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LVII: When thou art departed out of the court of
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When thou art departed out of the court of My presence, O Muhammad, direct thy steps towards
My House (Baghdád House), and visit it on behalf
of thy Lord. When thou reachest its door, stand thou
before it and say: Whither is the Ancient Beauty
gone, O most great House of God, He through
Whom God hath made thee the cynosure of an
adoring world, and proclaimed thee to be the sign
of His remembrance unto all who are in the heavens
and all who are on the earth? Oh! for the former days
when thou, O House of God, wert made His footstool,
the days when in ceaseless strains the melody
of the All-Merciful poured forth from thee! What
hath become of thy jewel whose glory hath irradiated
all creation? Whither are gone the days in which
He, the Ancient King, had made thee the throne of
His glory, the days in which He had chosen thee
alone to be the lamp of salvation between earth and
heaven, and caused thee to diffuse, at dawn and at
eventide, the sweet fragrance of the All-Glorious? |
2 |
Where, O House of God, is the Sun of majesty and
power Who had enveloped thee with the brightness
of His presence? Where is He, the Day Spring of
the tender mercies of thy Lord, the Unconstrained,
Who had established His seat within thy walls? What
is it, O throne of God, that hath altered thy countenance,
and made thy pillars to tremble? What could
have closed thy door to the face of them that eagerly
seek thee? What hath made thee so desolate? Couldst
thou have been told that the Beloved of the world is
pursued by the swords of His enemies? The Lord
bless thee, and bless thy fidelity unto Him, inasmuch
as thou hast remained His companion through all His
sorrows and His sufferings. |
3 |
I testify that thou art the scene of His transcendent
glory, His most holy habitation. Out of thee
hath gone forth the Breath of the All-Glorious, a
Breath that hath breathed over all created things,
and filled with joy the breasts of the devout that
dwell in the mansions of Paradise. The Concourse on
high, and they that inhabit the Cities of the Names
of God, weep over thee, and bewail the things that
have befallen thee. |
4 |
Thou art still the symbol of the names and attributes
of the Almighty, the Point towards which
the eyes of the Lord of earth and heaven are directed.
There hath befallen thee what hath befallen
the Ark in which God's pledge of security had been
made to dwell. Well is it with him that apprehendeth
the intent of these words, and recognizeth the purpose
of Him Who is the Lord of all creation. |
5 |
Happy are those that inhale from thee the sweet
savors of the Merciful, that acknowledge thine exaltation,
that safeguard thy sanctity, that reverence, at
all times, thy station. We implore the Almighty to
grant that the eyes of those who have turned away
from thee, and failed to appreciate thy worth, may
be opened, that they may truly recognize thee, and
Him Who, through the power of truth, hath raised
thee up on high. Blind, indeed, are they about thee,
and utterly unaware of thee in this day. Thy Lord is,
verily, the Gracious, the Forgiving. |
6 |
I bear witness that through thee God hath proved
the hearts of His servants. Blessed be the man that
directeth his steps toward thee, and visiteth thee. Woe
to him that denieth thy right, that turneth away
from thee, that dishonoreth thy name, and profaneth
thy holiness. |
7 |
Grieve not, O House of God, if the veil of thy
sanctity be rent asunder by the infidels. God hath,
in the world of creation, adorned thee with the jewel
of His remembrance. Such an ornament no man can,
at any time, profane. Towards thee the eyes of thy
Lord shall, under all conditions, remain directed. He,
verily, will incline His ear to the prayer of every one
that visiteth thee, who will circle around thee, and
calleth upon Him in thy name. He, in truth, is the
Forgiving, the All-Merciful. |
8 |
I beseech Thee, O my God, by this House that hath
suffered such change in its separation from Thee,
that bewaileth its remoteness from Thy presence, and
lamenteth Thy tribulation, to forgive me, and my
parents, and my kindred, and such of my brethren as
have believed in Thee. Grant that all my needs be
satisfied, through Thy bounty, O Thou Who art the
King of Names. Thou art the most Bountiful of the
bountiful, the Lord of all worlds. |
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