| 1 |
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:
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| 2 |
O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and
the Maker of the heavens! I beseech Thee
by them Who are the Daysprings of Thine invisible
Essence, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious,
to make of my prayer a fire that will burn away
the veils which have shut me out from Thy beauty,
and a light that will lead me unto the ocean of
Thy Presence.
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| 3 |
Let him then raise his hands in supplication toward God
- blessed and exalted be He - and say:
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| 4 |
O Thou the Desire of the world and the Beloved
of the nations! Thou seest me turning toward
Thee, and rid of all attachment to anyone save
Thee, and clinging to Thy cord, through
whose movement the whole creation hath been
stirred up. I am Thy servant, O my Lord, and the
son of Thy servant. Behold me standing ready to
do Thy will and Thy desire, and wishing naught
else except Thy good pleasure. I implore Thee by
the Ocean of Thy mercy and the Daystar of Thy
grace to do with Thy servant as Thou willest and
pleasest. By Thy might which is far above all
mention and praise! Whatsoever is revealed by
Thee is the desire of my heart and the beloved of
my soul. O God, my God! Look not upon my
hopes and my doings, nay rather look upon Thy
will that hath encompassed the heavens and the
earth. By Thy Most Great Name, O Thou Lord
of all nations! I have desired only what Thou didst
desire, and love only what Thou dost love.
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| 5 |
Let him then kneel, and bowing his forehead to the ground,
let him say:
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| 6 |
Exalted art Thou above the description of anyone
save Thyself, and the comprehension of aught
else except Thee.
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| 7 |
Let him then stand and say:
| |
| 8 |
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.
| |
| 9 |
Let him again raise his hands in supplication, and say:
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| 10 |
O Thou in separation from Whom hearts and
souls have melted, and by the fire of Whose love
the whole world hath been set aflame! I implore
Thee by Thy Name through which Thou hast
subdued the whole creation, not to withhold
from me that which is with Thee, O Thou Who
rulest over all men! Thou seest, O my Lord, this
stranger hastening to his most exalted home beneath
the canopy of Thy majesty and within the
precincts of Thy mercy; and this transgressor
seeking the ocean of Thy forgiveness; and this
lowly one the court of Thy glory; and this poor
creature the orient of Thy wealth. Thine is the authority
to command whatsoever Thou willest. I
bear witness that Thou art to be praised in Thy
doings, and to be obeyed in Thy behests, and to
remain unconstrained in Thy bidding.
| |
| 11 |
Let him then raise his hands, and repeat three times the
Greatest Name.
[1]
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| 12 |
Let him then bend down with hands
resting on the knees before God - blessed and exalted be
He - and say:
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| 13 |
Thou seest, O my God, how my spirit hath
been stirred up within my limbs and members, in
its longing to worship Thee, and in its yearning
to remember Thee and extol Thee; how it testifieth
to that whereunto the Tongue of Thy Commandment
hath testified in the kingdom of Thine
utterance and the heaven of Thy knowledge. I
love, in this state, O my Lord, to beg of Thee all
that is with Thee, that I may demonstrate my
poverty, and magnify Thy bounty and Thy
riches, and may declare my powerlessness, and
manifest Thy power and Thy might.
| |
| 14 |
Let him then stand and raise his hands twice in supplication,
and say:
| |
| 15 |
There is no God but Thee, the Almighty, the
All-Bountiful. There is no God but Thee, the
Ordainer, both in the beginning and in the end.
O God, my God! Thy forgiveness hath emboldened
me, and Thy mercy hath strengthened me,
and Thy call hath awakened me, and Thy grace
hath raised me up and led me unto Thee. Who,
otherwise, am I that I should dare to stand at the
gate of the city of Thy nearness, or set my face
toward the lights that are shining from the heaven
of Thy will? Thou seest, O my Lord, this wretched
creature knocking at the door of Thy grace,
and this evanescent soul seeking the river of everlasting
life from the hands of Thy bounty. Thine
is the command at all times, O Thou Who art the
Lord of all names; and mine is resignation and
willing submission to Thy will, O Creator of the
heavens!
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| 16 |
Let him then raise his hands thrice, and say:
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| 17 |
Greater is God than every great one!
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| 18 |
Let him then kneel and, bowing his forehead to the ground,
say:
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| 19 |
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.
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| 20 |
Let him then seat himself and say:
| |
| 21 |
I testify unto that whereunto have testified all
created things, and the Concourse on high, and
the inmates of the all-highest Paradise, and beyond
them the Tongue of Grandeur itself from
the all-glorious Horizon, that Thou art God, that
there is no God but Thee, and that He Who hath
been manifested is the Hidden Mystery, the Treasured
Symbol, through Whom the letters B and E
(Be) have been joined and knit together. I testify
that it is He Whose name hath been set down by
the Pen of the Most High, and Who hath been
mentioned in the Books of God, the Lord of the
Throne on high and of earth below.
| |
| 22 |
Let him then stand erect and say:
| |
| 23 |
O Lord of all being and Possessor of all things
visible and invisible! Thou dost perceive my tears
and the sighs I utter, and hearest my groaning,
and my wailing, and the lamentation of my heart.
By Thy might! My trespasses have kept me back
from drawing nigh unto Thee; and my sins have
held me far from the court of Thy holiness. Thy
love, O my Lord, hath enriched me, and separation
from Thee hath destroyed me, and remoteness
from Thee hath consumed me. I entreat
Thee by Thy footsteps in this wilderness, and by
the words "Here am I. Here am I" which Thy
chosen Ones have uttered in this immensity, and
by the breaths of Thy Revelation, and the gentle
winds of the Dawn of Thy Manifestation, to ordain
that I may gaze on Thy beauty and observe
whatsoever is in Thy Book.
| |
| 24 |
Let him then repeat the Greatest Name thrice, and bend
down with hands resting on the knees, and say:
| |
| 25 |
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.
| |
| 26 |
Let him then rise and say:
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| 27 |
O God, my God! My back is bowed by the
burden of my sins, and my heedlessness hath destroyed
me. Whenever I ponder my evil doings
and Thy benevolence, my heart melteth within
me, and my blood boileth in my veins. By Thy
Beauty, O Thou the Desire of the world! I blush
to lift up my face to Thee, and my longing hands
are ashamed to stretch forth toward the heaven of
Thy bounty. Thou seest, O my God, how my
tears prevent me from remembering Thee and
from extolling Thy virtues, O Thou the Lord of
the Throne on high and of earth below! I implore
Thee by the signs of Thy Kingdom and the mysteries
of Thy Dominion to do with Thy loved
ones as becometh Thy bounty, O Lord of all being,
and is worthy of Thy grace, O King of the
seen and the unseen!
| |
| 28 |
Let him then repeat the Greatest Name thrice, and kneel
with his forehead to the ground, and say:
| |
| 29 |
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.
| |
| 30 |
Let him then raise his head, and seat himself, and say:
| |
| 31 |
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!
- Bahá'u'lláh
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