Prayers and Meditations Part 30

The remembrance of G.o.d and His praise, and the glory of G.o.d and His splendor, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art His Beauty! I bear witness that the eye of creation hath never gazed upon one wronged like Thee. Thou wast immersed all the days of Thy life beneath an ocean of tribulations. At one time Thou wast in chains and fetters; at another Thou wast threatened by the sword of Thine enemies. Yet, despite all this, Thou didst enjoin upon all men to observe what had been prescribed unto Thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

May my spirit be a sacrifice to the wrongs Thou didst suffer, and my soul be a ransom for the adversities Thou didst sustain. I beseech G.o.d, 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 Compa.s.sionate.

Bless Thou, O Lord my G.o.d, 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 t.i.tles 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 G.o.d, Thy servants and Thy handmaidens who have attained unto Thee. Thou, truly, art the All-Bountiful, Whose grace is infinite. No G.o.d is there save Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous.

_The Tablet of Visitation._

CLx.x.xI: "I BEAR WITNESS, O MY G.o.d, THAT THOU HAST CREATED..."

I bear witness, O my G.o.d, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to wors.h.i.+p Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty and to Thy wealth.

There is none other G.o.d but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

_Short obligatory prayer, to be recited once in twenty-four hours, at noon._

CLx.x.xII: "WHOSO WISHETH TO PRAY, LET HIM WASH..."

_Whoso wisheth to pray, let him wash his hands, and while he washeth, let him say:_

Strengthen my hand, O my G.o.d, that it may take hold of Thy Book with such steadfastness that the hosts of the world shall have no power over it.

Guard it, then, from meddling with whatsoever doth not belong unto it.

Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.

And while was.h.i.+ng 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:

G.o.d testifieth that there is none other G.o.d but Him. His are the kingdoms of Revelation and of creation. He, in truth, hath manifested Him Who is the Day-Spring of Revelation, Who conversed on Sinai, through Whom the Supreme Horizon hath been made to s.h.i.+ne, and the Lote-Tree beyond which there is no pa.s.sing 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 G.o.d's, the Lord of all men, and the Possessor of the Throne on high and of earth below!"

Let him, then, bend down, with hands resting on the knees, and say:

Exalted art Thou above my praise and the praise of anyone beside me, above my description and the description of all who are in heaven and all who are on earth!

Then, standing with open hands, palms upward toward the face, let him say:

Disappoint not, O my G.o.d, 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 G.o.d, and that there is none other G.o.d beside Thee. Thou hast, verily, revealed Thy Cause, fulfilled Thy Covenant, and opened wide the door of Thy grace to all that dwell in heaven and on earth. Blessing and peace, salutation and glory, rest upon Thy loved ones, whom the changes and chances of the world have not deterred from turning unto Thee, and who have given their all, in the hope of obtaining that which is with Thee. Thou art, in truth, the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.

(If anyone choose to recite instead of the long verse these words: "G.o.d testifieth that there is none other G.o.d 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 G.o.d, and that there is none other G.o.d beside Thee.")

_Medium obligatory prayer, to be recited daily, in the morning, at noon, and in the evening._

CLx.x.xIII: "WHOSO WISHETH TO RECITE THIS PRAYER, LET..."

Whoso wisheth to recite this prayer, let him stand up and turn unto G.o.d, 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 Compa.s.sionate. Then let him say:

O Thou Who art the Lord of all names and the Maker of the heavens! I beseech Thee by them Who are the Day-Springs 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 G.o.d-blessed and exalted be He-and say:

O Thou the Desire of the world and the Beloved of the nations! Thou seest me turning toward Thee, and rid of all attachment to anyone save Thee, and clinging to Thy cord, through whose movement the whole creation hath been stirred up. I am Thy servant, O my Lord, and the son of Thy servant.

Behold me standing ready to do Thy will and Thy desire, and wis.h.i.+ng naught else except Thy good pleasure. I implore Thee by the Ocean of Thy mercy and the Day-Star 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 G.o.d, my G.o.d! Look not upon my hopes and my doings, nay rather look upon Thy will that hath encompa.s.sed 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.