Make by them Thy Word

triumphant, and strengthen the loins of Thy loved

ones.  Unloose their tongues to laud Thy Name, and

inspire them to do Thy holy will and pleasure.

Illumine their faces in Thy Kingdom of holiness, and

perfect their joy by aiding them to arise for the

triumph of Thy Cause.  Lord!  Feeble are we,

strengthen us to diffuse the fragrances of Thy

Holiness; poor, enrich us from the treasures of Thy

Divine Unity; naked, clothe us with the robe of Thy

bounty; sinful, forgive us our sins by Thy grace, Thy

favor and Thy pardon.  Thou art, verily, the Aider,

the Helper, the Gracious, the Mighty, the Powerful.

    The glory of glories rest upon them that are fast

and firm.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"HE is God! . . ."

    HE is God!

    O God, my God!  These are servants attracted in

Thy days by the fragrances of Thy holiness, enkindled

with the flame burning in Thy holy tree, responding to

Thy voice, uttering Thy praise, awakened by Thy

breeze, stirred by Thy sweet savors, beholding Thy

signs, understanding Thy verses, hearkening to Thy

words, believing Thy Revelation and assured of Thy

lovingkindness.  Their eyes, O Lord, are fixed upon

Thy kingdom of effulgent glory and their faces turned

toward Thy dominion on high, their hearts beating with

the love of Thy radiant and glorious beauty, their

souls consumed with the flame of Thy love, O Lord of

this world and the world hereafter, their lives

seething with the ardor of their longing for Thee, and

their tears poured forth for Thy sake.

    Shield them within the stronghold of Thy

protection and safety, preserve them in Thy watchful

care, look upon them with the eyes of Thy providence

and mercy, make them the signs of Thy divine unity

that are manifest throughout all regions, the

standards of Thy might that wave above Thy mansions of

grandeur, the shining lamps that burn with the oil of

Thy wisdom in the globes of Thy guidance, the birds of

the garden of Thy knowledge that warble upon the

topmost boughs in Thy sheltering paradise, and the

leviathans of the ocean of Thy bounty that plunge by

Thy supreme mercy in the fathomless deeps.

    O Lord, my God!  Lowly are these servants of

Thine, exalt them in Thy kingdom on high; feeble,

strengthen them by Thy supreme power; abased, bestow

upon them Thy glory in Thine all-highest realm; poor,

enrich them in Thy great dominion.  Do Thou then

ordain for them all the good Thou hast destined in Thy

worlds, visible and invisible, prosper them in this

world below, gladden their hearts with Thine

inspiration, O Lord of all beings!  Illumine their

hearts with Thy joyful tidings diffused from Thine

all-glorious Station, make firm their steps in Thy

Most Great Covenant and strengthen their loins in Thy

firm Testament, by Thy bounty and promised grace, O

Gracious and Merciful One!  Thou art, verily, the

Gracious, the All-Bountiful.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of loving- . . ."

    He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of loving-

kindness and bounty!

    Glory be unto Thee, Thou, O my God, the Lord

Omnipotent.  I testify to Thine omnipotence and Thy

might, Thy sovereignty and Thy loving-kindness, Thy

grace and Thy power, the oneness of Thy Being and the

unity of Thine Essence, Thy sanctity and exaltation

above the world of being and all that is therein.  O

my God!  Thou seest me detached from all save Thee,

holding fast unto Thee and turning unto the ocean of

Thy bounty, to the heaven of Thy favor, to the Daystar

of Thy grace.  Lord!  I bear witness that in Thy

servant Thou hast reposed Thy Trust, and that is the

Spirit wherewith Thou hast given life to the world.  I

ask of Thee by the splendor of the Orb of Thy

Revelation, mercifully to accept from him that which

he hath achieved in Thy days.  Grant then that he may

be invested with the glory of Thy good-pleasure and

adorned with Thine acceptance.  O my Lord!  I myself

and all created things bear witness unto Thy might,

and I pray Thee not to turn away from Thyself this

spirit that hath ascended unto Thee, unto Thy heavenly

place, Thine exalted Paradise and Thy retreats of

nearness, O Thou who art the Lord of all men!  Grant,

then, O my God, that Thy servant may consort with Thy

chosen ones, Thy saints and Thy Messengers in heavenly

places that the pen cannot tell nor the tongue

recount.  O My Lord, the poor one hath verily hastened

unto the Kingdom of Thy wealth, the stranger unto his

home within Thy precincts, he that is sore athirst to

the heavenly river of Thy bounty.  Deprive him not, O

Lord, from his share of the banquet of Thy grace and

from the favor of Thy bounty.  Thou art in truth the

Almighty, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful.

    O my God, Thy Trust hath been returned unto Thee.

It behooveth Thy grace and Thy bounty that have

compassed Thy dominions on earth and in heaven, to

vouchsafe unto Thy newly welcomed one Thy gifts and

Thy bestowals, and the fruits of the tree of Thy

grace!  Powerful art Thou to do as Thou willest, there

is none other God but Thee, the Gracious, the Most

Bountiful, the Compassionate, the Bestower, the

Pardoner, the Precious, the All-Knowing.

    I testify, O my Lord, that Thou hast enjoined upon

men to honor their guest, and he that hath ascended

unto Thee hath verily reached Thee and attained Thy

Presence.  Deal with him then according to Thy grace

and bounty!  By Thy glory, I know of a certainty that

Thou wilt not withhold Thyself from that which Thou

hast commanded Thy servants, nor wilt Thou deprive him

that hath clung to the cord of Thy bounty and hath

ascended to the Dayspring of Thy wealth.

    There is none other God but Thee, the One, the

Single, the Powerful, the Omniscient, the Bountiful.

--Baha'u'llah


"HE is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful!  O . . ."

    HE is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful!  O

God, my God!  Thou seest me, Thou knowest me; Thou art

my Haven and my Refuge.  None have I sought nor any

will I seek save Thee; no path have I trodden nor any

will I tread but the path of Thy love.  In the

darksome night of despair, my eye turneth expectant

and full of hope to the morn of Thy boundless favor

and at the hour of dawn my drooping soul is refreshed

and strengthened in remembrance of Thy beauty and

perfection.  He whom the grace of Thy mercy aideth,

though he be but a drop, shall become the boundless

ocean, and the merest atom which the outpouring of Thy

loving-kindness assisteth, shall shine even as the

radiant star.  Shelter under Thy protection, O Thou

Spirit of purity, Thou Who art the All-Bountiful

Provider, this enthralled, enkindled servant of Thine.

Aid him in this world of being to remain steadfast and

firm in Thy love and grant that this broken-winged

bird attain a refuge and shelter in Thy divine nest

that abideth upon the celestial tree.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"HE is the Gracious, the All-Bountiful!  O God, my . . ."

    HE is the Gracious, the All-Bountiful!  O God, my

God!  Thy call hath attracted me, and the voice of Thy

Pen of Glory awakened me.  The stream of Thy holy

utterance hath enraptured me, and the wine of Thine

inspiration entranced me.  Thou seest me, O Lord,

detached from all things but Thee, clinging to the

cord of Thy bounty and craving the wonders of Thy

grace.  I ask Thee, by the eternal billows of Thy

loving-kindness and the shining lights of Thy tender

care and favor, to grant that which shall draw me nigh

unto Thee and make me rich in Thy wealth.  My tongue,

my pen, my whole being, testify to Thy power, Thy

might, Thy grace and Thy bounty, that Thou art God and

there is none other God but Thee, the Powerful, the

Mighty.

    I bear witness at this moment, O my God, to my

helplessness and Thy sovereignty, my feebleness and

Thy power.  I know not that which profiteth me or

harmeth me; Thou art, verily, the All-Knowing, the

All-Wise.  Do Thou decree for me, O Lord, my God, and

my Master, that which will make me feel content with

Thine eternal decree and will prosper me in every

world of Thine.  Thou art in truth the Gracious, the

Bountiful.  Lord!  Turn me not away from the ocean of

Thy wealth and the heaven of Thy mercy, and ordain for

me the good of this world and hereafter.  Verily, Thou

art the Lord of the mercy- seat, enthroned in the

highest; there is none other God but Thee, the One,

the All-Knowing, the All- Wise.  --Baha'u'llah


"HE is the Gracious, the Well-Beloved!  O Holy . . ."

    HE is the Gracious, the Well-Beloved!  O Holy

Mariner!

    Bid thine ark of eternity appear before the

Celestial Concourse,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Launch it upon the ancient sea, in His Name, the

Most Wondrous,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And let the angelic spirits enter, in the Name of

God, the Most High.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Unmoor it, then, that it may sail upon the ocean

of glory,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Haply the dwellers therein may attain the retreats

of nearness in the everlasting realm.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Having reached the sacred strand, the shore of the

crimson seas,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Bid them issue forth and attain this ethereal

invisible station,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    A station wherein the Lord hath in the Flame of

His Beauty appeared within the deathless tree;

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Wherein the embodiments of His Cause cleansed

themselves of self and passion;

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Around which the Glory of Moses doth circle with

the everlasting hosts;

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Wherein the Hand of God was drawn forth from His

bosom of Grandeur;

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Wherein the ark of the Cause remaineth motionless

even though to its dwellers be declared all divine

attributes.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    O Mariner!  Teach them that are within the ark

that which we have taught thee behind the mystic veil,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Perchance they may not tarry in the sacred snow-

white spot.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    But may soar upon the wings of the spirit unto

that station which the Lord hath exalted above all

mention in the worlds below,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    May wing through space even as the favored birds

in the realm of eternal reunion; Glorified be my Lord,

the All-Glorious!

    May know the mysteries hidden in the Seas of

light.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    They passed the grades of worldly limitations and

reached that of the divine unity, the center of

heavenly guidance.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    They have desired to ascend unto that state which

the Lord hath ordained to be above their stations.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Whereupon the burning meteor cast them out from

them that abide in the Kingdom of His Presence,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And they heard the Voice of Grandeur raised from

behind the unseen pavilion upon the Height of Glory:

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "O guardian angels!  Return them to their abode in

the world below,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All Glorious!

    "Inasmuch as they have purposed to rise to that

sphere which the wings of the celestial dove have

never attained;

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "Whereupon the ship of fancy standeth still which

the minds of them that comprehend cannot grasp.  "

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Whereupon the maid of heaven looked out from her

exalted chamber,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All Glorious!

    And with her brow signed to the Celestial

Concourse,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Flooding with the light of her countenance the

heaven and the earth,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And as the radiance of her beauty shone upon the

people of dust,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    All beings were shaken in their mortal graves.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    She then raised the call which no ear through all

eternity hath ever heard,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And thus proclaimed:  "By the Lord!  He whose

heart hath not the fragrance of the love of the

exalted and glorious Arabian Youth,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "Can in no wise ascend unto the glory of the

highest heaven."

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Thereupon she summoned unto herself one maiden

from her handmaidens,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And commanded her:  "Descend into space from the

mansions of eternity,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "And turn thou unto that which they have concealed

in the inmost of their hearts.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "Shouldst thou inhale the perfume of the robe from

the Youth that hath been hidden within the tabernacle

of light by reason of that which the hands of the

wicked have wrought,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "Raise a cry within thyself, that all the inmates

of the chambers of Paradise, that are the embodiments

of the eternal wealth, may understand and hearken;

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "That they may all come down from their

everlasting chambers and tremble,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "And kiss their hands and feet for having soared

to the heights of faithfulness;

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "Perchance they may find from their robes the

fragrance of the Beloved One.  "

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Thereupon the countenance of the favored damsel

beamed above the celestial chambers even as the light

that shineth from the face of the Youth above His

mortal temple;

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    She then descended with such an adorning as to

illumine the heavens and all that is therein.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    She bestirred herself and perfumed all things in

the lands of holiness and grandeur.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    When she reached that place she rose to her full

height in the midmost heart of creation,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And sought to inhale their fragrance at a time

that knoweth neither beginning nor end.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    She found not in them that which she did desire

and this, verily, is but one of His wondrous tales.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    She then cried aloud, wailed and repaired to her

own station within her most lofty mansion,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And then gave utterance to one mystic word,

whispered privily by her honeyed tongue,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And raised the call amidst the Celestial Concourse

and the immortal maids of heaven:

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "By the Lord!  I found not from these idle

claimants the breeze of Faithfulness!

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    "By the Lord!  The Youth hath remained lone and

forlorn in the land of exile in the hands of the

ungodly."

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    She then uttered within herself such a cry that

the Celestial Concourse did shriek and tremble,

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    And she fell upon the dust and gave up the spirit.

It seemeth she was called and hearkened unto Him that

summoned her unto the Realm on High.

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Glorified be He that created her out of the

essence of love in the midmost heart of his exalted

paradise!

    Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!

    Thereupon the maids of heaven hastened forth from

their chambers, upon whose countenances the eye of no

dweller in the highest paradise had ever gazed.

    Glorified be our Lord, the Most High!

    They all gathered around her, and lo!  they found

her body fallen upon the dust;

    Glorified be our Lord, the Most High!

    And as they beheld her state and comprehended a

word of the tale told by the Youth, they bared their

heads, rent their garments asunder, beat upon their

faces, forgot their joy, shed tears and smote with

their hands upon their cheeks, and this is verily one

of the mysterious grievous afflictions Glorified be

our Lord, the Most --Baha'u'llah


"He is the Healer, the Sufficer, the Helper, the . . ."

    He is the Healer, the Sufficer, the Helper, the

All-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.  I call on Thee O

Exalted One, O Faithful One O Glorious One!  Thou the

Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou

Abiding One!  I call on Thee O Sovereign, O Upraiser,

O Judge!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing Thou

the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!  I call on Thee O

Peerless One, O Eternal One O Single One!  Thou the

Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou

Abiding One!  I call on Thee O Most Praised One, O

Holy One, O Helping One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Omniscient, O Most Wise, O Most

Great One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou

the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Clement One, O Majestic One, O

Ordaining One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Beloved One, O Cherished One, O

Enraptured One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Mightiest One, O Sustaining One,

O Potent One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Ruling One, O Self-Subsisting, O

All-Knowing One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Spirit, O Light, O Most Manifest

One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the

Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!  I call on Thee O Thou

Frequented by all, O Thou Known to all.  O Thou Hidden

from all!

    I call on Thee O Concealed One, O Triumphant One,

O Bestowing One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Almighty, O Succoring One, O

Concealing One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Fashioner, O Satisfier, O

Uprooter!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou

the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!  I call on Thee O

Rising One, O Gathering One, O Exalting One!  Thou the

Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou

Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Perfecting One, O Unfettered One,

O Bountiful One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Beneficent One, O Withholding

One, O Creating One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Most Sublime One, O Beauteous

One, O Bounteous One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Just One, O Gracious One, O

Generous One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O All-Compelling, O Ever-Abiding, O

Most Knowing One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Magnificent One, O Ancient of

Days, O Magnanimous One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Well-guarded One, O Lord of Joy,

O Desired One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Thou Kind to all, O Thou

Compassionate with all, O Most Benevolent One!  Thou

the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O

Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Haven for all, O Shelter to all,

O All-Preserving One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Thou Succorer of all, O Thou

Invoked by all, O Quickening One!  Thou the Sufficing,

Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding

One!

    I call on Thee O Unfolder, O Ravager, O Most

Clement One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!  I call on Thee

O Thou my Soul, O Thou my Beloved, O Thou my Faith!

Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the

Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Quencher of thirsts, O

Transcendent Lord, O Most Precious One!  Thou the

Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou

Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Greatest Remembrance, O Noblest

Name, O Most Ancient Way!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou

the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Most Lauded, O Most Holy, O

Sanctified One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Unfastener, O Counselor, O

Deliverer!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou

the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!  I call on Thee O

Friend, O Physician, O Captivating One!  Thou the

Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou

Abiding One!  I call on Thee O Glory, O Beauty, O

Bountiful One!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing,

Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O the Most Trusted, O the Best

Lover, O Lord of the Dawn!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou

the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Enkindler, O Brightener, O

Bringer of Delight!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Lord of Bounty, O Most

Compassionate, O Most Merciful One!  Thou the

Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou

Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Constant One, O Life-giving One,

O Source of all Being!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou the

Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Thou Who penetratest all things,

O All-Seeing God, O Lord of Utterance!  Thou the

Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou

Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Manifest yet Hidden, O Unseen yet

Renowned, O Onlooker sought by all!  Thou the

Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou

Abiding One!

    I call on Thee O Thou Who slayest the Lovers, O

God of Grace to the wicked!  Thou the Sufficing, Thou

the Healing, Thou the Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!

    O Sufficer, I call on Thee, O Sufficer!  - O

Healer, I call on Thee, O Healer!  O Abider, I call on

Thee, O Abider!  Thou the Ever-Abiding, O Thou Abiding

One!

    Sanctified art Thou, O my God!  I beseech Thee by

Thy generosity, whereby the portals of Thy bounty and

grace were opened wide, whereby the Temple of Thy

Holiness was established upon the throne of eternity;

and by Thy mercy whereby Thou didst invite all created

things unto the table of Thy bounties and bestowals;

and by Thy grace whereby Thou didst respond, in Thine

own Self with Thy word "Yea!" on behalf of all in

heaven and earth, at the hour when Thy sovereignty and

Thy grandeur stood revealed, at the dawn-time when the

might of Thy dominion was made manifest.  And again do

I beseech Thee, by these most beauteous names, by

these most noble and sublime attributes, and by Thy

most Exalted Remembrance, and by Thy pure and spotless

Beauty, and by Thy hidden Light in the most hidden

pavilion, and by Thy Name, cloaked with the garment of

affliction every morn and eve, to protect the bearer

of this blessed Tablet, and whoso reciteth it, and

whoso cometh upon it, and whoso passeth around the

house wherein it is.  Heal Thou, then, by it every

sick, diseased and poor one, from every tribulation

and distress, from every loathsome affliction and

sorrow, and guide Thou by it whosoever desireth to

enter upon the paths of Thy guidance, and the ways of

Thy forgiveness and grace.

    Thou art verily the Powerful, the All-Sufficing,

the Healing, the Protector, the Giving, the

Compassionate, the All-Generous, the All-Merciful.

--Baha'u'llah


"HE is the King, the All-Knowing, the Wise!  Lo, . . ."

    HE is the King, the All-Knowing, the Wise!  Lo,

the Nightingale of Paradise singeth upon the twigs of

the Tree of Eternity, with holy and sweet melodies,

proclaiming to the sincere ones the glad tidings of

the nearness of God, calling the believers in the

Divine Unity to the court of the Presence of the

Generous One, informing the severed ones of the

message which hath been revealed by God, the King, the

Glorious, the Peerless, guiding the lovers to the seat

of sanctity and to this resplendent Beauty.

    Verily this is that Most Great Beauty, foretold in

the Books of the Messengers, through Whom truth shall

be distinguished from error and the wisdom of every

command shall be tested.  Verily He is the Tree of

Life that bringeth forth the fruits of God, the

Exalted, the Powerful, the Great.  O Ah.  mad!  Bear

thou witness that verily He is God and there is no God

but Him, the King, the Protector, the Incomparable,

the Omnipotent.  And that the One Whom He hath sent

forth by the name of 'Ali 1 was the true One from God,

to Whose commands we are all conforming.  Say:  O

people be obedient to the ordinances of God, which

have been enjoined in the Bayan by the Glorious, the

Wise One.  Verily He is the King of the Messengers and

His Book is the Mother Book did ye but know.

    Thus doth the Nightingale utter His call unto you

from this prison.  He hath but to deliver this clear

message.  Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from

this counsel and whosoever desireth let him choose the

path to his Lord.  O people, if ye deny these verses,

by what proof have ye believed in God?  Produce it, O

assemblage of false ones.

    Nay, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, they are

not, and never shall be able to do this, even should

they combine to assist one another.  O Ahmad!  Forget

not My bounties while I am absent.  Remember My days

during thy days, and My distress and banishment in

this remote prison.  And be thou so steadfast in My

love that thy heart shall not waver, even if the

swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the

heavens and the earth arise against thee.

    Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a

river of life eternal to My loved ones, and be not of

those who doubt.

    And if thou art overtaken by affliction in My

path, or degradation for My sake, be not thou troubled

thereby.

    Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy

fathers.  For the people are wandering in the paths of

delusion, bereft of discernment to see God with their

own eyes, or hear His Melody with their own ears.

Thus have We found them, as thou also dost witness.

    Thus have their superstitions become veils between

them and their own hearts and kept them from the path

of God, the Exalted, the Great.  Be thou assured in

thyself that verily, he who turns away from this

Beauty hath also turned away from the Messengers of

the past and showeth pride towards God from all

eternity to all eternity.  Learn well this Tablet, O

Ahmad.  Chant it during thy days and withhold not

thyself therefrom.  For verily, God hath ordained for

the one who chants it, the reward of a hundred martyrs

and a service in both worlds.  These favors have We

bestowed upon thee as a bounty on Our part and a mercy

from Our presence, that thou mayest be of those who

are grateful.

    By God!  Should one who is in affliction or grief

read this Tablet with absolute sincerity, God will

dispel his sadness, solve his difficulties and remove

his afflictions.

    Verily, He is the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.

--Baha'u'llah


"He is the Mighty, the Pardoner, the Compassionate! . . ."

    He is the Mighty, the Pardoner, the Compassionate!

O God, my God!  Thou beholdest Thy servants in the

abyss of perdition and error; where is Thy light of

divine guidance, O Thou the Desire of the world?  Thou

knowest their helplessness and their feebleness; where

is Thy power, O Thou in Whose grasp lie the powers of

heaven and earth?  I ask Thee, O Lord my God, by the

splendor of the lights of Thy loving-kindness and the

billows of the ocean of Thy knowledge and wisdom and

by Thy Word wherewith Thou hast swayed the peoples of

Thy dominion, to grant that I may be one of them that

have observed Thy bidding in Thy Book.  And do Thou

ordain for me that which Thou hast ordained for Thy

trusted ones, them that have quaffed the wine of

divine inspiration from the chalice of Thy bounty and

hastened to do Thy pleasure and observe Thy Covenant

and Testament.  Powerful art Thou to do as Thou

willest.  There is none other God but Thee, the

All-Knowing, the All-Wise.  Decree for me, by Thy

bounty, O Lord, that which shall prosper me in this

world and hereafter and shall draw me nigh unto Thee,

O Thou Who art the Lord of all men.  There is none

other God but Thee, the One, the Mighty, the

Glorified.  -- Baha'u'llah


"He is the prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God! . . ."

    He is the prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God!

    By Thy glory, O Beloved One, Thou giver of light

to the world!  The flames of separation have consumed

me, and my waywardness hath melted my heart within me.

I ask of Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, O Thou the

Desire of the world and the Well- Beloved of mankind,

to grant that the breeze of Thine inspiration may

sustain my soul, that Thy wondrous voice may reach my

ear, that my eyes may behold Thy signs and Thy light

as revealed in the manifestations of Thy names and

Thine attributes, O Thou within Whose grasp are all

things!

    Thou seest, O Lord my God, the tears of Thy

favored ones, shed because of their separation from

Thee, and the fears of Thy devoted ones in their

remoteness from Thy Holy Court.  By Thy power, that

swayeth all things, visible and invisible!  It

behooveth Thy loved ones to shed tears of blood for

that which hath befallen the faithful at the hands of

the wicked and the oppressors on the earth.  Thou

beholdest, O my God, how the ungodly have compassed

Thy cities and Thy realms!  I ask Thee by Thy

messengers and Thy chosen ones and by Him whereby the

standard of Thy divine unity hath been implanted

amidst Thy servants, to shield them by Thy bounty.

Thou art, verily, the Gracious, the All-Bountiful.

And, again, I ask Thee by the sweet showers of Thy

grace and the billows of the ocean of Thy favor, to

ordain for Thy saints that which shall solace their

eyes and comfort their hearts.  Lord!  Thou seest him

that kneeleth yearning to arise and serve Thee, the

dead calling for eternal life from the ocean of Thy

favor and craving to soar to the heavens of Thy

wealth, the stranger longing for his home of glory

'neath the canopy of Thy grace, the seeker hastening

by Thy mercy to Thy door of bounty, the sinful turning

to the ocean of forgiveness and pardon.

    By Thy sovereignty, O Thou Who art glorified in

the hearts of men!  I have turned to Thee, forsaking

mine own will and desire, that Thy holy will and

pleasure may rule within me and direct me according to

that which the pen of Thy eternal decree hath destined

for me.  This servant, O Lord, though helpless turneth

to the Orb of Thy Power, though abased hasteneth unto

the Dayspring of Glory, though needy craveth the Ocean

of Thy Grace.  I beseech Thee by Thy favor and bounty,

cast him not away.

    Thou art verily the Almighty, the Pardoner, the

Compassionate.  --Baha'u'llah


"How can I choose to sleep, O God, my God, when the . . ."

    How can I choose to sleep, O God, my God, when the

eyes of them that long for Thee are wakeful because of

their separation from Thee; and how can I lie down to

rest whilst the souls of Thy lovers are sore vexed in

their remoteness from Thy presence?

    I have committed, O my Lord, my spirit and my

entire being into the right hand of Thy might and Thy

protection, and I lay my head on my pillow through Thy

power, and lift it up according to Thy will and Thy

good pleasure.  Thou art, in truth, the Preserver, the

Keeper, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

    By Thy might!  I ask not, whether sleeping or

waking, but that which Thou dost desire.  I am Thy

servant and in Thy hands.  Do Thou graciously aid me

to do what will shed forth the fragrance of Thy good

pleasure.  This, truly, is my hope and the hope of

them that enjoy near access to Thee.  Praised be Thou,

O Lord of the worlds!  --Baha'u'llah O seeker of

Truth!  If thou desirest that God may open thine eye,

thou must supplicate unto God, pray to and commune

with Him at midnight, saying:  Lord, I have turned my

face unto Thy kingdom of oneness and am immersed in

the sea of Thy mercy.  O Lord, enlighten my sight by

beholding Thy lights in this dark night, and make me

happy by the wine of Thy love in this wonderful age.

O Lord, make me hear Thy call, and open before my face

the doors of Thy heaven, so that I may see the light

of Thy glory and become attracted to Thy beauty.

Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Generous, the

Merciful, the Forgiving.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"I adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God!  Let no harm . . ."

    I adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God!  Let no harm

beset me in times of tests, and in moments of

heedlessness guide my steps aright through Thine

inspiration.  Thou art God, potent art Thou to do what

Thou desirest.  No one can withstand Thy Will or

thwart Thy Purpose.  --The Bab


"I am he, O my Lord, that hath set his face towards . . ."

    I am he, O my Lord, that hath set his face towards

Thee, and fixed his hope on the wonders of Thy grace

and the revelations of Thy bounty.  I pray Thee that

Thou wilt not suffer me to turn away disappointed from

the door of Thy mercy, nor abandon me to such of Thy

creatures as have repudiated Thy Cause.

    I am, O my God, Thy servant and the son of Thy

servant.  I have recognized Thy truth in Thy days, and

have directed my steps towards the shores of Thy

oneness, confessing Thy singleness, acknowledging Thy

unity!  and hoping for Thy forgiveness and pardon.

Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest; no God is

there beside Thee, the All-Glorious, the

Ever-Forgiving.  --Baha'u'llah


"I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created . . ."

    I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created

me to know Thee and to worship Thee.  I testify, at

this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to

my poverty and to Thy wealth.  There is none other God

but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

-Baha'u'llah


"I beg Thee to forgive me, O my Lord, for every . . ."

    I beg Thee to forgive me, O my Lord, for every

mention but the mention of Thee, and for every praise

but the praise of Thee, and for every delight but

delight in Thy nearness, and for every pleasure but

the pleasure of communion with Thee, and for every joy

but the joy of Thy love and of Thy good-pleasure, and

for all things pertaining unto me which bear no

relationship unto Thee, O Thou Who art the Lord of

lords, He Who provideth the means and unlocketh the

doors.  --The Bab


"I beg Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore . . ."

    I beg Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore

pardon after the manner Thou wishest Thy servants to

direct themselves to Thee.  I beg of Thee to wash away

our sins as befitteth Thy Lordship, and to forgive me,

my parents, and those who in Thy estimation have

entered the abode of Thy love in a manner which is

worthy of Thy transcendent sovereignty and well

beseemeth the glory of Thy celestial power.

    O my God!  Thou hast inspired my soul to offer its

supplication to Thee, and but for Thee, I would not

call upon Thee.  Lauded and glorified art Thou; I

yield Thee praise inasmuch as Thou didst reveal

Thyself unto me, and I beg Thee to forgive me, since I

have fallen short in my duty to know Thee and have

failed to walk in the path of Thy love.  --The Bab


"I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy mighty Sign, and . . ."

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy mighty Sign, and

by the revelation of Thy grace amongst men, to cast me

not away from the gate of the city of Thy presence,

and to disappoint not the hopes I have set on the

manifestations of Thy grace amidst Thy creatures.

Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name, the Most

Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most

Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, and

clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung

all in this world and in the world to come.  I beseech

Thee, O my God, by Thy most sweet Voice and by Thy

most exalted Word, to draw me ever nearer to the

threshold of Thy door, and to suffer me not to be far

removed from the shadow of Thy mercy and the canopy of

Thy bounty.  Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy

Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most

Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most

Glorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to which

have clung all in this world and in the world to come.

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by the splendor of Thy

luminous brow and the brightness of the light of Thy

countenance, which shineth from the all-highest

horizon, to attract me by the fragrance of Thy

raiment, and make me drink of the choice wine of Thine

utterance.  Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy

Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most

Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most

Glorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to which

have clung all in this world and in the world to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy hair which moveth

across Thy face, even as Thy most exalted pen moveth

across the pages of Thy Tablets, shedding the musk of

hidden meanings over the kingdom of Thy creation, so

to raise me up to serve Thy Cause that I shall not

fall back, nor be hindered by the suggestions of them

who have caviled at Thy signs and turned away from Thy

face.  Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name,

the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, the

Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, and

clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung

all in this world and in the world to come.

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Name which Thou

hast made the King of Names, by which all who are in

heaven and all who are on earth have been enraptured,

to enable me to gaze on the Daystar of Thy Beauty, and

to supply me with the wine of Thine utterance.  Thou

seest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name, the Most

Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most

Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, and

clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung

all in this world and in the world to come.

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by the Tabernacle of Thy

majesty upon the loftiest summits, and the Canopy of

Thy Revelation on the highest hills, to graciously aid

me to do what Thy will hath desired and Thy purpose

hath manifested.  Thou seest me, O my God, holding to

Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most

Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most

Glorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to which

have clung all in this world and in the world to come.

I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Beauty that shineth

forth above the horizon of eternity, a Beauty before

which as soon as it revealeth itself the kingdom of

beauty boweth down in worship, magnifying it in

ringing tones, to grant that I may die to all that I

possess and live to whatsoever belongeth unto Thee.

Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name, the Most

Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most

Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, and

clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung

all in this world and in the world to come.

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by the Manifestation of

Thy Name, the Well-Beloved, through Whom the hearts of

Thy lovers were consumed and the souls of all that

dwell on earth have soared aloft, to aid me to

remember Thee amongst Thy creatures, and to extol Thee

amidst Thy people.  Thou seest me, O my God, holding

to Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the

Most Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the

Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to

which have clung all in this world and in the world to

come.

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by the rustling of the

Divine Lote-Tree and the murmur of the breezes of

Thine utterance in the kingdom of Thy names, to remove

me far from whatsoever Thy will abhorreth, and draw me

nigh unto the station wherein He Who is the Dayspring

of Thy signs hath shone forth.  Thou seest me, O my

God, holding to Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most

Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most Great, the Most

Exalted, the Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem of

the robe to which have clung all in this world and in

the world to come.  I beseech Thee, O my God, by that

Letter which, as soon as it proceeded out of the mouth

of Thy will, hath caused the oceans to surge, and the

winds to blow, and the fruits to be revealed, and the

trees to spring forth, and all past traces to vanish,

and all veils to be rent asunder, and them who are

devoted to Thee to hasten unto the light of the

countenance of their Lord, the Unconstrained, to make

known unto me what lay hid in the treasuries of Thy

knowledge and concealed within the repositories of Thy

wisdom.  Thou seest me, O my God, holding to Thy Name,

the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most Mighty, the

Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most Glorious, and

clinging to the hem of the robe to which have clung

all in this world and in the world to come.  I beseech

Thee, O my God, by the fire of Thy love which drove

sleep from the eyes of Thy chosen ones and Thy loved

ones, and by their remembrance and praise of Thee at

the hour of dawn, to number me with such as have

attained unto that which Thou hast sent down in Thy

Book and manifested through Thy will.  Thou seest me,

O my God, holding to Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most

Luminous, the Most Mighty, the Most Great, the Most

Exalted, the Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem of

the robe to which have clung all in this world and in

the world to come.

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by the light of Thy

countenance which impelled them who are nigh unto Thee

to meet the darts of Thy decree, and such as are

devoted to Thee to face the swords of Thine enemies in

Thy path, to write down for me with Thy most exalted

Pen what Thou hast written down for Thy trusted ones

and Thy chosen ones.  Thou seest me, O my God, holding

to Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the

Most Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the

Most Glorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to

which have clung all in this world and in the world to

come.

    I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy Name through

which Thou hast hearkened unto the call of Thy lovers,

and the sighs of them that long for Thee, and the cry

of them that enjoy near access to Thee, and the

groaning of Them that are devoted to Thee, and through

which Thou hast fulfilled the wishes of them that have

set their hopes on Thee, and hast granted them their

desires, through Thy grace and Thy favors, and by Thy

Name through which the ocean of forgiveness surged

before Thy face, and the clouds of Thy generosity

rained upon Thy servants, to write down for everyone

who hath turned unto Thee, and observed the fast

prescribed by Thee, the recompense decreed for such as

speak not except by Thy leave, and who forsook all

that they possessed in Thy path and for love of Thee.

I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thyself, and by Thy

signs, and Thy clear tokens, and the shining light of

the Daystar of Thy Beauty, and Thy Branches, to cancel

the trespasses of those who have held fast to Thy

laws, and have observed what Thou hast prescribed unto

them in Thy Book.  Thou seest me, O my God, holding to

Thy Name, the Most Holy, the Most Luminous, the Most

Mighty, the Most Great, the Most Exalted, the Most

Glorious, and clinging to the hem of the robe to which

have clung all in this world and in the world to come.

-- Baha'u'llah


"I give praise to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast . . ."

    I give praise to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast

awakened me out of my sleep, and brought me forth

after my disappearance, and raised me up from my

slumber.  I have wakened this morning with my face set

toward the splendors of the Daystar of Thy Revelation,

through Which the heavens of Thy power and Thy majesty

have been illumined, acknowledging Thy signs,

believing in Thy Book, and holding fast unto Thy Cord.

I beseech Thee, by the potency of Thy will and the

compelling power of Thy purpose, to make of what Thou

didst reveal unto me in my sleep the surest foundation

for the mansions of Thy love that are within the

hearts of Thy loved ones, and the best instrument for

the revelation of the tokens of Thy grace and Thy

loving-kindness.  Do Thou ordain for me through Thy

most exalted Pen, O my Lord, the good of this world

and of the next.  I testify that within Thy grasp are

held the reins of all things.  Thou changest them as

Thou pleasest.  No God is there save Thee, the Strong,

the Faithful.

    Thou art He Who changeth through His bidding

abasement into glory, and weakness into strength, and

powerlessness into might, and fear into calm, and

doubt into certainty.  No God is there but Thee, the

Mighty, the Beneficent.  Thou disappointest no one who

hath sought Thee, nor dost Thou keep back from Thee

anyone who hath desired Thee.  Ordain Thou for me what

becometh the heaven of Thy generosity, and the ocean

of Thy bounty.  Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the

Most Powerful.  --Baha'u'llah


"I have risen this morning by Thy grace, O my God, . . ."

    I have risen this morning by Thy grace, O my God,

and left my home trusting wholly in Thee, and

committing myself to Thy care.  Send down, then, upon

me, out of the heaven of Thy mercy, a blessing from

Thy side, and enable me to return home in safety even

as Thou didst enable me to set out under Thy

protection with my thoughts fixed steadfastly upon

Thee.  There is none other God but Thee, the One, the

Incomparable, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

--Baha'u'llah


"I have wakened in Thy shelter, O my God, and it . . ."

    I have wakened in Thy shelter, O my God, and it

becometh him that seeketh that shelter to abide within

the Sanctuary of Thy protection and the Stronghold of

Thy defense.  Illumine my inner being, O my Lord, with

the splendors of the Dayspring of Thy Revelation, even

as Thou didst illumine my outer being with the morning

light of Thy favor.  --Baha'u'llah


"I know not, O my God, what the Fire is which Thou . . ."

    I know not, O my God, what the Fire is which Thou

didst kindle in Thy land.  Earth can never cloud its

splendor, nor water quench its flame.  All the peoples

of the world are powerless to resist its force.  Great

is the blessedness of him that hath drawn nigh unto

it, and heard its roaring.  Some, O my God, Thou

didst, through Thy strengthening grace, enable to

approach it, while others Thou didst keep back by

reason of what their hands have wrought in Thy days.

Whoso hath hasted towards it and attained unto it

hath, in his eagerness to gaze on Thy beauty, yielded

his life in Thy path, and ascended unto Thee, wholly

detached from aught else except Thyself.  I beseech

Thee, O my Lord, by this Fire which blazeth and rageth

in the world of creation, to rend asunder the veils

that have hindered me from appearing before the throne

of Thy majesty, and from standing at the door of Thy

gate.  Do Thou ordain for me, O my Lord, every good

thing Thou didst send down in Thy Book, and suffer me

not to be far removed from the shelter of Thy mercy.

Powerful art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee.  Thou art,

verily, the All-Powerful, the Most Generous.

--Baha'u'llah


"In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering . . ."

    In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering

majesty, the All-Compelling.

    Hallowed be the Lord in Whose hand is the source

of dominion.  He createth whatsoever He willeth by His

Word of command "Be," and it is.  His hath been the

power of authority heretofore, and it shall remain His

hereafter.  He maketh victorious whomsoever He

pleaseth, through the potency of His behest.  He is in

truth the Powerful, the Almighty.  Unto Him pertaineth

all glory and majesty in the kingdoms of Revelation

and Creation and whatever lieth between them.  Verily,

He is the Potent, the All-Glorious.  From everlasting

He hath been the Source of indomitable strength and

shall remain so unto everlasting.  He is indeed the

Lord of might and power.  All the kingdoms of heaven

and earth and whatever is between them are God's, and

His power is supreme over all things.  All the

treasures of earth and heaven and everything between

them are His, and His protection extendeth over all

things.  He is the Creator of the heavens and the

earth and whatever lieth between them, and He truly is

a witness over all things.  He is the Lord of

Reckoning for all that dwell in the heavens and on

earth and whatever lieth between them, and truly God

is swift to reckon.  He setteth the measure assigned

to all who are in the heavens and the earth and

whatever is between them.  Verily, He is the Supreme

Protector.  He holdeth in His grasp the keys of heaven

and earth and of everything between them.  At His Own

pleasure doth He bestow gifts, through the power of

His command.  Indeed His grace encompasseth all, and

He is the All-Knowing.

    Say:  God sufficeth unto me; He is the One Who

holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of all things.

Through the power of His hosts of heaven and earth and

whatever lieth between them, He protecteth whomsoever

among His servants He willeth.  God, in truth, keepeth

watch over all things.  Immeasurably exalted art Thou,

O Lord!  Protect us from what lieth in front of us and

behind us, above our heads, on our right, on our left,

below our feet and every other side to which we are

exposed.  Verily, Thy protection over all things is

unfailing.  --The Bab


"In the Name of God, the Most Ancient, the Most . . ."

    In the Name of God, the Most Ancient, the Most

Great.

    Indeed the hearts of the sincere are consumed in

the fire of separation:  Where is the gleaming of the

light of Thy Countenance, O Beloved of the worlds?

    Those who are near unto Thee have been abandoned

in the darkness of desolation:  Where is the shining

of the morn of Thy reunion, O Desire of the worlds?

    The bodies of Thy chosen ones lie quivering on

distant sands:  Where is the ocean of Thy presence, O

Enchanter of the worlds?

    Longing hands are uplifted to the heaven of Thy

grace and generosity:  Where are the rains of Thy

bestowal, O Answerer of the worlds?  The infidels have

arisen in tyranny on every hand:  Where is the

compelling power of Thine ordaining pen, O Conqueror

of the worlds?

    The barking of dogs is loud on every side:  Where

is the lion of the forest of Thy might, O Chastiser of

the worlds?

    Coldness hath gripped all mankind:  Where is the

warmth of Thy love, O Fire of the worlds?  Calamity

hath reached its height:  Where are the signs of Thy

succor, O Salvation of the worlds?  Darkness hath

enveloped most of the peoples:  Where is the

brightness of Thy splendor, O Radiance of the worlds?

    The necks of men are stretched out in malice:

Where are the swords of Thy vengeance, O Destroyer of

the worlds?

    Abasement hath reached its lowest depth:  Where

are the emblems of Thy glory, O Glory of the worlds?

Sorrows have afflicted the Revealer of Thy Name, the

All-Merciful:  Where- is the joy of the Dayspring of

Thy Revelation, O Delight of the worlds?

    Anguish hath befallen all the peoples of the

earth:  Where are the ensigns of Thy gladness, O Joy

of the worlds?

    Thou seest the Dawning Place of Thy signs veiled

by evil suggestions:  Where are the fingers of Thy

might, O Power of the worlds?  Sore thirst hath

overcome all men:  Where is the river of Thy bounty, O

Mercy of the worlds?  Greed hath made captive all

mankind:  Where are the embodiments of detachment, O

Lord of the worlds?

    Thou seest this Wronged One lonely in exile:

Where are the hosts of the heaven of Thy Command, O

Sovereign of the worlds?

    I have been forsaken in a foreign land:  Where are

the emblems of Thy faithfulness, O Trust of the

worlds?

    The agonies of death have laid hold on all men:

Where is the surging of Thine ocean of eternal life, O

Life of the worlds?

    The whisperings of Satan have been breathed to

every creature:  Where is the meteor of Thy fire, O

Light of the worlds?

    The drunkenness of passion hath perverted most of

mankind:  Where are the daysprings of purity, O Desire

of the worlds?

    Thou seest this Wronged One veiled in tyranny

among the Syrians:  Where is the radiance of Thy

dawning light, O Light of the worlds?  Thou seest Me

forbidden to speak forth:  Then from where will spring

Thy melodies, O Nightingale of the worlds?

    Most of the people are enwrapped in fancy and idle

imaginings:  Where are the exponents of Thy certitude,

O Assurance of the worlds?  Baha is drowning in a sea

of tribulation:  Where is the Ark of Thy salvation, O

Savior of the worlds?

    Thou seest the Dayspring of Thine utterance in the

darkness of creation:  Where is the sun of the heaven

of Thy grace, O Lightgiver of the worlds?  The lamps

of truth and purity, of loyalty and honor, have been

put out:  Where are the signs of Thine avenging wrath,

O Mover of the worlds?  Canst Thou see any who have

championed Thy Self, or who ponder on what hath

befallen Him in the pathway of Thy love?  Now doth My

pen halt, O Beloved of the worlds.  The branches of

the Divine Lote-Tree lie broken by the onrushing gales

of destiny:  Where are the banners of Thy succor, O

Champion of the worlds?

    This Face is hidden in the dust of slander:  Where

are the breezes of Thy compassion, O Mercy of the

worlds?

    The robe of sanctity is sullied by the people of

deceit:  Where is the vesture of Thy holiness, O

Adorner of the worlds?

    The sea of grace is stilled for what the hands of

men have wrought:  Where are the waves of Thy bounty,

O Desire of the worlds?

    The door leading to the Divine Presence is locked

through the tyranny of Thy foes:  Where is the key of

Thy bestowal, O Unlocker of the worlds?

    The leaves are yellowed by the poisoning winds of

sedition:  Where is the downpour of the clouds of Thy

bounty, O Giver of the worlds?  The universe is

darkened with the dust of sin:  Where are the breezes

of Thy forgiveness, O Forgiver of the worlds?

    This Youth is lonely in a desolate land:  Where is

the rain of Thy heavenly grace, O Bestower of the

worlds?

    O Supreme Pen, We have heard Thy most sweet call

in the eternal realm:  Give Thou ear unto what the

Tongue of Grandeur uttereth, O Wronged One of the

worlds!

    Were it not for the cold, how would the heat of

Thy words prevail, O Expounder of the worlds?

    Were it not for calamity, how would the sun of Thy

patience shine, O Light of the worlds?  Lament not

because of the wicked.  Thou wert created to bear and

endure, O Patience of the worlds.

    How sweet was Thy dawning on the horizon of the

Covenant among the stirrers of sedition, and Thy

yearning after God, O Love of the worlds.  By Thee the

banner of independence was planted on the highest

peaks, and the sea of bounty surged, O Rapture of the

worlds.  By Thine aloneness the Sun of Oneness shone,

and by Thy banishment the land of Unity was adorned.

Be patient, O Thou Exile of the worlds.  We have made

abasement the garment of glory, and affliction the

adornment of Thy temple, O Pride of the worlds.

    Thou seest the hearts are filled with hate, and to

overlook is Thine, O Thou Concealer of the sins of the

worlds.

    When the swords flash, go forward!  When the

shafts fly, press onward!  O Thou Sacrifice of the

worlds.

    Dost Thou wail, or shall I wail?  Rather shall I

weep at the fewness of Thy champions, O Thou Who hast

caused the wailing of the worlds.  Verily, I have

heard Thy Call, O All-Glorious Beloved; and now is the

face of Baha flaming with the heat of tribulation and

with the fire of Thy shining word, and He hath risen

up in faithfulness at the place of sacrifice, looking

toward Thy pleasure, O Ordainer of the worlds.  O

'Ali-Akbar, thank thy Lord for this Tablet whence thou

canst breathe the fragrance of My meekness, and know

what hath beset Us in the path of God, the Adored of

all the worlds.  Should all the servants read and

ponder this, there shall be kindled in their veins a

fire that shall set aflame the worlds.  --Baha'u'llah


"In the Name of God, the Most High!  Lauded and . . ."

    In the Name of God, the Most High!  Lauded and

glorified art Thou, Lord, God Omnipotent!  Thou before

Whose wisdom the wise falleth short and faileth,

before Whose knowledge the learned confesseth his

ignorance, before Whose might the strong waxeth weak,

before Whose wealth the rich testifieth to his

poverty, before Whose light the enlightened is lost in

darkness, toward the shrine of Whose knowledge turneth

the essence of all understanding and around the

sanctuary of Whose presence circle the souls of all

mankind.  How then can I sing and tell of Thine

Essence, which the wisdom of the wise and the learning

of the learned have failed to comprehend, inasmuch as

no man can sing that which he understandeth ù not, nor

recount that unto which he cannot attain, whilst Thou

hast been from everlasting the Inaccessible, the

Unsearchable.  Powerless though I be to rise to the

heavens of Thy glory and soar in the realms of Thy

knowledge, I can but recount Thy tokens that tell of

Thy glorious handiwork.  By Thy Glory!  O Beloved of

all hearts, Thou that alone canst still the pangs of

yearning for Thee!  Though all the dwellers of heaven

and earth unite to glorify the least of Thy signs,

wherein and whereby Thou hast revealed Thyself, yet

would they fail, how much more to praise Thy holy

Word, the creator of all Thy tokens.  All praise and

glory be to Thee, Thou of Whom all things have

testified that Thou art one and there is none other

God but Thee, Who hast been from everlasting exalted

above all peer or likeness and to everlasting shalt

remain the same.  All kings are but Thy servants and

all beings, visible and invisible, as naught before

Thee.  There is none other God but Thee, the Gracious,

the Powerful, the Most High.  --Baha'u'llah


"In the Name of Thy Lord, the Creator, the . . ."

    In the Name of Thy Lord, the Creator, the

Sovereign, the All-Sufficing, the Most Exalted, He

Whose help is implored by all men.  Say:  O my God!  O

Thou Who art the Maker of the heavens and of the

earth, O Lord of the Kingdom!  Thou well knowest the

secrets of my heart, while Thy Being is inscrutable to

all save Thyself.  Thou seest whatsoever is of me,

while no one else can do this save Thee.  Vouchsafe

unto me, through Thy grace, what will enable me to

dispense with all except Thee, and destine for me that

which will make me independent of everyone else

besides Thee.  Grant that I may reap the benefit of my

life in this world and in the next.  Open to my face

the portals of Thy grace, and graciously confer upon

me Thy tender mercy and bestowals.

    O Thou Who art the Lord of grace abounding!  Let

Thy celestial aid surround those who love Thee, and

bestow upon us the gifts and the bounties Thou dost

possess.  Be Thou sufficient unto us of all things,

forgive our sins and have mercy upon us.  Thou art Our

Lord and the Lord of all created things.  No one else

do we invoke but Thee, and naught do we beseech but

Thy favors.  Thou art the Lord of bounty and grace,

invincible in Thy power and the most skillful in Thy

designs.  No God is there but Thee, the

All-Possessing, the Most Exalted.  Confer Thy

blessings, O my Lord, upon the Messengers, the holy

ones and the righteous.  Verily.  Thou art God, the

Peerless, the All-Compelling.  --The Bab


"Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have . . ."

    Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have

been received by thee, as intoned by them who have

drawn nigh unto Him, that the sweetness of thy melody

may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of

all men.  Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his

chamber, the verses revealed by God, the scattering

angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the

fragrance of the words uttered by his mouth, and shall

cause the heart of every righteous man to throb.

Though he may, at first, remain unaware of its effect,

yet the virtue of the grace vouchsafed unto him must

needs sooner or later exercise its influence upon his

soul.  Thus have the mysteries of the Revelation of

God been decreed by virtue of the Will of Him Who is

the Source of power and wisdom.  --BAHA'U'LLAH


"Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? . . ."

    Is there any Remover of difficulties save God?

Say:  Praised be God!  He is God!  All are His

servants, and all abide by His bidding!  --The Bab


"Lauded and glorified art Thou, O my God!  I . . ."

    Lauded and glorified art Thou, O my God!  I

entreat Thee by the sighing of Thy lovers and by the

tears shed by them that long to behold Thee, not to

withhold from me Thy tender mercies in Thy Day, nor to

deprive me of the melodies of the Dove that extolleth

Thy oneness before the light that shineth from Thy

face.  I am the one who is in misery, O God!  Behold

me cleaving fast to Thy Name, the All- Possessing.  I

am the one who is sure to perish; behold me clinging

to Thy Name, the Imperishable.  I implore Thee,

therefore, by Thy Self, the Exalted, the Most High,

not to abandon me unto mine own self and unto the

desires of a corrupt inclination.  Hold Thou my hand

with the hand of Thy power, and deliver me from the

depths of my fancies and idle imaginings, and cleanse

me of all that is abhorrent unto Thee.

    Cause me, then, to turn wholly unto Thee, to put

my whole trust in Thee, to seek Thee as my Refuge, and

to flee unto Thy face.  Thou art, verily, He Who,

through the power of His might, doeth whatsoever He

desireth, and commandeth, through the potency of His

will, whatsoever He chooseth.  None can withstand the

operation of Thy decree; none can divert the course of

Thine appointment.  Thou art, in truth, the Almighty,

the All Glorious, the Most Bountiful.  --Baha'u'llah


"Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God!  Darkness hath . . ."

    Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God!  Darkness hath

fallen upon every land, and the forces of mischief

have encompassed all the nations.  Through them,

however, I perceive the splendors of Thy wisdom, and

discern the brightness of the light of Thy providence.

    They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have

imagined that they have the power to put out Thy

light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds

of Thy grace.  Nay, and to this Thy might beareth me

witness!  Had not every tribulation been made the

bearer of Thy wisdom, and every ordeal the vehicle of

Thy providence, no one would have dared oppose us,

though the powers of earth and heaven were to be

leagued against us.  Were I to unravel the wondrous

mysteries of Thy wisdom which are laid bare before me,

the reins of Thine enemies would be cleft asunder.

    Glorified be Thou, then, O my God!  I beseech Thee

by Thy Most Great Name to assemble them that love Thee

around the Law that streameth from the good pleasure

of Thy will, and to send down upon them what will

assure their hearts.  Potent art Thou to do what

pleaseth Thee.  Thou art, verily, the Help in Peril,

the Self-Subsisting.  --Baha'u'llah


"Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord my God!  I am Thy . . ."

    Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord my God!  I am Thy

servant who hath laid hold on the cord of Thy tender

mercies, and clung to the hem of Thy bounteousness.  I

entreat Thee by Thy name whereby Thou hast subjected

all created things, both visible and invisible, and

through which the breath that is life indeed was

wafted over the entire creation, to strengthen me by

Thy power which hath encompassed the heavens and the

earth, and to guard me from all sickness and

tribulation.  I bear witness that Thou art the Lord of

all names, and the Ordainer of all that may please

Thee.  There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty,

the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.  Do Thou ordain for me,

O my Lord, what will profit me in every world of Thy

worlds.  Supply me, then, with what Thou hast written

down for the chosen ones among Thy creatures, whom

neither the blame of the blamer, nor the clamor of the

infidel, nor the estrangement of such as have

withdrawn from Thee, hath deterred from turning

towards Thee.

    Thou, truly, art the Help in Peril through the

power of Thy sovereignty.  No God is there save Thee,

the Almighty, the Most Powerful.  --Baha'u'llah


"Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God!  I entreat Thee . . ."

    Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God!  I entreat Thee

by Thy Name through which the Hour hath struck, and

the Resurrection came to pass, and fear and trembling

seized all that are in heaven and all that are on

earth, to rain down, out of the heaven of Thy mercy

and the clouds of Thy tender compassion, what will

gladden the hearts of Thy servants, who have turned

towards Thee and helped Thy Cause.

    Keep safe Thy servants and Thy handmaidens, O my

Lord, from the darts of idle fancy and vain

imaginings, and give them from the hands of Thy grace

a draught of the soft-flowing waters of Thy knowledge.

    Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the Most Exalted,

the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.  --Baha'u'llah


"Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord our God!  Thou art in . . ."

    Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord our God!  Thou art in

truth the Knower of things unseen.  Ordain for us such

good as Thine all-embracing knowledge can measure.

Thou art the sovereign Lord, the All Mighty, the

Best-Beloved.  All praise be unto Thee, O Lord!  We

shall seek Thy grace on the appointed Day and shall

put our whole reliance in Thee, Who art our Lord.

    Glorified art Thou, O God!  Grant us that which is

good and seemly that we may be able to dispense with

everything but Thee.  Verily, Thou art the Lord of all

worlds.

    O God!  Recompense those who endure patiently in

Thy days, and strengthen their hearts to walk

undeviatingly in the path of Truth.  Grant then, O

Lord, such goodly gifts as would enable them to gain

admittance into Thy blissful Paradise.  Exalted art

Thou, O Lord God.  Let Thy heavenly blessings descend

upon homes whose inmates have believed in Thee.

Verily, unsurpassed art Thou in sending down divine

blessings.  Send forth, O God, such hosts as would

render Thy faithful servants victorious.  Thou dost

fashion the created things through the power of Thy

decree as Thou pleasest.  Thou art in truth the

Sovereign, the Creator, the All-Wise.  Say:  God is

indeed the Maker of all things.  He giveth sustenance

in plenty to whomsoever He willeth.  He is the

Creator, the Source of all beings, the Fashioner, the

Almighty, the Maker, the All-Wise.  He is the Bearer

of the most excellent titles throughout the heavens

and the earth and whatever lieth between then.  All do

his bidding, and all the dwellers of earth and heaven

celebrate His praise, and unto Him shall all return.

--The Bab


"Lauded be Thy name, O my God and the God of all . . ."

    Lauded be Thy name, O my God and the God of all

things, my Glory and the Glory of all things, my

Desire and the Desire of all things, my Strength and

the Strength of all things, my King and the King of

all things, my Possessor and the Possessor of all

things, my Aim and the Aim of all things, my Mover and

the Mover of all things!  Suffer me not, I implore

Thee, to be kept back from the ocean of Thy tender

mercies, nor to be far removed from the shores of

nearness to Thee.  Aught else except Thee, O my Lord,

profiteth me not, and near access to anyone save

Thyself availeth me nothing.  I entreat Thee by the

plenteousness of Thy riches, whereby Thou didst

dispense with all else except Thyself, to number me

with such as have set their faces towards Thee, and

arisen to serve Thee.  Forgive, then, O my Lord, Thy

servants and Thy handmaidens.  Thou, truly, art the

Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.  --Baha'u'llah


"Lauded be Thy name, O my God!  I entreat Thee by . . ."

    Lauded be Thy name, O my God!  I entreat Thee by

the fragrances of the Raiment of Thy grace which at

Thy bidding and in conformity with Thy desire were

diffused throughout the entire creation, and by the

Daystar of Thy will that hath shone brightly, through

the power of Thy might and of Thy sovereignty, above

the horizon of Thy mercy, to blot out from my heart

all idle fancies and vain imaginings, that with all my

affections I may turn unto Thee, O Thou Lord of all

mankind!

    I am Thy servant and the son of Thy servant, O my

God!  I have laid hold on the handle of Thy grace, and

clung to the cord of Thy tender mercy.  Ordain for me

the good things that are with Thee, and nourish me

from the Table Thou didst send down out of the clouds

of Thy bounty and the heaven of Thy favor.

    Thou, in very truth, art the Lord of the worlds,

and the God of all that are in heaven and all that are

on earth.  --Baha'u'llah


"Let whosoever travels to different parts to teach, . . ."

    Let whosoever travels to different parts to teach,

peruse over mountain, desert, land and sea this

supplication.

    O God!  O God!  Thou seest my weakness, lowliness

and humility before Thy creatures; nevertheless, I

have trusted in Thee and have arisen in the promotion

of Thy teachings among Thy strong servants, relying on

Thy power and might.

    O Lord!  I am a broken-winged bird and desire to

soar in Thy limitless space.  How is it possible for

me to do this save through Thy providence and grace,

Thy confirmation and assistance.  O Lord!  Have pity

on my weakness, and strengthen me with Thy power.  O

Lord!  Have pity on my impotence, and assist me with

Thy might and majesty.

    O Lord!  Should the breath of the Holy Spirit

confirm the weakest of creatures, he would attain all

to which he aspireth and would possess anything he

desireth.  Indeed, Thou hast assisted Thy servants in

the past and, though they were the weakest of Thy

creatures, the lowliest of Thy servants and the most

insignificant of those who lived upon the earth,

through Thy sanction and potency they took precedence

over the most glorious of Thy people and the most

noble of mankind.  Whereas formerly they were as

moths, they became as royal falcons, and whereas

before they were as brooks, they became as seas,

through Thy bestowal and Thy mercy.  They became,

through Thy most great favor, stars shining on the

horizon of guidance, birds singing in the rose gardens

of immortality, lions roaring in the forests of

knowledge and wisdom, and whales swimming in the

oceans of life.

    Verily, Thou art the Clement, the Powerful, the

Mighty, and the Most Merciful of the merciful.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"Lord!  Pitiful are we, grant us Thy favor, poor, . . ."

    Lord!  Pitiful are we, grant us Thy favor; poor,

bestow upon us a share from the ocean of Thy wealth;

needy, do Thou satisfy us; abased, give us Thy glory.

The fowls of the air and the beasts of the field

receive their meat each day from Thee, and all beings

partake of Thy care and loving- kindness.

    Deprive not this feeble one of Thy wondrous grace

and vouchsafe by Thy might unto this helpless soul Thy

bounty.

    Give us our daily bread, and grant Thine increase

in the necessities of life, that we may be dependent

on none other but Thee, may commune wholly with Thee,

may walk in Thy ways and declare Thy mysteries.  Thou

art the Almighty and the Loving and the Provider of

all mankind.  -- 'Abdu'l-Baha


"Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God!  Thou art He . . ."

    Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God!  Thou art He

Whom all things worship and Who worshipeth no one, Who

is the Lord of all things and is the vassal of none,

Who knoweth all things and is known of none.  Thou

didst wish to make Thyself known unto men; therefore,

Thou didst, through a word of Thy mouth, bring

creation into being and fashion the universe.  There

is none other God except Thee, the Fashioner, the

Creator, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.  I implore

Thee, by this very word that hath shone forth above

the horizon of Thy will, to enable me to drink deep of

the living waters through which Thou hast vivified the

hearts of Thy chosen ones and quickened the souls of

them that love Thee, that I may, at all times and

under all conditions, turn my face wholly towards

Thee.  Thou art the God of power, of glory and bounty.

No God is there beside Thee, the Supreme Ruler, the

All-Glorious, the Omniscient.  --Baha'u'llah


"Magnified be Thy name, O my God, for that Thou . . ."

    Magnified be Thy name, O my God, for that Thou

hast manifested the Day which is the King of Days, the

Day which Thou didst announce unto Thy chosen Ones and

Thy Prophets in Thy most excellent Tablets, the Day

whereon Thou didst shed the splendor of the glory of

all Thy names upon all created things.  Great is his

blessedness whosoever hath set himself towards Thee,

and entered Thy presence, and caught the accents of

Thy voice.

    I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by the name of Him

round Whom circleth in adoration the kingdom of Thy

names, that Thou wilt graciously assist them that are

dear to Thee to glorify Thy word - among Thy servants,

and to shed abroad Thy praise amidst Thy creatures, so

that the ecstasies of Thy revelation may fill the

souls of all the dwellers of Thine earth.

    Since Thou hast guided them, O my Lord, unto the

living waters of Thy grace, grant, by Thy bounty, that

they may not be kept back from Thee; and since Thou

hast summoned them to the habitation of Thy throne,

drive them not out from Thy presence, through Thy

loving-kindness.  Send down upon them what shall

wholly detach them from aught else except Thee, and

make the able to soar in the atmosphere of Thy

nearness, in such wise that neither the ascendancy of

the oppressor nor the suggestions of them that have

disbelieved in Thy most august and most mighty Self

shall be capable of keeping them back from Thee.  --

Baha'u'llah


"Make firm our steps, O Lord, in Thy path and . . ."

    Make firm our steps, O Lord, in Thy path and

strengthen Thou our hearts in Thine obedience.  Turn

our faces toward the beauty of Thy oneness, and

gladden our bosoms with the signs of Thy divine unity.

Adorn our bodies with the robe of Thy bounty, and

remove from our eyes the veil of sinfulness, and give

us the chalice of Thy grace; that the essence of all

beings may sing Thy praise before the vision of Thy

grandeur.  Reveal then Thyself, O Lord, by Thy

merciful utterance and the mystery of Thy divine

being, that the holy ecstasy of prayer may fill our

souls a prayer that shall rise above words and letters

and transcend the murmur of syllables and sounds that

all things may be merged into nothingness before the

revelation of Thy splendor.  Lord!  These are servants

that have remained fast and firm in Thy Covenant and

Thy Testament, that have held fast unto the cord of

constancy in Thy Cause and clung unto the hem of the

robe of Thy grandeur.  Assist them, O Lord, with Thy

grace, confirm with Thy power and strengthen their

loins in obedience to Thee.  Thou art the Pardoner,

the Gracious.  --'Abdu'l-Baha'


"Many a chilled heart, O my God, hath been set . . ."

    Many a chilled heart, O my God, hath been set

ablaze with the fire of Thy Cause, and many a

slumberer hath been wakened by the sweetness of Thy

voice.  How many are the strangers who have sought

shelter beneath the shadow of the tree of Thy oneness,

and how numerous the thirsty ones who have panted

after the fountain of Thy living waters in Thy days!

Blessed is he that hath set himself towards Thee, and

hasted to attain the Dayspring of the lights of Thy

face.  Blessed is he who with all his affections hath

turned to the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation and the

Fountainhead of Thine inspiration.  Blessed is he that

hath expended in Thy path what Thou didst bestow upon

him through Thy bounty and favor.  Blessed is he who,

in his sore longing for Thee, hath cast away all else

except Thyself.  Blessed is he who hath enjoyed

intimate communion with Thee, and rid himself of all

attachment to anyone save Thee.  I beseech Thee, O my

Lord, by Him Who is Thy Name, Who, through the power

of Thy sovereignty and might, hath risen above the

horizon of His prison, to ordain for everyone what

becometh Thee and beseemeth Thine exaltation.  Thy

might in truth, is equal to all things.  --Baha'u'llah


"My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire!  What . . ."

    My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire!  What

tongue can voice my thanks to Thee?  I was heedless,

Thou didst awaken me.  I had turned back from Thee,

Thou didst graciously aid me to turn towards Thee.  I

was as one dead, Thou didst quicken me with the water

of life.  I was withered, Thou didst revive me with

the heavenly stream of Thine utterance which hath

flowed forth from the Pen of the All-Merciful.  O

Divine Providence!  All existence is begotten by Thy

bounty; deprive it not of the waters of Thy

generosity, neither do Thou withhold it from the ocean

of Thy mercy.  I beseech Thee to aid and assist me at

all times and under all conditions, and seek from the

heaven of Thy grace Thine ancient favor.  Thou art, in

truth, the Lord of bounty, and the Sovereign of the

kingdom of eternity.  --Baha'u'llah


"My God, my Fire and my Light!  The days which Thou . . ."

    My God, my Fire and my Light!  The days which Thou

hast named the Ayyam-i-Ha in Thy Book have begun, O

Thou Who art the King of names, and the fast which Thy

most exalted Pen hath enjoined unto all who are in the

kingdom of Thy creation to observe is approaching.  I

entreat Thee, O my Lord, by these days and by all such

as have during that period dung to the cord of Thy

commandments, and laid hold on the handle of Thy

precepts, to grant that unto every soul may be

assigned a place within the precincts of Thy court,

and a seat at the revelation of the splendors of the

light of Thy countenance.  These, O my Lord, are Thy

servants whom no corrupt inclination hath kept back

from what Thou didst send down in Thy Book.  They have

bowed themselves before Thy Cause, and received Thy

Book with such resolve as is born of Thee, and

observed what Thou hadst prescribed unto them, and

chosen to follow that which had been sent down by

Thee.

    Thou seest, O my Lord, how they have recognized

and confessed whatsoever Thou hast revealed in Thy

Scriptures.  Give them to drink, O my Lord, from the

hands of Thy graciousness the waters of Thine

eternity.  Write down, then, for them the recompense

ordained for him that hath immersed himself in the

ocean of Thy presence, and attained unto the choice

wine of Thy meeting.  I implore Thee, O Thou the King

of kings and the Pitier of the downtrodden, to ordain

for them the good of this world and of the world to

come.  Write down for them, moreover, what none of Thy

creatures hath discovered, and number them with those

who have circled round Thee, and who move about Thy

throne in every world of Thy worlds.

    Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the All-Knowing,

the All-Informed.  --Baha'u'llah


"My God, Whom I worship and adore!  I bear witness . . ."

    My God, Whom I worship and adore!  I bear witness

unto Thy unity and Thy Oneness, and acknowledge Thy

gifts, both in the past and in the present.  Thou art

the All-Bountiful, the overflowing showers of Whose

mercy have rained down upon high and low alike, and

the splendors of Whose grace have been shed over both

the obedient and the rebellious.

    O God of mercy, before Whose door the quintessence

of mercy hath bowed down, and round the sanctuary of

Whose Cause loving-kindness, in its inmost spirit,

hath circled, we beseech Thee, entreating Thine

ancient grace, and seeking Thy present favor, that

Thou mayest have mercy upon all who are the

manifestations of the world of being, and deny them

not the outpourings of Thy grace in Thy days.  All are

but poor and needy, and Thou, verily, art the

All-Possessing, the All-Subduing, the All- Powerful

--Baha'u'llah


"My Lord!  My Lord!  I praise Thee and I thank Thee . . ."

    My Lord!  My Lord!  I praise Thee and I thank Thee

for that whereby Thou hast favored Thine humble

maidservant, Thy slave beseeching and supplicating

Thee, because Thou hast verily guided her unto Thine

obvious Kingdom and caused her to hear Thine exalted

Call in the contingent world and to behold Thy Signs

which prove the appearance of Thy victorious reign

over all things.  O my Lord, I dedicate that which is

in my womb unto Thee.  Then cause it to be a

praiseworthy child of Thy Kingdom and a fortunate one

by Thy favor and Thy generosity; to develop and to

grow up under the charge of Thine education.  Verily,

Thou art the Gracious!  Verily, Thou art the Lord of

Great Favor!  -- Abdu'l-Baha


"O Divine Providence!  This assemblage is composed . . ."

    O Divine Providence!  This assemblage is composed

of Thy friends who are attracted to Thy beauty and are

set ablaze by the fire of Thy love.  Turn these souls

into heavenly angels, resuscitate them through the

breath of Thy Holy Spirit, grant them eloquent tongues

and resolute hearts, bestow upon them heavenly power

and merciful susceptibilities, cause them to become

the promulgators of the oneness of mankind and the

cause of love and concord in the world of humanity, so

that the perilous darkness of ignorant prejudice may

vanish through the light of the Sun of Truth, this

dreary world may become illumined, this material realm

may absorb the rays of the world of spirit, these

different colors may merge into one color and the

melody of praise may rise to the kingdom of Thy

sanctity.  Verily?  Thou art the Omnipotent and the

Almighty!  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God our Lord!  Protect us through Thy grace from . . ."

    O God our Lord!  Protect us through Thy grace from

whatsoever may be repugnant unto Thee, and vouchsafe

unto us that which well beseemeth Thee.  Give us more

out of Thy bounty, and bless us.  Pardon us for the

things we have done, and wash away our sins, and

forgive us with Thy gracious forgiveness.  Verily,

Thou art the Most Exalted, the Self-Subsisting.  Thy

loving providence hath encompassed all created things

in the heavens and on the earth, and Thy forgiveness

hath surpassed the whole creation.  Thine is

sovereignty; in Thy Hand are the Kingdoms of Creation

and Revelation; in Thy right hand Thou holdest all

created things, and within Thy grasp are the assigned

measures of forgiveness.  Thou forgivest whomsoever

among Thy servants Thou pleasest.  Verily, Thou art

the Ever- Forgiving, the All-Loving.  Nothing

whatsoever escapeth Thy knowledge, and naught is there

which is hidden from Thee.  O God our Lord!  Protect

us through the potency of Thy might, enable us to

enter Thy wondrous surging ocean, and grant us that

which well befitteth Thee.  Thou art the Sovereign

Ruler, the Mighty Doer, the Exalted, the All-Loving.

--The Bab


"O God!  Educate these children.  These children . . ."

    O God!  Educate these children.  These children

are the plants of Thine orchard, the flowers of Thy

meadow, the roses of Thy garden.  Let Thy rain fall

upon them; let the Sun of Reality shine upon them with

Thy love.  Let Thy breeze refresh them in order that

they may be trained, grow and develop, and appear in

the utmost beauty.  Thou art the Giver.  Thou art the

Compassionate.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God!  O God!  This is a broken-winged bird and . . ."

    O God!  O God!  This is a broken-winged bird and

his flight is very slow assist him so that he may fly

toward the apex of prosperity and salvation, wing his

way with the utmost joy and happiness throughout the

illimitable space, raise his melody in Thy Supreme

Name in all the regions, exhilarate the ears with this

call, and brighten the eyes by beholding the signs of

guidance.  O Lord!  I am single, alone and lowly.  For

me there is no support save Thee, no helper except

Thee and no sustainer beside Thee.  Confirm me in Thy

service, assist me with the cohorts of Thy angels,

make me victorious in the promotion of Thy Word and

suffer me to speak out Thy wisdom amongst Thy

creatures.  Verily, Thou art the helper of the weak

and the defender of the little ones, and verily Thou

art the Powerful, the Mighty and the Unconstrained.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God!  Rear this little babe in the bosom of Thy . . ."

    O God!  Rear this little babe in the bosom of Thy

love, and give it milk from the breast of Thy

Providence.  Cultivate this fresh plant in the rose

garden of Thy love and aid it to grow through the

showers of Thy bounty.  Make it a child of the

kingdom, and lead it to Thy heavenly realm.  Thou art

powerful and kind, and Thou art the Bestower, the

Generous, the Lord of surpassing bounty.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God!  Refresh and gladden my spirit.  Purify my . . ."

    O God!  Refresh and gladden my spirit.  Purify my

heart.  Illumine my powers.  I lay all my affairs in

Thy hand.  Thou art my Guide and my Refuge.  I will no

longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and

joyful being.  O God!  I will no longer be full of

anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me.  I will not

dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

    O God!  Thou art more friend to me than I am to

myself.  I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, my God!  Aid Thou Thy trusted servants to . . ."

    O God, my God!  Aid Thou Thy trusted servants to

have loving and tender hearts.  Help them to spread,

amongst all the nations of the earth.  the light of

guidance that cometh from the Company on high.

Verily, Thou art the Strong, the Powerful, the Mighty,

the All-Subduing, the Ever-Giving.  Verily, Thou art

the Generous, the Gentle, the Tender, the Most

Bountiful.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, my God!  Fill up for me the cup of . . ."

    O God, my God!  Fill up for me the cup of

detachment from all things, and in the assembly of Thy

splendors and bestowals, rejoice me with the wine of

loving Thee.  Free me from the assaults of passion and

desire, break off from me the shackles of this nether

world, draw me with rapture unto Thy supernal realm,

and refresh me amongst the handmaids with the

breathings of Thy holiness.  O Lord, brighten Thou my

face with the lights of Thy bestowals, light Thou mine

eyes with beholding the signs of Thine all-subduing

might; delight my heart with the glory of Thy

knowledge that encompasseth all things, gladden Thou

my soul with Thy soul-reviving tidings of great joy, O

Thou King of this world and the Kingdom above, O Thou

Lord of dominion and might, that I may spread abroad

Thy signs and tokens, and proclaim Thy Cause, and

promote Thy Teachings, and serve Thy Law and exalt Thy

Word.  Thou art, verily, the Powerful, the

Ever-Giving, the Able, the Omnipotent.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, my God!  I beg of Thee by the ocean of Thy . . ."

    O God, my God!  I beg of Thee by the ocean of Thy

healing, and by the splendors of the Daystar of Thy

grace, and by Thy Name through which Thou didst subdue

Thy servants, and by the pervasive power of Thy most

exalted Word and the potency of Thy most august Pen,

and by Thy mercy that hath preceded the creation of

all who are in heaven and on earth, to purge me with

the waters of Thy bounty from every affliction and

disorder, and from all weakness and feebleness.

    Thou seest, O my Lord, Thy suppliant waiting at

the door of Thy bounty, and him who hath set his hopes

on Thee clinging to the cord of Thy generosity.  Deny

him not, I beseech Thee, the things he seeketh from

the ocean of Thy grace and the Daystar of Thy

loving-kindness.  Powerful art Thou to do what

pleaseth Thee.  There is none other God save Thee, the

Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.  --Baha'u'llah


"O God, my God!  I have set out from my home, . . ."

    O God, my God!  I have set out from my home,

holding fast unto the cord of Thy love, and I have

committed myself wholly to Thy care and Thy

protection.  I entreat Thee by Thy power through which

Thou didst protect Thy loved ones from the wayward and

the perverse, and from every contumacious oppressor,

and every wicked doer who hath strayed far from Thee,

to keep me safe by Thy bounty and Thy grace.  Enable

me, then, to return to my home by Thy power and Thy

might.  Thou art, truly, the Almighty, the Help in

Peril, the Self- Subsisting.  --Baha'u'llah


"O God, my God!  I have turned in repentance unto . . ."

    O God, my God!  I have turned in repentance unto

Thee, and verily Thou art the Pardoner, the

Compassionate.

    O God, my God!  I have returned to Thee, and

verily Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, the Gracious.  O

God, my God!  I have dung to the cord of Thy bounty,

and with Thee is the storehouse of all that is in

heaven and earth.

    O God, my God!  I have hastened toward Thee, and

verily Thou art the Forgiver, the Lord of grace

abounding.

    O God, my God!  I thirst for the celestial wine of

Thy grace, and verily Thou art the Giver, the

Bountiful, the Gracious, the Almighty.

    O God, my God!  I testify that Thou hast revealed

Thy Cause, fulfilled Thy promise and sent down from

the heaven of Thy grace that which hath drawn unto

Thee the hearts of Thy favored ones.  Well is it with

him that hath held fast unto Thy firm cord and clung

to the hem of Thy resplendent robe!

    I ask Thee, O Lord of all being and King of the

seen and unseen, by Thy power, Thy majesty and Thy

sovereignty, to grant that my name may be recorded by

Thy pen of glory among Thy devoted ones, them whom the

scrolls of the sinful hindered not from turning to the

light of Thy countenance, O prayer- hearing,

prayer-answering God!  --Baha'u'llah


"O God, my God!  Praise be unto Thee for kindling . . ."

    O God, my God!  Praise be unto Thee for kindling

the fire of divine love in the Holy Tree on the summit

of the loftiest mount:  that Tree which is "neither of

the East nor of the West, "l that fire which blazed

out till the flame of it soared upward to the

Concourse on high, and from it those realities caught

the light of guidance, and cried out:  "Verily have we

perceived a fire on the slope of Mount Sinai."

    O God, my God!  Increase Thou this fire, as day

followeth day, till the blast of it setteth in motion

all the earth.  O Thou, my Lord!  Kindle the light of

Thy love in every heart, breathe into men's souls the

spirit of Thy knowledge, gladden their breasts with

the verses of Thy oneness.  Call Thou to life those

who dwell in their tombs, warn Thou the prideful, make

happiness worldwide, send down Thy crystal waters, and

in the assemblage of manifest splendors, pass round

that cup which is "tempered at the camphor fountain."

Verily, art Thou the Giving, the Forgiving, the

Ever-Bestowing.  Verily, art Thou the Merciful, the

Compassionate.  --'Abdu'l-Baha'


"O God, my God!  Shield Thy trusted servants from . . ."

    O God, my God!  Shield Thy trusted servants from

the evils of self and passion, protect them with the

watchful eye of Thy loving-kindness from all rancor,

hate and envy, shelter them in the impregnable

stronghold of Thy care and, safe from the darts of

doubtfulness, make them the manifestations of Thy

glorious signs, illumine their faces with the

effulgent rays shed from the Dayspring of Thy divine

unity, gladden their hearts with the verses revealed

from Thy holy kingdom, strengthen their loins by Thine

all-swaying power that cometh from Thy realm of glory.

Thou art the All-Bountiful, the Protector, the

Almighty, the Gracious.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, my God!  These are Thy feeble servants, . . ."

    O God, my God!  These are Thy feeble servants;

they are Thy loyal bondsmen and Thy handmaidens, who

have bowed themselves down before Thine exalted

Utterance and humbled themselves at Thy Threshold of

light, and borne witness to Thy oneness through which

the Sun hath been made to shine in midday splendor.

They have listened to the summons Thou didst raise

from out Thy hidden Realm, and with hearts quivering

with love and rapture, they have responded to Thy

call.

    O Lord, shower upon them all the outpourings of

Thy mercy, rain down upon them all the waters of Thy

grace.  Make them to grow as beauteous plants in the

garden of heaven, and from the full and brimming

clouds of Thy bestowals and out of the deep pools of

Thine abounding grace make Thou this garden to flower,

and keep it ever green and lustrous, ever fresh and

shimmering and fair.  Thou art, verily, the Mighty,

the Exalted, the Powerful, He Who alone, in the

heavens and on the earth, abideth unchanged.  There is

none other God save Thee, the Lord of manifest tokens

and signs.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, my God!  This is thy radiant servant, Thy . . ."

    O God, my God!  This is thy radiant servant, Thy

spiritual thrall, who hath drawn nigh unto Thee and

approached Thy presence.  He hath turned his face unto

Thine, acknowledging Thy oneness, confessing Thy

singleness, and he hath called out in Thy name among

the nations, and led the people to the streaming

waters of Thy mercy, O Thou Most generous Lord!  To

those who asked He hath given to drink from the cup of

guidance that brimmeth over with the wine of Thy

measureless grace.

    O Lord, assist him under all conditions, cause him

to learn Thy well-guarded mysteries, and shower down

upon him Thy hidden pearls.  Make of him a banner

rippling from castle summits in the winds of Thy

heavenly aid, make of him a wellspring of crystal

waters.

    O my forgiving Lord!  Light up the hearts with the

rays of a lamp that sheddeth abroad its beams,

disclosing to those among Thy people whom Thou hast

bounteously favored, the realities of all things.

Verily, Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful, the

Protector, the Strong, the Beneficent!  Verily Thou

art the Lord of all mercies!  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, my God!  This Thy handmaid is calling upon . . ."

    O God, my God!  This Thy handmaid is calling upon

Thee, trusting in Thee, turning her face unto Thee,

imploring Thee to shed Thy heavenly bounties upon her,

and to disclose unto her Thy spiritual mysteries, and

to cast upon her the lights of Thy Godhead.

    O my Lord!  Make the eyes of my husband to see.

Rejoice Thou his heart with the light of the knowledge

of Thee, draw Thou his mind unto Thy luminous beauty,

cheer Thou his spirit by revealing unto him Thy

manifest splendors.  O my Lord!  Lift Thou the veil

from before his sight.  Rain down Thy plenteous

bounties upon him, intoxicate him with the wine of

love for Thee, make him one of Thy angels whose feet

walk upon this earth even as their souls are soaring

through the high heavens.  Cause him to become a

brilliant lamp, shining out with the light of Thy

wisdom in the midst of Thy people.  Verily, Thou art

the Precious, the Ever- Bestowing, the Open of Hand.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, my God!  Thou art my Hope and my Beloved, . . ."

    O God, my God!  Thou art my Hope and my Beloved,

my highest Aim and Desire!  With great humbleness and

entire devotion I pray to Thee to make me a minaret of

Thy love in Thy land, a lamp of Thy knowledge among

Thy creatures, and a banner of divine bounty in Thy

dominion.  Number me with such of Thy servants as have

detached themselves from everything but Thee, have

sanctified themselves from the transitory things of

this world, and have freed themselves from the

promptings of the voicers of idle fancies.  Let my

heart be dilated with joy through the spirit of

confirmation from Thy kingdom, and brighten my eyes by

beholding the hosts of divine assistance descending

successively upon me from the kingdom of Thine

omnipotent glory.  Thou art, in truth, the Almighty,

the All-Glorious, the All-Powerful.  -- 'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, my God!  Thou seest how black darkness is . . ."

    O God, my God!  Thou seest how black darkness is

enshrouding all regions, how all countries are burning

with the flame of dissension, and the fire of war and

carnage is blazing throughout the East and the West.

Blood is flowing, corpses bestrew the ground, and

severed heads are fallen on the dust of the

battlefield.  O Lord!  Have pity on these ignorant

ones, and look upon them with the eye of forgiveness

and pardon.  Extinguish this fire, so that these dense

clouds which obscure the horizon may be scattered, the

Sun of Reality shine forth with the rays of

conciliation, this intense gloom be dispelled and the

resplendent light of peace shed its radiance upon all

countries.

    O Lord!  Draw up the people from the abyss of the

ocean of hatred and enmity, and deliver them from this

impenetrable darkness.  Unite their hearts, and

brighten their eyes with the light of peace and

reconciliation.  Deliver them from the depths of war

and bloodshed, and free them from the darkness of

error.  Remove the veil from their eyes, and enlighten

their hearts with the light of guidance.  Treat them

with Thy tender mercy and compassion, and deal not

with them according to Thy justice and wrath which

cause the limbs of the mighty to quake.

    O Lord!  Wars have persisted.  Distress and

anxiety have waxed great, and every flourishing region

is laid waste.

    O Lord!  Hearts are heavy, and souls are in

anguish.  Have mercy on these poor souls, and do not

leave them to the excesses of their own desires.  O

Lord!  Make manifest in Thy lands humble and

submissive souls, their faces illumined with the rays

of guidance, severed from the world, extolling Thy

Name, uttering Thy praise, and diffusing the fragrance

of Thy holiness amongst mankind.

    O Lord!  Strengthen their backs, gird up their

loins, and enrapture their hearts with the most mighty

signs of Thy love.

    O Lord!  Verily, they are weak, and Thou art the

Powerful and the Mighty; they are impotent, and Thou

art the Helper and the Merciful.  O Lord!  The ocean

of rebellion is surging, and these tempests will not

be stilled save through Thy boundless grace which hath

embraced all regions.  O Lord!  Verily, the people are

in the abyss of passion, and naught can save them but

Thine infinite bounties.

    O Lord!  Dispel the darkness of these corrupt

desires, and illumine the hearts with the lamp of Thy

love through which all countries will erelong be

enlightened.  Confirm, moreover, Thy loved ones, those

who, leaving their homelands, their families and their

children, have, for the love of Thy Beauty, traveled

to foreign countries to diffuse Thy fragrances and

promulgate Thy Teachings.  Be Thou their companion in

their loneliness, their helper in a strange land, the

remover of their sorrows, their comforter in calamity.

Be Thou a refreshing draught for their thirst, a

healing medicine for their ills and a balm for the

burning ardor of their hearts.

    Verily, Thou art the Most Generous, the Lord of

grace abounding, and, verily, Thou art the

Compassionate and the Merciful.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O God, Who art the Author of all Manifestations, . . ."

    O God, Who art the Author of all Manifestations,

the Source of all Sources, the Fountainhead of all

Revelations, and the Wellspring of all Lights!  I

testify that by Thy Name the heaven of understanding

hath been adorned, and the ocean of utterance hath

surged, and the dispensations of Thy providence have

been promulgated unto the followers of all religions.

I beseech Thee so to enrich me as to dispense with all

save Thee, and be made independent of anyone except

Thyself.  Rain down, then, upon me out of the clouds

of Thy bounty that which shall profit me in every

world of Thy worlds.  Assist me, then, through Thy

strengthening grace, so to serve Thy Cause amidst Thy

servants that I may show forth what will cause me to

be remembered as long as Thine own kingdom endureth

and Thy dominion will last.

    This is Thy servant, O my Lord, who with his whole

being hath turned unto the horizon of Thy bounty, and

the ocean of Thy grace, and the heaven of Thy gifts.

Do with me then as becometh Thy majesty, and Thy

glory, and Thy bounteousness, and Thy grace.

    Thou, in truth, art the God of strength and power,

Who art meet to answer them that pray Thee.  There is

no God save Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

--Baha'u'llah


"O Lord my God!  Assist Thy loved ones to be firm . . ."

    O Lord my God!  Assist Thy loved ones to be firm

in Thy Faith, to walk in Thy ways, to be steadfast in

Thy Cause.  Give them Thy grace to withstand the

onslaught of self and passion, to follow the light of

divine guidance.  Thou art the Powerful, the Gracious,

the Self-Subsisting, the Bestower, the Compassionate,

the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Lord!  Enable all the peoples of the earth to . . ."

    O Lord!  Enable all the peoples of the earth to

gain admittance into the Paradise of Thy Faith, so

that no created being may remain beyond the bounds of

Thy good-pleasure.  From time immemorial Thou hast

been potent to do what pleaseth Thee and transcendent

above whatsoever Thou desirest.  -- The Bab


"O Lord!  In this Most Great Dispensation Thou dost . . ."

    O Lord!  In this Most Great Dispensation Thou dost

accept the intercession of children in behalf of their

parents.  This is one of the special infinite

bestowals of this Dispensation.  Therefore, O Thou

kind Lord, accept the request of this Thy servant at

the threshold of Thy singleness and submerge his

father in the ocean of Thy grace, because this son

hath arisen to render Thee service and is exerting

effort at all times in the pathway of Thy love.

Verily, Thou art the Giver the Forgiver and the Kind!

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Lord!  Make these children excellent plants. . . ."

    O Lord!  Make these children excellent plants.

Let them grow and develop in the Garden of Thy

Covenant, and bestow freshness and beauty through the

outpourings of the clouds of the Abha Kingdom.

    O Thou kind Lord!  I am a little child, exalt me

by admitting me to the kingdom.  I am earthly, make me

heavenly; I am of the world below, let me belong to

the realm above; gloomy, suffer me to become radiant;

material, make me spiritual, and grant that I may

manifest Thine infinite bounties.  Thou art the

Powerful, the All-Loving.  --'Abdu'l-Baha O God, guide

me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a

brilliant star.  Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Lord!  Make this youth radiant, and confer Thy . . ."

    O Lord!  Make this youth radiant, and confer Thy

bounty upon this poor creature.  Bestow upon him

knowledge, grant him added strength at the break of

every mom and guard him within the shelter of Thy

protection so that he may be freed from error, may

devote himself to the service of Thy Cause, may guide

the wayward, lead the hapless, free the captives and

awaken the heedless, that all may be blessed with Thy

remembrance and praise.  Thou art the Mighty and the

Powerful.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Lord!  Provide for the speedy growth of the Tree . . ."

    O Lord!  Provide for the speedy growth of the Tree

of Thy divine Unity; water it then, O Lord, with the

flowing waters of Thy good pleasure, and cause it,

before the revelations of Thy divine assurance, to

yield such fruits as Thou desirest for Thy

glorification and exaltation, Thy praise and

thanksgiving, and to magnify Thy Name, to laud the

oneness of Thine Essence and to offer adoration unto

Thee, inasmuch as all this lieth within Thy grasp and

in that of none other.

    Great is the blessedness of those whose blood Thou

hast chosen wherewith to water the Tree of Thine

affirmation, and thus to exalt Thy holy and immutable

Word.  --The Bab


"O Lord!  Render victorious Thy forbearing servants . . ."

    O Lord!  Render victorious Thy forbearing servants

in Thy days by granting them a befitting victory,

inasmuch as they have sought martyrdom in Thy path.

Send down upon them that which will bring comfort to

their minds, will rejoice their inner beings, will

impart assurance to their hearts and tranquillity to

their bodies and will enable their souls to ascend to

the presence God, the Most Exalted, and to attain the

supreme Paradise and such retreats of glory as Thou

hast destined for men of true knowledge and virtue

Verily, Thou knowest all things, while we are but Thy

servants, Thy thralls, Thy bondsmen and Thy poor ones.

No Lord but Thee do we invoke O God our Lord, nor do

we implore blessings or grace from anyone but Thee, O

Thou Who art the God of mercy unto this world and the

next.  We are but the embodiments of poverty, of

nothingness, of helplessness and of perdition, while

Thy whole Being betokeneth wealth, independence,

glory, majesty and boundless grace.  Turn our

recompense, O Lord, into that which well beseemeth

Thee of the good of this world and of the next, and of

the manifold bounties which extend from on high down

to the earth below.  Verily, Thou art our Lord and the

Lord of all things.  Into Thy hands do we surrender

ourselves, yearning for the things that pertain unto

Thee.  --The Bab


"O Lord!  Thou art the Remover of every anguish and . . ."

    O Lord!  Thou art the Remover of every anguish and

the Dispeller of every affliction.  Thou art He Who

banisheth every sorrow and setteth free every slave,

the Redeemer of every soul.  O Lord!  Grant

deliverance through Thy mercy, and reckon me among

such servants of Thine as have gained salvation.

--The Bab


"O Lord!  Unto Thee I repair for refuge, and toward . . ."

    O Lord!  Unto Thee I repair for refuge, and toward

all Thy signs I set my heart.  O Lord!  Whether

traveling or at home, and in my occupation or in my

work, I place my whole trust in Thee.  Grant me then

Thy sufficing help so as to make me independent of all

things, O Thou Who art unsurpassed in Thy mercy!

    Bestow upon me my portion, O Lord, as Thou

pleasest, and cause me to be satisfied with whatsoever

Thou hast ordained for me.  Thine is the absolute

authority to command.  --The Bab


"O Lord, my God and my Haven in my distress!  My . . ."

    O Lord, my God and my Haven in my distress!  My

Shield and my Shelter in my woes!  My Asylum and

Refuge in time of need and in my loneliness my

Companion!  In my anguish my Solace, and in my

solitude a loving Friend!  The Remover of the pangs of

my sorrows and the Pardoner of my sins!

    Wholly unto Thee do I turn, fervently imploring

Thee with all my heart, my mind and my tongue, to

shield me from all that runs counter to Thy will in

this, the cycle of Thy divine unity, and to cleanse me

of all defilement that will hinder me from seeking,

stainless and unsullied, the shade of the tree of Thy

grace.

    Have mercy, O Lord, on the feeble, make whole the

sick, and quench the burning thirst.  Gladden the

bosom wherein the fire of Thy love doth smolder, and

set it aglow with the flame of Thy celestial love and

spirit.  Robe the tabernacles of divine unity with the

vesture of holiness, and set upon my head the crown of

Thy favor.

    Illumine my face with the radiance of the orb of

Thy bounty, and graciously aid me in ministering at

Thy holy threshold.

    Make my heart overflow with love for Thy creatures

and grant that I may become the sign of Thy mercy, the

token of Thy grace, the promoter of concord amongst

Thy loved ones, devoted unto Thee, uttering Thy

commemoration and forgetful of self but ever mindful

of what is Thine.

    O God, my God!  Stay not from me the gentle gales

of Thy pardon and grace, and deprive me not of the

wellsprings of Thine aid and favor.  'Neath the shade

of Thy protecting wings let me nestle, and cast upon

me the glance of Thine all-protecting eye.

    Loose my tongue to laud Thy name amidst Thy

people, that my voice may be raised in great

assemblies and from my lips may stream the flood of

Thy praise.

    Thou art, in all truth, the Gracious, the

Glorified, the Mighty, the Omnipotent -- 'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Lord, my God!  Praise and thanksgiving be unto . . ."

    O Lord, my God!  Praise and thanksgiving be unto

Thee for Thou hast guided me to the highway of the

kingdom, suffered me to walk in this straight and

far-stretching path, illumined my eye by beholding the

splendors of Thy light, inclined my ear to the

melodies of the birds of holiness from the kingdom of

mysteries and attracted my heart with Thy love among

the righteous.  O Lord!  Confirm me with the Holy

Spirit, so that I may call in Thy Name amongst the

nations and give the glad tidings of the manifestation

of Thy kingdom amongst mankind.

    O Lord!  I am weak, strengthen me with Thy power

and potency.  My tongue falters, suffer me to utter

Thy commemoration and praise.  I am lowly, honor me

through admitting me into Thy kingdom.  I am remote,

cause me to approach the threshold of Thy

mercifulness.  O Lord!  Make me a brilliant lamp, a

shining star and a blessed tree, adorned with fruit,

its branches overshadowing all these regions.  Verily,

Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful and Unconstrained.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God and my Master!  I am Thy servant and the . . ."

    O my God and my Master!  I am Thy servant and the

son of Thy servant.  I have risen from my couch at

this dawntide when the Daystar of Thy oneness hath

shone forth from the Dayspring of Thy will, and hath

shed its radiance upon the whole world, according to

what had been ordained in the Books of Thy Decree.

    Praise be unto Thee, O my God, that we have

wakened to the splendors of the light of Thy

knowledge.  Send down, then, upon us, O my Lord, what

will enable us to dispense with anyone but Thee, and

will rid us of all attachment to aught except Thyself.

Write down, moreover, for me, and for such as are dear

to me, and for my kindred, man and woman alike, the

good of this world and the world to come.  Keep us

safe, then, through Thine unfailing protection, O Thou

the Beloved of the entire creation and the Desire of

the whole universe, from them whom Thou hast made to

he the manifestations of the Evil Whisperer, who

whisper in men's breasts.  Potent art Thou to do Thy

pleasure.  Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Help in

Peril, the Self-Subsisting.  Bless Thou, O Lord my

God, Him Whom Thou hast set over Thy most excellent

Titles, and through Whom Thou hast divided between the

godly and the wicked, and graciously aid us to do what

Thou lovest and desirest.  Bless Thou, moreover, O my

God, them Who are Thy Words and Thy Letters, and them

who have set their faces towards Thee, and turned unto

Thy face, and hearkened to Thy Call.

    Thou art, truly, the Lord and King of all men, and

art potent over all things.  --Baha'u'llah


"O my God!  O my God!  Glory be unto Thee for that . . ."

    O my God!  O my God!  Glory be unto Thee for that

Thou hast confirmed me to the confession of Thy

oneness, attracted me unto the word of Thy singleness,

enkindled me by the fire of Thy love, and occupied me

with Thy mention and the service of Thy friends and

maidservants.  O Lord, help me to be meek and lowly,

and strengthen me in severing myself from all things

and in holding to the hem of the garment of Thy glory,

so that my heart may be filled with Thy love and leave

no space for love of the world and attachment to its

qualities.

    O God!  Sanctify me from all else save Thee, purge

me from the dross of sins and transgressions, and

cause me to possess a spiritual heart and conscience.

    Verily, Thou art merciful and, verily, Thou art

the Most Generous, Whose help is sought by all men.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God!  O my God!  This, Thy servant, hath . . ."

    O my God!  O my God!  This, Thy servant, hath

advanced towards Thee, is passionately wandering in

the desert of Thy love, walking in the path of Thy

service, anticipating Thy favors, hoping for Thy

bounty, relying upon Thy kingdom, and intoxicated by

the wine of Thy gift.  O my God!  Increase the fervor

of his affection for Thee, the constancy of his praise

of Thee, and the ardor of his love for Thee.

    Verily, Thou art the Most Generous, the Lord of

grace abounding.  There is no other God but Thee, the

Forgiving, the Merciful.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God!  O my God!  Unite the hearts of Thy . . ."

    O my God!  O my God!  Unite the hearts of Thy

servants, and reveal to them Thy great purpose.  May

they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law.

Help them, O God, in their endeavor, and grant them

strength to serve Thee.  O God!  Leave them not to

themselves, but guide their steps by the light of Thy

knowledge, and cheer their hearts by Thy love.

Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord.

--Baha'u'llah


"O my God!  O my God!  Verily, I invoke Thee and . . ."

    O my God!  O my God!  Verily, I invoke Thee and

supplicate before Thy threshold, asking Thee that all

Thy mercies may descend upon these souls.  Specialize

them for Thy favor and Thy truth.

    O Lord!  Unite and bind together the hearts, join

in accord all the souls, and exhilarate the spirits

through the signs of Thy sanctity and oneness.  O

Lord!  Make these faces radiant through the light of

Thy oneness.  Strengthen the loins of Thy servants in

the service of Thy kingdom.  O Lord, Thou possessor of

infinite mercy!  O Lord of forgiveness and pardon!

Forgive our sins, pardon our shortcomings, and cause

us to turn to the kingdom of Thy clemency, invoking

the kingdom of might and power, humble at Thy shrine

and submissive before the glory of Thine evidences.  O

Lord God!  Make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of

the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy

love.  O Lord!  Dilate the breasts through the signs

of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining

from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits

growing upon Thy tree of life.

    Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the

Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the

Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God!  O my God!  Verily, these servants are . . ."

    O my God!  O my God!  Verily, these servants are

turning to Thee, supplicating Thy kingdom of mercy.

Verily, they are attracted by Thy holiness and set

aglow with the fire of Thy love, seeking confirmation

from Thy wondrous kingdom, and hoping for attainment

in Thy heavenly realm.  Verily, they long for the

descent of Thy bestowal, desiring illumination from

the Sun of Reality.  O Lord!  Make them radiant lamps,

merciful signs, fruitful trees and shining stars.  May

they come forth in Thy service and be connected with

Thee by the bonds and ties of Thy love, longing for

the lights of Thy favor.  O Lord!  Make them signs of

guidance, standards of Thine immortal kingdom, waves

of the sea of Thy mercy, mirrors of the light of Thy

majesty.  Verily, Thou art the Generous.  Verily, Thou

art the Merciful.  Verily, Thou art the Precious, the

Beloved.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God!  O my God!  Verily, thy servant, humble . . ."

    O my God!  O my God!  Verily, thy servant, humble

before the majesty of Thy divine supremacy, lowly at

the door of Thy oneness, hath believed in Thee and in

Thy verses, hath testified to Thy word, hath been

enkindled with the fire of Thy love, hath been

immersed in the depths of the ocean of Thy knowledge,

hath been attracted by Thy breezes, hath relied upon

Thee, hath turned his face to Thee, hath offered his

supplications to Thee, and hath been assured of Thy

pardon and forgiveness.  He hath abandoned this mortal

life and hath flown to the kingdom of immortality,

yearning for the favor of meeting Thee.

    O Lord, glorify his station, shelter him under the

pavilion of Thy supreme mercy, cause him to enter Thy

glorious paradise, and perpetuate his existence in

Thine exalted rose garden, that he may plunge into the

sea of light in the world of mysteries.

    Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Powerful, the

Forgiver and the Bestower.  --Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God!  O my God! . . ."

    O my God!  O my God!

    Thou seest me in my lowliness and weakness,

occupied with the greatest undertaking, determined to

raise Thy word among the masses and to spread Thy

teachings among Thy peoples.  How can I succeed unless

Thou assist me with the breath of the Holy Spirit,

help me to triumph by the hosts of Thy glorious

kingdom, and shower upon me Thy confirmations, which

alone can change a gnat into an eagle, a drop of water

into rivers and seas, and an atom into lights and

suns?  O my Lord!  Assist me with Thy triumphant and

effective might, so that my tongue may utter Thy

praises and attributes among all people and my soul

overflow with the wine of Thy love and knowledge.

    Thou art the Omnipotent and the Doer of whatsoever

Thou willest.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God!  O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of . . ."

    O my God!  O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of

gifts, dispeller of afflictions!  Verily, I beseech

Thee to forgive the sins of such as have abandoned the

physical garment and have ascended to the spiritual

world.  O my Lord!  Purify them from trespasses,

dispel their sorrows, and change their darkness into

light.  Cause them to enter the garden of happiness,

cleanse them with the most pure water, and grant them

to behold Thy splendors on the loftiest mount.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God!  This is Thy servant and the son of Thy . . ."

    O my God!  This is Thy servant and the son of Thy

servant who hath believed in Thee and in Thy signs,

and set his face towards Thee, wholly detached from

all except Thee.  Thou art, verily, of those who show

mercy the most merciful.  Deal with him, O Thou Who

forgivest the sins of men and concealest their faults,

as beseemeth the heaven of Thy bounty and the ocean of

Thy grace.  Grant him admission within the precincts

of Thy transcendent mercy that was before the

foundation of earth and heaven.  There is no God but

Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.  Let him,

then, repeat six times the greeting "Allah-u-Abha, and

then repeat nineteen times each of the following

verses:  We all, verily, worship God.  We all, verily,

bow down before God.  We all, verily, are devoted unto

God.  We all, verily, give praise unto God.  We all,

verily, yield thanks unto God.  We all, verily, are

patient in God.  (if the dead be a woman, let him say:

This is Thy handmaiden and the daughter of Thy

handmaiden, etc.  .  .  .) --Baha'u'llah


"O my God, aid Thou Thy servant to raise up the . . ."

    O my God, aid Thou Thy servant to raise up the

Word, and to refute what is vain and false, to

establish the truth, to spread the sacred verses

abroad, reveal the splendors, and make the morning's

light to dawn in the hearts of the righteous.  Thou

art, verily, the Generous, the Forgiving.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my God, my Lord and my Master!  I have detached . . ."

    O my God, my Lord and my Master!  I have detached

myself from my kindred and have sought through Thee to

become independent of all that dwell on earth and ever

ready to receive that which is praiseworthy in Thy

sight.  Bestow on me such good as will make me

independent of aught else but Thee, and grant me an

ampler share of Thy boundless favors.  Verily, Thou

art the Lord of grace abounding.  --The Bab


"O my God, my Master, the Goal of my desire!  This, . . ."

    O my God, my Master, the Goal of my desire!  This,

Thy servant, seeketh to sleep in the shelter of Thy

mercy, and to repose beneath the canopy of Thy grace,

imploring Thy care and Thy protection.  I beg of Thee,

O my Lord, by Thine eye that sleepeth not, to guard

mine eyes from beholding aught beside Thee.

Strengthen, then, their vision that they may discern

Thy signs, and behold the Horizon of Thy Revelation.

Thou art He before the revelations of Whose

omnipotence the quintessence of power hath trembled.

No God is there but Thee, the Almighty, the All

Subduing, the Unconditioned.  --Baha'u'llah


"O my God, the God of bounty and mercy!  Thou art . . ."

    O my God, the God of bounty and mercy!  Thou art

that King by Whose commanding word the whole creation

hath been called into being; and Thou art that

All-Bountiful One the doings of Whose servants have

never hindered Him from showing forth His grace, nor

have they frustrated the revelations of His bounty.

Suffer this servant, I beseech Thee, to attain unto

that which is the cause of his salvation in every

world of Thy worlds.  Thou art, verily, the Almighty,

the Most Powerful, the All- Knowing, the All-Wise.

--Baha'u'llah


"O my Lord!  Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy . . ."

    O my Lord!  Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy

presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and

praise of Thee my action, and remembrance of Thee my

companion, and the power of Thy sovereignty my

succorer, and Thy habitation my home, and my

dwelling-place the seat Thou hast sanctified from the

limitations imposed upon them who are shut out as by a

veil from Thee.

    Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Glorious,

the Most Powerful.  --Baha'u'llah


"O my Lord!  O my Lord!  I am a child of tender . . ."

    O my Lord!  O my Lord!  I am a child of tender

years.  Nourish me from the breast of Thy mercy, train

me in the bosom of Thy love, educate me in the school

of Thy guidance and develop me under the shadow of Thy

bounty.  Deliver me from darkness, make me a brilliant

light; free me from unhappiness, make me a flower of

the rose garden; suffer me to become a servant of Thy

threshold and confer upon me the disposition and

nature of the righteous; make me a cause of bounty to

the human world, and crown my head with the diadem of

eternal life.

    Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the

Seer, the Hearer.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my Lord!  O my Lord!  This is a lamp lighted by . . ."

    O my Lord!  O my Lord!  This is a lamp lighted by

the fire of Thy love and ablaze with the flame which

is ignited in the tree of Thy mercy O my Lord!

Increase his enkindlement, heat and flame, with the

fire which is kindled in the Sinai of Thy

Manifestation.  Verily, Thou art the Confirmer, the

Assister, the Powerful, the Generous, the Loving.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my Lord!  Thou knowest that the people are . . ."

    O my Lord!  Thou knowest that the people are

encircled with pain and calamities and are environed

with hardships and trouble.  Every trial doth attack

man and every dire adversity doth assail him like unto

the assault of a serpent.  There is no shelter and

asylum for him except under the wing of Thy

protection, preservation, guard and custody.

    O Thou the Merciful One!  O my Lord!  Make Thy

protection my armor, Thy preservation my shield,

humbleness before the door of Thy oneness my guard,

and Thy custody and defense my fortress and my abode.

Preserve me from the suggestions of self and desire,

and guard me from every sickness, trial, difficulty

and ordeal.  Verily, Thou art the Protector, the

Guardian, the Preserver, the Sufficer, and verily,

Thou art the Merciful of the Most Merciful.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my Lord, my Beloved, my Desire!  Befriend me in . . ."

    O my Lord, my Beloved, my Desire!  Befriend me in

my loneliness and accompany me in my exile.  Remove my

sorrow.  Cause me to be devoted to Thy beauty.

Withdraw me from all else save Thee.  Attract me

through Thy fragrances of holiness.  Cause me to be

associated in Thy Kingdom with those who are severed

from all else save Thee, who long to serve Thy sacred

threshold and who stand to work in Thy Cause.  Enable

me to be one of Thy maidservants who have attained to

Thy good pleasure.  Verily, Thou art the Gracious, the

Generous.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O my Lord, O my Lord!  These two bright orbs are . . ."

    O my Lord, O my Lord!  These two bright orbs are

wedded in Thy love, conjoined in servitude to Thy Holy

Threshold, united in ministering to Thy Cause.  Make

Thou this marriage to be as threading lights of Thine

abounding grace, O my Lord, the All- Merciful, and

luminous rays of Thy bestowals, O Thou the Beneficent,

the Ever-Giving, that there may branch out from this

great tree boughs that will grow green and flourishing

through the gifts that rain down from Thy clouds of

grace.

    Verily, Thou art the Generous.  Verily, Thou art

the Almighty.  Verily, Thou art the Compassionate, the

All-Merciful.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Peerless Lord!  Be Thou a shelter for this poor . . ."

    O Peerless Lord!  Be Thou a shelter for this poor

child and a kind and forgiving Master unto this erring

and unhappy soul.  O Lord!  though we are but

worthless plants, yet we belong to Thy garden of

roses.  Though saplings without leaves and blossoms,

yet we are a part of Thine orchard.  Nurture this

plant then through the outpourings of the clouds of

Thy tender mercy and quicken and refresh this sapling

through the reviving breath of Thy spiritual

springtime.  Suffer him to become heedful, discerning

and noble, and grant that he may attain eternal life

and abide in Thy Kingdom for evermore.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou compassionate Lord, Thou Who art generous . . ."

    O Thou compassionate Lord, Thou Who art generous

and able!  We are servants of Thine sheltered beneath

Thy providence.  Cast Thy glance of favor upon us.

Give light to our eyes, hearing to our ears, and

understanding and love to our hearts.  Render our

souls joyous and happy through Thy glad tidings.  O

Lord!  Point out to us the pathway of Thy kingdom and

resuscitate all of us through the breaths of the Holy

Spirit.  Bestow upon us life everlasting and confer

upon us never-ending honor.  Unify mankind and

illumine the world of humanity.  May we all follow Thy

pathway, long for Thy good pleasure and seek the

mysteries of Thy kingdom.  O God!  Unite us and

connect our hearts with Thy indissoluble bond.

Verily, Thou art the Giver, Thou art the Kind One and

Thou art the Almighty.  -- 'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou forgiving God!  These servants are turning . . ."

    O Thou forgiving God!  These servants are turning

to Thy kingdom and seeking Thy grace and bounty.  O

God!  Make their hearts good and pure in order that

they may become worthy of Thy love.  Purify and

sanctify the spirits that the light of the Sun of

Reality may shine upon them.  Purify and sanctify the

eyes that they may perceive Thy light.  Purify and

sanctify the ears in order that they may hear the call

of Thy kingdom.  O Lord!  Verily, we are weak, but

Thou art mighty.  Verily, we are poor, but Thou art

rich.  We are the seekers, and Thou art the One

sought.  O Lord!  Have compassion upon us and forgive

us; bestow upon us such capacity and receptiveness

that we may be worthy of Thy favors and become

attracted to Thy kingdom, that we may drink deep of

the water of life, may be enkindled by the fire of Thy

love, and be resuscitated through the breaths of the

Holy Spirit in this radiant century.  O God, my God!

Cast upon this gathering the glances of Thy

loving-kindness.  Keep safe each and all in Thy

custody and under Thy protection.  Send down upon

these souls Thy heavenly blessings.  Immerse them in

the ocean of Thy mercy, and quicken them through the

breaths of the Holy Spirit.

    O Lord!  Bestow Thy gracious aid and confirmation

upon this just government.  This country lieth beneath

the sheltering shadow of Thy protection, and this

people is in Thy service.  O Lord!  Confer upon them

Thy heavenly bounty and render the outpourings of Thy

grace and favor copious and abundant.  Suffer this

esteemed nation to be held in honor, and enable it to

be admitted into Thy kingdom.

    Thou art the Powerful, the Omnipotent, the

Merciful, and Thou art the Generous, the Beneficent,

the Lord of grace abounding.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou forgiving Lord!  Thou art the shelter of . . ."

    O Thou forgiving Lord!  Thou art the shelter of

all these Thy servants.  Thou knowest the secrets and

art aware of all things.  We are all helpless, and

Thou are the Mighty, the Omnipotent.  We are all

sinners, and Thou art the forgiver of sins, the

Merciful, the Compassionate.  O Lord!  Look not at our

shortcomings are many, but the ocean of Thy

forgiveness is boundless.  Our weakness is grievous,

but the evidences of Thine aid and assistance are

clear.

    Therefore, confirm and strengthen us.  Enable us

to do that which is worthy of Thy holy Threshold.

Illumine our hearts, grant us discerning eyes and

attentive ears.  Resuscitate the dead and heal the

sick.  Bestow wealth upon the poor and give peace and

security to the fearful.  Accept us in Thy kingdom and

illumine us with the light of guidance.  Thou art the

Powerful and the omnipotent.  Thou art the Generous.

Thou art the Clement.  Thou art the Kind.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou forgiving Lord! . . ."

    O Thou forgiving Lord!

    Although some souls have spent the days of their

lives in ignorance, and became estranged and

contumacious, yet, with one wave from the ocean of Thy

forgiveness, all those encompassed by sin will be set

free.  Whomsoever Thou willest Thou makest a

confidant, and whosoever is not the object of Thy

choice is accounted a transgressor.  Shouldst Thou

deal with us with Thy justice, we are all naught but

sinners and deserving to be shut out from Thee, but

shouldst Thou uphold mercy, every sinner would be made

pure and every stranger a friend.  Bestow, then, Thy

forgiveness and pardon, and grant Thy mercy unto all.

Thou art the Forgiver, the Lightgiver and the

Omnipotent.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou incomparable God!  O Thou Lord of the . . ."

    O Thou incomparable God!  O Thou Lord of the

Kingdom!  These souls are Thy heavenly army.  Assist

them and, with the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse,

make them victorious, so that each one of them may

become like unto a regiment and conquer these

countries through the love of God and the illumination

of divine teachings.  O God!  Be Thou their supporter

and their helper, and in the wilderness, the mountain,

the valley, the forests, the prairies and the seas, be

Thou their confidant so that they may cry out through

the power of the Kingdom and the breath of the Holy

Spirit.

    Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty and the

Omnipotent, and Thou art the Wise, the Hearing and the

Seeing.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou kind Lord!  O Thou Who art generous and . . ."

    O Thou kind Lord!  O Thou Who art generous and

merciful!  We are the servants of Thy threshold and

are gathered beneath the sheltering shadow of Thy

divine unity.  The sun of Thy mercy is shining upon

all, and the clouds of Thy bounty shower upon all.

Thy gifts encompass all, Thy loving providence

sustains all, Thy protection overshadows all, and the

glances of Thy favor are cast upon all.  O Lord!

Grant Thine infinite bestowals, and let the light of

Thy guidance shine.  Illumine the eyes, gladden the

hearts with abiding joy.  Confer a new spirit upon all

people and bestow upon them eternal life.  Unlock the

gates of true understanding and let the light of faith

shine resplendent.  Gather all people beneath the

shadow of Thy bounty and cause them to unite in

harmony, so that they may become as the rays of one

sun, as the waves of one ocean, and as the fruit of

one tree.  May they drink from the same fountain.  May

they be refreshed by the same breeze.  May they

receive illumination from the same source of light.

Thou art the Giver, the Merciful, the Omnipotent.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou kind Lord!  Praise be unto Thee that Thou . . ."

    O Thou kind Lord!  Praise be unto Thee that Thou

hast shown us the highway of guidance, opened the

doors of the kingdom and manifested Thyself through

the Sun of Reality.  To the blind Thou hast given

sight; to the deaf Thou hast granted hearing; Thou

hast resuscitated the dead; Thou hast enriched the

poor; Thou hast shown the way to those who have gone

astray; Thou hast led those with parched lips to the

fountain of guidance; Thou hast suffered the thirsty

fish to reach the ocean of reality; and Thou hast

invited the wandering birds to the rose garden of

grace.  O Thou Almighty!  We are Thy servants and Thy

poor ones; we are remote and yearn for Thy presence,

are athirst for the water of Thy fountain, are ill,

longing for Thy healing.  We are walking in Thy path

and have no aim or hope save the diffusion of Thy

fragrance, so that all souls may raise the cry of "O

God, guide us to the straight path." May their eyes be

opened to behold the light, and may they be freed from

the darkness of ignorance.  May they gather around the

lamp of Thy guidance.  May every portionless one

receive a share.  May the deprived become the

confidants of Thy mysteries.

    O Almighty!  Look upon us with the glance of

mercifulness.  Grant us heavenly confirmation.  Bestow

upon us the breath of the Holy Spirit, so that we may

be assisted in Thy service and, like unto brilliant

stars, shine in these regions with the light of Thy

guidance.

    Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the

Wise and the Seeing.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou kind Lord!  These are Thy servants who have . . ."

    O Thou kind Lord!  These are Thy servants who have

gathered in this meeting, have turned unto Thy kingdom

and are in need of Thy bestowal and blessing.  O Thou

God!  Manifest and make evident the signs of Thy

oneness which have been deposited in all the realities

of life.  Reveal and unfold the virtues which Thou

hast made latent and concealed in these human

realities.  O God!  We are as plants, and Thy bounty

is as the rain; refresh and cause these plants to grow

through Thy bestowal.  We are Thy servants; free us

from the fetters of material existence.  We are

ignorant; make us wise.  We are dead; make us alive.

We are material; endow us with spirit.  We are

deprived; make us the intimates of Thy mysteries.  We

are needy; enrich and bless us from Thy boundless

treasury.  O God!  Resuscitate us; give us sight; give

us hearing; familiarize us with the mysteries of life,

so that the secrets of Thy kingdom may become revealed

to us in this world of existence and we may confess

Thy oneness.  Every bestowal emanates from Thee; every

benediction is Thine.

    Thou art mighty.  Thou art powerful.  Thou art the

Giver, and Thou art the Ever-Bounteous.  --

'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou kind Lord!  These lovely children are the . . ."

    O Thou kind Lord!  These lovely children are the

handiwork of the fingers of Thy might and the wondrous

signs of Thy greatness.  O God!  Protect these

children, graciously assist them to be educated and

enable them to render service to the world of

humanity.  O God!  These children are pearls, cause

them to be nurtured within-the shell of Thy

loving-kindness.  Thou art the Bountiful, the

All-Loving.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou kind Lord!  This gathering is turning to . . ."

    O Thou kind Lord!  This gathering is turning to

Thee.  These hearts are radiant with Thy love.  These

minds and spirits are exhilarated by the message of

Thy glad-tidings.  O God!  Let this American democracy

become glorious in spiritual degrees even as it has

aspired to material degrees, and render this just

government victorious.  Confirm this revered nation to

upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity, to

promulgate the Most Great Peace, to become thereby

most glorious and praiseworthy among all the nations

of the world.  O God!  This American nation is worthy

of Thy favors and is deserving of Thy mercy.  Make it

precious and near to Thee through Thy bounty and

bestowal.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou kind Lord!  Thou hast created all humanity . . ."

    O Thou kind Lord!  Thou hast created all humanity

from the same stock.  Thou hast decreed that all shall

belong to the same household.  In Thy Holy Presence

they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are

sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered

together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined

through the light of Thy Providence.

    O God!  Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided

for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all.

Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and

faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy

Mercy.

    O Thou kind Lord!  Unite all.  Let the religions

agree and make the nations one, so that they may see

each other as one family and the whole earth as one

home.  May they all live together in perfect harmony.

    O God!  Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of

mankind.

    O God!  Establish the Most Great Peace.  Cement

Thou, O God, the hearts together.  O Thou kind Father,

God!  Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy

love.  Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy

Guidance.  Delight our ears with the melody of Thy

Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy

Providence.  Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou

art the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who overlooketh

the shortcomings of all mankind.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou kind Lord!  We are servants of Thy . . ."

    O Thou kind Lord!  We are servants of Thy

Threshold, taking shelter at Thy holy Door.  We seek

no refuge save only this strong pillar, turn nowhere

for a haven but unto Thy safekeeping.  Protect us,

bless us, support us, make us such that we shall love

but Thy good pleasure, utter only Thy praise, follow

only the pathway of truth, that we may become rich

enough to dispense with all save Thee, and receive our

gifts from the sea of Thy beneficence, that we may

ever strive to exalt Thy Cause and to spread Thy sweet

savors far and wide, that we may become oblivious of

self and occupied only with Thee, and disown all else

and be caught up in Thee.  O Thou Provider, O Thou

Forgiver!  Grant us Thy grace and loving-kindness, Thy

gifts and Thy bestowals, and sustain us, that we may

attain our goal.  Thou art the Powerful, the Able, the

Knower, the Seer; and, verily, Thou art the Generous,

and, verily, Thou art the All-Merciful, and, verily,

Thou art the Ever-Forgiving, He to Whom repentance is

due, He Who forgiveth even the most grievous of sins.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou merciful God!  O Thou Who art mighty and . . ."

    O Thou merciful God!  O Thou Who art mighty and

powerful!  O Thou most kind Father!  These servants

have gathered together, turning to Thee, supplicating

Thy threshold, desiring Thine endless bounties from

Thy great assurance.  They have no purpose save Thy

good pleasure.  They have no intention save service to

the world of humanity.

    O God!  Make this assemblage radiant.  Make the

hearts merciful.  Confer the bounties of the Holy

Spirit.  Endow them with a power from heaven.  Bless

them with heavenly minds.  Increase their sincerity,

so that with all humility and contrition they may turn

to Thy kingdom and be occupied with service to the

world of humanity.  May each one become a radiant

candle.  May each one become a brilliant star.  May

each one become beautiful in color and redolent of

fragrance in the kingdom of God.

    O kind Father.  Confer Thy blessings.  Consider

not our shortcomings.  Shelter us under Thy

protection.  Remember not our sins.  Heal us with Thy

mercy.  We are weak; Thou art mighty.  We are poor;

Thou art rich.  We are sick; Thou art the Physician.

We are needy; Thou art most generous.  O God!  Endow

us with Thy providence.  Thou art the Powerful.  Thou

art the Giver.  Thou art the Beneficent.  --

'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou peerless Lord!  Let this suckling babe be . . ."

    O Thou peerless Lord!  Let this suckling babe be

nursed from the breast of Thy loving-kindness, guard

it within the cradle of Thy safety and protection and

grant that it be reared in the arms of Thy tender

affection.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou Provider!  Thou hast breathed over the . . ."

    O Thou Provider!  Thou hast breathed over the

friends m the West the sweet fragrance of the Holy

Spirit, and with the light of divine guidance Thou

hast lit up the western sky.  Thou hast made those who

were once remote to draw near unto Thyself; Thou hast

turned strangers into loving friends; Thou hast

awakened those who slept; Thou hast made the heedless

mindful.  O Thou Provider!  Assist Thou these noble

friends to win Thy good pleasure, and make them well

wishers of stranger and friend alike.  Bring them into

the world that abideth forever; grant them a portion

of heavenly grace; cause them to be true Baha'is,

sincerely of God; save them from outward semblances,

and establish them firmly in the truth.  Make them

signs and tokens of the Kingdom, luminous stars above

the horizons of this nether life.  Make them to be a

comfort and a solace to humankind and servants to the

peace of the world.  Exhilarate them with the wine of

Thy counsel, and grant that all of them may tread the

path of Thy commandments.

    O Thou Provider!  The dearest wish of this servant

of Thy Threshold is to behold the friends of East and

West in close embrace; to see all the members of human

society gathered with love in a single great

assemblage, even as individual drops of water

collected in one mighty sea; to behold them all as

birds in one garden of roses, as pearls of one ocean,

as leaves of one tree, as rays of one sun.  Thou art

the Mighty, the Powerful, and Thou art the God of

strength, the Omnipotent, the All-Seeing.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, . . ."

    O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration,

Whose beauty is my sanctuary, Whose habitation is my

goal, Whose praise is my hope, Whose providence is my

companion, Whose love is the cause of my being, Whose

mention is my solace, Whose nearness is my desire,

Whose presence is my dearest wish and highest

aspiration, I entreat Thee not to withhold from me the

things Thou didst ordain for the chosen ones among Thy

servants.  Supply me, then, with the good of this

world and of the next.

    Thou, truly, art the King of all men.  There is no

God but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

--Baha'u'llah


"O Thou Whose nearness is my wish, Whose presence . . ."

    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 Dayspring 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.  --Baha'u'llah


"O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such . . ."

    O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such

as are nigh unto Thee, Whose sword is the ardent

desire of all them that love Thee, Whose dart is the

dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee,

Whose decree is the sole hope of them that have

recognized Thy truth!  I implore Thee, by Thy divine

sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy

face, to send down upon us from Thy retreats on high

that which Will enable us to draw nigh unto Thee.

Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and

enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy

knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the

brightness of Thy names.  --Baha'u'llah


"O Thou, my God, Who guidest the seeker to the . . ."

    O Thou, my God, Who guidest the seeker to the

pathway that leadeth aright, Who deliverest the lost

and blinded soul out of the wastes of perdition, Thou

Who bestowest upon the sincere great bounties and

favors, Who guardest the frightened within Thine

impregnable refuge, Who answerest, from Thine

all-highest horizon, the cry of those who cry out unto

Thee.  Praised be Thou, O my Lord!  Thou hast guided

the distracted out of the death of unbelief, and hast

brought those who draw nigh unto Thee to the journey's

goal, and hast rejoiced the assured among Thy servants

by granting them their most cherished desires, and

hast, from Thy Kingdom of beauty, opened before the

faces of those who yearn after Thee the gates of

reunion, and hast rescued them from the fires of

deprivation and loss so that they hastened unto Thee

and gained Thy presence, and arrived at Thy welcoming

door, and received of gifts an abundant share.

    O my Lord, they thirsted, Thou didst lift to their

parched lips the waters of reunion.  O Tender One,

Bestowing One, Thou didst calm their pain with the

balm of Thy bounty and grace, and didst heal their

ailments with the sovereign medicine of Thy

compassion.  O Lord, make firm their feet on Thy

straight path, make wide for them the needle's eye,

and cause them, dressed in royal robes, to walk in

glory for ever and ever.  Verily, art Thou the

Generous, the Ever-Giving, the Precious, the Most

Bountiful.  There is none other God but Thee, the

Mighty, the Powerful, the Exalted, the Victorious.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"Ordain for me, O my Lord, and for those who . . ."

    Ordain for me, O my Lord, and for those who

believe in Thee that which is deemed best for us in

Thine estimation, as set forth in the Mother Book, for

within the grasp of Thy hand Thou holdest the

determined measures of all things.

    Thy goodly gifts are unceasingly showered upon

such as cherish Thy love, and the wondrous tokens of

Thy heavenly bounties are amply bestowed on those who

recognize Thy divine Unity.  We commit unto Thy care

whatsoever Thou hast destined for us, and implore Thee

to grant us all the good that Thy knowledge embraceth.

Protect me, O my Lord, from every evil that Thine

omniscience perceiveth, inasmuch as there is no power

nor strength but in Thee, no triumph is forthcoming

save from Thy presence, and it is Thine alone to

command.  Whatever God hath willed hath been, and that

which He hath not willed shall not be.

    There is no power nor strength except in God, the

Most Exalted, the Most Mighty.  The--Bab


"Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee . . ."

    Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee

by this Revelation whereby darkness hath been turned

into light, through which the Frequented Fane hath

been built, and the Written Tablet revealed, and the

Outspread Roll uncovered, to send down Upon me and

upon them who are in my company that which will enable

us to soar into the heavens of Thy transcendent glory,

and will wash us from the stain of such doubts as have

hindered the suspicious from entering into the

tabernacle of Thy unity.

    I am the one, O my Lord, who hath held fast the

cord of Thy loving-kindness, and clung to the hem of

Thy mercy and favors.  Do Thou ordain for me and for

my loved ones the good of this world and of the world

to come.  Supply them, then, with the Hidden Gift Thou

didst ordain for the choicest among Thy creatures.

These are, O my Lord, the days in which Thou hast

bidden Thy servants to observe the fast.  Blessed is

he that observeth the fast wholly for Thy sake and

with absolute detachment from all things except Thee.

Assist me and assist them, O my Lord, to obey Thee and

to keep Thy precepts.  Thou, verily, hast power to do

what Thou choosest.

    There is no God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the

All-Wise.  All praise be to God, the Lord of all

worlds.  --Baha'u'llah


"Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee, . . ."

    Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee,

by Thy Name which none hath befittingly recognized,

and whose import no soul hath fathomed; I beseech

Thee, by Him Who is the Fountainhead of Thy Revelation

and the Dayspring of Thy signs, to make my heart to be

a receptacle of Thy love and of remembrance of Thee.

Knit it, then, to Thy most great Ocean, that from it

may flow out the living waters of Thy wisdom and the

crystal streams of Thy glorification and praise.

    The limbs of my body testify to Thy unity, and the

hair of my head declareth the power of Thy sovereignty

and might.  I have stood at the door of Thy grace with

utter self-effacement and complete abnegation, and

clung to the hem of Thy bounty, and fixed mine eyes

upon the horizon of Thy gifts.

    Do Thou destine for me, O my God, what becometh

the greatness of Thy majesty, and assist me, by Thy

strengthening grace, so to teach Thy Cause that the

dead may speed out of their sepulchers, and rush forth

towards Thee, trusting wholly in Thee, and fixing

their gaze upon the orient of Thy Cause, and the

dawning-place of Thy Revelation.

    Thou, verily, art the Most Powerful, the Most

High, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.  --Baha'u'llah


"Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  Thou seest and . . ."

    Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  Thou seest and

knowest that I have called upon Thy servants to turn

nowhere except ill the direction of Thy bestowals, and

have bidden them observe naught save the things Thou

didst prescribe in Thy Perspicuous Book, the Book

which hath been sent down according to Thine

inscrutable decree and irrevocable purpose.

    I can utter no word, O my God, unless I be

permitted by Thee, and can move in no direction until

I obtain Thy sanction.  It is Thou, O my God, Who hast

called me into being through the power of Thy might,

and hast endued me with Thy grace to manifest Thy

Cause.  Wherefore I have been subjected to such

adversities that my tongue hath been hindered from

extolling Thee and from magnifying Thy glory.

    All praise be to Thee, O my God, for the things

Thou didst ordain for me through Thy decree and by the

power of Thy sovereignty.  I beseech Thee that Thou

wilt fortify both myself and them that love me in our

love for Thee, and wilt keep us firm in Thy Cause.  I

swear by Thy might!  O my God!  Thy servant's shame is

to be shut out as by a veil from Thee, and his glory

is to know Thee.  Armed with the power of Thy name

nothing can ever hurt me, and with Thy love in my

heart all the world's afflictions can in no wise alarm

me.  Send down, therefore, O my Lord, upon me and upon

my loved ones that which will protect us from the

mischief of those that have repudiated Thy truth and

disbelieved in Thy signs.  Thou art, verily, the

All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.  --Baha'u'llah


"Praise be to Thee, O my God!  These are Thy . . ."

    Praise be to Thee, O my God!  These are Thy

servants who are attracted by the fragrances of Thy

mercifulness, are enkindled by the fire burning in the

tree of Thy singleness, and whose eyes are brightened

by beholding the splendors of the light shining in the

Sinai of Thy oneness.  O Lord!  Loose their tongues to

make mention of Thee amongst Thy people, suffer them

to speak forth Thy praise through Thy grace and

loving-kindness, assist them with the cohorts of Thine

angels, strengthen their loins in Thy service, and

make them the signs of Thy guidance amongst Thy

creatures.

    Verily, Thou art the All-Powerful, the Most

Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.

--'Abdu'l-Baha


"Praise be unto Thee, O Lord.  Forgive us our sins, . . ."

    Praise be unto Thee, O Lord.  Forgive us our sins,

have mercy upon us and enable us to return unto Thee.

Suffer us not to rely on aught else besides Thee, and

vouchsafe unto us, through Thy bounty, that which Thou

lovest and desirest and well beseemeth Thee.  Exalt

the station of them that have truly believed, and

forgive them with Thy gracious forgiveness.  Verily,

Thou art the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

--The Bab


"Praise be unto Thee, O my God!  I am one of Thy . . ."

    Praise be unto Thee, O my God!  I am one of Thy

servants, who hath believed on Thee and on Thy signs.

Thou seest how I have set myself towards the door of

Thy mercy, and turned my face in the direction of Thy

loving-kindness.  I beseech Thee, by Thy most

excellent titles and Thy most exalted attributes, to

open to my face the portals of Thy bestowals.  Aid me,

then, to do that which is good, O Thou Who art the

Possessor of all names and attributes!

    I am poor, O my Lord, and Thou art the Rich.  I

have set my face towards Thee, and detached myself

from all but Thee.  Deprive me not, I implore Thee, of

the breezes of Thy tender mercy, and withhold not from

me what Thou didst ordain for the chosen among Thy

servants.  Remove the veil from mine eyes, O my Lord,

that I may recognize what Thou hast desired for Thy

creatures, and discover, in all the manifestations of

Thy handiwork, the revelations of Thine almighty

power.  Enrapture my soul, O my Lord, with Thy most

mighty signs, and draw me out of the depths of my

corrupt and evil desires.  Write down, then, for me

the good of this world and of the world to come.

Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee.  No God is

there but Thee, the All-Glorious, Whose help is sought

by all men.  I yield Thee thanks, O my Lord, that Thou

hast wakened me from my sleep, and stirred me up, and

created in me the desire to perceive what most of Thy

servants have failed to apprehend.  Make me able,

therefore, O my Lord, to behold, for love of Thee and

for the sake of Thy pleasure, whatsoever Thou hast

desired.  Thou art He to the power of Whose might and

sovereignty all things testify.

    There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty,

the Beneficent.  --Baha'u'llah


"Praise-be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved!  Make . . ."

    Praise-be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved!  Make

me steadfast in Thy Cause, and grant that I may be

reckoned among those who have not violated Thy

Covenant nor followed the gods of their own idle

fancy.  Enable me.  then, to obtain a seat of truth in

Thy presence, bestow upon me a token of Thy mercy and

let me join with such of Thy servants as shall have no

fear nor shall they be put to grief.  Abandon me not

to myself, O my Lord, nor deprive me of recognizing

Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine Own Self, nor

account me with such as have turned away from Thy holy

presence.  Number me, O my God, with those who are

privileged to fix their gaze upon Thy Beauty and who

take such delight therein that they would not exchange

a single moment thereof with the sovereignty of the

kingdom of heavens and earth or with the entire realm

of creation.  Have mercy on me, O Lord, in these days

when the peoples of Thine earth have erred grievously;

supply me then, O my God, with that which is good and

seemly in Thine estimation.  Thou art, verily, the

All-Powerful, the Gracious, the Bountiful, the

Ever-Forgiving.

    Grant, O my God, that I may not be reckoned among

those whose ears are deaf, whose eyes are blind, whose

tongues are speechless and whose hearts have failed to

comprehend.  Deliver me, O Lord, from the fire of

ignorance and of selfish desire, suffer me to be

admitted into the precincts of Thy transcendent mercy

and send down upon me that which Thou hast ordained

for Thy chosen ones.  Potent art Thou to do what Thou

willest.  Verily, Thou art the Help in Peril, the

Self-Subsisting.  --The Bab


"Praised and glorified art Thou, O God!  Grant that . . ."

    Praised and glorified art Thou, O God!  Grant that

the day of attaining Thy holy presence may be fast

approaching.  Cheer our hearts through the potency of

Thy love and good-pleasure, and bestow upon us

steadfastness that we may willingly submit to Thy Will

and Thy Decree.  Verily, Thy knowledge embraceth all

the things Thou hast created or wilt create, and Thy

celestial might transcendeth whatsoever Thou hast

called or wilt call into being.  There is none to be

worshipped but Thee, there is none to be desired

except Thee, there is none to be adored besides Thee

and there is naught to be loved save Thy

good-pleasure.

    Verily, Thou art the supreme Ruler, the Sovereign

Truth, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.  --The

Bab


"Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  Every time I . . ."

    Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  Every time I

attempt to make mention of Thee, I am hindered by the

sublimity of Thy station and the overpowering

greatness of Thy might.  For were I to praise Thee

throughout the length of Thy dominion and the duration

of Thy sovereignty, I would find that my praise of

Thee can befit only such as are like unto me, who are

themselves Thy creatures, and who have been generated

through the power of Thy decree and been fashioned

through the potency of Thy will.  And at whatever time

my pen ascribeth glory to any one of Thy names,

methinks I can hear the voice of its lamentation in

its remoteness from Thee, and can recognize its cry

because of its separation from Thy Self.  I testify

that everything other than Thee is but Thy creation

and is held in the hollow of Thy hand.  To have

accepted any act or praise from Thy creatures is but

an evidence of the wonders of Thy grace and bountiful

favors, and a manifestation of Thy generosity and

providence.

    I entreat Thee, O my Lord, by Thy Most Great Name

whereby Thou didst separate light from fire, and truth

from denial, to send down upon me and upon such of my

loved ones as are in my company the good of this world

and of the next.  Supply us, then, with Thy wondrous

gifts that are hid from the eyes of men.  Thou art,

verily, the Fashioner of all creation.  No God is

there but Thee, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the

Most High.  --Baha'u'llah


"Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  Graciously grant . . ."

    Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  Graciously grant

that this infant be fed from the breast of Thy tender

mercy and loving providence and be nourished with the

fruit of Thy celestial trees.  Suffer him not to be

committed to the care of anyone save Thee, inasmuch as

Thou, Thyself, through the potency of Thy sovereign

will and power, didst create and call him into being.

There is none other God but Thee, the Almighty, the

All-Knowing.

    Lauded art Thou, O my Best Beloved, waft over him

the sweet savors of Thy transcendent bounty and the

fragrances of Thy holy bestowals.  Enable him then to

seek shelter beneath the shadow of Thy most exalted

Name, O Thou Who holdest in Thy grasp the kingdom of

names and attributes.  Verily, Thou art potent to do

what Thou willest, and Thou art indeed the Mighty, the

Exalted, the Ever-Forgiving, the Gracious, the

Generous, the Merciful.  -- Baha'u'llah


"Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee, . . ."

    Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee,

by Thy Most Great Name through which Thou didst stir

up Thy servants and build up Thy cities, and by Thy

most excellent titles, and Thy most august attributes,

to assist Thy people to turn in the direction of Thy

manifold bounties.  and set their faces towards the

Tabernacle of Thy wisdom.  Heal Thou the sicknesses

that have assailed the souls on every side, and have

deterred them from directing their gaze towards the

Paradise that lieth in the shelter of Thy shadowing

Name, which Thou didst ordain to be the King of all

names unto all who are in heaven and all who are on

earth.  Potent art Thou to do as pleaseth Thee.  Ill

Thy hands is the empire of all names.  There is none

other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Wise.

    I am but a poor creature, O my Lord; I have clung

to the hem of Thy riches.  I am sore sick; I have held

fast the cord of Thy healing.  Deliver me from the

ills that have encircled me, and wash me thoroughly

with the waters of Thy graciousness and mercy, and

attire me with the raiment of wholesomeness, through

Thy forgiveness and bounty.  Fix, then, mine eyes upon

Thee, and rid me of all attachment to aught else

except Thyself.  Aid me to do what Thou desirest, and

to fulfill what Thou pleasest.

    Thou art truly the Lord of this life and of the

next.  Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the

Most Merciful.  --Baha'u'llah


"Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  This is Thy . . ."

    Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  This is Thy

servant who hath quaffed from the hands of Thy grace

the wine of Thy tender mercy, and tasted of the savor

of Thy love in Thy days.  I beseech Thee, by the

embodiments of Thy names whom no grief can hinder from

rejoicing in Thy love or from gazing on Thy face, and

whom all the hosts of the heedless are powerless to

cause to turn aside from the path of Thy pleasure, to

supply him with the good things Thou dost possess, and

to raise him up to such heights that he will regard

the world even as a shadow that vanisheth swifter than

the twinkling of an eye.  Keep him safe also, O my

God, by the power of Thine immeasurable majesty, from

all that Thou abhorrest.  Thou art, verily, his Lord

and the Lord of all worlds.  --Baha'u'llah


"Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained . . ."

    Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained

Naw-Ruz as a festival unto those who have observed the

fast for love of Thee and abstained from all that is

abhorrent unto Thee.  Grant, O my Lord, that the fire

of Thy love and the heat produced by the fast enjoined

by Thee may inflame them in Thy Cause, and make them

to be occupied with Thy praise and with remembrance of

Thee.

    Since Thou hast adorned them, O my Lord, with the

ornament of the fast prescribed by Thee, do Thou adorn

them also with the ornament of Thine acceptance,

through Thy grace and bountiful favor.  For the doings

of men are all dependent upon Thy good pleasure, and

are conditioned by Thy behest.  Shouldst Thou regard

him who hath broken the fast as one who hath observed

it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from

eternity had been keeping the fast.  And shouldst Thou

decree that he who hath observed the fast hath broken

it, that person would be numbered with such as have

caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with

dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters of

this living Fountain.

    Thou art He through Whom the ensign "Praiseworthy

art Thou in Thy works" hath been lifted up, and the

standard "Obeyed art Thou in Thy behest" hath been

unfurled.  Make known this Thy station, O my God, unto

Thy servants, that they may be made aware that the

excellence of all things is dependent upon Thy bidding

and Thy word, and the virtue of every act is

conditioned by Thy leave and the good pleasure of Thy

will, and may recognize that the reins of men's doings

are within the grasp of Thine acceptance and Thy

commandment.  Make this known unto them, that nothing

whatsoever may shut them out from Thy Beauty, in these

days whereon the Christ exclaimeth:  "All dominion is

Thine, O Thou the Begetter of the Spirit (Jesus)"; and

Thy Friend (Muhammad) crieth out:  "Glory be to Thee,

O Thou the Best-Beloved, for that Thou has uncovered

Thy Beauty, and written down for Thy chosen ones what

will cause them to attain unto the seat of the

revelation of Thy Most Great Name, through which all

the peoples have lamented except such as have detached

themselves from all else except Thee, and set

themselves towards Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself

and the Manifestation of Thine attributes.  " He Who

is Thy Branch and all Thy company, O my Lord, have

broken this day their fast, after having observed it

within the precincts of Thy court, and in their

eagerness to please Thee.  Do Thou ordain for Him, and

for them, and for all such as have entered Thy

presence in those days all the good Thou didst destine

in Thy Book.  Supply them, then, with that which will

profit them, in both this life and in the life beyond.

Thou, in truth, art the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

--Baha'u'llah


"Prayer to be said at the close of the meeting of . . ."

    Prayer to be said at the close of the meeting of

the Spiritual Assembly.

    O God!  O God!  From the unseen kingdom of Thy

oneness behold us assembled in this spiritual meeting,

believing in Thee, confident in Thy signs, firm in Thy

Covenant and Testament, attracted to Thee, set aglow

with the fire of Thy love and sincere in Thy Cause.

We are servants in Thy vineyard, spreaders of Thy

religion, devoted worshipers of Thy countenance,

humble towards Thy loved ones, submissive before Thy

door, and imploring Thee to confirm us in serving Thy

chosen ones, to support us with Thine unseen hosts, to

strengthen our loins in Thy servitude and to make us

submissive and adoring subjects communing with Thee.

    O our Lord!  We are weak, and Thou art the Mighty,

the Powerful.  We are lifeless, and Thou art the great

life-giving Spirit.  We are needy, and Thou art the

Sustainer, the Powerful.  O our Lord!  Turn our faces

unto Thy merciful countenance, feed us from Thy

heavenly table with Thine abundant grace, assist us

with the hosts of Thy supreme angels and confirm us

through the holy ones of the Kingdom of Abha.  Verily,

Thou art the Generous, the Merciful.  Thou art the

Possessor of great bounty, and, verily, Thou art the

Clement and the Gracious.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"Remove not, O Lord, the festal board that hath . . ."

    Remove not, O Lord, the festal board that hath

been spread in Thy Name, and extinguish not the

burning flame that hath been kindled by Thine

unquenchable fire.  Withhold not from flowing that

living water of Thine that murmureth with the melody

of Thy glory and Thy remembrance, and deprive not Thy

servants from the fragrance of Thy sweet savors

breathing forth the perfume of Thy love.

    Lord!  Turn the distressing cares of Thy holy ones

into ease, their hardship into comfort, their

abasement into glory, their sorrow into blissful joy,

O Thou that holdest in Thy grasp the reins of all

mankind!

    Thou art, verily, the One, the Single, the Mighty,

the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"Say:  God sufficeth all things above all things, . . ."

    Say:  God sufficeth all things above all things,

and nothing in the heavens or in the earth but God

sufficeth.  Verily, He is in Himself the Knower, the

Sustainer, the Omnipotent.  --The Bab


"Suffer me, O my God, to draw nigh unto Thee, and . . ."

    Suffer me, O my God, to draw nigh unto Thee, and

to abide within the precincts of Thy court, for

remoteness from Thee hath well-nigh consumed me.

Cause me to rest under the shadow of the wings of Thy

grace, for the flame of my separation from Thee hath

melted my heart within me.  Draw me nearer unto the

river that is life indeed, for my soul burneth with

thirst in its ceaseless search after Thee.  My sighs,

O my God, proclaim the bitterness of mine anguish, and

the tears I shed attest my love for Thee.  I beseech

Thee, by the praise wherewith Thou praisest Thyself

and the glory wherewith Thou glorifiest Thine own

Essence, to grant that we may be numbered among them

that have recognized Thee and acknowledged Thy

sovereignty in Thy days.  Help us then to quaff, O my

God, from the fingers of mercy the living waters of

Thy loving-kindness, that we may utterly forget all

else except Thee, and be occupied wholly with Thy

Self.  Powerful art Thou to do what Thou willest.  No

God is there beside Thee, the Mighty, the Help in

Peril, the Self-Subsisting.  Glorified be Thy name, O

Thou Who art the King of all Kings!  -- Baha'u'llah


"The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august . . ."

    The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august

Self, and the glory which hath shone forth from Thy

most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art

the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of

Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in heaven and on

earth!  I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of

God and His dominion, and the majesty of God and His

grandeur, were revealed, and the Daystars of ancient

splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of

Thine irrevocable decree, and the Beauty of the Unseen

hath shone forth above the horizon of creation.  I

testify, moreover, that with but a movement of Thy Pen

Thine injunction "Be Thou" hath been enforced, and

God's hidden Secret hath been divulged, and all

created things have been called into being, and all

the Revelations have been sent down.  I bear witness,

moreover, that through Thy beauty the beauty of the

Adored One hath been unveiled, and through Thy face

the face of the Desired One hath shone forth, and that

through a word from Thee Thou hast decided between all

created things, causing them who are devoted to Thee

to ascend unto the summit of glory, and the infidels

to fall into the lowest abyss.  I bear witness that he

who hath known Thee hath known God, and he who hath

attained unto Thy presence hath attained unto the

presence of God.  Great, therefore, is the blessedness

of him who hath believed in Thee, and in Thy signs,

and hath humbled himself before Thy sovereignty, and

hath been honored with meeting Thee, and hath attained

the good pleasure of Thy will, and circled around

Thee, and stood before Thy throne.  Woe betide him

that hath transgressed against Thee, and hath denied

Thee, and repudiated Thy signs, and gainsaid Thy

sovereignty, and risen up against Thee, and waxed

proud before Thy face, and hath disputed Thy

testimonies, and fled from Thy rule and Thy dominion,

and been numbered with the infidels whose names have

been inscribed by the fingers of Thy behest upon Thy

holy Tablets.  Waft, then, unto me, O my God and my

Beloved, from the right hand of Thy mercy and Thy

loving-kindness, the holy breaths of Thy favors, that

they may draw me away from myself and from the world

unto the courts of Thy nearness and Thy presence.

Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee.  Thou,

truly, hast been supreme over all things.

    The remembrance of God and His praise, and the

glory of God and His splendor, rest upon Thee, O Thou

Who art His Beauty!  I bear witness that the eye of

creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee.

Thou wast immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an

ocean of tribulations.  At one time Thou wast in

chains and fetters; at another Thou wast threatened by

the sword of Thine enemies.  Yet, despite all this,

Thou didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had

been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the

All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

    May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou

didst suffer, and my soul be a ransom for the

adversities Thou didst sustain.  I beseech God, by

Thee and by them whose faces have been illumined with

the splendors of the light of Thy countenance, and

who, for love of Thee, have observed all whereunto

they were bidden, to remove the veils that have come

in between Thee and Thy creatures, and to supply me

with the good of this world and the world to come.

Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most Exalted,

the All-Glorious, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most

Compassionate.  Bless Thou, O Lord my God, the Divine

Lote-Tree and its leaves, and its boughs, and its

branches, and its stems, and its offshoots, as long as

Thy most excellent titles will endure and Thy most

august attributes will last.  Protect it, then, from

the mischief of the aggressor and the hosts of

tyranny.  Thou art, in truth, the Almighty, the Most

Powerful.  Bless Thou, also, O Lord my God, Thy

servants and Thy handmaidens who have attained unto

Thee.  Thou, truly, art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace

is infinite.  No God is there save Thee, the

Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.  --Baha'u'llah


"These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst . . ."

    These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst

enjoin Thy servants to observe the fast.  With it Thou

didst adorn the preamble of the Book of Thy Laws

revealed unto Thy creatures, and didst deck forth the

Repositories of Thy commandments in the sight of all

who are in Thy heaven and all who are on Thy earth.

Thou hast endowed every hour of these days with a

special virtue, inscrutable to all except Thee, Whose

knowledge embraceth all created things.  Thou hast,

also, assigned unto every soul a portion of this

virtue in accordance with the Tablet of Thy decree and

the Scriptures of Thine irrevocable judgment.  Every

leaf of these Books and Scriptures Thou hast,

moreover, allotted to each one of the peoples and

kindreds of the earth.  For Thine ardent lovers Thou

hast, according to Thy decree, reserved, at each

daybreak, the cup of Thy remembrance, O Thou Who art

the Ruler of rulers!  These are they who have been so

inebriated with the wine of Thy manifold wisdom that

they forsake their couches in their longing to

celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy virtues, and flee

from sleep in their eagerness to approach Thy presence

and partake of Thy bounty.  Their eyes have, at all

times, been bent upon the Dayspring of Thy

loving-kindness, and their faces set towards the

Fountainhead of Thine inspiration.  Rain down, then,

upon us and upon them from the clouds of Thy mercy

what beseemeth the heaven of Thy bounteousness and

grace.

    Lauded be Thy Name, O my God!  This is the hour

when Thou hast unlocked the doors of Thy bounty before

the faces of Thy creatures, and opened wide the

portals of Thy tender mercy unto all the dwellers of

Thine earth.  I beseech Thee, by all them whose blood

was shed in Thy path, who, in their yearning over

Thee, rid themselves from all attachment to any of Thy

creatures, and who were so carried away by the sweet

savors of Thine inspiration that every single member

of their bodies intoned Thy praise and vibrated to Thy

remembrance, not to withhold from us the things Thou

hast irrevocably ordained in this Revelation-- a

Revelation the potency of which hath caused every tree

to cry out what the Burning Bush had aforetime

proclaimed unto Moses, Who conversed with Thee, a

Revelation that hath enabled every least pebble to

resound again with Thy praise, as the stones glorified

Thee in the days of Muhammad, Thy Friend.

    These are the ones, O my God, whom Thou hast

graciously enabled to have fellowship with Thee and to

commune with Him Who is the Revealer of Thyself.  The

winds of Thy will have scattered them abroad until

Thou didst gather them together beneath Thy shadow,

and didst cause them to enter into the precincts of

Thy court.  Now that Thou hast made them to abide

under the shade of the canopy of Thy mercy, do Thou

assist them to attain what must befit so august a

station.  Suffer them not, O my Lord, to be numbered

with them who, though enjoying near access to Thee,

have been kept back from recognizing Thy face, and

who, though meeting with Thee, are deprived of Thy

presence.  These are Thy servants, O my Lord, who have

entered with Thee in this, the Most Great Prison, who

have kept the fast within its walls according to what

Thou hast commanded them in the Tablets of Thy decree

and the Books of Thy behest.  Send down, therefore,

upon them what will thoroughly purge them of all that

Thou abhorrest, that they may be wholly devoted to

Thee, and may detach themselves entirely from all

except Thyself.

    Rain down, then, upon us, O my God, that which

beseemeth Thy grace and befitteth Thy bounty.  Enable

us, then, O my God, to live in remembrance of Thee and

to die in love of Thee, and supply us with the gift of

Thy presence in Thy worlds hereafter worlds which are

inscrutable to all except Thee.  Thou art our Lord and

the Lord of all worlds, and the God of all that are in

heaven and all that are on earth.

    Thou beholdest, O my God, what hath befallen Thy

dear ones in Thy days.  Thy glory beareth me witness!

The voice of the lamentation of Thy chosen ones hath

been lifted up throughout Thy realm.  Some were

ensnared by the infidels in Thy land, and were

hindered by them from having near access to Thee and

from attaining the court of Thy glory.  Others were

able to approach Thee, but were kept back from

beholding Thy face.  Still others were permitted, in

their eagerness to look upon Thee, to enter the

precincts of Thy court, but they allowed the veils of

the imaginations of Thy creatures and the wrongs

inflicted by the oppressors among Thy people to come

in between them and Thee.

    This is the hour, O my Lord, which Thou hast

caused to excel every other hour, and hast related to

the choicest among Thy creatures.  I beseech Thee, O

my God, by Thy Self and by them, to ordain in the

course of this year what shall exalt Thy loved ones.

Do Thou, moreover, decree within this year what will

enable the Daystar of Thy power to shine brightly

above the horizon of Thy glory, and to illuminate by

Thy sovereign might, the whole world.

    Render Thy Cause victorious, O my Lord, and abase

Thou Thine enemies.  Write down, then, for us the good

of this life and of the life to come.  Thou art the

Truth, Who knoweth the secret things.  No God is there

but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the All- Bountiful.

--Baha'u'llah


"Thou knowest full well, O my God, that . . ."

    Thou knowest full well, O my God, that

tribulations have showered upon me from all directions

and that no one can dispel or transmute them except

Thee.  I know of a certainty, by virtue of my love for

Thee, that Thou wilt never cause tribulations to

befall any soul unless Thou desirest to exalt his

station in Thy celestial Paradise and to buttress his

heart in this earthly life with the bulwark of Thine

all-compelling power, that it may not become inclined

toward the vanities of this world.  Indeed Thou art

well aware that under all conditions I would cherish

the remembrance of Thee far more than the ownership of

all that is in the heavens and on the earth.

Strengthen my heart, O my God, in Thine obedience and

in Thy love, and grant that I may be clear of the

entire company of Thine adversaries.  Verily, I swear

by Thy glory that I yearn for naught besides Thyself

nor do I desire anything except Thy mercy, nor am I

apprehensive of aught save Thy Justice.  I beg Thee to

forgive me as well as those whom Thou lovest,

howsoever Thou pleasest.  Verily, Thou art the

Almighty, the Bountiful.

    Immensely exalted art Thou, O Lord of the heavens

and earth, above the praise of all men, and may peace

be upon Thy faithful servants and glory be unto God,

the Lord of all the worlds.  --The Bab


"Thou seest me, O my God, bowed down in lowliness, . . ."

    Thou seest me, O my God, bowed down in lowliness,

humbling myself before Thy commandments, submitting to

Thy sovereignty, trembling at the might of Thy

dominion, fleeing from Thy wrath, entreating Thy

grace, relying upon Thy forgiveness, shaking with awe

at Thy fury.  I implore Thee with a throbbing heart,

with streaming tears and a yearning soul, and in

complete detachment from all things, to make Thy

lovers as rays of light across Thy realms, and to aid

Thy chosen servants to exalt Thy Word, that their

faces may turn beauteous and bright with splendor,

that their hearts may be filled with mysteries, and

that every soul may lay down its burden of sin.  Guard

them then from the aggressor, from him who hath become

a shameless and blasphemous doer of wrong.

    Verily, Thy lovers thirst, O my Lord; lead them to

the wellspring of bounty and grace.  Verily, they

hunger; send down unto them Thy heavenly table.

Verily, they are naked; robe them in the garments of

learning and knowledge.

    Heroes are they, O my Lord, lead them to the field

of battle.  Guides are they, make them to speak out

with arguments and proofs.  Ministering servants are

they, cause them to pass round the cup that brimmeth

with the wine of certitude.  O my God, make them to be

songsters that carol in fair gardens, make them lions

that couch in the thickets, whales that plunge in the

vastly deep.  Verily, Thou art He of abounding grace.

There is none other God save Thee, the Mighty, the

Powerful, the Ever-Bestowing.  'Abdu'l-Baha


"Thou seest me, O my Lord, with my face turned . . ."

    Thou seest me, O my Lord, with my face turned

towards the heaven of Thy bounty and the ocean of Thy

favor, withdrawn from all else beside Thee.  I ask of

Thee, by the splendors of the Sun of Thy revelation on

Sinai, and the effulgences of the Orb of Thy grace

which shineth from the horizon of Thy Name, the

Ever-Forgiving, to grant me Thy pardon and to have

mercy upon me.  Write down, then, for me with Thy pen

of glory that which will exalt me through Thy Name in

the world of creation.  Aid me, O my Lord, to set

myself towards Thee, and to hearken unto the voice of

Thy loved ones, whom the powers of the earth have

failed to weaken, and the dominion of the nations has

been powerless to withhold from Thee, and who,

advancing towards Thee, have said:  "God is our Lord,

the Lord of all who are in heaven and all who are on

earth!" --Baha'u'llah


"Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance . . ."

    Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance

of Thee is my remedy.  Nearness to Thee is my hope,

and love for Thee is my companion.  Thy mercy to me is

my healing and my succor in both this world and the

world to come.  Thou, verily, art the All- Bountiful,

the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.  -- Baha'u'llah


"Vouchsafe unto me, O my God, the full measure of . . ."

    Vouchsafe unto me, O my God, the full measure of

Thy love and Thy good-pleasure, and through the

attractions of Thy resplendent light enrapture our

hearts, O Thou Who art the Supreme Evidence and the

All-Glorified.  Send down upon me, as a token of Thy

grace, Thy vitalizing breezes, throughout the daytime

and in the night season, O Lord of bounty.

    No deed have I done, O my God, to merit beholding

Thy face, and know of a certainty that were I to live

as long as the world lasts I would fail to accomplish

any deed such as to deserve this favor, inasmuch as

the station of a servant shall ever fall short of

access to Thy holy precincts, unless Thy bounty should

reach me and Thy tender mercy pervade me and Thy

loving-kindness encompass me.  All praise be unto

Thee, O Thou besides Whom there is none other God.

Graciously enable me to ascend unto Thee, to be

granted the honor of dwelling in Thy nearness and to

have communion with Thee alone.  No God is there but

Thee.  Indeed shouldst Thou desire to confer blessing

upon a servant Thou wouldst blot out from the realm of

his heart every mention or disposition except Thine

Own mention; and shouldst Thou ordain evil for a

servant by reason of that which his hands have

unjustly wrought before Thy face, Thou wouldst test

him with the benefits of this world and of the next

that he might become preoccupied therewith and forget

Thy remembrance.  --The Bab


"Whoever sets out on a teaching journey to any . . ."

    Whoever sets out on a teaching journey to any

place, let him recite this prayer day and night during

his travels in foreign lands.

    O God, my God!  Thou seest me enraptured and

attracted toward Thy glorious kingdom, enkindled with

the fire of Thy love amongst mankind, a herald of Thy

kingdom in these vast and spacious lands, severed from

aught else save Thee, relying on Thee, abandoning rest

and comfort, remote from my native home, a wanderer in

these regions, a stranger fallen upon the ground,

humble before Thine exalted Threshold, submissive

toward the heaven of Thine omnipotent glory,

supplicating Thee in the dead of night and at the

break of dawn, entreating and invoking Thee at morn

and at eventide to graciously aid me to serve Thy

Cause, to spread abroad Thy Teachings and to exalt Thy

Word throughout the East and the West.

    O Lord!  Strengthen my back, enable me to serve

Thee with the utmost endeavor, and leave me not to

myself, lonely and helpless in these regions.

    O Lord!  Grant me communion with Thee in my

loneliness, and be my companion in these foreign

lands.

    Verily, Thou art the Confirmer of whomsoever Thou

willest in that which Thou desirest, and, verily, Thou

art the All-Powerful, the Omnipotent.  --'Abdu'l-Baha


"Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and . . ."

    Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and

fervor will bring gladness and joy to the heart of

this Servant; it will be even as meeting Him face to

face.  HE is the All-Glorious!

    O God, my God!  Lowly and tearful, I raise my

suppliant hands to Thee and cover my face in the dust

of that Threshold of Thine, exalted above the

knowledge of the learned, and the praise of all that

glorify Thee.  Graciously look upon Thy servant,

humble and lowly at Thy door, with the glances of the

eye of Thy mercy, and immerse him in the Ocean of

Thine eternal grace.  Lord!  He is a poor and lowly

servant of Thine, enthralled and imploring Thee,

captive in Thy hand, praying fervently to Thee,

trusting in Thee, in tears before Thy face, calling to

Thee and beseeching Thee, saying:

    O Lord, my God!  Give me Thy grace to serve Thy

loved ones, strengthen me in my servitude to Thee,

illumine my brow with the light of adoration in Thy

court of holiness, and of prayer to Thy kingdom of

grandeur.  Help me to be selfless at the heavenly

entrance of Thy gate, and aid me to be detached from

all things within Thy holy precincts.  Lord!  Give me

to drink from the chalice of selflessness; with its

robe clothe me, and in its ocean immerse me.  Make me

as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and grant

that I may offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by

the footsteps of Thy chosen ones in Thy path, O Lord

of Glory in the Highest.

    With this prayer doth Thy servant call Thee, at

dawntide and in the night-season.  Fulfill his heart's

desire, O Lord!  Illumine his heart, gladden his

bosom, kindle his light, that he may serve Thy Cause

and Thy servants.

    Thou art the Bestower, the Pitiful, the Most

Bountiful, the Gracious, the Merciful, the

Compassionate.  --'Abdu'l-Baha

(This prayer, revealed by -- 'Abdu'l-Baha, is read at

    His Shrine.  It is also used in private prayer.)


"Whoso wisheth to pray, let him wash his hands, and . . ."

    Whoso wisheth to pray, let him wash his hands, and

while he washeth, let him say:  Strengthen my hand, O

my God, that it may take hold of Thy Book with such

steadfastness that the hosts of the world shall have

no power over it.  Guard it, then, from meddling with

whatsoever doth not belong unto it.  Thou art, verily,

the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

    And while washing his face, let him say:  I have

turned my face unto Thee, O my Lord!  Illumine it with

the light of Thy countenance.  Protect it, then, from

turning to anyone but Thee.

    Then let him stand up, and facing the Qiblih

(Point of Adoration, i.e., Bahji, 'Akka), let him say:

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him.

His are the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation.

He, in truth, hath manifested Him Who is the Dayspring

of Revelation, Who conversed on Sinai, through Whom

the Supreme Horizon hath been made to shine, and the

Lote-Tree beyond which there is no passing hath

spoken, and through Whom the call hath been proclaimed

unto all who are in heaven and on earth:  "Lo, the

All-Possessing is come.  Earth and heaven, glory and

dominion are God's, the Lord of all men, and the

Possessor of the Throne on high and of earth below!"

    Let him, then, bend down, with hands resting on

the knees, and say:  Exalted art Thou above my praise

and the praise of anyone beside me, above my

description and the description of all who are in

heaven and all who are on earth!

    Then, standing with open hands, palms upward

toward the face, let him say:  Disappoint not, O my

God, him that hath, with beseeching fingers, clung to

the hem of Thy mercy and Thy grace, O Thou Who of

those who show mercy art the Most Merciful!

    Let him, then, be seated and say:  I bear witness

to Thy unity and Thy oneness, and that Thou art God,

and that there is none other God beside Thee.  Thou

hast, verily, revealed Thy Cause, fulfilled Thy

Covenant, and opened wide the door of Thy grace to all

that dwell in heaven and on earth.  Blessing and

peace, salutation and glory, rest upon Thy loved ones,

whom the changes and chances of the world have not

deterred from turning unto Thee, and who have given

their all, in the hope of obtaining that which is with

Thee.  Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the

All-Bountiful.  (If anyone choose to recite instead of

the long verse these words:  "God testifieth that

there is none other God but Him, the Help in Peril,

the Self-Subsisting, " it would be sufficient.  And

likewise, it would suffice were he, while seated, to

choose to recite these words:  "I bear witness to Thy

unity and Thy oneness, and that Thou art God, and that

there is none other God beside Thee.") --Baha'u'llah


"Whoso wisheth to recite this prayer, let him stand . . ."

    Whoso wisheth to recite this prayer, let him stand

up and turn unto God, and, as he standeth in his

place, let him gaze to the right and to the left, as

awaiting the mercy of his Lord, the Most Merciful, the

Compassionate.  Then let him say:  Thou Who art the

Lord of all names and the Maker of the heavens!  I

beseech Thee by them Who are the Daysprings of Thine

invisible Essence, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious,

to make of my prayer a fire that will burn away the

veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty, and a

light that will lead me unto the ocean of Thy

Presence.

    Let him then raise his hands in supplication

toward God --blessed and exalted be He--and say:  O

Thou the Desire of the world and the Beloved of the

nations!  Thou seest me turning toward Thee, and rid

of all attachment to anyone save Thee, and clinging to

Thy cord, through whose movement the whole creation

hath been stirred up.  I am Thy servant, O my Lord,

and the son of Thy servant.  Behold me standing ready

to do Thy will and Thy desire, and wishing naught else

except Thy good pleasure.  I implore Thee by the Ocean

of Thy mercy and the Daystar of Thy grace to do with

Thy servant as Thou willest and pleasest.  By Thy

might which is far above all mention and praise!

Whatsoever is revealed by Thee is the desire of my

heart and the beloved of my soul.  O God, my God!

Look not upon my hopes and my doings, nay rather look

upon Thy will that hath encompassed the heavens and

the earth.  By Thy Most Great Name, O Thou Lord of all

nations!  I have desired only what Thou didst desire,

and love only what Thou dost love.

    Let him then kneel, and bowing his forehead to the

ground, let him say:  Exalted art Thou above the

description of anyone save Thyself, and the

comprehension of aught else except Thee.

    Let him then stand and say:  Make my prayer, O my

Lord, a fountain of living waters whereby I may live

as long as Thy sovereignty endureth, and may make

mention of Thee in every world of Thy worlds.

    Let him again raise his hands in supplication, and

say:  O Thou in separation from Whom hearts and souls

have melted, and by the fire of Whose love the whole

world hath been set aflame!  I implore Thee by Thy

Name through which Thou hast subdued the whole

creation, not to withhold from me that which is with

Thee, O Thou Who rulest over all men!  Thou seest, O

my Lord, this stranger hastening to his most exalted

home beneath the canopy of Thy majesty and within the

precincts of Thy mercy; and this transgressor seeking

the ocean of Thy forgiveness; and this lowly one the

court of Thy glory; and this poor creature the orient

of Thy wealth.  Thine is the authority to command

whatsoever Thou willest.  I bear witness that Thou art

to be praised in Thy doings, and to be obeyed in Thy

behests, and to remain unconstrained in Thy bidding.

Let him then raise his hands, and repeat three times

the Greatest Name [Allah Abha].

    Let him then bend down with hands resting on the

knees before God--blessed and exalted be He and say:

Thou seest, O my God, how my spirit hath been stirred

up within my limbs and members, in its longing to

worship Thee, and in its yearning to remember Thee and

extol Thee; how it testifieth to that whereunto the

Tongue of Thy Commandment hath testified in the

kingdom of Thine utterance and the heaven of Thy

knowledge.  I love, in this state, O my Lord, to beg

of Thee all that is with Thee, that I may demonstrate

my poverty, and magnify Thy bounty and Thy riches, and

may declare my powerlessness, and manifest Thy power

and Thy might.

    Let him then stand and raise his hands twice in

supplication, and say:  There is no God but Thee, the

Almighty, the All- Bountiful.  There is no God but

Thee, the Ordainer, both in the beginning and in the

end.  O God, my God!  Thy forgiveness hath emboldened

me, and Thy mercy hath strengthened me, and Thy call

hath awakened me, and Thy grace hath raised me up and

led me unto Thee.  Who, otherwise, am I that I should

dare to stand at the gate of the city of Thy nearness,

or set my face toward the lights that are shining from

the heaven of Thy will?  Thou seest, O my Lord, this

wretched creature knocking at the door of Thy grace,

and this evanescent soul seeking the river of

everlasting life from the hands of Thy bounty.  Thine

is the command at all times, O Thou Who art the Lord

of all names; and mine is resignation and willing

submission to Thy will, O Creator of the heavens!

    Let him then raise his hands thrice, and say:

Greater is God than every great one!

    Let him then kneel and, bowing his forehead to the

ground, say:  Too high art Thou for the praise of

those who are nigh unto Thee to ascend unto the heaven

of Thy nearness, or for the birds of the hearts of

them who are devoted to Thee to attain to the door of

Thy gate.  I testify that Thou hast been sanctified

above all attributes and holy above all names.  No God

is there but Thee, the Most Exalted, the All-

Glorious.

    Let him then seat himself and say:  I testify unto

that whereunto have testified all created things, and

the Concourse on high, and the inmates of the

all-highest Paradise, and beyond them the Tongue of

Grandeur itself from the all- glorious Horizon, that

Thou art God, that there is no God but Thee, and that

He Who hath been manifested is the Hidden Mystery, the

Treasured Symbol, through Whom the letters B and E

(Be) have been joined and knit together.  I testify

that it is He Whose name hath been set down by the Pen

of the Most High, and Who hath been mentioned in the

Books of God, the Lord of the Throne on high and of

earth below.

    Let him then stand erect and say:  O Lord of all

being and Possessor of all things visible and

invisible!  Thou dost perceive my tears and the sighs

I utter, and hearest my groaning, and my wailing, and

the lamentation of my heart.  By Thy might!  My

trespasses have kept me back from drawing nigh unto

Thee; and my sins have held me far from the court of

Thy holiness.  Thy love, O my Lord, hath enriched me,

and separation from Thee hath destroyed me, and

remoteness from Thee hath consumed me.  I entreat Thee

by Thy footsteps in this wilderness, and by the words

"Here am I.  Here am I" which Thy chosen Ones have

uttered in this immensity, and by the breaths of Thy

Revelation, and the gentle winds of the Dawn of Thy

Manifestation, to ordain that I may gaze on Thy beauty

and observe whatsoever is in Thy Book.

    Let him then repeat the Greatest Name thrice, and

bend down with hands resting on the knees, and say:

Praise be to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast aided me

to remember Thee and to praise Thee, and hast made

known unto me Him Who is the Dayspring of Thy signs,

and hast caused me to bow down before Thy Lordship,

and humble myself before Thy Godhead, and to

acknowledge that which hath been uttered by the Tongue

of Thy grandeur.

    Let him then rise and say:  O God, my God!  My

back is bowed by the burden of my sins, and my

heedlessness hath destroyed me.  Whenever I ponder my

evil doings and Thy benevolence, my heart melteth

within me, and my blood boileth in my veins.  By Thy

Beauty, O Thou the Desire of the world!  I blush to

lift up my face to Thee, and my longing hands are

ashamed to stretch forth toward the heaven of Thy

bounty.  Thou seest, O my God, how my tears prevent me

from remembering Thee and from extolling Thy virtues,

O Thou the Lord of the Throne on high and of earth

below!  I implore Thee by the signs of Thy Kingdom and

the mysteries of Thy Dominion to do with Thy loved

ones as becometh Thy bounty, O Lord of all being, and

is worthy of Thy grace, O King of the seen and the

unseen!

    Let him then repeat the Greatest Name thrice, and

kneel with his forehead to the ground, and say:

Praise be unto Thee, O our God, that Thou hast sent

down unto us that which draweth us nigh unto Thee, and

supplieth us with every good thing sent down by Thee

in Thy Books and Thy Scriptures.  Protect us, we

beseech Thee, O my Lord, from the hosts of idle

fancies and vain imaginations.  Thou, in truth, art

the Mighty, the All Knowing.

    Let him then raise his head, and seat himself, and

say:  I testify, O my God, to that whereunto Thy

chosen Ones have testified, and acknowledge that which

the inmates of the all-highest Paradise and those who

have circled round Thy mighty Throne have

acknowledged.  The kingdoms of earth and heaven are

Thine, O Lord of the worlds!  --Baha'u'llah


BAHA'I PRAYERS

BAHA'I PUBLISHING TRUST

WILMETTE, ILLINOIS 60091

(c) 1985

A SELECTION OF PRAYERS

REVEALED BY

BAHA'U'LLAH, THE BAB, AND 'ABDU'L-BAHA


Contents

BAHA'I PRAYERS

       "Blessed is the spot, and the house, . . ."

       "Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have . . ."

OBLIGATORY PRAYERS

SHORT OBLIGATORY PRAYER

       "I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created . . ."

MEDIUM OBLIGATORY PRAYER

       "Whoso wisheth to pray, let him wash his hands, and . . ."

LONG OBLIGATORY PRAYER

       "Whoso wisheth to recite this prayer, let him stand . . ."

AID AND ASSISTANCE

       "O Thou Whose face is the object of my adoration, . . ."

       "My God, my Adored One, my King, my Desire!  What . . ."

       "Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord our God!  Thou art in . . ."

       "O my God, my Lord and my Master!  I have detached . . ."

       "Lord!  Pitiful are we, grant us Thy favor, poor, . . ."

       "O Thou kind Lord!  We are servants of Thy . . ."

       "Remove not, O Lord, the festal board that hath . . ."

PRAYER FOR AMERICA

       "O Thou kind Lord!  This gathering is turning to . . ."

ASSISTANCE WITH TESTS

       "Dispel my grief by Thy bounty and Thy generosity, . . ."

       "Lauded and glorified art Thou, O my God!  I . . ."

       "Is there any Remover of difficulties save God? . . ."

       "Say:  God sufficeth all things above all things, . . ."

       "I adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God!  Let no harm . . ."

       "O Lord!  Thou art the Remover of every anguish and . . ."

       "O Lord, my God and my Haven in my distress!  My . . ."

       "HE is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful!  O . . ."

       "O my Lord, my Beloved, my Desire!  Befriend me in . . ."

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

       "Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  Graciously grant . . ."

       "O Thou peerless Lord!  Let this suckling babe be . . ."

       "O God!  Rear this little babe in the bosom of Thy . . ."

       "O God!  Educate these children.  These children . . ."

       "O Thou kind Lord!  These lovely children are the . . ."

       "O Lord!  Make these children excellent plants. . . ."

       "O my Lord!  O my Lord!  I am a child of tender . . ."

       "O Peerless Lord!  Be Thou a shelter for this poor . . ."

       "O Lord!  Make this youth radiant, and confer Thy . . ."

PRAYERS FOR THE DEPARTED

       "O my God!  This is Thy servant and the son of Thy . . ."

       "Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  Abase not him . . ."

       "He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of loving- . . ."

       "O my God!  O Thou forgiver of sins, bestower of . . ."

       "O my God!  O my God!  Verily, thy servant, humble . . ."

       "O Thou forgiving Lord! . . ."

SEVERANCE

       "Suffer me, O my God, to draw nigh unto Thee, and . . ."

       "Glorified art Thou, O my God!  I yield Thee thanks . . ."

       "Lauded be Thy name, O my God!  I entreat Thee by . . ."

       "Many a chilled heart, O my God, hath been set . . ."

       "I know not, O my God, what the Fire is which Thou . . ."

       "Praise be unto Thee, O my God!  I am one of Thy . . ."

       "In the Name of Thy Lord, the Creator, the . . ."

       "O Lord!  Unto Thee I repair for refuge, and toward . . ."

       "O God, my God!  Thou art my Hope and my Beloved, . . ."

       "O God, my God!  Fill up for me the cup of . . ."

EVENING

       "O my God, my Master, the Goal of my desire!  This, . . ."

       "How can I choose to sleep, O God, my God, when the . . ."

FAMILIES

       "Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God!  I beg Thee to . . ."

       "I beg Thy forgiveness, O my God, and implore . . ."

       "O Lord!  In this Most Great Dispensation Thou dost . . ."

       "O God, my God!  This Thy handmaid is calling upon . . ."

       "My Lord!  My Lord!  I praise Thee and I thank Thee . . ."

FIRMNESS IN THE COVENANT

       "Glory be to Thee, O King of eternity, and the . . ."

       "He is the Mighty, the Pardoner, the Compassionate! . . ."

       "Make firm our steps, O Lord, in Thy path and . . ."

       "Compassionate God!  Thanks be to Thee for Thou . . ."

FORGIVENESS

       "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee . . ."

       "I am he, O my Lord, that hath set his face towards . . ."

       "Thou seest me, O my Lord, with my face turned . . ."

       "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  Every time I . . ."

       "Lauded be Thy name, O my God and the God of all . . ."

       "O God our Lord!  Protect us through Thy grace from . . ."

       "Praise be unto Thee, O Lord.  Forgive us our sins, . . ."

       "I beg Thee to forgive me, O my Lord, for every . . ."

       "Glory be unto Thee, O God.  How can I make mention . . ."

       "O Thou forgiving Lord!  Thou art the shelter of . . ."

THE FUND

       "All the friends of God .  .  .  should contribute . . ."

HEALING

       "O God, my God!  I beg of Thee by the ocean of Thy . . ."

       "Thy name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance . . ."

       "Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee . . ."

       "Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee, . . ."

       "Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I beg of Thee by . . ."

       "He is the Healer, the Sufficer, the Helper, the . . ."

MANKIND

       "My God, Whom I worship and adore!  I bear witness . . ."

       "O Thou compassionate Lord, Thou Who art generous . . ."

       "O Thou kind Lord!  O Thou Who art generous and . . ."

       "O Thou kind Lord!  Thou hast created all humanity . . ."

MARRIAGE

       "HE is God!  O peerless Lord!  In Thine almighty . . ."

       "Glory be unto Thee, O my God!  Verily, this Thy . . ."

       "O my Lord, O my Lord!  These two bright orbs are . . ."

MEETINGS

       "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee . . ."

       "O Thou merciful God!  O Thou Who art mighty and . . ."

       "O Thou kind Lord!  These are Thy servants who have . . ."

       "O my God!  O my God!  Verily, these servants are . . ."

       "O Thou forgiving God!  These servants are turning . . ."

       "O Divine Providence!  This assemblage is composed . . ."

MORNING

       "O my God and my Master!  I am Thy servant and the . . ."

       "I have wakened in Thy shelter, O my God, and it . . ."

       "I have risen this morning by Thy grace, O my God, . . ."

       "I give praise to Thee, O my God, that Thou hast . . ."

PRAISE AND GRATITUDE

       "All praise, O my God, be to Thee Who art the . . ."

       "In the Name of God, the Most High!  Lauded and . . ."

       "Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God!  Thou art He . . ."

       "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I yield Thee . . ."

       "Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  Every time I . . ."

       "All majesty and glory, O my God, . . ."

PROTECTION

       "Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  Thou seest and . . ."

       "Praised be Thou, O Lord my God!  This is Thy . . ."

       "Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God!  I entreat Thee . . ."

       "O God, my God!  I have set out from my home, . . ."

       "Ordain for me, O my Lord, and for those who . . ."

       "Glory be to Thee, O God! . . ."

       "In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering . . ."

       "O God, my God!  Shield Thy trusted servants from . . ."

       "O my Lord!  Thou knowest that the people are . . ."

SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

       "Come ye together in gladness unalloyed, and at the . . ."

       "Prayer to be said at the close of the meeting of . . ."

SPIRITUAL QUALITIES

       "From the sweet-scented streams of Thine eternity . . ."

       "Create in me a pure heart, O my God, and renew a . . ."

       "HE is the Gracious, the All-Bountiful!  O God, my . . ."

       "O my Lord!  Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy . . ."

       "Lauded be Thy Name, O Lord my God!  I am Thy . . ."

       "O my God, the God of bounty and mercy!  Thou art . . ."

       "He is the prayer-hearing, prayer-answering God! . . ."

       "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I give Thee . . ."

       "Vouchsafe unto me, O my God, the full measure of . . ."

       "O God!  Refresh and gladden my spirit.  Purify my . . ."

       "O my God!  O my God!  Glory be unto Thee for that . . ."

       "O my Lord!  O my Lord!  This is a lamp lighted by . . ."

       "O my God!  O my God!  This, Thy servant, hath . . ."

       "O God, my God!  This is thy radiant servant, Thy . . ."

       "O God, my God!  These are Thy feeble servants, . . ."

       "HE is God! . . ."

       "O Thou Provider!  Thou hast breathed over the . . ."

STEADFASTNESS

       "Glorified be Thy name, O Lord my God!  I beseech . . ."

       "O Thou Whose nearness is my wish, Whose presence . . ."

       "O God, my God!  I have turned in repentance unto . . ."

       "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee . . . "

       "Praise-be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved!  Make . . ."

       "Praised and glorified art Thou, O God!  Grant that . . ."

       "O Lord my God!  Assist Thy loved ones to be firm . . ."

       "O Thou, my God, Who guidest the seeker to the . . ."

GENERAL PRAYERS FOR TEACHING

       "Magnified be Thy name, O my God, for that Thou . . ."

       "Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I implore Thee, . . ."

       "Glory be unto Thee, O Lord of the world and Desire . . ."

       "O God, Who art the Author of all Manifestations, . . ."

       "O my God, aid Thou Thy servant to raise up the . . ."

       "O God, my God!  Aid Thou Thy trusted servants to . . ."

       "Thou seest me, O my God, bowed down in lowliness, . . ."

PRAYERS FOR TEACHING FROM THE TABLETS OF THE DIVINE PLAN

REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

       "O Thou incomparable God!  O Thou Lord of the . . ."

       "Whoever sets out on a teaching journey to any . . ."

       "Let whosoever travels to different parts to teach, . . ."

       "O God, my God!  Thou seest how black darkness is . . ."

REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE NORTHEASTERN STATES

       "O Thou kind Lord!  Praise be unto Thee that Thou . . ."

REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES

       "O my God!  O my God! . . ."

REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE CENTRAL STATES

       "O Lord, my God!  Praise and thanksgiving be unto . . ."

REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE WESTERN STATES

       "O God!  O God!  This is a broken-winged bird and . . ."

REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF CANADA

       "Praise be to Thee, O my God!  These are Thy . . ."

REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF CANADA - 2

       "God, my God!  Thou beholdest this weak one begging . . ."

TESTS AND DIFFICULTIES

       "O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such . . ."

       "Glory to Thee, O my God!  But for the tribulations . . ."

       "Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God!  Every man of . . ."

       "Thou knowest full well, O my God, that . . ."

TRIUMPH OF THE CAUSE

       "Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God!  Darkness hath . . ."

       "Glory be unto Thee, O Lord, Thou Who hast brought . . ."

       "O Lord!  Provide for the speedy growth of the Tree . . ."

       "O Lord!  Render victorious Thy forbearing servants . . ."

       "O Lord!  Enable all the peoples of the earth to . . ."

       "O God, my God!  Praise be unto Thee for kindling . . ."

       "HE is God! . . . "

UNITY

       "O my God!  O my God!  Unite the hearts of Thy . . ."

       "O my God!  O my God!  Verily, I invoke Thee and . . ."

TABLET OF AHMAD

       "HE is the King, the All-Knowing, the Wise!  Lo, . . ."

FIRE TABLET

       "In the Name of God, the Most Ancient, the Most . . ."

TABLET  OF THE HOLY MARINER

       "HE is the Gracious, the Well-Beloved!  O Holy . . ."

TABLETS OF VISITATION

       "The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august . . ."

       "Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and . . ."

INTERCALARY DAYS

       "My God, my Fire and my Light!  The days which Thou . . ."

THE FAST

       "I beseech Thee, O my God, by Thy mighty Sign, and . . ."

       "Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God!  I beseech Thee . . ."

       "These are, O my God, the days whereon Thou didst . . ."

       "Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God!  These are the . . ."

NAW-RUZ

       "Praised be Thou, O my God, that Thou hast ordained . . ."

MARTYRS AND THEIR FAMILIES

       "HE is God! . . .  "


INTERCALARY DAYS

    (The Intercalary Days, February 26 to March 1,

inclusive, should be days of preparation for the Fast,

days of hospitality, charity and the giving of

presents.)


LONG OBLIGATORY PRAYER

TO BE RECITED ONCE IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS


MARRIAGE

    "Baha'i marriage is union and cordial affection

between the two parties.  They must, however, exercise

the utmost care and become acquainted with each

other's character.  This eternal bond should be made

secure by a firm covenant, and the intention should be

to foster harmony, fellowship and unity and to attain

everlasting life." --'Abdu'l-Baha

    The pledge of marriage, the verse to be spoken

individually by the bride and the bridegroom in the

presence of at least two witnesses acceptable to the

Spiritual Assembly is, as stipulated in the

Kitab-i-Aqdas (The Most Holy Book):  "We will all,

verily, abide by the Will of God." HE is the Bestower,

the Bounteous!  Praise be to God, the Ancient, the

Ever-Abiding, the Changeless, the Eternal!  He Who

hath testified in His Own Being that verily He is the

One, the Single, the Untrammelled, the Exalted.  We

bear witness that verily there is no God but Him,

acknowledging His oneness, confessing His singleness.

He hath ever dwelt in unapproachable heights, in the

summits of His loftiness, sanctified from the mention

of aught save Himself, free from the description of

aught but Him.  And when He desired to manifest grace

and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order

He revealed observances and created laws; among them

He established the law of marriage, made it as a

fortress for well-being and salvation, and enjoined it

upon us in that which was sent down out of the heaven

of sanctity in His Most Holy Book He saith, great is

His glory:  "Marry, O people; that from you may appear

he who will remember Me amongst My servants; this is

one of My commandments unto you; obey it as an

assistance to yourselves.  " --Baha'u'llah


MEDIUM OBLIGATORY PRAYER

TO BE RECITED DAILY, IN THE MORNING, AT NOON, AND

IN THE EVENING


NAW-RUZ

(Naw-Ruz, March 21, is the first day of the Baha'i

year.)


OBLIGATORY PRAYERS

    "The daily obligatory prayers are three in number.

The believer is entirely free to choose any one of

these three prayers, but is under the obligation of

reciting either one of them, and in accordance with

any specific directions with which they may be

accompanied.  " --from a letter written on behalf of

Shoghi Effendi

    "By 'morning,' 'noon' and 'evening,' mentioned in

connection with the Obligatory Prayers, is meant

respectively the intervals between sunrise and noon,

between noon and sunset, and from sunset till two

hours after sunset.  "Synopsis and Codification of the

Kitab-i-Aqdas, p.  36


PRAYERS FOR THE DEPARTED

    (The Prayer for the Dead is to be used for Baha'is

over the age of fifteen.  "It is the only Baha'i

obligatory prayer which is to be recited in

congregation; it is to be recited by one believer

while all present stand.  There is no requirement to

face the Qiblih when reciting this prayer." -- A

Synopsis and Codification of the Kitab-i-Aqdas)


REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF CANADA - 2

    The spreaders of the fragrances of God should

recite this prayer every morning:


REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE CENTRAL STATES

    Let the spreaders of the fragrances of God recite

this prayer every morning:


REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE NORTHEASTERN STATES

    The following supplication is to be read by the

teachers and friends daily:


REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE SOUTHERN STATES

    Every soul who travels through the cities,

villages and hamlets of these States and is engaged in

the diffusion of the fragrances of God, should peruse

this commune every morning:


REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA


REVEALED TO THE BAHA'IS OF THE WESTERN STATES

    The following commune is to be read every day:


SHORT OBLIGATORY PRAYER

TO BE RECITED ONCE IN TWENTY FOUR HOURS, AT NOON


SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY

    Whenever ye enter the council-chamber, recite this

prayer with a heart throbbing with the love of God and

a tongue purified from all but His remembrance, that

the All-Powerful may graciously aid you to achieve

supreme victory.

    O God, my God!  We are servants of Thine that have

turned with devotion to Thy Holy Face, that have

detached ourselves from all besides Thee in this

glorious Day.  We have gathered in this Spiritual

Assembly, united in our views and thoughts, with our

purposes harmonized to exalt Thy Word amidst mankind.

O Lord, our God!  Make us the signs of Thy Divine

Guidance, the Standards of Thine exalted Faith amongst

men, servants to Thy mighty Covenant, O Thou our Lord

Most High, manifestations of Thy Divine Unity in Thine

Abha Kingdom, and resplendent stars shining upon all

regions.  Lord!  Aid us to become seas surging with

the billows of Thy wondrous Grace, streams flowing

from Thine all-glorious Heights, goodly fruits upon

the Tree of Thy heavenly Cause, trees waving through

the breezes of Thy Bounty in Thy celestial Vineyard.

O God!  Make our souls dependent upon the Verses of

Thy Divine Unity, our hearts cheered with the

outpourings of Thy Grace, that we may unite even as

the waves of one sea and become merged together as the

rays of Thine effulgent Light; that our thoughts, our

views, our feelings may become as one reality,

manifesting the spirit of union throughout the world.

Thou art the Gracious, the Bountiful, the Bestower,

the Almighty, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

--`Abdu'l-Baha


TABLET  OF THE HOLY MARINER

    "Study the Tablet of the Holy Mariner that ye may

know the truth, and consider that the Blessed Beauty

hath fully foretold future events.  Let them who

perceive, take warning!" --'Abdu'l-Baha


TABLET OF AHMAD

    "These daily obligatory prayers, together with a

few other specified ones, such as the Healing Prayer,

the Tablet of Ahmad, have been invested by-

-Baha'u'llah with a special potency and significance,

and should therefore be accepted as such and be

recited by the believers with unquestioning faith and

confidence, that through them they may enter into a

much closer communion with God, and identify

themselves more fully with His laws and precepts.

"--From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi


TABLETS OF VISITATION

    (This Tablet is read at the Shrines of Baha'u'llah

and the Bab.  It is also frequently used in

commemorating Their anniversaries.)


THE FAST

The Days of Ha, Intercalary Days.

    The Kitab-i-Aqdas states:  "We have commanded you

to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity [15

years]; this is ordained by God, your Lord and the

Lord of your forefathers....  The traveler, the

ailing, those who are with child or giving suck, are

not bound by the fast....  Abstain from food and

drink, from sunrise to sundown, and beware lest desire

deprive you of this grace that is appointed in the

Book." The period of the Fast is March 2 through March

20.