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. 
I bear witness to Thy unity and Thy oneness, and that Thou
art God, and that there is none other God beside Thee. Thou hast, verily,
revealed Thy Cause, fulfilled Thy Covenant, and opened wide the door of Thy
grace to all that dwell in heaven and on earth. Blessing and peace, salutation
and glory, rest upon Thy loved ones, whom the changes and chances of the world
have not deterred from turning unto Thee, and who have given their all, in the
hope of obtaining that which is with Thee. Thou art, in truth, the
Ever-Forgiving, the All-Bountiful.
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.
O God, guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a
brilliant star. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.
Turn thou unto God and say: O my Sovereign Lord! I am but a
vassal of Thine, and Thou art, in truth, the King of kings. I have lifted my
suppliant hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy bounties. Send down, then,
upon me from the clouds of Thy generosity that which will rid me of all save
Thee, and draw me nigh unto Thyself. I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name,
which Thou hast made the king of names and the manifestation of Thyself to all
who are in heaven and on earth, to rend asunder the veils that have intervened
between me and my recognition of the Dawning-Place of Thy signs and the
Dayspring of Thy Revelation. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Powerful,
the All-Bounteous. Deprive me not, O my Lord, of the fragrances of the Robe of
Thy mercy in Thy days, and write down for me that which Thou hast written down
for Thy handmaidens who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and have
recognized Thee, and set their hearts towards the horizon of Thy Cause. Thou
art truly the Lord of the worlds and of those who show mercy the Most Merciful.
Assist me, then, O my God, to remember Thee amongst Thy handmaidens, and to aid
Thy Cause in Thy lands. Accept, then,
that which hath escaped me when the light of Thy countenance shone forth. Thou,
indeed, hast power over all things. Glory be to Thee, O Thou in Whose hand is the kingdom of the heavens and
of the earth.
O kind God! Hearken to the cry of these helpless nations! O
pure Lord, show Thy pity to these orphaned children! O incomparable Almighty,
stop this destructive torrent! O Creator of the world and the inhabitants
thereof, cause the extinction of this burning fire! O Listener to our cries,
come to the rescue of the orphans! O Ideal Comforter, console the mothers whose
hearts are torn and whose souls are filled with the blood of irremediable loss!
O Clement and Merciful, grant the blessing of Thy grace to the weeping eyes and
burning hearts of the fathers. Restore calmness to this surging tempest and
change this world encircling war into Peace and Conciliation.
O God, O Thou Who hast cast Thy splendour over the luminous
realities of men, shedding upon them the resplendent lights of knowledge and
guidance, and hast 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 beings. 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.
O my God, my God! I am a servant attracted to Thee, humbly
coming to the door of Thy Oneness and addressing the kingdom of Thy mercy.
O Thou Forgiving Lord!
Although certain souls finished the days of life in ignorance, were
estranged and selfish, yet the ocean of Thy forgiveness is, verily, able to
redeem and make free the sinners by one of its waves. Thou redeemest whomsoever
Thou willest and deprivest whomsoever Thou willest not ! Shouldst Thou treat
justly, we all are sinners and deserve to be deprived; and shouldst Thou
observe mercy, every sinner shall be made pure and every stranger shall become
a friend. Therefore, forgive and pardon and grant Thy mercy unto all. Thou art
the Forgiver, the Light-giver and the Compassionate!
The most honoured, esteemed and respected mother.
O God, my aim, my hope! With hearts full of longing and
breasts full of yearning, we beg of Thee and we supplicate at the threshold of
Thy might to raise the Mashriqu’l-Adhkar in Chicago, in the most speedy manner.
Make its basis firm and its structure enduring, suffer its pillars to remain
unshakable and make its columns of the steel and iron of firmness. Glorify its
servants, beautify the characters and make the worshippers beloved. Suffer its
nightingales to sing “Ya-Baha’u’l-Abha” and warble the praises of our Lord, the
Most Supreme. Make its men the standards unfolded on the mountains of the
world, and its women the sanctified angels of the tabernacle of the world!
O Thou Lord of wondrous grace!
Glory be unto Thee, O God! for Thou hast opened the Doors of
the Kingdom of Grandeur and Majesty before the faces of Thy beloved ones;
overshadowed them with the wide spreading Tree of Thy Mercifulness; stirred
them into cheerfulness by the Breezes of Acceptance from the Garden of Thy
Singleness and caused the downpour of pure Waters from the heaven of Thy
Generosity, through which Thou didst cleanse the hearts of Thy friends.
Glory be unto Thee, O Thou whose Seas of Bestowals are
waving and whose Breezes of Providence are wafting over all those who have arisen
to promote Thy Word amongst mankind and are hastening towards the city of
self-sacrifice with a heart overflowing with love and fidelity and a tongue
eloquent with the praise of Thy Abha Beauty!
Bring them together again, O Lord, by the power of Thy
Covenant, and gather their dispersion by the might of Thy Promise, and unite
their hearts by the dominion of Thy Love; and make them love each other so that
they may sacrifice their spirits, expend their money, and scatter themselves
for the love of one another. O Lord, cause to descend upon them quietness and
tranquility!
Praise and glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! This is a choice
sapling which Thou hast planted in the meads of Thy love and hast nurtured with
the fingers of Thy Lordship. Thou hast watered it from the wellspring of
everlasting life which streameth forth from the gardens of Thy oneness and Thou
hast caused the clouds of Thy tender mercy to shower Thy favors upon it. It
hath now grown and developed beneath the shelter of Thy blessings which are
manifest from the Dayspring of Thy divine essence. It hath burst forth into
leaves and blossoms, is laden with fruit through the providence of Thy wondrous
gifts and bounties and is stirred by the fragrant breeze wafting from the
direction of Thy loving-kindness.
O Divine Providence! As I am abstaining from bodily desires
and not occupied with eating and drinking, even so purify and sanctify my heart
from the love of anyone save Thyself and shield and protect my soul from
corrupt desires and satanic qualities so that my spirit may commune with the
breaths of holiness and fast from the mention of all else besides Thee.
Praised be Thou, O God, my God! These are the days whereon
Thou hast enjoined Thy chosen ones, Thy loved ones and Thy servants to observe
the Fast, which Thou hast made a light unto the people of Thy kingdom, even as
Thou didst make obligatory prayer a ladder of ascent unto those who acknowledge
Thy unity. I beg of Thee, O my God, by these two mighty pillars, which Thou
hast ordained as a glory and honor for all mankind, to keep Thy religion safe
from the mischief of the ungodly and the plotting of every wicked doer. O Lord,
conceal not the light which Thou hast revealed through Thy strength and Thine
omnipotence. Assist, then, those who truly believe in Thee with the hosts of
the seen and the unseen by Thy command and Thy sovereignty. No God is there but
Thee, the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
O God! Recompense those who endure patiently in Thy days,
and strengthen their hearts to walk undeviatingly in the path of Truth. Grant
then, O Lord, such goodly gifts as would enable them to gain admittance into
Thy blissful Paradise. Exalted art Thou, O Lord God. Let Thy heavenly blessings
descend upon homes whose inmates have believed in Thee. Verily, unsurpassed art
Thou in sending down divine blessings. Send forth, O God, such hosts as would
render Thy faithful servants victorious. Thou dost fashion the created things
through the power of Thy decree as Thou pleasest. Thou art in truth the
Sovereign, the Creator, the All-Wise.
All praise be unto Thee, O Lord! We shall seek Thy grace on
the appointed Day and shall put our whole reliance in Thee, Who art our Lord.
Glorified art Thou, O God! Grant us that which is good and seemly that we may
be able to dispense with everything but Thee. Verily, Thou art the Lord of all
worlds.
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.
Grant, O my God, that I may not be reckoned among those
whose ears are deaf, whose eyes are blind, whose tongues are speechless and
whose hearts have failed to comprehend. Deliver me, O Lord, from the fire of
ignorance and of selfish desire, suffer me to be admitted into the precincts of
Thy transcendent mercy and send down upon me that which Thou hast ordained for
Thy chosen ones. Potent art Thou to do what Thou willest. Verily Thou art the
Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Praise be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved! Make me
steadfast in Thy Cause and grant that I may be reckoned among those who have
not violated Thy Covenant nor followed the gods of their own idle fancy. Enable
me, then, to obtain a seat of truth in Thy presence, bestow upon me a token of
Thy mercy and let me join with such of Thy servants as shall have no fear nor
shall they be put to grief. Abandon me not to myself, O my Lord, nor deprive me
of recognizing Him Who is the Manifestation of Thine Own Self, nor account me
with such as have turned away from Thy holy presence. Number me, O my God, with
those who are privileged to fix their gaze upon Thy Beauty and who take such
delight therein that they would not exchange a single moment thereof with the
sovereignty of the kingdom of heavens and earth or with the entire realm of
creation. Have mercy on me, O Lord, in these days when the peoples of Thine
earth have erred grievously; supply me then, O my God, with that which is good
and seemly in Thine estimation. Thou art verily the All-Powerful, the Gracious,
the Bountiful, the Ever-Forgiving.
A visiting Tablet for the Maidservant of God, Frau Babette Ruoff.
I pray Thee, O Thou Who causest the dawn to appear, by Thy
Name through Which Thou hast subjected the winds, and sent down Thy Tablets,
that Thou wilt grant that we may draw near unto what Thou didst destine for us
by Thy favor and bounty, and to be far removed from whatsoever may be repugnant
unto Thee. Give us, then, to drink from the hands of Thy grace every day and
every moment of our lives of the waters that are life indeed, O Thou Who art
the Most Merciful! Make us, then, to be of them who helped Thee when fallen
into the hands of those Thine enemies who are numbered with the rebellious
among Thy creatures and the wicked amidst Thy people. Write down, then, for us
the recompense ordained for him that hath attained Thy presence, and gazed on
Thy beauty, and supply us with every good thing ordained in Thy Book for such
of Thy creatures as enjoy near access to Thee.
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!
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! I bear witness that from
eternity Thou wert exalted in Thy transcendent majesty and might, and wilt to
eternity abide in Thy surpassing power and glory. None in the kingdoms of earth
and heaven can frustrate Thy purpose; none throughout the realms of revelation
and of creation can prevail against Thee. At Thy command Thou doest what Thou
willest, and by the power of Thy sovereignty Thou rulest as Thou pleasest.
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 my Lord, my Hope! Thanks be unto Thee for these foods and benefits. O Lord!
Suffer us to ascend to Thy Kingdom and to sit at the tables of thy divine
world. Nourish us with the food of Thy meeting and cause us to attain to the
sweetness of beholding Thy beauty, forasmuch as this is the utmost wish, the
mightiest gift and the greatest bestowal. O Lord, O Lord! Make this feasible
unto us. Verily Thou art the Beneficent, the Giver! Verily Thou art the
Bestower, the Mighty, the Merciful.
O my Lord, my Hope! Praise be unto Thee, for Thou hast sent down unto us this
spiritual table, supreme benefit and heavenly blessing. O our Lord! Strengthen
us to partake of this heavenly food, so that its fine essence may run through
the pillars of our spiritual being and that we may thereby obtain a celestial
power for serving Thy Cause, promulgating Thy signs and adorning Thy vineyard
with lofty trees, the fruits whereof shall be near (to gather) and of perfuming
fragrances. Verily Thou art the Possessor of great bounty! Verily Thou are the
Clement, the Merciful!
I pray Thee, O Thou Who causest the dawn to appear, by Thy
Name through Which Thou hast subjected the winds, and sent down Thy Tablets,
that Thou wilt grant that we may draw near unto what Thou didst destine for us
by Thy favor and bounty, and to be far removed from whatsoever may be repugnant
unto Thee. Give us, then, to drink from the hands of Thy grace every day and
every moment of our lives of the waters that are life indeed, O Thou Who art
the Most Merciful! Make us, then, to be of them who helped Thee when fallen
into the hands of those Thine enemies who are numbered with the rebellious
among Thy creatures and the wicked amidst Thy people. Write down, then, for us
the recompense ordained for him that hath attained Thy presence, and gazed on
Thy beauty, and supply us with every good thing ordained in Thy Book for such
of Thy creatures as enjoy near access to Thee.
Strengthen Thou, O my Lord, the hearts of them that love
Thee, that they may not be affrighted by the hosts of the infidels that are
turned back from Thee, but may follow Thee in whatsoever hath been revealed by
Thee. Aid them, moreover, to remember and to praise Thee, and to teach Thy
Cause with eloquence and wisdom. Thou art He Who hath called Himself the Most
Merciful. Ordain, then, O my God, for me and for whosoever hath sought Thee
what beseemeth the excellence of Thy glory and the greatness of Thy majesty. No
God is there but Thee, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Compassionate.
Praised be Thou, O my God! I beseech Thee by them who have
circled round the throne of Thy will, and soared in the atmosphere of Thy
good-pleasure, and turned with all their affections towards the Horizon of Thy
Revelation and the Day-Spring of Thine inspiration, and the Dawning-Place of
Thy names, to aid Thy servants to observe what Thou hast commanded them in Thy
days—commandments through which the sacredness of Thy Cause will be
demonstrated unto Thy servants and the affairs of Thy creatures and of Thy
realm will be set aright.
If thou desirest to be freed from affliction, recite thou
this prayer which hath been revealed by the Pen of the All-Merciful:
He then went to lunch. At the request of those present at
the table the Master chanted the following prayer:
O Thou kind Lord! These people have turned to Thee in
prayer. With utmost humility and sincerity they have raised their voices to Thy
Kingdom to beg Thy forgiveness.
 |
| Thornton Chase |
O my God! O my God! Verily, this is a servant of Thine, who
did believe on Thee and in Thy signs; verily he hearkened to Thy summons,
turned to Thy Kingdom, humbled himself at Thy holy threshold, was possessed of
a contrite heart, arose to serve Thy cause, to spread Thy fragrances, to
promote Thy word, and to expound Thy wisdom.
Cover the sins of the weak ones with the hem of the garment
of Thy Mercy! Change the indifference of the heedless ones into the essence of
fidelity, wisdom and understanding! Grant the souls a loftier effort and arouse
another (spiritual) tumult in the minds so that they may sing the melody of the
Supreme Realm, seek for a Glory Everlasting, long for the delicacies of the New
World, soar toward the Brightest Horizon, enter the congregation of the
Almighty and become the recipients of the bestowals of the Kingdom! Thus will
the dark world become luminous, the satanic field transformed into the courts
of the Merciful, the mound of earth become the mound of Heaven and the terrestrial
globe the Eternal Rose garden. Verily, Thou art the Powerful, the Mighty, the
Hearer, the Seer!
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 Bahá'u'lláh! Assist these noble maidservants; make these
worldly daughters heavenly; inspire their hearts and gladden their souls.
O Thou Heavenly Father!
O my God! O my God! Favor belongs to Thee, Generosity
belongs to Thee! Praise belongs to Thee and Glorification is Thine, for that
which Thou hast bestowed upon these indigent ones, granted a refuge and asylum to
these weak ones in the cave of Thy protection and preservation, assisted them
in the service of Thy Cause and confirmed them in the worship of Thy Exalted
Threshold.
O my God! O my God! Favor belongs to Thee, Generosity
belongs to Thee! Praise belongs to Thee and Glorification is Thine, for that
which Thou hast bestowed upon these indigent ones, granted a refuge and asylum
to these weak ones in the cave of Thy protection and preservation, assisted
them in the service of Thy Cause and confirm them in the worship of Thy Exalted
Threshold.
Praise be unto Thee, Who art my God and the God of all men,
and my Desire and the Desire of all them that have recognized Thee, and my
Beloved and the Beloved of such as have acknowledged Thy unity, and the Object
of my adoration and of the adoration of them that have near access to Thee, and
my Wish and the Wish of such as are wholly devoted to Thee, and my Hope and the
Hope of them that have fixed their hearts upon Thee, and my Refuge and the
Refuge of all such as have hastened towards Thee, and my Haven and the Haven of
whosoever hath repaired unto Thee, and my Goal and the Goal of all them that
have set themselves towards Thee, and my Object and the Object of those who
have fixed their gaze upon Thee, and my Paradise and the Paradise of them that
have ascended towards Thee, and my Lode-star and the Lode-star of all such as
yearn after Thee, and my Joy and the Joy of all them that love Thee, and my
Light and the Light of all such as have erred and asked to be forgiven by Thee,
and my Exultation and the Exultation of all them that remember Thee, and my
Stronghold and the Stronghold of all such as have fled to Thee, and my
Sanctuary and the Sanctuary of all that dread Thee, and my Lord and the Lord of
all such as dwell in the heavens and on the earth!
O God, my God! I beg of Thee by the ocean of Thy healing,
and by the splendors of the Day-Star of Thy grace, and by Thy Name through
which Thou didst subdue Thy servants, and by the pervasive power of Thy most
exalted Word and the potency of Thy most august Pen, and by Thy mercy that hath
preceded the creation of all who are in heaven and on earth, to purge me with
the waters of Thy bounty from every affliction and disorder, and from all
weakness and feebleness.
