Baha'i Prayers

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&BAHA'I PRAYERS
A SELECTION OF PRAYERS
REVEALED BY
&BAHA'U'LLAH, THE &BAB, AND &ABDU'L-BAHA


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


&BAHA'I PUBLISHING TRUST
WILMETTE, ILLINOIS 60091

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Copyright 1954, c 1982, 1985, 1991 by the
National Spiritual Assembly of the
&Baha'is of the United States
1991 Edition

All Rights Reserved

[Library of Congresss Cataloging In Publications Data]


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Intone, O My servants, 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

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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


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SHORT OBLIGATORY PRAYER

TO BE RECITED ONCE IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS,
AT NOON

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.


MEDIUM OBLIGATORY PRAYER

TO BE RECITED DAILY, IN THE MORNING,
AT NOON, AND IN THE EVENING

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


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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!"


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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 changes of the world have


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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

LONG OBLIGATORY PRAYER

TO BE RECITED ONCE IN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS

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 if awaiting the mercy of
his Lord, the Most Merciful, the Compassionate. Then
let him say:

O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and
the Maker of the heavens! I beseech Thee


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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 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


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hope 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


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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 time the
Greatest Name.1 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

1. &Allah-u-Abha


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hath testified in the kingdom of Thine
utterance and the heaven of Thy knowledge. I
love, in this state, O my Lord, to beg to 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


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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


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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 "Hear am I. Here am I" which Thy


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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


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Beauty, O Thou the Desire of the world! I blush
to life 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.


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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

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GENERAL PRAYERS

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AID AND ASSISTANCE

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


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


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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


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 Almighty, 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


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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 admitance 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 them. All do His bidding, and


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all the dwellers of earth and heaven celebrate His
praise, and unto Him shall all return. - The &Bab


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 swell 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


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.


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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


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


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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


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


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PRAYER FOR AMERICA

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


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ASSISTANCE WITH TESTS

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


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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


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


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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, whatsover
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


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


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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


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


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


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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.


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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


He is the Compassionate, the All-Bountiful!
O God, my God! Thou seest me, Thou
knowest me; Thou art my Haven and my Refuge.


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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 Whom 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


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


+P 33
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


+P 34


CHILDREN AND YOUTH

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


+P 35
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 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! 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,


+P 36
grow and develop, and appear in the utmost
beauty. Thou art the Giver. Thou art the Compassionate.
- &Abdu'l-Baha


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 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


+P 37
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

He is God! O God my God! Bestow upon me
a pure hear, like unto a pearl.
- &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 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

+P 38
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 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


+P 39
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 morn 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


+P 34

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
prayers." - A Synopsis and Codification of the &Kitab-i-Aqdas)

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


+P 41
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


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


+P 42
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


+P 43
He is God, exalted is He, the Lord of loving-kindness
and bounty!
Glory be unto Thee, 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
whereunto 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


+P 44
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 my
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


+P 45
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 certainly 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


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 trepasses, dispel


+P 46
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! 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 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


+P 47
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 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 makes a confidant, and whosever is not
the object of Thy choice is accounted a transgressor.
Shouldst Thour 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

+P 48
DETACHMENT

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 only with Thy


+P 49
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


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


+P 50
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


Lauded by 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,


+P 51
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


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 after Thee, hath cast away all


+P 52
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


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


+P 53
life in Thy path, and ascended unto Thee, wholly
detached from aught else except Thyself.
I beseech Thee, O my God, 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


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


+P 54
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,
Who 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,


+P 55
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


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.


+P 56
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 skilfull 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


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


+P 57
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 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


+P 58
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! 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


+P 59
Teachings, and serve Thy Law and exalt Thy
Word.
Thou art, verily, the Powerful, the Ever-Giving,
the Able, the Omnipotent. - &Abdu'l-Baha


+P 60


EVENING

O my God, my Master, the Goal of my desire!
This, Thy servant, seeketh to sleep
in the shelter of My 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


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


+P 61
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 my open
thine eye, thou must supplicate unto God, pray to and
commune with Him at midnight, saying:

O 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


+P 62
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


+P 63


FAMILIES

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


+P 64
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


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


+P 65
know Thee and have failed to walk in the path of
Thy love. - The &Bab


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 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


+P 66
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


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


+P 67
womb unto Thee. Then cause it to be a praiseworthy
child in 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


+P 68


FIRMNESS IN THE COVENANT

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


+P 69
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
All-Wise. - &Baha'u'llah


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


+P 70
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


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


+P 71
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


O 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


+P 72
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 the Compassionate God. Bestow upon
me a heart which, like unto 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


+P 73
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, Thou art the Invincible the Almighty,
the All-Powerful. - &Abdu'l-Baha


+P 74


FORGIVENESS

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


+P 75
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


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


+P 76
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


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


+P 77
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
trepasses 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 to 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


+P 78
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


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.


+P 79
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


O God our Lord! Protect us through Thy
grace from whatsoever my 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


+P 80
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


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


+P 81
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


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


+P 82
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 dawn,
who pray to Thee in the daytime and in the night
season, who yearn 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


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 art 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. Deal with
us according to Thy grace and bounty. 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.


+P 83
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 are the Powerful and the Omnipotent.
Thou art the Generous. Thou art the Clement.
Thou art the Kind. - &Abdu'l-Baha


+P 83


THE FUND

All the friends of God ... should contribute to the extent
possible, however modest their 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


+P 84
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


+P 86


HEALING

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 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


+P 87
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


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 the 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;


+P 88
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 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


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


+P 89
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. In 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


+P 90
Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! I beg of
Thee by Thy Name through which He
Who is Thy Beauty hath been stablished 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


+P 91
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


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!


+P 92
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!


+P 93
Thou the Sufficing, Thou the Healing, Thou the
Abiding, O Thou Abiding One!
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!


+P 94
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 Healing, 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!


+P 95
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,


+P 96
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!


+P 97
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

+P 98
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


+P 99


MANKIND

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


+P 100
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 kind Lord! O Thou Who art generous
and merciful! We are 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,


+P 101
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! 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


+P 102
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


+P 103

O God, O Thoug Who has cast They splendor
over the luminous realities of men, shedding
upon them the resplendent lights of knowledge
and guidance, and has chosen them out of
all created things for this supernal grace, and hast
caused them to encompass all things, to understand
their inmost essence, and to disclose their
mysteries, bringing them forth out of darkness
into the visible world! "He verily showeth His
special mercy to whomsoever He will."1
O Lord, help Thou Thy loved ones to acquire
knowledge and the sciences and arts, and to unravel
the secrets that are treasured up in the inmost
reality of all created things. Make them to
hear the hidden truths that are written and
embedded in the heart of all that is. Make them
to be ensigns of guidance amongst all creatures,
and piercing rays of the mind shedding forth
their light in this, the "first life."2 Make them to
be leaders unto Thee, guides unto Thy path,
runners urging men on to Thy Kingdom.
Thou verily art the Powerful, the Protector,
the Potent, the Defender, the Mighty, the Most
Generous. -&'Abdu'l-Baha

1. &Qur'an 3:67 2. &Qur'an 56:62

+P 104
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


+P 105
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


He is God!
O peerless Lord! In Thine almighty wisdom
Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples,


+P 106
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."1 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."2
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

1. &Qur'an 51:56
2. &Qur'an 55:19-20


+P 107
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


O my Lord, O my Lord! These two bright
moons are wedded in Thy love, conjoined
in servitude to Thy Holy Threshold, united in
ministering to thy Cause. Make Thou this marriage


+P 108
to be as threading lights of Thine abounding
grace, O my Lord, the All-Merciful, the luminous
rays of Thy bestowals, O Thou the Beneficent,
the Ever-Giving, that there may branch out
from this great tree boughs that will grown green
and flourishing through the gifts that rain down
from Thy clouds of grace.
Verily, Thou art the Generous. Verily, Thou
art the Compassionate, the All-Merciful. - &Abdu'l-Baha


+P 109

MEETINGS

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


+P 110
branches. Thou art, verily, the Help in Peril, the
Inaccessible, the Almighty, the Most Bountiful.
- &Baha'u'llah


O Thou merciful God! O Thou Who art
might 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


+P 111
not our shortcomings. Shelter us under Thy protection.
Remember not our sins. Heal us with Thy
mercy. We are sick; 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 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


+P 112
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 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


+P 113
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 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 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


+P 114
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


+P 115
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


+P 116


MORNING

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
be the manifestations of the Evil Whisperer, who


+P 117
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, verily, the Lord and King of all men,
and art potent over all things. - &Baha'u'llah


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


+P 118
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 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


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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


+P 120


PRAISE AND GRATITUDE

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 evermore 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


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Thine Essence. Verily, Thou art the Lord of all
worlds. There is no God but Thee, the Unconstrained,
the All-Subduing. - &Baha'u'llah


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
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


+P 122
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 gory 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


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


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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 work that hath
shone forth above the horizon of Thy will, to enable
me to drink deep of the living waters 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, or glory and bounty.
No God is there beside Thee, the Supreme
Ruler, the All-Glorious, the Omniscient.
- &Baha'u'llah


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


+P 124
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


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


+P 125
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


+P 126
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

1. &Qur'an 6:103


+P 127
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 worship Thee.
- The &Bab


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PROTECTION

Praise be to Thee, O Lord my God! Thou seest
and knowest that I have called upon Thy
servants to turn nowhere except in 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 endured 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


+P 129
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


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


+P 130
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


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.


+P 131
Thou, truly, art the Almighty, the Most Exalted,
the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.
- &Baha'u'llah


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


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.


+P 132
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


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


+P 133
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-suffficient without Thee.
- The &Bab


In the Name of God, the Lord of overpowering
majesty, and 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


+P 134
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 the earth and
whatever is between them. Verily, He is the Supreme
Portector. 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.


+P 135
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.1 - The &Bab


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 inpregnable 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

1. The original of this prayer for protection is written in the
&Bab's own hand, in the form of a pentacle.


+P 136
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 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 verify, Thou art
the Merciful of the Most Merciful.
- &Abdu'l-Baha

Input Page PPP
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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


+P 138
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


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 goods nor means, still take


+P 139
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


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


+P 140
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


+P 141


SPIRITUAL QUALITIES

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


+P 142
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


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,


+P 143
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


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


+P 144
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


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


+P 145
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


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 my 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


+P 146
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


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


+P 146
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!


+P 148
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


+P 149
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


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.


+P 150
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


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.


+P 151
No deed have I done, O my God, to merit beholding
Thy face, and I 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


+P 151
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 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.


+P 153
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 Lord! O my Lord! This a 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 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.


+P 154
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 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


+P 155
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! 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.


+P 156
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


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 Revelation and assured of Thy loving-kindness.
Their eyes, O Lord, are fixed upon Thy


+P 157
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


+P 158
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


O Thou Provider! Thou hast breathed over
the friends in 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


+P 159
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 peals 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


+P 160



STEADFASTNESS

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


+P 161
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


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


+P 162
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 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 the Ever-Forgiving, the Gracious.
O God, my God! I have clung 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


+P 163
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 my 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


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


+P 164
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
in 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


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


+P 165
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 to 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


+P 166
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 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 worshiped 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


+P 167
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 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


+P 168
before the faces of those who yearn after Thee the
gates of reunion, and hast rescued them from the
fire 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, Thou art the Generous, the Ever-Forgiving,
the Precious, the Most Bountiful. There is
none other God but Thee, the Mighty, the Powerful,
the Exalted, the Victorious. - &Abdu'l-Baha


+P 169


TEACHING

GENERAL PRAYERS FOR TEACHING

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.


+P 170
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 them
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


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 loving waters of Thy wisdom


+P 171
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


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


+P 172
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 God! 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 Thee, shining from the horizon of
the heaven of Thy will. Verily, Thou art the
mighty One, Whom neither the power of all the


+P 173
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


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


+P 174
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 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 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


+P 175
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


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


+P 176
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 the, 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 vasty 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


+P 177

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 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


+P 178
REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF THE
UNITED STATES AND CANADA

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


+P 179
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


REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF THE
UNITED STATES AND CANADA

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


+P 180
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.


+P 181
Verily, Thou art the Clement, the Powerful, the
Mighty, and the Most Merciful of the merciful.
- &Abdu'l-Baha


REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF THE
UNITED STATES AND CANADA

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


+P 182
from the 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


+P 183
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,


+P 184
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


REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF THE
NORTHEASTERN STATES

The following supplication is to be read by the teachers
and friends daily:

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;


+P 185
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


+P 186

REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF THE
SOUTHERN STATES

Every soul who travels through the cities, villages and
hamblets of these States and is engaged in the diffusion of
the fragrances of God, should peruse this commune every
morning:

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


+P 187
REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF THE
CENTRAL STATES

Let the spreaders of the fragrances of God recite this prayer
every morning:

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


+P 188
a brilliant lamp, a shining star and a bless tree,
adorned with fruit, its branches overshadowing
all these regions. Verily, Thou art the Mighty,
the Powerful and Unconstrained.
- &Abdu'l-Baha


REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF THE
WESTERN STATES

The following commune is to be read ... every day:

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


+P 189
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


REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF CANADA
AND GREENLAND

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


+P 190
REVEALED TO THE &BAHA'IS OF CANADA

The spreaders of the fragrances of God should recite this
prayer every morning:

O 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


+P 191


TESTS AND DIFFICULTIES

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 uponus 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


Glory be Thee, O my God! But for the tribulations
which are sustained in Thy path,
how could Thy true lovers be recognized; and


+P 192
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 cretures,
and hoist the ensigns of Thy victory in Thy land.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. No


+P 193
God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
- &Baha'u'llah


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


+P 194
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


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 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


+P 195
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


+P 196

TRIUMPH OF THE CAUSE

Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God! Darness
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


+P 197
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


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 the 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


+P 198
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 the 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


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 alud 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.


+P 199
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 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 of
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


+P 200
whole Being betokeneth wealth, independence,
glory, majesty and boundless grace.
Turn our reompense, 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 ouselves,
yearning for the things that pertain unto Thee.
- The &Bab


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 pelaseth thee and transcendent above
whatsoever thou desirest. - The &Bab


O God, my God! Praise be unto Thee for
kindling the fire of divine love in the Holy
Tree on the summit of the loltiest mount; that


+P 201
Tree which is"neither of the East nor of the West,"
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, Thou art the Giving, the Forgiving, the
Ever-Bestowing. Verily, Thou art the Merciful,
the Compassionate. - &Abdu'l-Baha

1. &Qur'an 24:35
2. cf. &Qur'an 28:29
3. &Qur'an 76:5


+P 202
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
directions and that no one can dispel or transmute
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 the 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


+P 203
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 fiem. - &Abdu'l-Baha


+P 204


UNITY

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 strenght 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 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


+P 205
light of Thy oneness. Strenghten 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


+P 206

+P 207
OCCASIONAL PRAYERS

+P 208

+P 209

TABLET OF &AHMAD

"These daily obligatory prayers, together with a few
other specific 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

He is the King, the All-Knowing, the Wise!
Lo, the Nightingale of Paradise singeth
upon the twigs of the Trees 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


+P 210
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 &Ahmad! 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 &Ali1 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

1. The &Bab


+P 211
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 ounties 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


+P 212
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
fron 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.


+P 213
Verily, He is the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.
- &Baha'u'llah


+P 214
FIRE TABLET

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?


+P 215
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


+P 216
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


+P 217
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?


+P 218
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


+P 219
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


+P 220
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 fragrances 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


+P 221


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


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!


+P 222
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!


+P 223
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


+P 224
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!


+P 225
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!


+P 226
"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;
Glorifid 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


+P 227
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!


+P 228
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


+P 229
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 High!
- &Baha'u'llah


+P 230



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 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 injuction "Be
Thou" hath been enforced, and God's hidden Secret
hath been divulged, and all created things



+P 231
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, caused 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


+P 232
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


+P 233
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 Lord, 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



+P 234
(This prayer, revealed by &Abdu'l-Baha, is read at His
Shrine. It is also used in private prayer.)

Whoso recitheth 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, strenghten me in my servitude
to Thee, illumine my brow with the light of adoration
in Thy court of holiness, and of prayer to



+P 235
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



+P 236


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 present.)

My God, my Fire and my Light! The days
which Thou hast named the &Ayyam-i-Ha1
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 clung 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

1. The Days of &Ha, Intercalary Days.


+P 237
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



+P 238


THE FAST

The &Kitab-i-Aqdas states: "We have commanded you
to pray and fast from the beginning of maturity [15
year]; 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.

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


+P 239
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


+P 240
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 if 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.


+P 241
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


+P 242
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 our of the mouth of
Thy will, hath caused the oceans to surge, and the
winds to blow, and the fruits to be revealed, and


+P 243
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


+P 244
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


+P 245
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




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
Tabled revealed, and the Outspread Roll uncovered,


+P 246
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 fro
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


+P 247
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, alloted 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 aproach Thy


+P 248
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.
Lauted 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 foretime proclaimed unto Moses, Who
conversed with Thee, a Revelation that hath enabled
every least pebble to resound again with


+P 249
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


+P 250
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 inscrurable
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 lamentations of Thy
chose 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


+P 251
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




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


+P 252
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 life-giving
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 Thie 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


+P 253
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
above all Thy creatures, Whom Thou hast


+P 254
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


+P 255
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 detacted
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


+P 256
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,
cleaned from the remembrance of anyone except
Thee.
Inspire then my soul, O my God, with Thy
wondrous remembrance, that I may glorily Thjy
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


+P 257
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 thave 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


+P 258
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 ur 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


+P 259
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 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 has 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.


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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
words 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,

+P 261
and to empower us to become the helpers of His
Cause and the dispensers 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 men!
- &Baha'u'llah


+P 262


&NAW-RUZ

(&Naw-Ruz, March 21, is the first day of the &Baha'i year.)

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


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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 "Praise-worthy
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 tha 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
my 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 hast uncovered


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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
excepted 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
haviang 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 the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
- &Baha'u'llah

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MARTYRS AND THEIR FAMILIES

He is God!
O Lord my God! O Thou Helper of the
feeble, Succorer of the poor and Deliverer of the
helpless who turn to 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 They face, be
reinforced by the compelling power of proofs and

+P 266
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 part 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 The 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


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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 enable them to
behold Thy wondrous evidence 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 are 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

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MOTHER TEMPLE OF THE WEST

O God, my God! I implore Thee with a throbbing
heart and streaming tears to aid whosoever
expendeth his energy for the erection of
this House, and the construction of this Building
wherein Thy name is mentioned every morn and
every eve.
O God! Send down Thy divine increase on
whosoever endeavoreth to serve this edifice and
exerteth himself to raise it amongst the kindreds
and religions of the world. Confirm him in every
good deed in promoting the welfare of mankind.
Open Thou the doors of wealth and abundance
unto him and make him an heir to the treasures
of the Kingdom, which perish not. Make him a
sign of Thy bestowals among the peoples and
reinforce him by the sea of Thy generosity and
bounty, surging with waves of Thy grace and favor.
Verily, Thou art the Generous, the Merciful and
the Bountiful.
- &Abdu'l-Baha

+269

[ALPHABETICAL INDEX TO FIRST LINES OF PRAYERS]
[not included in this electronic text version]